- 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-grc2:5.12.1-5.12.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Paeonian brothers plot to attract Darius's attention by making their sister perform multiple domestic tasks simultaneously, showing an extraordinary diligence unknown in Asia.
τελεωθέντων δὲ ἀμφοτέροισι,1 οὗτοι μὲν κατὰ τὰ εἵλοντο ἐτράποντο, Δαρεῖον δὲ συνήνεικε πρῆγμα τοιόνδε ἰδόμενον ἐπιθυμῆσαι2 ἐντείλασθαι Μεγαβάζῳ Παίονας ἑλόντα ἀνασπάστους ποιῆσαι3 ἐς τὴν Ἀσίην ἐκ τῆς Εὐρώπης. ἦν Πίγρης καὶ Μαντύης ἄνδρες Παίονες, οἳ ἐπείτε Δαρεῖος διέβη ἐς τὴν Ἀσίην, αὐτοὶ ἐθέλοντες Παιόνων τυραννεύειν ἀπικνέονται ἐς Σάρδις, ἅμα ἀγόμενοι ἀδελφεὴν μεγάλην τε καὶ εὐειδέα.
When these things had been accomplished for both of them, they turned to what they had chosen, but it happened to Darius, having seen such a thing, to desire to command Megabazus to conquer the Paeonians and deport them from Europe into Asia. There were Pigres and Mantyes, Paeonian men, who, when Darius crossed over into Asia, wishing themselves to rule as tyrants over the Paeonians, arrived in Sardis, bringing with them their sister, who was tall and beautiful.
φυλάξαντες δὲ Δαρεῖον προκατιζόμενον ἐς τὸ προάστειον τὸ τῶν Λυδῶν ἐποίησαν τοιόνδε· σκευάσαντες τὴν ἀδελφεὴν ὡς εἶχον ἄριστα, ἐπʼ ὕδωρ ἔπεμπον ἄγγος ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ ἔχουσαν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ βραχίονος ἵππον ἐπέλκουσαν καὶ κλώθουσαν λίνον.
Having watched for Darius sitting in public in the suburb of the Lydians, they did as follows: having dressed their sister as best they could, they sent her for water, carrying a vessel on her head, leading a horse by her arm, and spinning flax.
ὡς δὲ παρεξήιε ἡ γυνή, ἐπιμελὲς τῷ Δαρείῳ ἐγένετο· οὔτε γὰρ Περσικὰ ἦν οὔτε Λύδια τὰ ποιεύμενα ἐκ τῆς γυναικός, οὔτε πρὸς τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίης οὐδαμῶν.4 ἐπιμελὲς δὲ ὥς οἱ ἐγένετο, τῶν δορυφόρων τινὰς πέμπει κελεύων φυλάξαι ὅ τι χρήσεται τῷ ἵππῳ ἡ γυνή.
And as the woman passed by, it became a matter of attention to Darius; for the things done by the woman were neither Persian nor Lydian, nor after the manner of any of the peoples of Asia. And when it became a matter of attention to him, he sent some of his bodyguards, ordering them to watch what the woman would do with the horse.
οἳ μὲν δὴ ὄπισθε εἵποντο· ἣ δὲ ἐπείτε ἀπίκετο ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμόν, ἦρσε τὸν ἵππον, ἄρσασα5 δὲ καὶ τὸ ἄγγος τοῦ ὕδατος ἐμπλησαμένη τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν παρεξήιε, φέρουσα τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ ἐπέλκουσα ἐκ τοῦ βραχίονος τὸν ἵππον καὶ στρέφουσα τὸν ἄτρακτον.
So they followed behind; and when she arrived at the river, she watered the horse, and having watered it and filled her vessel with water, she passed back by the same way, carrying the water on her head, leading the horse by her arm, and turning the spindle.
- 5.12.1τελεωθέντων δὲ ἀμφοτέροισι
ἀμφοτέροισι is a dative of interest ('for both of them') used in combination with the passive participle τελεωθέντων, where the subject (implied 'these things') is omitted, functioning similarly to a dative absolute.
- 5.12.1Δαρεῖον δὲ συνήνεικε πρῆγμα τοιόνδε ἰδόμενον ἐπιθυμῆσαι
The impersonal verb συνήνεικε (aorist of συμφέρω) governs the accusative and infinitive construction (Δαρεῖον ... ἐπιθυμῆσαι). The participle ἰδόμενον is an aorist middle participle agreeing with the accusative subject Δαρεῖον.
- 5.12.1Παίονας ἑλόντα ἀνασπάστους ποιῆσαι
The participle ἑλόντα is in the accusative. Although it logically refers to the dative agent Μεγαβάζῳ, it has been attracted into the accusative case as the subject of the dependent infinitive ποιῆσαι.
- 5.12.3πρὸς τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίης οὐδαμῶν
The preposition πρός with genitive means 'characteristic of' or 'customary for'. Here, it indicates that the woman's actions were not typical of any Asian peoples.
- 5.12.4ἄρσασα
The active aorist participle of ἄρδω ('to water' or 'to irrigate'), in the feminine nominative singular, referring to her watering the horse.