- Source
- Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.126.1-1.126.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-31
Cyrus makes the Persians clear a thorny field on the first day and treats them to a lavish feast on the next, using the contrast to exhort them to revolt from the Medes and gain their freedom.
ὡς δὲ παρῆσαν ἅπαντες ἔχοντες τὸ προειρημένον, ἐνθαῦτα ὁ Κῦρος, ἦν γάρ τις χῶρος τῆς Περσικῆς ἀκανθώδης ὅσον τε ἐπὶ ὀκτωκαίδεκα σταδίους ἢ εἴκοσι πάντῃ,1 τοῦτον σφι τὸν χῶρον προεῖπε ἐξημερῶσαι ἐν ἡμέρῃ.
When they had all arrived, carrying what had been commanded, Cyrus then—for there was a certain thorny district in Persia of about eighteen or twenty stades in every direction—ordered them to clear this district within a day.
ἐπιτελεσάντων δὲ τῶν Περσέων τὸν προκείμενον ἄεθλον, δεύτερα2 σφι προεῖπε ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίην παρεῖναι λελουμένους. ἐν δὲ τούτῳ τά τε αἰπόλια καὶ τὰς ποίμνας καὶ τὰ βουκόλια ὁ Κῦρος πάντα τοῦ πατρὸς συναλίσας ἐς τὠυτὸ ἔθυσε καὶ παρεσκεύαζε ὡς δεξόμενος τὸν Περσέων στρατόν, πρὸς δὲ οἴνῳ τε καὶ σιτίοισι ὡς ἐπιτηδεοτάτοισι.
When the Persians had completed the appointed task, he next ordered them to present themselves on the following day, having bathed. In the meantime, Cyrus, gathering together all his father’s flocks of goats and sheep and herds of cattle into one place, slaughtered them and prepared to entertain the Persian host, and in addition provided wine and the most suitable food.
ἀπικομένους δὲ τῇ ὑστεραίῃ τοὺς Πέρσας κατακλίνας ἐς λειμῶνα εὐώχεε. ἐπείτε δὲ ἀπὸ δείπνου ἦσαν, εἴρετο σφέας ὁ Κῦρος κότερα τὰ τῇ προτεραίῃ εἶχον ἢ τὰ παρεόντα σφι εἴη αἱρετώτερα.
When the Persians arrived on the following day, he made them recline on a meadow and feasted them. When they had finished their meal, Cyrus asked them whether what they had on the previous day or their present circumstances were more desirable to them.
οἳ δὲ ἔφασαν πολλὸν εἶναι αὐτῶν τὸ μέσον· τὴν μὲν γὰρ προτέρην ἡμέρην πάντα σφι κακὰ ἔχειν, τὴν δὲ τότε παρεοῦσαν πάντα ἀγαθά. παραλαβὼν δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ἔπος ὁ Κῦρος παρεγύμνου τὸν πάντα λόγον, λέγων ἄνδρες Πέρσαι, οὕτω ὑμῖν ἔχει. βουλομένοισι μὲν ἐμέο πείθεσθαί ἔστι τάδε τε καὶ ἄλλα μυρία ἀγαθά, οὐδένα πόνον δουλοπρεπέα ἔχουσι,3 μὴ βουλομένοισι δὲ ἐμέο πείθεσθαι4 εἰσὶ ὑμῖν πόνοι τῷ χθιζῷ παραπλήσιοι ἀναρίθμητοι.
They said that there was a vast difference between them; for the previous day held nothing but evils for them, while the present day held all things good. Taking up this reply, Cyrus laid bare his whole design, saying: ”Men of Persia, this is how it stands for you. If you are willing to obey me, you shall have these and countless other good things, without having any slave-like labor; but if you are not willing to obey me, you will have countless labors similar to yesterday’s.
νῦν ὦν ἐμέο πειθόμενοι γίνεσθε ἐλεύθεροι. αὐτός τε γὰρ δοκέω θείῃ τύχῃ γεγονὼς τάδε ἐς χεῖρας ἄγεσθαι, καὶ ὑμέας ἥγημαι ἄνδρας Μήδων εἶναι οὐ φαυλοτέρους οὔτε τἄλλα οὔτε τὰ πολέμια. ὡς ὦν ἐχόντων ὧδε,5 ἀπίστασθε ἀπʼ Ἀστυάγεος τὴν ταχίστην.
Now therefore, by obeying me, become free. For I think myself to have been born by divine providence to take these matters into my hands, and I hold you to be men in no way inferior to the Medes, either in other respects or in war. Since these things are so, revolt from Astyages with all speed.”
- 1.126.1ὅσον τε ἐπὶ ὀκτωκαίδεκα σταδίους ἢ εἴκοσι πάντῃ
The adverbial accusative ὅσον, indicating degree or measure, is combined with the prepositional phrase ἐπί + accusative of spatial extension, and accompanied by πάντῃ ('in every direction'), to describe the approximate extent of the area (about 18 or 20 stades square).
- 1.126.2δεύτερα
The neuter plural accusative (internal accusative) of the adjective δεύτερος, functioning adverbially to mean 'secondly' or 'next'.
- 1.126.5ἔχουσι
This is not the third-person plural present indicative of ἔχω, but the dative plural (masculine/neuter) of the present participle ἔχων. It agrees with the preceding conditional participle βουλομένοισι (dative) and expresses attendant circumstance ('without having...').
- 1.126.5βουλομένοισι μὲν ἐμέο πείθεσθαι
The participle βουλομένοισι expresses condition ('if they wish'). The pronoun ἐμέο is the Ionic genitive form (Attic ἐμοῦ). Although the verb πείθεσθαι ('to obey') normally governs the dative, here it takes the genitive (ἐμέο) due to its semantic closeness to verbs of hearing or listening to someone (ἀκούειν).
- 1.126.6ὡς ὦν ἐχόντων ὧδε
An impersonal genitive absolute construction using the participle of the impersonal phrase ὧδε ἔχει ('things being thus'). It is accompanied by the particle ὡς, which introduces a subjective reason or assumption, meaning 'since things are in this state.'