- 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-grc2:7.15.1-7.15.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Xerxes wakes up terrified by the dream, summons Artabanus to admit his own fault, and proposes that Artabanus dress in the royal robes, sit on the throne, and sleep in his bed to test the divine will of the dream.
Ξέρξης μὲν περιδεὴς γενόμενος τῇ ὄψι ἀνά τε ἔδραμε1 ἐκ τῆς κοίτης καὶ πέμπει ἄγγελον ἐπὶ Ἀρτάβανον καλέοντα· ἀπικομένῳ δέ οἱ ἔλεγε Ξέρξης τάδε. Ἀρτάβανε, ἐγὼ τὸ παραυτίκα μὲν οὐκ ἐσωφρόνεον εἴπας ἐς σὲ μάταια ἔπεα χρηστῆς εἵνεκα συμβουλίης·
Xerxes, becoming terrified by the vision, leapt up from his bed and sent a messenger to summon Artabanus. When he arrived, Xerxes spoke to him as follows: “Artabanus, at the moment I was not acting wisely, speaking foolish words to you in return for your good counsel.
μετὰ μέντοι οὐ πολλὸν χρόνον μετέγνων, ἔγνων δὲ ταῦτα μοι ποιητέα ἐόντα2 τὰ σὺ ὑπεθήκαο. οὔκων δυνατός τοι εἰμὶ ταῦτα βουλόμενος ποιέειν· τετραμμένῳ γὰρ δὴ καὶ μετεγνωκότι3 ἐπιφοιτέον ὄνειρον φαντάζεταί μοι οὐδαμῶς συνεπαινέον ποιέειν με ταῦτα· νῦν δὲ καὶ διαπειλῆσαν οἴχεται.
However, after not much time I changed my mind, and I realized that those things which you suggested must be done by me. Yet, although I wish to, I am not able to do this; for to me, who have turned and changed my mind, a repeatedly visiting dream appears, by no means consenting that I do this. And now it has even departed after uttering threats.
εἰ ὦν θεός ἐστι ὁ ἐπιπέμπων καί οἱ πάντως ἐν ἡδονῇ ἐστι γενέσθαι στρατηλασίην ἐπὶ Ἑλλάδα, ἐπιπτήσεται καὶ σοὶ τὠυτὸ τοῦτο ὄνειρον, ὁμοίως καὶ ἐμοὶ ἐντελλόμενον. εὑρίσκω δὲ ὧδʼ ἂν γινόμενα ταῦτα,4 εἰ λάβοις τὴν ἐμὴν σκευὴν πᾶσαν καὶ ἐνδὺς μετὰ τοῦτο ἵζοιο ἐς τὸν ἐμὸν θρόνον, καὶ ἔπειτα ἐν κοίτῃ τῇ ἐμῇ κατυπνώσειας.
If, therefore, it is a god who sends it, and it is entirely pleasing to him that an expedition against Greece take place, this same dream will fly to you too, enjoining upon you the same things as upon me. And I find that these things would happen in this way, if you should take all my apparel and, having put it on, then sit upon my throne, and after that sleep in my bed.”
- 7.15.1ἀνά τε ἔδραμε
An example of tmesis, where the enclitic particle τε is inserted between the prefix ἀνά and the verb ἔδραμε (aorist of ἀνατρέχω). Together they mean "leapt up".
- 7.15.2ποιητέα ἐόντα
The neuter plural of the verbal adjective ποιητέος (to be done), ποιητέα, is used with the participle of the verb "to be" (ἐόντα) to form an accusative participial construction serving as the direct object of ἔγνων (I realized). The agent of the action is expressed by the dative pronoun μοι.
- 7.15.2τετραμμένῳ... καὶ μετεγνωκότι
Both are perfect active/middle-passive participles in the dative masculine singular, agreeing with the dative pronoun μοι (to me) in the subsequent clause φαντάζεταί μοι. They modify the state of the speaker: "to me, who have turned and changed my mind."
- 7.15.3ὧδʼ ἂν γινόμενα ταῦτα
The combination of the particle ἂν with the present participle γινόμενα represents a potential optative (ἂν γίνοιτο, "these things would happen in this way") in indirect discourse, functioning as the object participle of the main verb εὑρίσκω (I find/reckon).