- 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-grc2:9.79.1-9.79.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Pausanias sternly rejects Lampon's proposal to abuse Mardonius' body, declaring it a practice fit only for barbarians. He asserts that Leonidas and the fallen at Thermopylae have already been greatly avenged by the countless fallen enemies, and warns Lampon never to make such an impious suggestion again.
ὃ μὲν δοκέων χαρίζεσθαι ἔλεγε τάδε, ὃ δʼ ἀνταμείβετο τοῖσιδε. ὦ ξεῖνε Αἰγινῆτα, τὸ μὲν εὐνοέειν τε καὶ προορᾶν ἄγαμαί σευ, γνώμης μέντοι ἡμάρτηκας χρηστῆς· ἐξαείρας γάρ με ὑψοῦ καὶ τὴν πάτρην καὶ τὸ ἔργον, ἐς τὸ μηδὲν κατέβαλες παραινέων νεκρῷ λυμαίνεσθαι, καὶ ἢν ταῦτα ποιέω, φὰς ἄμεινόν με ἀκούσεσθαι·1 τὰ πρέπει μᾶλλον βαρβάροισι ποιέειν ἤ περ Ἕλλησι·
The one spoke thus, thinking to please him, but the other replied with these words: “O Aeginetan guest, I admire your goodwill and foresight, yet you have missed the right judgment. For after raising me, my country, and my deed to a high state, you have cast me down to nothing by advising me to abuse a dead body, and by saying that if I do this, I shall have a better reputation. Such actions are more fitting for barbarians to perform than for Greeks;
καὶ ἐκείνοισι δὲ ἐπιφθονέομεν. ἐγὼ δʼ ὦν τούτου εἵνεκα μήτε Αἰγινήτῃσι ἅδοιμι μήτε τοῖσι ταῦτα ἀρέσκεται, ἀποχρᾷ δέ μοι Σπαρτιήτῃσι ἀρεσκόμενον2 ὅσια μὲν ποιέειν, ὅσια δὲ καὶ λέγειν. Λεωνίδῃ δέ, τῷ με κελεύεις τιμωρῆσαι, φημὶ μεγάλως τετιμωρῆσθαι, ψυχῇσί τε τῇσι τῶνδε ἀναριθμήτοισι τετίμηται αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι οἱ ἐν Θερμοπύλῃσι τελευτήσαντες. σὺ μέντοι ἔτι ἔχων λόγον τοιόνδε μήτε προσέλθῃς ἔμοιγε μήτε συμβουλεύσῃς, χάριν τε ἴσθι ἐὼν ἀπαθής.3
and even in them we find it hateful. Therefore, for this reason, may I please neither the Aeginetans nor those who approve of such things; it is enough for me to please the Spartans by doing what is holy and speaking what is holy. As for Leonidas, whom you urge me to avenge, I declare that he has been greatly avenged, and that both he himself and the others who died at Thermopylae have been honored with the countless souls of these men. Do you, however, never approach me again with such a proposal nor give me such advice, and be grateful that you escape unpunished.”
- 9.79.1ἄμεινόν με ἀκούσεσθαι
An accusative with infinitive construction in indirect speech. The verb ἀκούω is used here in its passive sense of "to be spoken of" or "to have a reputation" (corresponding to the Latin bene/male audire), with the adverbial comparative neuter ἄμεινον meaning "to have a better reputation."
- 9.79.2ἀρεσκόμενον
While the impersonal verb ἀποχρᾷ ("it is enough") governs the dative μοι, the modifying participle ἀρεσκόμενον is in the accusative. This occurs because the participle agrees with the implied subject of the following infinitives (ποιέειν and λέγειν), which would naturally be in the accusative.
- 9.79.2χάριν τε ἴσθι ἐὼν ἀπαθής
An idiom of χάριν εἰδέναι ("to be grateful"), where ἴσθι is the second-person singular imperative of οἶδα. The participle ἐών with the adjective ἀπαθής ("unharmed") acts as a supplementary participle modifying the subject of ἴσθι, meaning "be grateful that you are unharmed."