- 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-grc2:1.210.1-1.210.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
Cyrus suspects Darius of plotting against him based on his vision, but the divinity was actually foreshadowing Cyrus's death and Darius's succession. Hystaspes asserts his loyalty and offers to hand over his son for punishment if he is indeed plotting rebellion.
Κῦρος μὲν δοκέων οἱ Δαρεῖον ἐπιβουλεύειν ἔλεγε τάδε· τῷ1 δὲ ὁ δαίμων προέφαινε ὡς αὐτὸς μὲν τελευτήσειν αὐτοῦ ταύτῃ μέλλοι,2 ἡ δὲ βασιληίη αὐτοῦ περιχωρέοι ἐς Δαρεῖον.
Cyrus spoke these words thinking that Darius was plotting against him; but the divinity was showing him beforehand that he himself was destined to die there in that place, and that his kingdom was to pass to Darius.
ἀμείβεται δὴ ὦν ὁ Ὑστάσπης τοῖσιδε. ὦ βασιλεῦ, μὴ εἴη3 ἀνὴρ Πέρσης γεγονὼς ὅστις τοὶ ἐπιβουλεύσειε, εἰ δʼ ἐστί, ἀπόλοιτο ὡς τάχιστα· ὃς ἀντὶ μὲν δούλων ἐποίησας ἐλευθέρους Πέρσας εἶναι, ἀντὶ δὲ ἄρχεσθαι ὑπʼ ἄλλων ἄρχειν ἁπάντων.
Then Hystaspes answered with these words: “O King, may there be no Persian born who would plot against you, but if there is, may he perish as quickly as possible; you who made the Persians free instead of slaves, and rulers of all instead of being ruled by others.
εἰ δέ τις τοὶ ὄψις ἀπαγγέλλει παῖδα τὸν ἐμὸν νεώτερα4 βουλεύειν περὶ σέο, ἐγώ τοι παραδίδωμι χρᾶσθαι αὐτῷ τοῦτο ὅ τι σὺ βούλεαι.5
And if some vision announces to you that my son is plotting revolutionary designs against you, I deliver him to you to deal with him in whatever way you wish.”
- 1.210.1τῷ
Dative of the demonstrative pronoun referring to Cyrus: "to him" (Cyrus).
- 1.210.1μέλλοι
Verb within the ὡς clause. Since the main verb προέφαινε is in a past tense (imperfect), this verb is in the optative of indirect discourse (oblique optative).
- 1.210.2μὴ εἴη
Optative of wish with the negative particle μὴ, expressing a strong negative wish: "may there not be."
- 1.210.3νεώτερα
Comparative neuter plural of the adjective νέος (new), literally meaning "newer things," but here used as a euphemism for "revolutionary designs" or "rebellion."
- 1.210.3βούλεαι
Second-person singular present middle indicative, the uncontracted Ionic form corresponding to the Attic βούλῃ (or βούλει).