Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 4.48

[1] They had taken out of the room in this manner and slain to the number of threescore before they that remained knew it, who thought they were but removed and carried to some other place. But when they knew the truth, some or other having told them, they then cried out to the Athenians and said that if they would themselves kill them they should do it, and refused any more to go out of the room;

[2] nor would suffer, they said, as long as they were able, any man to come in. But neither had the Corcyraeans any purpose to force entrance by the door; but getting up to the top of the house, uncovered the roof and threw tiles and shot arrows at them.

[3] They in prison defended themselves as well as they could, but many also slew themselves with the arrows shot by the enemy, by thrusting them into their throats, and strangled themselves with the cords of certain beds that were in the room and with ropes made of their own garments rent in pieces. And having continued most part of the night (for night overtook them in the action) partly strangling themselves by all such means as they found, and partly shot at from above, they [all] perished.

[4] When day came, the Corcyraeans laid them one across another in carts and carried them out of the city.

[5] And of their wives, as many as were taken in the fortification, they made bondwomen. In this manner were the Corcyraeans that kept the hill brought to destruction by the commons. And thus ended this far-spread sedition for so much as concerned this present war; for of other seditions there remained nothing worth the relation.

[6] And the Athenians being arrived in Sicily, whither they were at first bound, prosecuted the war there together with the rest of their confederates of those parts.

[1] As many as sixty men were taken out and killed in this way without the knowledge of their friends in the building, who fancied they were merely being moved from one prison to another. At last, however, some one opened their eyes to the truth, upon which they called upon the Athenians to kill them themselves, if such was their pleasure, and refused any longer to go out of the building, and said they would do all they could to prevent any one coming in.

[2] The Corcyraeans, not liking themselves to force a passage by the doors, got up on the top of the building, and breaking through the roof, threw down the tiles and let fly arrows at them, from which the prisoners sheltered themselves as well as they could.

[3] Most of their number, meanwhile, were engaged in dispatching themselves by thrusting into their throats the arrows shot by the enemy, and hanging themselves with the cords taken from some beds, that happened to be there, and with strips made from their clothing; adopting, in short, every possible means of self-destruction, and also falling victims to the missiles of their enemies on the roof. Night came on while these horrors were enacting, and most of it had passed before they were concluded.

[4] When it was day the Corcyraeans threw them in layers upon wagons and carried them out of the city. All the women taken in the stronghold were sold as slaves.

[5] In this way the Corcyraeans of the mountain were destroyed by the commons; and so after terrible excesses the party strife came to an end, at least as far as the period of this war is concerned, for of one party there was practically nothing left.

[6] Meanwhile the Athenians sailed off to Sicily , their primary destination, and carried on the war with their allies there.

Aus diese Weise hatten sie schon gegen sechzig Mann
herausgeführt und hingerichtet, ohne daß die im Gebäude befindlichen
eS wußten; denn sie glaubten, man führe sie nur weg, um sie irgendwo
anders unterzubringen. Als sie es aber merkten und ihnen auch Einer
Mittheilung machte, so riesen sie die Athener an und forderten diese
auf, sie selbst sollten sie tödten, wenn sie schon ihren Tod beschlossen
hätten. Sie wollten nun nicht mehr aus dem Gebäude gehen und
sagten, sie würden auch Niemanden mehr gutwillig herein lassen. Die
Kerkyräer machten nun auch gar keinen Versuch, die Thüren mit
Gewalt zu erbrechen, sondern stiegen auf das Dach des Gebäudes, rissen
die Wölbung aus und warfen mit Backsteinen und schoßen mit P seilen
herunter. Jene nun schützten sich dagegen, so gut sie konnten, die ¹
Mehrzahl aber tödteten sich zu gleicher Zeit selbst, indem sie sich die,
Pfeile in den Hals stießen, welche jene herabgeschossen hatten, oder
sich an den Bettstellen erhängten, welche dort vorhanden waren,
wobei sie sich aus den Bettgurten oder ihren eigenen Kleidungsstücken
Schlingen machten. Indem sie so die ganze Nacht hindurch — denn
diese war über der unheilvollen That eingebrochen — theils sich selbst
tödteten, theils von denen oben niedergestreckt wurden, kamen Alle
um's Leben. Und als es Tag geworden war, warfen die Kerkyräer
sie schichtenweise auf Wägen und führten sie vor die Stadt. Die
Weiber, so viele ihrer in der Verschanzung gefangen worden waren,
gaben sie in die Sklaverei. Auf diese Weise wurden die Kerkyräer
von dem Berge durch die Volkspartei vernichtet, und der Bürgerkrieg,
der so furchtbar ausgeartet, war damit — für die Zeit dieses Krieges
wenigstens — zn Ende; denn was von der aristokratischen Partei
noch übrig blieb, war nicht mehr der Rede werth. — Die Athener
aber segelten nach Sicilien, wohin sie von vorn herein bestimmt
waren, und führten dort den Krieg in Verbindung mit den
Buntesqenossen.

