§9.109.1χρόνου δὲ προϊόντος ἀνάπυστα γίνεται τρόπῳ τοιῷδε.
As time went on, the matter became known in the following way.
ἐξυφήνασα Ἄμηστρις ἡ Ξέρξεω γυνὴ φᾶρος μέγα τε καὶ ποικίλον καὶ θέης ἄξιον διδοῖ Ξέρξῃ.
Amestris, the wife of Xerxes, having woven a large, richly patterned, and wondrously beautiful robe, gave it to Xerxes.
ὁ δὲ ἡσθεὶς περιβάλλεταί τε καὶ ἔρχεται παρὰ τὴν Ἀρταΰντην·
He, being pleased, put it on and went to Artaynte.
§9.109.2ἡσθεὶς δὲ καὶ ταύτῃ ἐκέλευσε αὐτὴν αἰτῆσαι ὃ τι βούλεταί οἱ γενέσθαι ἀντὶ τῶν αὐτῷ ὑπουργημένων· πάντα γὰρ τεύξεσθαι αἰτήσασαν.
And being pleased with her too, he bade her ask for whatever she wished to be done for her in return for her services to him; for he said she would obtain everything she asked.
τῇ δὲ κακῶς γὰρ ἔδεε πανοικίῃ γενέσθαι, πρὸς ταῦτα εἶπε Ξέρξῃ
δώσεις μοι τὸ ἄν σε αἰτήσω; ὁ δὲ πᾶν μᾶλλον δοκέων κείνην αἰτῆσαι ὑπισχνέετο καὶ ὤμοσε.
But since she was destined to meet with disaster, she and all her house, she said to Xerxes in response to this: "Will you give me whatever I ask of you?" He, thinking that she would ask for anything rather than that robe, promised and swore an oath.
ἣ δὲ ὡς ὤμοσε ἀδεῶς αἰτέει τὸ φᾶρος.
And she, as soon as he had sworn, asked for the robe without fear.
§9.109.3Ξέρξης δὲ παντοῖος ἐγίνετο οὐ βουλόμενος δοῦναι, κατʼ ἄλλο μὲν οὐδέν, φοβεόμενος δὲ Ἄμηστριν, μὴ καὶ πρὶν κατεικαζούσῃ τὰ γινόμενα οὕτω ἐπευρεθῇ πρήσσων·
Xerxes tried every means, being unwilling to give it, for no other reason than that he feared Amestris, lest he should be detected doing what he was doing by her, who even before this had suspected what was going on.
ἀλλὰ πόλις τε ἐδίδου καὶ χρυσὸν ἄπλετον καὶ στρατόν, τοῦ ἔμελλε οὐδεὶς ἄρξειν ἀλλʼ ἢ ἐκείνη. Περσικὸν δὲ κάρτα ὁ στρατὸς δῶρον.
Instead, he offered to give her cities, and boundless gold, and an army of which no one but she should have command—and an army is a preeminently Persian gift.
ἀλλʼ οὐ γὰρ ἔπειθε, διδοῖ τὸ φᾶρος. ἣ δὲ περιχαρὴς ἐοῦσα τῷ δώρῳ ἐφόρεέ τε καὶ ἀγάλλετο.
But since he could not persuade her, he gave her the robe; and she, overjoyed with the gift, wore it and took pride in it.