- 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-grc2:7.138.1-7.138.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-05
The author describes how the Persian King's expedition, though nominally against Athens, targeted all of Greece, causing relief among those who had submitted but deep terror among those who had not due to the lack of ships and widespread pro-Persian sentiments.
ἡ δὲ στρατηλασίη ἡ βασιλέος οὔνομα μὲν εἶχε ὡς ἐπʼ Ἀθήνας ἐλαύνει,1 κατίετο δὲ ἐς πᾶσαν τὴν Ἑλλάδα. πυνθανόμενοι δὲ ταῦτα πρὸ πολλοῦ οἱ Ἕλληνες οὐκ ἐν ὁμοίῳ πάντες ἐποιεῦντο.
The expedition of the King had indeed the name of being directed against Athens, but was in fact aimed at the whole of Greece. The Greeks, having heard of this long beforehand, did not all view the matter in the same way.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν δόντες γῆν καὶ ὕδωρ τῷ Πέρσῃ εἶχον θάρσος ὡς οὐδὲν πεισόμενοι ἄχαρι2 πρὸς τοῦ βαρβάρου· οἱ δὲ οὐ δόντες ἐν δείματι μεγάλῳ κατέστασαν, ἅτε οὔτε νεῶν ἐουσέων3 ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι ἀριθμὸν ἀξιομάχων δέκεσθαι τὸν ἐπιόντα, οὔτε βουλομένων τῶν πολλῶν ἀντάπτεσθαι τοῦ πολέμου, μηδιζόντων δὲ προθύμως.
For those of them who had given earth and water to the Persian had confidence, believing that they would suffer no harm at the hands of the barbarian; but those who had not given them were in great terror, inasmuch as there were neither ships in Greece sufficient in number to meet the invader, nor were the majority willing to engage in the war, but were rather eagerly leaning toward the Persian side.
- 7.138.1ὡς ἐπʼ Ἀθήνας ἐλαύνει
The conjunction ὡς introduces a noun clause in apposition to οὔνομα ("pretext" or "name"), explaining the content of the pretext (that the expedition was marching against Athens) while implying that this was merely an outward pretense.
- 7.138.2ὡς οὐδὲν πεισόμενοι ἄχαρι
The conjunction ὡς combined with the future participle πεισόμενοι (from πάσχω, "to suffer") expresses the subjective belief or expectation of the subject of the main clause (those who had given earth and water). The phrase πρὸς τοῦ βαρβάρου indicates the agent of the action with the passive-meaning verb πάσχω.
- 7.138.2ἅτε οὔτε νεῶν ἐουσέων
The particle ἅτε, which indicates a cause based on objective facts, governs the subsequent series of genitive absolute constructions (νεῶν ἐουσέων... and βουλομένων τῶν πολλῶν... / [τῶν πολλῶν] μηδιζόντων...). It presents the parallel objective circumstances—the lack of sufficient ships and the unwillingness of the majority, who instead favored the Persians—as the grounds for their terror.