Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 2.17

[1] After they came into Athens, there was habitation for a few and place of retire with some friends or kindred. But the greatest part seated themselves in the empty places of the city and in temples and in all the chapels of the heroes, saving in such as were in the citadel and the Eleusinium and other places strongly shut up. The Pelasgicum also under the citadel, though it were a thing accursed to dwell in it and forbidden by the end of a verse in a Pythian oracle in these words, Best is the Pelasgicum empty, was nevertheless for the present necessity inhabited.

[2] And in my opinion, this prophecy now fell out contrary to what was looked for. For the unlawful dwelling there caused not the calamities that befell the city, but the war caused the necessity of dwelling there, which war the oracle, not naming, foretold only that it should one day be inhabited unfortunately.

[3] Many also furnished the turrets of the walls and whatsoever other place they could any of them get. For when they were come in, the city had not place for them all; but afterwards they had the long walls divided amongst them and inhabited there and in most parts of Piraeus.

[4] Withal they applied themselves to the business of the war, levying their confederates and making ready a hundred galleys to send about Peloponnesus.

[5] Thus were the Athenians preparing.

[1] When they arrived at Athens , though a few had houses of their own to go to, or could find an asylum with friends or relatives, by far the greater number had to take up their dwelling in the parts of the city that were not built over and in the temples and chapels of the heroes, except the Acropolis and the temple of the Eleusinian Demeter and such other places as were always kept closed. The occupation of the plot of ground lying below the citadel called the Pelasgian had been forbidden by a curse; and there was also an ominous fragment of a Pythian oracle which said—

[2] Yet this too was now built over in the necessity of the moment. And in my opinion, if the oracle proved true, it was in the opposite sense to what was expected. For the misfortunes of the state did not arise from the unlawful occupation, but the necessity of the occupation from the war; and though the god did not mention this, he foresaw that it would be an evil day for Athens in which the plot came to be inhabited.

[3] Many also took up their quarters in the towers of the walls or wherever else they could. For when they were all come in, the city proved too small to hold them; though afterwards they divided the long walls and a great part of Piraeus into lots and settled there.

[4] All this while great attention was being given to the war; the allies were being mustered, and an armament of a hundred ships equipped for Peloponnese .

[5] Such was the state of preparation at Athens .

Bei ihrer Ankunft in der Stadt fanden die wenigsten dort
Wohnungen oder ein Unterkommen bei Freunden und Ver­
wandten. Die meisten behalfen sich auf den freien Plätzen der
s Stadt oder quartierten sich überall in den Tempeln der Götter
und Heroen ein, ausgenommen allein die Burg und das Eleu­
l sinion und was sonst etwa Schloß und Riegel hatte. Selbst
das sogenannte Pelasgikon am Fuße der Burg richtete man
jetzt notgedrungen zu Wohnungen ein, obgleich ein Fluch darauf
stand, dort zu wohnen, und ein pythisches Orakel ausdrück­
lich davor gewarnt hatte, an dessen Schlüsse es hieß: „Doch
besser, das Pelasgikon bleibt unbewohnt." Nach meiner
Meinung freilich war das Orakel gar nicht so gemeint, wie
man es damals verstand: nicht das unerlaubte Wohnen dort
werde die Stadt in Not bringen, sondern der Krieg werde
dermaleinst dazu nötigen, dort zu wohnen. Den hatte das
Orakel allerdings nicht genannt, wohl aber vorher gewußt, daß
nur die Not dazu zwingen würde, auch dort Wohnungen ein­
zurichten. Viele behalfen sich auch in den Türmen der Stadt­
mauer oder wo sie sonst ein Unterkommen fanden. Denn es
'.fehlte in der Stadt an Platz für die vielen darin zusammen­
! gepferchten Menschen, so daß später sogar die langen Mauern
uund der größte Teil der Mauer um den Peiraieus zu Woh­
nungen eingerichtet werden mußten, um die Leute unterzubringen.
Unterdessen wurden jedoch die Rüstungen fortgesetzt, die Bundes­
genossen aufgeboten und hundert Schiffe zu einer Fahrt nach
dem Peloponnes in Dienst gestellt. So weit war man in Athen
mit den Anstalten zum Kriege.

