- 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-grc2:1.31.1-1.31.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-28
Solon names Cleobis and Biton of Argos as the second most happy, recounting the story of how they dragged their mother's carriage to the festival themselves and afterwards received a peaceful, glorious death in the temple.
ὣς δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Τέλλον προετρέψατο1 ὁ Σόλων τὸν Κροῖσον εἴπας πολλά τε καὶ ὀλβία, ἐπειρώτα τίνα δεύτερον μετʼ ἐκεῖνον ἴδοι, δοκέων πάγχυ δευτερεῖα γῶν οἴσεσθαι. ὃ δʼ εἶπε Κλέοβίν τε καὶ Βίτωνα.
When Solon had thus stimulated Croesus by speaking of the affairs of Tellus as many and happy, Croesus asked whom he had seen as second after him, expecting that he would surely win at least the second place. But Solon said: “Cleobis and Biton.”
τούτοισι γὰρ ἐοῦσι γένος Ἀργείοισι βίος τε ἀρκέων ὑπῆν, καὶ πρὸς τούτῳ ῥώμη σώματος τοιήδε· ἀεθλοφόροι τε ἀμφότεροι ὁμοίως ἦσαν, καὶ δὴ καὶ λέγεται ὅδε ὁ λόγος. ἐούσης ὁρτῆς τῇ Ἥρῃ τοῖσι Ἀργείοισι ἔδεε πάντως τὴν μητέρα αὐτῶν ζεύγεϊ κομισθῆναι ἐς τὸ ἱρόν, οἱ δέ σφι βόες ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ οὐ παρεγίνοντο ἐν ὥρῃ· ἐκκληιόμενοι δὲ τῇ ὥρῃ2 οἱ νεηνίαι ὑποδύντες αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ τὴν ζεύγλην εἷλκον τὴν ἅμαξαν, ἐπὶ τῆς ἁμάξης δέ σφι ὠχέετο ἡ μήτηρ· σταδίους δὲ πέντε καὶ τεσσεράκοντα διακομίσαντες ἀπίκοντο ἐς τὸ ἱρόν.
For to these, being Argive by race, a sufficient livelihood was available, and in addition to this, such strength of body: both were equally prize-winners, and moreover, this story is told. When there was a festival for Hera among the Argives, it was absolutely necessary for their mother to be carried in a carriage to the temple, but their oxen did not arrive from the field in time. Being shut out by the time, the young men themselves, slipping under the yoke, dragged the wagon, and on the wagon their mother was carried; and having conveyed her forty-five stades, they arrived at the temple.
ταῦτα δέ σφι ποιήσασι καὶ ὀφθεῖσι ὑπὸ τῆς πανηγύριος τελευτὴ τοῦ βίου ἀρίστη ἐπεγένετο, διέδεξέ τε ἐν τούτοισι ὁ θεὸς ὡς ἄμεινον εἴη ἀνθρώπῳ τεθνάναι μᾶλλον ἢ ζώειν. Ἀργεῖοι μὲν γὰρ περιστάντες ἐμακάριζον τῶν νεηνιέων τὴν ῥώμην, αἱ δὲ Ἀργεῖαι τὴν μητέρα αὐτῶν, οἵων τέκνων ἐκύρησε·
When they had done these things and had been seen by the assembly, a most excellent end of life came upon them, and in these the god showed clearly that it is better for a human being to be dead rather than to live. For the Argive men, standing around, blessed the strength of the young men, and the Argive women blessed their mother for having obtained such children.
ἡ δὲ μήτηρ περιχαρής ἐοῦσα τῷ τε ἔργῳ καὶ τῇ φήμῃ, στᾶσα ἀντίον τοῦ ἀγάλματος εὔχετο Κλεόβι τε καὶ Βίτωνι τοῖσι ἑωυτῆς τέκνοισι, οἵ μιν ἐτίμησαν μεγάλως, τὴν θεὸν δοῦναι τὸ ἀνθρώπῳ τυχεῖν ἄριστον ἐστί.3
And the mother, being overjoyed at both the deed and the praise, standing before the image, prayed for Cleobis and Biton, her own children who had honored her greatly, that the goddess would give them what is best for a human being to obtain.
μετὰ ταύτην δὲ τὴν εὐχὴν ὡς ἔθυσάν τε καὶ εὐωχήθησαν, κατακοιμηθέντες ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἱρῷ οἱ νεηνίαι οὐκέτι ἀνέστησαν ἀλλʼ ἐν τέλεϊ τούτῳ ἔσχοντο. Ἀργεῖοι δὲ σφέων εἰκόνας ποιησάμενοι ἀνέθεσαν ἐς Δελφοὺς ὡς ἀριστῶν γενομένων.
After this prayer, when they had sacrificed and feasted, the young men, lying down to sleep in the temple itself, never rose again, but were held in this end. And the Argives made statues of them and dedicated them at Delphi, as having been the best of men.
- 1.31.1προετρέψατο
Third-person singular aorist indicative middle of the verb προτρέπω (to urge on, stimulate, provoke). Here it functions in the sense that Solon's words "stimulated" or "provoked" Croesus into asking the next question. The middle voice emphasizes the subject's active involvement or interest in the action.
- 1.31.2ἐκκληιόμενοι δὲ τῇ ὥρῃ
Present passive participle of the verb ἐκκλείω (to shut out). Literally "being shut out by the time," which in this context functions as an idiomatic expression meaning "being hard pressed by time" or "since time was running out." It is modified by the dative of cause/means τῇ ὥρῃ.
- 1.31.4τὸ ἀνθρώπῳ τυχεῖν ἄριστον ἐστί
A relative clause acting as the direct object of the accusative-with-infinitve construction τὴν θεὸν δοῦναι (that the goddess would give) which expresses the content of the prayer. The neuter singular article τό is combined with the infinitive τυχεῖν, followed predicatively by ἄριστον ἐστί (is best), forming a noun phrase meaning "that which is best for a human being to obtain." τυχεῖν is a second aorist infinitive taking the dative ἀνθρώπῳ as its subject of reference.