Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §9.60.1-9.60.3

Pausanias Appeals to the Athenians for Aid

Passage 1515 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

As the barbarian divisions follow the Persians in pursuit, Pausanias sends a messenger to the Athenians, telling them that they have been betrayed by their fleeing allies, and requests mutual defense, or at least the dispatch of their archers.

§9.60.1καὶ οὗτοι μὲν βοῇ τε καὶ ὁμίλῳ ἐπήισαν ὡς ἀναρπασόμενοι τοὺς Ἕλληνας·
And these advanced with shouting and in a confused crowd, as though they would sweep the Greeks away.
Παυσανίης δέ, ὡς προσέκειτο ἡ ἵππος, πέμψας πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἱππέα λέγει τάδε. ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ἀγῶνος μεγίστου προκειμένου ἐλευθέρην εἶναι ἢ δεδουλωμένην τὴν Ἑλλάδα, προδεδόμεθα ὑπὸ τῶν συμμάχων ἡμεῖς τε οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ὑπὸ τὴν παροιχομένην νύκτα διαδράντων.
But Pausanias, as the cavalry pressed hard upon him, sent a horseman to the Athenians with this message: "Men of Athens, when the greatest struggle lies before us, whether Greece is to be free or enslaved, we Lacedaemonians and you Athenians have been betrayed by our allies, who fled during the past night.
§9.60.2νῦν ὦν δέδοκται τὸ ἐνθεῦτεν τὸ ποιητέον ἡμῖν· ἀμυνομένους γὰρ τῇ δυνάμεθα ἄριστα περιστέλλειν ἀλλήλους.
Now, therefore, it has been decided what we must do from this point onward; namely, to defend ourselves as best we can and protect one another.
εἰ μέν νυν ἐς ὑμέας ὅρμησε ἀρχὴν ἡ ἵππος, χρῆν δὴ ἡμέας τε καὶ τοὺς μετʼ ἡμέων τὴν Ἑλλάδα οὐ προδιδόντας Τεγεήτας βοηθέειν ὑμῖν·
If, then, the cavalry had charged against you at the very beginning, it would have been the duty of us and of the Tegeans, who with us do not betray Greece, to come to your aid.
νῦν δέ, ἐς ἡμέας γὰρ ἅπασα κεχώρηκε, δίκαιοι ἐστὲ ὑμεῖς πρὸς τὴν πιεζομένην μάλιστα τῶν μοιρέων ἀμυνέοντες ἰέναι.
But now, since they have directed their whole force against us, it is only right that you should come to defend the division that is most hard pressed.
§9.60.3εἰ δʼ ἄρα αὐτοὺς ὑμέας καταλελάβηκε ἀδύνατόν τι βοηθέειν, ὑμεῖς δʼ ἡμῖν τοὺς τοξότας ἀποπέμψαντες χάριν θέσθε.
But if, as it may be, some impossibility has overtaken you yourselves so that you cannot help us, yet do us a favor by sending your archers to us.
συνοίδαμεν δὲ ὑμῖν ὑπὸ τὸν παρεόντα τόνδε πόλεμον ἐοῦσι πολλὸν προθυμοτάτοισι, ὥστε καὶ ταῦτα ἐσακούειν.
We know that in this present war you have been by far the most zealous, so that you will also listen to this request."

Notes

  1. §9.60.1ἀγῶνος μεγίστου προκειμένου ἐλευθέρην εἶναι ἢ δεδουλωμένην τὴν Ἑλλάδα — ἀγῶνος μεγίστου προκειμένου is a genitive absolute. The following infinitive clause, ἐλευθέρην εἶναι ἢ δεδουλωμένην τὴν Ἑλλάδα ('whether Greece is to be free or enslaved'), functions in apposition to explain the specific content of the struggle (ἀγῶνος).
  2. §9.60.1διαδράντων — An aorist genitive participle (masculine plural) modifying the preceding noun phrase τῶν συμμάχων ('of the allies'). Although the insertion of the prepositional phrase ὑπὸ τὴν παροιχομένην νύκτα ('during the past night') separates them, it should be translated as 'by the allies, who fled during the past night'.
  3. §9.60.2ἀμυνομένους γὰρ τῇ δυνάμεθα ἄριστα περιστέλλειν ἀλλήλους — Part of an accusative-and-infinitive construction depending on the preceding δέδοκται ('it has been decided'). The subject accusative (an implied ἡμᾶς) is omitted, with which the participle ἀμυνομένους agrees in the accusative. τῇ is the Ionic form of the relative pronoun ᾗ, used adverbially to mean 'in the way which'.
  4. §9.60.2δίκαιοί ἐστε ὑμεῖς... ἰέναι — A personal construction of δίκαιός εἰμι ('to be right or bound to do something') followed by the infinitive (ἰέναι). This is equivalent to the impersonal δίκαιόν ἐστιν ὑμᾶς... ἰέναι ('it is right for you to go'), but with the subject (ὑμεῖς) raised to be the subject of δίκαιοι.
  5. §9.60.3συνοίδαμεν δὲ ὑμῖν... ἐοῦσι — A supplementary participle with συνοῖδα ('to be conscious/know'). While a nominative participle is used for self-knowledge, when referencing the quality of another (here ὑμῖν), the participle (ἐοῦσι) agrees with the dative pronoun.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.60.1-9.60.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.60.1-9.60.3

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.