- 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-grc2:6.97.1-6.97.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
While the Persians carry out their campaign, the Delians flee their island. However, the Persian general Datis respects the sanctity of Delos, urges them to return, and makes a grand offering of frankincense on the altar.
ἐν ᾧ δὲ οὗτοι ταῦτα ἐποίευν, οἱ Δήλιοι ἐκλιπόντες καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν Δῆλον οἴχοντο φεύγοντες1 ἐς Τῆνον. τῆς δὲ στρατιῆς καταπλεούσης ὁ Δᾶτις προπλώσας οὐκ ἔα τὰς νέας πρὸς τὴν Δῆλον προσορμίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ πέρην ἐν τῇ Ῥηναίῃ·2 αὐτὸς δὲ πυθόμενος ἵνα ἦσαν οἱ Δήλιοι, πέμπων κήρυκα ἠγόρευέ σφι τάδε.
While these men were doing this, the Delians also, abandoning Delos themselves, went fleeing to Tenos. As the fleet was sailing down, Datis, having sailed ahead, did not allow the ships to anchor at Delos, but rather opposite on Rhenaea; and he, having learned where the Delians were, sent a herald and spoke to them as follows:
ἄνδρες ἱροί, τί φεύγοντες οἴχεσθε, οὐκ ἐπιτήδεα καταγνόντες κατʼ ἐμεῦ;3 ἐγὼ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτό γε φρονέω4 καὶ μοι ἐκ βασιλέος ὧδε ἐπέσταλται, ἐν τῇ χώρῃ οἱ δύο θεοὶ ἐγένοντο, ταύτην μηδὲν σίνεσθαι, μήτε αὐτὴν τὴν χώρην μήτε τοὺς οἰκήτορας αὐτῆς. νῦν ὦν καὶ ἄπιτε ἐπὶ τὰ ὑμέτερα αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν νῆσον νέμεσθε. ταῦτα μὲν ἐπεκηρυκεύσατο τοῖσι Δηλίοισι, μετὰ δὲ λιβανωτοῦ τριηκόσια τάλαντα κατανήσας ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ ἐθυμίησε.
”Sacred men, why have you gone fleeing, having judged unfavorable things against me? For I myself at least have so much understanding, and it has been commanded to me thus by the king: to do no harm to the land in which the two gods were born, neither to the land itself nor to its inhabitants. Now, therefore, return to your own property and possess your island.” These things indeed he announced by herald to the Delians, and afterward, having piled up three hundred talents of frankincense upon the altar, he burned it as an offering.
- 6.97.1οἴχοντο φεύγοντες
The verb "οἴχομαι" with the participle "φεύγοντες" functions as a periphrasis emphasizing the completion or continuous state of the departure ("went fleeing" or "fled away").
- 6.97.1οὐκ ἔα ... ἀλλὰ πέρην ἐν τῇ Ῥηναίῃ
"ἔα" is the imperfect 3rd person singular of "ἐάω" (Ionic dialect form). "οὐκ ἐάω" means "did not allow". After "ἀλλὰ", the infinitive "προσορμίζεσθαι" (to anchor) is implied from the previous clause, yielding the sense "but ordered them to anchor opposite on Rhenaea."
- 6.97.2οὐκ ἐπιτήδεα καταγνόντες κατʼ ἐμεῦ
The verb "καταγιγνώσκω" takes a genitive of the person ("κατʼ ἐμεῦ") and an accusative of the charge/judgment ("οὐκ ἐπιτήδεα", literally "unsuitable things"), meaning "having passed an unfavorable judgment against me."
- 6.97.2ἐπὶ τοσοῦτό γε φρονέω
The verb "φρονέω" means "to think" or "to have understanding". Combined with the prepositional phrase "ἐπὶ τοσοῦτο" and the particle "γε", it expresses "I myself at least have so much understanding/prudence" (not to harm a sacred site).