第8巻 第31章

Greek Τοσαῦτα μὲν οὖν καὶ ὁ Τουτίλας εἶπε. τὰ δὲ στρατεύματα ἐς μάχην ξυνῄει καὶ ἐτάξαντο ὧδε. μετωπηδὸν μὲν ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἅπαντες ἔστησαν, ὡς βαθύτατόν τε καὶ περίμηκες τῆς φάλαγγος τὸ μέτωπον ποιησόμενοι.

Dewing Thus then spoke Totila. And the armies drew together for battle and arrayed themselves as follows. All the forces in each army took their stand fa­cing the enemy, making the phalanx as deep as possible and the front very long.

Greek τῶν δὲ Ῥωμαίων κέρας μὲν τὸ ἀριστερὸν Ναρσῆς τε καὶ Ἰωάννης ἀμφὶ τὸ γεώλοφον εἶχον καὶ ξὺν αὐτοῖς εἴ τι ἄριστον ἐν τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ ἐτύγχανεν ὄν·

Dewing And the Roman left wing was held by Narses and John near the hill, and with them was the flower of the Roman army;

Greek ἑκατέρῳ γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων χωρὶς στρατιωτῶν, δορυφόρων τε καὶ ὑπασπιστῶν καὶ βαρβάρων Οὔννων εἵπετο πλῆθος ἀριστίνδην συνειλεγμένων·

Dewing for each of them had, apart from the other soldiers, a great following of spearmen and guards and barbarian Huns, all chosen for their valour;

Greek κατὰ δὲ δεξιὸν Βαλεριανός τε καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ Φαγᾶς σὺν τῷ Δαγισθαίῳ καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι Ῥωμαῖοι ἐτάξαντο πάντες.

Dewing and on the right were arrayed Valerian and John the Glutton along with Dagisthaeus and all the rest of the Romans.

Greek πεζοὺς μέντοι τοξότας ἐκ τῶν καταλόγου στρατιωτῶν ὀκτακισχιλίους μάλιστα ἔστησαν ἐς ἄμφω τὰ κέρα. κατὰ δὲ τὰ μέσα τῆς φάλαγγος τούς τε Λαγγοβάρδας καὶ τὸ Ἐρούλων ἔθνος καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἄλλους βαρβάρους ὁ Ναρσῆς ἔταξεν, ἔκ τε τῶν ἵππων ἀποβιβάσας καὶ πεζοὺς εἶναι καταστησάμενος, ὅπως ἂν μὴ κακοὶ ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ γενόμενοι ἢ ἐθελοκακοῦντες, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, ἐς ὑπαγωγὴν ὀξύτεροι εἶεν.

Dewing Furthermore, they placed on both wings about eight thousand unmounted bowmen from the regular troops. But at the centre of the phalanx Narses had placed the Lombards and the nation of the Eruli and all the other barbarians, causing them to dismount from their horses and making them infantry, in order that, if it should chance that they turned cowards in the engagement or deserted, they might not be too eager to fly.

Greek τὸ μέντοι πέρας κέρως τοῦ εὐωνύμου τῶν Ῥωμαίων μετώπου Ναρσῆς ἐγγώνιον κατεστήσατο, πεντακοσίους τε καὶ χιλίους ἱππεῖς ἐνταῦθα στήσας.

Dewing Now Narses had set the extreme left wing of the Roman front at an angle, pla­cing fifteen hundred cavalry there.

Greek προείρητο δὲ τοῖς μὲν πεντακοσίοις, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα τῶν Ῥωμαίων τισὶ τραπῆναι ξυμβαίη, ἐπιβοηθεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐν σπουδῇ, τοῖς δὲ χιλίοις, ὁπηνίκα οἱ τῶν πολεμίων πεζοὶ ἔργου ἄρχωνται, κατόπισθέν τε αὐτῶν αὐτίκα γενέσθαι καὶ ἀμφιβόλους ποιήσασθαι.

Dewing And the instructions previously given provided that the five hundred, on the one hand, should rush to the rescue the moment that any of the Romans chanced to be driven back, while the thousand, at the moment when the enemy's infantry began action, were to get behind them immediately and thus place them between two forces.

