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Herodotus · Histories §1.10.1-1.10.3

Gyges Seen by the Queen and Her Vow of Revenge

Passage 10 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Gyges watches the queen undress in her bedroom but is spotted by her as he slips away. Recognizing her husband's scheme, the queen silently vows revenge but feigns ignorance.

§1.10.1ὃ μὲν δὴ ὡς οὐκ ἐδύνατο διαφυγεῖν, ἦν ἕτοιμος· ὁ δὲ Κανδαύλης, ἐπεὶ ἐδόκεε ὥρη τῆς κοίτης εἶναι, ἤγαγε τὸν Γύγεα ἐς τὸ οἴκημα.
And he indeed, when he saw that he could not escape, was ready; and Candaules, when it seemed to be time for bed, led Gyges into the room.
καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα αὐτίκα παρῆν καὶ ἡ γυνή.
And immediately after this, his wife also came.
ἐσελθοῦσαν δὲ καὶ τιθεῖσαν τὰ εἵματα ἐθηεῖτο ὁ Γύγης. §1.10.2ὡς δὲ κατὰ νώτου ἐγένετο ἰούσης τῆς γυναικός ἐς τὴν κοίτην, ὑπεκδὺς ἐχώρεε ἔξω, καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἐπορᾷ μιν ἐξιόντα.
And Gyges watched her as she entered and laid down her garments. And when she was going to the bed and he came behind her back, he slipped out and went away; and the wife saw him as he was going out.
μαθοῦσὰ δὲ τὸ ποιηθέν ἐκ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς οὔτε ἀνέβωσε αἰσχυνθεῖσα οὔτε ἔδοξε μαθεῖν, ἐν νοῶ ἔχουσα τίσεσθαι τὸν Κανδαύλεα. §1.10.3παρὰ γὰρ τοῖσι Λυδοῖσι, σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῖσι ἄλλοισι βαρβάροισι καὶ ἄνδρα ὀφθῆναι γυμνόν ἐς αἰσχύνην μεγάλην φέρει.
Having understood what had been done by her husband, she neither cried out for shame nor let it appear that she had noticed it, having it in mind to take vengeance on Candaules. For among the Lydians, and indeed almost all other barbarians, even for a man to be seen naked brings great shame.

Notes

  1. 1.10.2ἰούσης τῆς γυναικός — A genitive absolute construction with the present participle in the feminine singular genitive. Set under the conjunction ὡς, it expresses a circumstantial action occurring simultaneously with the main clause: 'while the wife was going (to the bed)'.
  2. 1.10.2τὸ ποιηθέν ἐκ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς — Substantivised passive aorist participle of ποιέω in the neuter singular. It means 'that which had been done by her husband'. The agent of the passive is expressed by ἐκ with the genitive instead of ὑπό, a characteristic feature of Herodotus' Ionic dialect.
  3. 1.10.3ἄνδρα ὀφθῆναι γυμνόν — An accusative with infinitive clause functioning as the subject of the sentence. ὀφθῆναι is the passive aorist infinitive of ὁράω, and its subject of infinitive is the accusative ἄνδρα. γυμνόν is a predicate adjective agreeing with ἄνδρα. The particle καί functions here as 'even' modifying ἄνδρα.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.10.1-1.10.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.10.1-1.10.3

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