§32ΣΑΜΙΠΠΟΣ
προΐωμεν δὲ ἤδη τὴν ἐπὶ Κορίνθου διὰ τῆς ὀρεινῆς ἐπευξάμενοι τῷ βασιλείῳ Διί· κἀπειδὰν τἀν τῇ Ἑλλάδι πάντα ἤδη χειρωσώμεθα—οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὁ ἐναντιωθησόμενος ἡμῖν τὰ ὅπλα τοσούτοις οὖσιν, ἀλλ’ ἀκονιτὶ κρατοῦμεν—ἐπιβάντες ἐπὶ τὰς τριήρεις καὶ τοὺς ἵππους εἰς τὰς ἱππαγωγοὺς ἐμβιβάσαντες—παρεσκεύασται δ’ ἐν Κεγχρεαῖς καὶ σῖτος ἱκανὸς καὶ τὰ πλοῖα διαρκῆ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα—διαβάλωμεν τὸν Αἰγαῖον ἐς τὴν Ἰωνίαν, εἶτα ἐκεῖ τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι θύσαντες καὶ τὰς πόλεις ἀτειχίστους λαβόντες ῥᾳδίως ἄρχοντας ἀπολιπόντες προχωρῶμεν ἐπὶ Συρίας διὰ Καρίας, εἶτα Λυκίας καὶ Παμφυλίας καὶ Πισιδῶν καὶ τῆς παραλίου καὶ ὀρεινῆς Κιλικίας, ἄχρι ἂν ἐπὶ τὸν Εὐφράτην ἀφικώμεθα. §33ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ
Ἐμέ, ὦ βασιλεῦ, εἰ δοκεῖ, σατράπην τῆς Ἑλλάδος κατάλιπε.
SAMIPPUS "But let us set out now on the road toward Corinth through the mountainous country, after having prayed to Royal Zeus; and as soon as we have subdued everything in Greece—for there is no one who will oppose us in arms, being so many, but we conquer without a struggle—let us board the triremes and put the horses into the horse-transports—for there has been prepared in Cenchreae both sufficient grain and adequate ships and all other things—and let us cross the Aegean to Ionia, then, having sacrificed to Artemis there and having easily taken the unfortified cities and left governors behind, let us advance toward Syria through Caria, then Lycia and Pamphylia and the Pisidians and Cilicia, both coastal and mountainous, until we arrive at the Euphrates." LYCINUS "As for me, O king, if it seems good, leave me behind as satrap of Greece.
δειλὸς γάρ εἰμι καὶ τῶν οἴκοι πολὺ ἀπελθεῖν οὐκ ἂν ἡδέως ὑπομείναιμι.
For I am a coward, and I would not gladly endure to go far from home.
σὺ δὲ ἔοικας ἐπὶ Ἀρμενίους καὶ Παρθυαίους ἐλάσειν μάχιμα φῦλα καὶ τὴν τοξικὴν εὔστοχα.
But you seem likely to march against the Armenians and Parthians, warlike tribes and accurate in archery.
ὥστε ἄλλῳ παραδοὺς τὸ δεξιὸν ἐμὲ Ἀντίπατρόν τινα ἔασον ἐπὶ τῆς Ἑλλάδος, μή με καὶ διαπείρῃ τις οἰστῷ ἄθλιον βαλὼν ἐς τὰ γυμνὰ περὶ Σοῦσα ἢ Βάκτρα ἡγούμενόν σοι τῆς φάλαγγος. ΣΑΜΙΠΠΟΣ
Ἀποδιδράσκεις, ὦ Λυκῖνε, τὸν κατάλογον δειλὸς ὤν.
Therefore, handing over the right wing to another, let me remain on Greece as a sort of Antipater, lest someone shooting at me, miserable as I am, should pierce through my unprotected parts with an arrow around Susa or Bactra while I am leading the phalanx for you." SAMIPPUS "You are escaping from the muster roll, Lycinus, being a coward.
