- 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-grc2:4.127.1-4.127.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-01
As Brasidas begins his retreat, the barbarians pursue but are repulsed by the disciplined defense of the Greeks. The main body of the barbarians then bypasses them to slaughter the fleeing Macedonians and pre-occupy the narrow pass of Arrhabaeus to cut off Brasidas's retreat.
τοιαῦτα ὁ Βρασίδας παραινέσας ὑπῆγε τὸ στράτευμα. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι ἰδόντες πολλῇ βοῇ καὶ θορύβῳ προσέκειντο, νομίσαντες φεύγειν τε αὐτὸν καὶ καταλαβόντες διαφθερεῖν.1
Having given such exhortations, Brasidas began to withdraw his army. But the barbarians, seeing this, pressed upon them with much shouting and clamor, thinking that he was fleeing and that they would overtake and destroy him.
καὶ ὡς αὐτοῖς αἵ τε ἐκδρομαὶ2 ὅπῃ προσπίπτοιεν ἀπήντων καὶ αὐτὸς ἔχων τοὺς λογάδας ἐπικειμένους ὑφίστατο, τῇ τε πρώτῃ ὁρμῇ παρὰ γνώμην ἀντέστησαν καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐπιφερομένους μὲν δεχόμενοι ἠμύνοντο, ἡσυχαζόντων δὲ αὐτοὶ ὑπεχώρουν, τότε δὴ τῶν μετὰ τοῦ Βρασίδου Ἑλλήνων ἐν τῇ εὐρυχωρίᾳ οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν βαρβάρων ἀπέσχοντο, μέρος δέ τι καταλιπόντες αὐτοῖς ἐπακολουθοῦν προσβάλλειν, οἱ λοιποὶ χωρήσαντες δρόμῳ ἐπί τε τοὺς φεύγοντας τῶν Μακεδόνων οἷς ἐντύχοιεν ἔκτεινον καὶ τὴν ἐσβολήν, ἥ ἐστι μεταξὺ δυοῖν λόφοιν στενὴ ἐς τὴν Ἀρραβαίου,3 φθάσαντες προκατέλαβον, εἰδότες οὐκ οὖσαν ἄλλην τῷ Βρασίδᾳ ἀναχώρησιν. καὶ προσιόντος αὐτοῦ ἐς αὐτὸ ἤδη τὸ ἄπορον τῆς ὁδοῦ κυκλοῦνται ὡς ἀποληψόμενοι.4
And since the sallies met them wherever they attacked, and he himself with his picked men withstood those who pressed upon him, they were resisted at the first onset contrary to their expectation, and for the rest, the Greeks defended themselves by receiving those who charged, and when the enemy remained quiet, they themselves retreated; then indeed, in the open country, the majority of the barbarians kept away from the Greeks under Brasidas. However, leaving a certain part to follow and attack them, the rest advanced at a run and killed those of the fleeing Macedonians whom they happened to meet, and anticipated them by occupying the pass, which is narrow between two hills leading into the territory of Arrhabaeus, knowing that there was no other retreat for Brasidas. And as he was already approaching the very bottleneck of the road, they began to encircle him in order to cut him off.
- 4.127.1διαφθερεῖν
Future active infinitive of διαφθείρω. Like the parallel present infinitive φεύγειν, it depends on νομίσαντες in indirect discourse. Its subject, being identical with that of νομίσαντες (the barbarians), is omitted, and the omitted object αὐτόν (Brasidas or his army) must be supplied: 'that they would destroy him'.
- 4.127.2ὡς αὐτοῖς αἵ τε ἐκδρομαὶ...
The long subordinate clause introduced by ὡς ('since' or 'when') extends up to the main clause starting at τότε δὴ. Within this ὡς-clause, the subject shifts multiple times: from αἵ τε ἐκδρομαὶ (the sallies), to αὐτός (Brasidas himself), and to 'the Greeks' as the unexpressed subject of ἀντέστησαν, ἠμύνοντο, and ὑπεχώρουν. Additionally, ἡσυχαζόντων is a genitive absolute with its subject (the barbarians) omitted.
- 4.127.2ἐς τὴν Ἀρραβαίου
After the genitive Ἀρραβαίου, a feminine noun meaning 'land' or 'territory' (such as γῆν or χώραν) is omitted, corresponding to the preposition ἐς and the feminine accusative article τὴν: 'into the territory of Arrhabaeus'.
- 4.127.2ὡς ἀποληψόμενοι
The conjunction ὡς combined with the future participle (here from ἀπολαμβάνω) expresses the intention or purpose of the subjects of the main verb (the barbarians): 'with the intention of cutting him off'.