Greek καὶ ὁ Τουτίλας δὲ τρόπῳ τῷ αὐτῷ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀντίαν τὴν στρατιὰν ξύμπασαν ἔστησε. καὶ περιιὼν τὴν οἰκείαν παράταξιν τοὺς στρατιώτας παρεθράσυνέ τε καὶ παρεκάλει ἐς εὐτολμίαν προσώπῳ καὶ λόγῳ.

Dewing And Totila arrayed his army in the same way opposite his enemy. Then going along his own battle-line he kept encouraging his soldiers with voice and expression and urging them to boldness.

Greek καὶ ὁ Ναρσῆς δὲ ταὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐποίει, ψέλλιά τε καὶ στρεπτοὺς καὶ χαλινοὺς χρυσοῦς ἐπὶ κοντῶν μετεωρίσας καὶ ἄλλα ἄττα τῆς ἐς τὸν κίνδυνον προθυμίας ὑπεκκαύματα ἐνδεικνύμενος.

Dewing Narses likewise did the same thing, holding in the air bracelets and necklaces and golden bridles on poles and displaying certain other incentives to bravery in the coming struggle.

Greek χρόνον δέ τινα μάχης οὐδέτεροι ἦρχον, ἀλλ’ ἡσυχῆ ἀμφότεροι ἔμενον, προσδεχόμενοι τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων ἐπίθεσιν.

Dewing For some time, however, neither army began battle, but both remained quiet awaiting the assault of their opponents.

Greek Μετὰ δὲ εἷς ἐκ τοῦ Γότθων στρατοῦ, Κόκκας ὄνομα, δόξαν ἐπὶ τῷ δραστηρίῳ διαρκῶς ἔχων, τὸν ἵππον ἐξελάσας, ἄγχιστα ἦλθε τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ, προὐκαλεῖτό τε, εἴ τίς οἱ βούλοιτο πρὸς μονομαχίαν ἐπεξιέναι.

Dewing But later on one man of the Gothic army named Coccas, who had a great reputation as an active fighter, rode his horse out and came close to the Roman army and uttered a challenge, if anyone was willing to come forth against him in single combat.

Greek ὁ δὲ Κόκκας οὗτος εἷς τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν ἐτύγχανεν ὢν τῶν παρὰ Τουτίλαν ἀπηυτομοληκότων τὰ πρότερα.

Dewing Now this Coccas happened to be one of the Roman soldiers who had previously deserted to Totila.

Greek καί οἱ αὐτίκα τῶν τις Ναρσοῦ δορυφόρων ἀντίος ἔστη, Ἀρμένιος γένος, Ἀνζαλᾶς ὄνομα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἵππῳ ὀχούμενος.

Dewing And immediately one of the spearmen of Narses stood forth against him, a man of Armenian birth named Anzalas, who was likewise mounted on a horse.

Greek ὁ μὲν οὖν Κόκκας ὁρμήσας πρῶτος ὡς τῷ δόρατι παίσων ἐπὶ τὸν πολέμιον ἵετο, καταστοχαζόμενος τῆς ἐκείνου γαστρός.

Dewing Coccas then made the first rush and charged his foe in order to smite him with his spear, aiming the weapon at his belly.

Greek ὁ δ’ Ἀνζαλᾶς ἐξαπιναίως τὸν ἵππον ἐκκλίνας ἀνόνητον αὐτὸν κατεστήσατο γενέσθαι τῆς οἰκείας ὁρμῆς. ταύτῃ τε αὐτὸς ἐκ πλαγίου τοῦ πολεμίου γενόμενος ἐς πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀριστερὰν τὸ δόρυ ὦσε.

Dewing But Anzalas, by suddenly turning his horse aside, caused the charge of his enemy to be futile. By this manoeuvre he was placed on his enemy's flank and he now thrust his spear into his left side.

Greek καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐκ τοῦ ἵππου πεσὼν ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος νεκρὸς ἔκειτο· κραυγὴ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ὑπερφυὴς ἤρθη, οὐδ’ ὣς μέντοι μάχης τινὸς οὐδέτεροι ἦρξαν.

Dewing And Coccas fell from his horse to the ground and lay there a dead man. Whereupon a tremendous shout arose from the Roman army, but even then neither side began any fighting.

