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So, having finished with Herodotus, we move on to Thucydides. (I’m skipping putting up a translation of an inscribed decree attributed to Themistocles, because 1) its provenance is dubious (as it was inscribed centuries after his death), 2) it’s sort of fragmentary (as it was hacked apart and used for a church altar for centuries), and 3) it’s pretty boring.) We are now some time after the war against Xerxes--I am a little fuzzy on how long--and without a common enemy to unite them in endless squabbling councils and occasional actual battles, the Greeks are, of course, starting to go to war with each other again.
We start with tensions rising between Sparta and Athens; meanwhile, Athens needs to rebuild its city, because according to Thucydides all that’s left standing is bits of the outside walls and a few houses that the Persian officials had chosen to live in during the occupation. (I guess the soldiers camped on rubble.) If you recall from the end of the Herodotus section, Themistocles told everyone to go home and rebuild and replant, while secretly sending a message to Xerxes saying “It’s okay! You can retreat at your leisure now!”
I should also note that Thucydides is AMAZINGLY DIFFICULT, so any wild awkwardness or nonsensical clauses in my translation are a direct result of this.
Thucydides, I.90
The Spartans, realizing what was about to happen, sent an embassy; they would’ve liked to see neither Athens nor any other city having walls, but this was done especially from their allies urging them on, being afraid of the large size of Athens’* fleet, which was already there, and the valor [of Athens] displayed in the Persian war.
They urged the Athenians not to build a wall, but also more that they join them pulling down [the walls of the cities] outside the Peloponnese, however great they stood, after the ones encircling their own [cities]; but they weren’t telling the Athenians what they really wanted with their plan, and their suspicion: [they claimed instead[ that the barbarians, if they should come again, would not be getting a stronghold from it, as they were doing with Thebes; so they urged the Athenians. And they said that the whole Peloponnese would be a fitting place to retrench and start out again [for the barbarians.]
The Athenians responded in their defense to what the Spartans had said in accordance with Themistocles’ opinion, that they would send an embassy to the Spartans concerning what they wished to get rid of, according to their indirect speech;** and Themistocles told the Athenians to send him to Sparta as quickly as possible, and send the rest of the selected ambassadors less promptly, but hold them back until such a time as they should raise up the walls of a suitable height for fighting off whatever was necessary; and that every citizen in the city should build up the walls, those men and their wives and children, sparing no building--private or public--out of which there’d be use for the work, but tearing them all down.
Having said all this, and adding as well other words, that he’d organize these things, he went.
And upon arriving in Sparta he didn’t approach the archons, but delayed and made excuses. And whenever anyone from the government talked to him about how he hadn’t gone to the assembly, he said he was waiting for his fellow ambassadors, and they had been left behind on some pre-existing business; indeed, he was expecting them to have arrived in good time, and he was amazed they weren’t there yet.
Thucydides, I.91
And when they heard this, they did what Themistocles asked out of friendship for him; but when others arrived, and clearly spoke against him, saying that [Athens] was building a wall and it already reached some height, they had no way to disbelieve.
Realizing this, that man urged them to not be misled too much by talk, or to send some reputable men of their own to report back honestly on what they saw.
Therefore they dispatched [those men], and Themistocles secretly sent [a message] concerning them to the Athenians, telling the Athenians to hold them back as discreetly as possible, and not to send them away until he and the others got back home. (For his fellow ambassadors had finally gotten there, Habronichos son of Lysikles and Aristeides son of Lysimachos, bringing news that the wall held up well enough.) For he feared lest the Spartans, when they heard the news clearly, wouldn’t let them go.
Therefore the Athenians detained the ambassadors, just as ordered; and Themistocles went to the Spartans at last, to clearly say that the city had already built itself walls so that it would be prepared to keep its inhabitants safe; and if the Spartans or their allies wished to negotiate anything about this, to approach the others as if towards people thoroughly aware of what was for their own fortunes, and for the common fortunes.
And when it seemed to be better to abandon the city and board ships, they had the courage to do this without consulting them; and then again, when they wished to make plans with them, they had displayed judgment second to no one else.
Therefore it also seemed better to them have a city with walls, and this would be helpful to both their own private citizens and all their allies; for it was not possible, without equal opposing preparation, to make similar or equal plans in common. He said therefore either it was necessary for all the allies to be without walls, or to believe these things were done justly.
Thucydides, I.92
When the Spartans had heard this, they didn’t display any visible anger towards the Athenian. For they had sent ambassadors not for holding Athens back, but really for encouraging their policy towards the common good; and just then they happened to still be well-disposed towards Athens on account of its exceptional zeal in the Persian war.) However, having failed to achieve their purpose, they were discreetly full of hatred. And the ambassadors of each city went back home without blame.
---
* “Athens” is a plural noun in Greek, so I will very well treat it as such in English for the sake of slapping the possessive apostrophe in a reasonable location.
