- 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-grc2:9.27.1-9.27.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
In response to the Tegeans, the Athenians recount their glorious past deeds, including protecting the Heraclidae, burying the Argives at Thebes, fighting the Amazons and Trojans, and their victory at Marathon, while declaring their readiness to obey Sparta's placement.
οἳ μὲν ταῦτα ἔλεγον, Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα ὑπεκρίναντο τάδε. ἐπιστάμεθα μὲν σύνοδον τήνδε μάχης εἵνεκα συλλεγῆναι πρὸς τὸν βάρβαρον, ἀλλʼ οὐ λόγων· ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ Τεγεήτης προέθηκε παλαιὰ καὶ καινὰ λέγειν τὰ ἑκατέροισι ἐν τῷ παντὶ χρόνῳ κατέργασται χρηστά, ἀναγκαίως ἡμῖν ἔχει δηλῶσαι πρὸς ὑμέας ὅθεν ἡμῖν πατρώιον ἐστὶ ἐοῦσι χρηστοῖσι1 αἰεὶ πρώτοισι εἶναι μᾶλλον ἢ Ἀρκάσι.
They spoke thus, but the Athenians answered them in this way: “We understand indeed that this gathering has assembled for the sake of battle against the barbarian, and not for words; but since the Tegean has proposed to speak of both old and new noble deeds that have been performed by each of us in all time, it is necessary for us to show to you how it is our ancestral right, being noble, always to be first rather than the Arcadians.
Ἡρακλείδας,2 τῶν οὗτοι φασὶ ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν ἡγεμόνα ἐν Ἰσθμῷ, τοῦτο μὲν τούτους, πρότερον ἐξελαυνομένους ὑπὸ πάντων Ἑλλήνων ἐς τοὺς ἀπικοίατο φεύγοντες δουλοσύνην πρὸς Μυκηναίων, μοῦνοι ὑποδεξάμενοι τὴν Εὐρυσθέος ὕβριν κατείλομεν, σὺν ἐκείνοισι μάχῃ νικήσαντες τοὺς τότε ἔχοντας Πελοπόννησον.
First, as to the Heraclidae—whose leader these men claim to have slain at the Isthmus—when they were previously being driven out by all the Greeks to whom they fled in order to escape slavery from the Mycenaeans, we alone received them and put down the insolence of Eurystheus, defeating in battle, together with those Heraclidae, those who then held the Peloponnese.
τοῦτο δὲ Ἀργείους τοὺς μετὰ Πολυνείκεος ἐπὶ Θήβας ἐλάσαντας, τελευτήσαντας τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἀτάφους κειμένους, στρατευσάμενοι ἐπὶ τοὺς Καδμείους ἀνελέσθαι τε τοὺς νεκροὺς φαμὲν καὶ θάψαι τῆς ἡμετέρης ἐν Ἐλευσῖνι.
Secondly, as to the Argives who marched against Thebes with Polynices, who met their end and lay unburied, we claim that we marched against the Cadmeans, recovered their dead bodies, and buried them in our own land at Eleusis.
ἔστι δὲ ἡμῖν ἔργον εὖ ἔχον καὶ ἐς Ἀμαζονίδας τὰς ἀπὸ Θερμώδοντος ποταμοῦ ἐσβαλούσας κοτὲ ἐς γῆν τὴν Ἀττικήν, καὶ ἐν τοῖσι Τρωικοῖσι πόνοισι οὐδαμῶν ἐλειπόμεθα. ἀλλʼ οὐ γάρ τι προέχει τούτων ἐπιμεμνῆσθαι· καὶ γὰρ ἂν χρηστοὶ τότε ἐόντες ὡυτοὶ νῦν ἂν εἶεν3 φλαυρότεροι, καὶ τότε ἐόντες φλαῦροι νῦν ἂν εἶεν ἀμείνονες.
And we have a noble deed performed against the Amazons who came from the river Thermodon and once invaded the Attic land; and in the Trojan labors we were left behind by none. But indeed it is of no advantage to make mention of these things; for those who were noble then might now be baser, and those who were base then might now be better.
παλαιῶν μέν νυν ἔργων ἅλις ἔστω· ἡμῖν δὲ εἰ μηδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶ ἀποδεδεγμένον, ὥσπερ ἐστὶ πολλά τε καὶ εὖ ἔχοντα εἰ τεοῖσι4 καὶ ἄλλοισι Ἑλλήνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐν Μαραθῶνι ἔργου ἄξιοι εἰμὲν τοῦτο τὸ γέρας ἔχειν καὶ ἄλλα πρὸς τούτῳ, οἵτινες μοῦνοι Ἑλλήνων δὴ μουνομαχήσαντες τῷ Πέρσῃ καὶ ἔργῳ τοσούτῳ ἐπιχειρήσαντες περιεγενόμεθα καὶ ἐνικήσαμεν ἔθνεα ἕξ τε καὶ τεσσεράκοντα.
Now let there be enough of ancient deeds; and as for us, even if no other deed had been performed by us—as indeed there have been many and noble ones, as much as for any other of the Greeks—yet even from the deed at Marathon we are worthy to have this privilege and others besides, we who alone of the Greeks fought single-handed with the Persian and, having undertaken so great an enterprise, prevailed and defeated forty-six nations.
ἆρʼ οὐ δίκαιοι εἰμὲν ἔχειν ταύτην τὴν τάξιν ἀπὸ τούτου μούνου τοῦ ἔργου; ἀλλʼ οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ τοιῷδε τάξιος εἵνεκα στασιάζειν πρέπει, ἄρτιοι εἰμὲν πείθεσθαι ὑμῖν ὦ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, ἵνα δοκέει ἐπιτηδεότατον ἡμέας εἶναι ἑστάναι καὶ κατʼ οὕστινας· πάντῃ γὰρ τεταγμένοι πειρησόμεθα εἶναι χρηστοί. ἐξηγέεσθε δὲ ὡς πεισομένων.5
Are we not then justified in having this post from this single deed? But since it is not fitting to dispute about our post in such a crisis, we are ready to obey you, O Lacedaemonians, wherever you think it most fitting for us to stand, and next to whomsoever; for wherever we are posted we shall endeavor to be brave. Command us then as those who will obey.”
- 9.27.1ἐοῦσι χρηστοῖσι
A dative present participle, agreeing in gender, number, and case with the preceding pronoun ἡμῖν ("for us"). It functions causally or circumstantially, implying "since we are noble."
- 9.27.2Ἡρακλείδας
An accusative noun placed at the beginning of the sentence as a topic of discussion (prolepsis/pendent accusative). It functions logically as the object of the participle ὑποδεξάμενοι ("having received").
- 9.27.4ἂν ... ἂν εἶεν
The particle ἄν is repeated in the same clause with the potential optative εἶεν to emphasize the potentiality. The condition is implied in the participle phrase χρηστοὶ τότε ἐόντες ("if they were noble then").
- 9.27.5εἰ τεοῖσι
τεοῖσι is the Ionic dialect form corresponding to the dative plural of the indefinite pronoun τισί. Combined with εἰ, it means "if to any (others of the Greeks)."
- 9.27.6ὡς πεισομένων
A genitive absolute construction with the conjunction ὡς and the future participle πεισομένων (from πείθομαι), expressing the subjective attitude or readiness of the speakers ("as those who will obey") in relation to the imperative ἐξηγέεσθε.