Thucydides, Book II · the plague at Athens

2.50

[1] γενόμενον γὰρ κρεῖσσον λόγου τὸ εἶδος τῆς νόσου τά τε ἄλλα χαλεπωτέρως ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν προσέπιπτεν ἑκάστῳ καὶ ἐν τῷδε ἐδήλωσε μάλιστα ἄλλο τι ὂν ἢ τῶν ξυντρόφων τι: τὰ γὰρ ὄρνεα καὶ τετράποδα ὅσα ἀνθρώπων ἅπτεται, πολλῶν ἀτάφων γιγνομένων ἢ οὐ προσῄει ἢ γευσάμενα διεφθείρετο. [2] τεκμήριον δέ: τῶν μὲν τοιούτων ὀρνίθων ἐπίλειψις σαφὴς ἐγένετο, καὶ οὐχ ἑωρῶντο οὔτε ἄλλως οὔτε περὶ τοιοῦτον οὐδέν: οἱ δὲ κύνες μᾶλλον αἴσθησιν παρεῖχον τοῦ ἀποβαίνοντος διὰ τὸ ξυνδιαιτᾶσθαι.

2.51

[1] τὸ μὲν οὖν νόσημα, πολλὰ καὶ ἄλλα παραλιπόντι ἀτοπίας, ὡς ἑκάστῳ ἐτύγχανέ τι διαφερόντως ἑτέρῳ πρὸς ἕτερον γιγνόμενον, τοιοῦτον ἦν ἐπὶ πᾶν τὴν ἰδέαν. καὶ ἄλλο παρελύπει κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον οὐδὲν τῶν εἰωθότων: ὃ δὲ καὶ γένοιτο, ἐς τοῦτο ἐτελεύτα. [2] ἔθνῃσκον δὲ οἱ μὲν ἀμελείᾳ, οἱ δὲ καὶ πάνυ θεραπευόμενοι. ἕν τε οὐδὲ ἓν κατέστη ἴαμα ὡς εἰπεῖν ὅτι χρῆν προσφέροντας ὠφελεῖν: τὸ γάρ τῳ ξυνενεγκὸν ἄλλον τοῦτο ἔβλαπτεν. [3] σῶμά τε αὔταρκες ὂν οὐδὲν διεφάνη πρὸς αὐτὸ ἰσχύος πέρι ἢ ἀσθενείας, ἀλλὰ πάντα ξυνῄρει καὶ τὰ πάσῃ διαίτῃ θεραπευόμενα. [4] δεινότατον δὲ παντὸς ἦν τοῦ κακοῦ ἥ τε ἀθυμία ὁπότε τις αἴσθοιτο κάμνων (πρὸς γὰρ τὸ ἀνέλπιστον εὐθὺς τραπόμενοι τῇ γνώμῃ πολλῷ μᾶλλον προΐεντο σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐκ ἀντεῖχον), καὶ ὅτι ἕτερος ἀφ᾽ ἑτέρου θεραπείας ἀναπιμπλάμενοι ὥσπερ τὰ πρόβατα ἔθνῃσκον: καὶ τὸν πλεῖστον φθόρον τοῦτο ἐνεποίει. [5] εἴτε γὰρ μὴ ᾽ θέλοιεν δεδιότες ἀλλήλοις προσιέναι, ἀπώλλυντο ἐρῆμοι, καὶ οἰκίαι πολλαὶ ἐκενώθησαν ἀπορίᾳ τοῦ θεραπεύσοντος: εἴτε προσίοιεν, διεφθείροντο, καὶ μάλιστα οἱ ἀρετῆς τι μεταποιούμενοι: αἰσχύνῃ γὰρ ἠφείδουν σφῶν αὐτῶν ἐσιόντες παρὰ τοὺς φίλους, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰς ὀλοφύρσεις τῶν ἀπογιγνομένων τελευτῶντες καὶ οἱ οἰκεῖοι ἐξέκαμνον ὑπὸ τοῦ πολλοῦ κακοῦ νικώμενοι. [6] ἐπὶ πλέον δ᾽ ὅμως οἱ διαπεφευγότες τόν τε θνῄσκοντα καὶ τὸν πονούμενον ᾠκτίζοντο διὰ τὸ προειδέναι τε καὶ αὐτοὶ ἤδη ἐν τῷ θαρσαλέῳ εἶναι: δὶς γὰρ τὸν αὐτόν, ὥστε καὶ κτείνειν, οὐκ ἐπελάμβανεν. καὶ ἐμακαρίζοντό τε ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων, καὶ αὐτοὶ τῷ παραχρῆμα περιχαρεῖ καὶ ἐς τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον ἐλπίδος τι εἶχον κούφης μηδ᾽ ἂν ὑπ᾽ ἄλλου νοσήματός ποτε ἔτι διαφθαρῆναι.

2.50

[1] For the form of the disease was greater than its description, and its other aspects befell each victim more grievously than human nature could endure, and in the following manner it very much showed something different to what was familiar: for all the birds and four-footed animals that fed upon the humans, although many were unburied, either didn’t go near them or died having eaten them. [2] And this is a sure sign. There was a distinct lack of birds of this kind, and they were not seen either otherwise or around any bodies. But the dogs, due to their domestication, provided greater evidence of the account.

2.51

[1] And leaving aside many other things of an extraordinary person, the disease befell each person in a manner that was different from person to person, and it was entirely like this on the whole. And throughout that time none of the usual diseases attacked them other than the plague. And even if something did arise, it ended up being the plague. [2] Some died in neglect, others being cared for extensively. In terms of a remedy, there was none in existence, as they said, which could be used to help: for what provided a benefit in one case, provided harm in another. [3] No body proved to be strong enough, in the case of the strong or the weak, but the disease took over all bodies and even those cared for in every way of life. [4] The most terrible thing about the disease was the dejection when someone realised they were sick (immediately being turned towards hopelessness in much of their resolve, they gave up on themselves and didn’t hold out), and each man being infected from caring for another, they died like cattle: and this brought about the most death. [5] For having become afraid, if they didn’t want to approach each other, they died in neglect, and many houses were emptied through the difficulty in finding care. But if they did approach each other, they died and especially those appealing to some sort of virtue: for through shame they had no care for themselves in entering into their friends’ houses, even when their relatives ended up growing tired of the lamentations of the dying, they were overcome by the magnitude of the disaster. [6] For the most part, those who’d recovered took pity on the dying and suffering because of their first-hand knowledge and now feeling confident: for the disease didn’t take the same man twice, at least to the extent of killing him. And they were congratulated by others, and they, in their immediate elation, had a vain hope for the future that they wouldn’t die from another disease.

Drafted so far: 2.50–51. I picked this up partway through the plague narrative rather than starting at 2.47; earlier and later sections may get filled in later.