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§1.38.1-1.38.2

Croesus Explains the Prophetic Dream of the Spear

Croesus explains to his son that he restricts his activities because of a dream predicting the son's death by an iron spear, and that he must protect his only viable heir.

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§1.38.1

ἀμείβεται Κροῖσος τοῖσιδε. ὦ παῖ, οὔτε δειλίην οὔτε ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἄχαρι παριδών, τοι ποιέω ταῦτα, ἀλλά μοι ὄψις ὀνείρου ἐν τῷ ὕπνῳ ἐπιστᾶσα ἔφη σε ὀλιγοχρόνιον ἔσεσθαι· ὑπὸ γὰρ αἰχμῆς σιδηρέης ἀπολέεσθαι.1

​Croesus answered with these words: “O my son, it is not because I have observed cowardice or any other unseemly thing in you that I do this; rather, a vision of a dream standing over me in my sleep told me that you would be short-lived, for you would perish by an iron spearpoint.

§1.38.2

πρὸς ὧν τὴν ὄψιν ταύτην τόν τε γάμον τοι τοῦτον ἔσπευσα καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ παραλαμβανόμενα οὐκ ἀποπέμπω, φυλακὴν ἔχων, εἴ κως δυναίμην2 ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμῆς σε ζόης διακλέψαι. εἷς γὰρ μοι μοῦνος τυγχάνεις ἐὼν παῖς· τὸν γὰρ δὴ ἕτερον διεφθαρμένον τὴν ἀκοὴν3 οὐκ εἶναί μοι λογίζομαι.

​Therefore, in view of this vision, I hastened this marriage for you and do not send you out to the tasks now at hand, keeping guard if by some means I might be able to steal you away from fate during my own lifetime. For you happen to be my only son; as for the other, who is impaired in his hearing, I do not reckon him as existing for me.”

Syntax notes3 items
  1. 1.38.1ἀπολέεσθαι

    Future middle infinitive of ἀπόλλυμι (Ionic form for Attic ἀπολεῖσθαι). It functions as part of the indirect discourse introduced by the preceding ἔφη, continuing to state the content of the dream's prophecy: 'that you would perish (by an iron spearpoint).'

  2. 1.38.2εἴ κως δυναίμην

    The conjunction εἴ followed by the optative (δυναίμην) expresses expectation, trial, or a tentative purpose ('if by some means I might be able to'). The particle κως is the Ionic form corresponding to Attic πως (somehow, by some means).

  3. 1.38.2διεφθαρμένον τὴν ἀκοὴν

    τὴν ἀκοὴν is an accusative of specification (or respect) modifying the perfect passive participle διεφθαρμένον (impaired, ruined), meaning 'impaired with respect to hearing,' i.e., 'deaf.'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.38.1-1.38.2