- 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-grc2:7.9.1-7.9.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Following Xerxes' speech, Mardonius praises the king's words and urges the expedition, arguing that it is absurd for the Persians to rule over many innocent nations while leaving the Greeks unpunished despite their prior aggression.
μετʼ αὐτὸν δὲ Μαρδόνιος ἔλεγε ὦ δέσποτα, οὐ μοῦνον εἶς τῶν γενομένων Περσέων ἄριστος ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐσομένων, ὃς τά τε ἄλλα λέγων ἐπίκεο1 ἄριστα καὶ ἀληθέστατα, καὶ Ἴωνας τοὺς ἐν τῇ Εὐρώπῃ κατοικημένους οὐκ ἐάσεις καταγελάσαι ἡμῖν ἐόντας2 ἀναξίους.
And after him Mardonius said: “O master, you are not only the best of the Persians who have been but also of those who will be, who in saying other things have hit upon what is best and truest, and you will not allow the Ionians who dwell in Europe to mock us, since they are unworthy.
καὶ γὰρ δεινὸν ἂν εἴη πρῆγμα, εἰ Σάκας μὲν καὶ Ἰνδοὺς καὶ Αἰθίοπάς τε καὶ Ἀσσυρίους ἄλλα τε ἔθνεα πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα ἀδικήσαντα Πέρσας οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ δύναμιν προσκτᾶσθαι βουλόμενοι, καταστρεψάμενοι δούλους ἔχομεν, Ἕλληνας δὲ ὑπάρξαντας ἀδικίης3 οὐ τιμωρησόμεθα·
For indeed it would be a strange thing if, on the one hand, we hold as slaves, having subdued them, the Sacae and Indians and Ethiopians and Assyrians, and many other great nations, who did no wrong to the Persians but only because we wished to acquire additional power, and on the other hand, we shall not punish the Greeks who were the first to commit injustice.”
- 7.9.1ἐπίκεο
The second-person singular aorist middle indicative of ἐφικνέομαι (to reach, hit the mark) in the Ionic dialect (equivalent to ἐφίκου in Attic). It shows the loss of aspiration and the lack of contraction (-εο). Here, it means "to hit the mark" in speech.
- 7.9.1ἐόντας
The masculine accusative plural of the present participle of εἰμί (to be) in the Ionic dialect (equivalent to ὄντας in Attic). It modifies Ἴωνας, functioning as a circumstantial participle indicating concession or reason ("although they are" / "since they are").
- 7.9.2ὑπάρξαντας ἀδικίης
The verb ὑπάρχω with a genitive (ἀδικίης) means "to begin, to be the first to commit." The aorist active participle modifies Ἕλληνας, meaning "(the Greeks) who were the first to commit injustice."
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1