- 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-grc2:4.120.1-4.120.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Learning that the alliance had failed, the Scythians decide to avoid open battle, employ scorched-earth tactics, and retreat by dividing their forces. They plan to lure the Persians into the territories of the neighboring nations that refused the alliance to force them into the war.
ταῦτα ὡς ἀπενειχθέντα ἐπύθοντο1 οἱ Σκύθαι, ἐβουλεύοντο ἰθυμαχίην μὲν μηδεμίαν ποιέεσθαι ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανέος, ὅτε δὴ σφι οὗτοι γε σύμμαχοι οὐ προσεγίνοντο, ὑπεξιόντες δὲ καὶ ὑπεξελαύνοντες τὰ φρέατα τὰ παρεξίοιεν αὐτοὶ καὶ τὰς κρήνας συγχοῦν, τὴν ποίην τε ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐκτρίβειν,2 διχοῦ σφέας διελόντες.
When the Scythians learned that these answers had been brought back, they resolved to make no frontal battle openly, since these people indeed were not joining them as allies, but retreating and driving away their herds before them, to choke up the wells and springs that they themselves passed by, and to destroy the grass from the land, dividing themselves into two bodies.
καὶ πρὸς μὲν τὴν μίαν τῶν μοιρέων, τῆς ἐβασίλευε Σκώπασις, προσχωρέειν Σαυρομάτας· τούτους μὲν δὴ ὑπάγειν, ἢν ἐπὶ τοῦτο τράπηται ὁ Πέρσης ἰθὺ Τανάιδος ποταμοῦ παρὰ τὴν Μαιῆτιν λίμνην ὑποφεύγοντας, ἀπελαύνοντος τε τοῦ Πέρσεω ἐπιόντας διώκειν.3 αὕτη μέν σφι μία ἦν μοῖρα τῆς βασιληίης, τεταγμένη ταύτην τὴν ὁδὸν ἥ περ εἴρηται·
And to the one of the divisions, of which Scopasis was king, the Sauromatians should join themselves; these, then, should retreat, if the Persian should turn in this direction, fleeing straight towards the river Tanais along the Maeetian lake, and when the Persian retreated, they should press upon him and pursue. This was one division of their kingdom, appointed to this route which has been mentioned;
τὰς δὲ δύο τῶν βασιληίων, τήν τε μεγάλην τῆς ἦρχε Ἰδάνθυρσος καὶ τὴν τρίτην τῆς ἐβασίλευε Τάξακις, συνελθούσας ἐς τὠυτὸ καὶ Γελωνῶν τε καὶ Βουδίνων προσγενομένων, ἡμέρης καὶ τούτους ὁδῷ προέχοντας τῶν Περσέων ὑπεξάγειν, ὑπιόντας τε καὶ ποιεῦντας τὰ βεβουλευμένα·
but the other two of the royal divisions, namely the great one which Idanthyrsus ruled and the third which Taxakis governed, having united into one, and after both the Gelonians and the Budinians had joined them, these too should keep one day’s journey ahead of the Persians and retreat, withdrawing and executing the things that had been planned.
πρῶτα μέν νυν ὑπάγειν σφέας ἰθὺ τῶν χωρέων τῶν ἀπειπαμένων τὴν σφετέρην συμμαχίην, ἵνα καὶ τούτους ἐκπολεμώσωσι· εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἑκόντες γε ὑπέδυσαν τὸν πόλεμον τὸν πρὸς Πέρσας, ἀλλʼ ἀέκοντας ἐκπολεμώσειν·4 μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ὑποστρέφειν ἐς τὴν σφετέρην καὶ ἐπιχειρέειν, ἢν δὴ βουλευομένοισι δοκέῃ.
First, then, they should retreat straight towards the territories of those who had refused their alliance, in order that they might involve them too in the war; for if they did not willingly take upon themselves the war against the Persians, they should involve them in war against their will. After this, they should return to their own land and attack, if it should seem good to them upon consultation.
- 4.120.1ταῦτα ὡς ἀπενειχθέντα ἐπύθοντο
The conjunction ὡς is used here with the participle ἀπενειχθέντα (aorist passive participle of ἀποφέρω) to express indirect discourse after the verb of learning ἐπύθοντο ('learned that these things had been brought back').
- 4.120.1ἰθυμαχίην μὲν μηδεμίαν ποιέεσθαι ... συγχοῦν, τὴν ποίην τε ... ἐκτρίβειν
These infinitives (ποιέεσθαι, συγχοῦν, ἐκτρίβειν) depend on the main verb ἐβουλεύοντο ('they resolved'). The negative μηδεμίαν (with μή) is used instead of οὐ because it expresses their resolve or intention rather than an objective fact.
- 4.120.2προσχωρέειν ... ὑπάγειν ... διώκειν
These infinitives in indirect discourse continue the force of the previous decision (ἐβουλεύοντο), functioning to outline the strategic actions assigned to each division.
- 4.120.4ἀέκοντας ἐκπολεμώσειν
The subject of the future infinitive ἐκπολεμώσειν is the omitted Scythians, and the accusative ἀέκοντας ('unwilling') is its object, referring to the nations that refused the alliance.