XLVIII. On tira du bâtiment et on massacra ainsi une soixantaine de prisonniers, à l’insu de ceux qui restaient à l’intérieur ; car ceux-ci s’imaginaient qu’on les transférait ailleurs. Mais quelqu’un les détrompa : une fois avertis, ils implorèrent les Athéniens et les prièrent de les tuer eux-mêmes, si telle était leur volonté, déclarant qu’ils ne voulaient plus sortir du bâtiment, et qu’ils s’opposeraient de toutes leurs forces à ce que personne y entrât.

Les Corcyréens ne songeaient pas du reste à forcer les portes ; ils montèrent sur le toit, enlevèrent la couverture, et les accablèrent de tuiles et de flèches. Les prisonniers se garantissaient de leur mieux ¹ ; la plupart cependant se donnaient eux-mêmes la mort. Ils s’enfonçaient dans la gorge les flèches lancées contre eux, ou s’étranglaient, les uns avec les cordes de quelques lits qui se trouvaient disposés là pour eux, les autres avec des lambeaux arrachés à leurs vêtements. Pendant la plus grande partie de la nuit ( car la nuit survint au milieu de ces horreurs), tout fut mis en oeuvre, par eux pour se donner la mort, par les assaillants pour les tuer du haut de la maison, jusqu’à ce que tout eût péri. Au jour, les Corcyréens les entassèrent symétriquement ² sur des chariots et les transportèrent hors de la ville. Toutes les femmes prises dans le fort furent réduites en esclavage.

Ainsi furent exterminés par le peuple de Corcyre les réfugiés de la montagne ; là finit, du moins dans ses rapports avec la guerre actuelle, cette sédition qui avait pris une grande importance ; car ce qui restait de l’autre parti ne mérite pas d’être mentionné. Les Athéniens s’embarquèrent pour la Sicile, leur première destination, et y firent la guerre conjointement avec leurs alliés du pays.

Soixante furent ainsi extraits et mis à mort à l’insu de leurs compagnons de captivité. Ceux-ci croyaient qu’on les transférait ailleurs ; mais on les détrompa. Mieux informés, ils invoquèrent les Athéniens, les conjurant de les tuer eux-mêmes, s’ils le voulaient. Ils déclarèrent qu’ils ne sortiraient plus, et qu’ils s’opposeraient de tout leur pouvoir à ce que personne entrât.

Les Corcyréens n’eurent garde de forcer les portes ; mais ils escaladèrent le toit, entr’ouvrirent le plafond, et firent pleuvoir dans l’intérieur les traits et les tuiles. Les prisonniers s’abritaient de leur mieux. Quelques-uns se donnaient eux-mêmes la mort. Ils s’enfonçaient dans le gosier les flèches qu’on leur avait lancées ; ils s’étranglaient avec les sangles de quelques lits qui se trouvaient là, ou avec les lambeaux de leurs vêtements déchirés.

Pendant la plus grande partie de la nuit qui recouvrit cette scène de carnage, tout fut mis en œuvre de part et d’autre pour donner ou pour recevoir la mort. Le jour venu, les Corcyréens empilèrent les cadavres sur des charrettes et les transportèrent hors de la ville. On réduisit en esclavage toutes les femmes prises dans le fort.

C’est ainsi que les Corcyréens de la montagne furent exterminés par le peuple. Là se termina cette grande sédition, du moins en ce qui concerne la guerre actuelle ¹ . En effet, il ne restait presque plus rien du parti. Les Athéniens mirent à la voile pour la Sicile, leur première destination. Ils y continuèrent la guerre concurre minent avec leurs alliés de ce pays.