** According to a translation I checked, this is actually Themistocles telling the Athenians to say “Oh, yes, we’ll send a delegation to Sparta, and discuss it there.” I have NO IDEA how they got that out of the words presented in the Greek.
We start with tensions rising between Sparta and Athens; meanwhile, Athens needs to rebuild its city, because according to Thucydides all that’s left standing is bits of the outside walls and a few houses that the Persian officials had chosen to live in during the occupation. (I guess the soldiers camped on rubble.) If you recall from the end of the Herodotus section, Themistocles told everyone to go home and rebuild and replant, while secretly sending a message to Xerxes saying “It’s okay! You can retreat at your leisure now!”
I should also note that Thucydides is AMAZINGLY DIFFICULT, so any wild awkwardness or nonsensical clauses in my translation are a direct result of this.
Thucydides, I.90
The Spartans, realizing what was about to happen, sent an embassy; they would’ve liked to see neither Athens nor any other city having walls, but this was done especially from their allies urging them on, being afraid of the large size of Athens’* fleet, which was already there, and the valor [of Athens] displayed in the Persian war.
They urged the Athenians not to build a wall, but also more that they join them pulling down [the walls of the cities] outside the Peloponnese, however great they stood, after the ones encircling their own [cities]; but they weren’t telling the Athenians what they really wanted with their plan, and their suspicion: [they claimed instead[ that the barbarians, if they should come again, would not be getting a stronghold from it, as they were doing with Thebes; so they urged the Athenians. And they said that the whole Peloponnese would be a fitting place to retrench and start out again [for the barbarians.]
The Athenians responded in their defense to what the Spartans had said in accordance with Themistocles’ opinion, that they would send an embassy to the Spartans concerning what they wished to get rid of, according to their indirect speech;** and Themistocles told the Athenians to send him to Sparta as quickly as possible, and send the rest of the selected ambassadors less promptly, but hold them back until such a time as they should raise up the walls of a suitable height for fighting off whatever was necessary; and that every citizen in the city should build up the walls, those men and their wives and children, sparing no building--private or public--out of which there’d be use for the work, but tearing them all down.
Having said all this, and adding as well other words, that he’d organize these things, he went.
And upon arriving in Sparta he didn’t approach the archons, but delayed and made excuses. And whenever anyone from the government talked to him about how he hadn’t gone to the assembly, he said he was waiting for his fellow ambassadors, and they had been left behind on some pre-existing business; indeed, he was expecting them to have arrived in good time, and he was amazed they weren’t there yet.
Thucydides, I.91
And when they heard this, they did what Themistocles asked out of friendship for him; but when others arrived, and clearly spoke against him, saying that [Athens] was building a wall and it already reached some height, they had no way to disbelieve.
Realizing this, that man urged them to not be misled too much by talk, or to send some reputable men of their own to report back honestly on what they saw.
Therefore they dispatched [those men], and Themistocles secretly sent [a message] concerning them to the Athenians, telling the Athenians to hold them back as discreetly as possible, and not to send them away until he and the others got back home. (For his fellow ambassadors had finally gotten there, Habronichos son of Lysikles and Aristeides son of Lysimachos, bringing news that the wall held up well enough.) For he feared lest the Spartans, when they heard the news clearly, wouldn’t let them go.
Therefore the Athenians detained the ambassadors, just as ordered; and Themistocles went to the Spartans at last, to clearly say that the city had already built itself walls so that it would be prepared to keep its inhabitants safe; and if the Spartans or their allies wished to negotiate anything about this, to approach the others as if towards people thoroughly aware of what was for their own fortunes, and for the common fortunes.
And when it seemed to be better to abandon the city and board ships, they had the courage to do this without consulting them; and then again, when they wished to make plans with them, they had displayed judgment second to no one else.
Therefore it also seemed better to them have a city with walls, and this would be helpful to both their own private citizens and all their allies; for it was not possible, without equal opposing preparation, to make similar or equal plans in common. He said therefore either it was necessary for all the allies to be without walls, or to believe these things were done justly.
Thucydides, I.92
When the Spartans had heard this, they didn’t display any visible anger towards the Athenian. For they had sent ambassadors not for holding Athens back, but really for encouraging their policy towards the common good; and just then they happened to still be well-disposed towards Athens on account of its exceptional zeal in the Persian war.) However, having failed to achieve their purpose, they were discreetly full of hatred. And the ambassadors of each city went back home without blame.
---
* “Athens” is a plural noun in Greek, so I will very well treat it as such in English for the sake of slapping the possessive apostrophe in a reasonable location.
** According to a translation I checked, this is actually Themistocles telling the Athenians to say “Oh, yes, we’ll send a delegation to Sparta, and discuss it there.” I have NO IDEA how they got that out of the words presented in the Greek.