§1.87.1ἐνθαῦτα λέγεται ὑπὸ Λυδῶν Κροῖσον μαθόντα τὴν Κύρου μετάγνωσιν, ὡς ὥρα πάντα μὲν ἄνδρα σβεννύντα τὸ πῦρ, δυναμένους δὲ οὐκέτι καταλαβεῖν, ἐπιβώσασθαι τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα ἐπικαλεόμενον, εἴ τί οἱ κεχαρισμένον ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐδωρήθη, παραστῆναι καὶ ῥύσασθαι αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ παρεόντος κακοῦ.
Thereupon, it is said by the Lydians that Croesus, having learned of Cyrus's change of mind, when he saw every man trying to extinguish the fire but no longer able to master it, cried out to Apollo, invoking him and praying that if any pleasing gift had ever been given by him to the god, he would come to his aid and rescue him from the present evil.
§1.87.2τὸν μὲν δακρύοντα ἐπικαλέεσθαι τὸν θεόν, ἐκ δὲ αἰθρίης τε καὶ νηνεμίης συνδραμεῖν ἐξαπίνης νέφεα καὶ χειμῶνά τε καταρραγῆναι καὶ ὗσαι ὕδατι λαβροτάτῳ, κατασβεσθῆναί τε τὴν πυρήν.
While he was thus invoking the god with tears, suddenly, out of a clear and windless sky, clouds gathered, a storm broke out, and it rained most violently, so that the pyre was extinguished.
οὕτω δὴ μαθόντα τὸν Κῦρον ὡς εἴη ὁ Κροῖσος καὶ θεοφιλὴς καὶ ἀνὴρ ἀγαθός, καταβιβάσαντα αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς πυρῆς εἰρέσθαι τάδε. §1.87.3Κροῖσε, τίς σε ἀνθρώπων ἀνέγνωσε ἐπὶ γῆν τὴν ἐμὴν στρατευσάμενον πολέμιον ἀντὶ φίλου ἐμοὶ καταστῆναι; ὁ δὲ εἶπε
ὦ βασιλεῦ, ἐγὼ ταῦτα ἔπρηξα τῇ σῇ μὲν εὐδαιμονίῃ, τῇ ἐμεωυτοῦ δὲ κακοδαιμονίῃ, αἴτιος δὲ τούτων ἐγένετο ὁ Ἑλλήνων θεὸς ἐπαείρας ἐμὲ στρατεύεσθαι.
Thus Cyrus, having learned that Croesus was both beloved of the gods and a good man, brought him down from the pyre and asked him this: "Croesus, who among men persuaded you to march against my land as an enemy instead of being a friend to me?" And he said: "O King, I did this to your good fortune but to my own ill fortune, and the cause of this was the god of the Greeks, who encouraged me to make war.
§1.87.4οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὕτω ἀνόητος ἐστὶ ὅστις πόλεμον πρὸ εἰρήνης αἱρέεται· ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ οἱ παῖδες τοὺς πατέρας θάπτουσι, ἐν δὲ τῷ οἱ πατέρες τοὺς παῖδας.
For no one is so foolish as to choose war instead of peace; for in peace, sons bury their fathers, but in war, fathers bury their sons.
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα δαίμοσί κου φίλον ἦν οὕτω γενέσθαι.
However, it must have been pleasing to the gods for these things to happen so."