§382φόβον οὐδένα ἕτερον προσαγγελεῖ Νικίας ἡμῖν αὖθις;
Will Nicias report no other danger to us again?
ὅτι νὴ Δίʼ αὐτὸς εἴρηκεν, ἢ καλεῖν αὐτοὺς, ἢ πέμπειν τοὺς βοηθήσοντας;
"Because, by Zeus, he himself has said either to recall them or to send those who will help," one might say?
ὁ δέ γε αὐτὸς οὗτος ἐκπλέων ἐνθένδε ᾔτησε τὰ καὶ τὰ, ὡς ἀρκέσοντα, καὶ ὅμως κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ νῦν ἐκείνου μαρτυρίαν οὐδὲν τούτων ἀποχρῆσαν φαίνεται.
But this very same man, when sailing out from here, asked for such and such things as being sufficient, and yet according to his own present testimony, none of these appears to have been enough.
τί οὖν ἐὰν καὶ τὰ δεύτερα σφαλῆτε, ἢ καὶ μέσος ᾖ τοῦ τε τἀληθῆ λέγειν καὶ τοῦ θεραπεύειν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐπιθυμίαν;
What then if you should fail in the second attempt too, or if he should be midway between speaking the truth and courting our desire?
οὐχ αἱρησόμεθα, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, τὸ πρόδηλον καὶ ὁρώμενον πρὸ τοῦ ἀδήλου καὶ ἀπίστου καὶ τάχʼ ἂν ἡμᾶς αὖθις ταράξοντος;
Shall we not, O Athenians, choose what is manifest and seen before what is unseen and incredible, and which might perhaps trouble us again?
ἀλλʼ ὅμοιον πεισόμεθα ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τινες σωμάτων ἐν νηὶ κινδυνευόντων ἀγωνιῶντες καὶ φοβούμενοι περὶ αὐτῶν, εἶθʼ ἑτέραν ναῦν προσπληροῦν ἀξιοῖεν τῆς αὐτῆς ταραχῆς ἕνεκα.
Or shall we suffer the same thing as if some people, being anxious and fearing for the lives in a ship that is in danger, should then think it right to man another ship for the sake of the same confusion?
ἀλλά τοι κἀν τοῖς τοιούτοις οἱ βοηθοῦντες τοὺς χειμαζομένους ἐκκομίζουσιν ἐκ τῆς θαλάττης, οὐκ αὐτοὶ μετʼ ἐκείνων πλέουσι.
Yet in such cases, those who bring help rescue those who are tempest-tossed from the sea, they do not themselves sail with them.
καὶ μὴν εἰ μὲν, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, τοσαύτην δύναμιν πέμψομεν ὅση τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἐπίδηλον ἐκείνοις ἕξει, εἰς λεπτὸν παντελῶς τὸ τῶν ἐνταῦθα καθίσταται, ὥσθʼ ἅμα τε ἐκείνοις τοῖς ἐκεῖ πέμψομεν τοὺς βοηθήσοντας καὶ τοῖς ἐνταῦθα δεήσει ζητεῖν.
And indeed, O Athenians, if we send so great a force as will have its benefit manifest to them, our resources here will be rendered completely thin, so that at the same time as we send those who will help to them over there, we shall also have to seek help for those here.
εἰ δὲ διαιρήσομεν ἀμφοτέρων ἐχόμενοι, τοῦ μηδʼ ἐκείνους προέσθαι δοκεῖν καὶ τἀνταῦθα δύνασθαι διασώζειν, δέδοικα μὴ τοὐναντίον οὗ βουλόμεθα ποιήσωμεν, διαρκῆ μὲν οὐδετέρῳ τῷ μέρει τὴν ὠφέλειαν, ἑκατέρῳ δὲ ἐνδεεστέραν διὰ θάτερον, εἶτα μέσοι δυοῖν καθιζώμεθα.
But if we divide our forces, clinging to both—seeking both to seem not to have abandoned them and to be able to preserve things here—I fear lest we do the contrary of what we wish, making the benefit not lasting for either part, and more deficient for each because of the other, and then we sit midway between the two.
