- 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-grc2:9.107.1-9.107.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
During the retreat from Mycale to Sardis, Masistes insulted the general Artayntes over the defeat, prompting an angry attack from Artayntes, which was stopped by Zeinagoras.
τῶν δὲ ἀποφυγόντων βαρβάρων ἐς τὰ ἄκρα τῆς Μυκάλης κατειληθέντων,1 ἐόντων οὐ πολλῶν, ἐγίνετο κομιδὴ ἐς Σάρδις. πορευομένων δὲ κατʼ ὁδὸν Μασίστης ὁ Δαρείου παρατυχὼν τῷ πάθεϊ τῷ γεγονότι τὸν στρατηγὸν Ἀρταΰντην ἔλεγε πολλά τε καὶ κακά, ἄλλα τε καὶ γυναικὸς κακίω φὰς αὐτὸν εἶναι τοιαῦτα στρατηγήσαντα, καὶ ἄξιον εἶναι παντὸς κακοῦ τὸν βασιλέος οἶκον κακώσαντα. παρὰ δὲ τοῖσι Πέρσῃσι γυναικὸς κακίω ἀκοῦσαι2 δέννος μέγιστος ἐστι.
As for the barbarians who had escaped and were cornered on the heights of Mycale, being not many, their retreat to Sardis took place. While they were on their way, Masistes, the son of Darius, who happened to be present at the disaster that had occurred, said many harsh things to the general Artayntes, saying among other things that he was worse than a woman for having commanded in such a manner, and that he deserved every punishment for having brought ruin upon the house of the King. For among the Persians, to be called worse than a woman is the greatest insult.
ὁ δὲ ἐπεὶ πολλὰ ἤκουσε, δεινὰ ποιεύμενος σπᾶται ἐπὶ τὸν Μασίστην τὸν ἀκινάκην, ἀποκτεῖναι θέλων. καί μιν ἐπιθέοντα φρασθεὶς3 Ξειναγόρης ὁ Πρηξίλεω ἀνὴρ Ἁλικαρνησσεὺς ὄπισθε ἑστεὼς αὐτοῦ Ἀρταΰντεω ἁρπάζει μέσον καὶ ἐξαείρας παίει ἐς τὴν γῆν· καὶ ἐν τούτῳ οἱ δορυφόροι οἱ Μασίστεω προέστησαν.
And he, when he had heard many such things, being deeply angered, drew his akinakes against Masistes, wishing to kill him. But Zeinagoras, the son of Prexilaus, a man of Halicarnassus, who was standing behind Artayntes himself, noticing him rushing forward, seized him around the middle, lifted him up, and dashed him to the ground; and in the meantime, the bodyguards of Masistes stood in front to protect him.
ὁ δὲ Ξειναγόρης ταῦτα ἐργάσατο χάριτα αὐτῷ τε Μασίστῃ τιθέμενος καὶ Ξέρξῃ.4 ἐκσώζων τὸν ἀδελφεὸν τὸν ἐκείνου· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον Ξειναγόρης Κιλικίης πάσης ἦρξε δόντος βασιλέος. τῶν δὲ κατʼ ὁδὸν πορευομένων οὐδὲν ἐπὶ πλέον τούτων ἐγένετο, ἀλλʼ ἀπικνέονται ἐς Σάρδις.
Zeinagoras did this as a favor both to Masistes himself and to Xerxes, by saving his brother; and because of this deed, Zeinagoras ruled over all Cilicia, the King giving it to him. And of those traveling on the road nothing further than these things happened, but they arrived at Sardis.
- 9.107.1τῶν δὲ ἀποφυγόντων βαρβάρων ἐς τὰ ἄκρα τῆς Μυκάλης κατειληθέντων
A genitive absolute construction describing the situation of the escaped barbarians, who are not the subject of the main clause. It is immediately followed by another parenthetical genitive absolute participle phrase, ἐόντων οὐ πολλῶν ("being not many").
- 9.107.1γυναικὸς κακίω ἀκοῦσαι
The infinitive ἀκοῦσαι is used here with a passive meaning ("to be called", "to hear oneself spoken of"), taking the adjective with a genitive of comparison γυναικὸς κακίω ("worse than a woman") as its complement. This entire infinitive phrase functions as the subject of the sentence.
- 9.107.2καί μιν ἐπιθέοντα φρασθεὶς
μιν ("him", i.e., Artayntes) is the direct object of the aorist passive participle φρασθεὶς ("having noticed/perceived"), while the present participle ἐπιθέοντα ("rushing upon") acts as a predicative participle agreeing with μιν, meaning "having noticed him rushing forward."
- 9.107.3χάριτα αὐτῷ τε Μασίστῃ τιθέμενος καὶ Ξέρξῃ
The idiom χάριν τίθεσθαί τινι means "to do a favor to someone" or "to ingratiate oneself with someone" (with the dative). Here, the middle present participle τιθέμενος expresses the subject's intention or purpose ("seeking to win favor").