- 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-grc2:7.53.1-7.53.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Gylippus attempts to attack the crew of the retreating Athenian ships but is routed by the Tyrrhenians into a marsh. After subsequent clashes with reinforcements where the Athenians secure most of their ships, the Syracusans launch a fire-ship attack.
ὁ δὲ Γύλιππος ὁρῶν τὰς ναῦς τῶν πολεμίων νικωμένας καὶ ἔξω τῶν σταυρωμάτων καὶ τοῦ ἑαυτῶν στρατοπέδου καταφερομένας, βουλόμενος διαφθείρειν τοὺς ἐκβαίνοντας καὶ τὰς ναῦς ῥᾷον τοὺς Συρακοσίους ἀφέλκειν1 τῆς γῆς φιλίας οὔσης,2 παρεβοήθει ἐπὶ τὴν χηλὴν μέρος τι ἔχων τῆς στρατιᾶς.
Gylippus, seeing the enemy’s ships defeated and driven ashore outside their stockades and their own camp, wished to destroy those who were landing and to enable the Syracusans to tow the ships away more easily since the land was friendly; he therefore hastened to the breakwater to help, having with him a part of his army.
καὶ αὐτοὺς οἱ Τυρσηνοί (οὗτοι γὰρ ἐφύλασσον τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ταύτῃ) ὁρῶντες ἀτάκτως προσφερομένους, ἐπεκβοηθήσαντες καὶ προσπεσόντες τοῖς πρώτοις τρέπουσι καὶ ἐσβάλλουσιν ἐς τὴν λίμνην τὴν Λυσιμέλειαν καλουμένην.
But the Tyrrhenians, who were guarding this point for the Athenians, seeing them advancing in disorder, rushed out to meet them, fell upon the foremost, routed them, and drove them into the marsh called Lysimeleia.
ὕστερον δὲ πλέονος ἤδη τοῦ στρατεύματος παρόντος τῶν Συρακοσίων καὶ ξυμμάχων καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐπιβοηθήσαντες καὶ δείσαντες περὶ ταῖς ναυσὶν ἐς μάχην τε κατέστησαν πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ νικήσαντες ἐπεδίωξαν καὶ ὁπλίτας τε οὐ πολλοὺς ἀπέκτειναν καὶ τὰς ναῦς τὰς μὲν πολλὰς διέσωσάν τε καὶ ξυνήγαγον κατὰ τὸ στρατόπεδον, δυοῖν δὲ δεούσας εἴκοσιν3 οἱ Συρακόσιοι καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι ἔλαβον αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας πάντας ἀπέκτειναν.
Afterwards, when a larger force of the Syracusans and their allies had already come up, the Athenians also came to the rescue, and fearing for their ships, engaged them in battle, defeated and pursued them, killing a few of their hoplites; and though they saved and brought back most of their ships to their own camp, the Syracusans and their allies captured eighteen of them and killed all their crews.
καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς λοιπὰς ἐμπρῆσαι βουλόμενοι ὁλκάδα παλαιὰν κληματίδων καὶ δᾳδὸς γεμίσαντες (ἦν γὰρ ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ὁ ἄνεμος οὔριος) ἀφεῖσαν [τὴν ναῦν] πῦρ ἐμβαλόντες. καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι δείσαντες περὶ ταῖς ναυσὶν ἀντεμηχανήσαντό τε σβεστήρια κωλύματα καὶ παύσαντες τήν τε φλόγα καὶ τὸ μὴ προσελθεῖν ἐγγὺς τὴν ὁλκάδα4 τοῦ κινδύνου ἀπηλλάγησαν.
Wishing also to burn the remaining ships, they filled an old merchantman with brushwood and pine-faggots (for the wind was blowing straight towards the Athenians) and set it on fire, letting it drift. The Athenians, in terror for their ships, devised fire-extinguishing barriers and, having put out the flames and prevented the merchantman from coming near, escaped the danger.
- 7.53.1βουλόμενος διαφθείρειν ... καὶ ... ἀφέλκειν
The participle βουλόμενος governs two infinitives connected by καί: διαφθείρειν and ἀφέλκειν. For the latter (ἀφέλκειν), the accusative τοὺς Συρακοσίους acts as the subject of the infinitive.
- 7.53.1τῆς γῆς φιλίας οὔσης
Genitive absolute, meaning "since the land was friendly (to the Syracusans)." It provides the reason why they could easily tow the ships.
- 7.53.3δυοῖν δὲ δεούσας εἴκοσιν
Literally "twenty saving two," meaning eighteen. The feminine accusative plural participle δεούσας (from δέω, "to lack") modifies εἴκοσιν.
- 7.53.4τὸ μὴ προσελθεῖν ἐγγὺς τὴν ὁλκάδα
An articular infinitive phrase (τό ... προσελθεῖν) with τὴν ὁλκάδα as its subject, accompanied by the redundant negative μή. It functions as the direct object of the participle παύσαντες, meaning "preventing the merchantman from coming near."