- 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-grc2:8.3a.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
An observation on human nature that most people are least able to endure silence, which ought to be the lightest of things.
οὕτως οἱ πλείους τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ κουφότατον1 ἥκιστα φέρειν δύνανται, λέγω δὲ2 τὴν σιωπήν.
Thus most men are least able to bear the lightest thing—I mean silence.
- 8.3a.1τὸ κουφότατον
The neuter singular superlative adjective used substantively, meaning 'the lightest thing'. It is concretized by the subsequent clause λέγω δὲ τὴν σιωπήν ('I mean silence'), creating a paradoxical observation that people find silence—which requires no active effort—the hardest burden to bear.
- 8.3a.1λέγω δέ
A parenthetical idiom meaning 'I mean...' or 'that is to say...', used to specify or explain the exact reference of a preceding phrase (here, τὸ κουφότατον) using the subsequent accusative noun (τὴν σιωπήν).
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (3, latest 2026-10-09)
- 2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 2
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1