第4巻 第2章

Greek Τοσαῦτα Βελισάριος παρακελευσάμενος ἱππέας μὲν ἅπαντας, πλὴν πεντακοσίων, ἡμέρᾳ τῇ αὐτῇ ἔστειλε, τούς τε ὑπασπιστὰς καὶ τὸ σημεῖον, ὃ δὴ βάνδον καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι, Ἰωάννῃ ἐπιτρέψας τῷ Ἀρμενίῳ καὶ ἀκροβολίσασθαι ἐπιστείλας, ἢν καιρὸς γένηται.

Dewing After such words of exhortation, Belisarius sent out all the horsemen on the same day, except five hundred, and also the guardsmen and the standard, which the Romans call "bandum,"⁠ entrusting them to John the Armenian, and directing him to skirmish only, if opportunity should arise.

Greek αὐτὸς δὲ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ξὺν τῷ πεζῷ στρατῷ καὶ τοῖς πεντακοσίοις ἱππεῦσιν εἵπετο.

Dewing And he himself on the following day followed with the infantry forces and the five hundred horsemen.

Greek τοῖς δὲ Μασσαγέταις, βουλευσαμένοις ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς, ἔδοξεν, ὅπως δὴ εὐσυνθετεῖν πρός τε Γελίμερα καὶ Βελισάριον δόξωσι, μήτε μάχης ὑπὲρ Ῥωμαίων ἄρξαι μήτε πρὸ τοῦ ἔργου ἐς Βανδίλους ἰέναι, ἀλλ’ ἐπειδὰν ὁποτέρας στρατιᾶς τὰ πράγματα πονηρὰ εἴη, τηνικαῦτα ξὺν τοῖς νικῶσι τὴν δίωξιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἡσσωμένους ποιήσασθαι. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐδέδοκτο τῇδε.

Dewing And the Massagetae, deliberating among themselves, decided, in order to seem in friendly agreement with both Gelimer and Belisarius, neither to begin fighting for the Romans nor to go over to the Vandals before the encounter, but whenever the situation of one or the other army should be bad, then to join the victors in their pursuit of the vanquished. Thus, then, had this matter been decided upon by the barbarians.

Greek ὁ δὲ Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς κατέλαβε τοὺς Βανδίλους ἐν Τρικαμάρῳ στρατοπεδεύσαντας, τεσσαράκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν σταδίους Καρχηδόνος ἀπέχοντι.

Dewing And the Roman army came upon the Vandals encamped in Tricamarum, one hundred and fifty stades distant from Carthage.

Greek ἔνθα δὴ μακράν που ἀπ’ ἀλλήλων ηὐλίσαντο ἑκάτεροι. ἐπειδὴ δὲ πόρρω ἦν τῶν νυκτῶν, τέρας ἐν τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατοπέδῳ ἐγεγόνει τοιόνδε.

Dewing So they both bivouacked there at a considerable distance from one another. And when it was well on in the night, a prodigy came to pass in the Roman camp as follows.

Greek τῶν δοράτων αὐτοῖς τὰ ἄκρα πυρὶ πολλῷ κατελάμπετο καὶ αὐτῶν αἱ αἰχμαὶ καίεσθαι ἐπὶ πλεῖστον σφίσιν ἐδόκουν. τοῦτο οὐ πολλοῖς μὲν φανερὸν γέγονεν, ὀλίγους δὲ τοὺς θεασαμένους κατέπληξεν, οὐκ εἰδότας ὅπη ἐκβήσεται.

Dewing The tips of their spears were lighted with a bright fire and the points of them seemed to be burning most vigorously.⁠ This was not seen by many, but it filled with consternation the few who did see it, not knowing how it would come out.

Greek ξυνέπεσε δὲ Ῥωμαίοις τοῦτο καὶ αὖθις ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ χρόνῳ πολλῷ ὕστερον. ὅτε δὴ αὐτὸ καὶ νίκης ξύμβολον ἅτε πείρᾳ εἰδότες ἐπίστευον εἶναι. τότε δέ, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, ἐπεὶ πρῶτον ἐγεγόνει, κατεπλάγησάν τε καὶ ξὺν δέει πολλῷ ἐνυκτέρευσαν.

Dewing And this happened to the Romans in Italy again at a much later time. And at that time, since they knew by experience, they believed it to be a sign of victory. But now, as I have said, since this was the first time it had happened, they were filled with consternation and passed the night in great fear.

