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Herodotus · Histories §7.13.1-7.13.3

Xerxes' Cancellation of the Campaign and Yielding to Artabanus

Passage 1073 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Awaking from sleep, Xerxes dismisses the dream, assembles the Persian nobles, and announces that he has reversed his decision and will now follow the advice of Artabanus, canceling the expedition.

§7.13.1τὸν μὲν ταῦτα εἰπόντα ἐδόκεε ὁ Ξέρξης ἀποπτάσθαι, ἡμέρης δὲ ἐπιλαμψάσης ὀνείρου μὲν τούτου λόγον οὐδένα ἐποιέετο, ὁ δὲ Περσέων συναλίσας τοὺς καὶ πρότερον συνέλεξε, ἔλεξέ σφι τάδε. §7.13.2ἄνδρες Πέρσαι, συγγνώμην μοι ἔχετε ὅτι ἀγχίστροφα βουλεύομαι·
When the man had said this, it seemed to Xerxes that he flew away; and when day dawned, he made no account of this dream, but having assembled the Persians whom he had also gathered before, he spoke to them as follows: "O Persians, forgive me that I change my counsel so quickly; for I have not yet reached the height of my own wisdom, and those who urge me to do that other thing do not keep away from me for any time.
φρενῶν τε γὰρ ἐς τὰ ἐμεωυτοῦ πρῶτα οὔκω ἀνήκω, καὶ οἱ παρηγορεόμενοι ἐκεῖνα ποιέειν οὐδένα χρόνον μευ ἀπέχονται. ἀκούσαντι μέντοι μοι τῆς Ἀρταβάνου γνώμης παραυτίκα μὲν ἡ νεότης ἐπέζεσε, ὥστε ἀεικέστερα ἀπορρῖψαι ἔπεα ἐς ἄνδρα πρεσβύτερον ἢ χρεόν· νῦν μέντοι συγγνοὺς χρήσομαι τῇ ἐκείνου γνώμῃ.
However, when I heard the opinion of Artabanus, immediately my youth boiled up, so that I cast rather unseemly words against a man older than was fitting; but now, having acknowledged my error, I will follow his opinion.
§7.13.3ὡς ὦν μεταδεδογμένον μοι μὴ στρατεύεσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα, ἥσυχοι ἔστε.
Since, therefore, my decision has been changed not to march against Greece, remain at peace."

Notes

  1. §7.13.1τὸν μὲν ταῦτα εἰπόντα ἐδόκεε ὁ Ξέρξης ἀποπτάσθαι — The verb δοκέω, which is often used impersonally, here functions as a personal verb with the subject ὁ Ξέρξης ('it seemed to Xerxes that...'). It takes the accusative and infinitive construction τὸν ... ἀποπτάσθαι, where τὸν (acting as a demonstrative pronoun referring to the phantom) is the subject of the infinitive, modified by the participle εἰπόντα.
  2. §7.13.2φρενῶν τε γὰρ ἐς τὰ ἐμεωυτοῦ πρῶτα — The genitive φρενῶν (mind, wisdom) is a partitive genitive depending on the substantivized adjective τὰ πρῶτα (the highest point, the first state) within the prepositional phrase. The whole phrase literally means 'to the highest points of my own mind' (i.e., 'to the full maturity of my wisdom').
  3. §7.13.2ἢ χρεόν — An elliptical expression for ἢ χρεόν ἐστι, or an accusative absolute, meaning 'than is necessary' or 'than was fitting' after the comparative adjective ἀεικέστερα.
  4. §7.13.3ὡς ὦν μεταδεδογμένον μοι — An accusative absolute of an impersonal verb (here the perfect passive participle of μεταδοκέει, 'to change one's mind') introduced by ὡς. The subject is the infinitive clause μὴ στρατεύεσθαι, and the agent is expressed by the dative μοι. It establishes the premise: 'on the ground that my decision has been changed not to march against Greece'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.13.1-7.13.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.13.1-7.13.3

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