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§7.54.1-7.54.3

Xerxes' Offerings and Prayers before Crossing the Hellespont

The Persian army prepares for the crossing. At sunrise, Xerxes offers prayers and libations to the sun, casting a golden cup, a mixing-bowl, and a Persian sword into the Hellespont, though the author remains uncertain of his exact motive.

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§7.54.1

ταύτην μὲν τὴν ἡμέρην παρεσκευάζοντο ἐς τὴν διάβασιν· τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίῃ ἀνέμενον τὸν ἥλιον ἐθέλοντες ἰδέσθαι ἀνίσχοντα, θυμιήματά τε παντοῖα ἐπὶ τῶν γεφυρέων καταγίζοντες καὶ μυρσίνῃσι στορνύντες τὴν ὁδόν.

​On this day they made preparations for the crossing; but on the following day they waited for the sun, wishing to see it rising, while they burned all kinds of incense upon the bridges and strewed the road with myrtle branches.

§7.54.2

ὡς δʼ ἐπανέτελλε ὁ ἥλιος, σπένδων ἐκ χρυσέης φιάλης Ξέρξης ἐς τὴν θάλασσαν εὔχετο πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον μηδεμίαν οἱ συντυχίην τοιαύτην γενέσθαι, ἥ μιν παύσει καταστρέψασθαι τὴν Εὐρώπην πρότερον ἢ ἐπὶ τέρμασι τοῖσι ἐκείνης γένηται. εὐξάμενος δὲ ἐσέβαλε τὴν φιάλην ἐς τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον καὶ χρύσεον κρητῆρα καὶ Περσικὸν ξίφος, τὸν ἀκινάκην καλέουσι.1

​And as the sun was rising, Xerxes, pouring a libation from a golden cup into the sea, prayed to the sun that no such accident might befall him as should stay him from conquering Europe before he should reach its furthest limits. Having prayed, he cast the cup into the Hellespont, and with it a golden mixing-bowl and a Persian sword, which they call akinakes.

§7.54.3

ταῦτα οὐκ ἔχω ἀτρεκέως διακρῖναι2 οὔτε εἰ τῷ ἡλίῳ ἀνατιθεὶς κατῆκε ἐς τὸ πέλαγος, οὔτε εἰ μετεμέλησέ οἱ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον μαστιγώσαντι3 καὶ ἀντὶ τούτων τὴν θάλασσαν ἐδωρέετο.

​I cannot decide with certainty whether he cast these into the sea as an offering dedicated to the sun, or whether he had repented of having scourged the Hellespont and was presenting gifts to the sea in recompense for this.

Syntax notes3 items
  1. 7.54.2τὸν ἀκινάκην καλέουσι

    The relative pronoun τὸν is masculine accusative singular, matching the gender of the predicate noun ἀκινάκην within its own clause, rather than its grammatical antecedent, the neuter noun ξίφος (sword). This is an example of attraction of gender.

  2. 7.54.3οὐκ ἔχω ... διακρῖναι

    The verb ἔχω followed by an infinitive (διακρῖναι here) functions to express capability or possibility, meaning 'to be able to.' With the negation, it means 'I cannot decide.'

  3. 7.54.3μετεμέλησέ οἱ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον μαστιγώσαντι

    The impersonal verb μεταμέλει (it repents) is used here with a dative of agent (οἱ μαστιγώσαντι, consisting of the pronoun and a participle), forming the construction 'one repents of having done something.' Thus, it means 'he repented of having scourged the Hellespont.'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.54.1-7.54.3