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Herodotus, Histories 1.11.1 · 1.11.1

She kept still

Herodotus — Τότε μὲν δὴ οὕτω οὐδὲν δηλώσασα ἡσυχίην εἶχε· ὡς δὲ ἡμέρη τάχιστα ἐγεγόνεε, τῶν οἰκετέων τοὺς μάλιστα ὥρα πιστοὺς ἐόντας ἑωυτῇ, ἑτοίμους ποιησαμένη ἐκάλεε τὸν Γύγεα. ὁ δὲ οὐδὲν δοκέων αὐτὴν τῶν πρηχθέντων ἐπίστασθαι ἦλθε καλεόμενος· ἐώθεε γὰρ καὶ πρόσθε, ὅκως ἡ βασίλεια καλέοι, φοιτᾶν.

So for the moment, showing nothing, she kept still. But as soon as day had come, she made ready those of her servants whom she saw to be most loyal to her, and summoned Gyges. He came when called, thinking that she knew nothing of what had happened; for he was used to come before too, whenever the queen should call.

Word by word

Herodotus

ΤότεTótethenμὲνmèn—δὴdḕ—οὕτωhoútōat allοὐδὲνoudènnothingδηλώσασαdēlṓsasashowingἡσυχίηνhēsychíēnstillεἶχεeîcheshe kept·ὡςhōsasδὲdèbutἡμέρηhēmérēdayτάχισταtáchistasoon asἐγεγόνεεegegóneehad come,τῶνtônof herοἰκετέωνoiketéōnservantsτοὺςtoùsthoseμάλισταmálistamostὥραhṓrashe sawπιστοὺςpistoùsloyalἐόνταςeóntasto beἑωυτῇheōutêito her,ἑτοίμουςhetoímousreadyποιησαμένηpoiēsaménēshe madeἐκάλεεekáleesummonedτὸνtòn—ΓύγεαGýgeaGyges.ὁhoheδὲdè—οὐδὲνoudènnothingδοκέωνdokéōnthinkingαὐτὴνautḕnsheτῶνtônof whatπρηχθέντωνprēchthéntōnhad happenedἐπίστασθαιepístasthaiknewἦλθεêlthecameκαλεόμενοςkaleómenoswhen called·ἐώθεεeṓtheehe usedγὰρgàrforκαὶkaìtooπρόσθεprósthebefore,ὅκωςhókōswheneverἡhētheβασίλειαbasíleiaqueenκαλέοιkaléoishould call,φοιτᾶνphoitânto come.

The setting

The night passes. In the morning the queen acts.

A note on this passage

The queen's first move is to do nothing. Hēsychiēn eiche, "she kept quiet," uses the same word the king used when he promised Gyges hēsychiē pollē, all the leisure in the world to look (1.9.2). The stillness he arranged for the watcher, she now keeps for herself, and it lasts exactly one night.

By morning every character in the story is wrong about what someone else knows. Candaules is sure his wife saw nothing. Gyges comes when called, "thinking she knew nothing of what had happened." Only the queen knows everything, and Herodotus lets us watch Gyges walk into the room with the same easy confidence his master had the night before. Herodotus does not say what the loyal servants have been made ready for. Her next words make it plain.

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Herodotus, Histories 1.11.1 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/herodotus/1.11.1/