- 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-grc2:1.60.1-1.60.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-29
Megacles, facing difficulties in the factional struggle against Lycurgus, proposes an alliance with the exiled Pisistratus on the condition of marriage to his daughter. They execute a plan to dress a tall woman named Phye as the goddess Athena in a chariot, deceiving the Athenians into believing that the goddess herself is bringing Pisistratus back.
μετὰ δὲ οὐ πολλὸν χρόνον τὠυτὸ φρονήσαντες οἵ τε τοῦ Μεγακλέος στασιῶται καὶ οἱ τοῦ Λυκούργου ἐξελαύνουσί μιν. οὕτω μὲν Πεισίστρατος ἔσχε τὸ πρῶτον Ἀθήνας, καὶ τὴν τυραννίδα οὔκω κάρτα ἐρριζωμένην ἔχων ἀπέβαλε. οἳ δὲ ἐξελάσαντες Πεισίστρατον αὖτις ἐκ νέης ἐπʼ ἀλλήλοισι ἐστασίασαν.
Not long after, however, the partisans of Megacles and those of Lycurgus, having come to the same mind, drove him out. In this way Pisistratus first obtained Athens, but lost the tyranny before it was yet firmly rooted. And those who had driven out Pisistratus began to wage faction against one another once anew.
περιελαυνόμενος δὲ τῇ στάσι ὁ Μεγακλέης ἐπεκηρυκεύετο Πεισιστράτῳ, εἰ βούλοιτό οἱ1 τὴν θυγατέρα ἔχειν γυναῖκα ἐπὶ τῇ τυραννίδι.
Megacles, being hard pressed by the faction, sent a message to Pisistratus, asking if he would be willing to take his daughter as a wife on condition of receiving the tyranny.
ἐνδεξαμένου δὲ τὸν λόγον καὶ ὁμολογήσαντος ἐπὶ τούτοισι Πεισιστράτου, μηχανῶνται δὴ ἐπὶ τῇ κατόδῳ πρῆγμα εὐηθέστατον, ὡς ἐγὼ εὑρίσκω, μακρῷ, ἐπεί γε2 ἀπεκρίθη ἐκ παλαιτέρου τοῦ βαρβάρου ἔθνεος τὸ Ἑλληνικὸν ἐὸν καὶ δεξιώτερον καὶ εὐηθείης ἠλιθίου ἀπηλλαγμένον μᾶλλον, εἰ καὶ τότε γε οὗτοι ἐν Ἀθηναίοισι τοῖσι πρώτοισι λεγομένοισι εἶναι Ἑλλήνων σοφίην μηχανῶνται τοιάδε.
Pisistratus having accepted the proposal and agreed on these terms, they devised for his return a plan which is, as far as I can find, by far the most foolish; since the Greek nation has of old been distinguished from the barbarian as being both more clever and more free from silly foolishness, and yet even then these men devised such things among the Athenians, who are said to be the first of the Greeks in wisdom.
ἐν τῷ δήμῳ τῷ Παιανιέι ἦν γυνὴ τῇ οὔνομα ἦν Φύη, μέγαθος ἀπὸ τεσσέρων πηχέων ἀπολείπουσα τρεῖς δακτύλους3 καὶ ἄλλως εὐειδής· ταύτην τὴν γυναῖκα σκευάσαντες πανοπλίῃ, ἐς ἅρμα ἐσβιβάσαντες καὶ προδέξαντες σχῆμα οἷόν τι ἔμελλε εὐπρεπέστατον φανέεσθαι ἔχουσα,4 ἤλαυνον ἐς τὸ ἄστυ, προδρόμους κήρυκας προπέμψαντες· οἳ τὰ ἐντεταλμένα ἠγόρευον ἀπικόμενοι ἐς τὸ ἄστυ, λέγοντες τοιάδε·
There was in the Paeanian deme a woman whose name was Phye, lacking three fingers’ breadth of four cubits in height, and otherwise well-favored. Having equipped this woman in full armor, and having placed her in a chariot, and having previously shown her the posture in which she was likely to appear most graceful, they drove into the city, having sent ahead runners as heralds, who, upon arriving in the city, proclaimed what was commanded, saying as follows:
ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, δέκεσθε ἀγαθῷ νόῳ Πεισίστρατον, τὸν αὐτὴ ἡ Ἀθηναίη τιμήσασα ἀνθρώπων μάλιστα κατάγει ἐς τὴν ἑωυτῆς ἀκρόπολιν. οἳ μὲν δὴ ταῦτα διαφοιτέοντες ἔλεγον· αὐτίκα δὲ ἔς τε τοὺς δήμους φάτις ἀπίκετο ὡς Ἀθηναίη Πεισίστρατον κατάγει, καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ ἄστεϊ πειθόμενοι τὴν γυναῖκα εἶναι αὐτὴν τὴν θεὸν προσεύχοντό τε τὴν ἄνθρωπον καὶ ἐδέκοντο Πεισίστρατον.
”O Athenians, receive Pisistratus with a friendly mind, whom Athena herself, honoring him most of all men, is bringing back to her own acropolis.” These went about dispersing and saying this; and immediately a rumor reached the demes that Athena was bringing back Pisistratus, and those in the city, believing the woman to be the goddess herself, worshipped the human being and received Pisistratus.
- 1.60.2οἱ
The dative pronoun οἱ acts as an indirect reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject Megacles, functioning as a dative of possession modifying τὴν θυγατέρα ("his own daughter").
- 1.60.3ἐπεί γε ... εἰ καὶ τότε γε
A complex concessive contrast. ἐπεί γε introduces a general premise (that the Greek nation is wiser), while εἰ καὶ τότε γε ("since even then") contrastively emphasizes that such a foolish thing was devised among the Athenians, reinforcing the author's judgment in the main clause, εὐηθέστατον ("most foolish").
- 1.60.4ἀπὸ τεσσέρων πηχέων ἀπολείπουσα τρεῖς δακτύλους
An expression of measurement. The active participle ἀπολείπουσα ("falling short of") takes the measure of deficiency τρεῖς δακτύλους ("three fingers' breadth") in the accusative against the starting point ἀπὸ τεσσέρων πηχέων ("from four cubits"), indicating Phye's height was slightly under four cubits (approx. 174 cm).
- 1.60.4προδέξαντες σχῆμα οἷόν τι ἔμελλε εὐπρεπέστατον φανέεσθαι ἔχουσα
A complex relative clause construction. The nominative participle ἔχουσα ("holding/maintaining [the posture]") agrees with the implied subject (the woman) within the relative clause introduced by οἷον. This forms the meaning: "having previously shown her the posture in which, when she held it, she was likely to appear most graceful." The participle προδέξαντες means "having shown beforehand/instructed."
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 1