ὁ δὲ νόμος ἀποτετμῆσθαι τὴν κεφαλήν, εἴ τις λιπὼν φαίνοιτο τὴν τάξιν.
But the law is that the head is to be cut off if anyone is seen abandoning his post.
ἀλλ’ ἐπεὶ κατὰ τὸν Εὐφράτην ἤδη ἐσμὲν καὶ ὁ ποταμὸς ἔζευκται καὶ κατόπιν ὁπόσα διεληλύθαμεν ἀσφαλῶς ἔχει καὶ πάντα ὕπαρχοι κατέχουσιν ὑπ' ἐμοῦ ἑκάστῳ ἔθνει ἐπεισαχθέντες, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἀπίασι τὴν Φοινίκην ἡμῖν ἐν τούτῳ καὶ τὴν Παλαιστίνην εἶτα καὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον προσαξόμενοι, §34ΣΑΜΙΠΠΟΣ
σὺ πρῶτος, ὦ Λυκῖνε, διάβαινε τὸ δεξιὸν ἄγων, εἶτα ἐγὼ καὶ μετ' ἐμὲ ὁ Τιμόλαος· ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τὸ ἱππικὸν ἄγε σύ, ὦ Ἀδείμαντε.
But since we are already at the Euphrates and the river has been bridged, and behind us all that we have traversed is secure and governors installed by me hold everything, each nation being secured, while others are also going off meanwhile to bring Phoenicia, Palestine, and then Egypt into subjection to us," SAMIPPUS "you first, Lycinus, cross leading the right wing, then I, and after me Timolaus; and above all, you lead the cavalry, Adeimantus.
καὶ διὰ μὲν τῆς Μεσοποταμίας οὐδεὶς ἀπήντηκεν ἡμῖν πολέμιος, ἀλλὰ ἑκόντες αὑτούς τε καὶ τὰς ἀκροπόλεις ἅνθρωποι ἐνεχείρισαν, καὶ ἐπὶ Βαβυλῶνα ἐλθόντες ἀπροσδόκητοι παρήλθομεν εἰς τὸ εἴσω τῶν τειχῶν καὶ ἔχομεν τὴν πόλιν.
And through Mesopotamia indeed no enemy met us, but the people voluntarily surrendered both themselves and their citadels, and having come to Babylon unexpected we passed inside the walls and hold the city.
ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ περὶ Κτησιφῶντα διατρίβων ἤκουσε τὴν ἔφοδον, εἶτα εἰς Σελεύκειαν παρελθὼν παρασκευάζεται ἱππέας τε ὅτι πλείστους μεταπεμπόμενος καὶ τοξότας καὶ σφενδονήτας.
But the king, spending time near Ctesiphon, heard of our approach, then having gone to Seleucia he is preparing by summoning as many cavalry as possible, and archers and slingers.
ἀπαγγέλλουσι δ’ οὖν οἱ σκοποὶ ἀμφὶ τὰς ἑκατὸν ἤδη μυριάδας τοῦ μαχίμου συνειλέχθαι καὶ τούτων εἴκοσιν ἱπποτοξότας, καίτοι οὔπω ὁ Ἀρμένιος πάρεστιν οὔτε οἱ κατὰ τὴν Κασπίαν θάλατταν οἰκοῦντες οὔτε οἱ ἀπὸ Βάκτρων, ἀλλ’ ἐκ τῶν πλησίον καὶ προαστείων τῆς ἀρχῆς· οὕτω ῥᾳδίως τοσαύτας μυριάδας κατέλεξε.
In any case, the scouts report that about a million of the fighting force have already assembled, and of these two hundred thousand are horse-archers, although the Armenian is not yet present, nor those who dwell near the Caspian Sea, nor those from Bactra, but only from the nearby regions and suburbs of the empire; so easily did he collect so many tens of thousands.
