- Source
- Polybius. Vols. 1-4. Büttner-Wobst, Theodor, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1893.
- 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:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.21.1-1.21.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The Romans advance to the sea after land-based rowing training. While the Roman general Gnaeus Cornelius falls into an enemy trap and is captured, the Carthaginian general Hannibal also narrowly escapes disaster after unexpectedly running into the orderly Roman fleet.
θησαν τῆς ἐπιβολῆς. οὐ μὲν ἀλλʼ1 οἷς μὲν ἐπιμελὲς ἦν τῆς ναυπηγίας, ἐγίνοντο περὶ τὴν τῶν πλοίων κατασκευήν, οἱ δὲ τὰ πληρώματα συναθροίσαντες ἐδίδασκον ἐν τῇ γῇ κωπηλατεῖν τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον·
[prevented from their] enterprise. However, while those who were charged with the shipbuilding busied themselves with the construction of the vessels, those who had collected the crews taught them to row on land in the following manner:
καθίσαντες ἐπὶ τῶν εἰρεσιῶν ἐν τῇ χέρσῳ τοὺς ἄνδρας τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχοντας τάξιν ταῖς ἐπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν πλοίων καθέδραις,2 μέσον δʼ ἐν αὐτοῖς στήσαντες τὸν κελευστήν, ἅμα πάντας ἀναπίπτειν ἐφʼ αὑτοὺς ἄγοντας τὰς χεῖρας καὶ πάλιν προνεύειν ἐξωθοῦντας ταύτας συνείθιζον ἄρχεσθαί τε καὶ λήγειν τῶν κινήσεων πρὸς τὰ τοῦ κελευστοῦ παραγγέλματα. προκατασκευασθέντων δὲ τούτων, ἅμα τῷ συντελεσθῆναι τὰς ναῦς καθελκύσαντες καὶ βραχὺν χρόνον ἐπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας ἐν θαλάττῃ πειραθέντες ἔπλεον παρὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν κατὰ τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ στρατηγοῦ.
they seated the men on rowing-benches on dry land, keeping the same order as they would have in their seats on the actual ships. Placing the boatswain in the midst of them, they accustomed them all to lean back together, bringing their hands towards themselves, and then to bend forward again, pushing them out, and to begin and end their movements in response to the boatswain’s commands. When these preparations had been made, as soon as the ships were completed, they launched them, and after a brief trial in actual practice at sea, they sailed along the coast of Italy in accordance with the general’s command.
ὁ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς ναυτικῆς δυνάμεως τεταγμένος τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις Γνάιος Κορνήλιος ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις πρότερον, συντάξας τοῖς ναυάρχοις, ἐπειδὰν καταρτίσωσι τὸν στόλον, πλεῖν ὡς ἐπὶ τὸν πορθμόν, αὐτὸς ἀναχθεὶς μετὰ νεῶν ἑπτακαίδεκα προκατέπλευσεν ἐπὶ τὴν Μεσσήνην, σπουδάζων τὰ κατεπείγοντα πρὸς τὴν χρείαν παρασκευάσαι τῷ στόλῳ.
For Gnaeus Cornelius, who had been appointed by the Romans to command the naval forces, had a few days earlier ordered the captains to sail towards the strait as soon as they had fitted out the fleet, while he himself put to sea with seventeen ships and sailed ahead to Messene, eager to prepare the urgent requisites for the fleet’s use.
προσπεσούσης δʼ αὐτῷ πράξεως ἐκεῖ περὶ τῆς τῶν Λιπαραίων πόλεως, δεξάμενος τὴν ἐλπίδα προχειρότερον τοῦ δέοντος ἔπλει ταῖς προειρημέναις ναυσὶ καὶ καθωρμίσθη πρὸς τὴν πόλιν.
But when an opportunity was suggested to him there regarding the city of the Liparaeans, he embraced the hope more hastily than was proper, sailed with the aforesaid ships, and came to anchor at the city.
