Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §13.28.1-13.28.6

Gylippus's Speech Denouncing Mercy for the Athenians

Passage 207 of 723 · Greek

Summary

After Nicolaus finishes his speech, the Spartan general Gylippus ascends the platform and begins a fierce counter-argument expressing intense hatred for the Athenians. He reminds the Syracusans of the many loved ones they lost due to the Athenian invasion and argues against showing any sympathy.

§13.28.1Νικόλαος μὲν οὖν πρὸς τοὺς Συρακοσίους τοιούτοις χρησάμενος λόγοις κατέπαυσε τὴν δημηγορίαν, συμπαθεῖς ποιήσας τοὺς ἀκούοντας.

Nicolaus, then, having used such words to the Syracusans, ended his speech, having made the hearers sympathetic.

Γύλιππος δʼ ὁ Λάκων ἀπαραίτητον τὸ πρὸς Ἀθηναίους μῖσος διαφυλάττων, ἀναβὰς ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα τῶν λόγων τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἐποιήσατο. §13.28.2θαυμάζω μεγάλως, ἄνδρες Συρακόσιοι, θεωρῶν ὑμᾶς οὕτως ταχέως, περὶ ὧν ἔργῳ κακῶς πεπόνθατε, περὶ τούτων τῷ λόγῳ μεταδιδασκομένους.

But Gylippus the Laconian, maintaining his unappeasable hatred toward the Athenians, having gone up to the speaker's platform, made his beginning from this point. "I wonder greatly, men of Syracuse, beholding you so quickly, concerning things which you suffered badly in deed, being taught otherwise in word about these.

εἰ γὰρ ὑμεῖς ὑπὲρ ἀναστάσεως κινδυνεύσαντες πρὸς τοὺς ἐπὶ κατασκαφῇ τῆς πατρίδος ὑμῶν παραγεγενημένους ἀνεῖσθε τοῖς θυμοῖς, τί χρὴ νῦν ἡμᾶς διατείνεσθαι τοὺς μηδὲν ἠδικημένους; §13.28.3δότε δέ μοι πρὸς θεῶν, ἄνδρες Συρακόσιοι, συγγνώμην τὴν συμβουλίαν ἐκτιθεμένῳ μετὰ παρρησίας· Σπαρτιάτης γὰρ ὢν καὶ τὸν λόγον ἔχω Σπαρτιάτην.

For if you, having been in danger of destruction, have relaxed your anger toward those who came for the demolition of your fatherland, why must we now exert ourselves, who have been wronged in nothing? And grant me, by the gods, men of Syracuse, forgiveness as I set forth my counsel with frankness; for being a Spartan, I also have a Spartan speech.

καὶ πρῶτον ἄν τις ἐπιζητήσειε, πῶς Νικόλαος ἐλεῆσαί φησι τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, οἳ τὸ γῆρας αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν ἀπαιδίαν ἐλεεινὸν πεποιήκασι, καὶ παριὼν εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἐν ἐσθῆτι πενθίμῃ δακρύει καὶ λέγει δεῖν οἰκτείρειν τοὺς φονεῖς τῶν ἰδίων τέκνων. §13.28.4οὐκέτι γὰρ ἐπιεικής ἐστιν ὁ τῶν συγγενεστάτων μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν ἀμνημονῶν, τοὺς δὲ πολεμιωτάτους σῶσαι προαιρούμενος.

And first of all, one might ask, how Nicolaus says to pity the Athenians, who have made his old age pitiable because of his childlessness, and coming forward to the assembly in mourning clothes, he weeps and says that we must pity the murderers of his own children? For he is no longer reasonable who forgets his closest kin after their death, and chooses to save his greatest enemies.

ἐπεὶ πόσοι τῶν ἐκκλησιαζόντων υἱοὺς ἀνῃρημένους κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἐπενθήσατε; πολλοὶ γοῦν τῶν καθημένων ἐθορύβησαν. §13.28.5ὁ δʼ ἐπιβαλών, Ὁρᾷς, φησί, τοὺς τῷ θορύβῳ τὴν συμφορὰν ἐμφανίζοντας;

For how many of you attending the assembly mourned for sons killed in the war?" Indeed, many of those sitting made a clamor. And he, pressing on, said, "Do you see those who show their misfortune by their clamor?

πόσοι δὲ ἀδελφοὺς ἢ συγγενεῖς ἢ φίλους ἀπολωλεκότες ἐπιζητεῖτε; καὶ πολλῷ πλείους ἐπεσημήναντο. §13.28.6καὶ ὁ Γύλιππος, θεωρεῖς, ἔφη, τὸ πλῆθος τῶν διʼ Ἀθηναίους δυστυχούντων;

And how many of you, having lost brothers or relatives or friends, feel their loss?" And far more signaled their agreement. And Gylippus said, "Do you see the multitude of those who are unfortunate because of the Athenians?

οὗτοι πάντες οὐδὲν εἰς ἐκείνους ἁμαρτάνοντες τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων σωμάτων ἐστερήθησαν, καὶ τοσοῦτο μισεῖν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ὀφείλουσιν, ὅσον τοὺς ἰδίους ἠγαπήκασι.

All of these, doing no wrong to them, were deprived of their most precious relatives, and they ought to hate the Athenians as much as they loved their own."

Notes

13.28.1ἀπαραίτητον τὸ πρὸς Ἀθηναίους μῖσος διαφυλάττων — The adjective ἀπαραίτητον (unappeasable, inexorable) functions as a secondary predicate (predicative adjective) modifying the direct object of the participle διαφυλάττων (maintaining), which is τὸ πρὸς Ἀθηναίους μῖσος (hatred toward the Athenians). Thus, it means 'maintaining his hatred toward the Athenians as something unappeasable'.
13.28.2περί ὧν ἔργῳ κακῶς πεπόνθατε, περὶ τούτων τῷ λόγῳ μεταδιδασ코μένους — The relative pronoun ὧν is attracted into the genitive case by its antecedent τούτων (which is governed by περὶ). Structurally, it would expectedly be an accusative ἅ or dative οἷς. The explicit repetition of the antecedent περὶ τούτων after the relative clause περί ὧν emphasizes the contrast between 'deed' (ἔργῳ) and 'word' (λόγῳ). The participle μεταδιδασκομένους has a passive sense, meaning 'being taught otherwise' or 'being persuaded to change one's mind'.
13.28.5ὁ δʼ ἐπιβαλών — The intransitive participle ἐπιβαλών (aorist active participle of ἐπιβάλλω) is used idiomatically here in the sense of 'pressing on', 'continuing', or 'adding to what was just done'. It describes Gylippus immediately throwing in his next words in response to the clamor of the audience.
13.28.6τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων σωμάτων — The noun σῶμα here means 'individual, person' rather than physical 'body', and combined with the superlative of the adjective ἀναγκαῖος (necessary, closely related), the phrase means 'most closely related persons' or 'nearest kin'. The genitive case is governed by the passive verb ἐστερήθησαν (were deprived of).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §13.28.1-13.28.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:13.28.1-13.28.6

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