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Herodotus · Histories §3.151.1-3.151.2

Darius's Siege of Babylon and the Citizens' Taunt

Passage 555 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Darius leads his army to besiege Babylon, but the Babylonians mock him from the walls, claiming that the city will only be captured when mules give birth.

§3.151.1πυθόμενος δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Δαρεῖος καὶ συλλέξας πᾶσαν τὴν ἑωυτοῦ δύναμιν ἐστρατεύετο ἐπʼ αὐτούς, ἐπελάσας δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν Βαβυλῶνα ἐπολιόρκεε φροντίζοντας οὐδὲν τῆς πολιορκίης.
When Darius learned of these things, he gathered his entire force and marched against them; having advanced to Babylon, he besieged them, while they cared nothing for the siege.
ἀναβαίνοντες γὰρ ἐπὶ τοὺς προμαχεῶνας τοῦ τείχεος οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι κατωρχέοντο καὶ κατέσκωπτον Δαρεῖον καὶ τὴν στρατιὴν αὐτοῦ, καί τις αὐτῶν εἶπε τοῦτο τὸ ἔπος. §3.151.2τί κάτησθε ὦ Πέρσαι ἐνθαῦτα, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀπαλλάσσεσθε;
For the Babylonians, climbing up onto the breastworks of the wall, danced in mockery and jeered at Darius and his army, and one of them spoke these words: "Why do you sit there, Persians, and not depart?
τότε γὰρ αἱρήσετε ἡμέας, ἐπεὰν ἡμίονοι τέκωσι. τοῦτο εἶπε τῶν τις Βαβυλωνίων οὐδαμὰ ἐλπίζων ἂν ἡμίονον τεκεῖν.
For you will capture us only when mules give birth." This was said by one of the Babylonians, who never expected that a mule would ever give birth.

Notes

  1. §3.151.1φροντίζοντας οὐδὲν τῆς πολιορκίης — The present participle accusative plural φροντίζοντας modifies the omitted direct object (the Babylonians) of the verb ἐπολιόρκεε. The verb φροντίζω takes the genitive τῆς πολιορκίης ("care for"), and οὐδέν functions adverbially as a strong negation.
  2. §3.151.2ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀπαλλάσσεσθε; — The particle ἀλλά following the interrogative τί ("why") introduces a strong alternative to the action of sitting, meaning "why rather do you not depart?".
  3. §3.151.2ἂν ἡμίονον τεκεῖν — The particle ἄν is attached to the aorist infinitive τεκεῖν depending on the participle ἐλπίζων ("expecting"), expressing a potential or hypothetical scenario ("that a mule could ever give birth").

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.151.1-3.151.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.151.1-3.151.2

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