§17.77.1ἐπανελθόντος δʼ αὐτοῦ πάλιν εἰς τὴν Ὑρκανίαν ἧκεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ βασίλισσα τῶν Ἀμαζόνων, ὄνομα μὲν Θάλληστρις, βασιλεύουσα δὲ τῆς μεταξὺ τοῦ Φάσιδος καὶ Θερμώδοντος χώρας.
When he returned again to Hyrcania, there came to him the queen of the Amazons, named Thalestris, who ruled the land between the Phasis and the Thermodon.
ἦν δὲ τῷ τε κάλλει καὶ τῇ τοῦ σώματος ῥώμῃ διαφέρουσα καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ὁμοεθνέσι θαυμαζομένη κατʼ ἀνδρείαν, καὶ τὸ μὲν πλῆθος τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐπὶ τῶν ὅρων τῆς Ὑρκανίας ἀπολελοιπυῖα, μετὰ δὲ τριακοσίων Ἀμαζονίδων κεκοσμημένων πολεμικοῖς ὅπλοις παραγενομένη.
She was outstanding in beauty and physical strength, and admired for her courage among her compatriots; she had left the main body of her army on the borders of Hyrcania, and arrived with three hundred Amazons equipped with weapons of war.
§17.77.2τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως θαυμάζοντος τό τε παράδοξον τῆς παρουσίας καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ τὴν Θάλληστριν ἐρομένου τίνα χρείαν ἔχουσα πάρεστιν, ἀπεφαίνετο παιδοποιίας ἕνεκεν ἥκειν.
When the king wondered at the unexpectedness of their arrival and the dignity of the women, and asked Thalestris for what purpose she had come, she declared that she had come to bear a child.
§17.77.3ἐκεῖνον μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἁπάντων ἀνδρῶν διὰ τὰς πράξεις ἄριστον ὑπάρχειν, αὑτὴν δὲ τῶν γυναικῶν ἀλκῇ τε καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ διαφέρειν· εἰκὸς οὖν τὸ γεννηθὲν ἐκ δυεῖν γονέων πρωτευόντων ὑπερέξειν ἀρετῇ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων.
For she said that he was the best of all men due to his achievements, and she herself excelled among women in valor and courage, so it was natural that the child born of two preeminent parents would surpass all other humans in excellence.
καὶ πέρας ἡσθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ προσδεξάμενος τὴν ἔντευξιν αὐτῆς καὶ συμπεριενεχθεὶς ἡμέρας τρεισκαίδεκα τιμήσας τε ἀξιολόγοις δώροις ἐξαπέστειλεν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν.
Finally, the king, being pleased and accepting her request, associated with her for thirteen days, and after honoring her with notable gifts, sent her back to her home country.
§17.77.4μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα δόξας ἤδη κεκρατηκέναι τῆς ἐπιβολῆς καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀδήριτον ἔχειν ἤρξατο ζηλοῦν τὴν Περσικὴν τρυφὴν καὶ τὴν πολυτέλειαν τῶν Ἀσιανῶν βασιλέων.
After this, thinking that he had already achieved his purpose and held his kingdom without dispute, he began to imitate the Persian luxury and the extravagance of the Asian kings.
καὶ πρῶτον μὲν περὶ τὴν αὐλὴν εἶχε ῥαβδούχους Ἀσιαγενεῖς, ἔπειτα τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους τῶν Ἀσιανῶν ἀνδρῶν δορυφορεῖν ἔταξεν, ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ ὁ Δαρείου ἀδελφὸς Ὀξάθρης.
First, he kept Asian lictors about his court, and then he ordered the most distinguished of the Asian men to serve as his bodyguards, among whom was Darius' brother Oxathres.
§17.77.5εἶτα τό τε Περσικὸν διάδημα περιέθετο καὶ τὸν διάλευκον ἐνεδύσατο χιτῶνα καὶ τὴν Περσικὴν ζώνην καὶ τἄλλα πλὴν τῶν ἀναξυρίδων καὶ τοῦ κάνδυος.
Then he put on the Persian diadem and dressed in the white-striped tunic and the Persian girdle, and other garments except for the trousers and the kandys.
διέδωκε δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἑταίροις περιπορφύρους στολὰς καὶ τοῖς ἵπποις Περσικὰς σκευὰς περιέθηκε.
He also distributed purple-trimmed robes to his companions and placed Persian trappings on the horses.
§17.77.6πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τὰς παλλακίδας ὁμοίως τῷ Δαρείῳ περιήγετο, τὸν μὲν ἀριθμὸν οὔσας οὐκ ἐλάττους πλήθει τῶν κατὰ τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν ἡμερῶν, κάλλει δὲ διαπρεπεῖς ὡς ἂν ἐξ ἁπασῶν τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν γυναικῶν ἐπιλελεγμένας.
In addition to these things, he took concubines around with him just like Darius, who were no fewer in number than the days of the year, and outstanding in beauty as if selected from all the women in Asia.
§17.77.7αὗται δὲ ἑκάστης νυκτὸς περιῄεσαν τὴν κλίνην τοῦ βασιλέως, ἵνα τὴν ἐκλογὴν αὐτὸς ποιήσηται τῆς μελλούσης αὐτῷ συνεῖναι.
These women walked around the king's bed every night, so that he himself might make the choice of the one who was to lie with him.
τούτοις μὲν οὖν τοῖς ἐθισμοῖς Ἀλέξανδρος σπανίως ἐχρῆτο, τοῖς δὲ προϋπάρχουσι κατὰ τὸ πλεῖστον ἐνδιέτριβε, φοβούμενος τὸ προσκόπτειν τοῖς Μακεδόσιν.
However, Alexander made use of these customs only rarely, and spent most of his time in his pre-existing ones, fearing to give offense to the Macedonians.