- 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-grc2:6.21.1-6.21.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
Nicias argues that a successful campaign against such a powerful enemy requires not just a naval force but a large land army and thorough preparation, warning of the extreme distance and difficulty of the expedition.
‘πρὸς οὖν τοιαύτην δύναμιν οὐ ναυτικῆς καὶ φαύλου στρατιᾶς μόνον δεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πεζὸν πολὺν ξυμπλεῖν,1 εἴπερ βουλόμεθα ἄξιον τῆς διανοίας δρᾶν καὶ μὴ ὑπὸ ἱππέων πολλῶν εἴργεσθαι τῆς γῆς, ἄλλως τε καὶ εἰ ξυστῶσιν αἱ πόλεις φοβηθεῖσαι καὶ μὴ ἀντιπαράσχωσιν ἡμῖν φίλοι τινὲς γενόμενοι ἄλλοι ἢ Ἐγεσταῖοι ᾧ ἀμυνούμεθα ἱππικόν2 (αἰσχρὸν δὲ βιασθέντας ἀπελθεῖν ἢ ὕστερον ἐπιμεταπέμπεσθαι, τὸ πρῶτον ἀσκέπτως βουλευσαμένους)· αὐτόθεν δὲ παρασκευῇ ἀξιόχρεῳ ἐπιέναι, γνόντας ὅτι πολύ τε ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας αὐτῶν μέλλομεν πλεῖν καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ ὁμοίῳ στρατευσόμενοι καὶ ὅτε3 ἐν τοῖς τῇδε ὑπηκόοις ξύμμαχοι ἤλθετε ἐπί τινα, ὅθεν ῥᾴδιαι αἱ κομιδαὶ ἐκ τῆς φιλίας ὧν προσέδει, ἀλλ’ ἐς ἀλλοτρίαν πᾶσαν ἀπαρτήσοντες,4 ἐξ ἧς μηνῶν οὐδὲ τεσσάρων τῶν χειμερινῶν ἄγγελον ῥᾴδιον ἐλθεῖν.
”Therefore, against such a power, there is need not only of a naval and slight force, but a large land force must also sail with us, if indeed we wish to achieve something worthy of our purpose and not to be excluded from the land by many cavalry, especially if the cities, becoming frightened, should band together, and no others than the Egestaeans should become our friends and provide us with the means wherewith we may ward off their cavalry. (for it is shameful to be forced to retreat or to send for reinforcements later, having made our plans thoughtlessly at first); rather, we must set out from home with a sufficient preparation, knowing that we are about to sail far from our own country, and that we shall not be making war under the same conditions as when you went as allies against someone among your subjects here, from where the supply of whatever was needed was easy from friendly territory, but rather that we are going to remove ourselves entirely to a foreign land, from which, during the four winter months, it is not easy for even a messenger to come.”
- 6.21.1οὐ ναυτικῆς καὶ φαύλου στρατιᾶς μόνον δεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πεζὸν πολὺν ξυμπλεῖν
The impersonal verb δεῖ takes a genitive noun phrase (ναυτικῆς καὶ φαύλου στρατιᾶς) in the first clause, but transitions asymmetrically to an accusative and infinitive construction (πεζὸν πολὺν ξυμπλεῖν) in the second clause.
- 6.21.1ᾧ ἀμυνούμεθα ἱππικόν
The relative pronoun ᾧ is an instrumental dative with an omitted antecedent (such as "means" or "force"). The verb ἀμυνούμεθα is a future indicative middle, forming a relative clause of purpose. ἱππικόν is the direct object of this middle verb (meaning "to ward off / defend against") and refers to the enemy's cavalry.
- 6.21.2οὐκ ἐν τῷ ὁμοίῳ στρατευσόμενοι καὶ ὅτε
The phrase ἐν τῷ ὁμοίῳ ... καί is a correlative construction expressing comparison ("in the same condition... as..."). Here, καί is followed by the ὅτε clause ("when..."), meaning "not going to make war under the same conditions as when [you went]...". The participle στρατευσόμενοι is a future participle depending on μέλλομεν, indicating future intention.
- 6.21.2ἀπαρτήσοντες
The future active participle of ἀπαρτάω ("to hang up, detach"), used here in an intransitive or reflexive sense meaning "to remove oneself far away" or "to be completely detached/isolated." Within the ὅτι-clause, it agrees in the nominative masculine plural with the subject of the finite verb μέλλομεν (representing the Athenian expeditionary force).