- 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-grc2:3.52.1-3.52.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
Hannibal resumes his march, but on the fourth day, he is deceived by the local inhabitants who pretend to offer friendship. Although he accepts their hostages and guides, they eventually launch a sudden attack in a difficult ravine.
τότε μὲν οὖν αὐτοῦ ποιησάμενος τὴν παρεμβολὴν καὶ μίαν ἐπιμείνας ἡμέραν αὖθις ὥρμα.
So then, having made his encampment there and remained for one day, he set out again.
ταῖς δʼ ἑξῆς μέχρι μέν τινος ἀσφαλῶς διῆγε τὴν στρατιάν· ἤδη δὲ τεταρταῖος ὢν1 αὖθις εἰς κινδύνους παρεγένετο μεγάλους.
On the following days, he led his army in safety up to a certain point; but being already on the fourth day of his march, he again fell into great danger.
οἱ γὰρ περὶ τὴν δίοδον οἰκοῦντες συμφρονήσαντες ἐπὶ δόλῳ συνήντων αὐτῷ, θαλλοὺς ἔχοντες καὶ στεφάνους· τοῦτο γὰρ σχεδὸν πᾶσι τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐστὶ σύνθημα φιλίας, καθάπερ τὸ κηρύκειον τοῖς Ἕλλησιν.
For the inhabitants of the pass, having combined with treacherous intent, came to meet him, holding green branches and wreaths; for this is a token of friendship among almost all the barbarians, just as the herald’s staff is among the Greeks.
εὐλαβῶς δὲ διακείμενος πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην πίστιν Ἀννίβας ἐξήτασε φιλοτίμως τὴν ἐπίνοιαν αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ὅλην ἐπιβολήν.
But Hannibal, being cautiously disposed toward such pledges of faith, eagerly examined their intention and their entire plan.
τῶν δὲ φασκόντων2 καλῶς εἰδέναι καὶ τὴν τῆς πόλεως ἅλωσιν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐγχειρησάντων αὐτὸν ἀδικεῖν ἀπώλειαν, καὶ διασαφούντων ὅτι πάρεισι διὰ ταῦτα, βουλόμενοι μήτε ποιῆσαι μήτε παθεῖν μηδὲν δυσχερές, ὑπισχνουμένων δὲ καὶ δώσειν ἐξ αὑτῶν ὅμηρα, πολὺν μὲν χρόνον ηὐλαβεῖτο καὶ διηπίστει τοῖς λεγομένοις, συλλογιζόμενος δʼ Ἀννίβας ὡς δεξάμενος μὲν τὰ προτεινόμενα, τάχʼ ἂν ἴσως εὐλαβεστέρους καὶ πρᾳοτέρους ποιήσαι τοὺς παραγεγονότας, μὴ προσδεξάμενος δὲ προδήλους ἕξει3 πολεμίους αὐτούς, συγκατένευσε τοῖς λεγομένοις καὶ συνυπεκρίθη τίθεσθαι φιλίαν πρὸς αὐτούς.
And they, declaring that they knew well both the capture of the town and the destruction of those who had attempted to do him wrong, and explaining that they were present for this reason, wishing neither to inflict nor to suffer any harm, and promising moreover to give hostages from among themselves, For a long time Hannibal remained cautious and mistrusted their words; but reflecting that, if he accepted their proposals, he might perhaps make those who had come more cautious and mild, whereas if he rejected them, he would have them as declared enemies, he consented to their terms and feigned to establish friendship with them.
τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων τὰ ὅμηρα παραδόντων καὶ θρέμμασι χορηγούντων ἀφθόνως καὶ καθόλου διδόντων σφᾶς αὐτοὺς εἰς τὰς χεῖρας ἀπαρατηρήτως, ἐπὶ ποσὸν ἐπίστευσαν οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀννίβαν, ὥστε καὶ καθηγεμόσιν αὐτοῖς χρῆσθαι πρὸς τὰς ἑξῆς δυσχωρίας. προπορευομένων δʼ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ δύʼ ἡμέραις, συναθροισθέντες οἱ προειρημένοι καὶ συνακολουθήσαντες ἐπιτίθενται, φάραγγά τινα4 δύσβατον καὶ κρημνώδη
Since the barbarians delivered the hostages, supplied them with cattle abundantly, and altogether placed themselves in their hands without raising suspicion, Hannibal and his men trusted them to a certain extent, so that they even employed them as guides for the difficult passes that lay ahead. But when they had been marching in advance for two days, the aforementioned, having assembled and followed close behind, made an attack in a certain difficult and precipitous ravine...
- 3.52.2τεταρταῖος ὢν
The ordinal adjective τεταρταῖος is used in the nominative with the participle ὢν to express the time of the action ("being on the fourth day of his march").
- 3.52.5τῶν δὲ φασκόντων
A genitive absolute construction where the pronoun τῶν refers to the inhabitants of the pass, modified by the three coordinated genitive participles φασκόντων, διασαφούντων, and ὑπισχνουμένων.
- 3.52.6δεξάμενος μὲν ... ἂν ... ποιήσαι ... ἕξει
A contrast of conditional relations in indirect discourse. The first part δεξάμενος μὲν ... ποιήσαι with ἂν uses the potential optative to express possibility ("might perhaps make them more cautious"), whereas the second part μὴ προσδεξάμενος δὲ ... ἕξει uses the future indicative to express a certain consequence ("would certainly have them as enemies").
- 3.52.8φάραγγά τινα
The accusative phrase φάραγγά τινα... is left incomplete at the end of this chunk, functioning as the object of place or context that continues into the subsequent section of the narrative.