- 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-grc2:7.53.1-7.53.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
After sending Artabanus away, Xerxes summons the Persian nobles and delivers a speech urging them to fight courageously and preserve their ancestors' glorious achievements, promising that victory over Greece will leave them without rivals.
ταῦτα εἴπας καὶ Ἀρτάβανον ἀποστείλας ἐς Σοῦσα δεύτερα μετεπέμψατο Ξέρξης Περσέων τοὺς δοκιμωτάτους· ἐπεὶ δέ οἱ παρῆσαν, ἔλεγέ σφι τάδε. ὦ Πέρσαι, τῶνδʼ ἐγὼ ὑμέων χρηίζων συνέλεξα,1 ἄνδρας τε γενέσθαι ἀγαθοὺς καὶ μὴ καταισχύνειν τὰ πρόσθε ἐργασμένα Πέρσῃσι, ἐόντα μεγάλα τε καὶ πολλοῦ ἄξια, ἀλλʼ εἷς τε ἕκαστος καὶ οἱ σύμπαντες προθυμίην ἔχωμεν· ξυνὸν γὰρ πᾶσι τοῦτο ἀγαθὸν σπεύδεται.
Having said this and sent Artabanus away to Susa, Xerxes next summoned the most esteemed of the Persians. When they were present, he spoke to them as follows: “O Persians, I have assembled you because I desire this of you: that you prove yourselves brave men and do not disgrace the former achievements of the Persians, which are great and of much worth; rather, let each and every one of us and all together hold fast to our enthusiasm, for this is pursued as a common good for all.
τῶνδε δὲ εἵνεκα προαγορεύω ἀντέχεσθαι τοῦ πολέμου ἐντεταμένως· ὡς γὰρ ἐγὼ πυνθάνομαι, ἐπʼ ἄνδρας στρατευόμεθα ἀγαθούς, τῶν ἢν κρατήσωμεν, οὐ μή τις ἡμῖν ἄλλος στρατὸς ἀντιστῇ2 κοτε ἀνθρώπων. νῦν δὲ διαβαίνωμεν ἐπευξάμενοι τοῖσι θεοῖσι οἳ Πέρσας λελόγχασι.3
For the following reason I charge you to apply yourselves strenuously to the war: for as I understand, we are marching against brave men, and if we conquer them, no other army of men will ever stand against us. Now, let us cross over, after offering prayers to the gods who have Persia in their keeping.”
- 7.53.1τῶνδʼ ἐγὼ ὑμέων χρηίζων συνέλεξα
The participle χρηίζων (desiring, needing) takes a double genitive: τῶνδε (the thing desired) and ὑμέων (the person from whom it is desired). The direct content of the demonstrative pronoun τῶνδε is explained appositively by the subsequent infinitive clauses starting with ἄνδρας τε γενέσθαι... (to prove yourselves brave men...).
- 7.53.2οὐ μή τις ἡμῖν ἄλλος στρατὸς ἀντιστῇ
The construction οὐ μή with the aorist subjunctive (ἀντιστῇ, third-person singular aorist active subjunctive of ἀνθίστημι) expresses a strong denial of a future possibility ("will certainly not stand against us").
- 7.53.2οἳ Πέρσας λελόγχασι
λελόγχασι is the third-person plural perfect active of λαγχάνω (to obtain by lot). Here it means that the gods have received the land of Persia as their allotted portion, and thus guard it.