- 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-grc2:3.42.1-3.42.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
A fisherman presented a large fish to Polycrates, and when the servants cut it open, they found the discarded signet ring in its belly, prompting Polycrates to write a letter to Amasis in Egypt about the event.
πέμπτῃ δὲ ἢ ἕκτῃ ἡμέρῃ ἀπὸ τούτων τάδε οἱ συνήνεικε1 γενέσθαι. ἀνὴρ ἁλιεὺς λαβὼν ἰχθὺν μέγαν τε καὶ καλὸν ἠξίου μιν Πολυκράτεϊ δῶρον δοθῆναι· φέρων δὴ ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας Πολυκράτεϊ ἔφη ἐθέλειν ἐλθεῖν ἐς ὄψιν, χωρήσαντος δέ οἱ τούτου2 ἔλεγε διδοὺς τὸν ἰχθύν ὦ βασιλεῦ, ἐγὼ τόνδε ἑλὼν οὐκ ἐδικαίωσα φέρειν ἐς ἀγορήν, καίπερ ἐὼν ἀποχειροβίοτος, ἀλλά μοι ἐδόκεε σεῦ τε εἶναι ἄξιος καὶ τῆς σῆς ἀρχῆς· σοὶ δή μιν φέρων δίδωμι. ὁ δὲ ἡσθεὶς τοῖσι ἔπεσι ἀμείβεται τοῖσιδε. κάρτα τε εὖ ἐποίησας καὶ χάρις διπλῆ τῶν τε λόγων καὶ τοῦ δώρου, καί σε ἐπὶ δεῖπνον καλέομεν.
And on the fifth or sixth day after these things, it happened to him that these things occurred. A fisherman, having caught a fish large and beautiful, thought it worthy to be given as a gift to Polycrates. So, bringing it to the gates, he said that he wished to come into the presence of Polycrates, and when this had been granted to him, he said, presenting the fish: ”O King, I, having caught this fish, did not think it right to carry it to the market, although I am one who lives by the work of my hands; but it seemed to me to be worthy of you and of your rule. To you, therefore, I bring and give it.” And he, pleased with these words, replied with these: “You have done exceedingly well, and there is a double gratitude, both for your words and for your gift; and we invite you to dinner.”
ὃ μὲν δὴ ἁλιεὺς μέγα ποιεύμενος ταῦτα ἤιε ἐς τὰ οἰκία, τὸν δὲ ἰχθὺν τάμνοντες οἱ θεράποντες εὑρίσκουσι ἐν τῇ νηδύι αὐτοῦ ἐνεοῦσαν τὴν Πολυκράτεος σφρηγῖδα.
So the fisherman, making much of these things, went to his house. But the servants, cutting open the fish, found existing in its belly the signet ring of Polycrates.
ὡς δὲ εἶδόν τε καὶ ἔλαβον τάχιστα, ἔφερον κεχαρηκότες παρὰ τὸν Πολυκράτεα, διδόντες δέ οἱ τὴν σφρηγῖδα ἔλεγον ὅτεῳ τρόπῳ εὑρέθη. τὸν δὲ ὡς ἐσῆλθε3 θεῖον εἶναι τὸ πρῆγμα, γράφει ἐς βυβλίον πάντα τὰ ποιήσαντά μιν οἷα καταλελάβηκε, γράψας δὲ ἐς Αἴγυπτον ἐπέθηκε.
And as soon as they saw and took it, they carried it joyfully to Polycrates, and giving him the signet ring, they told in what manner it had been found. And when it occurred to him that the matter was divine, he wrote in a book all the things he had done and what had befallen him, and having written it, he dispatched it to Egypt.
- 3.42.1συνήνεικε
Used impersonally with the infinitive γενέσθαι to mean 'it happened that...'. It is an Ionic dialect form corresponding to συνέβη in Attic.
- 3.42.1χωρήσαντος δέ οἱ τούτου
A genitive absolute construction. τούτου refers to the preceding 'coming into the presence' (ἐλθεῖν ἐς ὄψιν), and οἱ is the dative referring to the fisherman, meaning 'when this had gone forward (been granted) for him'.
- 3.42.4τὸν δὲ ὡς ἐσῆλθε
τὸν is the accusative singular pronoun, acting as the direct object of the verb ἐσῆλθε (3rd person singular aorist of ἐσέρχομαι, 'to enter, come into one's mind'), referring to Polycrates. The subject is the accusative with infinitive clause θεῖον εἶναι τὸ πρῆγμα ('that the matter was divine'). Literally, 'when [the thought] that the matter was divine entered him'.