- 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-grc2:7.148.1-7.148.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-05
Faced with the Persian threat, the Greek alliance sends messengers to Argos. The Argives, after consulting the Delphic oracle in light of their past defeat, offer to join on the condition of a thirty-year peace with Sparta and a half-share of the leadership.
οἱ μέν νυν κατάσκοποι οὕτω θεησάμενοί τε καὶ ἀποπεμφθέντες ἐνόστησαν ἐς τὴν Εὐρώπην, οἱ δὲ συνωμόται Ἑλλήνων ἐπὶ τῷ Πέρσῃ μετὰ τὴν ἀπόπεμψιν τῶν κατασκόπων δεύτερα ἔπεμπον ἐς Ἄργος ἀγγέλους.
Now the spies, having thus reconnoitered and been sent back, returned to Europe; and the Greeks who had bound themselves by oath against the Persian, after the sending back of the spies, next sent messengers to Argos.
Ἀργεῖοι δὲ λέγουσι τὰ κατʼ ἑωυτοὺς γενέσθαι ὧδε. πυθέσθαι γὰρ αὐτίκα1 κατʼ ἀρχὰς τὰ ἐκ τοῦ βαρβάρου ἐγειρόμενα ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα, πυθόμενοι δέ, καὶ μαθόντες ὡς σφέας οἱ Ἕλληνες πειρήσονται παραλαμβάνοντες ἐπὶ τὸν Πέρσην, πέμψαι θεοπρόπους ἐς Δελφοὺς τὸν θεὸν ἐπειρησομένους ὥς σφι μέλλει ἄριστον ποιέουσι γενέσθαι· νεωστὶ γὰρ σφέων τεθνάναι ἑξακισχιλίους ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων καὶ Κλεομένεος τοῦ Ἀναξανδρίδεω· τῶν δὴ εἵνεκα πέμπειν.
The Argives, on their part, say that the matters concerning themselves fell out in this way. They say that they heard from the very beginning of the movement being raised by the barbarian against Greece, and having heard this, and understanding that the Greeks would try to enlist them against the Persian, they sent sacred messengers to Delphi to inquire of the god what would be the best course for them to take; for recently six thousand of them had been slain by the Lacedaemonians and Cleomenes the son of Anaxandrides; and it was on account of this, they say, that they sent.
τὴν δὲ Πυθίην ἐπειρωτῶσι αὐτοῖσι ἀνελεῖν τάδε. "ἐχθρὲ περικτιόνεσσι, φίλʼ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσιν, εἴσω τὸν προβόλαιον ἔχων2 πεφυλαγμένος ἧσο καὶ κεφαλὴν πεφύλαξο· κάρη δὲ τὸ σῶμα σαώσει." ταῦτα μὲν τὴν Πυθίην χρῆσαι πρότερον· μετὰ δὲ ὡς ἐλθεῖν τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἐς δὴ τὸ Ἄργος, ἐπελθεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ βουλευτήριον καὶ λέγειν τὰ ἐντεταλμένα.
And when they asked, the Pythia gave them this response: “Hated by your neighbors, dear to the immortal gods, / keep your lance drawn inward and sit on guard, / and watch well the head; and the head shall save the body.” These things the Pythia had prophesied beforehand; but afterwards, when the messengers arrived at Argos, they entered the council-chamber and delivered their message.
τοὺς δὲ πρὸς τὰ λεγόμενα ὑποκρίνασθαι ὡς ἕτοιμοι εἰσὶ Ἀργεῖοι ποιέειν ταῦτα, τριήκοντα ἔτεα εἰρήνην σπεισάμενοι3 Λακεδαιμονίοισι καὶ ἡγεόμενοι κατὰ τὸ ἥμισυ πάσης τῆς συμμαχίης. καίτοι κατά γε τὸ δίκαιον γίνεσθαι τὴν ἡγεμονίην ἑωυτῶν· ἀλλʼ ὅμως σφίσι ἀποχρᾶν κατὰ τὸ ἥμισυ ἡγεομένοισι.
To these words the Argives replied that they were ready to do this, on condition that they made a thirty years’ peace with the Lacedaemonians, and had the leadership of half of the whole alliance; although by right the leadership belonged to themselves, yet they would be content with having the leadership of half.
- 7.148.2πυθέσθαι γὰρ αὐτίκα
Infinitive construction in indirect speech continuing from λέγουσι ("they say") at the beginning of the section. The infinitives πυθέσθαι, the subsequent πέμψαι, τεθνάναι, and the final πέμπειν are all subject to this indirect statement, expressing the claims of the Argives.
- 7.148.3εἴσω τὸν προβόλαιον ἔχων
Meaning "keeping your projecting weapon (or bulwark) drawn inward." It refers to the oracle's advice to remain defensive and refrain from taking offensive military action outside their territory.
- 7.148.4τριήκοντα ἔτεα εἰρήνην σπεισάμενοι
The aorist participle σπεισάμενοι and the present participle ἡγεόμενοι express a condition ("on condition that they make... and lead...") qualifying the main infinitive ποιέειν ("ready to do...").