- 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-grc2:1.58.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-29
The author presents his view that while the Hellenic nation maintained the same language from its origin and grew by absorbing other peoples, the barbarian Pelasgian nation never achieved significant growth.
τὸ δὲ Ἑλληνικὸν γλώσσῃ μὲν ἐπείτε ἐγένετο αἰεί κοτε τῇ αὐτῇ διαχρᾶται,1 ὡς ἐμοὶ καταφαίνεται εἶναι· ἀποσχισθὲν μέντοι ἀπὸ τοῦ Πελασγικοῦ ἐόν ἀσθενές, ἀπό σμικροῦ τεο τὴν ἀρχὴν2 ὁρμώμενον αὔξηται ἐς πλῆθος τῶν ἐθνέων, Πελασγῶν μάλιστα προσκεχωρηκότων αὐτῷ καὶ ἄλλων ἐθνέων βαρβάρων συχνῶν.3 πρόσθε δὲ ὦν ἔμοιγε δοκέει οὐδὲ τὸ Πελασγικὸν ἔθνος, ἐὸν βάρβαρον, οὐδαμὰ μεγάλως αὐξηθῆναι.4
The Hellenic nation, on the other hand, has always used the same language ever since it came into being, as it appears to me to be the case. However, having split off from the Pelasgian nation, being weak and starting from a small beginning, it has grown into a multitude of nations, especially since Pelasgians and many other barbarian nations joined them. Previously, indeed, it seems to me that not even the Pelasgian nation, being barbarian, ever grew to any great size.
- 1.58.1διαχρᾶται
Third-person singular present middle-passive of διαχράομαι, showing the Ionic contraction (-αεται to -ᾶται). It takes the dative complement γλώσσῃ... τῇ αὐτῇ ("the same language").
- 1.58.1τὴν ἀρχὴν
Adverbial accusative meaning "at the beginning" or "originally", modifying the participle ὁρμώμενον ("starting").
- 1.58.1Πελασγῶν μάλιστα προσκεχωρηκότων αὐτῷ καὶ ἄλλων ἐθνέων βαρβάρων συχνῶν
Genitive absolute construction. The logical subjects are Πελασγῶν and ἄλλων ἐθνέων, modifying the perfect active participle προσκεχωρηκότων. It expresses the cause or reason ("especially because... joined them") for the main verb αὔξηται.
- 1.58.1αὐξηθῆναι
Aorist passive infinitive of αὐξάνω with an intransitive sense ("to grow"). It functions as part of an accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction dependent on the impersonal verb δοκέει, with οὐδὲ τὸ Πελασγικὸν ἔθνος serving as its subject accusative.