- 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-grc2:1.45.1-1.45.14
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
Himilco, the Carthaginian general, attempts to launch a fire attack on the Roman siege works using the enthusiasm of his forces, but is repulsed by the fierce Roman defense, and the assault ends in failure.
νίων. Ἰμίλκων δʼ ὁ τεταγμένος ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως στρατηγός, θεωρῶν τὴν ὁρμὴν καὶ προθυμίαν τῶν μὲν ἐν τῇ πόλει διὰ τὴν παρουσίαν τῆς βοηθείας τῶν δὲ παραγεγονότων διὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν τῶν περιεστώτων κακῶν, βουλόμενος ἀκεραίοις ἀποχρήσασθαι ταῖς ἑκατέρων ὁρμαῖς1 πρὸς τὴν διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐπίθεσιν τοῖς ἔργοις, συνῆγε πάντας εἰς ἐκκλησίαν·
νίων. [Carthaginians.] Himilco, the general in command of the city, seeing the enthusiasm and eagerness both of those in the city owing to the arrival of the relief force, and of those who had newly arrived owing to their inexperience of the surrounding evils, wishing to make full use of the unimpaired enthusiasm of both parties for an attack by fire upon the siege works, called them all to an assembly.
παρακαλέσας δὲ τῷ καιρῷ τὰ πρέποντα διὰ πλειόνων καὶ παραστήσας ὁρμὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν διά τε τὸ μέγεθος τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν τοῖς κατʼ ἰδίαν ἀνδραγαθήσασι καὶ τὰς κατὰ κοινὸν ἐσομένας χάριτας αὐτοῖς καὶ δωρεὰς παρὰ Καρχηδονίων, ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπισημαινομένων καὶ βοώντων μὴ μέλλειν, ἀλλʼ ἄγειν αὐτούς, τότε μὲν ἐπαινέσας καὶ δεξάμενος τὴν προθυμίαν ἀφῆκε, παραγγείλας ἀναπαύεσθαι καθʼ ὥραν καὶ πειθαρχεῖν τοῖς ἡγουμένοις·
Having encouraged them at length with words suited to the occasion, and having inspired them with extraordinary enthusiasm by pointing out the greatness of the promises to those who should distinguish themselves individually, as well as the public thanks and rewards they would receive from the Carthaginians, when they with one accord gave signs of approval and shouted not to delay but to lead them on, he then praised and accepted their eagerness and dismissed them, ordering them to take rest at the proper time and to obey their leaders.
μετʼ οὐ πολὺ δὲ συγκαλέσας τοὺς προεστῶτας αὐτῶν διένειμε τοὺς ἁρμόζοντας πρὸς τὴν ἐπίθεσιν ἑκάστοις τόπους καὶ τὸ σύνθημα καὶ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἐπιθέσεως ἐδήλωσε καὶ παρήγγειλε τοῖς ἡγεμόσι μετὰ πάντων τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων ἐπὶ τοῖς τόποις ἑωθινῆς εἶναι φυλακῆς.2
Shortly afterward, having called together their leaders, he assigned to each the positions suitable for the attack, made known to them the watchword and the time of the assault, and ordered the officers to be at their posts with all their subordinates at the morning watch.
τῶν δὲ πειθαρχησάντων, ἐξαγαγὼν τὴν δύναμιν ἅμα τῷ φωτὶ κατὰ πλείους τόπους ἐνεχείρει τοῖς ἔργοις.
They obeyed, and having led out his forces at daybreak, he attacked the works in several places.
οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι διὰ τὸ προορᾶσθαι τὸ μέλλον οὐκ ἀργῶς οὐδʼ ἀπαρασκεύως εἶχον, ἀλλʼ ἑτοίμως ἐβοήθουν πρὸς τὸ δεόμενον καὶ διεμάχοντο τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐρρωμένως.
The Romans, because they had foreseen what was coming, were neither idle nor unprepared, but readily brought aid wherever it was needed and fought vigorously against the enemy.
πάντων δʼ ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ συμπεσόντων ἀλλήλοις ἦν ἀγὼν παράβολος πέριξ τοῦ τείχους· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἦσαν οὐκ ἐλάττους δισμυρίων, οἱ δʼ ἔξωθεν ἔτι πλείους τούτων.
Since everyone fell upon one another in a short time, there was a desperate struggle all around the wall; for those from the city were not fewer than twenty thousand, and those outside were even more numerous.
