- 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-grc2:6.72.1-6.72.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
After the Athenian withdrawal for the winter, the Syracusans hold an assembly where Hermocrates attributes their defeat to lack of discipline and too many generals, proposing a reform of command and intensified training.
καὶ οἱ μὲν ταύτῃ τῇ γνώμῃ ἀπέπλευσαν ἐς τὴν Νάξον καὶ Κατάνην διαχειμάσοντες, Συρακόσιοι δὲ τοὺς σφετέρους αὐτῶν νεκροὺς θάψαντες ἐκκλησίαν ἐποίουν.
With this intention, they sailed away to Naxos and Katane to spend the winter, while the Syracusans, having buried their own dead, held an assembly.
καὶ παρελθὼν αὐτοῖς Ἑρμοκράτης ὁ Ἕρμωνος, ἀνὴρ καὶ ἐς τἆλλα ξύνεσιν οὐδενὸς λειπόμενος καὶ κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἐμπειρίᾳ τε ἱκανὸς γενόμενος καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ ἐπιφανής, ἐθάρσυνέ τε καὶ οὐκ εἴα τῷ γεγενημένῳ ἐνδιδόναι· τὴν μὲν γὰρ γνώμην αὐτῶν οὐχ ἡσσῆσθαι, τὴν δὲ ἀταξίαν βλάψαι. οὐ μέντοι τοσοῦτόν γε λειφθῆναι ὅσον εἰκὸς εἶναι, ἄλλως τε καὶ τοῖς πρώτοις τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐμπειρίᾳ ἰδιώτας ὡς εἰπεῖν χειροτέχναις1 ἀνταγωνισαμένους.
And Hermocrates the son of Hermon came forward to them, a man who in other respects was second to none in sagacity, and during the war had become sufficiently experienced and was distinguished for courage; he encouraged them and would not allow them to give way to what had happened, saying that their spirit had not been defeated, but their lack of discipline had done them harm. Yet they had not been so far inferior as might have been expected, especially since they, being so to speak mere novices, had contended against those who were the first of the Greeks in experience, like amateurs against craftsmen.
μέγα δὲ βλάψαι καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν στρατηγῶν καὶ τὴν πολυαρχίαν (ἦσαν γὰρ πέντε καὶ δέκα οἱ στρατηγοὶ αὐτοῖς) τῶν τε πολλῶν τὴν ἀξύντακτον ἀναρχίαν. ἢν δὲ ὀλίγοι τε στρατηγοὶ γένωνται ἔμπειροι καὶ ἐν τῷ χειμῶνι τούτῳ παρασκευάσωσι τὸ ὁπλιτικόν, οἷς τε ὅπλα μὴ ἔστιν ἐκπορίζοντες, ὅπως ὡς πλεῖστοι ἔσονται, καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ μελέτῃ προσαναγκάζοντες, ἔφη κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς κρατήσειν σφᾶς τῶν ἐναντίων, ἀνδρείας μὲν σφίσιν ὑπαρχούσης, εὐταξίας δ’ ἐς τὰ ἔργα προσγενομένης· ἐπιδώσειν γὰρ ἀμφότερα αὐτά, τὴν μὲν μετὰ κινδύνων μελετωμένην, τὴν δ’2 εὐψυχίαν αὐτὴν ἑαυτῆς3 μετὰ τοῦ πιστοῦ τῆς ἐπιστήμης θαρσαλεωτέραν ἔσεσθαι.
He said that the great number of the generals and the divided command (for they had fifteen generals) had also done great harm, as well as the disorderly lack of discipline of the multitude. But if only a few experienced generals were chosen, and if during this winter they prepared their heavy infantry, providing arms for those who had none so that they might be as numerous as possible, and compelling them to undergo other training, he said they would in all probability defeat their opponents, since courage was already theirs, and discipline would be added to their actions. For both of these would improve, discipline being practiced in the midst of danger, and courage itself becoming bolder than its former self when accompanied by the confidence of knowledge.
τούς τε στρατηγοὺς καὶ ὀλίγους καὶ αὐτοκράτορας χρῆναι ἑλέσθαι καὶ ὀμόσαι αὐτοῖς τὸ ὅρκιον ἦ μὴν ἐάσειν ἄρχειν ὅπῃ ἂν ἐπίστωνται· οὕτω γὰρ ἅ τε κρύπτεσθαι δεῖ μᾶλλον ἂν στέγεσθαι καὶ τἆλλα κατὰ κόσμον καὶ ἀπροφασίστως παρασκευασθῆναι.
He added that they ought to choose generals who were both few and absolute in power, and take an oath to them that they would indeed allow them to command as they knew best; for in this way what ought to be kept secret would be better concealed, and everything else would be prepared in an orderly manner and without any excuses.
- 6.72.3ἰδιώτας ὡς εἰπεῖν χειροτέχναις
A contrast between ἰδιώτας (amateurs, laymen) and χειροτέχναις (craftsmen, professionals). The Syracusans, who are the implied subject of the participle ἀνταγωνισαμένους, are compared to ἰδιώτας, while the Athenians are compared to χειροτέχναις (in the dative, governed by the verb ἀνταγωνίζομαι). The phrase ὡς εἰπεῖν is a qualifying expression meaning "so to speak" or "as it were."
- 6.72.4ἐπιδώσειν γὰρ ἀμφότερα αὐτά, τὴν μὲν... τὴν δ’...
ἀμφότερα αὐτά (both of these) refers to "courage" (ἀνδρεία) and "discipline" (εὐταξία) mentioned in the preceding clause. In the subsequent distribution, τὴν μὲν refers to the former ("discipline", agreeing with εὐταξία since the participle μελετωμένην is feminine singular) and τὴν δ' εὐψυχίαν explicitly refers to the latter ("courage").
- 6.72.4αὐτὴν ἑαυτῆς
A genitive of comparison with the comparative θαρσαλεωτέραν, using the reflexive pronoun to mean "than itself" (i.e., "than its former self"). It indicates that courage (εὐψυχία), when accompanied by the confidence of knowledge, will surpass its previous state.