Cyrus Enters Babylon

Question 1

ὁ Κῦρος ἤλαυνεν (was riding) ἐπὶ τὴν Βαβυλῶνα.

Answer 1

Cyrus was riding against Babylon,

Question 2

οἱ δὲ Βαβυλώνιοι ἐκστρατευσάμεν (having marched out to battle) οι ἔμενον αὐτόν.

Answer 2

And the Babylonians, having marched out to battle, were waiting for him.

Question 3

ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐγένετο (he came near) ἐλαύνων ἀγχοῦ τῆς πόλεως,

Answer 3

And when he, riding, came near the city,

(ἀγχοῦ + gen: near)

Question 4

συνέβαλόν (they joined battle) τε οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι

Answer 4

the Babylonians joined battle

Question 5

καὶ ἡττηθέντες (after being defeated) τῇ μάχῃ

Answer 5

and after being defeated in battle,

Question 6

κατειλήθησαν (they were forced into) ἐς τὸ ἄστυ

Answer 6

They were forced into the city

Question 7

ᾗ εἶχον σιτία (food) ἐτῶν κάρτα πολλῶν.

Answer 7

where they had provisions for very many years.

Question 8

ἐνταῦθα οὗτοι μὲν λόγον εἶχον τῆς πολιορκίας οὐδένα (they considered of no importance)

Answer 8

Then, they considered the siege of no importance

Question 9

Κῦρος δὲ ἀπορίαις ἐνείχετο (was at a loss).

Answer 9

and Cyrus was at a loss.

Question 10

τέλος δὲ ἐποίει δὴ τοιόνδε (as follows).

Answer 10

Finally, he indeed was doing/did as follows.

Question 11

τάξας (having drawn up- from τάσσω) τὴν στρατιὰν ᾗ ὁ ποταμὸς εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσβάλλει

Answer 11

Having drawn up his army where the river flows into the city

Question 12

καὶ αὖθις ὄπισθε (+ gen) τῆς πόλεως (behind the city) τάξας ἑτέρους,

Answer 12

and having drawn up the rest in turn behind the city,

Question 13

ᾗ ἐξίησιν (it goes out) [ἐκ] τῆς πόλεως ὁ ποταμός

Answer 13

where the river goes out of the city

Question 14

προεῖπε (+ dat) τῷ στρατῷ, ὅταν (when they saw that [ἴδωσι]) διαβατὸν τὸ ῥεῖθρον ἴδωσι γενόμενον,

Answer 14

he ordered the army, when they saw that the channel became passable,

Question 15

εἰσιέναι (to enter) ταύτῃ εἰς τὴν πόλιν.

Answer 15

To enter the city in this way.

Question 16

οὕτω τε δὴ τάξας καὶ παραινέσας (having instructed)

Answer 16

And having indeed thus drawn (them) up and instructed (them)

Question 17

ἀπήλαυνεν (he was riding off) αὐτὸς σὺν (+ dat.) τῷ ἀχρείῳ τοῦ στρατοῦ.

Answer 17

he himself was riding off with the non-combatant part of his army.

Question 18

ἀφικόμενος (having arrived) δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν λίμνην, οὖσαν ἕλος

Answer 18

And having arrived at the lake, which was a marsh

Question 19

τὸν ποταμὸν διώρυχι εἰσαγαγών (having diverted the river)

Answer 19

having diverted the river [into it] with a canal,

Question 20

τὸ ἀρχαῖον ῥεῖθρον διαβατὸν εἶναι ἐποίησεν (made… [to be] passable)

Answer 20

He made the original channel passable

Question 21

ὑπονοστήσαντος (when… had gone down) τοῦ ποταμοῦ

Answer 21

when the river had gone down.

Question 22

γενομένου (with… having happened) δὲ τούτου τοιούτου

Answer 22

With something of this sort having happened

Question 23

οἱ Πέρσαι οἵπερ τεταγμένοι ἦσαν ([they] had been drawn up) ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ τούτῳ (for this very purpose)

Answer 23

the Persians who had been drawn up for this very purpose

Question 24

ὑπονενοστηκότος (when… had gone down) τοῦ Εὐφράτου ποταμοῦ,

Answer 24

when the river Euphrates had gone down,

Question 25

ἀνδρὶ ὡς εἰς (as far as) μέσον μηρὸν μάλιστα (roughly)

Answer 25

Roughly as far as to the middle of the thigh on a man

Question 26

κατὰ τὸ ῥεῖθρον εἰσῇσαν (they entered) εἰς τὴν Βαβυλῶνα.

Answer 26

entered Babylon along/through the channel.

Question 27

εἰ μέν νυν προεπύθοντο (had found out in advance) ἢ ἔμαθον (learnt) οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Κύρου ποιούμενον

Answer 27

If now the Babylonians had found out in advance or learned what was being done by Cyrus,

Question 28

περιιδόντες (they would have watched out for) τοὺς Πέρσας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν πόλιν

Answer 28

they would have watched out for the Persians to enter the city

Question 29

[καὶ] διέφθειραν ἂν (they would have destroyed) κάκιστα·

Answer 29

and would have destroyed them most terribly.

Question 30

κατακλείσαντες (having shut) γὰρ πάσας τὰς πυλίδας τὰς εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν ἀγούσας

Answer 30

For, having shut all the gates that led to the river

Question 31

καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπὶ τὰς αἱμασιὰς (rock-walls) ἀναβάντες

Answer 31

and having themselves gone up the rock-walls

Question 32

τὰς παρὰ τὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ χείλη ἐληλαμένας (had been built)

Answer 32

which had been built beside the banks of the river

Question 33

ἔλαβον ἂν (they would have captured) αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐν κύρτῃ.

Answer 33

they would have captured them as in a fish-trap.

Question 34

νῦν δὲ {ἐξ ἀπροσδοκήτου} (unexpectedly) αὐτοῖς παρέστησαν (+ dat.) οἱ Πέρσαι.

Answer 34

But now, the Persians unexpectedly stood in front of them.

Question 35

ὑπὸ (+gen.) δὲ μεγέθους (great size) τῆς πόλεως

Answer 35

And because of the great size of the city

Question 36

τῶν περὶ τὰ ἔσχατα (the edges) τῆς πόλεως ἑαλωκότων,

Answer 36

when those around the edges of the city were caught,

Question 37

οἱ τὸ μέσον οἰκοῦντες (those who lived) τῆς Βαβυλῶνος οὐκ ἐμάνθανον ταῦτα

Answer 37

those who lived in the centre of Babylon were not learning of these things/events

Question 38

ἀλλά (ἔτυχε γὰρ οὖσα ἑορτή) ἐχόρευόν (they were dancing) τε τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον

Answer 38

but (for it chanced that a festival was happening/being) were both dancing during this time

Question 39

καὶ {ἐν εὐπαθείαις ἦσαν} (they were enjoying themselves)

Answer 39

and enjoying themselves

Question 40

{εἰς ὃ} δὴ καὶ τὸ ἀληθὲς ἐπύθοντο (they found out).

Answer 40

{until} indeed they also found out the truth.