- 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-grc2:5.92E.1-5.92E.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Having grown up, Cypselus received an oracle at Delphi predicting his and his children's rule, based on which he seized power in Corinth and became a ruthless tyrant who persecuted many citizens.
Ἠετίωνι δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα ὁ παῖς ηὐξάνετο, καί οἱ διαφυγόντι τοῦτον τὸν κίνδυνον ἀπὸ τῆς κυψέλης ἐπωνυμίην1 Κύψελος οὔνομα ἐτέθη. ἀνδρωθέντι δὲ καὶ μαντευομένῳ Κυψέλῳ ἐγένετο ἀμφιδέξιον χρηστήριον ἐν Δελφοῖσι, τῷ πίσυνος γενόμενος2 ἐπεχείρησέ τε καὶ ἔσχε Κόρινθον. ὁ δὲ χρησμὸς ὅδε ἦν.
After this, the child grew up for Eetion, and because he had escaped this danger, the name Cypselus was given to him as a surname, from the chest (kypsela). When Cypselus had grown to manhood and was consulting the oracle, a double-meaning oracle was given to him at Delphi, relying on which he made his attempt and seized Corinth. The oracle was as follows:
" ὄλβιος οὗτος ἀνὴρ ὃς ἐμὸν δόμον ἐσκαταβαίνει, Κύψελος Ἠετίδης, βασιλεὺς κλειτοῖο Κορίνθου αὐτὸς καὶ παῖδες, παίδων γε μὲν οὐκέτι παῖδες.3" τὸ μὲν δὴ χρηστήριον τοῦτο ἦν, τυραννεύσας δὲ ὁ Κύψελος τοιοῦτος δή τις ἀνὴρ ἐγένετο· πολλοὺς μὲν Κορινθίων ἐδίωξε, πολλοὺς δὲ χρημάτων ἀπεστέρησε, πολλῷ δέ τι πλείστους τῆς ψυχῆς.4
” Happy is this man who enters my house, Cypselus, son of Eetion, king of famous Corinth, himself and his children, but his children’s children no longer.” Such indeed was the oracle; and Cypselus, having become tyrant, proved to be a man of this sort: many of the Corinthians he drove into exile, many he deprived of their property, and by far the most of their lives.
- 5.92E.1ἐπωνυμίην
Accusative singular of the noun ἐπωνυμία (surname, byname), functioning here as an appositive or adverbial/predicative accusative ("as a surname") in relation to οὔνομα (name).
- 5.92E.1τῷ πίσυνος γενόμενος
The dative form of the relative pronoun τῷ (Ionic dialect for ᾧ) refers to the preceding neuter noun χρηστήριον (oracle). The adjective πίσυνος (relying on, trusting in) governs the dative, thus combining with τῷ.
- 5.92E.2παίδων γε μὲν οὐκέτι παῖδες
Following the preceding clause "himself and his children (shall be kings)," the verb (or expression meaning 'shall be kings') is omitted after the subject "his children's children (i.e., grandchildren)."
- 5.92E.2πολλῷ δέ τι πλείστους τῆς ψυχῆς
The genitive τῆς ψυχῆς is an ablative genitive, continuing the construction of the verb ἀπεστέρησε (deprived of) from the preceding clause. The verb ἀποστερέω takes an accusative of the person (πλείστους) and a genitive of the thing deprived (ψυχῆς). πολλῷ is a dative of degree of difference modifying the superlative πλείστους.