- 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-grc2:9.37.1-9.37.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The sacrifices also turn out to be unfavorable for the Persian general Mardonius, and the narrative relates the remarkable story of his seer, Hegesistratus, who escaped Spartan captivity by cutting off his own foot.
Μαρδονίῳ δὲ προθυμεομένῳ μάχης ἄρχειν οὐκ ἐπιτήδεα ἐγίνετο τὰ ἱρά, ἀμυνομένῳ δὲ καὶ τούτῳ καλά. καὶ γὰρ οὗτος Ἑλληνικοῖσι ἱροῖσι ἐχρᾶτο, μάντιν ἔχων Ἡγησίστρατον ἄνδρα Ἠλεῖόν τε καὶ τῶν Τελλιαδέων ἐόντα λογιμώτατον, τὸν δὴ πρότερον τούτων Σπαρτιῆται λαβόντες ἔδησαν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ ὡς πεπονθότες1 πολλά τε καὶ ἀνάρσια ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ.
And for Mardonius, who was eager to begin the battle, the sacrifices did not turn out to be favorable, but for him too, if he defended himself, they were favorable. For he too used Greek sacrificial rites, having as his seer Hegesistratus, an Elean and the most famous of the Telliadae, whom indeed previously to this the Spartans had captured and bound for death, because they had suffered many outrageous things at his hands.
ὁ δὲ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ κακῷ ἐχόμενος, ὥστε τρέχων περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς πρό τε τοῦ θανάτου πεισόμενος2 πολλά τε καὶ λυγρά, ἔργον ἐργάσατο μέζον λόγου. ὡς γὰρ δὴ ἐδέδετο ἐν ξύλῳ σιδηροδέτῳ, ἐσενειχθέντος κως σιδηρίου ἐκράτησε, αὐτίκα δὲ ἐμηχανᾶτο ἀνδρηιότατον ἔργον πάντων τῶν ἡμεῖς ἴδμεν· σταθμησάμενος γὰρ ὅκως ἐξελεύσεταί3 οἱ τὸ λοιπὸν τοῦ ποδός, ἀπέταμε τὸν ταρσὸν ἑωυτοῦ.
He, being held in this dire plight, and running for his life and expecting to suffer many grievous things before his death, accomplished a deed greater than words can tell. For when he had been bound in iron-bound stocks, having somehow got possession of an iron tool that was smuggled in, he immediately devised a deed the most courageous of all we know. For having calculated how the rest of his foot might escape, he cut off his own tarsus.
ταῦτα δὲ ποιήσας, ὡς φυλασσόμενος ὑπὸ φυλάκων, διορύξας τὸν τοῖχον ἀπέδρη ἐς Τεγέην, τὰς μὲν νύκτας πορευόμενος, τὰς δὲ ἡμέρας καταδύνων ἐς ὕλην καὶ αὐλιζόμενος, οὕτω ὡς Λακεδαιμονίων πανδημεὶ διζημένων τρίτῃ εὐφρόνῃ γενέσθαι4 ἐν Τεγέη, τοὺς δὲ ἐν θώματι μεγάλῳ ἐνέχεσθαι τῆς τε τόλμης, ὁρῶντας τὸ ἡμίτομον τοῦ ποδὸς κείμενον, κἀκεῖνον οὐ δυναμένους εὑρεῖν.
Having done this, although he was guarded by guards, he dug through the wall and escaped to Tegea, traveling by night and by day hiding in the woods and resting, so that, while the Lacedaemonians were searching for him with their entire population, on the third night he arrived in Tegea, while they were seized with great wonder at his daring, seeing the half-cut foot lying there and being unable to find him.
τότε μὲν οὕτω διαφυγὼν Λακεδαιμονίους καταφεύγει ἐς Τεγέην ἐοῦσαν οὐκ ἀρθμίην Λακεδαιμονίοισι τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον· ὑγιὴς δὲ γενόμενος καὶ προσποιησάμενος ξύλινον πόδα κατεστήκεε ἐκ τῆς ἰθέης Λακεδαιμονίοισι πολέμιος. οὐ μέντοι ἔς γε τέλος οἱ συνήνεικε τὸ ἔχθος τὸ ἐς Λακεδαιμονίους συγκεκυρημένον· ἥλω γὰρ μαντευόμενος ἐν Ζακύνθῳ ὑπʼ αὐτῶν καὶ ἀπέθανε.
At that time, having thus escaped the Lacedaemonians, he fled for refuge to Tegea, which was not on friendly terms with the Lacedaemonians at that time; and when he had recovered and fitted himself with a wooden foot, he established himself as an outright enemy of the Lacedaemonians. However, in the end, this hatred of his against the Lacedaemonians did not turn out well for him; for while officiating as a seer in Zacynthus, he was captured by them and put to death.
- 9.37.1ὡς πεπονθότες
A perfect participle agreeing with the main subject Σπαρτιῆται. Accompanied by ὡς, it expresses the subjective reason or allegation of the Spartans ('alleging that they had suffered...'). The active perfect participle of πάσχω (to suffer), combined with ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, functions with a passive force.
- 9.37.2ὥστε τρέχων... πεισόμενος
An Ionic construction characteristic of Herodotus, where the conjunction ὥστε introduces participles (the present τρέχων and the future πεισόμενος) rather than an indicative or infinitive. It emphasizes the urgent circumstances or the subjective/causal conditions under which he acted ('since he was running for his life and about to suffer...').
- 9.37.2ὅκως ἐξελεύσεται
An indirect question clause serving as the object of the participle σταθμησάμενος. The conjunction ὅκως is the Ionic form corresponding to Attic ὅπως. Although the main context is historical, the verb ἐξελεύσεται retains the future indicative to vividly represent the deliberative question at that past moment ('how his remaining foot would get out').
- 9.37.3οὕτω ὡς... γενέσθαι
A consecutive construction where οὕτω ὡς governs the infinitives of result (γενέσθαι and, with a subject accusative, ἐνέχεσθαι). Although the syntax is interrupted by the insertion of a concessive genitive absolute (Λακεδαιμονίων πανδημεὶ διζημένων), the core structure is: 'traveling in such a manner that... he arrived in Tegea on the third night.'