Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 6.63

[1] The next winter the Athenians fell presently to make preparation for their journey against Syracuse; and the Syracusians, on the other side, prepared to invade the Athenians.

[2] For seeing the Athenians had not presently, upon the first fear and expectation of their coming, fallen upon them, they got every day more and more heart. And because they went far from them into those other parts of Sicily, and assaulting Hybla could not take it, they contemned them more than ever, and prayed their commanders (as is the manner of the multitude when they be in courage), seeing that the Athenians came not unto them, to conduct them to Catana.

[3] And the Syracusian horsemen, which were ever abroad for scouts, spurring up to the camp of the Athenians, amongst other scorns asked them whether they came not rather to dwell in the land of another than to restore the Leontines to their own.

[1] Summer was now over. The winter following, the Athenians at once began to prepare for moving on Syracuse , and the Syracusans on their side for marching against them.

[2] From the moment when the Athenians failed to attack them instantly as they at first feared and expected, every day that passed did something to revive their courage; and when they saw them sailing far away from them on the other side of Sicily , and going to Hybla only to fail in their attempts to storm it, they thought less of them than ever, and called upon their generals, as the multitude is apt to do in its moments of confidence, to lead them to Catana , since the enemy would not come to them.

[3] Parties also of the Syracusan horse employed in reconnoitring constantly rode up to the Athenian armament, and among other insults asked them whether they had not really come to settle with the Syracusans in a foreign country rather than to resettle the Leontines in their own.

Im folgenden Winter rüsteten sich die Athener sofort, um
den Syrakusanern zu Leibe zu gehen; aber auch die Syrakusaner
schickten sich ihrerseits an, jene anzugreifen. Da nämlich die Athener
sie nicht in ihrer ersten Furcht und angstvollen Erwartung allsogleich
angegriffen hatten, so war ihnen mit jedem Tag Aufschub der. Muth
mehr gewahcsen, und als jene dann nach den weit von ihnen
abgelegenen Gegenden Siciliens gesegelt waren und jetzt auch Hybla mit
Gewalt zu nehmen versucht und doch nicht erobert hatten, so
verachteten sie dieselben noch mehr, und wie denn der große Hause, wenn ^{1 2 3}
ihm der Muth gewahcsen ist, zu thun pflegt, so verlangten sie von
ihren Feldherren, sie gegen-Katana zu führen, da ja jene doch nicht
gegen sie marschirten. Und ihre Reiter umschwärmten zur
Beobachtung des athenischen Heeres dasselbe ununterbrochen aus der Nähe
und riefen ihnen Spottreden zu, unter andern auch, ob sie nicht
vielmehr gekommen seien, sich selbst in ihrer Nähe anzusiedeln, als um
den Leontinern ihre Stadt wieder auszubauen? " - i ­

LXIII. L’hiver suivant, les Athéniens firent sans différer leurs dispositions pour l’attaque de Syracuse; et les Syracusains, de leur côté, se préparèrent à marcher contre eux. Les Athéniens ne les ayant pas attaqués tout d’abord, au moment de la première appréhension, comme ils s’y attendaient, chaque jour qui s’écoulait augmentait leur confiance; mais lorsqu’ils les virent faire voile, loin d’eux, vers une autre partie de la Sicile, aller attaquer Hybla, et échouer dans leur tentative, ils conçurent pour eux bien plus de mépris encore : ils pressaient leurs généraux, comme il arrive toujours à la multitude quand elle s’est enhardie, de les mener à Catane, puisque les Athéniens ne venaient pas à eux. Sans cesse des cavaliers syracusains poussaient des reconnaissances jusqu’au camp des Athéniens, les raillaient et leur demandaient, entre autres choses, s’ils n’étaient pas venus pour s’établir au milieu d’eux, en pays étranger, plutôt que pour rétablir les Léontins dans leur patrie.

