Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §1.38.1-1.38.2

Croesus Explains the Prophetic Dream of the Spear

Passage 38 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Croesus explains to his son that he restricts his activities because of a dream predicting the son's death by an iron spear, and that he must protect his only viable heir.

§1.38.1ἀμείβεται Κροῖσος τοῖσιδε. ὦ παῖ, οὔτε δειλίην οὔτε ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἄχαρι παριδών, τοι ποιέω ταῦτα, ἀλλά μοι ὄψις ὀνείρου ἐν τῷ ὕπνῳ ἐπιστᾶσα ἔφη σε ὀλιγοχρόνιον ἔσεσθαι· ὑπὸ γὰρ αἰχμῆς σιδηρέης ἀπολέεσθαι.
Croesus answered with these words: "O my son, it is not because I have observed cowardice or any other unseemly thing in you that I do this; rather, a vision of a dream standing over me in my sleep told me that you would be short-lived, for you would perish by an iron spearpoint.
§1.38.2πρὸς ὧν τὴν ὄψιν ταύτην τόν τε γάμον τοι τοῦτον ἔσπευσα καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ παραλαμβανόμενα οὐκ ἀποπέμπω, φυλακὴν ἔχων, εἴ κως δυναίμην ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμῆς σε ζόης διακλέψαι.
Therefore, in view of this vision, I hastened this marriage for you and do not send you out to the tasks now at hand, keeping guard if by some means I might be able to steal you away from fate during my own lifetime.
εἷς γὰρ μοι μοῦνος τυγχάνεις ἐὼν παῖς· τὸν γὰρ δὴ ἕτερον διεφθαρμένον τὴν ἀκοὴν οὐκ εἶναί μοι λογίζομαι.
For you happen to be my only son; as for the other, who is impaired in his hearing, I do not reckon him as existing for me."

Notes

  1. §1.38.1ἀπολέεσθαι — Future middle infinitive of ἀπόλλυμι (Ionic form for Attic ἀπολεῖσθαι). It functions as part of the indirect discourse introduced by the preceding ἔφη, continuing to state the content of the dream's prophecy: 'that you would perish (by an iron spearpoint).'
  2. §1.38.2εἴ κως δυναίμην — The conjunction εἴ followed by the optative (δυναίμην) expresses expectation, trial, or a tentative purpose ('if by some means I might be able to'). The particle κως is the Ionic form corresponding to Attic πως (somehow, by some means).
  3. §1.38.2διεφθαρμένον τὴν ἀκοὴν — τὴν ἀκοὴν is an accusative of specification (or respect) modifying the perfect passive participle διεφθαρμένον (impaired, ruined), meaning 'impaired with respect to hearing,' i.e., 'deaf.'

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.38.1-1.38.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.38.1-1.38.2

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