- 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-grc2:7.55.1-7.55.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The Athenians sink into deep despondency and regret after their defeat in the naval battle. They are at a complete loss against democratic, well-equipped cities of similar character, unable to sow internal division or overcome them by military force.
γεγενημένης δὲ τῆς νίκης τοῖς Συρακοσίοις λαμπρᾶς ἤδη καὶ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ (πρότερον μὲν γὰρ ἐφοβοῦντο τὰς μετὰ τοῦ Δημοσθένους ναῦς ἐπελθούσας) οἱ μὲν Ἀθηναῖοι ἐν παντὶ δὴ ἀθυμίας ἦσαν καὶ ὁ παράλογος αὐτοῖς μέγας ἦν, πολὺ δὲ μείζων ἔτι τῆς στρατείας1 ὁ μετάμελος.
Since the victory had now become brilliant for the Syracusans, and that in the naval battle as well (for previously they used to fear the ships that had arrived with Demosthenes), the Athenians were in utter despondency, and their miscalculation was great, and their regret for the expedition was still far greater.
πόλεσι γὰρ ταύταις μόναις ἤδη ὁμοιοτρόποις ἐπελθόντες, δημοκρατουμέναις τε, ὥσπερ καὶ αὐτοί, καὶ ναῦς καὶ ἵππους καὶ μεγέθη ἐχούσαις, οὐ δυνάμενοι ἐπενεγκεῖν οὔτ’ ἐκ πολιτείας τι μεταβολῆς τὸ διάφορον αὐτοῖς, ᾧ προσήγοντο ἄν,2 οὔτ’ ἐκ παρασκευῆς πολλῷ κρείσσονος, σφαλλόμενοι δὲ τὰ πλείω, τά τε πρὸ αὐτῶν3 ἠπόρουν, καὶ ἐπειδή γε καὶ ταῖς ναυσὶν ἐκρατήθησαν, ὃ οὐκ ἂν ᾤοντο, πολλῷ δὴ μᾶλλον ἔτι.
For having attacked these cities, which were the only ones they had yet encountered that were of a similar character to their own—being democratically governed as they themselves were, and possessing ships, horses, and great size—and being unable to bring upon them any division arising from a change of government, by which they might have won them over, or to prevail by means of a far superior preparation, but failing in most of their attempts, they had been at a loss even concerning the prospects before this; and when they were actually defeated even with their ships—a thing they would never have expected—they were far more so still.
- 7.55.1τῆς στρατείας
Objective genitive dependent on the noun ὁ μετάμελος (regret), meaning 'regret for the expedition'.
- 7.55.2ᾧ προσήγοντο ἄν
The relative pronoun ᾧ refers back to τὸ διάφορον (division, ground of difference). The imperfect indicative with ἄν forms the apodosis of a past contrary-to-fact condition, meaning 'by which they would have won them over (had such division existed)'.
- 7.55.2τά τε πρὸ αὐτῶν
The pronoun αὐτῶν refers to the immediate circumstances (especially the naval defeat). The phrase functions as an accusative of respect or adverbial accusative ('with regard to the prospects before this') modifying the verb ἠπόρουν.