- 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-grc2:7.3.1-7.3.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Gylippus' army approaches the Athenian wall and offers a truce on condition of their departure, which the Athenians reject. Gylippus then withdraws to a wider ground, later capturing the Athenian fort of Labdalum and a trireme.
οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι αἰφνιδίως τοῦ τε Γυλίππου καὶ τῶν Συρακοσίων σφίσιν ἐπιόντων ἐθορυβήθησαν μὲν τὸ πρῶτον, παρετάξαντο δέ. ὁ δὲ θέμενος τὰ ὅπλα ἐγγὺς κήρυκα προσπέμπει αὐτοῖς λέγοντα, εἰ βούλονται ἐξιέναι ἐκ τῆς Σικελίας πέντε ἡμερῶν λαβόντες τὰ σφέτερα αὐτῶν, ἑτοῖμος εἶναι1 σπένδεσθαι.
The Athenians, when Gylippus and the Syracusans suddenly advanced upon them, were at first thrown into confusion, but they marshaled themselves for battle. Gylippus, halting and grounding his arms nearby, sent a herald to them, saying that if they wished to depart from Sicily within five days, taking their own property with them, he was ready to make a truce.
οἱ δ’ ἐν ὀλιγωρίᾳ τε ἐποιοῦντο καὶ οὐδὲν ἀποκρινάμενοι ἀπέπεμψαν. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἀντιπαρεσκευάζοντο ἀλλήλοις ὡς ἐς μάχην.
But they treated the proposal with contempt and sent the herald back without returning any answer. After this, they began to make preparations against each other for battle.
καὶ ὁ Γύλιππος ὁρῶν τοὺς Συρακοσίους ταρασσομένους καὶ οὐ ῥᾳδίως ξυντασσομένους, ἐπανῆγε τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐς τὴν εὐρυχωρίαν μᾶλλον. καὶ ὁ Νικίας οὐκ ἐπῆγε τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, ἀλλ’ ἡσύχαζε πρὸς τῷ ἑαυτῶν τείχει. ὡς δ’ ἔγνω ὁ Γύλιππος οὐ προσιόντας αὐτούς, ἀπήγαγε τὴν στρατιὰν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄκραν τὴν Τεμενῖτιν καλουμένην, καὶ αὐτοῦ ηὐλίσαντο.
And Gylippus, seeing that the Syracusans were in confusion and not easily forming their ranks, led his army back rather into the open ground. Nicias did not lead the Athenians forward, but kept quiet near their own wall. When Gylippus perceived that they were not advancing, he led his army away to the hill called Temenites, and there they bivouacked.
τῇ δ’ ὑστεραίᾳ ἄγων τὴν μὲν πλείστην τῆς στρατιᾶς παρέταξε πρὸς τὰ τείχη τῶν Ἀθηναίων, ὅπως μὴ ἐπιβοηθοῖεν2 ἄλλοσε, μέρος δέ τι πέμψας πρὸς τὸ φρούριον τὸ Λάβδαλον αἱρεῖ, καὶ ὅσους ἔλαβεν ἐν αὐτῷ πάντας ἀπέκτεινεν· ἦν δὲ οὐκ ἐπιφανὲς τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις τὸ χωρίον.
On the following day, leading out the greater part of his army, he marshaled them before the walls of the Athenians, so that they might not send reinforcements elsewhere; and having sent a certain detachment against the fortress of Labdalum, he captured it and put to death all whom he took in it. The place was not within sight of the Athenians.
καὶ τριήρης τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἁλίσκεται τῶν Ἀθηναίων ὑπὸ τῶν Συρακοσίων ἐφορμοῦσα τῷ λιμένι.
On the same day, an Athenian trireme, which was keeping watch at the harbor, was captured by the Syracusans.
- 7.3.1ἑτοῖμος εἶναι
The predicate adjective ἑτοῖμος in the infinitive clause with εἶναι is in the nominative case because the subject of the infinitive is identical to the subject of the main clause (Gylippus, who sent the herald). While a different subject for an infinitive would require the accusative case, identity of subjects leads to omission and nominative attraction of the predicate.
- 7.3.4ὅπως μὴ ἐπιβοηθοῖεν
The optative mood (ἐπιβοηθοῖεν) is used in the purpose clause (ὅπως μή) because the main verb of the clause (παρέταξε) is in a secondary tense (aorist), which triggers the optative in sequence of moods.