§2.19.1τὸ δʼ αὐτὸ καὶ τῆς Σεμιράμιδος ἐπιτελούσης, ὡς ἤγγισαν ἀλλήλοις τὰ στρατόπεδα, Σταβροβάτης ὁ τῶν Ἰνδῶν βασιλεὺς προαπέστειλε πολὺ πρὸ τῆς φάλαγγος τοὺς ἱππεῖς μετὰ τῶν ἁρμάτων.
While Semiramis was also performing the same preparations, as the camps approached one another, Stabrobates, the king of the Indians, dispatched the cavalry along with the chariots far ahead of the phalanx.
§2.19.2δεξαμένης δὲ τῆς βασιλίσσης εὐρώστως τὴν ἔφοδον τῶν ἱππέων, καὶ τῶν κατεσκευασμένων ἐλεφάντων πρὸ τῆς φάλαγγος ἐν ἴσοις διαστήμασι τεταγμένων, συνέβαινε πτύρεσθαι τοὺς τῶν Ἰνδῶν ἵππους.
But when the queen vigorously received the onset of the cavalry, and since the prepared elephants had been stationed before the phalanx at equal intervals, it happened that the horses of the Indians were terrified.
§2.19.3τὰ γὰρ εἴδωλα πόρρωθεν μὲν ὁμοίαν εἶχε τὴν πρόσοψιν τοῖς ἀληθινοῖς θηρίοις, οἷς συνήθεις ὄντες οἱ τῶν Ἰνδῶν ἵπποι τεθαρρηκότως προσίππευον· τοῖς δʼ ἐγγίσασιν ἥ τε ὀσμὴ προσέβαλλεν ἀσυνήθης καὶ τἄλλα διαφορὰν ἔχοντα πάντα παμμεγέθη τοὺς ἵππους ὁλοσχερῶς συνετάραττε.
For the mock figures, from a distance, had an appearance similar to the real beasts, which the horses of the Indians, being accustomed to them, used to approach boldly; but to those that drew near, an unaccustomed odor struck them, and all the other differences, being utterly huge, completely threw the horses into confusion.
διὸ καὶ τῶν Ἰνδῶν οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἔπιπτον, οἱ δὲ τῶν ζῴων ἀπειθούντων τοῖς χαλινοῖς ὡς ἐτύγχανεν εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους ἐξέπιπτον μετὰ τῶν κομιζόντων αὐτοὺς ἵππων.
For this reason, some of the Indians fell to the ground, while others, since the beasts disobeyed the reins, were cast out at random into the enemy along with the horses carrying them.
§2.19.4ἡ δὲ Σεμίραμις μετὰ στρατιωτῶν ἐπιλέκτων μαχομένη καὶ τῷ προτερήματι δεξιῶς χρησαμένη τοὺς Ἰνδοὺς ἐτρέψατο.
And Semiramis, fighting with select soldiers and skillfully using her advantage, routed the Indians.
ὧν φυγόντων πρὸς τὴν φάλαγγα Σταβροβάτης ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐ καταπλαγεὶς ἐπήγαγε τὰς τῶν πεζῶν τάξεις, προηγουμένων τῶν ἐλεφάντων, αὐτὸς δʼ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ κέρατος τεταγμένος καὶ τὴν μάχην ἐπὶ τοῦ κρατίστου θηρίου ποιούμενος ἐπήγαγε καταπληκτικῶς ἐπὶ τὴν βασίλισσαν κατʼ αὐτὸν τυχικῶς τεταγμένην.
When they fled toward the phalanx, King Stabrobates, not dismayed, led forward the ranks of the infantry, with the elephants leading the way; and he himself, stationed on the right wing and making the fight from the strongest beast, charged terrifyingly against the queen, who by chance was stationed opposite him.
§2.19.5τὸ δʼ αὐτὸ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐλεφάντων ποιησάντων ἡ μετὰ τῆς Σεμιράμιδος δύναμις βραχὺν ὑπέστη χρόνον τὴν τῶν θηρίων ἔφοδον· τὰ γὰρ ζῷα διάφορα ταῖς ἀλκαῖς ὄντα καὶ ταῖς ἰδίαις ῥώμαις πεποιθότα πάντα τὸν ὑφιστάμενον ῥᾳδίως ἀνῄρει.
And when the other elephants did the same, the force with Semiramis withstood the onset of the beasts for only a short time; for the animals, being superior in strength and trusting in their own power, easily destroyed everyone who stood against them.
§2.19.6διόπερ πολὺς καὶ παντοῖος ἐγίνετο φόνος, τῶν μὲν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ὑποπιπτόντων, τῶν δὲ τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν ἀνασχιζομένων, ἐνίων δὲ ταῖς προβοσκίσιν ἀναρριπτουμένων.
Therefore, a great and manifold slaughter occurred, some being trampled underfoot, others being ripped open by the tusks, and some being tossed up by the trunks.
