- 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-grc2:1.46.1-1.46.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
After Hannibal escapes to Drepana under cover of night, Hannibal the Rhodian repeatedly slips through the strict Roman naval blockade of Lilybaeum, keeping communications open for the besieged Carthaginians.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀννίβας μετὰ τὴν χρείαν ταύτην ἐξέπλευσε νύκτωρ ἔτι μετὰ τῶν νεῶν λαθὼν τοὺς πολεμίους εἰς τὰ Δρέπανα πρὸς Ἀτάρβαν τὸν τῶν Καρχηδονίων στρατηγόν.
Hannibal, then, after this service, sailed out still by night with his ships, escaping the notice of the enemy, to Drepana to Atarbas, the Carthaginian general.
διὰ γὰρ τὴν εὐκαιρίαν τοῦ τόπου καὶ τὸ κάλλος τοῦ περὶ τὰ Δρέπανα λιμένος ἀεὶ μεγάλην ἐποιοῦντο σπουδὴν οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι περὶ τὴν φυλακὴν αὐτοῦ.
For because of the suitability of the position and the beauty of the harbor around Drepana, the Carthaginians always showed great zeal in guarding it.
συμβαίνει δὲ τοῦ Λιλυβαίου τοῦτον ἀπέχειν τὸν τόπον ὡς ἂν ἑκατὸν καὶ εἴκοσι στάδια.
It happens that this place is distant from Lilybaeum about one hundred and twenty stades.
τοῖς δʼ ἐν τῇ Καρχηδόνι βουλομένοις μὲν εἰδέναι τὰ περὶ τὸ Λιλύβαιον, οὐ δυναμένοις δὲ διὰ τὸ τοὺς μὲν συγκεκλεῖσθαι τοὺς δὲ παραφυλάττεσθαι φιλοτίμως,1 ἐπηγγείλατό τις ἀνὴρ τῶν ἐνδόξων, Ἀννίβας ἐπικαλούμενος Ῥόδιος, εἰσπλεύσας εἰς τὸ Λιλύβαιον καὶ γενόμενος αὐτόπτης ἅπαντα διασαφήσειν.
But to those in Carthage who wished to know the situation around Lilybaeum, but were unable to do so because some were shut up inside and others were carefully watched, a certain illustrious man, called Hannibal the Rhodian, promised that he would sail into Lilybaeum and, having become an eyewitness, make everything clear.
οἱ δὲ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας μὲν ἀσμένως ἤκουσαν, οὐ μὴν ἐπίστευόν γε διὰ τὸ τῷ στόλῳ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἐπὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν εἴσπλουν στόματος ἐφορμεῖν.
They heard his promise gladly, but did not believe him, because the Romans with their fleet were blockading the entrance at the very mouth of the passage.
ὁ δὲ καταρτίσας τὴν ἰδίαν ναῦν ἀνήχθη· καὶ διάρας εἴς τινα τῶν πρὸ τοῦ Λιλυβαίου κειμένων νήσων, τῇ κατὰ πόδας ἡμέρᾳ λαβὼν εὐκαίρως ἄνεμον οὔριον περὶ τετάρτην ὥραν ἁπάντων τῶν πολεμίων ὁρώντων καὶ καταπεπληγμένων τὴν τόλμαν εἰσέπλευσεν.
But he, having fitted out his own ship, set sail; and having crossed to one of the islands lying off Lilybaeum, on the following day, finding a favorable wind at about the fourth hour, he sailed in, while all the enemy looked on and were amazed at his daring.
καὶ τὴν κατόπιν εὐθέως ἐγίνετο περὶ ἀναγωγήν.
And on the very next day, he immediately began to prepare for his departure.
ὁ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς βουλόμενος ἐπιμελέστερον τὸν κατὰ τὸν εἴσπλουν τόπον τηρεῖν, ἐξηρτυκὼς ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ δέκα ναῦς τὰς ἄριστα πλεούσας, αὐτὸς μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ λιμένος ἑστὼς ἐθεώρει τὸ συμβαῖνον, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πᾶν τὸ στρατόπεδον·
The Roman general, wishing to guard the entrance of the passage more carefully, having equipped during the night ten of his fastest-sailing ships, stood himself by the harbor watching what would happen, and likewise the whole army.
