- 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-grc2:5.88.1-5.88.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The Rhodians, having suffered a devastating earthquake that destroyed the Colossus and their city walls, skillfully turn this disaster into a diplomatic opportunity, securing massive financial aid and privileges from Hiero and Gelo of Syracuse and other rulers.
Ῥόδιοι δὲ κατὰ τοὺς προειρημένους καιροὺς ἐπειλημμένοι1 τῆς ἀφορμῆς τῆς κατὰ τὸν σεισμὸν τὸν γενόμενον παρʼ αὐτοῖς βραχεῖ χρόνῳ πρότερον, ἐν ᾧ συνέβη τόν τε κολοσσὸν τὸν μέγαν πεσεῖν καὶ τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν τειχῶν καὶ τῶν νεωρίων, οὕτως ἐχείριζον νουνεχῶς καὶ πραγματικῶς τὸ γεγονὸς ὡς μὴ βλάβης, διορθώσεως δὲ μᾶλλον, αὐτοῖς αἴτιον γενέσθαι τὸ σύμπτωμα.2
And the Rhodians, during the aforementioned times, taking hold of the opportunity presented by the earthquake that had occurred among them a short time before, in which it happened that both the great Colossus fell and most of the walls and shipyards, managed the disaster so prudently and practically that the calamity became for them a source not of harm, but rather of restoration.
τοσοῦτον ἄγνοια καὶ ῥᾳθυμία διαφέρει παρʼ ἀνθρώποις ἐπιμελείας καὶ φρονήσεως περί τε τοὺς κατʼ ἰδίαν βίους καὶ τὰς κοινὰς πολιτείας, ὥστε τοῖς μὲν καὶ τὰς ἐπιτυχίας βλάβην ἐπιφέρειν, τοῖς δὲ καὶ τὰς περιπετείας ἐπανορθώσεως γίνεσθαι παραιτίας.
So greatly does ignorance and indolence differ among men from care and wisdom, both in private lives and in public states, that while to the former even successes bring harm, to the latter even reversals of fortune become the primary causes of restoration.
οἱ γοῦν Ῥόδιοι τότε παρὰ τὸν χειρισμὸν τὸ μὲν σύμπτωμα ποιοῦντες μέγα καὶ δεινόν, αὐτοὶ δὲ σεμνῶς καὶ προστατικῶς κατὰ τὰς πρεσβείας χρώμενοι ταῖς ἐντεύξεσι καὶ ταῖς κατὰ μέρος ὁμιλίαις, εἰς τοῦτʼ ἤγαγον τὰς πόλεις, καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς βασιλεῖς, ὥστε μὴ μόνον λαμβάνειν δωρεὰς ὑπερβαλλούσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ χάριν προσοφείλειν αὐτοῖς τοὺς διδόντας.3
At all events, the Rhodians at that time, in their handling of the matter, on the one hand making the calamity appear great and terrible, and on the other hand conducting their interviews and private conferences in their embassies with dignity and gravity, brought the cities, and especially the kings, to such a state that they not only received extraordinary gifts, but even the givers felt themselves to be under an additional obligation of gratitude to them.
Ἱέρων γὰρ καὶ Γέλων οὐ μόνον ἔδωκαν ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ πέντʼ ἀργυρίου τάλαντα πρὸς τὴν εἰς τὸ ἔλαιον τοῖς ἐν τῷ γυμνασίῳ χορηγίαν, τὰ μὲν παραχρῆμα, τὰ δʼ ἐν χρόνῳ βραχεῖ παντελῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ λέβητας ἀργυροῦς καὶ βάσεις τούτων καί τινας ὑδρίας ἀνέθεσαν, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις εἰς τὰς θυσίας δέκα τάλαντα καὶ τὴν ἐπαύξησιν τῶν πολιτῶν ἄλλα δέκα, χάριν τοῦ τὴν πᾶσαν εἰς ἑκατὸν τάλαντα γενέσθαι δωρεάν.
For Hiero and Gelo not only gave seventy-five talents of silver for the supply of oil to those in the gymnasium—part of it immediately, and the rest in a very short time indeed—but also dedicated silver cauldrons and their bases, as well as some water-jars, and in addition to these, ten talents for sacrifices, and another ten for the welfare of the citizens, so that the whole gift might amount to one hundred talents.
καὶ μὴν ἀτέλειαν τοῖς πρὸς αὐτοὺς πλοϊζομένοις ἔδοσαν καὶ πεντήκοντα καταπέλτας τριπήχεις.
And furthermore, they granted exemption from customs duties to those sailing to them, and fifty catapults of three cubits.
καὶ τελευταῖον τοσαῦτα δόντες, ὡς προσοφείλοντες χάριν, ἔστησαν ἀνδριάντας ἐν τῷ τῶν Ῥοδίων δείγματι, στεφανούμενον τὸν δῆμον τῶν Ῥοδίων ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου τοῦ4
And finally, having given so much, as if they were still under an obligation of gratitude, they erected statues in the Deigma of the Rhodians, representing the People of the Rhodians being crowned by the People of the...
- 5.88.1ἐπειλημμένοι
The perfect middle/passive participle of ἐπιλαμβάνομαι ('to lay hold of', 'take advantage of'), which governs the genitive (τῆς ἀφορμῆς). It agrees with the subject of the main clause, Ῥόδιοι, functioning as a circumstantial participle.
- 5.88.2ὡς μὴ βλάβης ... γενέσθαι τὸ σύμπτωμα
The conjunction ὡς introduces a clause of result with the infinitive γενέσθαι, equivalent to ὥστε with the infinitive. The subject of the infinitive is the accusative τὸ σύμπτωμα, and the predicate noun αἴτιον ('cause') governs the genitives βλάβης and διορθώσεως.
- 5.88.4χάριν προσοφείλειν αὐτοῖς τοὺς διδόντας
The accusative participle phrase τοὺς διδόντας ('the givers') serves as the subject of the infinitive προσοφείλειν ('to owe in addition'). αὐτοῖς ('to them', i.e., the Rhodians) is the dative indirect object, and χάριν ('gratitude') is the direct object.
- 5.88.8ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου τοῦ
The Greek text abruptly breaks off with the definite article τοῦ, which would have introduced a genitive noun such as Συρακοσίων ('of the Syracusans'). Based on the historical context of Hiero and Gelo of Syracuse, this completion is highly likely, though the text remains incomplete.