συχνοῦ δὲ πλήθους νεκρῶν σωρευομένου καὶ τοῦ κινδύνου τοῖς ὁρῶσι δεινὴν ἔκπληξιν καὶ φόβον παριστάντος, οὐδεὶς ἔτι μένειν ἐπὶ τῆς τάξεως ἐτόλμα.
As a vast multitude of corpses was piled up and the danger presented terrible amazement and fear to those who beheld it, no one dared to remain in rank any longer.
§2.19.7τραπέντος οὖν τοῦ πλήθους παντὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰνδῶν ἐπʼ αὐτὴν ἐβιάζετο τὴν Σεμίραμιν.
When the whole multitude was routed, the king of the Indians pressed against Semiramis herself.
καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπʼ ἐκείνην τοξεύσας ἔτυχε τοῦ βραχίονος, ἔπειτʼ ἀκοντίσας διήλασε διὰ τοῦ νώτου τῆς βασιλίσσης, πλαγίας ἐνεχθείσης τῆς πληγῆς· διόπερ οὐδὲν παθοῦσα δεινὸν ἡ Σεμίραμις ταχέως ἀφίππευσε, πολὺ λειπομένου κατὰ τὸ τάχος τοῦ διώκοντος θηρίου.
At first, shooting an arrow at her, he hit her arm; then, casting a javelin, he drove it through the back of the queen, the wound having been inflicted obliquely; therefore, suffering nothing fatal, Semiramis quickly rode away, since the pursuing beast fell far behind in speed.
§2.19.8πάντων δὲ φευγόντων ἐπὶ τὴν σχεδίαν, τοσούτου πλήθους εἰς ἕνα καὶ στενὸν βιαζομένου τόπον οἱ μὲν τῆς βασιλίσσης ὑπʼ ἀλλήλων ἀπέθνησκον συμπατούμενοι καὶ φυρόμενοι παρὰ φύσιν ἀναμὶξ ἱππεῖς τε καὶ πεζοί, τῶν δὲ Ἰνδῶν ἐπικειμένων ὠσμὸς ἐγίνετο βίαιος ἐπὶ τῆς γεφύρας διὰ τὸν φόβον, ὥστε πολλοὺς ἐξωθουμένους ἐφʼ ἑκάτερα μέρη τῆς γεφύρας ἐμπίπτειν εἰς τὸν ποταμόν.
And while all were fleeing toward the pontoon bridge, since so great a multitude was crowding into a single narrow place, those of the queen died trampled by one another, cavalry and infantry mixed and thrown into unnatural confusion; and as the Indians pressed upon them, there arose a violent shoving upon the bridge out of fear, so that many, being pushed off on either side of the bridge, fell into the river.
§2.19.9ἡ δὲ Σεμίραμις, ἐπειδὴ τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς μάχης διασωζομένων διὰ τὸν ποταμὸν ἔτυχε τῆς ἀσφαλείας, ἀπέκοψε τοὺς συνέχοντας δεσμοὺς τὴν γέφυραν· ὧν λυθέντων ἡ μὲν σχεδία κατὰ πολλὰ διαιρεθεῖσα μέρη καὶ συχνοὺς ἐφʼ ἑαυτῆς ἔχουσα τῶν διωκόντων Ἰνδῶν ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ ῥεύματος σφοδρότητος ὡς ἔτυχε κατηνέχθη, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν τῶν Ἰνδῶν διέφθειρε, τῇ δὲ Σεμιράμιδι πολλὴν ἀσφάλειαν παρεσκεύασε, κωλύσασα τὴν τῶν πολεμίων ἐπʼ αὐτὴν διάβασιν.
But Semiramis, when the greatest part of those surviving the battle happened to reach safety across the river, cut the cables holding the bridge together; when these were loosed, the pontoon bridge, divided into many parts and carrying many of the pursuing Indians upon itself, was carried down at random by the violence of the current; and it destroyed many of the Indians, while providing great safety for Semiramis, preventing the crossing of the enemy against her.
§2.19.10μετὰ δὲ ταῦθʼ ὁ μὲν τῶν Ἰνδῶν βασιλεύς, διοσημιῶν αὐτῷ γενομένων καὶ τῶν μάντεων ἀποφαινομένων σημαίνεσθαι τὸν ποταμὸν μὴ διαβαίνειν, ἡσυχίαν ἔσχεν, ἡ δὲ Σεμίραμις ἀλλαγὴν ποιησαμένη τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς Βάκτρα, δύο μέρη τῆς δυνάμεως ἀποβεβληκυῖα.
After these things, the king of the Indians remained quiet, since portents from heaven had occurred and the seers declared that it was signaled not to cross the river; but Semiramis, having made an exchange of prisoners, returned to Bactra, having lost two-thirds of her force.