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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §7.12.1-7.12.5

Nicias's Letter on the Deterioration of the Athenian Fleet

Passage 733 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Nicias reports that the enemy is seeking reinforcements from the Peloponnese and Sicily, intending a combined land and sea attack. He highlights the desperate state of the Athenian fleet, which is waterlogged and undermanned, while the enemy maintains their ships in prime condition and enjoys the strategic initiative.

§7.12.1‘πεπόμφασι δὲ καὶ ἐς Πελοπόννησον πρέσβεις ἐπ’ ἄλλην στρατιάν, καὶ ἐς τὰς ἐν Σικελίᾳ πόλεις Γύλιππος οἴχεται, τὰς μὲν καὶ πείσων ξυμπολεμεῖν ὅσαι νῦν ἡσυχάζουσιν, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν καὶ στρατιὰν ἔτι πεζὴν καὶ ναυτικοῦ παρασκευήν, ἢν δύνηται, ἄξων.
‘And they have also sent ambassadors to the Peloponnese for another army, and Gylippus has departed to the cities in Sicily, in order to persuade some of them to join the war, as many as are now keeping quiet, and from others to bring still more land forces and naval preparations, if he can.
§7.12.2διανοοῦνται γάρ, ὡς ἐγὼ πυνθάνομαι, τῷ τε πεζῷ ἅμα τῶν τειχῶν ἡμῶν πειρᾶν καὶ ταῖς ναυσὶ κατὰ θάλασσαν.
For they intend, as I learn, to make an attempt on our walls with their infantry at the same time, and with their ships by sea.
§7.12.3καὶ δεινὸν μηδενὶ ὑμῶν δόξῃ εἶναι ὅτι καὶ κατὰ θάλασσαν.
And let it not seem a strange thing to any of you that they intend to do so also by sea.
τὸ γὰρ ναυτικὸν ἡμῶν, ὅπερ κἀκεῖνοι πυνθάνονται, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἤκμαζε καὶ τῶν νεῶν τῇ ξηρότητι καὶ τῶν πληρωμάτων τῇ σωτηρίᾳ· νῦν δὲ αἵ τε νῆες διάβροχοι τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἤδη θαλασσεύουσαι, καὶ τὰ πληρώματα ἔφθαρται.
For our navy, as they too learn, was at first in prime condition both in the dryness of the ships and the soundness of the crews; but now, the ships are waterlogged from having been at sea for so long already, and the crews are ruined.
§7.12.4τὰς μὲν γὰρ ναῦς οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνελκύσαντας διαψύξαι διὰ τὸ ἀντιπάλους τῷ πλήθει καὶ ἔτι πλείους τὰς τῶν πολεμίων οὔσας αἰεὶ προσδοκίαν παρέχειν ὡς ἐπιπλεύσονται.
For it is not possible to haul up the ships and dry them, because those of the enemy, being a match in number and even more, always present the expectation that they will sail against us.
§7.12.5φανεραὶ δ’ εἰσὶν ἀναπειρώμεναι, καὶ αἱ ἐπιχειρήσεις ἐπ’ ἐκείνοις καὶ ἀποξηρᾶναι τὰς σφετέρας μᾶλλον ἐξουσία· οὐ γὰρ ἐφορμοῦσιν ἄλλοις.
They are openly practicing, and the initiatives of attacks are in their power, and they have more opportunity to dry their own ships; for they are not blockading others.’

Notes

  1. §7.12.1τὰς μὲν καὶ πείσων ... ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ... ἄξων — The future participles πείσων (to persuade) and ἄξων (to bring) express purpose. The accusative τὰς μὲν (some of them) serves as the object of πείσων, while the genitive phrase ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν (from others) depends on ἄξων. Both refer back to the previously mentioned ἐς τὰς ἐν Σικελίᾳ πόλεις, dividing them into contrastive groups.
  2. §7.12.3μηδενὶ ὑμῶν δόξῃ — The aorist subjunctive third-person singular δόξῃ (from δοκέω) with the negative μηδενί expresses a third-person prohibition ('let it not seem').
  3. §7.12.4ἀνελκύσαντας διαψύξαι — The infinitive διαψύξαι depends on the impersonal οὐκ ἔστιν (it is not possible). Since the logical subject of the action (the Athenians) is understood in the accusative, the preceding participle ἀνελκύσαντας is also in the masculine accusative plural.
  4. §7.12.4διὰ τὸ ... τὰς τῶν πολεμίων οὔσας αἰεὶ προσδοκίαν παρέχειν — The preposition διὰ is paired with the articular infinitive τὸ παρέχειν. The logical subject of the infinitive is the accusative phrase τὰς τῶν πολεμίων (ναῦς) οὔσας (the enemy's ships being...), with ἀντιπάλους ... καὶ ἔτι πλείους acting as accusative complements modifying it.
  5. §7.12.5φανεραὶ δ’ εἰσὶν ἀναπειρώμεναι — The adjective φανερός in the nominative plural feminine is combined with the participle ἀναπειρώμεναι in a personal construction ('they are manifest practicing', meaning 'it is clear that they are practicing'), which is more vivid than the impersonal φανερόν ἐστιν.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §7.12.1-7.12.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.12.1-7.12.5

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