Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §8.88.1-8.88.3

Xerxes Praising Artemisia for Her Bravery

Passage 1396 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Artemisia's ramming not only saved her from danger but also resulted in her receiving high praise from King Xerxes. Aided by the fact that there were no survivors from the Calyndian ship, the king commended her bravery, famously remarking on the reversal of men and women.

§8.88.1τοῦτο μὲν τοιοῦτο αὐτῇ συνήνεικε γενέσθαι διαφυγεῖν τε καὶ μὴ ἀπολέσθαι, τοῦτο δὲ συνέβη ὥστε κακὸν ἐργασαμένην ἀπὸ τούτων αὐτὴν μάλιστα εὐδοκιμῆσαι παρὰ Ξέρξῃ.
On the one hand, this turned out so for her as to escape and not to perish, and on the other hand, it happened that, although she had done harm, she won the greatest favor with Xerxes from these very things.
§8.88.2λέγεται γὰρ βασιλέα θηεύμενον μαθεῖν τὴν νέα ἐμβαλοῦσαν, καὶ δή τινα εἰπεῖν τῶν παρεόντων δέσποτα, ὁρᾷς Ἀρτεμισίην ὡς εὖ ἀγωνίζεται καὶ νέα τῶν πολεμίων κατέδυσε; καὶ τὸν ἐπειρέσθαι εἰ ἀληθέως ἐστὶ Ἀρτεμισίης τὸ ἔργον, καὶ τοὺς φάναι, σαφέως τὸ ἐπίσημον τῆς νεὸς ἐπισταμένους· τὴν δὲ διαφθαρεῖσαν ἠπιστέατο εἶναι πολεμίην.
For it is said that the king, who was watching, noticed the ship ramming, and indeed one of those present said: "Master, do you see Artemisia, how well she fights, and how she has sunk a ship of the enemy?" And the king asked if it was truly the deed of Artemisia, and they said it was, since they knew the insignia of her ship clearly; and they believed that the destroyed ship was an enemy one.
§8.88.3τά τε γὰρ ἄλλα, ὡς εἴρηται, αὐτῇ συνήνεικε ἐς εὐτυχίην γενόμενα, καὶ τὸ τῶν ἐκ τῆς Καλυνδικῆς νεὸς μηδένα ἀποσωθέντα κατήγορον γενέσθαι.
For both other things, as has been said, turned out to her good fortune, and especially the fact that no one from the Calyndian ship survived to become her accuser.
Ξέρξην δὲ εἰπεῖν λέγεται πρὸς τὰ φραζόμενα οἱ μὲν ἄνδρες γεγόνασί μοι γυναῖκες, αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες ἄνδρες. ταῦτα μὲν Ξέρξην φασὶ εἰπεῖν.
And Xerxes is said to have remarked in response to what was told to him: "My men have become women, and my women men." This is what they say Xerxes said.

Notes

  1. 8.88.1τοῦτο μὲν... τοῦτο δέ — τοῦτο μὲν... τοῦτο δέ is used adverbially to mean "on the one hand... on the other hand," contrasting the two immediate positive outcomes for Artemisia: escaping danger and gaining the king's favor.
  2. 8.88.2καὶ τὸν ἐπειρέσθαι... καὶ τοὺς φάναι — Here, τὸν and τοὺς function as accusative pronouns acting as the subject of the infinitives ἐπειρέσθαι and φάναι under the governing verb λέγεται (it is said). τὸν refers to King Xerxes, and τοὺς to the bystanders.
  3. 8.88.3καὶ τὸ τῶν ἐκ τῆς Καλυνδικῆς νεὸς μηδένα ἀποσωθέντα κατήγορον γενέσθαι — The article τὸ substantivizes the infinitive γενέσθαι, forming one of the subjects of the sentence (along with τά τε γὰρ ἄλλα). μηδένα is the subject accusative of this infinitive, with the participle ἀποσωθέντα agreeing with it.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.88.1-8.88.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.88.1-8.88.3

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