- 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-grc2:8.100.1-8.100.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
While the commotion in Susa ceases with Xerxes' arrival, Mardonius, fearing the consequences of having advised the campaign, proposes to the king that he should return home with the bulk of the army while leaving Mardonius with three hundred thousand elite troops to subjugate Greece.
καὶ περὶ Πέρσας μὲν ἦν ταῦτα τὸν πάντα μεταξὺ χρόνον γενόμενον, μέχρι οὗ Ξέρξης αὐτός σφεας ἀπικόμενος ἔπαυσε. Μαρδόνιος δὲ ὁρῶν μὲν Ξέρξην συμφορὴν μεγάλην ἐκ τῆς ναυμαχίης ποιεύμενον, ὑποπτεύων δὲ αὐτὸν δρησμὸν βουλεύειν ἐκ τῶν Ἀθηνέων, φροντίσας πρὸς ἑωυτὸν ὡς δώσει δίκην ἀναγνώσας1 βασιλέα στρατεύεσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα, καί οἱ κρέσσον εἴη ἀνακινδυνεῦσαι ἢ κατεργάσασθαι τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἢ αὐτὸν καλῶς τελευτῆσαι τὸν βίον ὑπὲρ μεγάλων αἰωρηθέντα·2 πλέον μέντοι ἔφερέ οἱ ἡ γνώμη κατεργάσασθαι τὴν Ἑλλάδα· λογισάμενος ὦν ταῦτα προσέφερε τὸν λόγον τόνδε.
Now these things were going on among the Persians in Susa during all the intervening time, until Xerxes himself arrived and put an end to them. Meanwhile, Mardonius, seeing that Xerxes took the naval battle as a great calamity, and suspecting that he was planning a flight from Athens, reflected within himself that he would have to pay the penalty for having persuaded the king to campaign against Greece, and that it would be better for him to run the risk either of subduing Greece or of ending his life honorably while striving for great goals; however, his opinion inclined rather toward subduing Greece. Therefore, having calculated these things, he addressed the following words to the king.
δέσποτα, μήτε λυπέο μήτε συμφορὴν μηδεμίαν μεγάλην ποιεῦ τοῦδε τοῦ γεγονότος εἵνεκα πρήγματος. οὐ γὰρ ξύλων ἀγὼν ὁ τὸ πᾶν φέρων ἐστὶ ἡμῖν, ἀλλʼ ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ ἵππων. σοὶ δὲ οὔτε τις τούτων τῶν τὸ πᾶν σφίσι ἤδη δοκεόντων κατεργάσθαι ἀποβὰς ἀπὸ τῶν νεῶν πειρήσεται ἀντιωθῆναι οὔτʼ ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου τῆσδε· οἵ τε ἡμῖν ἠντιώθησαν, ἔδοσαν δίκας.
”Master, neither grieve nor make any great calamity out of this thing that has happened. For our struggle is not one of timber that decides the whole, but of men and horses. Nor will any of those who now think they have achieved everything attempt to disembark from their ships and oppose you, nor anyone from this continent; those who did oppose us have paid the penalty.
εἰ μέν νυν δοκέει, αὐτίκα πειρώμεθα τῆς Πελοποννήσου· εἰ δὲ καὶ δοκέει ἐπισχεῖν, παρέχει ποιέειν ταῦτα. μηδὲ δυσθύμεε· οὐ γὰρ ἔστι Ἕλλησι οὐδεμία ἔκδυσις μὴ οὐ δόντας3 λόγον τῶν ἐποίησαν νῦν τε καὶ πρότερον εἶναι σοὺς δούλους. μάλιστα μέν νυν ταῦτα ποίεε· εἰ δʼ ἄρα τοι βεβούλευται αὐτὸν ἀπελαύνοντα ἀπάγειν τὴν στρατιήν, ἄλλην ἔχω καὶ ἐκ τῶνδε βουλήν.
If, then, it seems good to you, let us at once make an attempt on the Peloponnese; but if it seems good to wait, you have the leisure to do so. Do not lose heart, for there is no escape for the Greeks from giving an account of what they have done now and in the past, and from becoming your slaves. By all means do this; but if you have resolved to march back yourself and lead the army away, I have another plan to offer based on these circumstances.
σὺ Πέρσας, βασιλεῦ, μὴ ποιήσῃς καταγελάστους γενέσθαι Ἕλλησι· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν Πέρσῃσί τοί τι δεδήληται τῶν πρηγμάτων, οὐδʼ ἐρέεις ὅκου ἐγενόμεθα ἄνδρες κακοί. εἰ δὲ Φοίνικές τε καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ Κύπριοί τε καὶ Κίλικες κακοὶ ἐγένοντο, οὐδὲν πρὸς Πέρσας τοῦτο προσήκει τὸ πάθος.
Do not, O King, make the Persians a laughing-stock to the Greeks; for no part of our affairs has been ruined by the Persians, nor can you point to any place where we have played the coward. If the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Cyprians, and Cilicians have proved to be cowards, this misfortune in no way touches the Persians.
ἤδη ὦν, ἐπειδὴ οὐ Πέρσαι τοι αἴτιοι ἐισί, ἐμοὶ πείθεο· εἴ τοι δέδοκται μὴ παραμένειν, σὺ μὲν ἐς ἤθεα τὰ σεωυτοῦ ἀπέλαυνε τῆς στρατιῆς ἀπάγων τὸ πολλόν, ἐμὲ δὲ σοὶ χρὴ τὴν Ἑλλάδα παρασχεῖν δεδουλωμένην, τριήκοντα μυριάδας τοῦ στρατοῦ ἀπολεξάμενον.
Now therefore, since the Persians are not to blame, listen to me: if you have decided not to remain, do you march away to your own home, leading back the bulk of the army, and let it be my duty to deliver Greece to you in servitude, after I have selected three hundred thousand from the host.”
- 8.100.1ἀναγνώσας
Adverbial participle expressing cause. It explains the reason why Mardonius feared he would "pay the penalty" (δώσει δίκην), namely, because he had persuaded the king to undertake the campaign.
- 8.100.1αἰωρηθέντα
Passive participle of αἰωρέομαι, meaning "to be suspended" or "to be in suspense/jeopardy," and metaphorically "striving for great goals." Here, it expresses Mardonius' critical state of mind, facing the choice between conquering Greece or dying while hazarding his life for a grand ambition.
- 8.100.3μὴ οὐ δόντας
The double negative μὴ οὐ following the noun ἔκδυσις ("escape," which has a negative implication) emphasizes an inevitable necessity or impossibility: "there is no escape for the Greeks from giving an account." The accusative participle δόντας serves as the subject of the action in λόγον διδόναι ("to give an account / be punished").