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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.51.1-1.51.5

Corinthian Retreat and the End of the Battle

Passage 51 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Sighting the twenty Athenian reinforcement ships, the Corinthians begin to retreat, followed by the Corcyraeans, bringing the naval battle to an end at nightfall. The Athenian reinforcements arrive at the Corcyraean camp after navigating through corpses and wreckage.

§1.51.1ταύτας οὖν προϊδόντες οἱ Κορίνθιοι καὶ ὑποτοπήσαντες ἀπ’ Ἀθηνῶν εἶναι οὐχ ὅσας ἑώρων ἀλλὰ πλείους ὑπανεχώρουν.
Therefore, the Corinthians, having sighted these ships from afar and suspecting that they were from Athens and were not merely as many as they saw but more, began to withdraw.
§1.51.2τοῖς δὲ Κερκυραίοις ἐπέπλεον γὰρ μᾶλλον ἐκ τοῦ ἀφανοῦς οὐχ ἑωρῶντο, καὶ ἐθαύμαζον τοὺς Κορινθίους πρύμναν κρουομένους, πρίν τινες ἰδόντες εἶπον ὅτι νῆες ἐκεῖναι ἐπιπλέουσιν. τότε δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀνεχώρουν· ξυνεσκόταζε γὰρ ἤδη, καὶ οἱ Κορίνθιοι ἀποτραπόμενοι τὴν διάλυσιν ἐποιήσαντο.
But they were not seen by the Corcyraeans, for they were sailing up rather from a direction out of sight, and they were wondering at the Corinthians backing water, until some, having sighted them, said, "Those ships are sailing up." Then indeed they also themselves began to withdraw; for it was already growing dark, and the Corinthians, turning away, broke off the action.
§1.51.3οὕτω μὲν ἡ ἀπαλλαγὴ ἐγένετο ἀλλήλων, καὶ ἡ ναυμαχία ἐτελεύτα ἐς νύκτα.
In this manner they parted from one another, and the naval battle ended as night came on.
§1.51.4τοῖς δὲ Κερκυραίοις στρατοπεδευομένοις ἐπὶ τῇ Λευκίμμῃ αἱ εἴκοσι νῆες αἱ ἐκ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν αὗται, ὧν ἦρχε Γλαύκων τε ὁ Λεάγρου καὶ † Ἀνδοκίδης ὁ Λεωγόρου †, διὰ τῶν νεκρῶν καὶ ναυαγίων προσκομισθεῖσαι κατέπλεον ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἢ ὤφθησαν.
While the Corcyraeans were encamped at Leukimme, these twenty ships from Athens, of which Glaucon son of Leagros and †Andocides son of Leogoras† were in command, having made their way through the corpses and wrecks, sailed down into the camp not long after they had been sighted.
§1.51.5οἱ δὲ Κερκυραῖοι (ἦν γὰρ νύξ) ἐφοβήθησαν μὴ πολέμιαι ὦσιν, ἔπειτα δὲ ἔγνωσαν· καὶ ὡρμίσαντο.
The Corcyraeans (for it was night) feared lest they should be hostile ships, but later they recognized them; and they came to anchor.

Notes

  1. §1.51.1οὐχ ὅσας ἑώρων ἀλλὰ πλείους — Meaning "not merely as many as they saw, but more." πλείους is the contracted form of πλείονας (accusative feminine plural), functioning as the predicate accusative modifying the omitted subject of the infinitive εἶναι.
  2. §1.51.2τοῖς δὲ Κερκυραίοις ... οὐχ ἑωρῶντο — The dative τοῖς Κερκυραίοις functions as the dative of agent (or dative of reference) with the passive verb οὐχ ἑωρῶντο ("were not seen"), meaning "they were not seen by the Corcyraeans."
  3. §1.51.4τοῖς δὲ Κερκυραίοις στρατοπεδευομένοις — This dative phrase is placed at the beginning of the sentence and depends on the main verb κατέπλεον ("sailed down"). It functions as a dative of interest/reference, presenting the situation: "for the Corcyraeans who were encamped at Leukimme."

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.51.1-1.51.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.51.1-1.51.5

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