- 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-grc2:8.60A.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Themistocles urges Eurybiades to remain at Salamis to fight, warning him of the disastrous consequences of retreating to the Isthmus, which would lead to the loss of territories and draw the enemy land forces into the Peloponnese.
ἐν σοὶ νῦν ἐστὶ σῶσαι τὴν Ἑλλάδα, ἢν ἐμοὶ πείθῃ ναυμαχίην αὐτοῦ μένων ποιέεσθαι, μηδὲ πειθόμενος τούτων τοῖσι λόγοισι ἀναζεύξῃς1 πρὸς τὸν Ἰσθμὸν τὰς νέας. ἀντίθες γὰρ ἑκάτερον ἀκούσας. πρὸς μὲν τῷ Ἰσθμῷ συμβάλλων ἐν πελάγεϊ ἀναπεπταμένῳ ναυμαχήσεις, ἐς τὸ ἥκιστα ἡμῖν σύμφορον ἐστὶ νέας ἔχουσι βαρυτέρας καὶ ἀριθμὸν ἐλάσσονας·2 τοῦτο δὲ3 ἀπολέεις Σαλαμῖνά τε καὶ Μέγαρα καὶ Αἴγιναν, ἤν περ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα εὐτυχήσωμεν.4 ἅμα δὲ τῷ ναυτικῷ αὐτῶν ἕψεται καὶ ὁ πεζὸς στρατός, καὶ οὕτω σφέας αὐτὸς ἄξεις ἐπὶ τὴν Πελοπόννησον, κινδυνεύσεις τε ἁπάσῃ τῇ Ἑλλάδι.
”It is now in your power to save Greece, if you obey me and remain here to fight a sea battle, and do not, obeying the words of these men, move the ships to the Isthmus. For listen and compare each of the two options. If you engage them at the Isthmus, you will fight in an open sea, which is least advantageous for us who have heavier ships and fewer in number; and furthermore, you will lose Salamis, Megara, and Aegina, even if we are successful in other respects. Along with their fleet, their land army will also follow, and thus you yourself will lead them against the Peloponnese, and you will bring danger to the whole of Greece.”
- 8.60A.1ἢν ἐμοὶ πείθῃ ... μηδὲ ... ἀναζεύξῃς
Both πείθῃ (present middle/passive subjunctive) and ἀναζεύξῃς (aorist active subjunctive) are coordinated under the conditional conjunction ἢν, with μηδὲ serving as the negative connector within the condition. Although μή + aorist subjunctive can express an independent prohibition ("and do not move..."), interpreting it as part of the conditional clause ("and if you do not move...") provides a more coherent condition for "it is in your power to save Greece."
- 8.60A.1νέας ἔχουσι βαρυτέρας καὶ ἀριθμὸν ἐλάσσονας
The dative participle ἔχουσι agrees with ἡμῖν ("for us who have..."). βαρυτέρας (heavier) is an accusative plural feminine modifying νέας (ships), and ἀριθμὸν is an accusative of specification ("in number") modifying the adjective ἐλάσσονας (fewer).
- 8.60A.1τοῦτο δὲ
The neuter accusative singular demonstrative pronoun used adverbially to mean "by this" or "because of this." Combined with the particle δέ, it introduces the second disadvantage of fighting at the Isthmus.
- 8.60A.1ἤν περ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα εὐτυχήσωμεν
The combination of the intensive particle περ and the conjunction καί. In this conditional clause, καί adds a concessive nuance ("even if"), meaning "even if we should succeed in other respects."