Chapter 5: Through the Desert
The army crosses the Arabian desert, hunting wild animals and struggling to find food.
English
Then Cyrus marched into
Arabia
a-RAY-bee-ah
, keeping the
Euphrates
you-FRAY-tees
River on his right. They crossed five “desert stages”—that’s about thirty-five parasangs¹. The land was one big, flat plain, like a sea, with absinth (a bitter plant). There were no trees—only sweet-smelling bushes and grasses. They saw many wild animals: wild asses (like donkeys), ostriches (big, fast birds), bustards (big birds), and antelopes. Soldiers on horses chased these animals. The wild donkeys would run fast, then stop suddenly. To catch them, riders had to take turns and chase in groups. The meat was tender, like deer. No one caught an ostrich—it ran too fast and far away using its wings like a sail. But bustards could be caught if surprised—they flew only short distances. Their meat was delicious.
Español
Luego Ciro marchó hacia
Arabia
a-ra-BEE-a
, manteniendo el río
Éufrates
you-FRÁ-teez
al lado derecho. Cruzaron cinco “etapas del desierto”—eso es unos treinta y cinco parasangas¹. La tierra era una llanura larga y plana, como el mar, llena de absinto (una planta amarga). No había árboles, solo arbustos y hierbas con olor dulce. Vieron muchos animales salvajes: asnos salvajes (como burros), avestruces (aves grandes y rápidas), avutardas (aves grandes) y antílopes. Los soldados a caballo los perseguían. Los asnos salvajes corrían rápido y luego paraban de repente. Para atraparlos, los jinetes se turnaban y los cazaban en grupos. La carne era tierna, como el venado. Nadie pudo atrapar un avestruz—corría tan rápido y lejos, usando sus alas como una vela. Pero las avutardas se atrapaban si se sorprendían—volaban distancias cortas. Su carne era deliciosa.
English
Next, the army reached the river
Mascas
MAS-kas
, about 100 feet wide. Nearby was a deserted city called
Corsote
kor-SOH-tee
, almost surrounded by the river. They stopped there for three days to rest and get supplies. Afterwards, they marched a long distance—13 desert stages, or about ninety parasangs¹—with the Euphrates still on their right, until they reached “the Gates”—the mountain pass out of the desert. On this part of the journey, many of their pack animals died of hunger because there was no grass or shade. The region was barren, but people lived there by making millstones from the riverbanks and trading them to Babylon in exchange for grain.
Español
Después, el ejército llegó al río
Mascas
MAS-kas
, de unos 30 metros de ancho. Cerca había una ciudad desierta llamada
Corsote
kor-SO-tee
, casi rodeada por el río. Se quedaron allí tres días para descansar y abastecerse. Luego marcharon una gran distancia—13 etapas del desierto, o unos noventa parasangas¹—con el
Éufrates
you-FRÁ-teez
aún a la derecha, hasta llegar a “las Puertas”—el paso montañoso que salía del desierto. En este tramo, muchos de sus animales de carga murieron de hambre porque no había hierba ni sombra. La región era árida, pero la gente vivía allí fabricando piedras de molino en las orillas del río y comerciándolas en Babilonia a cambio de grano.
¹ A parasang is an old Persian way to say how far you walked. One parasang is about 3 to 3½ miles (5 to 6 kilometers). So, for example, five parasangs means they walked 15 to 18 miles (25 to 30 km)! Think of it as a really long walk.