- 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-grc2:1.207.1-1.207.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-02
Croesus opposes the advice of the Persian chiefs, warning Cyrus of the wheel of human fortune, and proposes a plan to cross the river and decoy the Massagetae with a lavish feast.
παρεὼν δὲ καὶ μεμφόμενος τὴν γνώμην ταύτην Κροῖσος ὁ Λυδὸς ἀπεδείκνυτο ἐναντίην τῇ προκειμένῃ γνώμῃ, λέγων τάδε. ὦ βασιλεῦ, εἶπον μὲν καὶ πρότερόν τοι ὅτι ἐπεί με Ζεὺς ἔδωκέ τοι, τὸ ἂν ὁρῶ1 σφάλμα ἐὸν οἴκῳ τῷ σῷ κατὰ δύναμιν ἀποτρέψειν·2 τὰ δὲ μοι παθήματα ἐόντα ἀχάριτα μαθήματα γέγονε.
Croesus the Lydian, being present and blaming this opinion, declared an opinion opposite to the one proposed, saying as follows: “O King, I told you even before that, since Zeus gave me to you, whatever error I see coming to your house, I will avert it to the best of my power. And my sufferings, though they were unwelcome, have become my lessons.
εἰ μὲν ἀθάνατος δοκέεις εἶναι καὶ στρατιῆς τοιαύτης ἄρχειν, οὐδὲν ἂν εἴη πρῆγμα3 γνώμας ἐμὲ σοὶ ἀποφαίνεσθαι· εἰ δʼ ἔγνωκας ὅτι ἄνθρωπος καὶ σὺ εἶς καὶ ἑτέρων τοιῶνδε ἄρχεις, ἐκεῖνο πρῶτον μάθε, ὡς κύκλος τῶν ἀνθρωπηίων ἐστὶ πρηγμάτων, περιφερόμενος δὲ οὐκ ἐᾷ αἰεὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς εὐτυχέειν.
If indeed you think that you are immortal and that you rule such an army, there would be no need for me to declare my opinions to you; but if you have recognized that you too are a human being and that you rule others who are such, learn this first: that there is a wheel of human affairs, and as it turns, it does not allow the same men always to be prosperous.
ἤδη ὦν ἔχω γνώμην περὶ τοῦ προκειμένου πρήγματος τὰ ἔμπαλιν ἢ οὗτοι. εἰ γὰρ ἐθελήσομεν ἐσδέξασθαι τοὺς πολεμίους ἐς τὴν χώρην, ὅδε τοι ἐν αὐτῷ κίνδυνος ἔνι· ἑσσωθεὶς μὲν προσαπολλύεις πᾶσαν τὴν ἀρχήν. δῆλα γὰρ δὴ ὅτι νικῶντες Μασσαγέται οὐ τὸ ὀπίσω φεύξονται ἀλλʼ ἐπʼ ἀρχὰς τὰς σὰς ἐλῶσι.
Now, therefore, I hold an opinion concerning the proposed matter which is the opposite of theirs. For if we are willing to receive the enemy into our country, this danger is inherent in it: if you are defeated, you destroy your entire empire in addition. For it is clear that, if they conquer, the Massagetae will not flee backward, but will march against your dominions.
νικῶν δὲ οὐ νικᾷς τοσοῦτον ὅσον εἰ διαβὰς ἐς τὴν ἐκείνων, νικῶν Μασσαγέτας, ἕποιο4 φεύγουσι. τὠυτὸ γὰρ ἀντιθήσω ἐκείνῳ, ὅτι νικήσας τοὺς ἀντιουμένους ἐλᾷς ἰθὺ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς Τομύριος.
And if you conquer, you do not conquer as much as if, having crossed over into their country, conquering the Massagetae, you should pursue them as they flee. For I will set the very same thing against that: that, having conquered those who oppose you, you will march straight for the empire of Tomyris.
