- 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-grc2:4.125.1-4.125.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Darius pursues the Scythians, who lead the Persian army into the territories of neighboring tribes who had refused their alliance, throwing them into confusion. Only the Agathyrsi take a firm stand and block their borders, forcing the Scythians to avoid them and retreat back to their own land.
ἐλαύνων δὲ τὴν ταχίστην1 τὸν στρατὸν ὡς ἐς τὴν Σκυθικὴν ἀπίκετο, ἐνέκυρσε ἀμφοτέρῃσι τῇσι μοίρῃσι τῶν Σκυθέων, ἐντυχὼν δὲ ἐδίωκε ὑπεκφέροντας ἡμέρης ὁδῷ.
Marching his army with all speed, when he arrived in Scythia, Darius fell in with both divisions of the Scythians; and having met them, he pursued them as they kept a day’s journey ahead.
καὶ οὐ γὰρ ἀνίει ἐπιὼν ὁ Δαρεῖος, οἱ Σκύθαι κατὰ τὰ βεβουλευμένα ὑπέφευγον ἐς τῶν ἀπειπαμένων τὴν σφετέρην συμμαχίην,2 πρώτην δὲ ἐς τῶν Μελαγχλαίνων τὴν γῆν.
For as Darius did not slacken in his advance, the Scythians, according to their plan, retreated into the territories of those who had rejected their alliance, and first into the land of the Melanchlaeni.
ὡς δὲ ἐσβαλόντες τούτους ἐτάραξαν οἵ τε Σκύθαι καὶ οἱ Πέρσαι, κατηγέοντο οἱ Σκύθαι ἐς τῶν Ἀνδροφάγων τοὺς χώρους· ταραχθέντων δὲ καὶ τούτων ὑπῆγον ἐπὶ τὴν Νευρίδα· ταρασσομένων δὲ καὶ τούτων ἤισαν ὑποφεύγοντες οἱ Σκύθαι ἐς τοὺς Ἀγαθύρσους.
When the Scythians and the Persians, having invaded, threw them into confusion, the Scythians led the way into the territories of the Androphagi; and when these too had been thrown into confusion, they led on towards Neuris; and when these also were being thrown into confusion, the Scythians retreated towards the Agathyrsi.
Ἀγαθύρσοι δὲ ὁρέοντες καὶ τοὺς ὁμούρους φεύγοντας ὑπὸ Σκυθέων καὶ τεταραγμένους, πρὶν ἤ σφι ἐμβαλεῖν τοὺς Σκύθας πέμψαντες κήρυκα ἀπηγόρευον Σκύθῃσι μὴ ἐπιβαίνειν τῶν σφετέρων οὔρων, προλέγοντες ὡς εἰ πειρήσονται ἐσβαλόντες, σφίσι πρῶτα διαμαχήσονται.3
But the Agathyrsi, seeing their neighbors also fleeing before the Scythians and being thrown into confusion, before the Scythians could invade them, sent a herald and forbade the Scythians to set foot within their borders, warning them beforehand that if they should attempt an invasion, they would first have to fight to the death with them.
Ἀγάθυρσοι μὲν προείπαντες ταῦτα ἐβοήθεον ἐπὶ τοὺς οὔρους, ἐρύκειν ἐν νόῳ ἔχοντες τοὺς ἐπιόντας· Μελάγχλαινοι δὲ καὶ Ἀνδροφάγοι καὶ Νευροὶ ἐσβαλόντων τῶν Περσέων ἅμα Σκύθησι οὔτε πρὸς ἀλκὴν ἐτράποντο ἐπιλαθόμενοί τε τῆς ἀπειλῆς4 ἔφευγον αἰεὶ τὸ πρὸς βορέω ἐς τὴν ἔρημον τεταραγμένοι.
The Agathyrsi, having given this warning, marched to their borders, intending to hold back the invaders. But the Melanchlaeni, Androphagi, and Neuri, when the Persians together with the Scythians invaded, neither turned to resistance, and forgetting their threat, fled in panic ever northward into the desert.
οἱ δὲ Σκύθαι ἐς μὲν τοὺς Ἀγαθύρσους οὐκέτι ἀπείπαντας5 ἀπικνέοντο, οἳ δὲ ἐκ τῆς Νευρίδος χώρης ἐς τὴν σφετέρην κατηγέοντο τοῖσι Πέρσῃσι.
The Scythians, therefore, did not enter the country of the Agathyrsi, since they had forbidden them, but led the Persians from the country of Neuris back into their own land.
- 4.125.1τὴν ταχίστην
Adverbial accusative meaning 'as quickly as possible' or 'by the quickest way', with the feminine noun ὁδόν ('way', 'route') being omitted in idiomatic usage.
- 4.125.2τῶν ἀπειπαμένων τὴν σφετέρην συμμαχίην
The middle aorist participle ἀπειπαμένων (genitive plural) governs the accusative object τὴν σφετέρην συμμαχίην ('their [the Scythians'] alliance'), referring to 'those who had rejected their alliance.'
- 4.125.4εἰ πειρήσονται ... διαμαχήσονται
Indirect discourse introduced by ὡς. It retains the future indicative (πειρήσονται, διαμαχήσονται) from the direct speech, reflecting a highly vivid and certain future condition (often minatory or warning).
- 4.125.5ἐπιλαθόμενοί τε τῆς ἀπειλῆς
'Forgetting their threat [or warning]'. The noun ἀπειλή here refers either to the bold statements or warnings made by these tribes in chapters 118–119 that they would not stand by, or to their defiant attitude towards the Persians.
- 4.125.6ἀπείπαντας
Aorist participle in the accusative plural, modifying the object of the preposition, τοὺς Ἀγαθύρσους, meaning 'the Agathyrsi, who had forbidden them [from entering].'