- 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-grc2:7.37.1-7.37.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
With the completion of the bridges and the canal, the Persian army departs from Sardis in the spring. A solar eclipse occurs at their departure, which the Magi interpret as a bad omen for the Greeks, prompting the overjoyed Xerxes to proceed.
ὡς δὲ τά τε τῶν γεφυρέων κατεσκεύαστο καὶ τὰ περὶ τὸν Ἄθων, οἵ τε χυτοὶ περὶ τὰ στόματα τῆς διώρυχος, οἳ τῆς ῥηχίης εἵνεκεν ἐποιήθησαν, ἵνα μὴ πίμπληται τὰ στόματα τοῦ ὀρύγματος, καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ διῶρυξ παντελέως πεποιημένη ἀγγέλλετο, ἐνθαῦτα χειμερίσας ἅμα τῷ ἔαρι παρεσκευασμένος ὁ στρατὸς ἐκ τῶν Σαρδίων ὁρμᾶτο ἐλῶν1 ἐς Ἄβυδον·
When the construction of the bridges and the works around Athos were completed, as well as the breakwaters around the mouths of the canal, which had been made on account of the surf so that the mouths of the excavation might not be filled up, and when the canal itself was reported to have been completely finished, then the army, having wintered there and being fully prepared, set out from Sardis at the arrival of spring to march to Abydos.
ὁρμημένῳ δέ οἱ2 ὁ ἥλιος ἐκλιπὼν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἕδρην ἀφανὴς ἦν οὔτʼ ἐπινεφέλων ἐόντων αἰθρίης τε τὰ μάλιστα, ἀντὶ ἡμέρης τε νὺξ ἐγένετο. ἰδόντι δὲ καὶ μαθόντι τοῦτο τῷ Ξέρξῃ ἐπιμελὲς ἐγένετο, καὶ εἴρετο τοὺς Μάγους τὸ θέλει3 προφαίνειν τὸ φάσμα.
As he was setting out, the sun left its seat in the heavens and became invisible, although there were no clouds and the sky was exceedingly clear, and instead of day it became night. When Xerxes saw and understood this, it became a matter of concern to him, and he asked the Magi what the vision portended.
οἱ δὲ ἔφραζον ὡς Ἕλλησι προδεικνύει ὁ θεὸς ἔκλειψιν τῶν πολίων,4 λέγοντες ἥλιον εἶναι Ἑλλήνων προδέκτορα, σελήνην δὲ σφέων. ταῦτα πυθόμενος ὁ Ξέρξης περιχαρὴς ἐὼν ἐποιέετο τὴν ἔλασιν.
They explained that the god was foretelling to the Greeks the eclipse of their cities, saying that the sun was the foreteller for the Greeks, and the moon for themselves. Hearing this, Xerxes was overjoyed and continued his march.
- 7.37.1ἐλῶν
The future active participle, masculine singular nominative, from ἐλάω (or ἐλαύνω, 'to drive, march'), expressing purpose ('to march', 'in order to march') in relation to the main verb ὁρμᾶτο.
- 7.37.2ὁρμημένῳ δέ οἱ
The dative pronoun οἱ (third-person singular, referring to Xerxes) combined with the participle ὁρμημένῳ forms a dative of reference, indicating the circumstances under which the event occurred ('as he was setting out').
- 7.37.2τὸ θέλει
The relative pronoun τὸ is used here as an indirect interrogative pronoun (equivalent to ὅ τι or τί), introducing the object clause of εἴρετο with the verb θέλει ('what it wished [to portend]').
- 7.37.3ἔκλειψιν τῶν πολίων
The noun ἔκλειψις carries a double meaning, referring both to an astronomical 'eclipse' (failure of light) and the 'abandonment' or 'extinction' of cities. The Magi interpret the eclipse of the sun as an omen of the Greeks abandoning their cities.