- 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-grc2:9.89.1-9.89.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Artabazus concealed the truth of the defeat at Plataea from the Thessalians to avoid being attacked, and retreated in haste through Thessaly and Macedonia to Byzantium, eventually returning to Asia with heavy casualties.
Ἀρτάβαζος δὲ ὁ Φαρνάκεος φεύγων ἐκ Πλαταιέων καὶ δὴ πρόσω ἐγίνετο. ἀπικόμενον δὲ μιν1 οἱ Θεσσαλοὶ παρὰ σφέας ἐπί τε ξείνια ἐκάλεον καὶ ἀνειρώτων περὶ τῆς στρατιῆς τῆς ἄλλης, οὐδὲν ἐπιστάμενοι τῶν ἐν Πλαταιῇσι γενομένων.
Artabazus the son of Pharnaces, fleeing from Plataea, was already far on his way. When he arrived among them, the Thessalians invited him to entertainment and questioned him about the rest of the army, knowing nothing of what had happened at Plataea.
ὁ δὲ Ἀρτάβαζος γνοὺς ὅτι εἰ ἐθέλει σφι πᾶσαν τὴν ἀληθείην τῶν ἀγώνων εἰπεῖν, αὐτός τε κινδυνεύσει ἀπολέσθαι καὶ ὁ μετʼ αὐτοῦ στρατός· ἐπιθήσεσθαι γάρ οἱ πάντα τινὰ οἴετο2 πυνθανόμενον τὰ γεγονότα. ταῦτα ἐκλογιζόμενος οὔτε πρὸς τοὺς Φωκέας ἐξηγόρευε οὐδὲν πρός τε τοὺς Θεσσαλοὺς ἔλεγε τάδε.
But Artabazus, knowing that if he chose to tell them the whole truth about the battles, both he himself and the army with him would be in danger of destruction; for he thought that everyone would attack him if they learned what had happened. Calculating this, he had revealed nothing to the Phocians, and to the Thessalians he spoke as follows:
ἐγὼ μὲν ὦ ἄνδρες Θεσσαλοί, ὡς ὁρᾶτε, ἐπείγομαί τε κατὰ τάχος ἐλῶν3 ἐς Θρηίκην καὶ σπουδὴν ἔχω, πεμφθεὶς κατά τι πρῆγμα ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου μετὰ τῶνδε· αὐτὸς δὲ ὑμῖν Μαρδόνιος καὶ ὁ στρατὸς αὐτοῦ, οὗτος κατὰ πόδας ἐμεῦ ἐλαύνων προσδόκιμος ἐστί. τοῦτον καὶ ξεινίζετε καὶ εὖ ποιεῦντες φαίνεσθε· οὐ γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐς χρόνον ταῦτα ποιεῦσι μεταμελήσει.4
”O men of Thessaly, as you see, I am hastening at full speed to march into Thrace, and am in a hurry, having been sent on a certain business from the camp with these men; and Mardonius himself and his army, marching close on my heels, is to be expected by you. Show hospitality to him and be seen doing him good; for you will not regret it in time to come if you do this.”
ταῦτα δὲ εἴπας ἀπήλαυνε σπουδῇ τὴν στρατιὴν διὰ Θεσσαλίης τε καὶ Μακεδονίης ἰθὺ τῆς Θρηίκης, ὡς ἀληθέως ἐπειγόμενος, καὶ τὴν μεσόγαιαν τάμνων5 τῆς ὁδοῦ. καὶ ἀπικνέεται ἐς Βυζάντιον, καταλιπὼν τοῦ στρατοῦ τοῦ ἑωυτοῦ συχνοὺς ὑπὸ Θρηίκων κατακοπέντας κατʼ ὁδὸν καὶ λιμῷ συστάντας καὶ καμάτῳ· ἐκ Βυζαντίου δὲ διέβη πλοίοισι. οὗτος μὲν οὕτω ἀπενόστησε ἐς τὴν Ἀσίην.
Having said this, he led his army away in haste through Thessaly and Macedonia straight for Thrace, as if he were truly in a hurry, taking the inland route. And he arrived at Byzantium, having left behind a great part of his army, some cut to pieces by the Thracians on the way, others having succumbed to hunger and fatigue; from Byzantium he crossed over in boats. Thus did he return to Asia.
- 9.89.1μιν
The Ionic dialect form of the third-person singular pronoun in the accusative case (equivalent to Attic αὐτόν), functioning as the direct object referring back to Artabazus.
- 9.89.2ἐπιθήσεσθαι γάρ οἱ πάντα τινὰ οἴετο
An infinitive construction in indirect discourse dependent on the main verb οἴετο (imperfect of οἴομαι, 'to think'). The subject accusative of the future infinitive ἐπιθήσεσθαι (future middle infinitive of ἐπιτίθημι, 'to attack') is πάντα τινά ('everyone'), and the indirect reflexive pronoun οἱ (dative singular) refers to the subject of the main clause (Artabazus).
- 9.89.3ἐλῶν
Active future participle, masculine singular nominative, of the verb ἐλαύνω ('to march, drive') (contracted form: ἐλάσων > ἐλάων > ἐλῶν). It expresses the intention or purpose of the subject ('intending to march'), supplementing the description of his current urgent haste.
- 9.89.3οὐ γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐς χρόνον ταῦτα ποιεῦσι μεταμελήσει
The future tense of the impersonal verb μεταμέλει ('it repents / causes regret'). The person who regrets is expressed in the dative case (ὑμῖν), and the condition is set by the dative participle ταῦτα ποιεῦσι ('if you do these things') agreeing with it.
- 9.89.4τάμνων
Present active participle of τέμνω ('to cut, make one's way'). Used metaphorically with the genitive τῆς ὁδοῦ to mean 'cutting or taking a route,' specifically indicating his path through the inland (τὴν μεσόγαιαν).