Greek Τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ Γελίμερ Βανδίλους ἐκέλευε παῖδάς τε καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ πάντα χρήματα ἐν μέσῳ καταθέσθαι τῷ χαρακώματι, καίπερ ὀχύρωμα οὐδὲν ἔχοντι, καὶ ξυγκαλέσας ἅπαντας ἔλεξε τοιάδε·

Dewing And on the following day Gelimer commanded the Vandals to place the women and children and all their possessions in the middle of the stockade, although it had not the character of a fort, and calling all together, he spoke as follows:

Greek “Οὐχ ὑπὲρ δόξης ἡμῖν, ἄνδρες Βανδίλοι, οὐδὲ ἀρχῆς στερήσεως μόνον ὁ ἀγών ἐστιν, ὥστε κἂν ἐθελοκακήσασι καὶ ταῦτα προεμένοις δυνατὸν εἶναι βιοῦν, οἴκοι τε καθημένοις καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα αὐτῶν ἔχουσιν·

Dewing "It is not to gain glory, or to retrieve the loss of empire alone, O fellow Vandals, that we are about to fight, so that even if we wilfully played the coward and sacrificed these our belongings we might possibly live, sitting at home and keeping our own possessions;

Greek ἀλλ’ ὁρᾶτε δήπουθεν ὡς ἐς τοῦτο ἡμῖν περιέστηκε τύχης τὰ πράγματα ὥστε, ἢν μὴ τῶν πολεμίων κρατήσωμεν, τελευτῶντες μὲν κυρίους αὐτοὺς καταλείψομεν παίδων τῶνδε καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ χώρας καὶ πάντων χρημάτων, περιοῦσι δὲ ἡμῖν προσέσται τὸ δούλοις τε εἶναι καὶ ταῦτα ἐπιδεῖν ἅπαντα·

Dewing but you see, surely, that our fortunes have come round to such a pass that, if we do not gain the mastery over the enemy, we shall, if we perish, leave them as masters of these our children and our wives and our land and all our possessions, while if we survive, there will be added our own enslavement and to behold all these enslaved;

Greek ἢν δέ γε περιεσώμεθα τῷ πολέμῳ τῶν δυσμενῶν, καὶ ζῶντες ἐν πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς βιοτεύσομεν καὶ μετὰ τὴν εὐπρεπῆ τοῦ βίου καταστροφὴν παισὶ μὲν καὶ γυναιξὶ τὰ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας ἀπολελείψεται, τῷ δὲ τῶν Βανδίλων ὀνόματι τὸ περιεῖναί τε καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν διασώσασθαι.

Dewing but if, indeed, we overcome our foes in the war, we shall, if we live, pass our lives among all good things, or, after the glorious ending of our lives, there will be left to our wives and children the blessings of prosperity, while the name of the Vandals will survive and their empire be preserved.

Greek εἰ γάρ τισι καὶ ἄλλοις πώποτε ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων τετύχηκεν ἀγωνίζεσθαι, καὶ αὐτοὶ νῦν μάλιστα πάντων γινώσκομεν ὡς τὰς ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων ἐλπίδας ἐφ’ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς φέροντες ἐς τὴν παράταξιν καθιστάμεθα.

Dewing For if it has ever happened to any men to be engaged in a struggle for their all, we now more than all others realize that we are entering the battle-line with our hopes for all we have resting wholly upon ourselves.

Greek οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῖς σώμασι τοίνυν τοῖς ἡμετέροις ὁ φόβος οὐδ’ ἐπὶ τῷ θνήσκειν ὁ κίνδυνος, ἀλλ’ ὥστε μὴ τῶν πολεμίων ἡσσῆσθαι. τῆς γὰρ νίκης ἀπολελειμμένοις τὸ τεθνάναι ξυνοίσει.

Dewing Not for our bodies, then, is our fear, nor in death is our danger, but in being defeated by the enemy. For if we lose the victory, death will be to our advantage.

Greek ὅτε τοίνυν ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, μαλακιζέσθω Βανδίλων μηδείς, ἀλλὰ τῷ μὲν φρονήματι προϊέσθω τὸ σῶμα, αἰσχύνῃ δὲ τῶν μετὰ τὴν ἧτταν κακῶν ζηλούτω τὴν τοῦ βίου καταστροφήν.

Dewing Since, therefore, the case stands so, let no one of the Vandals weaken, but let him proudly expose his body, and from shame at the evils that follow defeat let him court the end of life.

Greek τῷ γὰρ τὰ αἰσχρὰ αἰσχυνομένῳ πάρεστιν ἀεὶ τὸ μὴ δεδιέναι τὸν κίνδυνον. μάχης δὲ τῆς πρότερον γεγενημένης μηδεμία ὑμᾶς εἰσίτω μνήμη.

