- 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-grc2:35.1.1-35.1.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The author labels the intense conflict between the Romans and the Celtiberians as the "fiery war," describing its unique and unrelenting nature where battles did not end with a single decisive blow.
πύρινος πόλεμος, ὁ Ῥωμαίων πρὸς τοὺς Κελτίβηρας συσταθείς.1 θαυμαστὴν γὰρ ἔσχε τὴν ἰδιότητα2 τήν τε συνέχειαν τῶν ἀγώνων.
The “fiery war” is the one waged by the Romans against the Celtiberians. For its peculiar character and the continuity of its combats were wonderful.
τοὺς γὰρ κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα πολέμους καὶ τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ὡς ἐπίπαν μία μάχη κρίνει, σπανίως δὲ δευτέρα, καὶ τὰς μάχας αὐτὰς εἷς καιρὸς3 ὁ κατὰ τὴν πρώτην ἔφοδον καὶ σύμπτωσιν τῆς δυνάμεως·
For, as a rule, a single battle decides the wars in Greece and in Asia, and rarely a second; and the battles themselves are decided by a single critical moment, that of the first onslaught and the clash of forces.
κατὰ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν πόλεμον τἀναντία συνέβαινε τοῖς προειρημένοις.
But in this war, the opposite of the aforementioned things happened.
τοὺς μὲν γὰρ κινδύνους ὡς ἐπίπαν ἡ νὺξ διέλυε, τῶν ἀνδρῶν οὔτʼ εἴκειν ταῖς ψυχαῖς οὔτε παρακαθιέναι τοῖς σώμασι βουλομένων διὰ τὸν κόπον, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ὑποστροφῆς καὶ μεταμελείας4 αὖθις ἄλλας ἀρχὰς ποιουμένων.5
For, as a rule, night would break off the combats, since the men were unwilling either to yield in spirit or to give way in body because of their fatigue, but turning back and changing their minds, they would begin other fights afresh.
τόν γε μὴν ὅλον πόλεμον καὶ τὴν συνέχειαν τῶν ἐκ παρατάξεως διακρίσεων ὁ χειμὼν ἐπὶ ποσὸν διεῖργε.
However, the winter did to some extent interrupt the war as a whole and the continuity of the decisions by pitched battles.
καθόλου γάρ, εἴ τις διανοηθείη πύρινον πόλεμον, οὐκ ἂν ἕτερον ἢ τοῦτον νοήσειε. —
For, in general, if anyone were to conceive of a “fiery war,” he would conceive of no other than this one.
- 35.1.1πύρινος πόλεμος, ὁ Ῥωμαίων πρὸς τοὺς Κελτίβηρας συσταθείς
The verb is omitted, and this phrase is presented independently as a chapter heading or a definition.
- 35.1.1θαυμαστὴν γὰρ ἔσχε τὴν ἰδιότητα
The adjective θαυμαστήν is placed in the predicative position before the article, qualifying the objects τὴν ἰδιότητα τήν τε συνέχειαν predicatively.
- 35.1.2καὶ τὰς μάχας αὐτὰς εἷς καιρὸς
The verb κρίνει from the first clause is omitted and must be supplied: "and the battles themselves [are decided by] a single critical moment."
- 35.1.4ἐξ ὑποστροφῆς καὶ μεταμελείας
Literally meaning "from turning back and change of mind," it describes the soldiers turning back to fight again even after beginning to retreat.
- 35.1.4τῶν ἀνδρῶν οὔτʼ εἴκειν ... βουλομένων ... ἀλλʼ ... ποιουμένων
A genitive absolute construction with two coordinate participles, βουλομένων and ποιουμένων, sharing τῶν ἀνδρῶν as their subject, expressing cause.
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