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Herodotus, Histories 1.48.1 · 1.48.1

Only Delphi

Ταῦτα οἱ Λυδοὶ θεσπισάσης τῆς Πυθίης συγγραψάμενοι οἴχοντο ἀπιόντες ἐς τὰς Σάρδις. ὡς δὲ καὶ ὧλλοι οἱ περιπεμφθέντες παρῆσαν φέροντες τοὺς χρησμούς, ἐνθαῦτα ὁ Κροῖσος ἕκαστα ἀναπτύσσων ἐπώρα τῶν συγγραμμάτων, τῶν μὲν δὴ οὐδὲν προσίετό μιν· ὃ δὲ ὡς τὸ ἐκ Δελφῶν ἤκουσε, αὐτίκα προσεύχετό τε καὶ προσεδέξατο, νομίσας μοῦνον εἶναι μαντήιον τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖσι, ὅτι οἱ ἐξευρήκεε τὰ αὐτὸς ἐποίησε.

The Lydians wrote down what the Pythia had prophesied and went back to Sardis. When the others who had been sent round arrived with their oracles, Croesus unrolled each and looked over the writings; none of them satisfied him. But when he heard the one from Delphi, he at once prayed and accepted it, believing Delphi to be the only true oracle, because it had found out what he himself had done.

Word by word

ΤαῦταTaûtawhatοἱhoitheΛυδοὶLydoìLydiansθεσπισάσηςthespisásēshad prophesiedτῆςtêstheΠυθίηςPythíēsPythiaσυγγραψάμενοιsyngrapsámenoiwrote downοἴχοντοoíchontowent offἀπιόντεςapióntesreturningἐςestoτὰςtàs—ΣάρδιςSárdisSardis.ὡςhōswhenδὲdè—καὶkaì—ὧλλοιhôlloithe othersοἱhoiwhoπεριπεμφθέντεςperipemphthénteshad been sent roundπαρῆσανparêsanarrivedφέροντεςphérontesbringingτοὺςtoùstheirχρησμούςchrēsmoúsoracles,ἐνθαῦταenthaûtathenὁho—ΚροῖσοςKroîsosCroesusἕκασταhékastaeachἀναπτύσσωνanaptýssōnunrolledἐπώραepṓralooked overτῶνtôntheσυγγραμμάτωνsyngrammátōnwritings,τῶνtônof theseμὲνmèn—δὴdḕ—οὐδὲνoudènnoneπροσίετόprosíetósatisfiedμινminhim·ὃhò—δὲdèbutὡςhōswhenτὸtòthe oneἐκekfromΔελφῶνDelphônDelphiἤκουσεḗkousehe heard,αὐτίκαautíkaat onceπροσεύχετόproseúchetóhe prayedτεte—καὶkaìandπροσεδέξατοprosedéxatoaccepted it,νομίσαςnomísasbelievingμοῦνονmoûnonthe onlyεἶναιeînaito beμαντήιονmantḗionoracleτὸtòthe oneἐνenatΔελφοῖσιDelphoîsiDelphi,ὅτιhótibecauseοἱhoifor himἐξευρήκεεexeurḗkeeit had found outτὰtàwhatαὐτὸςautòshe himselfἐποίησεepoíēsehad done.

The setting

The answers come back to Sardis.

A note on this passage

The scene has the feel of an examiner marking papers. The answers come back as scrolls, and Croesus anaptyssōn, "unrolling," reads them one by one; none prosieto, "was acceptable" to him. Then the Delphic answer, and he does two things at once: proseucheto te kai prosedexato, "he prayed and he accepted." The two verbs chime, and they sum up what happens next: Croesus goes from testing the god to worshipping him in a single moment.

Herodotus adds one qualifier that matters more than it looks: Croesus decides Delphi is the only real oracle "because it had found out what he had done." Delphi has passed a test about the present. Croesus concludes that it will be equally clear about the future. The rest of the story shows how wrong that step is.

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Herodotus, Histories 1.48.1 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/herodotus/1.48.1/