- 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-grc2:1.37.1-1.37.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-28
As the Mysians are content with Croesus' reply, his son approaches him and questions why he is being barred from both hunting and war.
ταῦτα ἀμείψατο· ἀποχρεωμένων δὲ τούτοισι τῶν Μυσῶν,1 ἐπεσέρχεται ὁ τοῦ Κροίσου παῖς ἀκηκοὼς τῶν ἐδέοντο2 οἱ Μυσοί. οὐ φαμένου δὲ τοῦ Κροίσου τόν γε παῖδά σφι συμπέμψειν, λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ νεηνίης τάδε.
Thus he answered; and while the Mysians were content with these words, the son of Croesus came in, having heard what the Mysians were requesting. Since Croesus flatly refused to send his son with them, the young man spoke to him as follows:
ὦ πάτερ, τὰ κάλλιστα πρότερον κοτὲ καὶ γενναιότατα ἡμῖν ἦν ἔς τε πολέμους καὶ ἐς ἄγρας φοιτέοντας εὐδοκιμέειν· νῦν δὲ ἀμφοτέρων με τούτων ἀποκληίσας ἔχεις,3 οὔτε τινὰ δειλίην μοι παριδὼν οὔτε ἀθυμίην νῦν τε τέοισί με χρὴ ὄμμασι ἔς τε ἀγορὴν καὶ ἐξ ἀγορῆς φοιτέοντα φαίνεσθαι;
”O father, in former times it was the finest and most noble thing for us to win renown by constantly going to wars and to the chase. But now you keep me locked out from both of these, although you have observed neither cowardice nor lack of spirit in me. And now, with what eyes must I appear when I go to and from the marketplace?
κοῖος μέν τις τοῖσι πολιήτῃσι δόξω εἶναι, κοῖος δέ τις τῇ νεογάμῳ γυναικί; κοίῳ δὲ ἐκείνη δόξει ἀνδρὶ συνοικέειν; ἐμὲ ὦν σὺ ἢ μέτες ἰέναι ἐπὶ τὴν θήρην, ἢ λόγῳ ἀνάπεισον ὅκως μοι ἀμείνω ἐστὶ ταῦτα οὕτω ποιεόμενα.4
What kind of man shall I seem to the citizens, and what kind to my newly married wife? What kind of husband will she think she is living with? Therefore, either let me go to the hunt, or convince me by argument how it is better for me that things are done this way.”
- 1.37.1ἀποχρεωμένων δὲ τούτοισι τῶν Μυσῶν
Genitive absolute construction. The participle ἀποχρεωμένων is the present participle (Ionic form) of ἀποχρέομαι (to be content with, be satisfied), taking the dative τούτοισι ('with these things', referring to Croesus' reply), meaning 'while the Mysians were content with these words'.
- 1.37.1τῶν ἐδέοντο
The relative pronoun (the genitive plural of the article τῶν used as a relative pronoun in the Ionic dialect) is governed in the genitive by the verb ἐδέοντο (imperfect of δέομαι, 'to request, beg'). It means 'the things which they were requesting'.
- 1.37.2ἀποκληίσας ἔχεις
A periphrasis expressing a completed action with lasting results, combining the aorist participle with ἔχω. It emphasizes the continuation of the state ('you keep me locked out') rather than a simple historical perfect.
- 1.37.3ταῦτα οὕτω ποιεόμενα
The subject within the clause introduced by ὅκως (= ὅπως, the conjunction introducing a noun clause meaning 'how' or 'that'). Literally 'these things being done in this way', meaning 'the fact that things are managed in this manner'.