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Herodotus · Histories §7.14.1

The Reappearance of the Dream and Warning to Xerxes

Passage 1074 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Persians rejoice upon hearing Xerxes' decision to cancel the campaign, but that night, the same dream appears again to threaten Xerxes, warning him of a swift downfall if he does not launch the expedition.

§7.14.1Πέρσαι μὲν ὡς ἤκουσαν ταῦτα, κεχαρηκότες προσεκύνεον.
When the Persians heard this, they rejoiced and prostrated themselves in worship.
νυκτὸς δὲ γενομένης αὖτις τὠυτὸ ὄνειρον τῷ Ξέρξῃ κατυπνωμένῳ ἔλεγε ἐπιστάν ὦ παῖ Δαρείου, καὶ δὴ φαίνεαι ἐν Πέρσῃσί τε ἀπειπάμενος τὴν στρατηλασίην καὶ τὰ ἐμὰ ἔπεα ἐν οὐδενὶ ποιησάμενος λόγῳ ὡς παρʼ οὐδενὸς ἀκούσας;
But when night came, the same dream stood over Xerxes as he slept and spoke to him again: "Son of Darius, have you indeed openly renounced the campaign before the Persians and made no account of my words, as if you had heard them from nobody?
εὖ νυν τόδʼ ἴσθι· ἤν περ μὴ αὐτίκα στρατηλατέῃς, τάδε τοι ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀνασχήσει· ὡς καὶ μέγας καὶ πολλὸς ἐγένεο ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ, οὕτω καὶ ταπεινὸς ὀπίσω κατὰ τάχος ἔσεαι.
Know this well, then: if you do not immediately lead the army, this is what will result for you: just as you became great and mighty in a short time, so you shall quickly be brought low again."

Notes

  1. §7.14.1φαίνεαι ... ἀπειπάμενος — The verb φαίνομαι followed by participles (ἀπειπάμενος, ποιησάμενος) indicates that the action is clear or manifest ("you clearly have renounced...", "it is plain that you..."), in contrast to φαίνομαι with an infinitive, which denotes appearance ("you seem to..."). The second-person singular form φαίνεαι is Ionic for Attic φαίνῃ or φαίνει.
  2. §7.14.1ἀνασχήσει — The third-person singular future active of ἀνέχω. Here it is used intransitively with the neuter plural subject τάδε, meaning "these things will rise up" or "will result."
  3. §7.14.1μέγας καὶ πολλὸς — The adjective πολλός (usually "many") in the singular, when modifying a person, is used by Herodotus to mean "influential" or "powerful." Paired with μέγας ("great"), it emphasizes the magnitude of the king's power.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.14.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.14.1

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