- 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-grc2:1.83.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-29
Just as the Spartans resolve their conflict with Argos, a herald from Sardis arrives requesting aid for the besieged Croesus. Although they prepare to send help, they call off the expedition upon hearing that Sardis has fallen and Croesus has been captured.
τοιούτων δὲ τοῖσι Σπαρτιήτῃσι ἐνεστεώτων πρηγμάτων1 ἧκε ὁ Σαρδιηνὸς κῆρυξ δεόμενος Κροίσῳ βοηθέειν πολιορκεομένῳ. οἳ δὲ ὅμως, ἐπείτε ἐπύθοντο τοῦ κήρυκος, ὁρμέατο2 βοηθέειν. καί σφι ἤδη παρεσκευασμένοισι καὶ νεῶν ἐουσέων ἑτοίμων3 ἦλθε ἄλλη ἀγγελίη, ὡς ἡλώκοι τὸ τεῖχος τῶν Λυδῶν καὶ ἔχοιτο Κροῖσος ζωγρηθείς.4 οὕτω δὴ οὗτοι μὲν συμφορὴν ποιησάμενοι5 μεγάλην ἐπέπαυντο.
While the Spartans were occupied with such affairs, the herald from Sardis arrived, entreating them to bring aid to Croesus, who was now besieged. Nevertheless, as soon as they heard the herald, they were eager to bring aid. But when they had already made their preparations and their ships were ready, there came another message, that the wall of the Lydians had been taken and Croesus had been captured alive. Thereupon, considering this a great calamity, they desisted.
- 1.83.1τοιούτων δὲ τοῖσι Σπαρτιήτῃσι ἐνεστεώτων πρηγμάτων
The phrase τοιούτων πρηγμάτων ἐνεστεώτων is a genitive absolute construction, where the perfect active participle ἐνεστεώτων (from ἐνίστημι) agrees with πρηγμάτων. The dative τοῖσι Σπαρτιήτῃσι indicates those affected by or involved in these affairs ('pressing upon the Spartans').
- 1.83.1ὁρμέατο
This is the third-person plural pluperfect middle/passive of the verb ὁρμάω, showing the Ionic dialectal ending -ατο instead of the Attic -ντο. Semantically, it functions as an imperfect of endeavor, meaning 'they were set upon' or 'started to prepare' to help.
- 1.83.1παρεσκευασμένοισι καὶ νεῶν ἐουσέων ἑτοίμων
Two different syntactic constructions are coordinated here. The first, ἤδη παρεσκευασμένοισι, is a perfect passive participle in the dative, agreeing with the pronoun σφι. The second, νεῶν ἐουσέων ἑτοίμων, is a genitive absolute. Connecting a dative participle and a genitive absolute with καί to express concurrent circumstances is a stylistic feature of Herodotus.
- 1.83.1ὡς ἡλώκοι τὸ τεῖχος τῶν Λυδῶν καὶ ἔχοιτο Κροῖσος ζωγρηθείς
A noun clause introduced by ὡς reporting indirect speech. Since the main verb ἦλθε is in a past tense (aorist), the verbs in the subordinate clause are put into the optative of indirect speech (optativus obliquus): the perfect optative ἡλώκοι (from ἁλίσκομαι) and the present optative middle ἔχοιτο (from ἔχω).
- 1.83.1συμφορὴν ποιησάμενοι
An idiomatic expression meaning 'regarding (it) as a misfortune' or 'taking (it) as a great calamity.' The middle participle ποιησάμενοι implies taking something to heart as a personal sorrow or disaster.