καιρὸς οὖν ἤδη σκοπεῖν ἡμᾶς ὅ τι χρὴ ποιεῖν. §35ΑΔΕΙΜΑΝΤΟΣ
Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ μέν φημι δεῖν ὑμᾶς τὸ πεζὸν ἀπιέναι τὴν ἐπὶ Κτησιφῶντος, ἡμᾶς δὲ τὸ ἱππικὸν αὐτοῦ μένειν τὴν Βαβυλῶνα διαφυλάξοντας. ΣΑΜΙΠΠΟΣ
Ἀποδειλιᾷς καὶ σύ, ὦ Ἀδείμαντε, πλησίον τοῦ κινδύνου γενόμενος;
It is time, therefore, for us to consider what we must do." ADEIMANTUS "But for my part, I say that you the infantry must depart on the road to Ctesiphon, while we the cavalry remain here to guard Babylon." SAMIPPUS "Are you also playing the coward, Adeimantus, now that you are near the danger?
σοὶ δὲ τί δοκεῖ, ὦ Τιμόλαε; ΤΙΜΟΛΑΟΣ
Ἁπάσῃ τῇ στρατιᾷ βαδίζειν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους, μηδὲ περιμένειν ἔστ' ἂν ἄμεινον παρασκευάσωνται πανταχόθεν τῶν συμμάχων προσγενομένων, ἀλλ’ ἕως ἔτι καθ' ὁδόν εἰσιν οἱ πολέμιοι, ἐπιχειρῶμεν αὐτοῖς. ΣΑΜΙΠΠΟΣ
Εὖ λέγεις.
And what does it seem good to you, Timolaus?" TIMOLAUS "To march with the whole army against the enemy, and not to wait until they are better prepared because of the arrival of their allies from all sides, but while the enemy are still on the march, let us attack them." SAMIPPUS "You speak well.
σὺ δὲ τί, ὦ Λυκῖνε, δοκιμάζεις; ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ
Ἐγώ σοι φράσω.
And what do you, Lycinus, approve?" LYCINUS "I will tell you.
ἐπειδὴ κεκμήκαμεν συντόνως ὁδεύοντες, ὁπότε κατῄειμεν ἕωθεν ἐς τὸν Πειραιᾶ, καὶ νῦν ἤδη τριάκοντά που σταδίους προκεχωρήκαμεν καὶ ὁ ἥλιος πολύς, κατὰ μεσημβρίαν γὰρ ἤδη μάλιστα, ἐνταῦθά που ἐπὶ τὰς ἐλαίας ἐπὶ τῆς ἀνατετραμμένης στήλης καθίσαντας ἀναπαύσασθαι, εἶτα οὕτως ἀναστάντας ἀνύειν τὸ λοιπὸν ἐς τὸ ἄστυ. ΣΑΜΙΠΠΟΣ
Ἔτι γὰρ Ἀθήνησιν, ὦ μακάριε, εἶναι δοκεῖς, ὃς ἀμφὶ Βαβυλῶνα ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ πρὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἐν τοσούτοις στρατιώταις κάθησαι περὶ τοῦ πολέμου διασκοπούμενος;
Since we have grown weary from walking vigorously, when we came down in the morning to Piraeus, and now we have already advanced some thirty stades and the sun is hot, for it is now almost noon, let us sit down somewhere here under the olive trees on the overturned slab and rest, and then having stood up in this way, let us accomplish the rest of the way to the city." SAMIPPUS "Do you still think, my good friend, that you are in Athens, you who are sitting in the plain before the walls of Babylon among so many soldiers, deliberating about the war?" LYCINUS "You have reminded me well.
ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ
Εὖ γε ὑπέμνησας. ἐγὼ δὲ νήφειν ᾤμην καὶ ὕπαρ ἀποφανεῖσθαι τὴν γνώμην.
For my part, I thought I was sober and was expressing my opinion in waking reality."