- 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-grc2:9.21.1-9.21.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The Megarians, under heavy assault from Persian cavalry, send a herald to warn that they will abandon their critical position unless reinforced. While other Greeks refuse, the Athenians volunteer their three hundred elite troops under Olympiodorus.
κατὰ συντυχίην δὲ Μεγαρέες ἔτυχον ταχθέντες1 τῇ τε ἐπιμαχώτατον ἦν τοῦ χωρίου παντός, καὶ πρόσοδος μάλιστα ταύτῃ ἐγίνετο τῇ ἵππῳ. προσβαλλούσης ὦν τῆς ἵππου οἱ Μεγαρέες πιεζόμενοι ἔπεμπον ἐπὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων κήρυκα, ἀπικόμενος δὲ ὁ κῆρυξ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔλεγε τάδε.
By chance, the Megarians happened to be stationed where the ground was most open to attack of all the area, and where the cavalry could most easily approach. Therefore, when the cavalry made their charge, the Megarians, being hard pressed, sent a herald to the generals of the Greeks, and when the herald arrived, he spoke to them as follows:
Μεγαρέες λέγουσι· ἡμεῖς, ἄνδρες σύμμαχοι, οὐ δυνατοί εἰμεν τὴν Περσέων ἵππον δέκεσθαι μοῦνοι, ἔχοντες στάσιν ταύτην ἐς τὴν ἔστημεν ἀρχήν·2 ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐς τόδε λιπαρίῃ τε καὶ ἀρετῇ ἀντέχομεν καίπερ πιεζόμενοι. νῦν τε εἰ μή τινας ἄλλους πέμψετε διαδόχους τῆς τάξιος, ἴστε ἡμέας ἐκλείψοντας τὴν τάξιν.3
”The Megarians say: Allies, we are not able to withstand the Persian cavalry by ourselves, holding this position which we initially took. Yet, up to this point, we have held out through perseverance and courage, although we are hard pressed. And now, unless you send some others to relieve us in our position, know that we shall abandon this post.”
ὃ μὲν δή σφι ταῦτα ἀπήγγελλε, Παυσανίης δὲ ἀποπειρᾶτο τῶν Ἑλλήνων εἴ τινες ἐθέλοιεν ἄλλοι ἐθελονταὶ ἰέναι τε ἐς τὸν χῶρον τοῦτον καὶ τάσσεσθαι διάδοχοι Μεγαρεῦσι. οὐ βουλομένων δὲ τῶν ἄλλων Ἀθηναῖοι ὑπεδέξαντο καὶ Ἀθηναίων οἱ τριηκόσιοι λογάδες, τῶν ἐλοχήγεε Ὀλυμπιόδωρος ὁ Λάμπωνος.
He indeed reported these things to them, and Pausanias tested the Greeks to see if any others would volunteer to go to this place and be stationed to relieve the Megarians. But since the others were unwilling, the Athenians undertook it, namely, the three hundred chosen men of the Athenians, who were commanded by Olympiodorus the son of Lampon.
- 9.21.1ἔτυχον ταχθέντες
The combination of the verb τυγχάνω and the passive participle ταχθέντες, meaning "happened to be stationed."
- 9.21.2στάσιν ταύτην ἐς τὴν ἔστημεν ἀρχήν
In this relative clause introduced by the relative pronoun τήν (Herodotus' Ionic form for ἥν), the noun ἀρχήν is used adverbially (meaning "at first" or "originally"). The phrase means "this position which we initially took."
- 9.21.2ἴστε ἡμέας ἐκλείψοντας τὴν τάξιν
The second-person plural imperative ἴστε (from οἶδα, "to know") takes an accusative subject ἡμέας and a future participle ἐκλείψοντας as a complement, expressing a strong warning: "know that we will abandon the position."