- 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-grc2:3.112.1-3.112.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Hannibal draws up his army and incites the enemy by attacking their water-gatherers, provoking Gaius while Lucius remains cautious; meanwhile, Rome is filled with dread and religious ceremonies ahead of the battle.
τῇ δʼ ἐχομένῃ περὶ παρασκευὴν καὶ θεραπείαν παρήγγειλε γίνεσθαι πᾶσι. τῇ δʼ ἑξῆς παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν ἐξέταττε τὰ στρατόπεδα καὶ δῆλος ἦν μάχεσθαι σπεύδων1 τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις.
On the following day he ordered everyone to attend to preparation and rest. On the day after that, he drew up his army along the river and made it clear that he was eager to fight with the enemy.
ὁ δὲ Λεύκιος δυσαρεστούμενος μὲν τοῖς τόποις, ὁρῶν δʼ ὅτι ταχέως ἀναγκασθήσονται μεταστρατοπεδεύειν οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι διὰ τὸν πορισμὸν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων, εἶχε τὴν ἡσυχίαν, ἀσφαλισάμενος ταῖς ἐφεδρείαις τὰς παρεμβολάς.
But Lucius, being dissatisfied with the location, but seeing that the Carthaginians would soon be forced to move their camp because of the procurement of supplies, kept quiet, securing his camps with the reserves.
Ἀννίβας δὲ χρόνον ἱκανὸν μείνας, οὐδενὸς ἀντεξιόντος, τὴν μὲν λοιπὴν δύναμιν αὖθις εἰς χάρακα κατέστησεν, τοὺς δὲ Νομάδας ἐπαφῆκε τοῖς ὑδρευομένοις ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλάττονος παρεμβολῆς.
Hannibal, having waited for a sufficient time, as no one came out to meet him, withdrew the rest of his forces back into the entrenchment, and sent out the Numidians to attack those who were fetching water from the smaller camp.
τῶν δὲ Νομάδων ἕως πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν χάρακα προσπιπτόντων καὶ διακωλυόντων τὴν ὑδρείαν, ὅ τε Γάιος ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τούτοις παρωξύνετο, τά τε πλήθη πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον ὁρμὴν εἶχεν καὶ δυσχερῶς ἔφερε τὰς ὑπερθέσεις.
As the Numidians rode up to the very entrenchment itself and prevented the fetching of water, Gaius was still more provoked at this, and the multitude had an impulse for danger and bore the delay with impatience.
βαρύτατος γὰρ δὴ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ὁ τοῦ μέλλειν γίνεται χρόνος· ὅταν δʼ ἅπαξ κριθῇ, ὅ,τι ἂν ᾖ πάσχειν2 πάντων τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι δεινῶν ὑπομενετέον.3
For indeed, for all men the time of suspense is the most painful; but when once a decision is made, whatever is to be suffered of all things that seem terrible must be endured.
εἰς δὲ τὴν Ῥώμην προσπεπτωκότος4 ὅτι παραστρατοπεδεύουσιν ἀλλήλοις καὶ συμπλοκαὶ γίνονται τῶν προκινδυνευόντων ἀνʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ὀρθὴ καὶ περίφοβος ἦν ἡ πόλις, δεδιότων μὲν τῶν πολλῶν τὸ μέλλον διὰ τὸ πολλάκις ἤδη προηττῆσθαι, προορωμένων δὲ καὶ προλαμβανόντων τὰ συμβησόμενα ταῖς ἐννοίαις, ἐὰν σφάλλωνται τοῖς ὅλοις.
But when news reached Rome that they were camped near each other and that skirmishes of the outposts were occurring every day, the city was in suspense and full of fear, as the majority feared the future on account of having already been defeated many times, and in their thoughts foresaw and anticipated what would happen if they should fail utterly.
πάντα δʼ ἦν τὰ παρʼ αὐτοῖς λόγια πᾶσι τότε διὰ στόματος, σημείων δὲ καὶ τεράτων πᾶν μὲν ἱερόν, πᾶσα δʼ ἦν οἰκία πλήρης, ἐξ ὧν εὐχαὶ καὶ θυσίαι καὶ θεῶν ἱκετηρίαι καὶ δεήσεις ἐπεῖχον τὴν πόλιν.
All the oracles among them were then on everyone’s lips, and every temple and every house was full of signs and wonders, because of which prayers, sacrifices, supplications, and entreaties to the gods occupied the city.
δεινοὶ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς περιστάσεσι Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ θεοὺς ἐξιλάσασθαι καὶ ἀνθρώπους καὶ μηδὲν ἀπρεπὲς μηδʼ ἀγεννὲς ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις καιροῖς ἡγεῖσθαι τῶν περὶ ταῦτα συντελουμένων.
For the Romans in times of danger are extraordinary in appeasing both gods and men, and they regard nothing as unseemly or unworthy in such moments among the things performed for these purposes.
- 3.112.1δῆλος ἦν μάχεσθαι σπεύδων
The personal construction where the adjective δῆλος is combined with the participle σπεύδων. It is equivalent in meaning to an impersonal construction: "it was clear that he was eager to fight."
- 3.112.5ὅ,τι ἂν ᾖ πάσχειν
A generalizing relative clause introduced by the relative pronoun ὅ,τι with ἄν and the subjunctive ᾖ, followed by the infinitive πάσχειν, meaning "whatever one is to suffer."
- 3.112.5ὑπομενετέον
The neuter singular of the verbal adjective of ὑπομένω, used here impersonally to express necessity or obligation ("must be endured").
- 3.112.6προσπεπτωκότος
The genitive singular neuter of the perfect active participle of προσπίπτω, functioning here as an impersonal genitive absolute with the following ὅτι clause serving as the logical subject.