- 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-grc2:3.1.1-3.1.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The background of Cambyses' expedition to Egypt is explained, involving an Egyptian eye-doctor's grudge and the discovery of Amasis's deception in sending Nitetis, the daughter of the former king Apries, as his own daughter.
ἐπὶ τοῦτον δὴ τὸν Ἄμασιν Καμβύσης ὁ Κύρου ἐστρατεύετο, ἄγων καί ἄλλους τῶν ἦρχε καὶ Ἑλλήνων Ἴωνάς τε καὶ Αἰολέας, διʼ αἰτίην τοιήνδε. πέμψας Καμβύσης ἐς Αἴγυπτον κήρυκα αἴτεε Ἄμασιν θυγατέρα,1 αἴτεε δὲ ἐκ βουλῆς ἀνδρὸς Αἰγυπτίου, ὃς μεμφόμενος Ἄμασιν ἔπρηξε ταῦτα ὅτι μιν ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἰητρῶν ἀποσπάσας ἀπὸ γυναικός τε καὶ τέκνων ἔκδοτον ἐποίησε ἐς Πέρσας, ὅτε Κῦρος πέμψας παρὰ Ἄμασιν αἴτεε ἰητρὸν ὀφθαλμῶν ὃς εἴη ἄριστος τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ.
Against this very Amasis, Cambyses the son of Cyrus made an expedition, leading both others of those whom he ruled and, of the Greeks, both Ionians and Aeolians, for the following reason. Cambyses, having sent a herald to Egypt, asked Amasis for his daughter; and he asked by the advice of an Egyptian man, who, bearing a grudge against Amasis, did this because he had torn him away from his wife and children out of all the physicians in Egypt and delivered him up to the Persians, when Cyrus had sent to Amasis and asked for an eye-doctor who was the best of those in Egypt.
ταῦτα δὴ ἐπιμεμφόμενος ὁ Αἰγύπτιος ἐνῆγε τῇ συμβουλῇ κελεύων αἰτέειν τὸν Καμβύσεα Ἄμασιν θυγατέρα, ἵνα ἢ δοὺς ἀνιῷτο ἢ μὴ δοὺς Καμβύσῃ ἀπέχθοιτο. ὁ δὲ Ἄμασις τῇ δυνάμι τῶν Περσέων ἀχθόμενος καὶ ἀρρωδέων οὐκ εἶχε οὔτε δοῦναι οὔτε ἀρνήσασθαι·2 εὖ γὰρ ἠπίστατο ὅτι οὐκ ὡς γυναῖκά μιν ἔμελλε Καμβύσης ἕξειν ἀλλʼ ὡς παλλακήν.
Resenting this very thing, the Egyptian urged Cambyses with this advice, bidding him to ask Amasis for his daughter, so that either by giving her he might be grieved, or by not giving her he might become hated by Cambyses. But Amasis, distressed by and fearing the power of the Persians, was able neither to give nor to refuse; for he knew well that Cambyses was not going to have her as a wife, but as a concubine.
ταῦτα δὴ ἐκλογιζόμενος ἐποίησε τάδε. ἦν Ἀπρίεω τοῦ προτέρου βασιλέος θυγάτηρ κάρτα μεγάλη τε καὶ εὐειδὴς μούνη τοῦ οἴκου λελειμμένη, οὔνομα δέ οἱ ἦν Νίτητις· ταύτην δὴ τὴν παῖδα ὁ Ἄμασις κοσμήσας ἐσθῆτί τε καὶ χρυσῷ ἀποπέμπει ἐς Πέρσας ὡς ἑωυτοῦ θυγατέρα.
Calculating these things, he did as follows. There was a daughter of Apries, the former king, very tall and beautiful, the only one left of his house, and her name was Nitetis; this maiden Amasis, having adorned with clothing and gold, sent away to Persia as his own daughter.
μετὰ δὲ χρόνον ὥς μιν ἠσπάζετο πατρόθεν ὀνομάζων, λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ παῖς ὦ βασιλεῦ, διαβεβλημένος ὑπὸ Ἀμάσιος οὐ μανθάνεις.3 ὃς ἐμὲ σοὶ κόσμῳ ἀσκήσας ἀπέπεμψε ὡς ἑωυτοῦ θυγατέρα διδούς, ἐοῦσαν τῇ ἀληθείῃ Ἀπρίεω,4 τὸν ἐκεῖνος ἐόντα ἑωυτοῦ δεσπότεα μετʼ Αἰγυπτίων ἐπαναστὰς ἐφόνευσε.5
And after some time, as he welcomed her, calling her by her father’s name, the maiden said to him: “O King, you do not realize that you have been deceived by Amasis. He, having adorned me with ornaments, sent me to you, giving me as his own daughter, though I am in truth the daughter of Apries, whom he, though he was his master, rose up against with the Egyptians and murdered.”
τοῦτο δὴ τὸ ἔπος καὶ αὕτη ἡ αἰτίη ἐγγενομένη ἤγαγε Καμβύσεα τὸν Κύρου μεγάλως θυμωθέντα ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον.
This word and this cause arising led Cambyses the son of Cyrus, greatly angered, against Egypt.
- 3.1.1αἴτεε Ἄμασιν θυγατέρα
The verb αἰτέω (to ask, demand) takes a double accusative: the person asked (Ἄμασιν) and the thing asked for (θυγατέρα).
- 3.1.2οὐκ εἶχε οὔτε δοῦναι οὔτε ἀρνήσασθαι
The verb ἔχω followed by an infinitive means "to be able to," and here with the negative οὐκ it means "was not able either to give or to refuse."
- 3.1.4διαβεβλημένος ὑπὸ Ἀμάσιος οὐ μανθάνεις
The verb μανθάνω (to understand, realize) takes a supplementary participle to mean "to realize that one is..."; here with the negative, it means "you do not realize that you have been deceived." The participle διαβεβλημένος is in the nominative, agreeing with the subject.
- 3.1.4ἐοῦσαν τῇ ἀληθείῃ Ἀπρίεω
The circumstantial participle ἐοῦσαν (being) is feminine accusative singular, modifying ἐμέ (me) from the preceding clause. The genitive of the proper name Ἀπρίεω (of Apries) implies the omission of the noun θυγατέρα (daughter), meaning "being in truth the daughter of Apries."
- 3.1.4τὸν ἐκεῖνος ἐόντα ἑωυτοῦ δεσπότεα μετʼ Αἰγυπτίων ἐπαναστὰς ἐφόνευσε
The relative pronoun τὸν is in the accusative, referring back to the antecedent Ἀπρίεω (Apries). The participle ἐόντα (being) agrees with τὸν in the accusative, expressing a concessive sense: "although he (Apries) was his (Amasis's) master."