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Herodotus, Histories 1.30.2 · 1.30.2

"Who is the most blessed man you have seen?"

Herodotus — θεησάμενον δέ μιν τὰ πάντα καὶ σκεψάμενον ὥς οἱ κατὰ καιρὸν ἦν, εἴρετο ὁ Κροῖσος τάδε.
Croesus — Ξεῖνε Ἀθηναῖε, παρʼ ἡμέας γὰρ περὶ σέο λόγος ἀπῖκται πολλὸς καὶ σοφίης εἵνεκεν τῆς σῆς καὶ πλάνης, ὡς φιλοσοφέων γῆν πολλὴν θεωρίης εἵνεκεν ἐπελήλυθας· νῦν ὦν ἐπειρέσθαι με ἵμερος ἐπῆλθέ σε εἴ τινα ἤδη πάντων εἶδες ὀλβιώτατον.

When he had looked at everything and examined it as he had opportunity, Croesus asked him this: "Stranger from Athens, much talk of you has reached us, of your wisdom and your wanderings: how you have travelled over much of the earth seeking knowledge for the sake of seeing. So now a longing has come over me to ask you whether you have yet seen the most blessed of all men."

Word by word

Herodotus

θεησάμενονtheēsámenonwhen he had lookedδέdé—μινminoverτὰtà—πάνταpántaeverythingκαὶkaìandσκεψάμενονskepsámenonexaminedὥςhṓsasοἱhoiheκατὰkatà—καιρὸνkairònopportunityἦνênhad,εἴρετοeíretoaskedὁho—ΚροῖσοςKroîsosCroesusτάδεtádethis.

Croesus

ΞεῖνεXeîneStrangerἈθηναῖεAthēnaîefrom Athens,παρʼparʼ—ἡμέαςhēméasusγὰρgàr—περὶperìofσέοséoyouλόγοςlógostalkἀπῖκταιapîktaihas reachedπολλὸςpollòsmuchκαὶkaì—σοφίηςsophíēswisdomεἵνεκενheínekenofτῆςtês—σῆςsêsyourκαὶkaìandπλάνηςplánēswanderings,ὡςhōshowφιλοσοφέωνphilosophéōnseeking knowledgeγῆνgênthe earthπολλὴνpollḕnmuchθεωρίηςtheōríēsseeingεἵνεκενheínekenfor the sake ofἐπελήλυθαςepelḗlythasyou have travelled·νῦνnŷnnowὦνônsoἐπειρέσθαιepeirésthaito askμεmemeἵμεροςhímerosa longingἐπῆλθέepêlthéhas come overσεseyouεἴeíwhetherτιναtinatheἤδηḗdēyetπάντωνpántōnof allεἶδεςeîdeshave seenὀλβιώτατονolbiṓtatonmost blessed.

The setting

Croesus asks the question he has been preparing.

A note on this passage

Croesus flatters before he asks. He has heard of Solon's wisdom and his travels, how he went over much of the earth philosopheōn, "loving knowledge," for the sake of theōriē, seeing. This is one of the first appearances of the verb that gives us "philosophy," and it is used here in its plain sense: a man who travels because he wants to know things. There is no school or doctrine yet, only curiosity.

Then the question, with its last word placed where it cannot be missed: has Solon seen anyone olbiōtatos, "most blessed"? Croesus has just had his treasures paraded past his guest. He is not really asking. He is waiting to hear his own name, and he has chosen a word that, in his mouth, means rich.

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Herodotus, Histories 1.30.2 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/herodotus/1.30.2/