May. 28th, 2012

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Thucydides, Book 2, Chapter 4.

Section 1:

οἱ δ᾽ ὡς ἔγνωσαν ἐξηπατημένοι, ξυνεστρέφοντό τε ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰς προσβολὰς ᾗ προσπίπτοιεν ἀπεωθοῦντο.

And as they became aware that they had been deceived, they proceeded to unite themselves [rally in formation?] and they thrust back the attacks which were to fall upon them.


Section 2:

καὶ δὶς μὲν ἢ τρὶς ἀπεκρούσαντο, ἔπειτα πολλῷ θορύβῳ αὐτῶν τε προσβαλόντων καὶ τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν ἅμα ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκιῶν κραυγῇ τε καὶ ὀλολυγῇ χρωμένων λίθοις τε καὶ κεράμῳ βαλλόντων, καὶ ὑετοῦ ἅμα διὰ νυκτὸς πολλοῦ ἐπιγενομένου, ἐφοβήθησαν καὶ τραπόμενοι ἔφευγον διὰ τῆς πόλεως, ἄπειροι μὲν ὄντες οἱ πλείους ἐν σκότῳ καὶ πηλῷ τῶν διόδων ᾗ χρὴ σωθῆναι (καὶ γὰρ τελευτῶντος τοῦ μηνὸς τὰ γιγνόμενα ἦν), ἐμπείρους δὲ ἔχοντες τοὺς διώκοντας τοῦ μὴ ἐκφεύγειν, ὥστε διεφθείροντο οἱ πολλοί.

And twice or thrice they drove off an attack. Then with great clamour men charged and women and household slaves [and children] from the houses (screaming and wailing) assailed them by throwing stones and clay rooftiles, and besides at the same time, much rain had come down during the night, so they were seized with fear and turning their steps, they fled through the city. Most of them, being ignorant in the darkness and the mud of the ways which they should take to save themselves (for these things happened while the moon was waning), and with their pursuers having experience of it, they [were not able] to flee away. Because of this most were killed.


Section 3:

τῶν δὲ Πλαταιῶν τις τὰς πύλας ᾗ ἐσῆλθον καὶ αἵπερ ἦσαν μόναι ἀνεῳγμέναι ἔκλῃσε στυρακίῳ ἀκοντίου ἀντὶ βαλάνου χρησάμενος ἐς τὸν μοχλόν, ὥστε μηδὲ ταύτῃ ἔξοδον ἔτι εἶναι.

Only the gates which they had entered were standing open, and one of the Plataians shut it with his javelin-spike against the bolt-pin, doing what was necessary to the bar, so that not even by this [route] was there still an exit.


Section 4:

διωκόμενοι δὲ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν οἱ μέν τινες αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἀναβάντες ἔρριψαν ἐς τὸ ἔξω σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ διεφθάρησαν οἱ πλείους, οἱ δὲ κατὰ πύλας ἐρήμους γυναικὸς δούσης πέλεκυν λαθόντες καὶ διακόψαντες τὸν μοχλὸν ἐξῆλθον οὐ πολλοί (αἴσθησις γὰρ ταχεῖα ἐπεγένετο), ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλῃ τῆς πόλεως σποράδες ἀπώλλυντο.

And they were pursued all over the city. Some of them, going up on the wall, cast themselves out, and most were killed, while others, [coming upon] a deserted gate, escaped notice and after a woman gave them an axe, cut through the bar, [but] not many went out (for it came about that they were quickly detected). Meanwhile others, scattered elsewhere in the city, were destroyed utterly.


Section 5:

τὸ δὲ πλεῖστον καὶ ὅσον μάλιστα ἦν ξυνεστραμμένον ἐσπίπτουσιν ἐς οἴκημα μέγα, ὃ ἦν τοῦ τείχους καὶ αἱ θύραι ἀνεῳγμέναι ἔτυχον αὐτοῦ, οἰόμενοι πύλας τὰς θύρας τοῦ οἰκήματος εἶναι καὶ ἄντικρυς δίοδον ἐς τὸ ἔξω.

The most numerous and greatest [group] had gathered together and rushed into a large building, which was beside the wall, and whose doors happened to have been standing open. For they thought the doors of the building to be a gate and a way straight to the outside.


Section 6:

ὁρῶντες δὲ αὐτοὺς οἱ Πλαταιῆς ἀπειλημμένους ἐβουλεύοντο εἴτε κατακαύσωσιν ὥσπερ ἔχουσιν, ἐμπρήσαντες τὸ οἴκημα, εἴτε τι ἄλλο χρήσωνται.

And seeing them [their enemies] thus cut off, the Plataians deliberated over whether they should burn the enemy alive just as they were, burning the building, or if they should do something else.


Section 7:

τέλος δὲ οὗτοί τε καὶ ὅσοι ἄλλοι τῶν Θηβαίων περιῆσαν κατὰ τὴν πόλιν πλανώμενοι, ξυνέβησαν τοῖς Πλαταιεῦσι παραδοῦναι σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ ὅπλα χρήσασθαι ὅτι ἂν βούλωνται.

And at last these, and as many others of the Thebans [who] had remained alive wandering in the city, came to terms with the Plataians, to surrender themselves and their arms [to be done with as they wished] unconditionally.


Section 8:

οἱ μὲν δὴ ἐν τῇ Πλαταίᾳ οὕτως ἐπεπράγεσαν:

So, then, the men in Plataia had fared thus.




And that's Thucy dealt with for another few days. Oh, the horror.

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