- 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-grc2:35.6.1-35.6.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
Cato delivers a speech in the senate mocking the futile debate over the return of the Achaean exiles; after their return is approved, he warns Polybius and his companions, who seek to recover their lost honors, that they are like Odysseus wishing to return to the dangerous cave of the Cyclops.
ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν ἐξ Ἀχαΐας φυγάδων ἐντευχθεὶς1 διὰ Πολύβιον ὑπὸ Σκιπίωνος, ὡς πολὺς ἐν τῇ συγκλήτῳ λόγος ἐγίνετο, τῶν μὲν διδόντων κάθοδον αὐτοῖς, τῶν δʼ ἐνισταμένων, ἀναστὰς ὁ Κάτων "
Cato, having been petitioned by Scipio on behalf of the exiles from Achaea for the sake of Polybius, when a long debate was taking place in the senate, with some granting them their return and others opposing it, stood up and said:
ὥσπερ οὐκ ἔχοντες" εἶπεν "ὃ πράττωμεν,2 καθήμεθα τὴν ἡμέραν ὅλην περὶ γεροντίων Γραικῶν ζητοῦντες, πότερον ὑπὸ τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν ἢ τῶν ἐν Ἀχαΐᾳ νεκροφόρων ἐκκομισθῶσι.3
”As if we had nothing to do, we sit all day long debating about some old Greeks, whether they should be carried out to their graves by the undertakers here or by those in Achaea.”
" ψηφισθείσης δὲ τῆς καθόδου τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, ἡμέρας ὀλίγας οἱ περὶ τὸν Πολύβιον διαλιπόντες αὖθις ἐπεχείρουν εἰς τὴν σύγκλητον εἰσελθεῖν, ὅπως ἃς πρότερον εἶχον ἐν Ἀχαΐᾳ τιμὰς οἱ φυγάδες ἀναλάβοιεν, καὶ τοῦ Κάτωνος ἀπεπειρῶντο τῆς γνώμης.
When the return was decreed for the men, Polybius and his associates, after waiting a few days, attempted to enter the senate again in order that the exiles might recover the honors they formerly held in Achaea, and they sounded out Cato’s opinion.
ὁ δὲ μειδιάσας ἔφη τὸν Πολύβιον, ὥσπερ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα, βούλεσθαι πάλιν εἰς τὸ τοῦ Κύκλωπος σπήλαιον εἰσελθεῖν, τὸ πιλίον ἐκεῖ καὶ τὴν ζώνην ἐπιλελησμένον4
But he smiled and said that Polybius, like Odysseus, wanted to go back into the Cyclops’ cave because he had forgotten his cap and belt there.
- 35.6.1ἐντευχθεὶς
Aorist passive participle of ἐντυγχάνω, masculine singular nominative, agreeing with the subject of the sentence, ὁ Κάτων. Here it means 'to be petitioned' or 'to be entreated' concerning a matter.
- 35.6.2ὃ πράττωμεν
A relative clause introduced by the neuter singular accusative of the relative pronoun ὅ. The verb πράττωμεν is in the present subjunctive, conveying a deliberative nuance ('what we should do').
- 35.6.2ἐκκομισθῶσι
The verb in the indirect question clause πότερον... ἢ..., which is the 3rd person plural aorist passive subjunctive of ἐκκομίζω, functioning as a deliberative subjunctive ('whether they should be carried out').
- 35.6.4ἐπιλελησμένον
Perfect middle-passive participle of ἐπιλανθάνομαι (to forget), masculine singular accusative. It modifies τὸν Πολύβιον, which is the subject accusative of the infinitive βούλεσθαι, expressing cause or attendant circumstance ('because he had forgotten').
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-10-09)
- 2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 1