- 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-grc2:4.63.1-4.63.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-30
Hermocrates urges immediate reconciliation and the dismissal of the Athenian threat in light of future uncertainties. He warns that submitting to external powers will lead to the disastrous result of befriending their enemies and fighting their own compatriots.
‘καὶ νῦν τοῦ ἀφανοῦς τε τούτου διὰ τὸ ἀτέκμαρτον δέος1 καὶ διὰ τὸ ἤδη † φοβεροὺς παρόντας Ἀθηναίους, κατ’ ἀμφότερα ἐκπλαγέντες, καὶ τὸ ἐλλιπὲς τῆς γνώμης, ὧν ἕκαστός τι ᾠήθημεν πράξειν,2 ταῖς κωλύμαις ταύταις ἱκανῶς νομίσαντες εἰρχθῆναι, τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας πολεμίους ἐκ τῆς χώρας ἀποπέμπωμεν, καὶ αὐτοὶ μάλιστα μὲν ἐς ἀίδιον ξυμβῶμεν, εἰ δὲ μή, χρόνον ὡς πλεῖστον σπεισάμενοι τὰς ἰδίας διαφορὰς ἐς αὖθις ἀναβαλώμεθα.
”And now, terrified on both accounts—by the fear of this unpredictable future due to its uncertainty, and by the presence of the already fearsome Athenians—and thinking that the shortcoming in our plans, regarding those things which each of us expected to achieve, has been sufficiently blocked by these obstacles, let us send the enemy who are looming over us away from our land, and let us ourselves, preferably indeed come to a reconciliation forever, but if not, make a truce for as long a time as possible and postpone our private differences for the future.
τὸ ξύμπαν τε δὴ γνῶμεν πειθόμενοι μὲν ἐμοὶ πόλιν ἕξοντες ἕκαστος ἐλευθέραν,3 ἀφ’ ἧς αὐτοκράτορες ὄντες τὸν εὖ καὶ κακῶς δρῶντα ἐξ ἴσου ἀρετῇ ἀμυνούμεθα· ἢν δ᾽ ἀπιστήσαντες ἄλλοις ὑπακούσωμεν, οὐ περὶ τοῦ τιμωρήσασθαί τινα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγαν εἰ τύχοιμεν, φίλοι μὲν ἂν τοῖς ἐχθίστοις,4 διάφοροι δὲ οἷς οὐ χρὴ κατ’ ἀνάγκην γιγνοίμεθα.
In short, let us realize that if you are persuaded by me, we shall each possess a free city, from which, being independent, we shall reward or repel anyone who does us good or ill with equal courage; but if, through disbelief, we obey others, it will not be a question of avenging ourselves on anyone, but on the contrary, even if we should be exceedingly lucky, we would of necessity become friends to our bitterest enemies, and enemies to those with whom we ought not to be.”
- 4.63.1τοῦ ἀφανοῦς τε τούτου διὰ τὸ ἀτέκμαρτον δέος
The genitive τοῦ ἀφανοῦς τούτου is construed as an objective genitive modifying the noun δέος ('fear of this unpredictable future'). The preposition διά governs two parallel accusative structures (τὸ ... δέος and τὸ ... Ἀθηναίους), both of which state the cause for the participle ἐκπλαγέντες ('terrified').
- 4.63.1τὸ ἐλλιπὲς τῆς γνώμης, ὧν ἕκαστός τι ᾠήθημεν πράξειν
An accusative-with-infinitive construction where τὸ ἐλλιπὲς serves as the subject of the infinitive εἰρχθῆναι. The relative pronoun ὧν is either attracted to the genitive from an underlying accusative (representing τούτων ἅ 'of those things which...'), or functions as a partitive genitive depending on τι.
- 4.63.2πόλιν ἕξοντες ἕκαστος ἐλευθέραν
The future participle ἕξοντες agrees in plural with the subject of the main verb γνῶμεν ('let us realize'), while the singular ἕκαστος ('each') is inserted in apposition to it. The subsequent relative clause ἀφ’ ἧς... refers back to πόλιν ἐλευθέραν as its antecedent.
- 4.63.2οὐ περὶ τοῦ τιμωρήσασθαί τινα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγαν εἰ τύχοιμεν, φίλοι μὲν ἂν τοῖς ἐχθίστοις...
The optative γιγνοίμεθα with the particle ἂν functions as the apodosis (potential optative) to the conditional protasis ἢν δ᾽ ... ὑπακούσωμεν. The parenthetical insert ἄγαν εἰ τύχοιμεν introduces a concessive force ('even if we should be exceedingly lucky').