§25ὁ δὲ τέως μὲν ἑστήκεεν λέγων οὐδέν· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἤδη ἐς τὸν φόνον ἤγετο, φθέγξατό τε καὶ τὸ κειμήλιον αἴτεε, λέγων ὡς ἀναιρέει μιν οὐχ ὕβριος οὐδὲ γάμων εἵνεκα, ἀλλὰ ἐκείνων ἐπιθυμέων τά οἱ ἀπιὼν παρεθήκατο.
He for a while stood saying nothing; but when he was already being led to execution, he spoke and asked for the deposit, saying that he was being put to death not because of an insult nor for the sake of marriage, but because the king desired those things which he had deposited with him when departing.
πρὸς τάδε ὁ βασιλεὺς καλέσας τὸν ταμίην ἐκέλευεν ἐνεῖκαι τά οἱ φρουρέειν ἔδωκεν·
In response to this, the king, summoning the treasurer, ordered him to bring the things which he had given him to guard.
ὡς δὲ ἤνεικεν, λύσας τὴν σφρηγῖδα ὁ Κομβάβος τά τε ἐνεόντα ἐπέδειξεν καὶ ἑωυτὸν ὁκοῖα ἐπεπόνθεεν, ἔλεξέ τε,
ὦ βασιλεῦ, τάδε τοι ἐγὼ ὀρρωδέων, εὖτέ με ταύτην ὁδὸν ἔπεμπες, ἀέκων ᾖον· καὶ ἐπεί με ἀναγκαίη μεγάλη ἐκ σέο κατέλαβεν, τοιάδε ἐπετέλεσα, ἐσθλὰ μὲν ἐς δεσπότεα, ἐμοὶ δὲ οὐκ εὐτυχέα.
When he brought them, Combabus, undoing the seal, showed the contents and what kind of thing he himself had suffered, and said: "O king, fearing these very things when you were sending me on this journey, I went unwillingly; and since a great necessity from you came upon me, I performed such a deed, good for my master, but unfortunate for myself.
τοιόσδε μέντοι ἐὼν ἀνδρὸς ἐπʼ ἀδικίην ἐγκαλέομαι. §26ὁ δὲ πρὸς τάδε ἀμβώσας περιέβαλέν τέ μιν καὶ δακρύων ἅμα ἔλεγεν,
ὦ Κομβάβε, τί μέγα κακὸν εἰργάσαο;
Yet, being of such a sort, I am accused of a man's wrongdoing." And the king, crying out at this, embraced him and weeping at the same time said: "O Combabus, what a great evil you have wrought!
τί δὲ σεωυτὸν οὕτως ἀεικέλιον ἔργον μοῦνος ἀνδρῶν ἔπρηξας;
And why have you alone of men done such an unseemly deed to yourself?
τὰ οὐ πάμπαν ἐπαινέω.
I do not praise this at all.
ὦ σχέτλιε, ὃς τοιάδε ἔτλης, οἷα μήτε σὲ παθέειν μήτ’ ἐμὲ ἰδέσθαι ὤφελεν·
O wretched man, who dared such things as neither you ought to have suffered nor I to have seen!
οὐ γάρ μοι ταύτης ἀπολογίης ἔδεεν.
For I had no need of such a defense.
ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ δαίμων τοιάδε ἤθελεν, πρῶτα μέν σοι τίσις ἐξ ἡμέων ἔσσεται, αὐτέων συκοφαντέων ὁ θάνατος, μετὰ δὲ μεγάλη δωρεὴ ἀπίξεται χρυσός τε πολλὸς καὶ ἄργυρος ἄπλετος καὶ ἐσθῆτες Ἀσσύριαι καὶ ἵπποι βασιλήιοι.
But since the deity wished such things, first indeed there shall be vengeance from us for you, the death of the accusers themselves, and afterwards a great gift shall come to you, much gold and limitless silver, Assyrian garments, and royal horses.
ἀπίξεαι δὲ παρʼ ἡμέας ἄνευ ἐσαγγελέος οὐδέ τις ἀπέρξει σε ἡμετέρης ὄψιος, οὐδʼ ἢν γυναικὶ ἅμα εὐνάζωμαι. τάδε εἶπέν τε ἅμα καὶ ἐποίεεν· καὶ οἱ μὲν αὐτίκα ἐς φόνον ἤγοντο, τῷ δὲ τὰ δῶρα ἐδέδοτο καὶ ἡ φιλίη μέζων ἐγεγόνεεν.
And you shall come to us without an announcer, nor shall anyone keep you from our sight, not even if I am lying with my wife." As he said these things, so he did them; and the accusers indeed were immediately led to execution, while to him the gifts were given and his friendship became greater.
ἐδόκεεν δὲ οὐδεὶς ἔτι Ἀσσυρίων Κομβάβῳ σοφίην καὶ εὐδαιμονίην εἴκελος.
And no one of the Assyrians seemed any longer equal to Combabus in wisdom and good fortune.
μετὰ δὲ αἰτησάμενος ἐκτελέσαι τὰ λείποντα τῷ νηῷ — ἀτελέα γάρ μιν ἀπολελοίπεεν — αὖτις ἐπέμπετο, καὶ τόν τε νηὸν ἐξετέλεσε καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν αὐτοῦ ἔμενεν.
