- 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-grc2:5.101.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-04
The Athenians point out that this is not an equal contest for honor, but rather a realistic deliberation about survival by not resisting a far superior force.
ΑΘ. οὔκ,1 ἤν γε σωφρόνως βουλεύησθε· οὐ γὰρ περὶ ἀνδραγαθίας ὁ ἀγὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἴσου ὑμῖν, μὴ αἰσχύνην ὀφλεῖν,2 περὶ δὲ σωτηρίας μᾶλλον ἡ βουλή, πρὸς τοὺς κρείσσονας πολλῷ μὴ ἀνθίστασθαι.3
ATH. Not so, if you deliberate temperately. For this is not a contest on equal terms concerning manly virtue, so as to avoid incurring disgrace; rather, your deliberation is about survival—namely, not resisting those who are far stronger.
- 5.101.1οὔκ
A denial of the Melians' preceding assertion that not resisting would be the height of baseness and cowardice (κακότης καὶ δειλία). Combined with the following conditional clause, it means "It will not be so, if you deliberate temperately."
- 5.101.1μὴ αἰσχύνην ὀφλεῖν
The infinitive ὀφλεῖν, with the negative μή, functions appositionally to the noun phrase ὁ ἀγὼν (the contest), or explains its purpose or result: "so as to avoid incurring disgrace."
- 5.101.1πρὸς τοὺς κρείσσονας πολλῷ μὴ ἀνθίστασθαι
The negative infinitive phrase μὴ ἀνθίστασθαι stands in apposition to ἡ βουλή (deliberation), explaining its content: "namely, not resisting." The dative πολλῷ indicates the degree of difference, modifying the comparative κρείσσονας.