Dewing For when a man is ashamed of that which is shameful, there is always present with him a dauntless courage in the face of danger. And let no recollection of the earlier battle come into your minds.

Greek οὐ γὰρ κακίᾳ ἡμετέρᾳ ἡσσήθημεν, ἀλλὰ τύχης ἐναντιώμασι προσεπταικότες ἐσφάλημεν. ταύτης δὲ τὸ ῥεῦμα οὐκ ἀεὶ κατὰ ταὐτὰ φέρεσθαι πέφυκεν, ἀλλ’ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἑκάστῃ ὡς τὰ πολλὰ μεταπίπτειν φιλεῖ.

Dewing For it was not by cowardice on our part that we were defeated, but we tripped upon obstacles interposed by fortune and were overthrown. Now it is not the way of the tide of fortune to flow always in the same direction, but everyday, as a rule, it is wont to change about.

Greek τῷ δὲ ἀνδρείῳ τοὺς πολεμίους ὑπεραίρειν αὐχοῦμεν καὶ πλήθει παρὰ πολὺ ὑπερβάλλεσθαι·

Dewing In manliness it is our boast that we surpass the enemy, and that in numbers we are much superior;

Greek μέτρῳ γὰρ αὐτῶν περιεῖναι οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ δεκαπλασίῳ οἰόμεθα. καὶ τί προσθήσω πολλά τε καὶ μεγάλα εἶναι τὰ νῦν μάλιστα ἡμᾶς ἐς ἀρετὴν ὁρμῶντα, τήν τε τῶν προγόνων δόξαν καὶ τὴν παραδοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν ὑπ’ ἐκείνων ἀρχήν;

Dewing for we believe that we surpass them no less than tenfold. And why shall I add that many and great are the incentives which, now especially, urge us on to valour, naming the glory of our ancestors and the empire which has been handed down to us by them?

Greek ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν τῷ ἀνομοίῳ τοῦ ξυγγενοῦς ἐγκαλύπτεται, ἡ δὲ ὡς ἀναξίους ἡμᾶς ἀποφυγεῖν ἰσχυρίζεται.

Dewing For in our case that glory is obscured by our unlikeness to our kindred, while the empire is bent upon fleeing from us as unworthy.

Greek καὶ σιωπῶ τούτων τῶν γυναίων τὰς οἰμωγὰς καὶ τῶν παίδων τῶν ἡμετέρων τὰ δάκρυα, οἷς νῦν, ὡς ὁρᾶτε, περιαλγήσας μηκῦναι τὸν λόγον οὐ δύναμαι.

Dewing And I pass over in silence the wails of these poor women and the tears of our children, by which, as you see, I am now so deeply moved that I am unable to prolong my discourse.

Greek ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνο μόνον εἰπὼν παύσομαι, ὡς ἐπάνοδος ἡμῖν εἰς τὰ φίλτατα ταῦτα οὐκ ἔσται μὴ τῶν πολεμίων κρατήσασιν.

Dewing But having said this one thing, I shall stop, — that there will be for us no returning to these most precious possessions if we do not gain the mastery over the enemy.

Greek ὧν ἐνθυμηθέντες ἄνδρες τε ἀγαθοὶ γίγνεσθε καὶ μὴ καταισχύνητε τὴν Γιζερίχου δόξαν.”

Dewing Remembering these things, shew yourselves brave men and do not bring shame upon the farm of Gizeric."

Greek Τοσαῦτα εἰπὼν Γελίμερ Τζάζωνα τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐκέλευσε Βανδίλοις τοῖς μετ’ αὐτοῦ ἐκ Σαρδοῦς ἥκουσι παραίνεσιν ἰδίᾳ ποιεῖσθαι.

Dewing After speaking such words, Gelimer commanded his brother Tzazon to deliver an exhortation spey to the Vandals who had come with him from Sardinia.

Greek ὁ δὲ αὐτοὺς ξυναγείρας μικρὸν ἄποθεν τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἔλεξε τοιάδε· “Βανδίλοις μὲν ἅπασιν, ἄνδρες συστρατιῶται, ὑπὲρ τούτων ὁ ἀγών ἐστιν ὧν δὴ ἀρτίως λέγοντος τοῦ βασιλέως ἠκούσατε, ὑμῖν δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἁμιλλᾶσθαι ξυμβαίνει.

