§1Εἴθ’ ὤφελ’ Ἀργοῦς μὴ διαπτάσθαι σκάφος §2Κόλχων ἐς αἶαν κυανέας Συμπληγάδας, §3μηδ’ ἐν νάπαισι Πηλίου πεσεῖν ποτε §4τμηθεῖσα πεύκη, μηδ’ ἐρετμῶσαι χέρας §5ἀνδρῶν ἀρίστων, οἳ τὸ πάγχρυσον δέρας §6Πελίᾳ μετῆλθον.
Would that the hull of the Argo had never flown through the dark Symplegades to the Colchian land, and that the pine, hewn down in the glens of Pelion, had never fallen, nor had furnished with oars the hands of the noblest men, who went in search of the all-golden fleece for Pelias.
οὐ γὰρ ἂν δέσποιν’ ἐμὴ §7Μήδεια πύργους γῆς ἔπλευσ’ Ἰωλκίας §8ἔρωτι θυμὸν ἐκπλαγεῖσ’ Ἰάσονος· §9οὐδ’ ἂν κτανεῖν πείσασα Πελιάδας κόρας §10πατέρα κατῴκει τήνδε γῆν Κορινθίαν §11ξὺν ἀνδρὶ καὶ τέκνοισιν, ἁνδάνουσα μὲν §12φυγῇ πολιτῶν ὧν ἀφίκετο χθόνα, §13αὐτή τε πάντα ξυμφέρουσ’ Ἰάσονι· §14ἥπερ μεγίστη γίγνεται σωτηρία, §15ὅταν γυνὴ πρὸς ἄνδρα μὴ διχοστατῇ.
For then my mistress Medea would not have sailed to the towers of the Iolcian land, smitten in her heart with love for Jason; nor, having persuaded the daughters of Pelias to kill their father, would she now be dwelling in this land of Corinth with her husband and children, pleasing indeed by her flight the citizens of the land to which she came, and herself agreeing in all things with Jason; which indeed is the greatest safety, when a wife does not stand at variance with her husband.
§16νῦν δ’ ἐχθρὰ πάντα, καὶ νοσεῖ τὰ φίλτατα.
But now all is enmity, and the dearest relations are sick.
§17προδοὺς γὰρ αὑτοῦ τέκνα δεσπότιν τ’ ἐμὴν §18γάμοις Ἰάσων βασιλικοῖς εὐνάζεται, §19γήμας Κρέοντος παῖδ’, ὃς αἰσύμνᾷ χθονός·
For Jason, having betrayed his own children and my mistress, lies in a royal marriage, having wedded the daughter of Creon, who rules this land.
§20Μήδεια δ’ ἡ δύστηνος ἠτιμασμένη §21βοᾷ μὲν ὅρκους, ἀνακαλεῖ δὲ δεξιάς, §22πίστιν μεγίστην, καὶ θεοὺς μαρτύρεται §23οἵας ἀμοιβῆς ἐξ Ἰάσονος κυρεῖ.
And wretched Medea, dishonored, cries out upon the oaths, and invokes the right hand, the greatest pledge, and calls the gods to witness what kind of return she receives from Jason.
§24κεῖται δ’ ἄσιτος, σῶμ’ ὑφεῖσ’ ἀλγηδόσι, §25τὸν πάντα συντήκουσα δακρύοις χρόνον, §26ἐπεὶ πρὸς ἀνδρὸς ᾔσθετ’ ἠδικημένη, §27οὔτ’ ὄμμ’ ἐπαίρουσ’ οὔτ’ ἀπαλλάσσουσα γῆς §28πρόσωπον· ὡς δὲ πέτρος ἢ θαλάσσιος §29κλύδων ἀκούει νουθετουμένη φίλων· §30ἢν μή ποτε στρέψασα πάλλευκον δέρην §31αὐτὴ πρὸς αὑτὴν πατέρ’ ἀποιμώξῃ φίλον §32καὶ γαῖαν οἴκους θ’, οὓς προδοῦσ’ ἀφίκετο §33μετ’ ἀνδρὸς ὅς σφε νῦν ἀτιμάσας ἔχει.
And she lies without food, yielding her body to griefs, wasting away all her time in tears, ever since she perceived herself wronged by her husband, neither raising her eye nor turning her face from the ground; but like a rock or a wave of the sea, she listens to her friends when they advise her; except that sometimes turning her snowy neck, she laments to herself her dear father and her country and her home, which she betrayed and came hither with the man who now holds her dishonored.
And the wretched woman has learned by her misfortune what a thing it is not to be left behind by one's fatherland.
§36στυγεῖ δὲ παῖδας οὐδ’ ὁρῶσ’ εὐφραίνεται.
She hates her children and does not rejoice when she sees them.
And I fear her, lest she should devise some new mischief; for her mind is heavy, and she will not endure to suffer ill.