ὁ δὲ τῶν Καρχηδονίων στρατηγὸς Ἀννίβας, ἀκούσας ἐν τῷ Πανόρμῳ τὸ γεγονὸς ἐξαποστέλλει Βοώδη τῆς γερουσίας ὑπάρχοντα, ναῦς εἴκοσι δούς.
But the Carthaginian general Hannibal, hearing of what had occurred while he was at Panormus, dispatched Boodes, a member of the senate, giving him twenty ships.
ὃς ἐπιπλεύσας νυκτὸς ἐν τῷ λιμένι συνέκλεισε τοὺς περὶ τὸν Γνάιον. ἡμέρας δʼ ἐπιγενομένης τὰ μὲν πληρώματα πρὸς φυγὴν ὥρμησεν εἰς τὴν γῆν, ὁ δὲ Γνάιος ἐκπλαγὴς γενόμενος καὶ ποιεῖν ἔχων οὐδὲν τέλος παρέδωκεν αὑτὸν τοῖς πολεμίοις.
He sailed up by night and blocked Gnaeus and his men in the harbor. When day broke, the crews indeed rushed to escape to the land, but Gnaeus, being struck with panic and having nothing he could do, finally surrendered himself to the enemy.
οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι τάς τε ναῦς καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν τῶν ὑπεναντίων ὑποχείριον ἔχοντες παραχρῆμα πρὸς τὸν Ἀννίβαν ἀπῆραν.
The Carthaginians, having the ships and the general of their opponents in their power, immediately set sail for Hannibal.
μετʼ οὐ πολλὰς δʼ ἡμέρας, οὕτως ἐναργοῦς ὄντος καὶ προσφάτου τοῦ περὶ τὸν Γνάιον ἀτυχήματος, παρʼ ὀλίγον3 αὐτὸς Ἀννίβας εἰς τὸ παραπλήσιον ἁμάρτημα προφανῶς ἐνέπεσεν.
Not many days later, although the disaster of Gnaeus was so clear and recent, Hannibal himself came very near to falling patently into a similar error.
ἀκούσας γὰρ τὸν τῶν Ῥωμαίων στόλον κομιζόμενον παρὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν σύνεγγυς εἶναι, κατιδεῖν βουλόμενος τό τε πλῆθος καὶ τὴν ὅλην σύνταξιν τῶν ὑπεναντίων, λαβὼν πεντήκοντα ναῦς ἐπιπλεῖ.
For having heard that the Roman fleet was sailing along the coast of Italy and was close at hand, and wishing to get a view of the number and general disposition of the enemy, he sailed against them with fifty ships.
κάμπτων δὲ περὶ τὸ τῆς Ἰταλίας ἀκρωτήριον ἐμπίπτει τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐν κόσμῳ καὶ τάξει ποιουμένοις τὸν πλοῦν καὶ τὰς μὲν πλείους ἀπέβαλε τῶν νεῶν, αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ τῶν ὑπολειφθεισῶν ἀνελπίστως καὶ παραδόξως διέφυγεν.
But as he rounded the promontory of Italy, he fell in with the enemy who were sailing in good order and array; he lost most of his ships, and escaped with the remainder contrary to all expectation and in a miraculous manner.
- 1.21.1οὐ μὲν ἀλλʼ
A particle combination introducing a strong contrast or transition. Following the contrary-to-fact condition at the end of the previous chunk ("had this not happened, they would have been prevented..."), it transitions the narrative back to the actual course of events: "Nevertheless, while..."
- 1.21.2ταῖς ἐπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν πλοίων καθέδραις
Dative case dependent on the adjective τὴν αὐτήν ("the same"). It indicates the object of comparison: "the same order as [that of] the seats on the actual ships," which is a standard Greek construction for expressing identity or similarity.
- 1.21.9παρʼ ὀλίγον
An adverbial idiom meaning "almost" or "within a little of." Here it modifies the main verb ἐνέπεσεν ("fell into"), indicating that while Hannibal did not actually fall into the same error, he came extremely close to doing so.