- 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-grc2:6.33.1-6.33.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
Hermocrates addresses the Syracusan assembly, declaring the truth of the Athenian expedition aiming at the conquest of Sicily and Syracuse. He urges the citizens to prepare, while reassuring them that large-scale distant expeditions usually fail, presenting a great opportunity for Syracuse to gain glory.
‘ἄπιστα μὲν ἴσως, ὥσπερ καὶ ἄλλοι τινές, δόξω ὑμῖν περὶ τοῦ ἐπίπλου τῆς ἀληθείας λέγειν,1 καὶ γιγνώσκω ὅτι οἱ τὰ μὴ πιστὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι ἢ λέγοντες ἢ ἀπαγγέλλοντες οὐ μόνον οὐ πείθουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄφρονες δοκοῦσιν εἶναι· ὅμως δὲ οὐ καταφοβηθεὶς ἐπισχήσω κινδυνευούσης τῆς πόλεως, πείθων γε ἐμαυτὸν σαφέστερόν τι ἑτέρου εἰδὼς λέγειν.
“Perhaps I, like some others, shall seem to you to speak what is incredible concerning the truth of the expedition, and I know that those who either state or report what seems incredible not only fail to persuade, but are also thought to be foolish. Yet, I will not be frightened into keeping silence when the city is in danger, persuading myself that I speak with a clearer knowledge than anyone else.
Ἀθηναῖοι γὰρ ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς, ὃ πάνυ θαυμάζετε, πολλῇ στρατιᾷ ὥρμηνται καὶ ναυτικῇ καὶ πεζῇ, πρόφασιν μὲν Ἐγεσταίων ξυμμαχίᾳ καὶ Λεοντίνων κατοικίσει, τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς Σικελίας ἐπιθυμίᾳ, μάλιστα δὲ τῆς ἡμετέρας πόλεως, ἡγούμενοι, εἰ ταύτην σχοῖεν, ῥᾳδίως καὶ τἆλλα ἕξειν.
For the Athenians, though you may greatly wonder at it, have set out against us with a large force both of ships and land troops, under the pretext of an alliance with the Egestaeans and the restoration of the Leontines, but in truth out of desire for Sicily, and especially for our city, thinking that if they possess this, they will easily hold the rest as well.
ὡς οὖν ἐν τάχει παρεσομένων,2 ὁρᾶτε ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ὅτῳ τρόπῳ κάλλιστα ἀμυνεῖσθε αὐτούς, καὶ μήτε καταφρονήσαντες ἄφαρκτοι ληφθήσεσθε μήτε ἀπιστήσαντες τοῦ ξύμπαντος ἀμελήσετε.
Therefore, with the understanding that they will soon be here, consider how with your present resources you may best defend yourselves against them, and neither be caught off your guard through contempt, nor through disbelief neglect the whole matter.
εἰ δέ τῳ καὶ πιστά, τὴν τόλμαν αὐτῶν καὶ δύναμιν μὴ ἐκπλαγῇ. οὔτε γὰρ βλάπτειν ἡμᾶς πλείω οἷοί τ’ ἔσονται ἢ πάσχειν, οὔθ’ ὅτι μεγάλῳ στόλῳ ἐπέρχονται, ἀνωφελεῖς, ἀλλὰ πρός τε τοὺς ἄλλους Σικελιώτας πολὺ ἄμεινον (μᾶλλον γὰρ ἐθελήσουσιν ἐκπλαγέντες ἡμῖν ξυμμαχεῖν), καὶ ἢν ἄρα ἢ κατεργασώμεθα αὐτοὺς ἢ ἀπράκτους ὧν ἐφίενται ἀπώσωμεν (οὐ γὰρ δὴ μὴ τύχωσί γε ὧν προσδέχονται φοβοῦμαι),3 κάλλιστον δὴ ἔργον ἡμῖν ξυμβήσεται, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέλπιστον ἔμοιγε.
And if to anyone these things are indeed credible, let him not be dismayed by their daring and power. For they will not be able to do us more harm than they themselves will suffer, nor is the fact that they are coming with a great armament useless to us; on the contrary, it is much better in respect to the other Siceliots, for out of terror they will be more willing to ally themselves with us. And if, indeed, we either defeat them or drive them back unsuccessful in what they desire (for I certainly have no fear of their achieving what they expect), a most glorious achievement will befall us, and one which to me at least is not beyond hope.
ὀλίγοι γὰρ δὴ στόλοι μεγάλοι ἢ Ἑλλήνων ἢ βαρβάρων πολὺ ἀπὸ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀπάραντες κατώρθωσαν. οὔτε γὰρ πλείους τῶν ἐνοικούντων καὶ ἀστυγειτόνων ἔρχονται (πάντα γὰρ ὑπὸ δέους ξυνίσταται), ἤν τε δι’ ἀπορίαν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ γῇ σφαλῶσι, τοῖς ἐπιβουλευθεῖσιν ὄνομα, κἂν περὶ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς τὰ πλείω πταίσωσιν, ὅμως καταλείπουσιν.
For indeed, few great armaments, whether of Hellenes or barbarians, have succeeded when they have gone far from their own country. For they do not come in numbers greater than the inhabitants and their neighbours (since all join together out of fear); and if they fail in a foreign land through lack of provisions, even though they fail for the most part through their own mistakes, they nevertheless leave glory to those who were the objects of their plot.
ὅπερ καὶ Ἀθηναῖοι αὐτοὶ οὗτοι, τοῦ Μήδου παρὰ λόγον πολλὰ σφαλέντος, ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι ὡς ἐπ’ Ἀθήνας ᾔει ηὐξήθησαν, καὶ ἡμῖν οὐκ ἀνέλπιστον τὸ τοιοῦτο ξυμβῆναι.
This was the very thing by which these same Athenians grew great, when the Persian, contrary to expectation, failed in many things, on the strength of the reputation that he had marched against Athens; and for us too, it is not beyond hope that such a thing should happen.”
- 6.33.1περὶ τοῦ ἐπίπλου τῆς ἀληθείας λέγειν
There are two interpretations for the syntax of the genitive τῆς ἀληθείας: (1) as the object of λέγειν ('to speak the truth'), or (2) as depending on the prepositional phrase περὶ τοῦ ἐπίπλου ('concerning the truth of the expedition'). Given the context focusing on the truth of the Athenian attack, it is more natural to take it in connection with the expedition (or 'to speak, regarding the expedition, the truth of it').
- 6.33.3ὡς οὖν ἐν τάχει παρεσομένων
A genitive absolute construction with the conjunction ὡς. The subject of the future participle παρεσομένων (i.e., the Athenians) is omitted as it is clear from the context. The particle ὡς marks the subjective conviction or ground of the action, meaning 'under the assumption that they will soon be present.'
- 6.33.4οὐ γὰρ δὴ μὴ τύχωσί γε ὧν προσδέχονται φοβοῦμαι
A hyperbaton combining the strong denial οὐ μή with the subjunctive (τύχωσι) and the verb of fearing φοβοῦμαι. Structurally, it functions as an inverted form of οὐ φοβοῦμαι μὴ τύχωσι... ('I do not fear that they will achieve...'), where the strong negative statement is brought forward for emphasis, meaning 'for I certainly have no fear of their achieving what they expect.'