XVII. Arrivés dans Athènes, peu d’entre eux y avaient des habitations ; quelques-uns trouvèrent un refuge chez des amis ou des parents ; la plupart s’établirent dans les lieux inhabités, dans les temples, les chapelles des héros, partout enfin, excepté à l’acropole, à l'Éleusinium ¹ et dans quelques autres édifices solidement fermés. Il n'y eut pas jusqu'au lieu appelé Pélas- gicon, au-dessous de l'acropole, qui ne fût occupé, vu l'urgence du moment ; et cependant ce lieu était maudit ² ; il était défendu de l’habiter, et la fin d’un vers de la pythie l’interdisait en ces termes : « Il vaut mieux que le Pélasgicon soit désert. » Du reste, l’oracle me paraît s’être accompli en sens inverse de ce qu'on attendait : car ce n’est pas parce qu’on profana ce lieu en l’habitant que tant de maux fondirent sur la ville ; mais ce fut la guerre qui contraignit à l’habiter, et c’était la guerre que l’oracle avait eu en vue, sans la nommer, lorsqu’il prévoyait qu’il ne serait pas bon que ce lieu fût occupé. Beaucoup s’installèrent aussi dans les tours des murailles ; chacun enfin comme il put ; car la ville ne pouvait contenir tous ceux qui y accouraient. On se partagea aussi, mais plus tard, les longs murs et on s’y établit, ainsi que dans la plus grande partie du Pirée.

En même temps les Athéniens préparaient leurs armements ; ils rassemblaient leurs alliés et équipaient une flotte de cent vaisseaux destinée à agir contre le Péloponnèse. Ils en étaient là de leurs pré- paratifs.

Arrivés à Athènes, un petit nombre d’entre eux y trouvèrent des logements ou un abri chez des amis ou des parents; la plupart s’établirent dans les endroits inhabités de la ville, dans les enceintes consacrées aux dieux et aux héros, partout enfin, sauf dans l’acropole, dansl’Éleusinion ¹ et autres lieux solidement fermés. Il n’y eut pas jusqu’au Pèlasgicon ² , situé au pied de ^acropole, que la nécessité du moment ne contraignît d'occuper, nonobstant les imprécations qui s’y opposaient et l’oracle de Delphes qui l’avait expressément défendu dans ce vers :

Pour moi, je pense que cet oracle s’accomplit à l’inverse de ce qu’on avait prévu ; ce ne fut pas l’occupation sacrilège qui attira des maux sur la ville, mais ce fut la guerre qui nécessita l’occupation. C’est là ce que l’oracle n’avait pas expliqué; mais il savait sans doute que ce lieu ne serait habité que dans un temps de calamité publique. Plusieurs s’installèrent dans les tours des remparts, chacun enfin comme il put; car la ville ne suffisait pas à l’affluence. Finalement on envahit l’intervalle des longs murs ³ et la majeure partie du Pirée. En même temps les Athéniens se préparaient à la guerre, rassemblaient leurs alliés et armaient cent vaisseaux contre le Péloponèse.

[1] And when they came to the capital, only a few of them were provided with dwellings or places of refuge with friends or relatives, and most of them took up their abode in the vacant places of the city and the sanctuaries and the shrines of heroes, all except the Acropolis and the Eleusinium and any other precinct that could be securely closed. And the Pelargicum, ¹ as it was called, at the foot of the Acropolis, although it was under a curse that forbade its use for residence, and this was also prohibited by a verse-end of a Pythian oracle to the following effect: nevertheless under stress of the emergency was completely filled with buildings. And the oracle, as it seems to me, came true, but in a sense quite the opposite of what was expected;

[2] for it was not on account of the unlawful occupation of the place that the city was visited by the calamities, but it was on account of the war that there was the necessity of its occupation, and the oracle, although it did not mention the war, yet foresaw that the place would never be occupied for any good.

[3] Many also established themselves in the towers of the city walls, and whereever each one could find a place; for the city did not have room for them when they were all there together. But afterwards they distributed into lots and occupied the space between the Long Walls and the greater part of the Peiraeus.

[4] And while all this was going on, the Athenians applied themselves to the war, bringing together allies and fitting out an expedition of one hundred ships against the Peloponnesus.

[5] The Athenians then, were in this stage of their preparations.

[1] When they came into the city, some few indeed had residences, and a place of refuge with some of their friends or relations; but the great bulk of them dwelt in the unoccupied parts of the city, and in all the temples and hero-chapels, except the Acropolis, and the temple of the Eleusinian Ceres, and any other that was kept constantly locked up. The Pelasgium also, as it is called, under the Acropolis, which it was even forbidden by a curse to inhabit, and prohibited by the end of a Pythian oracle, to this effect, was, nevertheless, built over, from the immediate necessity of the case. And, in my opinion, the oracle proved true in the contrary way to what was expected.