[1] In this manner about sixty men were led out and killed without the knowledge of the men who remained in the house, who supposed that their companions were being led out in order to be transferred to some other place. But when they perceived what was going on, or were told by somebody, they appealed to the Athenians and urged them, if they wished to kill them, to do so with their own hands; and they refused thenceforth to leave the house, and declared that they would not allow anyone to enter if they could prevent it.

[2] Nor had the Corcyraeans themselves any intention of trying to force their way in by the doors, but climbing on to the top of the building and breaking through the roof they hurled tiles and shot arrows upon them from above.

[3] The men inside tried to defend themselves as best as they could, and at the same time most of them set to work to destroy themselves by thrusting into their throats the arrows which the enemy had shot or by strangling themselves with the cords from some beds that happened to be in the place or with strips made from their own garments. Thus for the greater part of the night—for night fell upon their misery—dispatching themselves in every fashion and struck by the missiles of the men on the roof, they perished.

[4] When day came the Corcyraeans loaded the bodies on wagons, laying them lengthwise and crosswise, and hauled them out of the city; but the women who had been captured in the fort were sold into captivity.

[5] In such fashion the Corcyraeans from the mountain were destroyed by the popular party, and the revolution, which had lasted long, ended thus, so far at least as this war was concerned; for there were no longer enough of the oligarchs left to be of any account.

[6] But the Athenians sailed for Sicily, whither they had set out in the first place, and proceeded to carry on the war in conjunction with their allies in the island.

[1] As many as sixty men they took out in this manner, and put to death without the knowledge of those in the building; (for they supposed that they were taking them to be removed to some other place); but when they were aware of it, through some one's having pointed it out to them, they called on the Athenians, and desired that they would themselves put them to death, if they wished.

[2] They refused also any longer to leave the building, and said they would not, as far as they could prevent it, permit any one to come in. The Corcyraeans indeed were themselves not disposed to force a passage by the doors; but having gone up to the top of the building, and broken through the roof, they threw the tiles and discharged their arrows down on them.

[3] The prisoners sheltered themselves as well as they could, while at the same time the greater part were dispatching themselves, by thrusting into their throats the arrows which their enemies discharged, and hanging themselves with the cords from some beds that happened to be in the place, and by making strips from their clothes; and so in every manner during the greater part of the night, (for night came on while the tragedy was acting,) they were destroying themselves, and were dispatched with missiles by those on the roof.

[4] When it was day, the Corcyraeans threw them in layers on waggons, and carried them out of the city;

[5] while all the women that were taken in the building were reduced to slavery. In this way were the Corcyraeans of the mountain cut off by the commons; and the sedition, after raging so violently, came to this termination, at least, as far as the present war is concerned; for of one of the two parties there was nothing left worth mentioning.

[6] The Athenians then sailed away to Sicily, which was their original destination, and carried on the war with their allies there.

[1] Atque hunc in modum eductos trucidarunt ad sexaginta, illis ignaris, qui in carcere reliqui erant (existimabant enim, suos socios ab inimicis ex carcere eductos alio traduci); quum autem rem sensissent, et ex quodam intellexissent, Athenienses implorabant et hortabantur, ut, si voluntas eorum ferret, se occiderent, nec amplius ex carcere exire volebant, et dicebant, se pro viribus non permissuros, ut quisquam ingrederetur.

[2] Corcyrari vero per fores ne ipsi quidem irrumpere in animo habebant, sed carccris tectum conscenderunt, et lacunari revulso, legulis et sagittis eos petebant, qui infra erant.

[3] Illi vero se protegebant ut poterant, et simul eorum plerique ipsi sibi manus inferebant, partim sagittas ab hoste missas jugulis imprimentes, partim lectorum suorum, qui forte illic ipsis erant, funibus, partim restiluis, quas ex suis vestibus a se laceratis fecerant, se strangulantes, omni denique ratione magnam partem noctis (nox enim huic cladi intervenit) se ipsos absumentes et ab illis, qui in superiore aedificii parte stabant, telis petiti, penitus perierunt

[4] Quum autem dies illuxisset, Corcyraei eos acervatim in plaustra conjectos extra urbem portarunt Mulieres vero, quotquot in munitione captae erant, in servitutem redegerunt.

