Herodotus · Histories §1.109.1-1.109.4

Harpagus' Reluctance to Kill the Infant Cyrus

Passage 109 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Harpagus receives the infant from Astyages and returns home weeping to tell his wife. Considering his own safety and the infant's kinship, he refuses to murder the child himself, though he agrees that the child must die by other hands.

§1.109.1τούτοισι ἀμειψάμενος ὁ Ἅρπαγος, ὥς οἱ παρεδόθη τὸ παιδίον κεκοσμημένον τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ ἤιε κλαίων ἐς τὰ οἰκία· παρελθὼν δὲ ἔφραζε τῇ ἑωυτοῦ γυναικὶ τὸν πάντα Ἀστυάγεος ῥηθέντα λόγον.

Harpagus, having answered with these words, when the child was delivered to him adorned for death, went weeping to his own house; and when he had entered, he told his own wife all the words spoken by Astyages.

§1.109.2ἣ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγει νῦν ὦν τί σοὶ ἐν νόῳ ἐστὶ ποιέειν; ὁ δὲ ἀμείβεται οὐ τῇ ἐνετέλλετο Ἀστυάγης, οὐδʼ εἰ παραφρονήσει τε καὶ μανέεται κάκιον ἢ νῦν μαίνεται, οὔ οἱ ἔγωγε προσθήσομαι τῇ γνώμῃ οὐδὲ ἐς φόνον τοιοῦτον ὑπηρετήσω.

And she said to him: "Now, therefore, what is in your mind to do?" And he replied: "Not in the way that Astyages commanded; even if he should lose his mind and rave worse than he now raves, I at least will not agree with his opinion, nor will I serve him in such a murder.

§1.109.3πολλῶν δὲ εἵνεκα οὐ φονεύσω μιν, καὶ ὅτι αὐτῷ μοι συγγενής ἐστὶ ὁ παῖς, καὶ ὅτι Ἀστυάγης μὲν ἐστὶ γέρων καὶ ἅπαις ἔρσενος γόνου·

For many reasons I will not murder him: both because the child is a kinsman to myself, and because Astyages is old and without male offspring.

§1.109.4εἰ δʼ ἐθελήσει τούτου τελευτήσαντος ἐς τὴν θυγατέρα ταύτην ἀναβῆναι ἡ τυραννίς, τῆς νῦν τὸν υἱὸν κτείνει διʼ ἐμεῦ, ἄλλο τι ἢ λείπεται τὸ ἐνθεῦτεν ἐμοὶ κινδύνων ὁ μέγιστος;

And if, when he has died, the sovereignty is to pass to this daughter, whose son he is now killing through me, is anything else left for me hereafter but the greatest of dangers?

ἀλλὰ τοῦ μὲν ἀσφαλέος εἵνεκα ἐμοὶ δεῖ τοῦτον τελευτᾶν τὸν παῖδα, δεῖ μέντοι τῶν τινα Ἀστυάγεος αὐτοῦ φονέα γενέσθαι καὶ μὴ τῶν ἐμῶν.

However, for the sake of safety indeed, it is necessary for me that this child should die; yet it is necessary that some one of Astyages' own people should be the executioner, and not one of mine."

Notes

1.109.1κεκοσμημένον τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ — The phrase `τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ` following the participle `κεκοσμημένον` (adorned) is an accusative of specification, with a feminine noun like `κόσμησιν` (adornment) understood, meaning 'adorned with the adornment for death.'
1.109.2οὐ τῇ ἐνετέλλετο — The dative feminine relative pronoun `τῇ` (corresponding to Attic `ᾗ`) implies the omission of the demonstrative `ταύτῃ` (in that way), meaning 'not in the way that Astyages commanded.'
1.109.3ἅπαις ἔρσενος γόνου — The genitive `ἔρσενος γόνου` (male offspring) depends on the adjective `ἅπαις` (childless), which contains a privative prefix, functioning as a genitive of separation or lack.
1.109.4ἐς τὴν θυγατέρα ταύτην ἀναβῆναι ἡ τυραννίς — In the conditional clause `εἰ δʼ ἐθελήσει...`, the verb `ἐθελήσει` does not mean 'to wish' but functions as a semi-auxiliary verb with the inanimate subject `ἡ τυραννίς` (sovereignty), indicating a future course of events ('if the sovereignty is destined to pass...').
1.109.4ἄλλο τι ἢ — This phrase is an abbreviation of `ἄλλο τι [ἔστι] ἤ` (is it anything other than...?), functioning as a strong rhetorical question implying a positive answer (equivalent to Latin `nonne`, 'is it not indeed...?').
1.109.4τοῦτον τελευτᾶν τὸν παῖδα — This is an accusative with infinitive (A.C.I.) construction functioning as the subject of the impersonal verb `δεῖ`, where `τελευτᾶν` is used intransitively ('to die, finish life') and `τοῦτον τὸν παῖδα` acts as its subject accusative.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.109.1-1.109.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.109.1-1.109.4

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