- 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-grc2:8.140A.1-8.140A.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Alexander, arriving in Athens as Mardonius' envoy, delivers a speech conveying King Xerxes' generous offer of reconciliation and temple reconstruction, alongside a stern warning about the futility of continued resistance.
ἐγεγόνεε μὲν δὴ ὧδε ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Ἀμύντεω· ὡς δὲ ἀπίκετο ἐς τὰς Ἀθήνας ἀποπεμφθεὶς ὑπὸ Μαρδονίου, ἔλεγε τάδε. ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, Μαρδόνιος τάδε λέγει. ἐμοὶ ἀγγελίη ἥκει παρὰ βασιλέος λέγουσα οὕτω. Ἀθηναίοισι τὰς ἁμαρτάδας τὰς ἐς ἐμὲ ἐξ ἐκείνων γενομένας πάσας μετίημι.
Such was the descent of Alexander, the son of Amyntas. But when he arrived in Athens, having been sent by Mardonius, he spoke as follows: “Men of Athens, Mardonius says this: A message has come to me from the King, speaking thus: ‘I forgive the Athenians all the offenses that have been committed against me by them.
νῦν τε ὧδε Μαρδόνιε ποίεε· τοῦτο μὲν τὴν γῆν σφι ἀπόδος, τοῦτο δὲ ἄλλην πρὸς ταύτῃ ἑλέσθων αὐτοί, ἥντινα ἂν ἐθέλωσι, ἐόντες αὐτόνομοι· ἱρά τε πάντα σφι, ἢν δὴ βούλωνταί γε ἐμοὶ ὁμολογέειν, ἀνόρθωσον, ὅσα ἐγὼ ἐνέπρησα. τούτων δὲ ἀπιγμένων ἀναγκαίως ἔχει1 μοι ποιέειν ταῦτα, ἢν μὴ τὸ ὑμέτερον αἴτιον γένηται.
And now, Mardonius, do this: on the one hand, restore to them their land, and on the other hand, let them choose besides this any other land they themselves wish, and let them be self-governing; and rebuild all their temples, which I burned, if indeed they are willing to come to terms with me.’ Since these instructions have arrived, I am forced to do this, unless the fault lies on your part.
λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν τάδε. νῦν τί μαίνεσθε πόλεμον βασιλέι ἀειρόμενοι; οὔτε γὰρ ἂν ὑπερβάλοισθε οὔτε οἷοί τε ἐστὲ ἀντέχειν τὸν πάντα χρόνον. εἴδετε μὲν γὰρ τῆς Ξέρξεω στρατηλασίης τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὰ ἔργα, πυνθάνεσθε δὲ καὶ τὴν νῦν παρʼ ἐμοὶ ἐοῦσαν δύναμιν· ὥστε καὶ ἢν ἡμέας ὑπερβάλησθε καὶ νικήσητε, τοῦ περ ὑμῖν οὐδεμία ἐλπὶς2 εἴ περ εὖ φρονέετε, ἄλλη παρέσται πολλαπλησίη.
And I say this to you: Why are you now madly waging war against the King? For you can neither overcome him, nor are you able to hold out for all time. For you saw the multitude of Xerxes’ expedition and its deeds, and you also hear of the power that is now with me; so that even if you should overcome and defeat us (of which there is no hope for you, if you are in your right minds), another force many times larger will be at hand.
μὴ ὦν βούλεσθε παρισούμενοι βασιλέι στέρεσθαι μὲν τῆς χώρης, θέειν δὲ αἰεὶ περὶ ὑμέων αὐτῶν,3 ἀλλὰ καταλύσασθε· παρέχει4 δὲ ὑμῖν κάλλιστα καταλύσασθαι, βασιλέος ταύτῃ ὁρμημένου. ἔστε ἐλεύθεροι, ἡμῖν ὁμαιχμίην συνθέμενοι ἄνευ τε δόλου καὶ ἀπάτης.
Do not, therefore, by wishing to match yourselves against the King, be deprived of your land and always run for your lives, but make peace. The opportunity is offered to you to make peace on the most honorable terms, since the King is set upon this course. Be free, having made an alliance with us without guile or deceit.”
- 8.140A.2ἀναγκαίως ἔχει
An impersonal construction meaning "it is necessary" or "I am forced to." The dative μοι functions as the subject of the infinitive.
- 8.140A.3τοῦ περ ὑμῖν οὐδεμία ἐλπὶς
τοῦ is a demonstrative pronoun in the genitive case, referring to the content of the preceding conditional clause (overcoming and defeating the Persians), depending on the noun ἐλπίς ("hope of which").
- 8.140A.4θέειν δὲ αἰεὶ περὶ ὑμέων αὐτῶν
The verb θέειν (to run) combined with the prepositional phrase περὶ ὑμέων αὐτῶν (concerning yourselves) idiomatically means "to run for one's life" or "to struggle constantly for survival."
- 8.140A.4παρέχει
Used as an impersonal verb, equivalent to ἔξεστι ("it is possible" or "opportunity is offered"). The following infinitive καταλύσασθαι (to make peace) acts as the subject.