- 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-grc2:3.127.1-3.127.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
After gaining power, Darius desires to punish Oroetes but seeks a solution through wisdom rather than force, calling upon prominent Persians to capture or kill him.
Δαρεῖος δὲ ὡς ἔσχε τὴν ἀρχήν, ἐπεθύμεε τὸν Ὀροίτεα τίσασθαι πάντων τῶν ἀδικημάτων εἵνεκεν καὶ μάλιστα Μιτροβάτεω καὶ τοῦ παιδός. ἐκ μὲν δὴ τῆς ἰθέης στρατὸν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐδόκεε1 πέμπειν ἅτε οἰδεόντων ἔτι τῶν πρηγμάτων,2 καὶ νεωστὶ ἔχων τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὸν Ὀροίτεα μεγάλην τὴν ἰσχὺν πυνθανόμενος ἔχειν· τὸν χίλιοι μὲν Περσέων ἐδορυφόρεον, εἶχε δὲ νομὸν τόν τε Φρύγιον καὶ Λύδιον καὶ Ἰωνικόν.
When Darius obtained the kingdom, he desired to take vengeance on Oroetes for all his wrongdoings, and especially for Mitrobates and his son. He did not think it best to send an army against him openly, since affairs were still unstable, and because he himself had only recently held the power, while he heard that Oroetes had great strength; for a thousand Persians served as his bodyguard, and he held the Phrygian, Lydian, and Ionian satrapies.
πρὸς ταῦτα δὴ ὦν ὁ Δαρεῖος τάδε ἐμηχανήσατο. συγκαλέσας Περσέων τοὺς δοκιμωτάτους ἔλεγέ σφι τάδε. ὦ Πέρσαι, τίς ἄν μοι τοῦτο ὑμέων ὑποστὰς ἐπιτελέσειε3 σοφίῃ καὶ μὴ βίῃ τε καὶ ὁμίλῳ; ἔνθα γὰρ σοφίης δέει, βίης ἔργον οὐδέν·
Therefore Darius devised the following plan. Having called together the most distinguished of the Persians, he said to them: “O Persians, which of you would undertake this task for me and accomplish it by wisdom, and not by force and numbers? For where there is need of wisdom, force has no business.
ὑμέων δὲ ὦν τίς μοι Ὀροίτεα ἢ ζώοντα ἀγάγοι ἢ ἀποκτείνειε; ὃς ὠφέλησε μέν κω Πέρσας οὐδέν, κακὰ δὲ μεγάλα ἔοργε· τοῦτο μὲν δύο ἡμέων ἠίστωσε, Μιτροβάτεά τε καὶ τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ, τοῦτο δὲ4 τοὺς ἀνακαλέοντας αὐτὸν καὶ πεμπομένους ὑπʼ ἐμεῦ κτείνει, ὕβριν οὐκ ἀνασχετὸν φαίνων. πρίν τι ὦν μέζον ἐξεργάσασθαί μιν Πέρσας κακόν, καταλαμπτέος ἐστὶ ἡμῖν θανάτῳ.
Which of you, then, would either bring Oroetes to me alive or kill him? For he has rendered no service to the Persians, but has committed great evils; on the one hand, he made away with two of us, Mitrobates and his son, and on the other hand, he kills those who summon him, sent by me, showing intolerable insolence. Therefore, before he works some greater evil upon the Persians, he must be checked by us with death.”
- 3.127.1οὐκ ἐδόκεε
The imperfect form of the impersonal verb δοκεῖ (it seems best) with the negative οὐκ, governing the infinitive πέμπειν. It expresses a deliberative decision: 'he thought it best not to send.'
- 3.127.1ἅτε οἰδεόντων ἔτι τῶν πρηγμάτων
The conjunction ἅτε (inasmuch as) introducing a genitive absolute construction (οἰδεόντων τῶν πρηγμάτων), indicating an objective and clear reason. The verb οἰδέω (to swell) is used metaphorically to describe the state of political affairs as being highly unsettled or troubled.
- 3.127.2τίς ἄν μοι τοῦτο ὑμέων ὑποστὰς ἐπιτελέσειε
The particle ἄν combined with the optative (ἐπιτελέσειε) forms a potential optative, expressing a polite appeal or possibility ('who would accomplish...?') rather than a direct command. The participle ὑποστὰς (having undertaken) denotes an action prior to or serving as a means for the main verb.
- 3.127.3τοῦτο μὲν ... τοῦτο δὲ
An adverbial accusative construction commonly used in Herodotus to indicate coordinate clauses, meaning 'on the one hand ... on the other hand,' listing the specific wrongdoings of Oroetes in parallel.