- Source
- Thucydides. Historiae, Vol 1-2. Jones, Henry Stuart, editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1910. (1942 printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.10.1-4.10.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-28
Demosthenes encourages his men in the face of the approaching Lacedaemonians, explaining the advantages of their position and the difficulties of a naval landing for the enemy, and urges them to stand their ground at the water's edge.
‘ἄνδρες οἱ ξυναράμενοι τοῦδε τοῦ κινδύνου, μηδεὶς ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ τοιᾷδε ἀνάγκῃ ξυνετὸς βουλέσθω δοκεῖν εἶναι, ἐκλογιζόμενος ἅπαν τὸ περιεστὸς ἡμᾶς δεινόν, μᾶλλον ἢ ἀπερισκέπτως εὔελπις ὁμόσε χωρῆσαι τοῖς ἐναντίοις καὶ ἐκ τούτων ἂν περιγενόμενος.1 ὅσα γὰρ ἐς ἀνάγκην ἀφῖκται ὥσπερ τάδε, λογισμὸν ἥκιστα ἐνδεχόμενα κινδύνου τοῦ ταχίστου προσδεῖται.
’Men who have shared with me this danger, let no one of you in such a necessity wish to seem wise by calculating all the peril that surrounds us, but rather, without overthinking, with good hope to go face to face with the enemy, as one who would thereby survive. For all things that have come to such a necessity as this, least of all admitting calculation, stand in need of the promptest risk.
ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τὰ πλείω ὁρῶ πρὸς ἡμῶν ὄντα, ἢν ἐθέλωμέν τε μεῖναι καὶ μὴ τῷ πλήθει αὐτῶν καταπλαγέντες τὰ ὑπάρχοντα ἡμῖν κρείσσω καταπροδοῦναι.
For my part, I see that most things are in our favor, if we are willing to stand our ground and not, terrified by their numbers, betray the advantages that are already ours.
τοῦ τε γὰρ χωρίου τὸ δυσέμβατον ἡμέτερον νομίζω, ὃ μενόντων μὲν ἡμῶν ξύμμαχον γίγνεται, ὑποχωρήσασι δὲ καίπερ χαλεπὸν ὂν εὔπορον ἔσται μηδενὸς κωλύοντος, καὶ τὸν πολέμιον δεινότερον ἕξομεν μὴ ῥᾳδίας αὐτῷ πάλιν οὔσης τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως, ἢν καὶ ὑφ’ ἡμῶν βιάζηται2 (ἐπὶ γὰρ ταῖς ναυσὶ ῥᾷστοί εἰσιν ἀμύνεσθαι, ἀποβάντες δὲ ἐν τῷ ἴσῳ ἤδη), τό τε πλῆθος αὐτῶν οὐκ ἄγαν δεῖ φοβεῖσθαι· κατ’ ὀλίγον γὰρ μαχεῖται καίπερ πολὺ ὂν ἀπορίᾳ τῆς προσορμίσεως, καὶ οὐκ ἐν γῇ στρατός ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ ὁμοίου μείζων, ἀλλ’ ἀπὸ νεῶν, αἷς πολλὰ τὰ καίρια δεῖ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ξυμβῆναι.
For I consider the difficulty of landing here to be on our side; this, while we remain, becomes an ally, but if we retreat, even though it is difficult, it will be easy to traverse when no one prevents them. And we shall find the enemy more formidable because retreat will not be easy for them, even if they are forced back by us (for while they are on their ships they are easiest to repel, but once landed they are already on equal terms). Nor should we fear their numbers too much; for although they are many, they will fight only in small detachments owing to the difficulty of bringing their ships to anchorage, and theirs is not an army superior on land on equal terms, but one coming from ships, for which many favorable circumstances must coincide at sea.
ὥστε τὰς τούτων ἀπορίας ἀντιπάλους ἡγοῦμαι τῷ ἡμετέρῳ πλήθει, καὶ ἅμα ἀξιῶ ὑμᾶς, Ἀθηναίους ὄντας καὶ ἐπισταμένους ἐμπειρίᾳ τὴν ναυτικὴν ἐπ’ ἄλλους ἀπόβασιν3 ὅτι, εἴ τις ὑπομένοι καὶ μὴ φόβῳ ῥοθίου καὶ νεῶν δεινότητος κατάπλου ὑποχωροίη, οὐκ ἄν ποτε βιάζοιτο, καὶ αὐτοὺς νῦν μεῖναί τε καὶ ἀμυνομένους παρ’ αὐτὴν τὴν ῥαχίαν σῴζειν ἡμᾶς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸ χωρίον.’
Therefore, I consider their difficulties to be a match for our numbers. And at the same time, I demand of you, who are Athenians and know by experience that a naval landing against others is such that, if one stands his ground and does not give way through fear of the crashing of the surf and the terrifying approach of the ships, it can never be forced, that you too now stand your ground and, fighting at the very water’s edge, save both ourselves and this place.’
- 4.10.1καὶ ἐκ τούτων ἂν περιγενόμενος
The participle περιγενόμενος is accompanied by the particle ἂν expressing potentiality, coordinated with εὔελπις, representing the strong confidence of 'one who would survive as a result.' Syntactically, it modifies the infinitive χωρῆσαι which depends on βουλέσθω after μᾶλλον ἢ.
- 4.10.3καὶ τὸν πολέμιον δεινότερον ἕξομεν μὴ ῥᾳδίας αὐτῷ πάλιν οὔσης τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως, ἢν καὶ ὑφ’ ἡμῶν βιάζηται
The phrase 'we shall find the enemy more formidable' means that even if they are forced back by us (βιάζηται), because their retreat (ἀναχωρήσεως) is not easy, they will fight desperately. καὶ here has the concessive meaning of 'even if'. The genitive absolute clause μὴ ῥᾳδίας... denotes cause.
- 4.10.5τὴν ναυτικὴν ἐπ’ ἄλλους ἀπόβασιν
An instance of prolepsis (anticipation). The noun ἀπόβασις, which is logically the subject (or main topic) of the ὅτι clause, is anticipated as the direct object of the main participle ἐπισταμένους. Literally, 'knowing the landing that... it can never be forced'.