- Source
- Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (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:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.109.1-8.109.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Realizing he cannot persuade the majority to sail to the Hellespont, Themistocles convinces the Athenians to stay and rebuild their homes, attributing their victory to the gods rather than themselves. In doing so, he secretly aims to secure a future refuge with the Persian king in case of trouble with Athens.
ὡς δὲ ἔμαθε ὅτι οὐ πείσει τούς γε πολλοὺς πλέειν ἐς τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ὁ Θεμιστοκλέης, μεταβαλὼν πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους (οὗτοι γὰρ μάλιστα ἐκπεφευγότων1 περιημέκτεον, ὁρμέατό τε ἐς τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον πλέειν καὶ ἐπὶ σφέων αὐτῶν βαλόμενοι,2 εἰ οἱ ἄλλοι μὴ βουλοίατο) ἔλεγέ σφι τάδε.
When Themistocles realized that he would not persuade the majority to sail to the Hellespont, he turned to the Athenians (for these were the ones who were most vexed at the escape of the Persians, and were eager to sail to the Hellespont even by themselves, taking the risk upon themselves if the others should not wish to), and said to them as follows:
καὶ αὐτὸς ἤδη πολλοῖσι παρεγενόμην καὶ πολλῷ πλέω ἀκήκοα τοιάδε γενέσθαι, ἄνδρας ἐς ἀναγκαίην ἀπειληθέντας νενικημένους ἀναμάχεσθαί τε καὶ ἀναλαμβάνειν τὴν προτέρην κακότητα. ἡμεῖς δέ, εὕρημα γὰρ εὑρήκαμεν ἡμέας τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα,3 νέφος τοσοῦτο ἀνθρώπων ἀνωσάμενοι, μὴ διώκωμεν ἄνδρας φεύγοντας.
”I myself have already been present at many such events, and I have heard of far more of them happening, where men who were defeated and driven to desperation renewed the fight and retrieved their former failure. But as for us, since we have found an unexpected piece of good fortune for ourselves and for Greece, having driven away such a great cloud of men, let us not pursue men who are fleeing.
τάδε γὰρ οὐκ ἡμεῖς κατεργασάμεθα, ἀλλὰ θεοί τε καὶ ἥρωες, οἳ ἐφθόνησαν ἄνδρα ἕνα τῆς τε Ἀσίης καὶ τῆς Εὐρώπης βασιλεῦσαι ἐόντα ἀνόσιόν τε καὶ ἀτάσθαλον· ὃς τά τε ἱρὰ καὶ τὰ ἴδια ἐν ὁμοίῳ ἐποιέετο, ἐμπιπράς τε καὶ καταβάλλων τῶν θεῶν τὰ ἀγάλματα· ὃς καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ἀπεμαστίγωσε πέδας τε κατῆκε.
For it is not we who have accomplished this, but the gods and the heroes, who were jealous that one single man, impious and reckless, should rule over both Asia and Europe; a man who treated sacred things and private property alike, burning and throwing down the images of the gods; who even scourged the sea and cast fetters into it.
ἀλλʼ εὖ γὰρ ἔχει4 ἐς τὸ παρεὸν ἡμῖν, νῦν μὲν ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι καταμείναντας ἡμέων τε αὐτῶν ἐπιμεληθῆναι καὶ τῶν οἰκετέων, καὶ τις οἰκίην τε ἀναπλασάσθω καὶ σπόρου ἀνακῶς ἐχέτω, παντελέως ἀπελάσας τὸν βάρβαρον· ἅμα δὲ τῷ ἔαρι καταπλέωμεν ἐπὶ Ἑλλησπόντου καὶ Ἰωνίης.
But since it is well with us for the present, let us now remain in Greece and take care of ourselves and our households, and let each one rebuild his house and attend diligently to the sowing, after having completely driven out the barbarian; and with the coming of spring let us sail to the Hellespont and Ionia.”
ταῦτα ἔλεγε ἀποθήκην μέλλων ποιήσασθαι ἐς τὸν Πέρσην, ἵνα ἢν ἄρα τί μιν καταλαμβάνῃ πρὸς Ἀθηναίων πάθος ἔχῃ ἀποστροφήν· τά περ ὦν καὶ ἐγένετο.
This he said with the intention of securing a place of refuge with the Persian, so that if any misfortune should happen to him from the Athenians, he might have a retreat; which indeed is exactly what came to pass.
- 8.109.1ἐκπεφευγότων
Genitive of cause after the verb of emotion περιημέκτεον ('were very vexed'), functioning as a genitive absolute with the unexpressed subject 'they' (the Persians) meaning 'because they had escaped'.
- 8.109.1ἐπὶ σφέων αὐτῶν βαλόμενοι
An idiomatic participial expression meaning literally 'casting it upon themselves,' which translates to 'taking the risk upon themselves' or 'acting entirely on their own initiative.'
- 8.109.2εὕρημα γὰρ εὑρήκαμεν ἡμέας τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα
A double accusative structure or apposition, where 'ourselves and Greece' represents the direct object and content of the 'unexpected piece of good fortune' (εὕρημα) that they have found (i.e., saving themselves and Greece is the stroke of luck).
- 8.109.4ἀλλʼ εὖ γὰρ ἔχει
The formulaic ἀλλʼ ... γάρ construction, where the clause with γάρ ('for it is well...') introduces the reason for the subsequent commands, hortatory infinitives, or imperatives, effectively meaning 'But, since things are well with us, let us...'.