§3.3.1καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὧδε ἔχει.
And these matters are indeed so.
λέγεται δὲ καὶ ὅδε λόγος, ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐ πιθανός, ὡς τῶν Περσίδων γυναικῶν ἐσελθοῦσά τις παρὰ τὰς Κύρου γυναῖκας, ὡς εἶδε τῇ Κασσανδάνῃ παρεστεῶτα τέκνα εὐειδέα τε καὶ μεγάλα, πολλῷ ἐχρᾶτο τῷ ἐπαίνῳ ὑπερθωμάζουσα, ἡ δὲ Κασσανδάνη ἐοῦσα τοῦ Κύρου γυνὴ εἶπε τάδε· §3.3.2τοιῶνδε μέντοι ἐμὲ παίδων μητέρα ἐοῦσαν Κῦρος ἐν ἀτιμίῃ ἔχει, τὴν δὲ ἀπʼ Αἰγύπτου ἐπίκτητον ἐν τιμῇ τίθεται. τὴν μὲν ἀχθομένην τῇ Νιτήτι εἰπεῖν ταῦτα, τῶν δέ οἱ παίδων τὸν πρεσβύτερον εἰπεῖν Καμβύσεα· §3.3.3τοιγάρ τοι ὦ μῆτερ, ἐπεὰν ἐγὼ γένωμαι ἀνήρ, Αἰγύπτου τὰ μὲν ἄνω κάτω θήσω, τὰ δὲ κάτω ἄνω. ταῦτα εἰπεῖν αὐτὸν ἔτεα ὡς δέκα κου γεγονότα, καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἐν θώματι γενέσθαι· τὸν δὲ διαμνημονεύοντα οὕτω δή, ἐπείτε ἀνδρώθη καὶ ἔσχε τὴν βασιληίην, ποιήσασθαι τὴν ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον στρατηίην.
But another story is also told, which is to me incredible, that one of the Persian women came in to see the wives of Cyrus, and when she saw the beautiful and tall children standing by Cassandane, she praised them exceedingly, expressing great admiration; whereupon Cassandane, being the wife of Cyrus, said: "Yet, though I am the mother of such children as these, Cyrus holds me in dishonor, while he treats the woman acquired from Egypt with honor." She, indeed, said this because she was resentful of Nitetis, but the elder of her children, Cambyses, is said to have replied: "Therefore, mother, when I become a man, I will turn Egypt upside down, making the upper parts lower and the lower parts upper." He said this, it is said, when he was only about ten years old, and the women were struck with amazement; and he, ever remembering this, did indeed make the expedition against Egypt when he grew to manhood and took the kingdom.