[2] For it was not, I think, because of their unlawfully inhabiting this spot, that such misfortunes befell the city; but it was owing to the war that the necessity of inhabiting it arose; which war though the god did not mention, he foreknew that [owing to it] the Pelasgium would hereafter be inhabited for no good.

[3] Many, too, quartered themselves in the towers of the walls, and in whatever way each could: for the city did not hold them when they were come all together; but subsequently they occupied the long walls, partitioning them out amongst them, and the greater part of the Piraeus.

[4] At the same time they also applied themselves to matters connected with the war; mustering their allies, and equipping an armament of a hundred ships for the Peloponnese.

[5] The Athenians then were in this state of preparation.

[1] Postquam autem in urbem advenerunt, exiguo quidem eorum numero domus fuerunt, et locus apud aliquos amicos vel necessarios, quo se reciperent, plerique vero deserta urbis loca habitarunt et templa et omnia heroum sacella, praeter arcem et Eleusinium, et si quid aliud bene clausum erat, et locus, qui Pelasgicum appellatur quod sub arcem est, et in quo ne habitaretur, dirae exsecrationes prohibebant et quoddam etiam oraculi Pythici carmen in extrema sui parte his verbis vetabat, « egisse Pelasgicon otia praestat, » tamen ob praesentem necessitatem habitatum est.

[2] Et oraculum illud mihi videtur cecidisse contra, quam exspectabant; non enim propter impiam habitationem calamitates reipublicac videntur accidisse, sed propter bellum ipsa inhabitandi necessitas, quod quum oraculum non nominatim indicasset, praevidebat tamen, locum illum haud fauste aliquando habitatum iri.

[3] Mulli etiam in ipsis murorum turribus domicilia sibi pararunt, et prout quisque ubique poterat; nec enim urbs omnes, qui eo convenerant , capere potuit, sed postea et longos muros incoluerunt, eos inter se partiti, et maximam Piraeei partem.

[4] Simul etiam res ad bellum necessarias parare coepe! runt, et sociorum auxilia cogentes, et instruentes centum navium classem, quae Peloponnesum invaderet.

[5] Atque hi quidem in hoc apparatu erant occupati.

[1] Wenn es bisher bei den Rednern an dieser Stätte fast allgemeiner Brauch geworden, den Mann zu rühmen, der mit der Bestattung diese Rede verband, weil an dem Grabe gefallener Krieger ein ehrendes Wort sich zieme, so würde ich es für hinreichend gehalten haben, dass man Helden der That mit einer festlichen Handlung ehre, — wie das denn der Staat durch die Bestattung gethan hat, deren Zeugen ihr so eben gewesen — und würde die Verherrlichung so vieler Männer nicht einem Einzelnen und der zufälligen Wirkung seines Vortrags anheimgegeben haben.

Pervenuti in Atene , pochi ebbero abitazioni proprie e ricovero a casa d’amici o parenti ; e la maggior parte prese stanza nei luoghi disabitati della città, ed in quelli consacrati agl’ Iddìi ed agli eroi (salvo la rocca e il tempio di Cerere , e quant’altro vi era di ben chiuso), e sin anche sotto la rocca , nel recinto chiamato Pelasgico, non solo imprecato ad abitare, ma eziandio interdetto per questa chiusa di un oracolo di Delfo :

E meglio che Pelasgico sia vuoto. ciò non pertanto attesa la repentina necessità fu abitala E parrai esser l’oracolo riuscito in senso contrario di ciò che si aspettavano, perchè non avvennero le disgrazie alla città per averlo illecitamente abitato, ma fu di mestieri abitarlo a cagione della guerra ; senza nominar la quale aveva l’oracolo previsto che quel luogo sarebbe una volta abitato all’occasione di qualche sinistro. Molti ai acconciavano anche nelle torri delle mura e dovunque ognuno poteva , stante che concorsivi tutti insieme non potevano capire in città ; laonde alla fine si scompartirono per abitare le mura lunghe e gran parte del Pireo» Ma al tempo stesso volgevano l’animo alle cose di guerra , col radunare gli alleati, e fornire cento navi per andar contro al Peloponneso. Tali erano gli apparecchiamenti degli Ateniesi.