- Source
- Diodorus Siculus. Diodori Bibliotheca Historica. Vols. 4-5 (partial). Bekker, Immanuel; Dindorf, Ludwig; Fischer, Curt Theodor; editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1903-1906.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
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- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:19.25.1-19.25.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Eumenes' and Antigonus' armies faced each other but could not fight a decisive battle due to the rugged terrain; when Antigonus tried to win over Eumenes' men with promises, Eumenes maintained unity by exposing his deception through a fable.
ὡς δʼ ἡμέρας ὁδὸν ἀπέσχον ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων τὰ στρατόπεδα, κατασκόπους ἔπεμψαν ἀμφότεροι καὶ μαθόντες τὰ πλήθη καὶ τὰς προαιρέσεις τῶν πολεμίων παρεσκευάσαντο μὲν πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον, διελύθησαν δὲ χωρὶς μάχης·
When the camps were a day’s journey apart from each other, both sent out scouts, and having learned the strength and plans of the enemy, they prepared for battle, but withdrew without a fight.
προβεβλημένοι1 γὰρ ἀμφότεροι ποταμόν τινα καὶ χαράδραν ἐξέταξαν μὲν τὰς δυνάμεις, διὰ δὲ τὰς τῶν τόπων δυσχωρίας οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν διαγωνίσασθαι. καταστρατοπεδεύσαντες δʼ ἀλλήλων ἀπὸ σταδίων τριῶν ἐπὶ μὲν ἡμέρας τέσσαρας ἀκροβολιζόμενοι καὶ προνομεύοντες τὴν χώραν διετέλεσαν, πάντων σπανίζοντες, τῇ πέμπτῃ δʼ Ἀντίγονος πρεσβευτὰς ἐξαπέστειλε πρός τε τοὺς σατράπας καὶ τοὺς Μακεδόνας, ἀξιῶν Εὐμενεῖ μὲν μὴ προσέχειν, ἑαυτῷ δὲ πιστεύειν·
For, having both placed a certain river and a ravine in front of them, they drew up their forces, but because of the difficulty of the terrain they were unable to fight a decisive battle. Having encamped at a distance of three stades from each other, they spent four days skirmishing and plundering the countryside while lacking all supplies, but on the fifth day Antigonus sent envoys both to the satraps and to the Macedonians, demanding that they pay no attention to Eumenes but trust him instead.
συγχωρήσειν γὰρ ἔφη τοῖς μὲν σατράπαις ἔχειν τὰς ἰδίας σατραπείας, τῶν δὲ2 ἄλλων τοῖς μὲν χώραν πολλὴν δώσειν, τοὺς δὲ εἰς τὰς πατρίδας ἀποστελεῖν μετὰ τιμῆς καὶ δωρεῶν, τοὺς δὲ στρατεύεσθαι βουλομένους διανεμεῖν εἰς τὰς ἑκάστῳ καθηκούσας τάξεις.
For he said that he would permit the satraps to keep their own satrapies, and of the others, to some he would give much land, others he would send back to their homelands with honor and gifts, and those who wished to serve in the army he would distribute among the ranks appropriate to each.
τῶν δὲ Μακεδόνων οὐ προσεχόντων τοῖς λόγοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσαπειλούντων τοῖς πρεσβευταῖς Εὐμενὴς παρελθὼν ἐπῄνεσέν τε αὐτοὺς καὶ λόγον εἶπε τῶν παραδεδομένων μὲν καὶ παλαιῶν, οὐκ ἀνοίκειον δὲ τῆς περιστάσεως.
Since the Macedonians paid no attention to these words, but even threatened the envoys, Eumenes came forward and praised them, and told a story that was traditional and ancient, yet not unsuited to the situation.
ἔφη γὰρ ἐρασθέντα λέοντα παρθένου διαλεχθῆναι τῷ πατρὶ τῆς κόρης ὑπὲρ τοῦ γάμου, τὸν δὲ πατέρα λέγειν ὡς ἕτοιμος μέν ἐστιν αὐτῷ δοῦναι, δεδοικέναι δὲ τοὺς ὄνυχας καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας, μήποτε γήμας καὶ παροξυνθεὶς διά τινα αἰτίαν προσενέγκηται τῇ παρθένῳ θηριωδῶς.
For he said that a lion, having fallen in love with a maiden, spoke to the girl’s father about marriage, and the father said that he was ready to give her to him, but that he feared his claws and teeth, lest having married her and being provoked for some reason, he should treat the maiden in a beastly manner.
τοῦ δὲ λέοντος ἐξελόντος τούς τε ὄνυχας καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας τὸν πατέρα, θεωρήσαντα πάντα διʼ ὧν ἦν φοβερὸς ἀποβεβληκότα, τύπτοντα τῷ ξύλῳ ῥᾳδίως ἀποκτεῖναι.3 τὸ παραπλήσιον οὖν ποιεῖν καὶ τὸν Ἀντίγονον·
But when the lion had removed both his claws and his teeth, the father, seeing that he had cast aside everything that made him fearsome, easily killed him by beating him with a club. Therefore, Antigonus was doing much the same thing;
μέχρι τούτου γὰρ ποιεῖσθαι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἕως ἂν τῆς δυνάμεως κυριεύσῃ καὶ κολάσῃ τηνικαῦτα τοὺς ἀφηγουμένους. ἐπισημαινομένου δὲ τοῦ πλήθους ὡς ὀρθῶς λέγοντος4 τότε μὲν ἔλυσε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν·
for he would make his promises until he should get possession of the army, and would then punish the leaders. Since the multitude applauded him for speaking correctly, he then dismissed the assembly.
- 19.25.2προβεβλημένοι
Although it is a perfect passive participle in form, it is used here with a middle force ('having placed before themselves as a barrier'), taking 'a certain river and a ravine' (ποταμόν τινα καὶ χαράδραν) as its direct objects.
- 19.25.3τῶν δὲ ἄλλων τοῖς μὲν... τοὺς δὲ... τοὺς δὲ...
While the genitive τῶν δὲ ἄλλων indicates the whole group ('of the others'), the following parts are in different cases depending on their governing infinitives: the first τοῖς μὲν is dative (object of δώσειν, 'to give'), whereas the subsequent τοὺς δὲ... and τοὺς δὲ... are accusative (objects of ἀποστελεῖν, 'to send back', and διανεμεῖν, 'to distribute').
- 19.25.6τοῦ δὲ λέοντος ἐξελόντος... τὸν πατέρα, θεωρήσαντα πάντα... ἀποβεβληκότα... ἀποκτεῖναι
An accusative-and-infinitive construction within indirect discourse. The subject of the infinitive ἀποκτεῖναι ('killed') is the accusative τὸν πατέρα ('the father'), with which the participle θεωρήσαντα ('having seen') agrees. The object of θεωρήσαντα is the accusative participle phrase [τὸν λέοντα] πάντα διʼ ὧν ἦν φοβερὸς ἀποβεβληκότα ('that [the lion] had cast aside everything by which he was fearsome'), where the noun for the lion is omitted.
- 19.25.7ὡς ὀρθῶς λέγοντος
A genitive participle led by the conjunction ὡς. This functions as a genitive absolute where the implied subject is Eumenes (Εὐμένους), distinct from the crowd (τοῦ πλήθους) in the main genitive absolute, expressing the subjective reason or thought: 'on the ground that he (Eumenes) was speaking correctly.'