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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §3.80.1-3.80.2

Corcyraean Reconciliation and Approach of Athenian Relief

Passage 329 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Corcyraean commons seek reconciliation with their opponents to man their ships against the expected attack. The Peloponnesians withdraw after ravaging the land, and are later informed of sixty approaching Athenian ships sent to aid Corcyra.

§3.80.1ὁ δὲ δῆμος τῶν Κερκυραίων ἐν τούτῳ περιδεὴς γενόμενος μὴ ἐπιπλεύσωσιν αἱ νῆες, τοῖς τε ἱκέταις ᾖσαν ἐς λόγους καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις, ὅπως σωθήσεται ἡ πόλις, καί τινας αὐτῶν ἔπεισαν ἐς τὰς ναῦς ἐσβῆναι· ἐπλήρωσαν γὰρ ὅμως τριάκοντα προσδεχόμενοι τὸν ἐπίπλουν.
Meanwhile, the Corcyraean commons, becoming exceedingly terrified lest the enemy's ships should sail against them, entered into negotiations with the suppliants and the others as to how the city might be saved, and persuaded some of them to embark on the ships; for they nevertheless manned thirty ships, expecting the attack.
§3.80.2οἱ δὲ Πελοποννήσιοι μέχρι μέσου ἡμέρας δῃώσαντες τὴν γῆν ἀπέπλευσαν, καὶ ὑπὸ νύκτα αὐτοῖς ἐφρυκτωρήθησαν ἑξήκοντα νῆες Ἀθηναίων προσπλέουσαι ἀπὸ Λευκάδος· ἃς οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι πυνθανόμενοι τὴν στάσιν καὶ τὰς μετ’ Ἀλκίδου ναῦς ἐπὶ Κέρκυραν μελλούσας πλεῖν ἀπέστειλαν καὶ Εὐρυμέδοντα τὸν Θουκλέους στρατηγόν.
The Peloponnesians, having ravaged the land until midday, sailed away, and at nightfall it was signaled to them by fire-beacons that sixty Athenian ships were sailing towards them from Leucas; which ships the Athenians, when they heard of the sedition and that the fleet with Alcidas was about to sail to Corcyra, had dispatched, together with Eurymedon the son of Thucles as general.

Notes

  1. §3.80.1ὅπως σωθήσεται ἡ πόλις — The clause ὅπως + future indicative (σωθήσεται) functions either as an indirect question depending on ᾖσαν ἐς λόγους ('as to how the city might be saved') or as a clause of purpose or effort ('in order that the city might be saved').
  2. §3.80.2ἐφρυκτωρήθησαν — The passive form of the verb φρυκτωρέω ('to signal by fire-beacons'), with ἑξήκοντα νῆες ('sixty ships') as its subject. It literally means 'sixty ships were signaled by fire-beacons,' meaning that the approach of sixty ships was signaled to them.
  3. §3.80.2ἃς... ἀπέστειλαν καὶ Εὐρυμέδοντα τὸν Θουκλέους στρατηγόν — The relative pronoun ἃς (referring to the ships) and the proper noun Εὐρυμέδοντα are connected by καὶ as coordinate objects of the single verb ἀπέστειλαν ('dispatched [the ships] and [also] Eurymedon').

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §3.80.1-3.80.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.80.1-3.80.2

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