Greek Τουτίλας δὲ μόνος ἐν μεταιχμίῳ ἐγένετο, οὐ μονομαχήσων, ἀλλὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῖς ἐναντίοις τοῦτον ἐκκρούσων. Γότθων γὰρ τοὺς ἀπολειπομένους δισχιλίους ἄγχιστά πη προσιέναι μαθὼν ἀπετίθετο ἐς τὴν αὐτῶν παρουσίαν τὴν ξυμβολήν, ἐποίει δὲ τάδε.

Dewing But Totila now went alone into the space between the armies, not in order to engage in single combat, but in order to prevent his opponents from using the present opportunity. For he had learned that the two thousand Goths who had been missing were now drawing near, and so he sought to put off the engagement until their arrival by doing as follows.

Greek πρῶτα μὲν οὐκ ἀπηξίου τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐνδείκνυσθαι ὅστις ποτὲ εἴη. τήν τε γὰρ τῶν ὅπλων σκευὴν κατακόρως τῷ χρυσῷ κατειλημμένην ἠμπίσχετο καὶ τῶν οἱ φαλάρων ὁ κόσμος ἔκ τε τοῦ πίλου καὶ τοῦ δόρατος ἁλουργός τε καὶ ἄλλως βασιλικὸς ἀπεκρέματο θαυμαστος ὅσος.

Dewing First of all, he was not at all reluctant to make an exhibition to the enemy of what manner of man he was. For the armour in which he was clad was abundantly plated with gold and the ample adornments which hung from his cheek-plates as well as from his helmet were not only of purple but in other respects befitting a king, marvellous in their abundance.

Greek καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπερφυεῖ ὀχούμενος ἵππῳ παιδιὰν ἐν μεταιχμίῳ ἔπαιζε τὴν ἐνόπλιον ἐπισταμένως. τόν τε γὰρ ἵππον ἐν κύκλῳ περιελίσσων, ἐπὶ θάτερά τε ἀναστρέφων αὖθις κυκλοτερεῖς πεποίητο δρόμους.

Dewing And he himself, sitting upon a very large horse, began to perform the dance under arms skilfully between the armies. For he wheeled his horse round in a circle and then turned him again to the other side and so made him run round and round.

Greek καὶ ἱππευόμενος μεθίει ταῖς αὔραις τὸ δόρυ, ἀπ’ αὐτῶν τε κραδαινόμενον ἁρπασάμενος εἶτα ἐκ χειρὸς ἐς χεῖρα παραπέμπων συχνὰ ἐφ’ ἑκάτερα, καὶ μεταβιβάζων ἐμπείρως, ἐφιλοτιμεῖτο τῇ ἐς τὰ τοιαῦτα μελέτῃ, ὑπτιάζων καὶ ἰσχιάζων καὶ πρὸς ἑκάτερα ἐγκλινόμενος, ὥσπερ ἐκ παιδὸς ἀκριβῶς τὰ ἐς τὴν ὀρχήστραν δεδιδαγμένος.

Dewing And as he rode he hurled his javelin into the air and caught it again as it quivered above him, then passed it rapidly from hand to hand, shifting it with consummate skill, and he gloried in his practice in such matters, falling back on his shoulders, spreading his legs and leaning from side to side, like one who has been instructed with precision in the art of dancing from childhood.

Greek ταῦτά τε ποιῶν πᾶσαν κατέτριψε τὴν δείλην πρωΐαν. ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δὲ τὴν τῆς μάχης ἀναβολὴν μηκύνειν ἐθέλων ἔπεμψεν ἐς τὸ Ῥωμαίων στρατόπεδον, φάσκων ἐθέλειν αὐτοῖς ἐς λόγους ξυμμῖξαι. Ναρσῆς δὲ φενακίζειν αὐτὸν ἰσχυρίζετο, εἴ γε πολεμησείων τὰ πρότερα, ἡνίκα τοῦ προτείνεσθαι λόγους ἐξουσία εἴη, νῦν ἐν μεταιχμίῳ γενόμενος ἐς τοὺς διαλόγους χωροίη.

Dewing By these tactics he wore away the whole early part of the day. And wishing to prolong indefinitely the postponement of the battle, he sent to the Roman army saying that he wished to confer with them. But Narses declared that he must be trifling, seeing that he had been set on fighting at the time when there was opportunity to make proposals, but now, upon reaching the battle-field, he came forward to parley.