- 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-grc2:1.71.1-1.71.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
Due to the Libyan rebellion, the Carthaginians are deprived of the Libyan revenues and foreign forces they had relied upon; lacking arms and allies, they deeply realize the difference between a foreign war and a devastating civil war.
λεσθαι μετασχεῖν1 αὐτοῖς τῆς ἀποστάσεως. Καρχηδόνιοι δὲ τοὺς μὲν κατʼ ἰδίαν βίους ἀεὶ διεξαγαγόντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἐκ τῆς χώρας γεννημάτων, τὰς δὲ κοινὰς παρασκευὰς καὶ χορηγίας ἁθροίζοντες ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὴν Λιβύην προσόδων, ἔτι δὲ πολεμεῖν εἰθισμένοι ξενικαῖς δυνάμεσι, τότε πάντων ἅμα τούτων οὐ μόνον ἐστερημένοι παραλόγως, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθʼ αὑτῶν ὁρῶντες ἕκαστα τῶν προειρημένων ἐπιστρέφοντα,2 τελέως ἐν μεγάλῃ δυσθυμίᾳ καὶ δυσελπιστίᾳ καθέστασαν, ἅτε παρὰ τὴν προσδοκίαν αὐτοῖς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀποβεβηκότων.
to take part with them in the rebellion. But the Carthaginians, who had always maintained their private lives from the produce of their own territory, and gathered their public preparations and supplies from the revenues of Libya, and who, moreover, were accustomed to wage war with foreign forces, were then not only unexpectedly deprived of all these things at once, but also saw each of the aforementioned things turning against themselves, and fell into complete and utter dejection and despair, since their affairs had turned out contrary to their expectations.
τετρυμένοι γὰρ ἐν τῷ περὶ Σικελίας πολέμῳ συνεχῶς ἤλπιζον ἐπιτελεσθεισῶν τῶν διαλύσεων ἀναπνοῆς τινος τεύξεσθαι καὶ καταστάσεως εὐδοκουμένης.
For having been continually exhausted in the war over Sicily, they had hoped that, upon the conclusion of the peace, they would obtain some breathing space and a satisfactory state of affairs.
συνέβαινε δʼ αὐτοῖς τἀναντία· μείζονος γὰρ ἐνίστατο πολέμου καταρχὴ καὶ φοβερωτέρου.
But the opposite happened to them; for the beginning of a greater and more terrible war was confronting them.
πρόσθεν μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ Σικελίας ἠμφισβήτουν Ῥωμαίοις, τότε δὲ περὶ σφῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς πατρίδος ἔμελλον κινδυνεύσειν, πόλεμον ἀναλαμβάνοντες ἐμφύλιον.
For previously they had disputed with the Romans for Sicily, but now they were about to face danger concerning themselves and their own country, in undertaking a civil war.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις οὐχ ὅπλων πλῆθος, οὐ ναυτικὴ δύναμις, οὐ πλοίων κατασκευὴ παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἦν, ὡς ἂν τοσαύταις ναυμαχίαις περιπεπτωκότων·3 καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ χορηγιῶν διάθεσις οὐδὲ φίλων οὐδὲ συμμάχων τῶν βοηθησόντων ἔξωθεν ἐλπὶς οὐδʼ ἡτισοῦν ὑπῆρχεν.
In addition to this, there was among them no abundance of arms, no naval force, no construction of ships, as might be expected of those who had met with so many naval battles; and indeed, there was no supply of provisions, nor any hope whatsoever of friends or allies who would help them from outside.
διὸ καὶ τότε σαφῶς ἔγνωσαν ἡλίκην ἔχει διαφορὰν ξενικὸς καὶ διαπόντιος πόλεμος ἐμφυλίου στάσεως καὶ ταραχῆς.
Wherefore also on that occasion they clearly recognized how great a difference there is between a foreign and transmarine war and a civil strife and discord.
οὐχ ἥκιστα δʼ αὐτοὶ σφίσι τῶν τοιούτων καὶ τηλι
And not least of all were they themselves for themselves of such and so great...
- 1.71.1λεσθαι μετασχεῖν
The element λεσθαι at the very beginning of this chunk connects with μὴ βού- from the end of the previous chunk to form the infinitive βούλεσθαι ('to wish'). It is governed by the prepositional construction διὰ τὸ, meaning 'because these cities did not wish (to participate in the rebellion)'.
- 1.71.2ἐπιστρέφοντα
The present participle ἐπιστρέφοντα ('turning back / against') serves as a predicative participle after the verb of seeing ὁρῶντες, with ἕκαστα τῶν προειρημένων ('each of the aforementioned things') as its subject. It describes those very factors turning around and being directed against themselves (καθʼ αὑτῶν).
- 1.71.6ὡς ἂν τοσαύταις ναυμαχίαις περιπεπτωκότων
The conjunction ὡς with the particle ἄν is followed by the genitive absolute participle περιπεπτωκότων (with the subject 'the Carthaginians' implied). This construction with ὡς ἄν emphasizes a logical consequence or subjective reason ('as might be expected of those who had encountered so many naval battles'), highlighting the background of their depleted military state.