- 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-grc2:1.57.1-1.57.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
Polybius compares the detailed daily struggles between Hamilcar and the Romans on Heirkte to a boxing match, explaining his choice to describe them from a general perspective rather than enumerating every detail. Due to equal forces and highly secure, closely situated camps, minor skirmishes were continuous but no decisive battle occurred.
φῆς1 τὸν κατὰ μέρος ἀποδοῦναι λόγον· καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν διαφερόντων πυκτῶν καὶ2 ταῖς γενναιότησι καὶ ταῖς εὐεξίαις, ὅταν εἰς τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ στεφάνου συγκαταστάντες καιρὸν διαμάχωνται πληγὴν ἐπὶ πληγῇ τιθέντες ἀδιαπαύστως, λόγον μὲν ἢ πρόνοιαν ἔχειν ὑπὲρ ἑκάστης ἐπιβολῆς καὶ πληγῆς οὔτε τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις οὔτε τοῖς θεωμένοις ἐστὶ δυνατόν, ἐκ δὲ τῆς καθόλου τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐνεργείας καὶ τῆς ἑκατέρου φιλοτιμίας ἔστι καὶ τῆς ἐμπειρίας αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως, πρὸς δὲ καὶ τῆς εὐψυχίας, ἱκανὴν ἔννοιαν λαβεῖν, οὕτως δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν νῦν λεγομένων στρατηγῶν.
...to give a detailed account in writing. For just as, when fist-fighters outstanding in both spirit and physical condition meet at the moment of competing for the crown itself and fight, dealing blow after blow without ceasing, it is impossible either for the combatants or for the spectators to keep account of or foresee every single attack and blow, but from the general activity of the men and the emulation of each, one can obtain a sufficient idea of their skill, strength, and moreover of their courage; so it is also with the generals now under discussion.
τὰς μὲν γὰρ αἰτίας ἢ τοὺς τρόπους, διʼ ὧν ἀνʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐποιοῦντο κατʼ ἀλλήλων ἐνέδρας, ἀντενέδρας, ἐπιθέσεις, προσβολάς, οὔτʼ ἂν ὁ γράφων ἐξαριθμούμενος ἐφίκοιτο, τοῖς τʼ ἀκούουσιν ἀπέραντος ἅμα δʼ ἀνωφελὴς ἂν ἐκ τῆς ἀναγνώσεως γίνοιτο χρεία·3
For as to the causes or the methods by which day by day they laid ambushes, counter-ambushes, assaults, and attacks against one another, neither could the writer exhaust them by enumeration, nor would the reading of them be of any but an endless and at the same time unprofitable utility to the audience.
ἐκ δὲ τῆς καθολικῆς ἀποφάσεως περὶ αὐτῶν καὶ τοῦ τέλους τῆς φιλοτιμίας μᾶλλον ἄν τις εἰς ἔννοιαν ἔλθοι τῶν προειρημένων.
Rather, from a general statement about them and from the final result of their emulation, one would arrive at a better understanding of the aforementioned matters.
οὔτε γὰρ τῶν ἐξ ἱστορίας στρατηγημάτων οὔτε τῶν ἐκ τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ τῆς ὑποκειμένης περιστάσεως ἐπινοημάτων οὔτε τῶν εἰς παράβολον καὶ βίαιον ἀνηκόντων τόλμαν οὐδὲν παρελείφθη.
For nothing was omitted, whether of stratagems derived from history, or of plans suggested by the occasion and the present circumstances, or of daring deeds belonging to the class of hazardous and violent enterprises.
κρίσιν γε μὴν ὁλοσχερῆ γενέσθαι διὰ πλείους αἰτίας οὐχ οἷόν τʼ ἦν· αἵ τε γὰρ δυνάμεις ἀμφοτέρων ἦσαν ἐφάμιλλοι, τά τε κατὰ τοὺς χάρακας ὁμοίως ἀπρόσιτα διὰ τὴν ὀχυρότητα, τό τε διάστημα τῶν στρατοπέδων βραχὺ παντελῶς.
Nevertheless, a decisive issue could not be reached for several reasons; for the forces of both sides were equally matched, their ramparts were similarly inaccessible due to their strength, and the distance between the camps was extremely short.
ὅπερ αἴτιον ἦν μάλιστα τοῦ τὰς μὲν κατὰ μέρος συμπτώσεις ἀπαύστους γίνεσθαι καθʼ ἡμέραν, ὁλοσχερὲς δὲ συντελεῖσθαι μηδέν.
This was the main cause why the partial encounters were incessant day by day, but nothing decisive was accomplished.
τούτους γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἀεὶ συνέβαινε διαφθείρεσθαι κατὰ τὰς συμπλοκάς, τοὺς ἐν χειρῶν νόμῳ4 περιπεσόντας· οἱ δʼ ἅπαξ ἐγκλίναντες εὐθέως ἐκτὸς τοῦ δεινοῦ πάντες ἦσαν ὑπὸ ταῖς αὑτῶν ἀσφαλείαις καὶ πάλιν ἐκ μεταβολῆς ἐκινδύνευον.
For it always happened in these skirmishes that only those who fell into hand-to-hand combat were destroyed; whereas those who once gave way were all immediately out of danger under the protection of their own works, and on changing front, would again risk themselves in battle.
- 1.57.1φῆς
This is the continuation of the word γραφῆς (noun 'writing'), following the part διὰ τῆς γρα- at the end of the previous chunk, split across the chunk boundary.
- 1.57.1καθάπερ γὰρ ... οὕτως δὲ καὶ
The correlative structure starting with καθάπερ γὰρ (For just as) in §1.57.1 corresponds to οὕτως δὲ καὶ (so also) in §1.57.2, comparing a boxing match to the narration of the generals' campaigns. The main clause is understood as οὕτως δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν νῦν λεγομένων στρατηγῶν [ἔστιν ἱκανὴν ἔννοιαν λαβεῖν] .
- 1.57.3χρεία
Here χρεία denotes the 'utility' or 'exertion' resulting from reading. The adjectives ἀπέραντος (endless, tedious) and ἀνωφελής (unprofitable) function predicatively with ἂν ... γίνοιτο, meaning 'the utility derived from reading would become endless and at the same time unprofitable'.
- 1.57.8ἐν χειρῶν νόμῳ
An idiom literally meaning 'in the law of hands', which translates to 'in close combat', 'hand-to-hand fighting', or 'melée'. The participle περιπεσόντας introduced by this phrase limits the preceding pronoun τούτους ... τοὺς, indicating that casualties were restricted to those caught in the actual close-quarters fighting.