It was only out of love for me that he abandoned the faction of Croesus. Although he had
justifiable reasons for serving him, the memory of his tenderly loving father influenced his decisions. But as soon as I told him of my debt to you, he offered to fulfill this responsibility. Your renown had already convinced his heart to satisfy my request, and since he held great regard for you, it was easy for him to love you. Eventually, Cyrus, he showed a lot of gratitude towards you and a lot of love for me on this occasion. "No, Panthea," he said to me, "Abradatas cannot be the enemy of your protector. He wiped away your tears; I must shed my blood for this. He guarded your glory; my courage should serve his conquests. He lost a man he loved very much in order to protect you; I must make up for this loss and ensure that no one feels the absence of Araspas on the day of the battle. Yes," he added raising his voice, "I will lose my life or I will show Cyrus that those who receive a favour such as this can sometimes be as generous as those who provide it." Alas! Should I even say it, I didn't argue against this speech, not anticipating the evident tragedy. I encouraged his good intentions and will, I expressed my gratitude for what was bound to cause my ultimate torment. And by contributing to my own misfortune, I spurred on his courage to carry out the deeds that caused him to die today and will have him live eternally. Cruel memory! Unfair fate! Why did Abradatas have to be the only one defeated among all the victors? Why, after heroically shedding his blood to win the battle, must he be almost the only one not to enjoy the fruits of victory? But it wasn't just with this conversation that I allowed this tragedy. My blindness was so great that I awaited this ill-fated day as a day of victory. My mind was filled with hope, my imagination would only present pleasant things to me. I regarded the end of this battle as the beginning of my glory. I envisioned Abradatas returning covered in laurels, his chariot laden with the spoils of his enemies. In thinking in this way, I doubled my efforts to provide him with shining weapons. I knew Abradatas' worth, but I was yet unfamiliar with the malice of fate. I was so afraid that his fine deeds would not be sufficiently recognized that I used all my gems to decorate his cuirass, to make him more resplendent. But what I did did not help him to survive! I was undoubtedly on the side of the enemies, I wanted to show them where they should strike. I am the cause of all the wounds Abradatas suffered. It's me who pierced his heart and covered his whole body with blood and wounds. I directed the hand of all those who attacked him. In addition to arousing the audacious ones’ urge to conquer a celebrated warrior, I also wished that all the savages and mercenaries shared the same goal. I pitted against him Croesus' entire army. 67