Dewing And he gathered them together a little apart from the camp and spoke as follows: "For all the Vandals, fellow soldiers, the struggle is in behalf of those things which you have just heard the king recount, but for you, in addition to all the other considerations, it so happens that you are vying with yourselves.

Greek νενικήκατε γὰρ ἔναγχος ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἀγωνιζόμενοι καὶ τὴν νῆσον ἀνεκτήσασθε τῇ Βανδίλων ἀρχῇ· ὑμᾶς οὖν μείζω ποιεῖσθαι εἰκὸς τῆς ἀρετῆς τὴν ἐπίδειξιν.

Dewing For you have recently been victorious in a struggle for the maintenance of our rule, and you have recovered the island for the empire of the Vandals; there is every reason, therefore, for you to make still greater display of your valour.

Greek οἷς γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν μεγίστων ὁ κίνδυνος, μεγίστην εἶναι καὶ τὴν ἐς τὸ πολεμεῖν προθυμίαν ἀνάγκη. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἀγωνιζόμενοι ἡσσηθέντες, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαιοτάτοις ἐσφάλησαν·

Dewing For those whose hazard involves the greatest things must needs display the greatest zeal for warfare also. Indeed, when men who struggle for the maintenance of their rule are defeated, should it so happen, they have not failed in the most vital part;

Greek οἷς δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἡ μάχη, πάντως ὁ βίος πρὸς τὸ τοῦ πολέμου ῥυθμίζεται πέρας. ἄλλως τε, ἢν μὲν ἄνδρες ἀγαθοὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι γένησθε, βεβαιοῦτε ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ἀρετῆς ἔργον τὴν τοῦ τυράννου Γώδα γεγονέναι καθαίρεσιν· μαλακισθέντες δὲ νῦν καὶ τῆς ἐπ’ ἐκείνοις εὐδοξίας ὡς οὐδὲν προσηκούσης στερήσεσθε.

Dewing but when men are engaged in battle for their all, surely their very lives are influenced by the outcome of the struggle. And for the rest, if you shew yourselves brave men at the present time, you will thereby prove with certainty that the destruction⁠ of the tyrant Godas was an achievement of valour on your part; but if you weaken now, you will be deprived of even the renown of those deeds, as of something which does not belong to you at all.

Greek καίτοι καὶ ἄλλως ὑμᾶς γε εἰκὸς τῶν λοιπῶν Βανδίλων ἐν ταύτῃ πλεονεκτεῖν τῇ μάχῃ.

Dewing And yet, even apart from this, it is reasonable to think that you will have an advantage over the rest of the Vandals in this battle.

Greek τοὺς μὲν γὰρ σφαλέντας ἡ προλαβοῦσα τύχη ἐκπλήσσει, οἱ δὲ οὐδὲν ἐπταικότες μετ’ ἀκραιφνοῦς τοῦ θάρσους ἐς τὸν ἀγῶνα καθίστανται.

Dewing For those who have failed are dismayed by their previous fortune, while those who have encountered no reverse enter the struggle with their courage unimpaired.

Greek κἀκεῖνο δὲ οἶμαι οὐκ ἀπὸ τρόπου εἰρήσεται, ὡς ἢν τῶν πολεμίων κρατήσωμεν, τὸ πλεῖστον τῆς νίκης ὑμεῖς ἀναδήσεσθε μέρος, σωτῆράς τε ὑμᾶς ἅπαντες τοῦ τῶν Βανδίλων καλέσουσιν ἔθνους.

Dewing And this too, I think, will not be spoken out of season, that if we conquer the enemy, it will be you who will win the credit for the greatest part of the victory, and all will call you saviours of the nation of the Vandals.

Greek οἱ γὰρ σὺν τοῖς πρότερον ἠτυχηκόσιν εὐδοκιμοῦντες εἰκότως αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀμείνω σφετερίζονται τύχην.

Dewing For men who achieve renown in company with those who have previously met with misfortune naturally claim the better fortune as their own.

Greek ταῦτα τοίνυν ἅπαντα λογιζομένους ὑμᾶς φημι χρῆναι παῖδάς τε καὶ γυναῖκας ἀπολοφυρομένους κελεύειν θαρσεῖν τε ἤδη καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἐς ξυμμαχίαν παρακαλεῖν, καὶ θυμῷ μὲν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἰέναι τοῖς δὲ ὁμοφύλοις ἐς ταύτην ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν μάχην.”

Dewing Considering all these things, therefore, I say that you should bid the women and children who are lamenting their fate to take courage even now, should summon God to fight with us, should go with enthusiasm against the enemy, and lead the way for our compatriots into this battle."