αἱ δὲ νῆες τοῦ στόματος ἐξ ἀμφοῖν τοῖν μεροῖν, ἐφʼ ὅσον ἦν δυνατὸν ἔγγιστα τοῖς τενάγεσι προσάγειν, ἐπεῖχον ἐπτερωκυῖαι2 πρὸς τὴν ἐμβολὴν καὶ σύλληψιν τῆς ἐκπλεῖν μελλούσης νεώς.
The ships on both sides of the mouth, as close to the shallows as it was possible to approach, kept watch with their oars poised for ramming and capturing the ship that was about to sail out.
ὁ δὲ Ῥόδιος ἐκ τοῦ προφανοῦς τὴν ἀναγωγὴν ποιησάμενος οὕτως κατανέστη τῶν πολεμίων τῇ τε τόλμῃ καὶ τῷ ταχυναυτεῖν ὥστʼ οὐ μόνον ἄτρωτον ἐξέπλευσε τὴν ναῦν ἔχων καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας, οἷον ἑστῶτα παραδραμὼν τὰ σκάφη τῶν ὑπεναντίων,3 ἀλλὰ καὶ βραχὺ προπλεύσας ἐπέστη πτερώσας τὴν ναῦν, ὡσανεὶ προκαλούμενος τοὺς πολεμίους.
But the Rhodian, making his departure openly, so defied the enemy by his daring and the speed of his sailing that he not only sailed out with his ship and men unharmed, running past the vessels of the adversaries as if they were standing still, but having sailed a short distance ahead, he stopped and poised his oars, as if challenging the enemy.
οὐδενὸς δὲ τολμῶντος ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἀντανάγεσθαι διὰ τὸ τάχος τῆς εἰρεσίας, ἀπέπλευσε καταναστὰς μιᾷ νηὶ παντὸς τοῦ τῶν ἐναντίων στόλου.
And since no one dared to sail out against him because of the speed of his rowing, he sailed away, having defied the entire fleet of the enemy with a single ship.
καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη πλεονάκις ποιῶν ταὐτὸ τοῦτο μεγάλην χρείαν παρείχετο, τοῖς μὲν Καρχηδονίοις ἀεὶ τὰ κατεπείγοντα διασαφῶν, τοὺς δὲ πολιορκουμένους εὐθαρσεῖς παρασκευάζων, τοὺς δὲ Ῥωμαίους4
And henceforth, by doing this same thing many times, he rendered great service, always making clear to the Carthaginians urgent matters, and making the besieged courageous, and the Romans
- 1.46.4τοῖς δʼ ἐν τῇ Καρχηδόνι βουλομένοις μὲν εἰδέναι τὰ περὶ τὸ Λιλύβαιον, οὐ δυναμένοις δὲ διὰ τὸ τοὺς μὲν συγκεκλεῖσθαι τοὺς δὲ παραφυλάττεσθαι φιλοτίμως
The dative phrase τοῖς... βουλομένοις... οὐ δυναμένοις δὲ serves as the indirect object of the main verb ἐπηγγείλατο. The following phrase διὰ τὸ τοὺς μὲν συγκεκλεῖσθαι... is a causal construction consisting of the preposition διά with the accusative articular infinitive (τό + infinitive). The accusatives τοὺς μὲν and τοὺς δὲ function as the subject accusatives of the passive infinitives, contrasting those shut up inside with those being watched from the outside.
- 1.46.9ἐπτερωκυῖαι
This is the perfect active participle feminine plural of πτερόω ('to furnish with wings'). In a nautical context, it is an idiomatic expression meaning 'with oars poised' or 'held out like wings,' describing a state where the ships are prepared to row out instantly at a moment's notice.
- 1.46.10οἷον ἑστῶτα παραδραμὼν τὰ σκάφη τῶν ὑπεναντίων
The adverbial οἷον ('as if') modifies the perfect participle ἑστῶτα (contracted from ἑστηκότα, 'standing still'), which agrees with the neuter accusative plural noun τὰ σκάφη ('the vessels of the enemy'). It vividly describes how the Rhodian's vessel ran past the enemy ships as if they were completely stationary.
- 1.46.13τοὺς δὲ Ῥωμαίους
The text of this chunk ends abruptly with the accusative 'and the Romans' (τοὺς δὲ Ῥωμαίους). Syntactically, this would be the object of a third participle parallel to διασαφῶν and παρασκευάζων (meaning something like 'baffling' or 'terrifying' the Romans), but due to the incomplete nature of the transmitted text at this point, the translation must reflect this abrupt termination.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1