How Deïokes became king · Jan 3, 03:51 AM by Ad van den Ende
Herodotus 01,96-01,97
XCVI. [1] ἐόντων δὲ αὐτονόμων πάντων
And when all were independent,
ἀνὰ τὴν ἤπειρον,
on the continent
ὧδε αὖτις ἐς τυραννίδα περιῆλθον.
as follows they returned again to despotic rule:
ἀνὴρ ἐν τοῖσι Μήδοισι ἐγένετο σοφὸς
Among the Medes there was a wise man,
τῷ οὔνομα ἦν Δηιόκης,
whose name was Deïokes,
παῖς δ᾽ ἦν Φραόρτεω.
he was the son of Phraortes.
[2] οὗτος ὁ Δηιόκης
This Deïokes,
ἐρασθεὶς τυραννίδος
having come in love for despotic power,
ἐποίεε τοιάδε.
did thus.
κατοικημένων τῶν Μήδων κατὰ κώμας,
Whereas the Medes lived in separate villages,
ἐν τῇ ἑωυτοῦ ἐὼν
he, in his own village being
καὶ πρότερον δόκιμος
even earlier of great repute,
καὶ μᾶλλόν τι καὶ προθυμότερον
even more and with greater zeal (than before)
δικαιοσύνην ἐπιθέμενος
having set himself to justice
ἤσκεε·
practised it;
καὶ ταῦτα μέντοι
and this he did although
ἐούσης ἀνομίης πολλῆς
there was much lawlessness
ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν Μηδικὴν ἐποίεε,
throughout the whole of Media,
ἐπιστάμενος ὅτι τῷ δικαίῳ
knowing that to the just man
τὸ ἄδικον πολέμιον ἐστί.
the injustice is hostile .
οἱ δ᾽ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς κώμης Μῆδοι
And the Medes of the same village,
ὁρῶντες αὐτοῦ τοὺς τρόπους
seeing his manners,
δικαστήν μιν ἑωυτῶν αἱρέοντο.
chose him for their judge.
ὁ δὲ δή, οἷα μνώμενος ἀρχήν,
So he, because he was desiring power,
ἰθύς τε καὶ δίκαιος ἦν,
was upright and just;
[3] ποιέων τε ταῦτα
And doing that
ἔπαινον εἶχε οὐκ ὀλίγον
he had no little praise
πρὸς τῶν πολιητέων,
from his fellow-citizens,
οὕτω ὥστε πυνθανόμενοι
insomuch that those learning
οἱ ἐν τῇσι ἄλλῃσι κώμῃσι
who (lived) in the other villages
ὡς Δηιόκης εἴη ἀνὴρ
that Deïokes was a man
μοῦνος κατὰ τὸ ὀρθὸν δικάζων,
who alone rightly gave decision,
πρότερον περιπίπτοντες ἀδίκοισι γνώμῃσι,
before having suffered from unjust judgments,
τότε ἐπείτε ἤκουσαν
then, when they heard it,
ἄσμενοι ἐφοίτων παρὰ τὸν Δηιόκεα
went gladly to Deïokes,
καὶ αὐτοὶ δικασόμενοι,
also selves seeking justice,
τέλος δὲ οὐδενὶ ἄλλῳ ἐπετράποντο.
and at last to no one else they turned to.
XCVII.
[1] πλεῦνος δὲ αἰεὶ γινομένου τοῦ ἐπιφοιτέοντος,
As more and more continually were coming to him,
οἷα πυνθανομένων
because men learnt
τὰς δίκας ἀποβαίνειν κατὰ τὸ ἐόν,
that judgments turned out according to the reality,
γνοὺς ὁ Δηιόκης
Deïokes, realizing
ἐς ἑωυτὸν πᾶν ἀνακείμενον
that everything was referred to himself
οὔτε κατίζειν ἔτι ἤθελε
would no longer sit
ἔνθα περ πρότερον
where he earlier,
προκατίζων ἐδίκαζε,
sitting in public, judged
οὔτ᾽ ἔφη δίκαν ἔτι·
said that he would judge no more,
οὐ γὰρ οἱ λυσιτελέειν
for that it was not profitable for him,
τῶν ἑωυτοῦ ἐξημεληκότα
having neglected his own affairs
τοῖσι πέλας δι᾽ ἡμέρης
for his neighbours all through the day
Δικάζειν.
to determine causes.
[2] ἐούσης ὦν ἁρπαγῆς καὶ ἀνομίης
So, being robbery and lawlessness
ἔτι πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἀνὰ τὰς κώμας
even much more in the villages
ἢ πρότερον ἦν,
than it was before,
συνελέχθησαν οἱ Μῆδοι
the Medes have assembled together
ἐς τὠυτὸ
in one place,
καὶ ἐδίδοσαν σφίσι λόγον,
and gave each other account,
λέγοντες περὶ τῶν κατηκόντων.
speaking about the present matters,
ὡς δ᾽ ἐγὼ δοκέω,
as I suppose,
μάλιστα ἔλεγον
and most (of all)spoke
οἱ τοῦ Δηιόκεω φίλοι
the friends of Deïokes:
[3] «οὐ γὰρ δὴ
“It is clear that we not,
τρόπῳ τῷ παρεόντι χρεώμενοι
the present way (of living) practising,
δυνατοὶ εἰμὲν οἰκέειν τὴν χώρην,
are able to inhabit the land,
φέρε στήσωμεν ἡμέων αὐτῶν βασιλέα·
come on, let us set up above ourselves a king,
καὶ οὕτω ἥ τε χωρῇ εὐνομήσεται
and so the land will be governed well,
καὶ αὐτοὶ πρὸς ἔργα τρεψόμεθα,
and we ourselves shall turn to labour,
οὐδὲ ὑπ᾽ ἀνομίης ἀνάστατοι ἐσόμεθα.»
and we shall not by lawlessness be destroyed.”
XCVIII. [1]
ταῦτά κῃ λέγοντες
Saying that
πείθουσι ἑωυτοὺς βασιλεύεσθαι.
they persuaded themselves to have a king.
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