- 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-grc2:5.92G.1-5.92G.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The story recounts how Periander eliminated prominent citizens upon Thrasybulus's advice and stripped all Corinthian women of their clothes to burn them for his dead wife Melissa; Socles strongly condemns the Spartans' attempt to establish a tyranny.
Περίανδρος δὲ συνιεὶς τὸ ποιηθὲν καὶ νόῳ ἴσχων ὥς οἱ ὑπετίθετο Θρασύβουλος τοὺς ὑπειρόχους τῶν ἀστῶν φονεύειν, ἐνθαῦτα δὴ πᾶσαν κακότητα ἐξέφαινε ἐς τοὺς πολιήτας. ὅσα γὰρ Κύψελος ἀπέλιπε κτείνων τε καὶ διώκων, Περίανδρος σφέα ἀπετέλεσε, μιῇ δὲ ἡμέρῃ ἀπέδυσε πάσας τὰς Κορινθίων γυναῖκας διὰ τὴν ἑωυτοῦ γυναῖκα Μέλισσαν.
Periander, understanding what had been done and taking it to heart that Thrasybulus was advising him to murder the prominent men among the citizens, thereupon began to display every kind of wickedness against the citizens. For whatever Cypselus had left undone in killing and banishing, Periander completed, and in a single day he stripped all the Corinthian women of their clothes because of his own wife Melissa.
πέμψαντι γάρ οἱ ἐς Θεσπρωτοὺς ἐπʼ Ἀχέροντα ποταμὸν ἀγγέλους ἐπὶ τὸ νεκυομαντήιον παρακαταθήκης πέρι ξεινικῆς οὔτε σημανέειν ἔφη ἡ Μέλισσα ἐπιφανεῖσα οὔτε κατερέειν ἐν τῷ κέεται χώρῳ ἡ παρακαταθήκη· ῥιγοῦν τε γὰρ καὶ εἶναι γυμνή· τῶν γάρ οἱ συγκατέθαψε ἱματίων ὄφελος εἶναι οὐδὲν οὐ κατακαυθέντων· μαρτύριον δέ οἱ εἶναι ὡς ἀληθέα ταῦτα λέγει, ὅτι ἐπὶ ψυχρὸν τὸν ἰπνὸν Περίανδρος τοὺς ἄρτους ἐπέβαλε.1
For when he had sent messengers to the oracle of the dead on the river Acheron in Thesprotia concerning a deposit left by a guest, Melissa appeared and said that she would neither make a sign nor tell in what place the deposit lay; for she said she was cold and naked, because there was no use in the clothes he had buried with her since they had not been burnt; and as a proof to him that she spoke the truth, she said that Periander had cast his loaves into a cold oven.
ταῦτα δὲ ὡς ὀπίσω ἀπηγγέλθη τῷ Περιάνδρῳ, πιστὸν γάρ οἱ ἦν τὸ συμβόλαιον ὃς νεκρῷ ἐούσῃ Μελίσσῃ ἐμίγη,2 ἰθέως δὴ μετὰ τὴν ἀγγελίην κήρυγμα ἐποιήσατο ἐς τὸ Ἥραιον ἐξιέναι πάσας τὰς Κορινθίων γυναῖκας. αἳ μὲν δὴ ὡς ἐς ὁρτὴν ἤισαν κόσμῳ τῷ καλλίστῳ χρεώμεναι, ὃ δʼ ὑποστήσας τοὺς δορυφόρους ἀπέδυσε σφέας πάσας ὁμοίως, τάς τε ἐλευθέρας καὶ τὰς ἀμφιπόλους, συμφορήσας δὲ ἐς ὄρυγμα Μελίσσῃ ἐπευχόμενος κατέκαιε.
When this was reported back to Periander, to whom the token was reliable since he had copulated with Melissa when she was a corpse, he immediately after the message made a proclamation that all the Corinthian women should go out to the Heraion. They went as if to a festival, wearing their finest adornments, but he, having stationed his bodyguards in ambush, stripped them all alike, both the free women and the handmaids, and having gathered the clothes into a pit, he burnt them while praying to Melissa.
ταῦτα δέ οἱ ποιήσαντι καὶ τὸ δεύτερον πέμψαντι ἔφρασε τὸ εἴδωλον τὸ Μελίσσης ἐς τὸν κατέθηκε χῶρον τοῦ ξείνου τὴν παρακαταθήκην. τοιοῦτο μὲν ὑμῖν ἐστὶ ἡ τυραννίς, ὦ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, καὶ τοιούτων ἔργων.3
When he had done this and sent for the second time, the phantom of Melissa told him in what place he had laid the guest’s deposit. Such a thing, O Lacedaemonians, is tyranny for you, and of such deeds.
ἡμέας δὲ τοὺς Κορινθίους τότε αὐτίκα θῶμα μέγα εἶχε ὅτε ὑμέας εἴδομεν μεταπεμπομένους Ἱππίην, νῦν τε δὴ καὶ μεζόνως θωμάζομεν λέγοντας ταῦτα, ἐπιμαρτυρόμεθά τε ἐπικαλεόμενοι ὑμῖν θεοὺς τοὺς Ἑλληνίους μὴ κατιστάναι τυραννίδας ἐς τὰς πόλις. οὔκων παύσεσθε ἀλλὰ πειρήσεσθε παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον κατάγοντες Ἱππίην· ἴστε ὑμῖν Κορινθίους γε οὐ συναινέοντας.4
As for us Corinthians, a great wonder seized us at that very moment when we saw you sending for Hippias, and now indeed we wonder even more when you say these things, and we call upon the gods of the Hellenes to witness, appealing to you not to establish tyrannies in the cities. Will you then not stop, but try to bring back Hippias against justice? Know that the Corinthians at least do not agree with you.
- 5.92G.2ὅτι ἐπὶ ψυχρὸν τὸν ἰπνὸν Περίανδρος τοὺς ἄρτους ἐπέβαλε
This ὅτι clause functions either as an appositive explaining the substance of the proof (μαρτύριον) that she is speaking the truth, or as a causal clause providing the ground for it. The expression 'Periander put the loaves into a cold oven' is a metaphorical euphemism for Periander's act of necrophilia with Melissa's corpse (the cold oven).
- 5.92G.3πιστὸν γάρ οἱ ἦν τὸ συμβόλαιον ὃς νεκρῷ ἐούσῃ Μελίσσῃ ἐμίγη
The relative pronoun ὅς refers to the subject of the main clause (Periander), forming a relative clause that implies a causal connection ('since he had copulated with Melissa when she was a corpse'). The term συμβόλαιον (token, proof) refers to a secret act known only to them, which confirmed the true meaning of the 'cold oven' metaphor.
- 5.92G.4καὶ τοιούτων ἔργων
Although connected by καί to the nominative neuter singular adjective τοιοῦτο, this genitive phrase functions predicatively as a genitive of quality or characteristic, meaning 'and characterized by/consisting of such deeds.'
- 5.92G.5ἴστε ὑμῖν Κορινθίους γε οὐ συναινέοντας
The verb ἴστε (second-person plural imperative of οἶδα) takes an accusative (Κορινθίους) and a participle (συναινέοντας) to form an indirect discourse construction ('know that the Corinthians do not agree'). The dative ὑμῖν functions as a dative of disadvantage or reference, meaning 'to you' or 'against your wishes.'