- 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-grc2:7.72.1-7.72.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Following their defeat in the sea-fight, the Syracusans erect a trophy while the Athenians plan an immediate retreat by night. Demosthenes proposes to man the remaining ships for another attempt, but the demoralized sailors refuse to embark.
γενομένης δ’ ἰσχυρᾶς τῆς ναυμαχίας καὶ πολλῶν νεῶν ἀμφοτέροις καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἀπολομένων οἱ Συρακόσιοι καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι ἐπικρατήσαντες τά τε ναυάγια καὶ τοὺς νεκροὺς ἀνείλοντο, καὶ ἀποπλεύσαντες πρὸς τὴν πόλιν τροπαῖον ἔστησαν, οἱ δ’ Ἀθηναῖοι ὑπὸ μεγέθους τῶν παρόντων κακῶν νεκρῶν μὲν πέρι ἢ ναυαγίων οὐδὲ ἐπενόουν αἰτῆσαι ἀναίρεσιν, τῆς δὲ νυκτὸς ἐβουλεύοντο εὐθὺς ἀναχωρεῖν.
As the sea-fight had been severe and many ships and men had been lost on both sides, the Syracusans and their allies, having gained the victory, took up their wrecks and dead, and sailing back to the city, erected a trophy. The Athenians, however, because of the magnitude of their present miseries, did not even think of asking for the recovery of their dead or wrecks, but planned to retreat immediately during the night.
Δημοσθένης δὲ Νικίᾳ προσελθὼν γνώμην ἐποιεῖτο πληρώσαντας1 ἔτι τὰς λοιπὰς τῶν νεῶν βιάσασθαι, ἢν δύνωνται, ἅμα ἕῳ τὸν ἔκπλουν, λέγων ὅτι πλείους ἔτι αἱ λοιπαί εἰσι νῆες χρήσιμαι σφίσιν ἢ τοῖς πολεμίοις· ἦσαν γὰρ τοῖς μὲν Ἀθηναίοις περίλοιποι ὡς ἑξήκοντα, τοῖς δ’ ἐναντίοις ἐλάσσους ἢ πεντήκοντα.
Demosthenes came to Nicias and proposed that they should man the remaining ships and force their passage out, if they could, at daybreak, pointing out that they still had more useful ships left than the enemy; for the Athenians had about sixty remaining, while their opponents had fewer than fifty.
καὶ ξυγχωροῦντος Νικίου τῇ γνώμῃ καὶ βουλομένων πληροῦν αὐτῶν2 οἱ ναῦται οὐκ ἤθελον ἐσβαίνειν διὰ τὸ καταπεπλῆχθαί τε τῇ ἥσσῃ καὶ μὴ ἂν ἔτι οἴεσθαι κρατῆσαι.3
And though Nicias agreed to this proposal and they wished to man the ships, the sailors refused to go on board because they were utterly dismayed by their defeat and thought they could no longer conquer.
- 7.72.3πληρώσαντας
Accusative participle referring to the implicit subject of the infinitive βιάσασθαι (the Athenians). It is in the accusative case as the subject of the accusative-and-infinitive construction.
- 7.72.4βουλομένων πληροῦν αὐτῶν
A genitive absolute construction with the commanders (Nicias and Demosthenes) as the subject. Like the preceding ξυγχωροῦντος Νικίου, it introduces a subject different from the main subject of the sentence, οἱ ναῦται (the sailors).
- 7.72.4μὴ ἂν ἔτι οἴεσθαι κρατῆσαι
The particle ἂν goes with the infinitive κρατῆσαι, representing the potential or conditional direct statement οὐκ ἂν κρατήσαιμεν (we would no longer conquer) shifted into the infinitive under the main verb οἴεσθαι (to think).