- 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-grc2:3.19.1-3.19.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Cambyses summons the Fish-eaters who speak Ethiopian to serve as spies, while ordering a naval expedition against Carthage, which is ultimately abandoned because the Phoenicians refuse to participate, allowing Carthage to escape enslavement.
ἡ μὲν δὴ τράπεζα τοῦ ἡλίου καλεομένη λέγεται εἶναι τοιήδε. Καμβύσῃ1 δὲ ὡς ἔδοξε πέμπειν τοὺς κατασκόπους, αὐτίκα μετεπέμπετο ἐξ Ἐλεφαντίνης πόλιος τῶν Ἰχθυοφάγων ἀνδρῶν τοὺς ἐπισταμένους2 τὴν Αἰθιοπίδα γλῶσσαν.
Thus the so-called Table of the Sun is indeed said to be of this kind. When Cambyses resolved to send the spies, he immediately sent to the city of Elephantine for those of the Fish-eaters who understood the Ethiopian language.
ἐν ᾧ δὲ τούτους μετήισαν, ἐν τούτῳ ἐκέλευε ἐπὶ τὴν Καρχηδόνα πλέειν τὸν ναυτικὸν στρατόν. Φοίνικες δὲ οὐκ ἔφασαν ποιήσειν3 ταῦτα· ὁρκίοισι γὰρ μεγάλοισι ἐνδεδέσθαι, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ποιέειν ὅσια ἐπὶ τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ἑωυτῶν στρατευόμενοι.4 Φοινίκων δὲ οὐ βουλομένων οἱ λοιποὶ οὐκ ἀξιόμαχοι ἐγίνοντο.
While they were going to fetch these men, in the meantime he ordered the naval force to sail against Carthage. But the Phoenicians said they would not do this; for they said they were bound by solemn oaths, and would not be doing what was right if they made war upon their own children. And as the Phoenicians would not do it, the rest were not a match for the enemy.
Καρχηδόνιοι μέν νυν οὕτω δουλοσύνην διέφυγον πρὸς Περσέων· Καμβύσης γὰρ βίην οὐκ ἐδικαίου5 προσφέρειν Φοίνιξι, ὅτι σφέας τε αὐτοὺς ἐδεδώκεσαν Πέρσῃσι καὶ πᾶς ἐκ Φοινίκων ἤρτητο ὁ ναυτικὸς στρατός. δόντες δὲ καὶ Κύπριοι σφέας αὐτοὺς Πέρσῃσι ἐστρατεύοντο ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον.
Thus, then, the Carthaginians escaped being enslaved by the Persians; for Cambyses did not think it right to apply force to the Phoenicians, because they had surrendered themselves to the Persians, and the whole naval force depended upon the Phoenicians. Moreover, the Cyprians also, having surrendered themselves to the Persians, were serving in the expedition against Egypt.
- 3.19.1Καμβύσῃ
Dative of agent or interest with the impersonal verb ἔδοξε ('it seemed good to'), functioning as the logical subject of the clause and placed at the beginning for emphasis.
- 3.19.1τῶν Ἰχθυοφάγων ἀνδρῶν τοὺς ἐπισταμένους
The genitive phrase τῶν Ἰχθυοφάγων ἀνδρῶν is partitive, depending on the substantivized participle τοὺς ἐπισταμένους ('those who understood among the Fish-eaters').
- 3.19.2οὐκ ἔφασαν ποιήσειν
The negative οὐκ qualifies the verb of saying ἔφασαν, meaning 'they said that they would not' (rather than 'they did not say'). The future infinitive ποιήσειν expresses their strong intention of refusal.
- 3.19.2οὐκ ἂν ποιέειν ὅσια... στρατευόμενοι
οὐκ ἂν ποιέειν is an infinitive with ἂν in indirect discourse, representing an original potential optative or unreal indicative with ἂν in the apodosis. The present participle στρατευόμενοι functions as the protasis ('if they should make war').
- 3.19.3οὐκ ἐδικαίου
The imperfect of δικαιόω ('to deem right') with the negative οὐκ means 'he did not think it right' or 'he refused to', expressing a continuous attitude or decision.