χωρίς τε τοῦ ἀπηγημένου αἰσχρὸν καὶ οὐκ ἀνασχετὸν Κῦρόν γε τὸν Καμβύσεω γυναικὶ εἴξαντα ὑποχωρῆσαι τῆς χώρης. νῦν ὦν μοι δοκέει διαβάντας προελθεῖν ὅσον ἂν ἐκεῖνοι ὑπεξίωσι, ἐνθεῦτεν δὲ τάδε ποιεῦντας πειρᾶσθαι ἐκείνων περιγενέσθαι.
And apart from what has been said, it is shameful and not to be endured that Cyrus, the son of Cambyses, yielding to a woman, should retreat from his own country. Now, therefore, my opinion is that, having crossed over, we should advance as far as they withdraw, and from there, by doing the following, try to overcome them.
ὡς γὰρ ἐγὼ πυνθάνομαι, Μασσαγέται εἰσὶ ἀγαθῶν τε Περσικῶν ἄπειροι καὶ καλῶν μεγάλων ἀπαθέες. τούτοισι ὦν τοῖσι ἀνδράσι τῶν προβάτων ἀφειδέως πολλὰ κατακόψαντας καὶ σκευάσαντας προθεῖναι5 ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ τῷ ἡμετέρῳ δαῖτα, πρὸς δὲ καὶ κρητῆρας ἀφειδέως οἴνου ἀκρήτου καὶ σιτία παντοῖα·
For as I learn, the Massagetae are unacquainted with Persian good things and have no experience of great luxuries. For these men, therefore, having slaughtered and prepared many of our sheep without stint, we should set out a feast in our camp, and in addition, bowls of unmixed wine without stint, and food of all kinds;
ποιήσαντας δὲ ταῦτα, ὑπολιπομένους τῆς στρατιῆς τὸ φλαυρότατον, τοὺς λοιποὺς αὖτις ἐξαναχωρέειν ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμόν. ἢν γὰρ ἐγὼ γνώμης μὴ ἁμάρτω, κεῖνοι ἰδόμενοι ἀγαθὰ πολλὰ τρέψονταί τε πρὸς αὐτὰ καὶ ἡμῖν τὸ ἐνθεῦτεν λείπεται ἀπόδεξις ἔργων μεγάλων.
and having done this, leaving behind the most worthless part of our army, the rest of us should withdraw back to the river. For if I do not err in my judgment, when they see so many good things, they will turn to them, and for us, after that, there remains the display of great deeds.”
- 1.207.1τὸ ἂν ὁρῶ
The definite article τὸ functions here as a relative pronoun (equivalent to ὃ), which, combined with the particle ἂν and the subjunctive ὁρῶ, forms a general relative clause meaning "whatever I see."
- 1.207.1ὅτι ἐπεί με Ζεὺς ἔδωκέ τοι, τὸ ἂν ὁρῶ σφάλμα ἐὸν οἴκῳ τῷ σῷ κατὰ δύναμιν ἀποτρέψειν
A hybrid construction of indirect speech within the ὅτι clause, where the future infinitive ἀποτρέψειν is used instead of a finite verb (which would normally be in the indicative or optative mood).
- 1.207.2οὐδὲν ἂν εἴη πρῆγμα
An impersonal expression meaning "there would be no need" or "it would be of no purpose." The following infinitive clause (ἐμὲ σοὶ ἀποφαίνεσθαι) functions as the logical subject.
- 1.207.4ἕποιο
The second-person singular present optative of ἕπομαι. It functions as a potential optative in a hypothetical comparison ("as if you were to pursue"), serving as the apodosis of an implied conditional clause without the particle ἂν.
- 1.207.6προθεῖναι
The first in a sequence of infinitives (including ἐξαναχωρέειν in 207.7) depending on "μοι δοκέει" ("it seems to me best to...") in 207.5. The implied subject "we" is indicated by the accusative plurals of the participles κατακόψαντας and σκευάσαντας.