- 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-grc2:4.26.1-4.26.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-29
As the Athenian blockade of the Lacedaemonians on the island of Sphacteria at Pylos dragged on, the Athenians suffered from a shortage of supplies and cramped conditions, while the Lacedaemonians used various hazardous methods, employing Helots and divers, to smuggle food into the island.
ἐν δὲ τῇ Πύλῳ ἔτι ἐπολιόρκουν τοὺς ἐν τῇ νήσῳ Λακεδαιμονίους οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ τὸ ἐν τῇ ἠπείρῳ στρατόπεδον τῶν Πελοποννησίων κατὰ χώραν ἔμενεν.
Meanwhile, at Pylos, the Athenians were still besieging the Lacedaemonians on the island, and the Peloponnesian land force on the mainland remained in their position.
ἐπίπονος δ’ ἦν τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ἡ φυλακὴ σίτου τε ἀπορίᾳ καὶ ὕδατος· οὐ γὰρ ἦν κρήνη ὅτι μὴ1 μία ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἀκροπόλει τῆς Πύλου καὶ αὕτη οὐ μεγάλη, ἀλλὰ διαμώμενοι τὸν κάχληκα οἱ πλεῖστοι ἐπὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἔπινον οἷον εἰκὸς ὕδωρ.
The guard was arduous for the Athenians owing to the scarcity of food and water; for there was no spring except a single one in the acropolis of Pylos itself, and even this was not large, so that most of them dug into the shingle on the seashore and drank such water as was to be expected.
στενοχωρία τε ἐν ὀλίγῳ στρατοπεδευομένοις ἐγίγνετο, καὶ τῶν νεῶν οὐκ ἐχουσῶν ὅρμον αἱ μὲν σῖτον ἐν τῇ γῇ ᾑροῦντο κατὰ μέρος, αἱ δὲ μετέωροι ὥρμουν.
Space was confined for them as they encamped in a narrow area, and since the ships had no anchorage, some of them took their meals on land by turns, while others lay at anchor out at sea.
ἀθυμίαν τε πλείστην ὁ χρόνος παρεῖχε παρὰ λόγον ἐπιγιγνόμενος,2 οὓς ᾤοντο ἡμερῶν ὀλίγων ἐκπολιορκήσειν ἐν νήσῳ τε ἐρήμῃ καὶ ὕδατι ἁλμυρῷ χρωμένους.
And the time, prolonging itself contrary to expectation, caused them the greatest discouragement, since they had expected to reduce them by blockade in a few days on a desert island and with only brackish water to use.
αἴτιον δὲ ἦν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι προειπόντες3 ἐς τὴν νῆσον ἐσάγειν σῖτόν τε τὸν βουλόμενον ἀληλεμένον καὶ οἶνον καὶ τυρὸν καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο βρῶμα, οἷ’ ἂν ἐς πολιορκίαν ξυμφέρῃ, τάξαντες ἀργυρίου πολλοῦ καὶ τῶν Εἱλώτων τῷ ἐσαγαγόντι ἐλευθερίαν ὑπισχνούμενοι.
The reason was that the Lacedaemonians had previously proclaimed that anyone who wished should bring into the island ground corn, wine, cheese, and any other food which might be useful in a siege, fixing a high price in money and promising freedom to any of the Helots who brought it in.
καὶ ἐσῆγον ἄλλοι τε παρακινδυνεύοντες καὶ μάλιστα οἱ Εἵλωτες, ἀπαίροντες ἀπὸ τῆς Πελοποννήσου ὁπόθεν τύχοιεν καὶ καταπλέοντες ἔτι νυκτὸς ἐς τὰ πρὸς τὸ πέλαγος τῆς νήσου.
And others who were willing to run the risk, and especially the Helots, brought it in, putting out from the Peloponnese from wherever they happened, and landing while it was still night on the side of the island facing the open sea.
μάλιστα δὲ ἐτήρουν ἀνέμῳ καταφέρεσθαι· ῥᾷον γὰρ τὴν φυλακὴν τῶν τριήρων ἐλάνθανον, ὁπότε πνεῦμα ἐκ πόντου εἴη· ἄπορον γὰρ ἐγίγνετο περιορμεῖν, τοῖς δὲ ἀφειδὴς ὁ κατάπλους καθειστήκει· ἐπώκελλον γὰρ τὰ πλοῖα τετιμημένα χρημάτων,4 καὶ οἱ ὁπλῖται περὶ τὰς κατάρσεις τῆς νήσου ἐφύλασσον. ὅσοι δὲ γαλήνῃ κινδυνεύσειαν, ἡλίσκοντο.
They watched especially for a chance to be carried in by the wind; for they eluded the guard of triremes more easily whenever there was a breeze from the sea, since it then became impossible for the Athenians to anchor around, whereas for the blockade-runners, a reckless landing was established. For they ran their boats aground, which had been valued at a sum of money, and the hoplites kept guard around the landing-places of the island. But as many as ran the risk during a calm were captured.
ἐσένεον δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν λιμένα κολυμβηταὶ ὕφυδροι, καλῳδίῳ ἐν ἀσκοῖς ἐφέλκοντες μήκωνα μεμελιτωμένην καὶ λίνου σπέρμα κεκομμένον· ὧν τὸ πρῶτον λανθανόντων5 φυλακαὶ ὕστερον ἐγένοντο.
Divers also swam in under water through the harbor, towing with a cord in skins poppy-seed mixed with honey and bruised linseed; though they at first escaped notice, guards were afterwards stationed.
παντί τε τρόπῳ ἑκάτεροι ἐτεχνῶντο οἱ μὲν ἐσπέμπειν τὰ σιτία, οἱ δὲ μὴ λανθάνειν σφᾶς.
In every way, therefore, both sides used all devices, the one to smuggle in the provisions, the other not to let them escape their notice.
- 4.26.2ὅτι μὴ
An idiomatic phrase consisting of the relative pronoun ὅτι and the negative μή, meaning "except" or "save only" (synonymous with εἰ μή) to express limitation or exclusion.
- 4.26.4ὁ χρόνος παρεῖχε παρὰ λόγον ἐπιγιγνόμενος
The present participle ἐπιγιγνόμενος agrees with the subject ὁ χρόνος, where the noun-participle combination functions as the subject of the verb παρεῖχε, meaning "the fact of time prolonging itself contrary to expectation (παρὰ λόγον) caused..." This is an instance of a participle expressing the action itself.
- 4.26.5αἴτιον δὲ ἦν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι προειπόντες
Instead of the expected construction αἴτιον δὲ ἦν ὅτι... ("the reason was that..."), the subject in the nominative οἱ Lακεδαιμόνιοι is accompanied by participles (προειπόντες, ὑπισχνούμενοι) placed directly as the explanation, a Thucydidean anacoluthon (nominativus pendens). It is to be translated as "the reason was that the Lacedaemonians, having proclaimed..." or "the reason was the Lacedaemonians' proclaiming..."
- 4.26.7τετιμημένα χρημάτων
χρημάτων is a genitive of value. Used with the perfect passive participle τετιμημένα, it means "valued at a sum of money," referring to the boats whose financial compensation value had been pre-assessed and guaranteed, allowing the blockade-runners to run them aground without personal financial loss.
- 4.26.8ὧν τὸ πρῶτον λανθανόντων
A genitive absolute construction (ὧν λανθανόντων) utilizing the relative pronoun ὧν (referring to the divers). Translated as "while they at first escaped notice" or "although they at first did so undetected," which contrasts with the subsequent main clause "guards were afterwards stationed" (φυλακαὶ ὕστερον ἐγένοντο).
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)
- 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1