- 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-grc2:3.65.1-3.65.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
On the brink of death, Cambyses summons the Persian nobles, confesses to the vain murder of his brother due to a misinterpreted dream, and reveals that the usurpers are actually Magians. He solemnly charges the Persians to reclaim their sovereignty from the Medes and laments his own tragic fate.
τότε μὲν τοσαῦτα. ἡμέρῃσι δὲ ὕστερον ὡς εἴκοσι μεταπεμψάμενος Περσέων τῶν παρεόντων τοὺς λογιμωτάτους ἔλεγέ σφι τάδε. ὦ Πέρσαι, καταλελάβηκέ με, τὸ πάντων μάλιστα ἔκρυπτον πρηγμάτων, τοῦτο ἐς ὑμέας ἐκφῆναι.1
At that time, so many things were said. But about twenty days later, having summoned the most eminent of the Persians who were present, he spoke to them as follows: “O Persians, a necessity has fallen upon me to reveal to you that which of all things I kept most hidden.
ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐὼν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ εἶδον ὄψιν ἐν τῷ ὕπνῳ, τὴν μηδαμὰ ὄφελον ἰδεῖν·2 ἐδόκεον δέ μοι ἄγγελον ἐλθόντα ἐξ οἴκου ἀγγέλλειν ὡς Σμέρδις ἱζόμενος ἐς τὸν βασιλήιον θρόνον ψαύσειε τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ.
For when I was in Egypt, I saw a vision in my sleep, which I wish I had never seen; for I thought that a messenger had come from home and reported to me that Smerdis, sitting upon the royal throne, touched the heaven with his head.
δείσας δὲ μὴ ἀπαιρεθέω τὴν ἀρχὴν πρὸς τοῦ ἀδελφεοῦ, ἐποίησα ταχύτερα ἢ σοφώτερα·3 ἐν τῇ γὰρ ἀνθρωπηίῃ φύσι οὐκ ἐνῆν ἄρα τὸ μέλλον γίνεσθαι ἀποτρέπειν. ἐγὼ δὲ ὁ μάταιος Πρηξάσπεα ἀποπέμπω ἐς Σοῦσα ἀποκτενέοντα Σμέρδιν. ἐξεργασθέντος δὲ κακοῦ τοσούτου ἀδεῶς διαιτώμην, οὐδαμὰ ἐπιλεξάμενος μή κοτέ τίς μοι Σμέρδιος ὑπαραιρημένου4 ἄλλος ἐπανασταίη ἀνθρώπων.
Fearing lest I should be deprived of my rule by my brother, I acted more quickly than wisely; for indeed it was not in human nature to avert what was to happen. And I, fool that I was, sent Prexaspes to Susa to kill Smerdis. When so great an evil had been committed, I lived without fear, never imagining that, once Smerdis was removed, any other man would rise up against me.
παντὸς δὲ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἔσεσθαι ἁμαρτὼν ἀδελφεοκτόνος τε οὐδὲν δέον5 γέγονα καὶ τῆς βασιληίης οὐδὲν ἧσσον ἐστέρημαι· Σμέρδις γὰρ δὴ ἦν ὁ Μάγος τόν μοι ὁ δαίμων προέφαινε ἐν τῇ ὄψι ἐπαναστήσεσθαι.
But having entirely failed to understand what was to happen, I have become a fratricide to no purpose, and have nonetheless been deprived of my kingdom; for indeed, Smerdis was the Magian whom the divinity indicated to me in the vision as the one who would rise up.
τὸ μὲν δὴ ἔργον ἐξέργασταί μοι, καὶ Σμέρδιν τὸν Κύρου μηκέτι ὑμῖν ἐόντα λογίζεσθε· οἱ δὲ ὑμῖν Μάγοι κρατέουσι τῶν βασιληίων, τόν τε ἔλιπον ἐπίτροπον τῶν οἰκίων καὶ ὁ ἐκείνου ἀδελφεὸς Σμέρδις. τὸν μέν νυν μάλιστα χρῆν ἐμεῦ αἰσχρὰ πρὸς τῶν Μάγων πεπονθότος τιμωρέειν ἐμοί,6 οὗτος μὲν ἀνοσίῳ μόρῳ τετελεύτηκε ὑπὸ τῶν ἑωυτοῦ οἰκηιοτάτων·
The deed indeed has been done by me, and you must consider Smerdis, the son of Cyrus, as no longer living. But the Magians rule your royal power—the one whom I left as steward of my household, and his brother Smerdis. Now, as for him who of all men ought to have avenged me, since I have suffered shameful things at the hands of the Magians, he has met his end by an unholy death at the hands of those closest to him.
