# Great is the power of the country that controls the sea.



## Selim Yavuz

Hello Turkish Gurus, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to translate this originally Greek phrase? The phrase is "Great is the Power of the Country that controls the sea." Which was allegedly uttered by Pericles in one of his speeches. Anyway, I wish it to be rendered into Turkish, if any would do so. Thanks in advance.


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## dr.izbul

Literally: "Büyüktür gücü o ülkenin ki onun denetimi altındadır deniz."

In standart Turkish this would take the form (as a translation), "Deniz(ler)i denetimi altına alan (bir) ülke, büyük (bir) ülkedir."

However, the usual expression is: "Denizlere hakim olan, dünyaya hakim olur." (= He who rules the seas rules the world.)("He", the subject unmentioned in Turkish, must be interpreted here as "they" or "the nation)


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## Selim Yavuz

Ahh, thank you for explaining that. So I see the Turks have a version of their own, interesting. Anyway, thanks alot I appreciate it.


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## dr.izbul

Selim Yavuz said:


> Ahh, thank you for explaining that. So I see the Turks have a version of their own, interesting. Anyway, thanks alot I appreciate it.


 
Oh, I would imagine the saying must be pretty international, with the British probably holding the original copyright, if not phoenecians or some earlier sea-faring people.


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## Volcano

Selim Yavuz said:


> Hello Turkish Gurus, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to translate this originally Greek phrase? The phrase is "Great is the Power of the Country that controls the sea." Which was allegedly uttered by Pericles in one of his speeches. Anyway, I wish it to be rendered into Turkish, if any would do so. Thanks in advance.



*It reminds me the phrase 'Denizleri kontrol eden dünyayı da kontrol eder'.Where did you see this phrase ?*


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## Selim Yavuz

It's in the first paragraph of Wikipedia's article on "The Hellenic Navy," and it's written (in Greek) across the emblem of the Greek Navy. Perhaps there is a similiar phrase used by the Turkish Navy?


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## Volcano

Selim Yavuz said:


> It's in the first paragraph of Wikipedia's article on "The Hellenic Navy," and it's written (in Greek) across the emblem of the Greek Navy. Perhaps there is a similiar phrase used by the Turkish Navy?



*It is "Great is the country that controls the sea".There is not such phrase on the emblem of Turkish Navy.For more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Navy*


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## ateaofimdomar

dr.izbul said:


> Oh, I would imagine the saying must be pretty international, with the British probably holding the original copyright, if not phoenecians or some earlier sea-faring people.


Actually, Selim is right:


Selim Yavuz said:


> It's in the first paragraph of Wikipedia's article on "The Hellenic Navy," and it's written (in Greek) across the emblem of the Greek Navy.



This phrase comes from Thucydides, the Peloponnesian War  (1.143.1), where he recites the war between Athens and Sparta, which lasted from 431 to 404 b.C. 

A translation of this phrase according to the above link is: _the rule of the sea is indeed a great matter_ 
Original Greek text here: *μέγα γὰρ τὸ τῆς θαλάσσης κράτος*

A rough translation in Turkish should be something along the lines of 
_Denizi kotrol etmek büyük bir güçtür._


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## Selim Yavuz

Excellent! Thanks for looking into that for me my friend, and also providing a translation for it. I greatly like that phrase, and wish to use it in Turkish, since I don't even know how it's pronounced in Greek. I am very grateful for your help.


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## tulpan

Selim Yavuz said:


> Hello Turkish Gurus, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to translate this originally Greek phrase? The phrase is "Great is the Power of the Country that controls the sea." Which was allegedly uttered by Pericles in one of his speeches. Anyway, I wish it to be rendered into Turkish, if any would do so. Thanks in advance.


 
I would suggest:

1. Denizi/denizleri kontrol altına alan ülkenin gücü büyüktür.

or

2. Denizi/denizleri hükmü altına alan ülkenin gücü büyüktür.

or

3. Denizi/denizleri kontrol altında tutan ülkenin gücü büyüktür.


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## ateaofimdomar

Hi all,
a correction: in ancient Greek, *κράτος *doesn't mean _state, country_, but *power*. I believe that in Selim's original translation the word was mistaken for its modern meaning, hence the word _country _in the phrase _great is the power of the country that controls the sea. _


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## Selim Yavuz

ateaofimdomar said:


> Hi all,
> a correction: in ancient Greek, *κράτος *doesn't mean _state, country_, but *power*. I believe that in Selim's original translation the word was mistaken for its modern meaning, hence the word _country _in the phrase _great is the power of the country that controls the sea. _


 
Would it then be "Great is the Power of the _Power _that controls the Sea?" That seems rather repetitive, perhaps "power" in that context means a governmental power? Just wondering.


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## ateaofimdomar

Context:

This, I think, is a tolerably fair account of the position of the Peloponnesians; that of Athens is free from the defects that I have criticized in them, and has other advantages of its own, which they can show nothing to equal. If they march against our country we will sail against theirs, and it will then be found that the desolation of the whole of Attica is not the same as that of even a fraction of Peloponnese; for they will not be able to supply the deficiency except by a battle, while we have plenty of land both on the islands and the continent. *The rule of the sea is indeed a great matter*.

*μέγα (great) γὰρ (indeed) τὸ τῆς θαλάσσης (of the sea) κράτος (the rule)* [the verb "is" is implied in this sentence]


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