ὡς ἐγὼ δέδοικα μὲν περὶ τῷ Πειραιεῖ, συνειδὼς καὶ πρότερον πειραθέντας Πελοποννησίους εἰσπλεῦσαι κατʼ ἀρχὰς ἔτι τοῦ πολέμου, πρίν τι καὶ μικρὸν ἡμῖν τοῦ ναυτικοῦ προσπταῖσαι· δέδοικα δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀπιόντων μὴ τῆς εὐφημίας χεῖρον πράξωσι καὶ βοηθῶν ἔχοντες τοῖς ἐκεῖ σχῆμα τῶν ἀμφοτέρους μελλόντων συνεκσώζειν προσδεηθῶσιν.
For I fear for the Piraeus, knowing that even before, the Peloponnesians attempted to sail in at the very beginning of the war, before our navy had suffered even any small blow; and I also fear for those who are departing, lest they fare worse than the good omen, and having the role of helpers to those over there, they should stand in need of those who are about to rescue both of them together.
εἰ γὰρ μίαν, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, μίαν ναυμαχίαν μόνον ἡττηθείημεν, οἱ θεοὶ δὲ πάντες τρέποιεν εἰς Συρακοσίων παῖδας καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνοις τὰ αὐτὰ φρονοῦντας, οὐκ ἔστιν ἔθʼ ἡμῖν μὴ ὅτι ἑλεῖν τἀκεῖ πράγματα, ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ὅπως αὐτοὶ διαφευξόμεθα εὑρεῖν.
For if we should be defeated in one, O Athenians, in only one sea-fight—and may all the gods turn this disaster upon the children of the Syracusans and those who share their designs!—it is no longer possible for us, not to say to master affairs there, but not even to find how we ourselves shall escape.
κεκλείσεται γὰρ ὁ λιμὴν εὐθὺς καὶ μόνον οὐκ ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τῶν πολεμίων ἐνεξόμεθα.
For the harbor will be closed immediately, and we shall be caught almost in the very bays of the enemies.
καὶ τί κελεύσουσι τότε ποιεῖν οἱ νῦν εὐχερεῖς οὗτοι;
And what will these now easy-going men bid us do then?
§383ἢ πέμπειν πάλιν ἀντʼ ἐπισιτισμοῦ Συρακοσίοις ὧν κύριοι καταστήσονται;
Or to send again, instead of provisions, those things of which the Syracusans will become masters?
νὴ Δίʼ ἀλλὰ φοβήσονται τὴν δευτέραν ἔφοδον ταυτηνί.
"By Zeus, but they will fear this second onset," someone might say.
μᾶλλον θαρρήσουσι συνειδότες ὡς καὶ τῆς προτέρας ἐκράτησαν.
Rather they will be confident, knowing that they conquered the former one too.
καὶ γὰρ ἂν παρʼ αὐτῶν ἡμῶν οὕτω γʼ ἔχειν ἤδη μαρτυρίαν ἡγοῖντο, ὡς ἀπέγνωμεν μηκέτʼ ἐν εὐπόρῳ τὰ πράγματα εἶναι.
For they would think they already have testimony from us ourselves that we have given up, and that affairs are no longer in a prosperous state.
οὐ γὰρ ὡς θαρροῦντες, ἀλλʼ ὡς φοβούμενοι δή που πέμψαι τοὺς νυνὶ δόξομεν.
For we shall seem to have sent the present forces not as being confident, but surely as being afraid.
εἶεν.
Well.
ἰδίᾳ μὲν δὴ καθʼ αὑτὸ ἑκάτερον τοσοῦτον ἔχει φόβον, τό τε τῆς ἐνταῦθα ἀφελεῖν δυνάμεως καὶ τὸ στρατεύειν ἐκεῖσε ὁποσοιστισινοῦν.
Individually, then, each of the two courses holds so great a fear: both the reducing of our force here and the sending of any force whatsoever over there.
ἀλλήλοις δὲ πῶς ὑπεναντία ταῦτα;
But how are these things contrary to each other?