Afterwards, having requested to finish what was lacking to the temple—for he had left it incomplete—he was sent back, and he finished the temple and remained there for the rest of his time.
ἔδωκεν δέ οἱ βασιλεὺς ἀρετῆς τε καὶ εὐεργεσίης εἵνεκα ἐν τῷ ἱρῷ ἑστάναι χάλκεον· καὶ ἔτι ἐς τιμὴν ἐν τῷ ἱρῷ Κομβάβος χάλκεος, Ἑρμοκλέος τοῦ Ῥοδίου ποίημα, μορφὴν μὲν ὁκοίη γυνή, ἐσθῆτα δὲ ἀνδρηίην ἔχει.
And the king granted him, on account of his virtue and beneficence, to stand in the temple as a bronze statue; and still even now, as an honor in the temple, there is a bronze Combabus, a work of Hermocles of Rhodes, having a form indeed like a woman, but wearing a man's clothing.
λέγεται δὲ τῶν φίλων τοὺς μάλιστά οἱ εὐνοέοντας ἐς παραμυθίην τοῦ πάθεος κοινωνίην ἑλέσθαι τῆς συμφορῆς· ἔτεμον γὰρ ἑωυτοὺς καὶ δίαιταν τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκείνῳ διαιτέοντο.
And it is said that those of his friends who were most well-disposed to him, for the consolation of his suffering, chose to share in his misfortune; for they castrated themselves and lived the same way of life as he.
ἄλλοι δὲ ἱρολογέουσιν ἐπὶ τῷ πρήγματι, λέγοντες ὡς ἡ Ἥρη φιλέουσα Κομβάβον πολλοῖσι τὴν τομὴν ἐπὶ νόον ἔβαλλεν, ὅκως μὴ μοῦνος ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνδρηίῃ λυπέοιτο.
But others tell a sacred story about the matter, saying that Hera, loving Combabus, put the castration into the minds of many, so that he might not be the only one to grieve over his lost manhood.
§27τὸ δὲ ἔθος τοῦτο ἐπειδὴ ἅπαξ ἐγένετο, ἔτι νῦν μένει· καὶ πολλοὶ ἑκάστου ἔτεος ἐν τῷ ἱρῷ τάμνονται καὶ θηλύνονται, εἴτε Κομβάβον παραμυθεόμενοι εἴτε καὶ Ἥρῃ χαρίζονται· τάμνονται δʼ ὦν.
And this custom, since it once began, still remains even now; and many every year castrate themselves in the temple and make themselves effeminate, whether consoling Combabus or indeed pleasing Hera; at any rate, they castrate themselves.
ἐσθῆτα δὲ οἵδε οὐκέτι ἀνδρηίην ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ εἵματά τε γυναικήια φορέουσιν καὶ ἔργα γυναικῶν ἐπιτελέουσιν.
And these no longer wear man's clothing, but they wear woman's garments and perform woman's works.
ὡς δὲ ἐγὼ ἤκουον, ἀνακέαται καὶ τουτέων ἐς Κομβάβον ἡ αἰτίη· συνενείχθη γάρ οἱ καὶ τάδε.
And as I heard, the cause of these things also is laid upon Combabus; for this also happened to him.
ξείνη γυνὴ ἐς πανήγυριν ἀπικομένη, ἰδοῦσα καλόν τε ἐόντα καὶ ἐσθῆτα ἔτι ἀνδρηίην ἔχοντα, ἔρωτι μεγάλῳ ἔσχετο, μετὰ δὲ μαθοῦσα ἀτελέα ἐόντα ἑωυτὴν διειργάσατο.
A foreign woman, having come to the festival, seeing him being beautiful and still wearing man's clothing, was possessed by a great love, but afterwards, learning that he was incomplete, she made away with herself.
ἐπὶ τοῖσι Κομβάβος, ἀθυμέων ὅτι οἱ ἀτυχέως τὰ ἐς Ἀφροδίτην ἔχει, ἐσθῆτα γυναικηίην ἐνεδύσατο, ὅκως μηκέτι ἑτέρη γυνὴ ἴσα ἐξαπατέοιτο.
Because of these things, Combabus, being despondent that his affairs regarding Aphrodite were unfortunate, put on woman's clothing, so that no other woman might be deceived in the same way.
ἥδε αἰτίη Γάλλοισι στολῆς θηλέης.
This is the cause of the female dress for the Galli.
Κομβάβου μέν μοι τοσάδε εἰρήσθω, Γάλλων δὲ αὖτις ἐγὼ λόγῳ ὑστέρῳ μεμνήσομαι, τομῆς τε αὐτέων, ὅκως τάμνονται, καὶ ταφῆς ὁκοίην θάπτονται, καὶ ὅτευ εἵνεκα ἐς τὸ ἱρὸν οὐκ ἐσέρχονται· πρότερον δέ μοι θυμὸς εἰπεῖν θέσιός τε πέρι τοῦ νηοῦ καὶ μεγάθεος, καὶ δῆτα ἐρέω.
Let so much indeed be said by me concerning Combabus, and of the Galli I shall make mention again in a later discourse, both of their castration, how they castrate themselves, and of what kind of burial they are buried with, and for what reason they do not enter into the temple; but first it is my desire to speak concerning the site and the size of the temple, and indeed I shall speak.