L’hiver suivant, les Athéniens se disposèrent enfin à agir contre Syracuse. De leur côté les Syracusains résolurent de marcher contre eux. Dans l’origine, ils s’étaient attendus à une attaque immédiate; mais, comme il n’en était lien, ils sentaient de jour en jour renaître leur confiance. Lorsqu’ils virent les Athéniens faire voile à l’antre extrémité de la Sicile, puis attaquer Hybla sans pouvoir s’en rendre maîtres, leur mépris redoubla ; et, par un de œs mouvements familiers à une multitude enhardie, ils pressèrent leurs généraux de les conduire à Catane, puisque les Athéniens ne s’avançaient pas contre eux. Les cavaliers syracusains venaient journellement caracoler autour du camp des Athéniens, et leur demandaient d’un ton railleur s’ils étaient venus habiter avec eux en terre étrangère au lieu de rétablir les Léontins dans leurs foyers.

[1] The following winter the Athenians began at once to prepare for the advance upon Syracuse, and the Syracusans also, on their side, to go against them.

[2] For when the Athenians did not, in accordance with their first alarm and expectation, at once attack them, with each successive day their courage revived; and when the Athenians sailed along the opposite coast of Sicily and showed themselves only at a distance from Syracuse, and going against Hybla failed in the attempt to take it by storm, the Syracusans had still greater contempt for them, and, as a crowd is wont to do when it has become elated, demanded that their generals should lead them against Catana, since the Athenians would not come against them.

[3] Moreover, mounted Syracusan scouts constantly rode up to the Athenian army and amongst other insults asked them: “Are you come to settle yourselves here with us, on land which belongs to other people, instead of resettling the Leontines on their own?”

[1] The following winter, the Athenians at once began to prepare for their advance upon Syracuse, and the Syracusans also, on their side, for marching against them.

[2] For when they did not, in accordance with their first alarm and expectation, attack them immediately; as every day went on, they regained their courage more. And when they were seen to be sailing on the other side of Sicily, far away from them, and had gone to Hybla, and made an attempt on it without taking it by storm, they despised them still more, and called on their generals—acting as a multitude is wont to do when full of confidence—to lead them against Catana, since the enemy would not come to them.

[3] Moreover, Syracusan parties of horse, sent out to reconnoitre, were continually riding up to the Athenian armament, and asking them, amongst other insulting expressions, whether they had come themselves to settle with them in a strange country, rather than to reinstate the Leontini.

[1] Inseqnente hieme statim Athenienses sese praepa- rare coeperunt ad invadendas Syracusas, Syracusani vero et ipsi vicissim, ut adversus illos ituri.

[2] Quod enim ad primum eorum pavorem et exspectationem Athenienses non protinus eos invaserant, quotidie temporia progressu magis ac magis se ipsos colligebant; item quod adulteriorem navigantes Siciliae oram valde procul ab ipsis abesse videbantur, et Hyblam profecti eamque aggressi non expugnarant, inulto magis eos contempserunt, et postulabant. quemadmodum vulgus animis sumptis facere solet, ut duces se. Catanam versus ducerent, quandoquidem illi contra se non venirent.

[3] Quinetiam equites Syracusani, qui ad specu · landum assidue usque ad Atheniensium castra provehebantur, quum alia probra per contumeliam in eoe ingerebant, tum vero illud percontabantur, num potius secum in aliene agro habitaturi venissent, quam Leontinos in propria sede collocaturi.

Sopravvenendo l’inverno gli Ateniesi subito preparavansi ad assaltar Siracusa, e i Siracusani anch’essi per andar contro loro. Conciossiaché gli Ateniesi non avendoli stretti colla guerra in quella prima battisoffiola , com’essi s’aspettavano, ad ogni dì che passava ripigliavano cuore maggiormente. E allorquando gli ebbero visti molto lontani da Siracusa navigare oltre sulla costa di Sicilia, e venuti ad Ibla tentare inutilmente di espugnarla, li ebbero anche in dispregio più grande. E siccome suol fare il volgo inanimito pregavano i loro capitani a condurli contro Catana, da che i nemici non muovevano contrassi, e spingendo innanzi continovamente de'cavalli ad osservare il campo degli Ateniesi domandavano loro, tra gli altri insulti, se fossero venuti ad accasarsi tra essi in paese straniero, piuttosto che a rimettere nelle proprie sedie i Leontini.