- 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-grc2:1.138.1-1.138.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-31
The passage describes why lying and owing debt are abhorred by the Persians, the exclusion of lepers and white doves, and their profound reverence for rivers.
ἅσσα δέ σφι ποιέειν οὐκ ἔξεστι, ταῦτα οὐδὲ λέγειν ἔξεστι. αἴσχιστον δὲ αὐτοῖσι τὸ ψεύδεσθαι νενόμισται, δεύτερα δὲ τὸ ὀφείλειν χρέος, πολλῶν μὲν καὶ ἄλλων εἵνεκα, μάλιστα δὲ ἀναγκαίην1 φασὶ εἶναι τὸν ὀφείλοντα καί τι ψεῦδος λέγειν. ὃς ἂν δὲ τῶν ἀστῶν λέπρην ἢ λεύκην ἔχῃ, ἐς πόλιν οὗτος οὐ κατέρχεται οὐδὲ συμμίσγεται τοῖσι ἄλλοισι Πέρσῃσι· φασὶ δέ μιν ἐς τὸν ἥλιον ἁμαρτόντα τι ταῦτα ἔχειν.
What things it is not lawful for them to do, these they are not even allowed to speak of. To tell a lie is considered by them to be the most shameful thing, and second to that, to owe a debt, for many other reasons indeed, but especially because they say it is a necessity that the debtor should also tell some lie. Whosoever of the citizens has leprosy or white eruption does not enter into the city, nor does he associate with the other Persians; and they say that he has these because he has committed some sin against the sun.
ξεῖνον δὲ πάντα τὸν λαμβανόμενον ὑπὸ τουτέων2 πολλοὶ ἐξελαύνουσι ἐκ τῆς χώρης, καὶ τὰς λευκὰς περιστεράς, τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίην ἐπιφέροντες. ἐς ποταμὸν δὲ οὔτε ἐνουρέουσι οὔτε ἐμπτύουσι, οὐ χεῖρας ἐναπονίζονται, οὐδὲ ἄλλον οὐδένα περιορῶσι,3 ἀλλὰ σέβονται ποταμοὺς μάλιστα.
And any stranger who is caught by these diseases, many drive him out of the country, and also white doves, bringing the same charge against them. And any stranger who is caught by these diseases, many drive him out of the country, and also white doves, bringing the same charge against them. They neither urinate nor spit into a river, nor do they wash their hands in it, nor do they allow anyone else to do so, but they revere rivers most of all. They neither urinate nor spit into a river, nor do they wash their hands in it, nor do they allow anyone else to do so, but they revere rivers most of all.
- 1.138.1ἀναγκαίην
ἀναγκαίην is the Ionic accusative form of the noun ἀναγκαίη (corresponding to Attic ἀνάγκη). It serves as the subject or predicate in the accusative-and-infinitive construction with εἶναι introduced by φασί, with its contents specified by the subsequent infinitive clause.
- 1.138.2τὸν λαμβανόμενον ὑπὸ τουτέων
The genitive plural demonstrative τουτέων (Ionic for τούτων) refers to the two skin diseases mentioned in the previous sentence. Combined with the passive participle λαμβανόμενον and the preposition ὑπὸ, the phrase means 'the one being caught/seized by these [diseases]'.
- 1.138.2οὐδὲ ἄλλον οὐδένα περιορῶσι
The verb περιοράω ('to overlook, permit') typically takes a participle (such as ποιέοντα 'doing so') to complete its meaning, which is omitted here as understood from the context. It means 'nor do they allow anyone else [to do so]'.