- 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-grc2:9.39.1-9.39.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
On the eighth day of the standoff, Mardonius followed Timegenidas' advice and dispatched cavalry to the passes of Mount Cithaeron. The Persian horsemen successfully intercepted a Greek supply train bringing provisions from the Peloponnese, slaughtering most of the men and beasts and driving the rest back to their camp.
ἡμέραι δέ σφι ἀντικατημένοισι1 ἤδη ἐγεγόνεσαν ὀκτώ, ὅτε ταῦτα ἐκεῖνος συνεβούλευε Μαρδονίῳ. ὁ δὲ μαθὼν τὴν παραίνεσιν εὖ ἔχουσαν,2 ὡς εὐφρόνη ἐγένετο, πέμπει τὴν ἵππον ἐς τὰς ἐκβολὰς τὰς Κιθαιρωνίδας αἳ ἐπὶ Πλαταιέων φέρουσι, τὰς Βοιωτοὶ μὲν Τρεῖς κεφαλὰς καλέουσι, Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ Δρυὸς κεφαλάς. πεμφθέντες δὲ οἱ ἱππόται οὐ μάτην ἀπίκοντο·
Eight days had already passed for them while they lay sitting opposite each other, when he gave this advice to Mardonius. Recognizing that the advice was good, as soon as night fell, Mardonius sent his cavalry to the passes of Cithaeron that lead toward Plataea, which the Boeotians call “Three Heads” and the Athenians “Oak’s Heads.” Having been sent, the horsemen did not arrive in vain;
ἐσβάλλοντα γὰρ ἐς τὸ πεδίον λαμβάνουσι ὑποζύγιά τε πεντακόσια, σιτία ἄγοντα ἀπὸ Πελοποννήσου ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον, καὶ ἀνθρώπους οἳ εἵποντο τοῖσι ζεύγεσι. ἑλόντες δὲ ταύτην τὴν ἄγρην οἱ Πέρσαι ἀφειδέως ἐφόνευον, οὐ φειδόμενοι οὔτε ὑποζυγίου οὐδενὸς οὔτε ἀνθρώπου. ὡς δὲ ἄδην εἶχον κτείνοντες,3 τὰ λοιπὰ αὐτῶν ἤλαυνον περιβαλόμενοι παρά τε Μαρδόνιον καὶ ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον.
for as they were entering the plain, they captured five hundred beasts of burden bringing provisions from the Peloponnese to the camp, and the men who were following the wagons. Having taken this prey, the Persians slaughtered them mercilessly, sparing neither any beast of burden nor any man. When they had their fill of killing, they rounded up the remainder of them and drove them to Mardonius and into the camp.
- 9.39.1σφι ἀντικατημένοισι
A dative pronominal and participial construction used in conjunction with a time-expression (ἡμέραι ... ἐγεγόνεσαν ὀκτώ) to designate the persons for whom this period had elapsed since they took up their positions.
- 9.39.1τὴν παραίνεσιν εὖ ἔχουσαν
A supplementary participle agreeing in gender, number, and case with τὴν παραίνεσιν, serving as the object complement of the participle of knowing, μαθὼν (from μανθάνω). The phrase εὖ ἔχουσαν (intransitive ἔχω with adverb) means "being good" or "beneficial."
- 9.39.2ἄδην εἶχον κτείνοντες
An idiomatic expression meaning "to have one's fill of doing something" or "to do to satiety." It consists of the adverb ἄδην (to satisfaction/satiety), the intransitive use of εἶχον (imperfect of ἔχω, to be in a state), and the supplementary participle κτείνοντες (killing).