- 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-grc2:3.110.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
On how the Arabians gather cassia. They cover their entire bodies with skins and gather the cassia while fending off fierce winged creatures that nest in and around a shallow lake.
τὸν μὲν δὴ λιβανωτὸν τοῦτον οὕτω κτῶνται Ἀράβιοι, τὴν δὲ κασίην ὧδε. ἐπεὰν καταδήσωνται βύρσῃσι καὶ δέρμασι ἄλλοισι πᾶν τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον πλὴν αὐτῶν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, ἔρχονται ἐπὶ τὴν κασίην· ἣ δὲ ἐν λίμνῃ φύεται οὐ βαθέῃ, περὶ δὲ αὐτὴν καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ αὐλίζεταί κου θηρία πτερωτά, τῇσι νυκτερίσι προσείκελα μάλιστα, καὶ τέτριγε δεινόν, καὶ ἐς ἀλκὴν ἄλκιμα· τὰ δεῖ ἀπαμυνομένους1 ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν οὕτω δρέπειν τὴν κασίην.
Now, the Arabians obtain this frankincense in this way, but cassia as follows. When they have wrapped their whole body and face, except for their eyes themselves, in ox-hides and other skins, they go after the cassia. This grows in a shallow lake, and around and in it nest certain winged creatures, very like bats, which shriek terribly and are fierce in defense; fending these off from their eyes, they must thus gather the cassia.
- 3.110.1τὰ δεῖ ἀπαμυνομένους
The relative pronoun τὰ (neuter plural accusative) refers to the antecedent θηρία πτερωτά and functions as the direct object of the participle ἀπαμυνομένους. The present participle ἀπαμυνομένους is masculine plural accusative, agreeing with the implied subject of the infinitive δρέπειν (the Arabians) governed by the impersonal verb δεῖ. This accusative-and-infinitive construction expresses 'they must gather [it], fending [them] off'.