- 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-grc2:23.12.1-23.12.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The death of the Achaean general Philopoemen and the moral lesson of fortune's role in human life are discussed, alongside references to Lycortas and Philopoemen's political approach.
Πολύβιος. ὁ δʼ ἐξαναστὰς προῆγε, τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀρρωστίας, τὰ δʼ ὑπὸ τῆς ἡλικίας βαρυνόμενος· εἶχε γὰρ ἑβδομηκοστὸν ἔτος.
Polybius: But he, having risen up, went forward, burdened on the one hand by illness, and on the other by old age; for he was in his seventieth year.
Πολύβιος· διαβιασάμενος δὲ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῇ συνηθείᾳ τῇ πρὸ τοῦ παρῆν ἐξ Ἄργους εἰς Μεγάλην πόλιν αὐθημερόν. —
Polybius: But having forced himself against his illness through his former habit, he arrived from Argos at Megalopolis on the same day. —
ὅτι Φιλοποίμην ὁ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν στρατηγὸς συλληφθεὶς ὑπὸ Μεσσηνίων ἀνῃρέθη φαρμάκῳ, ἀνὴρ γενόμενος οὐδενὸς τῶν πρὸ τοῦ κατʼ ἀρετὴν δεύτερος, τῆς τύχης μέντοι γʼ ἥττων, καίτοι δόξας ἐν παντὶ τῷ πρὸ τοῦ βίῳ συνεργὸν ἐσχηκέναι ταύτην·
That Philopoemen, the general of the Achaeans, having been captured by the Messenians, was put to death by poison, a man who was second to none of those before him in virtue, yet inferior to fortune, although in all his previous life he seemed to have had her as his helper;
ἀλλά μοι δοκεῖ κατὰ τὴν κοινὴν παροιμίαν εὐτυχῆσαι μὲν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα δυνατόν, διευτυχῆσαί1 γε μὴν ἀδύνατον·
but it seems to me, according to the common proverb, that while it is possible for a human being to meet with good fortune, to be completely fortunate throughout life is impossible;
διὸ καὶ μακαριστέον τῶν προγεγονότων οὐχ ὡς διευτυχηκότας τινάς·2 τίς γὰρ ἀνάγκη ψευδεῖ λόγῳ χρωμένοις ματαίως προσκυνεῖν τὴν τύχην;
wherefore one must bless none of those of former times on the ground that they were completely fortunate throughout; for what necessity is there for those who use a false discourse to worship fortune in vain?
ἀλλὰ τοὺς ὡς πλεῖστον χρόνον ἐν τῷ ζῆν ἵλεων3 ἔχοντας ταύτην, κἄν ποτε μετανοῇ, μετρίαις περιπεσόντας συμφοραῖς. — Μετ.
But rather those who had her propitious for the longest time in life, and who, even if she at some time changed her mind, fell into only moderate misfortunes. — Μετ.
Λυκόρταν,4 ὃς ἦν οὐδὲν ἥττων τούτου. —
Lycortas, who was in no way inferior to him. —
ὅτι Φιλοποίμην τετταράκοντʼ ἔτη συνεχῶς φιλοδοξήσας ἐν δημοκρατικῷ καὶ πολυειδεῖ πολιτεύματι, πάντῃ πάντως διέφυγε τὸν τῶν πολλῶν φθόνον, τὸ πλεῖον οὐ πρὸς χάριν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ παρρησίας πολιτευόμενος· ὃ σπανίως ἂν εὕροι τις γεγονός. —
That Philopoemen, having constantly sought glory for forty years in a democratic and multifaceted constitution, in every way completely escaped the envy of the multitude, governing for the most part not to win favor, but with frankness of speech; which is a thing that one would rarely find to have happened. —
- 23.12.4εὐτυχῆσαι / διευτυχῆσαι
Contrast between the simple verb εὐτυχέω (to meet with good fortune) and the compound verb διευτυχέω (to be continuously or completely fortunate throughout life). The prefix δι(α)- adds the sense of temporal continuity ('throughout') or completeness.
- 23.12.5ὡς διευτυχηκότας τινάς
The structure of ὡς with the perfect participle in the accusative plural (διευτυχηκότας τινάς). Although dependent on the impersonal verbal adjective μακαριστέον (one must bless), the construction retains the accusative object (τινάς) and its predicative participle, which would normally be governed by the transitive verb μακαρίζω. It restrictively explains a portion of the preceding genitive τῶν προγεγονότων ('of those of former times') as 'on the ground that they were completely fortunate.'
- 23.12.6ἵλεων
The feminine accusative singular of the Attic declension adjective ἵλεως (propitious, gracious). It functions as a predicative accusative (the second element of a double accusative) modifying ταύτην (referring to τὴν τύχην, 'fortune'), the object of the participle ἔχοντας, meaning 'keeping her propitious.'
- 23.12.7Λυκόρταν
The accusative singular of a first-declension masculine noun in the Attic-Koine dialect. Since this section is a short fragment from an excerpt (Excerpta), the governing main verb (such as 'they praised' or 'he mentioned') has been omitted.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-10-09)
- 2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1