τούτου δὲ μηκέτι ἐόντος, δεύτερα τῶν λοιπῶν7 ὑμῖν ὦ Πέρσαι γίνεταί μοι ἀναγκαιότατον ἐντέλλεσθαι τὰ θέλω μοι γενέσθαι τελευτῶν τὸν βίον· καὶ δὴ ὑμῖν τάδε ἐπισκήπτω θεοὺς τοὺς βασιληίους ἐπικαλέων καὶ πᾶσι ὑμῖν καὶ μάλιστα Ἀχαιμενιδέων τοῖσι παρεοῦσι, μὴ περιιδεῖν τὴν ἡγεμονίην αὖτις ἐς Μήδους περιελθοῦσαν,8 ἀλλʼ εἴτε δόλῳ ἔχουσι αὐτὴν κτησάμενοι, δόλῳ ἀπαιρεθῆναι ὑπὸ ὑμέων, εἴτε καὶ σθένεϊ τεῷ κατεργασάμενοι, σθένεϊ κατὰ τὸ καρτερὸν ἀνασώσασθαι.
Since he is no longer living, as the next best thing, O Persians, it becomes most necessary for me to enjoin upon you those things which I wish to happen for me as I end my life. And indeed, I charge you, calling upon the royal gods, both all of you and especially those of the Achaemenids who are present, not to allow the leadership to pass back again to the Medes; but if they have obtained it by guile, let it be taken away by guile by you, or if they have won it by some force, recover it with force to the utmost of your power.
καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ποιεῦσι ὑμῖν γῆ τε καρπὸν ἐκφέροι καὶ γυναῖκές τε καὶ ποῖμναι τίκτοιεν, ἐοῦσι ἐς τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἐλευθέροισι· μὴ δὲ ἀνασωσαμένοισι τὴν ἀρχὴν μηδʼ ἐπιχειρήσασι ἀνασώζειν τὰ ἐναντία τούτοισι ἀρῶμαι ὑμῖν γενέσθαι, καὶ πρὸς ἔτι τούτοισι τὸ τέλος Περσέων ἑκάστῳ ἐπιγενέσθαι οἷον ἐμοὶ ἐπιγέγονε. ἅμα τε εἴπας ταῦτα ὁ Καμβύσης ἀπέκλαιε πᾶσαν τὴν ἑωυτοῦ πρῆξιν.
And if you do these things, may the earth bear fruit for you, and may your wives and flocks bring forth offspring, while you remain free for all time. But if you do not recover the rule, nor even attempt to recover it, I pray that the opposite of these things happen to you, and in addition to this, that such an end may come upon each of the Persians as has come upon me.” And as he said this, Cambyses wept for his entire fortune.
- 3.65.1καταλελάβηκέ με ... ἐκφῆναι
The perfect active καταλελάβηκε, functioning impersonally here, takes the accusative με and the infinitive ἐκφῆναι to express a compelling necessity or fate: 'it has become necessary for me to reveal / I am constrained to reveal.'
- 3.65.2τὴν μηδαμὰ ὄφελον ἰδεῖν
The form ὄφελον (aorist of ὀφείλω) with the infinitive ἰδεῖν is an idiomatic construction expressing an unattainable wish regarding the past: 'which I wish I had never seen.'
- 3.65.3ταχύτερα ἢ σοφώτερα
A double comparative construction, where two comparative adverbs are linked by ἤ, expressing that one quality exceeds the other: 'more quickly than wisely' (i.e., with more haste than wisdom).
- 3.65.3Σμέρδιος ὑπαραιρημένου
A genitive absolute construction with the perfect passive participle ὑπαραιρημένου, indicating a temporal or logical condition: 'once Smerdis had been removed/disposed of.'
- 3.65.4οὐδὲν δέον
An accusative absolute of the impersonal participle δέον with the negative οὐδέν, functioning adverbially to mean 'needlessly' or 'to no purpose.'
- 3.65.5τὸν μέν νυν μάλιστα χρῆν ... τιμωρέειν ἐμοί
The accusative pronoun τὸν μέν refers to the deceased brother Smerdis and is placed early as the logical subject of the infinitive τιμωρέειν under the impersonal χρῆν ('he who ought to have avenged me'). This proleptic structure is resumed by οὗτος μέν in the nominative. The pronoun ἐμοί is a dative of advantage ('for me / on my behalf').
- 3.65.6δεύτερα τῶν λοιπῶν
The neuter plural adjective δεύτερα, carrying a comparative force, is followed by the genitive of comparison τῶν λοιπῶν, meaning 'as the second best of the remaining options' or 'next in importance among what is left.'
- 3.65.6μὴ περιιδεῖν τὴν ἡγεμονίην αὖτις ἐς Μήδους περιελθοῦσαν
The verb περιορῶ (infinitive περιιδεῖν, meaning 'to overlook / allow') takes the accusative object τὴν ἡγεμονίην and the supplementary participle περιελθοῦσαν: 'not to allow the leadership to pass back to the Medes.' The negative particle μή negates the entire infinitive clause.