- 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-grc2:8.36.1-8.36.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Faced with the Persian advance, the Delphians consulted the oracle regarding the treasures; the god forbade moving them, leading the citizens to evacuate themselves to safety.
οἱ Δελφοὶ δὲ πυνθανόμενοι ταῦτα ἐς πᾶσαν ἀρρωδίην ἀπίκατο, ἐν δείματι δὲ μεγάλῳ κατεστεῶτες ἐμαντεύοντο περὶ τῶν ἱρῶν χρημάτων, εἴτε σφέα κατὰ γῆς κατορύξωσι1 εἴτε ἐκκομίσωσι ἐς ἄλλην χώρην. ὁ δὲ θεός σφεας οὐκ ἔα κινέειν, φὰς αὐτὸς2 ἱκανὸς εἶναι τῶν ἑωυτοῦ προκατῆσθαι.
When the Delphians heard this, they fell into utter panic, and being in great terror, they consulted the oracle about the sacred treasures, whether they should bury them under the earth or carry them away to another land. But the god forbade them to move these, saying that he himself was sufficient to protect his own property.
Δελφοὶ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες σφέων αὐτῶν πέρι ἐφρόντιζον. τέκνα μέν νυν καὶ γυναῖκας πέρην ἐς τὴν Ἀχαιίην διέπεμψαν, αὐτῶν δὲ οἱ μὲν πλεῖστοι ἀνέβησαν ἐς τοῦ Παρνησοῦ τὰς κορυφὰς καὶ ἐς τὸ Κωρύκιον ἄντρον ἀνηνείκαντο,3 οἳ δὲ ἐς Ἄμφισσαν τὴν Λοκρίδα ὑπεξῆλθον. πάντες δὲ ὦν οἱ Δελφοὶ ἐξέλιπον τὴν πόλιν, πλὴν ἑξήκοντα ἀνδρῶν καὶ τοῦ προφήτεω.
Hearing this, the Delphians took thought for themselves. They sent their children and wives across the sea to Achaea, and then, most of them climbed up to the peaks of Mount Parnassus and carried their belongings up to the Corycian cave, while others fled to Amphissa in Locris. Thus all the Delphians abandoned the city, except for sixty men and the prophet.
- 8.36.1κατορύξωσι
Deliberative subjunctive in an indirect question introduced by εἴτε... εἴτε... Although the main verb is in the past (ἐμαντεύοντο), which would allow a shift to the optative in classical prose, the subjunctive is retained to convey the vividness and urgency of the historical moment.
- 8.36.1αὐτὸς
An instance of nominative with infinitive. Although it is in an infinitive construction (with εἶναι), the subject of the infinitive is identical to the subject of the governing participle (φὰς, referring to ὁ θεός); hence, the nominative αὐτός is used instead of the accusative.
- 8.36.2ἀνηνείκαντο
An aorist middle of ἀναφέρω (Ionic form for ἀνηνέγκαντο). The middle voice highlights that they carried up 'their own' belongings, or withdrew 'themselves' for their own safety, reflecting personal interest or involvement.