ἐκ μὲν τοῦ τἀνταῦθα πονήρως ἔχειν, θάρσος τοῖς ἐκεῖ γίγνεται πολεμίοις, ὡς εἰ μικρὸν ἀντίσχοιεν, οὐ περαιτέρω κινδυνεύσοντας, ἐκ δʼ αὖ τοῦ παρὰ γνώμην ἐκεῖ πρᾶξαί τι τοῖς ἐνταῦθα πᾶσι συγκινδυνεύειν ἐστί.
On the one hand, from things here being in a bad state, confidence arises for the enemies over there, as they think that if they hold out for a short time, they will not be in danger any further; on the other hand, to fare contrary to expectation over there is to bring danger to all those here together.
μὴ γὰρ ὅτι κρατηθέντος ἡμῶν τοῦ στόλου, ἢ τοῖς ὅλοις ἐκείνων ὑπερεχόντων, ἀλλʼ εἰ ψευδὴς μόνον φήμη καὶ δόξα ἀφίκοιτο, ὅτι ἐπταίκαμεν, πάντα ἀνακεχαίτισται καὶ μεθέστηκε, καὶ τῶν νῦν κατʼ ἀνάγκας ὑμῶν ἀκροωμένων οὐδείς ἐστιν ὅστις οὐ διὰ Λακεδαιμονίων εὐθὺς τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ποιήσεται.
For not to say if our fleet is conquered, or if they surpass us in the whole war, but if only a false rumor and opinion should arrive that we have stumbled, everything is overturned and changed, and of those who now obey you under constraint, there is no one who will not immediately secure his own interests through the Lacedaemonians.
εἰ δὲ στερησόμεθα, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, τῶν συμμάχων καὶ τῶν προσόδων, τί τὸ λοιπὸν ὑμῖν;
And if we are deprived, O Athenians, of our allies and of our revenues, what is left for you?
ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμι, ὁρᾶται δὲ ὑπὸ πάντων.
I indeed would not say, but it is seen by all.
ἔπειτα ἀναμιμνήσκουσιν ἡμᾶς ὡς εὐθὺς ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἔδοξε μὴ μάχεσθαι Πελοποννησίοις περὶ τῆς χώρας, ἀλλʼ ἀποστόλοις καὶ περίπλοις πολεμεῖν.
Then they remind us that from the very beginning it was decided not to fight the Peloponnesians for our land, but to make war with expeditions and naval cruises.
ὅτι δʼ αὐτὸς οὗτος ἀνὴρ Περικλῆς ὁ ταῦτα πείθων κἀκεῖνο συνέπειθεν, ἀρχὴν μὴ ἐπικτᾶσθαι παρὰ τὸν πόλεμον, τοῦτο οὐ βούλονται μεμνῆσθαι, πάντων μάλιστα εἰκὸς ὄν.
But that this very same man, Pericles, who persuaded these things, also joined in persuading that, namely not to acquire empire during the war, this they do not wish to remember, though it is of all things the most reasonable.
ἐγὼ γὰρ, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἁπασῶν πόλεων τοσοῦτον προέχειν ὑπολαμβάνω ὥστε μὴ μόνον καθʼ ἑκάστην οἵαν τε εἶναι νικᾶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ ἔθνη τινὰς αὐτῶν, οὐ μέντοι κρείττω γε τῆς ἀνθρωπείας φύσεως γενέσθαι ποτʼ ἂν, οὐδʼ εἰκὸς εἶναι ταῦτʼ ἀξιοῦν.
For I, O Athenians, suppose our city to surpass all cities by so much that it is able to conquer not only each one individually, but also some of their nations; however, that it could never become superior to human nature, nor is it reasonable to demand this.
οἷον Πελοποννησίων κρατεῖν ἂν ὑμᾶς φημι μόνους μόνων καὶ συμπάντων, καὶ πάλιν αὖ Σικελίαν οὐ χαλεπῶς ἂν λαβεῖν, εἰ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὑμῖν εἴη
For instance, I say that you would conquer the Peloponnesians, alone against alone, and all together; and again that you would take Sicily not with difficulty, if your war were only against them