- 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-grc2:1.133.1-1.133.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-31
This passage describes the grand feasts and dining habits of the Persians, particularly on their birthdays, and details their unique decision-making process where important matters are deliberated twice: once while drunk and once while sober.
ἡμέρην δὲ ἁπασέων μάλιστα ἐκείνην τιμᾶν νομίζουσι τῇ ἕκαστος ἐγένετο. ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ πλέω δαῖτα τῶν ἀλλέων δικαιεῦσι1 προτίθεσθαι· ἐν τῇ οἱ εὐδαίμονες αὐτῶν βοῦν καὶ ἵππον καὶ κάμηλον καὶ ὄνον προτιθέαται ὅλους ὀπτοὺς ἐν καμίνοισι, οἱ δὲ πένητες αὐτῶν τὰ λεπτὰ τῶν προβάτων προτιθέαται.
They are accustomed to honor that day most of all days on which each was born. On this day, they think it right to set out a more abundant feast than on other days; at which the wealthy among them set out an ox, a horse, a camel, and an ass, roasted whole in ovens, while the poor among them set out the smaller kinds of cattle.
σίτοισι δὲ ὀλίγοισι χρέωνται, ἐπιφορήμασι δὲ πολλοῖσι καὶ οὐκ ἁλέσι· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φασὶ Πέρσαι τοὺς Ἕλληνας σιτεομένους πεινῶντας παύεσθαι, ὅτι σφι ἀπὸ δείπνου παραφορέεται οὐδὲν λόγου ἄξιον· εἰ δέ τι παραφέροιτο, ἐσθίοντας ἂν οὐ παύεσθαι.2
They use little solid food, but many desserts, and not all at once; and for this reason the Persians say that the Greeks, when they eat, leave off hungry, because nothing of any account is served to them after the meal; whereas, if anything were served, they would not stop eating.
οἴνῳ δὲ κάρτα προσκέαται, καί σφι οὐκ ἐμέσαι ἔξεστι, οὐκὶ οὐρῆσαι ἀντίον ἄλλου. ταῦτα μέν νυν οὕτω φυλάσσεται, μεθυσκόμενοι δὲ ἐώθασι βουλεύεσθαι τὰ σπουδαιέστατα τῶν πρηγμάτων·
They are very much addicted to wine, and it is not permitted for them to vomit, nor to urinate in the presence of another. Now these customs are observed in this way, but they are accustomed to deliberate on the most important affairs when they are drunk.
τὸ δʼ ἂν ἅδῃ σφι βουλευομένοισι, τοῦτο τῇ ὑστεραίῃ νήφουσι προτιθεῖ ὁ στέγαρχος, ἐν τοῦ ἂν ἐόντες3 βουλεύωνται, καὶ ἢν μὲν ἅδῃ καὶ νήφουσι, χρέωνται αὐτῷ, ἢν δὲμὴ ἅδῃ, μετιεῖσι. τὰ δʼ ἂν νήφοντες προβουλεύσωνται,4 μεθυσκόμενοι ἐπιδιαγινώσκουσι.
And whatever pleases them while they are deliberating, this the master of the house in whose home they happen to be while deliberating proposes to them the next day when they are sober; and if it pleases them when they are sober as well, they adopt it, but if it does not please them, they discard it. Conversely, whatever they pre-deliberate when they are sober, they reconsider when they are drunk.
- 1.133.1δικαιεῦσι
Ionic form of the contracted verb equivalent to Attic δικαιοῦσι ("deem it right", "think it fit"), taking the infinitive προτίθεσθαι as its complement.
- 1.133.2ἂν οὐ παύεσθαι
The apodosis of a conditional sentence in indirect discourse. The direct form οὐκ ἂν παύοιντο (optative + ἄν expressing potentiality, "they would not stop") is changed to an infinitive construction (ἂν + infinitive) dependent on the main verb φασί.
- 1.133.4ἐν τοῦ ἂν ἐόντες
The phrase ἐν τοῦ is an elliptical expression for ἐν τοῦ (οἴκῳ) "in whose house". τοῦ here functions as a relative genitive. ἐόντες (= ὄντες) is the participle meaning "staying/being". ἄν is combined with the subjunctive βουλεύωνται in the relative clause to denote a general or habitual condition.
- 1.133.4προβουλεύσωνται
The prefix προ- ("beforehand", "in advance") indicates that they deliberate and decide on matters beforehand while sober, serving as the prior stage to the subsequent reconsideration while drunk (ἐπιδιαγινώσκουσι).