- 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-grc2:5.95.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-04
The Athenians reply that they cannot accept neutrality, because friendship with Melos would look like a sign of Athenian weakness to their subjects, whereas Melian hatred serves as a sign of Athenian power.
ΑΘ. οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἡμᾶς βλάπτει ἡ ἔχθρα ὑμῶν ὅσον1 ἡ φιλία μὲν ἀσθενείας, τὸ δὲ μῖσος δυνάμεως παράδειγμα τοῖς ἀρχομένοις δηλούμενον.2
ATHENIANS For your hostility does not injure us so much as your friendship would be a proof of our weakness, and your hatred a proof of our power, manifested to our subjects.
- 5.95.1οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ... ὅσον
The correlative structure τοσοῦτον ... ὅσον expresses a comparison ("not so much ... as"). Here, the physical harm caused by Melian hostility (τοσοῦτον ἡμᾶς βλάπτει ἡ ἔχθρα ὑμῶν) is compared with the political impression that their friendship or hatred would make on Athens' subjects (ὅσον ...).
- 5.95.1ἡ φιλία μὲν ἀσθενείας, τὸ δὲ μῖσος δυνάμεως παράδειγμα τοῖς ἀρχομένοις δηλούμενον
In these two contrasted clauses (ἡ φιλία μὲν ... and τὸ δὲ μῖσος ...), the predicate phrase παράδειγμα ... δηλούμενον (with the omission of the copula ἐστί) is shared by both subjects. The genitives ἀσθενείας ('of weakness') and δυνάμεως ('of power') refer to Athenian attributes (Athenian weakness and power). The dative τοῖς ἀρχομένοις ('to the ruled / subjects') depends on the participle δηλούμενον.