§7.143.1ἦν δὲ τῶν τις Ἀθηναίων ἀνὴρ ἐς πρώτους νεωστὶ παριών, τῷ οὔνομα μὲν ἦν Θεμιστοκλέης, παῖς δὲ Νεοκλέος ἐκαλέετο.
Now there was a certain Athenian who had recently come to the front rank, whose name was Themistocles, and he was called the son of Neocles.
οὗτος ὡνὴρ οὐκ ἔφη πᾶν ὀρθῶς τοὺς χρησμολόγους συμβάλλεσθαι, λέγων τοιάδε· εἰ ἐς Ἀθηναίους εἶχε τὸ ἔπος εἰρημένον ἐόντως, οὐκ ἂν οὕτω μιν δοκέειν ἠπίως χρησθῆναι, ἀλλὰ ὧδε
ὦ σχετλίη Σαλαμίσ
ἀντὶ τοῦ
ὦ θείη Σαλαμίς,
εἴ πέρ γε ἔμελλον οἱ οἰκήτορες ἀμφʼ αὐτῇ τελευτήσειν·
This man maintained that the oracle-mongers had not interpreted everything correctly, saying as follows: "If the verse had really been spoken with reference to the Athenians, I do not think it would have been delivered in such mild terms, but rather thus: 'O wretched Salamis,' instead of: 'O divine Salamis,' if indeed its inhabitants were destined to perish around it.
§7.143.2ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους τῷ θεῷ εἰρῆσθαι τὸ χρηστήριον συλλαμβάνοντι κατὰ τὸ ὀρθόν, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐς Ἀθηναίους· παρασκευάζεσθαι ὦν αὐτοὺς ὡς ναυμαχήσοντας συνεβούλευε, ὡς τούτου ἐόντος τοῦ ξυλίνου τείχεος.
But in truth, if one takes it rightly, the god spoke the oracle with reference to the enemy, and not to the Athenians." He therefore advised them to prepare for a sea fight, since this was the wooden wall.
§7.143.3ταύτῃ Θεμιστοκλέος ἀποφαινομένου Ἀθηναῖοι ταῦτα σφίσι ἔγνωσαν αἱρετώτερα εἶναι μᾶλλον ἢ τὰ τῶν χρησμολόγων, οἳ οὐκ ἔων ναυμαχίην ἀρτέεσθαι, τὸ δὲ σύμπαν εἰπεῖν οὐδὲ χεῖρας ἀνταείρεσθαι, ἀλλὰ ἐκλιπόντας χώρην τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἄλλην τινὰ οἰκίζειν.
When Themistocles expressed this opinion, the Athenians decided that this was more preferable for them than the advice of the oracle-mongers, who would not allow them to prepare for a sea fight, nor indeed, to put it briefly, even to raise their hands in resistance, but urged them to abandon the land of Attica and settle in some other country.