- 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-grc2:4.24.1-4.24.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-29
The Syracusans and their allies in Sicily, taking advantage of the main Athenian fleet's preoccupation with the siege of Sphacteria, prepare for a naval battle from Messene to capture Rhegium and control the strait.
ἐν τούτῳ δὲ οἱ ἐν τῇ Σικελίᾳ Συρακόσιοι καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι πρὸς ταῖς ἐν Μεσσήνῃ φρουρούσαις ναυσὶ τὸ ἄλλο ναυτικὸν ὃ παρεσκευάζοντο προσκομίσαντες τὸν πόλεμον ἐποιοῦντο ἐκ τῆς Μεσσήνης (καὶ μάλιστα ἐνῆγον οἱ Λοκροὶ τῶν Ῥηγίνων κατὰ ἔχθραν, καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐσεβεβλήκεσαν πανδημεὶ ἐς τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν), καὶ ναυμαχίας ἀποπειρᾶσθαι ἐβούλοντο, ὁρῶντες τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις τὰς μὲν παρούσας ὀλίγας ναῦς, ταῖς δὲ πλέοσι καὶ μελλούσαις ἥξειν1 πυνθανόμενοι τὴν νῆσον πολιορκεῖσθαι.
Meanwhile, the Syracusans in Sicily and their allies, having brought up the rest of the fleet which they had been preparing to join the ships keeping guard at Messene, began to wage war from Messene (being especially urged on by the Locrians out of enmity towards the Rhegians, who had themselves also invaded the territory of the Rhegians with their entire force), and they wished to hazard a sea-fight, seeing that the Athenians had but few ships present, while they learned that the island was being besieged by the majority of the Athenian fleet and by those which were about to arrive.
εἰ γὰρ κρατήσειαν τῷ ναυτικῷ, τὸ Ῥήγιον ἤλπιζον πεζῇ τε καὶ ναυσὶν ἐφορμοῦντες ῥᾳδίως χειρώσεσθαι, καὶ ἤδη σφῶν ἰσχυρὰ τὰ πράγματα γίγνεσθαι· ξύνεγγυς γὰρ κειμένου τοῦ τε Ῥηγίου ἀκρωτηρίου τῆς Ἰταλίας τῆς τε Μεσσήνης τῆς Σικελίας, τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις [τε] οὐκ ἂν εἶναι2 ἐφορμεῖν καὶ τοῦ πορθμοῦ κρατεῖν.
For they hoped that, if they should conquer with their fleet, they would easily subdue Rhegium by blockading it both by land and sea, and that their own position would immediately become secure; for since the promontory of Rhegium in Italy and Messene in Sicily lay close together, it would not be possible for the Athenians to maintain a blockade and hold the strait.
ἔστι δὲ ὁ πορθμὸς ἡ μεταξὺ Ῥηγίου θάλασσα καὶ Μεσσήνης, ᾗπερ βραχύτατον Σικελία τῆς ἠπείρου ἀπέχει· καὶ ἔστιν ἡ Χάρυβδις κληθεῖσα τοῦτο, ᾗ Ὀδυσσεὺς λέγεται διαπλεῦσαι. διὰ στενότητα δὲ καὶ ἐκ μεγάλων πελαγῶν, τοῦ τε Τυρσηνικοῦ καὶ τοῦ Σικελικοῦ, ἐσπίπτουσα ἡ θάλασσα ἐς αὐτὸ καὶ ῥοώδης οὖσα εἰκότως χαλεπὴ ἐνομίσθη.
This strait is the sea between Rhegium and Messene, where Sicily is at the shortest distance from the mainland; and this is what is called Charybdis, through which Odysseus is said to have sailed. And because of its narrowness, and because the sea from two great expanses, the Tyrrhenian and the Sicilian, falls into it and is full of currents, it was naturally considered dangerous.
- 4.24.3ταῖς δὲ πλέοσι καὶ μελλούσαις ἥξειν
Dative of agent with the passive infinitive πολιορκεῖσθαι, used instead of ὑπό with the genitive. It translates as 'by the majority of the fleet and those about to arrive'.
- 4.24.4τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις [τε] οὐκ ἂν εἶναι
The infinitive εἶναι is used impersonally to mean 'to be possible' (equivalent to ἔξεστιν). Combined with ἄν, it represents a potential optative (οὐκ ἂν εἴη, 'it would not be possible') in indirect discourse dependent on ἤλπιζον. τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις is the dative of possessor functioning as its subject.