- 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-grc2:9.108.1-9.108.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
While staying in Sardis, Xerxes falls in love with the wife of Masistes, but unable to win her, he arranges a marriage between his son Darius and her daughter. After returning to Susa, Xerxes shifts his affection from Masistes' wife to her daughter, Artaynte, who has now become Darius' wife.
ἐν δὲ τῇσι Σάρδισι ἐτύγχανε ἐὼν1 βασιλεὺς ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου, ἐπείτε ἐξ Ἀθηνέων προσπταίσας τῇ ναυμαχίῃ φυγὼν ἀπίκετο. τότε δὴ ἐν τῇσι Σάρδισι ἐὼν ἄρα ἤρα τῆς Μασίστεω γυναικός, ἐούσης καὶ ταύτης ἐνθαῦτα. ὡς δέ οἱ προσπέμποντι οὐκ ἐδύνατο κατεργασθῆναι, οὐδὲ βίην προσεφέρετο προμηθεόμενος τὸν ἀδελφεὸν Μασίστην· τὠυτὸ δὲ τοῦτο εἶχε καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα·2 εὖ γὰρ ἐπίστατο βίης οὐ τευξομένη· ἐνθαῦτα δὴ Ξέρξης ἐργόμενος τῶν ἄλλων πρήσσει τὸν γάμον τοῦτον τῷ παιδὶ τῷ ἑωυτοῦ Δαρείῳ, θυγατέρα τῆς γυναικὸς ταύτης καὶ Μασίστεω, δοκέων αὐτὴν μᾶλλον λάμψεσθαι3 ἢν ταῦτα ποιήσῃ.
Now the King happened to be in Sardis from that time when, having met with disaster in the sea fight, he fled from Athens and arrived there. At that time, being in Sardis, he fell in love with the wife of Masistes, who was also present there. But since he could not win her over although he sent messengers to her, and did not apply force out of regard for his brother Masistes; and this very same thing kept the woman safe as well, for she knew well that she would not be subjected to force; then Xerxes, being shut out from all other ways, arranged this marriage for his own son Darius, namely, with the daughter of this woman and Masistes, thinking that in this way he would more easily get possession of her.
ἁρμόσας δὲ καὶ τὰ νομιζόμενα ποιήσας ἀπήλαυνε ἐς Σοῦσα· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐκεῖ τε ἀπίκετο καὶ ἠγάγετο ἐς ἑωυτοῦ Δαρείῳ τὴν γυναῖκα, οὕτω δὴ τῆς Μασίστεω μὲν γυναικὸς ἐπέπαυτο, ὁ δὲ διαμειψάμενος4 ἤρα τε καὶ ἐτύγχανε τῆς Δαρείου μὲν γυναικὸς Μασίστεω δὲ θυγατρός· οὔνομα δὲ τῇ γυναικὶ ταύτῃ ἦν Ἀρταΰντη.
Having betrothed them and performed the customary rites, he marched away to Susa; and when he arrived there and brought the woman into his own house for Darius, then indeed he ceased from his desire for the wife of Masistes, but changing his affection, he fell in love with and succeeded in winning the wife of Darius, who was the daughter of Masistes; and the name of this woman was Artaynte.
- 9.108.1ἐτύγχανε ἐὼν
The construction of τυγχάνω with a participle (ἐὼν) means "to happen to be" or "to be at that time."
- 9.108.1τὠυτὸ δὲ τοῦτο εἶχε καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα
"This very same thing kept/sustained the woman as well." The verb ἔχω here has the sense of "to hold, protect, or restrain," implying that the King's regard for his brother acted as a shield protecting the woman.
- 9.108.1λάμψεσθαι
An Ionic form of the future infinitive of λαμβάνω (normally λάμψομαι), meaning "to get, capture, or win." Its subject accusative is αὐτήν, referring to Masistes' wife; Xerxes believed that by marrying his son to her daughter, she (the mother) would more easily come into his grasp.
- 9.108.2διαμειψάμενος
Aorist middle participle of διαμείβω ("to exchange, change"), meaning here "having shifted his affection" or "changing the object of his desire." In conjunction with ἐπέπαυτο ("had ceased"), it emphasizes the transition of Xerxes' desire from the mother to the daughter.