ἐγᾦδα τήνδε, δειμαίνω τέ νιν §40μὴ θηκτὸν ὤσῃ φάσγανον δι’ ἥπατος, §41σιγῇ δόμους εἰσβᾶσ’, ἵν’ ἔστρωται λέχος, §42ἢ καὶ τύραννον τόν τε γήμαντα κτάνῃ, §43κἄπειτα μείζω συμφορὰν λάβῃ τινά.
I know her, and I dread her, lest she should thrust a whetted sword through her heart, having entered silently into the house where the bed is spread, or even kill the king and the bridegroom, and then receive some greater calamity.
For she is terrible; and no one who has entered into enmity with her will easily carry off the song of victory.
§46ἀλλ’ οἵδε παῖδες ἐκ τρόχων πεπαυμένοι §47στείχουσι, μητρὸς οὐδὲν ἐννοούμενοι §48κακῶν· νέα γὰρ φροντὶς οὐκ ἀλγεῖν φιλεῖ.
But here are the children coming, having ceased from their running; they think nothing of their mother's ills, for a young mind is not wont to grieve.
§49παλαιὸν οἴκων κτῆμα δεσποίνης ἐμῆς, §50τί πρὸς πύλαισι τήνδ’ ἄγουσ’ ἐρημίαν §51ἕστηκας, αὐτὴ θρεομένη σαυτῇ κακά;
Old possession of my mistress's house, why do you stand thus alone at the gates, muttering evils to yourself?
§52πῶς σοῦ μόνη Μήδεια λείπεσθαι θέλει;
How is it that Medea wishes to be left alone by you?
§53τέκνων ὀπαδὲ πρέσβυ τῶν Ἰάσονος, §54χρηστοῖσι δούλοις ξυμφορὰ τὰ δεσποτῶν §55κακῶς πίτνοντα, καὶ φρενῶν ἀνθάπτεται.
Old attendant of the children of Jason, to good slaves the fortunes of their masters turning out ill is a calamity, and touches their hearts.
§56ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐς τοῦτ’ ἐκβέβηκ’ ἀλγηδόνος, §57ὥσθ’ ἵμερός μ’ ὑπῆλθε γῇ τε κοὐρανῷ §58λέξαι μολούσῃ δεῦρο δεσποίνης τύχας.
For I have arrived at such a pitch of grief that a desire came upon me to come hither and tell to the earth and the heaven the fortunes of my mistress.
§59οὔπω γὰρ ἡ τάλαινα παύεται γόων;
Does the wretched woman not yet cease from her laments?
§60ζηλῶ σ’· ἐν ἀρχῇ πῆμα κοὐδέπω μεσοῖ.
I envy you; the trouble is in its beginning, and not yet halfway.
O foolish one—if it is permitted to say this of one's masters— how she knows nothing of the newer ills!
§63τί δ’ ἔστιν, ὦ γεραιέ;
What is it, old man?
μὴ φθόνει φράσαι.
Do not grudge to tell me.
§64οὐδέν· μετέγνων καὶ τὰ πρόσθ’ εἰρημένα.
It is nothing; I repent even of what was said before.
Do not, I beseech you by your beard, hide it from your fellow slave; for I will keep silence about these things, if need be.
§67ἤκουσά του λέγοντος, οὐ δοκῶν κλύειν, §68πεσσοὺς προσελθών, ἔνθα δὴ παλαίτατοι §69θάσσουσι, σεμνὸν ἀμφὶ Πειρήνης ὕδωρ, §70ὡς τούσδε παῖδας γῆς ἐλᾶν Κορινθίας §71σὺν μητρὶ μέλλοι τῆσδε κοίρανος χθονὸς §72Κρέων.
I heard some saying, while I seemed not to listen, when I approached the draught-boards, where the eldest sit around the sacred water of Pirene, that the ruler of this land, Creon, is about to drive these children from the Corinthian land along with their mother.
ὁ μέντοι μῦθος εἰ σαφὴς ὅδε §73οὐκ οἶδα· βουλοίμην δ’ ἂν οὐκ εἶναι τόδε.
Whether indeed this report is true I know not; but I would wish that it were not so.
And will Jason endure to see his children suffer these things, even if he has a quarrel with their mother?
Old alliances are left behind by new marriages, and he is no friend to this house.
We are ruined then, if we shall add a new evil to the old, before we have drained this one dry.
But you—for it is not the right time for your mistress to know this—keep quiet and silent about the report.
§82ὦ τέκν’, ἀκούεθ’ οἷος εἰς ὑμᾶς πατήρ;
O children, do you hear what kind of father he is to you?
May he not perish, indeed; for he is my master; yet he is found to be bad to his dear ones.
§85τίς δ’ οὐχὶ θνητῶν;
And who among mortals is not?
ἄρτι γιγνώσκεις τόδε, §86ὡς πᾶς τις αὑτὸν τοῦ πέλας μᾶλλον φιλεῖ,
Are you only now learning this, that everyone loves himself more than his neighbor?