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Herodotus · Histories §1.208.1

Cyrus's Crossing and Entrusting of Croesus to Cambyses

Passage 208 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Cyrus adopts Croesus's plan, requests Tomyris to withdraw, and after committing Croesus to his son Cambyses and sending them back to Persia, begins crossing the river with his army.

§1.208.1γνῶμαι μὲν αὗται συνέστασαν· Κῦρος δὲ μετεὶς τὴν προτέρην γνώμην, τὴν Κροίσου δὲ ἑλόμενος, προηγόρευε Τομύρι ἐξαναχωρέειν ὡς αὐτοῦ διαβησομένου ἐπʼ ἐκείνην.
These opinions were in opposition to each other; but Cyrus, letting go of the former opinion and choosing that of Croesus, announced to Tomyris to withdraw, as he himself was about to cross over against her.
ἣ μὲν δὴ ἐξανεχώρεε κατὰ ὑπέσχετο πρῶτα· Κῦρος δὲ Κροῖσον ἐς τὰς χεῖρας ἐσθεὶς τῷ ἑωυτοῦ παιδὶ Καμβύσῃ, τῷ περ τὴν βασιληίην ἐδίδου, καὶ πολλὰ ἐντειλάμενὸς οἱ τιμᾶν τε αὐτὸν καὶ εὖ ποιέειν, ἢν ἡ διάβασις ἡ ἐπὶ Μασσαγέτας μὴ ὀρθωθῇ, ταῦτα ἐντειλάμενος καὶ ἀποστείλας τούτους ἐς Πέρσας, αὐτὸς διέβαινε τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ ὁ στρατὸς αὐτοῦ.
She indeed withdrew, just as she had promised at first; but Cyrus, having placed Croesus into the hands of his own son Cambyses, to whom indeed he was giving the kingship, and having given him many instructions to honor him and treat him well, if the crossing against the Massagetae should not succeed, having given these instructions and having sent them away to Persia, he himself and his army began to cross the river.

Notes

  1. 1.208.1συνέστασαν — Third-person plural aorist (or pluperfect) of the intransitive συνίστημι, meaning here that the opinions "clashed" or "were in opposition to each other."
  2. 1.208.1ὡς αὐτοῦ διαβησομένου — A genitive absolute construction with the future participle διαβησομένου, introduced by ὡς, which expresses Cyrus's subjective reason or declared intention ("on the ground that he himself would cross over").
  3. 1.208.1ἐδίδου — Imperfect tense, used here as a conative or prospective imperfect ("was in the process of giving" or "intended to give"), indicating that the full transfer of kingship was underway or planned rather than already completed.
  4. 1.208.1ἢν ... μὴ ὀρθωθῇ — A conditional clause expressing a future potential or uncertain contingency, using the third-person singular subjunctive passive ὀρθωθῇ. Literally "if [the crossing] should not be kept straight," meaning "should it not succeed."
  5. 1.208.1διέβαινε — Imperfect tense, expressing either the beginning of the action ("began to cross") or the ongoing process of crossing the river.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.208.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.208.1

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