(1) So they were involved in these things. Meanwhile, Gobryas, an old Assyrian man with a mounted retinue, arrived on horseback, and all had the weapons of cavalry troops. Now those assigned to receive weapons ordered that they surrender their lances, so that they might burn them like the others. But Gobryas said that he wished to see Cyrus first. The aides detained the knights there and led Gobryas to Cyrus. (2) When he saw Cyrus, he spoke as follows: “Master, I am Assyrian by birth. I have a strong fort and rule over much land. I have a cavalry of about one thousand, which I used to furnish to the Assyrian king, and I was as friendly to him as I could be. Yet since he, who was a good man, has died at the hands of your troops, and since his son, who is most hateful to me, now has his rule, I have come to you and fall at your feet as a suppliant, and I give myself to you as a slave and ally.20 I ask you to become my avenger; and as much as possible I make you my son, for I am without male children, (3) for he was my only son, and a noble and good one, master, both loving me and honoring me in the very way a son’s honoring would make a father happy21 He was summoned by the previous king, the father of the present one, who intended to give his daughter to my son, and I sent him off with the high thought that I would surely see my son as the husband of the king’s daughter. Yet the present king called him to a hunt and allowed him to hunt with all his might, believing that he [himself] was a horseman by far superior [to my son]. So he went hunting as with a friend, and when a bear appeared and both gave chase, this present ruler threw his spear and missed—would that he had not!—but my son threw—as he ought not to have done!—and brought the bear down. (4) Though then [the prince] was annoyed indeed, he held his envy down in darkness. Yet when he missed again, after a lion chanced along, though to be sure [such misses] were nothing to be wondered at, and when my son again hit and brought the lion down, saying, “I have thrown two times in succession and each time have struck down the prey!” then the impious [prince] could no longer hold his envy down. Instead, he seized a spear from one of his followers, struck my dear only son in the chest, and took away his life. (5) Then I, wretched I, brought home a corpse instead of a bridegroom, and I, old as I was, buried with youthful down upon his cheeks the best son, the one I cherished. His murderer, as though he had destroyed an enemy, has never shown that he repents, nor did he, to make amends for his evil deed, deem worthy of any honor the one now beneath the earth. His father, at least, pitied me, and clearly grieved with me in my misfortune. (6) Now if he were alive, I would never have come to you to harm him, for I experienced many friendly [acts] at his hands, and I served him. Since sovereignty has devolved upon my son’s murderer, I would never be able to become well disposed to him, nor, surely, could he ever hold me to be a friend, for he knows how I am disposed toward him and how I, who lived radiantly before, stand now, isolated and living out my old age in sorrow. (7) Now if you accept me and I should get some hope of obtaining some vengeance for my dear son with you, I think that I would grow young again; in living I would no longer be ashamed, and I do not think that in dying it would annoy me to make my end.”
(8) Now he spoke like this, and Cyrus answered, “Gobryas, if you show that your thinking corresponds to what you have said to us, I both accept you as a suppliant and promise, with the gods’ [help], to avenge the murder of your son. Tell me, if we do this for you, and allow you to have the fortifications, land, weapons, and power that you had before, what service will you do for us in return for these things?”
(9) He said, “My fortifications I will provide you as a house whenever you come; the tribute from the land which I used to pay to him I will bring to you; and wherever you go on campaign, I will go along with the power that comes from my land. There is also my daughter, whom I cherish, a maiden already ripe for marriage, whom previously I thought I was rearing as a wife for the present king. Now my daughter has herself, lamenting often, begged me not to give her to her brother’s murderer, and I am similarly resolved. I now grant to you to deliberate also about her in whatever way I show that I deliberate about you.”
(10) Cyrus spoke like this: “I give you my right hand, and take yours, on the condition that these things are true. Let the gods be our witnesses.” When these things were done, he ordered Gobryas to go, keeping his weapons, and he asked how far it was to his [fort], as if he intended to go. He said, “If you go tomorrow morning, you could spend the night of the next day with us.”
(11) So Gobryas left a guide and departed. The Medes came up, having delivered to the Magi what the Magi declared that they choose for the gods. The Medes also chose for Cyrus the most beautiful tent and the Susan woman, who is said to have been certainly the most beautiful woman in Asia, and the two best music girls. Secondly, they chose the second-best for Cyaxares, and they supplied themselves fully with such other things as they needed, that they might lack nothing as they campaigned, for there was much of everything.
(12) The Hyrcanians also took what they needed. They had the messenger from Cyaxares share equally. They gave the extra tents, as many as there were, to Cyrus, that the Persians might have them. They said that they would distribute the coined money when it all was collected. And they did distribute it.