- 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-grc2:3.23.1-3.23.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The Fish-eaters inquire of the Ethiopian king and learn about the miraculous spring, believed to be the source of their longevity, and the prison where captives are bound in golden chains.
ἀντειρομένων δὲ τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἰχθυοφάγων τῆς ζόης καὶ διαίτης πέρι, ἔτεα μὲν ἐς εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν τοὺς πολλοὺς αὐτῶν ἀπικνέεσθαι,1 ὑπερβάλλειν δὲ τινὰς καὶ ταῦτα, σίτησιν δὲ εἶναι κρέα τε ἑφθὰ καὶ πόμα γάλα.
And when the Fish-eaters in turn asked the king about their life span and diet, he said that most of them reached a hundred and twenty years, and some even exceeded this, and that their food was boiled meat and their drink was milk.
θῶμα δὲ ποιευμένων τῶν κατασκόπων περὶ τῶν ἐτέων, ἐπὶ κρήνην σφι ἡγήσασθαι, ἀπʼ ἧς λουόμενοι λιπαρώτεροι ἐγίνοντο, κατά περ εἰ ἐλαίου εἴη·2 ὄζειν δὲ ἀπʼ αὐτῆς ὡς εἰ ἴων.
While the spies were wondering at the number of years, he led them to a spring, by washing in which they became sleeker, as if it were of olive oil; and from it there was an odor as if of violets.
ἀσθενὲς δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς κρήνης ταύτης οὕτω δή τι ἔλεγον εἶναι οἱ κατάσκοποι ὥστε μηδὲν οἷόν τʼ εἶναι ἐπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐπιπλέειν, μήτε ξύλον μήτε τῶν ὅσα ξύλου ἐστὶ ἐλαφρότερα, ἀλλὰ πάντα σφέα χωρέειν ἐς βυσσόν. τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ τοῦτο εἴ σφι ἐστὶ ἀληθέως οἷόν τι λέγεται, διὰ τοῦτο ἂν εἶεν,3 τούτῳ τὰ πάντα χρεώμενοι, μακρόβιοι.
The spies said that the water of this spring was so light that nothing was able to float upon it, neither wood nor any of the things that are lighter than wood, but they all sank to the bottom. If this water is truly of such a kind as is said, it would be because of this, using it for everything, that they are long-lived.
ἀπὸ τῆς κρήνης δὲ ἀπαλλασσομένων, ἀγαγεῖν σφεας ἐς δεσμωτήριον ἀνδρῶν, ἔνθα τοὺς πάντας ἐν πέδῃσι χρυσέῃσι δεδέσθαι. ἔστι δὲ ἐν τούτοισι τοῖσι Αἰθίοψι πάντων ὁ χαλκὸς σπανιώτατον καὶ τιμιώτατον.4 θεησάμενοι δὲ καὶ τὸ δεσμωτήριον, ἐθεήσαντο καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἡλίου λεγομένην τράπεζαν.
When they departed from the spring, he led them to a prison for men, where everyone was bound in golden fetters. Among these Ethiopians, bronze is the rarest and most precious of all things. Having seen the prison, they also saw what is called the Table of the Sun.
- 3.23.1ἀπικνέεσθαι
An infinitive in indirect discourse, depending on an implied verb of saying ("they said" or "he said" carried over from context, such as ἔφη). The subsequent infinitives ὑπερβάλλειν and εἶναι function in the same way.
- 3.23.2κατά περ εἰ ἐλαίου εἴη
Expresses a hypothetical comparison ("just as if it were of..."). εἴη is the optative of εἶναι, and the genitive ἐλαίου indicates the material or property ("of olive oil").
- 3.23.3διὰ τοῦτο ἂν εἶεν
A potential optative with ἄν (ἂν εἶεν), expressing a logical inference or possibility in response to the preceding real condition (εἰ ἐστί...).
- 3.23.4σπανιώτατον καὶ τιμιώτατον
Although the subject ὁ χαλκὸς is masculine, the predicate adjectives are neuter singular (σπανιώτατον, τιμιώτατον). This is a standard Greek idiom where a concrete noun is generalized as a "thing" or "concept."