- 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-grc2:3.62.1-3.62.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
As Hannibal and Publius prepare to encourage their respective forces, Hannibal stages a single combat among the young Alpine captives to show his soldiers that victory brings rewards while death is preferable to continued misery.
κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἤδη συνεγγίζοντες ἀλλήλοις Ἀννίβας καὶ Πόπλιος ἐπεβάλοντο παρακαλεῖν1 τὰς ἑαυτῶν δυνάμεις, ἑκάτερος προθέμενος τὰ πρέποντα τοῖς παροῦσι καιροῖς.
At this time, Hannibal and Publius, who were already drawing near to one another, undertook to encourage their respective forces, each having proposed to himself what was fitting for the present circumstances.
Ἀννίβας μὲν οὖν διὰ τοιοῦδέ τινος ἐνεχείρει τρόπου ποιεῖσθαι τὴν παραίνεσιν.
Hannibal, then, attempted to make his exhortation in some such manner as this.
συναγαγὼν γὰρ τὰ πλήθη παρήγαγεν νεανίσκους τῶν αἰχμαλώτων, οὓς εἰλήφει κακοποιοῦντας τὴν πορείαν ἐν ταῖς περὶ τὰς Ἄλπεις δυσχωρίαις.
For having assembled his multitudes, he brought forward some young men from among the prisoners, whom he had taken while they were harassing his march in the difficult passes around the Alps.
τούτους δὲ κακῶς διετίθετο, παρασκευαζόμενος πρὸς τὸ μέλλον· καὶ γὰρ δεσμοὺς εἶχον βαρεῖς καὶ τῷ λιμῷ συνέσχηντο, καὶ ταῖς πληγαῖς αὐτῶν τὰ σώματα διέφθαρτο.
He had been treating them badly, preparing for what was to come; for they wore heavy fetters and had been afflicted with hunger, and their bodies were disfigured by blows.
καθίσας οὖν τούτους εἰς τὸ μέσον προέθηκε πανοπλίας Γαλατικάς, οἵαις εἰώθασιν οἱ βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν, ὅταν μονομαχεῖν μέλλωσιν, κατακοσμεῖσθαι· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἵππους παρέστησε καὶ σάγους εἰσήνεγκε πολυτελεῖς.
Having seated them, therefore, in the middle, he placed before them Gallic suits of armor, such as their kings are accustomed to deck themselves with when they are about to fight in single combat; and in addition to these, he brought up horses and produced costly military cloaks.
κἄπειτα τῶν νεανίσκων ἤρετο τίνες αὐτῶν βούλονται διαγωνίσασθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐφʼ ᾧ2 τὸν μὲν νικήσαντα τὰ προκείμενα λαμβάνειν ἆθλα, τὸν δʼ ἡττηθέντα τῶν παρόντων ἀπηλλάχθαι κακῶν, τελευτήσαντα τὸν βίον.
And then he asked the young men which of them wished to contend with one another on the condition that the victor should receive the prizes laid before them, and the vanquished, by ending his life, should be released from his present miseries.
πάντων δʼ ἀναβοησάντων ἅμα καὶ δηλούντων ὅτι βούλονται μονομαχεῖν, κληρώσασθαι προσέταξε καὶ δύο τοὺς λαχόντας καθοπλισαμένους ἐκέλευσε μάχεσθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους.
When they all cried out at once and indicated that they wished to fight in single combat, he ordered them to cast lots, and commanded the two on whom the lot fell to put on the armor and fight with one another.
παραυτίκα μὲν οὖν ἀκούσαντες οἱ νεανίσκοι ταῦτα καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἐξαίροντες εὔχοντο τοῖς θεοῖς, σπεύδων ἕκαστος αὐτὸς γενέσθαι τῶν λαχόντων.
Immediately, then, upon hearing this, the young men lifted up their hands and prayed to the gods, each one eager to be himself among those chosen by lot.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἐδηλώθη τὰ κατὰ τὸν κλῆρον, ἦσαν οἱ μὲν εἰληχότες περιχαρεῖς, οἱ δʼ ἄλλοι τοὐναντίον.
And when the results of the lot were declared, those who had drawn the lots were overjoyed, while the others were the opposite.
γενομένης δὲ τῆς μάχης οὐχ ἧττον ἐμακάριζον οἱ περιλειπόμενοι τῶν αἰχμαλώτων τὸν τεθνεῶτα τοῦ νενικηκότος,3 ὡς πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων κακῶν ἐκείνου μὲν ἀπολελυμένου, σφᾶς δʼ αὐτοὺς ἀκμὴν ὑπομένοντας.
When the combat was over, the remaining prisoners envied the dead no less than the victor, since the former had been released from many great miseries, while they themselves were still enduring them.
ἦν δὲ παραπλησία καὶ περὶ τοὺς πολλοὺς τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἡ διάληψις· ἐκ παραθέσεως γὰρ θεωρουμένης τῆς τῶν ἀγομένων καὶ ζώντων ταλαιπωρίας,4 τούτους μὲν ἠλέουν, τὸν δὲ τεθνεῶτα πάν
A similar view was held also by the majority of the Carthaginians; for when the misery of those who were being led away and remained alive was viewed in comparison, they pitied these, while the one who had died, all...
- 3.62.1ἐπεβάλοντο παρακαλεῖν
The verb ἐπεβάλοντο (aorist middle of ἐπιβάλλομαι) is used here with the infinitive παρακαλεῖν to mean 'they undertook to' or 'resolved to' encourage.
- 3.62.6ἐφʼ ᾧ
A conjunctional phrase introducing a condition ('on condition that'), governing the accusative and infinitive construction: τὸν μὲν νικήσαντα as subject of λαμβάνειν, and τὸν δʼ ἡττηθέντα as subject of ἀπηλλάχθαι.
- 3.62.10τοῦ νενικηκότος
Genitive of comparison. Used in conjunction with οὐχ ἧττον ('no less than'), expressing that they deemed the dead man no less fortunate than the victor.
- 3.62.11θεωρουμένης τῆς ... ταλαιπωρίας
Genitive absolute construction, where τῆς ταλαιπωρίας ('the misery') is the subject and the participle θεωρουμένης ('being viewed') is the predicate, expressing a cause or circumstance ('since the misery... was viewed').