§3.54.1καὶ συνάψαι πρὸς τὴν παρεμβολήν.
and caught up with the camp.
τῆς δὲ χιόνος ἤδη περὶ τοὺς ἄκρους ἁθροιζομένης διὰ τὸ συνάπτειν τὴν τῆς Πλειάδος δύσιν, θεωρῶν τὰ πλήθη δυσθύμως διακείμενα καὶ διὰ τὴν προγεγενημένην ταλαιπωρίαν καὶ διὰ τὴν ἔτι προσδοκωμένην, §3.54.2ἐπειρᾶτο συναθροίσας παρακαλεῖν, μίαν ἔχων ἀφορμὴν εἰς τοῦτο τὴν τῆς Ἰταλίας ἐνάργειαν· οὕτως γὰρ ὑποπεπτώκει τοῖς προειρημένοις ὄρεσιν ὥστε συνθεωρουμένων ἀμφοῖν ἀκροπόλεως φαίνεσθαι διάθεσιν ἔχειν τὰς Ἄλπεις τῆς ὅλης Ἰταλίας.
As snow was already gathering about the summits because the setting of the Pleiades was approaching, and seeing that the multitude was despondent both because of the hardships they had already suffered and because of those they still expected, Hannibal attempted to assemble and encourage them, having only one resource for this, namely the vivid view of Italy; for it lies so close under the aforementioned mountains that, when both are viewed together, the Alps appear to occupy the position of a citadel to the whole of Italy.
§3.54.3διόπερ ἐνδεικνύμενος αὐτοῖς τὰ περὶ τὸν Πάδον πεδία καὶ καθόλου τῆς εὐνοίας ὑπομιμνήσκων τῆς τῶν κατοικούντων αὐτὰ Γαλατῶν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸν τῆς Ῥώμης αὐτῆς τόπον ὑποδεικνύων ἐπὶ ποσὸν εὐθαρσεῖς ἐποίησε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους.
Therefore, pointing out to them the plains of the Po and reminding them generally of the goodwill of the Gauls who inhabited them, and at the same time pointing out the location of Rome itself, he made the men to some extent courageous.
§3.54.4τῇ δʼ ἐπαύριον ἀναζεύξας ἐνήρχετο τῆς καταβάσεως.
On the morrow, having broken camp, he began the descent.
ἐν ᾗ πολεμίοις μὲν οὐκέτι περιέτυχε πλὴν τῶν λάθρᾳ κακοποιούντων, ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν τόπων καὶ τῆς χιόνος οὐ πολλῷ λείποντας ἀπέβαλε τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἀνάβασιν φθαρέντων.
In the course of which he no longer met with any enemy, except those who did mischief by stealth, but owing to the ground and the snow, he lost almost as many men as had perished during the ascent.
§3.54.5οὔσης γὰρ στενῆς καὶ κατωφεροῦς τῆς καταβάσεως, τῆς δὲ χιόνος ἄδηλον ποιούσης ἑκάστοις τὴν ἐπίβασιν, πᾶν τὸ παραπεσὸν τῆς ὁδοῦ καὶ σφαλὲν ἐφέρετο κατὰ τῶν κρημνῶν.
For the descent was narrow and steep, and the snow made the footing invisible to everyone, so that all who stepped off the path or slipped were carried down the precipices.
§3.54.6οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ ταύτην μὲν ὑπέφερον τὴν ταλαιπωρίαν, ἅτε συνήθεις ὄντες ἤδη τοῖς τοιούτοις κακοῖς· §3.54.7ἅμα δὲ τῷ παραγενέσθαι πρὸς τοιοῦτον τόπον, ὃν οὔτε τοῖς θηρίοις οὔτε τοῖς ὑποζυγίοις δυνατὸν ἦν παρελθεῖν διὰ τὴν στενότητα, σχεδὸν ἐπὶ τρίʼ ἡμιστάδια τῆς ἀπορρῶγος καὶ πρὸ τοῦ μὲν οὔσης, τότε δὲ καὶ μᾶλλον ἔτι προσφάτως ἀπερρωγυίας, ἐνταῦθα πάλιν ἀθυμῆσαι καὶ διατραπῆναι συνέβη τὸ πλῆθος.
Nevertheless, they bore up under this hardship, being by this time accustomed to such miseries; but upon arriving at a place of such a character that it was impossible either for the elephants or the pack-animals to pass because of its narrowness—where the cliff, which had been abrupt even before, had then been broken away still more recently, to a length of nearly a stadium and a half—there again the multitude became despondent and thrown into confusion.
§3.54.8τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον ἐπεβάλετο περιελθεῖν τὰς δυσχωρίας ὁ τῶν Καρχηδονίων στρατηγός· ἐπιγενομένης δὲ χιόνος καὶ ταύτην ἀδύνατον ποιούσης τὴν πορείαν,
At first, therefore, the Carthaginian general attempted to go around the difficult ground; but as fresh snow came on and made this route also impossible,