ὅσῳ δὲ συνέβαινε τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐκτὸς τάξεως ποιεῖσθαι τὴν μάχην ἀναμὶξ κατὰ τὰς αὑτῶν προαιρέσεις, τοσούτῳ λαμπρότερος ἦν ὁ κίνδυνος, ὡς ἂν ἐκ τοσούτου πλήθους κατʼ ἄνδρα καὶ κατὰ ζυγὸν οἱονεὶ μονομαχικῆς συνεστώσης3 περὶ τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους τῆς φιλοτιμίας.
The more it happened that the men fought out of their ranks, mixed together according to their own choices, the more brilliant was the danger, inasmuch as out of so great a multitude, man to man and rank to rank, a rivalry as if of single combat was established among the combatants.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἥ τε κραυγὴ καὶ τὸ σύστρεμμα διαφέρον ἦν πρὸς αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἔργοις.
Not only so, but both the shouting and the close combat were exceptional at the works themselves.
οἱ γὰρ ἀρχῆθεν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ τούτῳ παρʼ ἀμφοῖν ταχθέντες, οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ τρέψασθαι τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων οἱ δʼ ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ προέσθαι ταῦτα, τηλικαύτην ἐποιοῦντο φιλοτιμίαν καὶ σπουδήν, οἱ μὲν ἐξῶσαι σπεύδοντες, οἱ δʼ οὐδαμῶς εἶξαι τούτοις τολμῶντες, ὥστε διὰ τὴν προθυμίαν τέλος ἐν αὐταῖς μένοντες ταῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς χώραις ἀπέθνησκον.
For those who had been stationed by both sides from the beginning for this very purpose—the one to rout those at the works, the other not to abandon them—showed such rivalry and zeal, the former striving to drive them out, and the latter in no way daring to yield to them, that because of their eagerness they ended by dying where they stood in their original positions.
οἵ γε μὴν ἅμα τούτοις ἀναμεμιγμένοι, δᾷδα καὶ στυππίον καὶ πῦρ ἔχοντες, οὕτω τολμηρῶς καὶ πανταχόθεν ἅμα προσπίπτοντες ἐνέβαλλον ταῖς μηχαναῖς ὥστε τοὺς Ῥωμαίους εἰς τὸν ἔσχατον παραγενέσθαι κίνδυνον, μὴ δυναμένους κατακρατῆσαι τῆς τῶν ἐναντίων ἐπιβολῆς.
Moreover, those who were mingled with them, carrying torches, tow, and fire, fell upon the engines so boldly and from all sides at once that they threw fire into them, so that the Romans were brought to the extreme danger, being unable to master the onset of the enemy.
ὁ δὲ τῶν Καρχηδονίων στρατηγὸς θεωρῶν ἐν μὲν τῷ κινδύνῳ πολλοὺς ἀποθνήσκοντας, οὗ δʼ ἕνεκα ταῦτʼ ἔπραττεν, οὐ δυναμένους κρατῆσαι τῶν ἔργων, ἀνακαλεῖσθαι τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ παρήγγειλε τοῖς σαλπισταῖς.
But the Carthaginian general, seeing that many were dying in the struggle, and that they were unable to master the works for the sake of which he had undertaken this, ordered his trumpeters to sound the retreat.
οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι παρʼ οὐδὲν ἐλθόντες τοῦ πάσας ἀποβαλεῖν4 τὰς παρασκευάς, τέλος ἐκράτησαν τῶν ἔργων καὶ πάντα διετήρησαν ἀσφαλῶς.
The Romans, having come within a hair’s breadth of losing all their preparations, finally mastered the works and preserved everything in safety.
- 1.45.2ἀκεραίοις ἀποχρήσασθαι ταῖς ἑκατέρων ὁρμαῖς
The adjective ἀκεραίοις (unimpaired, fresh) agrees in gender, number, and case with ταῖς ὁρμαῖς and is used predicatively. It indicates utilizing the enthusiasm of both parties while it is still in its fresh and undamaged state.
- 1.45.5ἑωθινῆς εἶναι φυλακῆς
The noun phrase ἑωθινῆς φυλακῆς is in the genitive, functioning as a genitive of time within which. It commands the soldiers to be at their posts during the morning watch.
- 1.45.9ὡς ἂν ... τῆς φιλοτιμίας συνεστώσης
The particle ὡς ἄν is followed by a genitive absolute construction (the participle συνεστώσης and its subject τῆς φιλοτιμίας), introducing a hypothetical or figurative situation. It means 'as if a rivalry had been established'.
- 1.45.14παρʼ οὐδὲν ἐλθόντες τοῦ πάσας ἀποβαλεῖν
The phrase παρʼ οὐδὲν ἐλθεῖν followed by a genitive infinitive (τοῦ + infinitive) is an idiomatic expression meaning 'to come within a hair's breadth of doing' or 'to narrowly escape doing'.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1