- 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-grc2:4.135.1-4.135.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-01
At the end of the winter, Brasidas attempts a surprise attack on Potidaea but fails, and the ninth year of the war comes to an end.
ἀπεπείρασε δὲ τοῦ αὐτοῦ χειμῶνος καὶ ὁ Βρασίδας τελευτῶντος καὶ πρὸς ἔαρ ἤδη Ποτειδαίας.1 προσελθὼν γὰρ νυκτὸς καὶ κλίμακα προσθεὶς μέχρι μὲν τούτου ἔλαθεν· τοῦ γὰρ κώδωνος παρενεχθέντος2 οὕτως ἐς τὸ διάκενον, πρὶν ἐπανελθεῖν τὸν παραδιδόντα αὐτόν, ἡ πρόσθεσις ἐγένετο· ἔπειτα μέντοι εὐθὺς αἰσθομένων,3 πρὶν προσβῆναι,4 ἀπήγαγε πάλιν κατὰ τάχος τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ οὐκ ἀνέμεινεν ἡμέραν γενέσθαι.
In the same winter, at its close and already towards spring, Brasidas also made an attempt on Potidaea. For, having approached by night and applied a ladder, up to this point he went unnoticed; indeed, just as the bell was being passed along into the interval, before the man handing it over returned, the placing of the ladder took place. However, when they immediately perceived it, before his men could mount, he led the army back again in haste and did not wait for day to break.
καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἐτελεύτα, καὶ ἔνατον ἔτος τῷ πολέμῳ ἐτελεύτα τῷδε ὃν Θουκυδίδης ξυνέγραψεν.5
And the winter ended, and the ninth year ended for this war of which Thucydides wrote the history.
- 4.135.1ἀπεπείρασε ... Ποτειδαίας
The verb ἀποπειράω (here active aorist, used with the force of the middle) governs the genitive (Ποτειδαίας), meaning "to make an attempt on" or "to try to take".
- 4.135.1τοῦ γὰρ κώδωνος παρενεχθέντος
A genitive absolute construction. It describes the ancient Greek garrison system where sentries passed a bell (κώδων) along the battlements to ensure everyone was awake and on duty.
- 4.135.1αἰσθομένων
A genitive absolute with an omitted subject (e.g., "the sentries" or "the defenders"). The context implies the guards on the wall perceived the attempt.
- 4.135.1πρὶν προσβῆναι
The conjunction πρίν followed by an infinitive (προσβῆναι, aorist infinitive of προσβαίνω). It means "before they (Brasidas' men) could mount (the ladder)", with the subject of the infinitive understood from the context.
- 4.135.2τῷ πολέμῳ ... τῷδε ὃν Θουκυδίδης ξυνέγραψεν
The dative τῷ πολέμῳ with the demonstrative τῷδε, modified by the relative clause ὃν...ξυνέγραψεν, functions as a dative of reference with ἐτελεύτα: "ended for this war which Thucydides wrote."