- 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-grc2:6.106.1-6.106.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The messenger Phidippides arrives in Sparta in two days and requests aid for Athens. Although the Spartans agree to help, they reply that immediate dispatch is impossible due to their religious law, which forbids marching before the full moon.
τότε δὲ πεμφθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν στρατηγῶν ὁ Φειδιππίδης οὗτος, ὅτε πέρ οἱ ἔφη καὶ τὸν Πᾶνα φανῆναι, δευτεραῖος1 ἐκ τοῦ Ἀθηναίων ἄστεος ἦν ἐν Σπάρτῃ, ἀπικόμενος δὲ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἔλεγε ὦ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, Ἀθηναῖοι ὑμέων δέονται σφίσι βοηθῆσαι καὶ μὴ περιιδεῖν πόλιν ἀρχαιοτάτην ἐν τοῖσι Ἕλλησι δουλοσύνῃ περιπεσοῦσαν2 πρὸς ἀνδρῶν βαρβάρων· καὶ γὰρ νῦν Ἐρέτριά τε ἠνδραπόδισται καὶ πόλι λογίμῳ3 ἡ Ἑλλὰς γέγονε ἀσθενεστέρη.
Then, this Phidippides, who had been sent by the generals, at the very time when he said that Pan had also appeared to him, was in Sparta on the second day from the city of the Athenians; and arriving before the rulers, he spoke as follows: ”O Lacedaemonians, the Athenians beg of you to help them and not to look on while the oldest city among the Greeks falls into slavery at the hands of barbarian men; for indeed, Eretria has already been enslaved, and Greece has become weaker by a notable city.”
ὃ μὲν δή σφι τὰ ἐντεταλμένα ἀπήγγελλε, τοῖσι δὲ ἕαδε μὲν βοηθέειν Ἀθηναίοισι, ἀδύνατα δέ σφι ἦν τὸ παραυτίκα ποιέειν ταῦτα, οὐ βουλομένοισι λύειν τὸν νόμον· ἦν γὰρ ἱσταμένου τοῦ μηνὸς εἰνάτη, εἰνάτῃ δὲ οὐκ ἐξελεύσεσθαι ἔφασαν μὴ οὐ πλήρεος ἐόντος τοῦ κύκλου.4
He, indeed, reported to them what had been commanded; and to them, on the one hand, it seemed good to help the Athenians, but on the other hand, it was impossible for them to do this immediately, as they did not wish to break the law. For it was the ninth day of the rising month, and on the ninth day they said they would not march out unless the circle of the moon was full.
- 6.106.1δευτεραῖος
Predicative adjective expressing time ("on the second day"). It agrees with the subject (Phidippides) and functions adverbially, emphasizing the extraordinary speed of traveling from Athens to Sparta in just two days.
- 6.106.2περιιδεῖν ... περιπεσοῦσαν
The verb περιεῖδον (to overlook, permit) taking an object (here, πόλιν) and a supplementary participle (περιπεσοῦσαν), meaning "to look on and permit [something] to fall into [some state]."
- 6.106.2πόλι λογίμῳ
Dative of means or cause. "By a notable city," implying "by the loss of a notable city" (referring to Eretria).
- 6.106.3μὴ οὐ πλήρεος ἐόντος τοῦ κύκλου
The combination of the double negative μὴ οὐ (used after the negative verb οὐκ ἐξελεύσεσθαι) and a genitive absolute (πλήρεος ἐόντος τοῦ κύκλου), functioning as a negative conditional clause ("unless the circle is full").