[5] Hoc igitur modo Corcyraei, qui sedes in monte posuerant, a populo funditus perditi sunt, et seditio, quae magna fuit, hunc habuit exitum, quatenus ad hoc bellum pertinet; nihil enim fere reliquum erat ex altera parte, quod quidem mentione dignum sit.

[6] Athenienses autem, quum in Siciliam, quo primum navigationem instituerant, pervenissent, cum illius loci sociis bellum administrabant.

[1] Akanthier! Die Absicht Spartas bei Aussendung meines Heeres ist keine andere, als den Zweck unseres Krieges mit Athen, als welchen wir in der Kriegserklärung die Befreiung Griechenlands angekündigt, zur Wirklichkeit zu machen. An unserm späten Erscheinen aber ist die durch die bisherigen Feldzüge getäuschte Hoffnung schuld, euch den Kampf zu ersparen und in kurzer Zeit allein mit Athen fertig zu werden; und es kann uns dasselbe um so weniger zum Vorwurf gemacht werden, da wir jetzt die erste Gelegenheit ergreifen, hieher zu kommen und auch euch zur Theilnahme an dem Vernichtungskampfe einzuladen. Um so mehr befremdet es mich, aus dem Sperren der Thore auf eine unfreundliche Stimmung bei euch schliessen zu müssen. In dem guten Glauben, in euch längst, vor unserer Ankunft schon, entschiedene Bundesgenossen zu finden, denen wir nur willkommen sein würden, haben wir Lacedämonier die Gefahr nicht angesehen, die mit einem so weiten Marsch durch fremdes Gebiet verbunden war, und jedes mögliche Opfer gebracht, — und wie, ihr solltet ganz andere Gesinnungen hegen, solltet eurer eigenen und aller Griechen Befreiung euch widersetzen wollen? Denn nicht allein, dass ihr zu dem Feinde stehet, es müsste auch alle folgenden Städte zurückhaltend und besorgt machen, wenn gleich anfangs eine so ansehnliche und einflussreiche Stadt wie die eurige mich abwiese. Der Glaube an meine Sendung wäre dahin ¹ , man argwohnte nur Böses in der Freiheit, die ich bringe ² , oder sähe in meinem Heere einen zu schwachen und nichtssagenden Schutz gegen Athens drohende Rache. Zwar es war dasselbe Heer, mit dem ich vor Nisäa zog, wo die Athener trotz ihrer Uebermacht keinen Angriff wagten, und ein so zahlreiches Heer wie das nisäische würden sie ohnehin in keinem Fall gegen euch über's Meer schicken. ³

Per questo modo ne trassero di prigione e ne uccisero fino a sessanta celatamente agli altri che vi restavano , i quali davansi a credere che li levassero di prigione per tradurli altrove. Ma non prima se ne avvidero e furonne avvertiti da qualcuno, che cominciarono a invocare e scongiurare gli Ateniesi che se volevan cosi li uccidessero essi stessi : e non più volevano uscire ^lal carcere, e protestavano che per quanto in loro stesse nissuno v’entrerebbe. Dall' altro canto i Corfuotti non pensavano di sforzare le porte, ma saliti sul tetto della prigione e scassinato il soffitto percuotevano i rinchiùsi con embrici c con dardi scagliati al basso. Schermivansi quelli come potevano , e molti davansi la morte colle proprie mani, o ficcandosi nella gola le lanciate quadrella, o strangolandosi con funicelle cavate dagli strapunti che casualmente i\i erano, e con gli stracci dei vestiti ; cosicché per gran parte della notte che sopravvenne a tanta sciagura, o strozzandosi da per sè, o colpiti dalle frecce scagliate da quei di sopra, in ogni maniera perirono. Poiché venne il giornoi Corfuotti li gettarono confusamente su dei carri , e li trasportarono fuori di citta, e fecero schiave tutte le donne prese nel forte. Cosi i Corfuotti del monte furono distrutti dalla setta popolare , e così finì quell’ atroce sedizione almeno per quello che concerne la guerra che descriviamo; imperciocché della fazione opposta nulla rimane che valp» la pena d’esser riferito. Ma già la (lotta ateniese giunta in Sicilia, ove prima era indirizzata, vi faceva la guerra insieme con gli alleati di quei luoghi.