§1067ἀλλ’, εἶμι γὰρ δὴ τλημονεστάτην ὁδόν, §1068καὶ τούσδε πέμψω τλημονεστέραν ἔτι, §1069παῖδας προσειπεῖν βούλομαι.
But, for I am indeed going on a most unhappy path, and shall send these children on one still more unhappy, I wish to address my children.
—δότ’, ὦ τέκνα, §1070δότ’ ἀσπάσασθαι μητρὶ δεξιὰν χέρα.
Give me, oh children, give your mother your right hand to embrace.
§1071ὦ φιλτάτη χείρ, φίλτατον δέ μοι στόμα §1072καὶ σχῆμα καὶ πρόσωπον εὐγενὲς τέκνων, §1073εὐδαιμονοῖτον, ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖ·
Oh dearest hand, and mouth most dear to me, and noble form and face of my children, may you two be happy, but there!
τὰ δ’ ἐνθάδε §1074πατὴρ ἀφείλετ’.
For the things here your father has taken away.
ὦ γλυκεῖα προσβολή, §1075ὦ μαλθακὸς χρὼς πνεῦμά θ’ ἥδιστον τέκνων.
Oh sweet touch, oh soft skin and most sweet breath of my children.
§1076χωρεῖτε χωρεῖτ’·
Go, go!
οὐκέτ’ εἰμὶ προσβλέπειν §1077οἵα τε πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ νικῶμαι κακοῖς.
I am no longer able to look upon you, but I am overcome by my evils.
§1078καὶ μανθάνω μὲν οἷα δρᾶν μέλλω κακά, §1079θυμὸς δὲ κρείσσων τῶν ἐμῶν βουλευμάτων, §1080ὅσπερ μεγίστων αἴτιος κακῶν βροτοῖς.
And I understand indeed what evils I am about to do, but my passion is stronger than my plans, which is the cause of the greatest evils for mortals.
§1081πολλάκις ἤδη §1082διὰ λεπτοτέρων μύθων ἔμολον §1083καὶ πρὸς ἁμίλλας ἦλθον μείζους §1084ἢ χρὴ γενεὰν θῆλυν ἐρευνᾶν· §1085ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἔστιν μοῦσα καὶ ἡμῖν, §1086ἣ προσομιλεῖ σοφίας ἕνεκεν· §1087πάσαισι μὲν οὔ· παῦρον δὲ δὴ §1088γένος ἐν πολλαῖς εὕροις ἂν ἴσως §1089κοὐκ ἀπόμουσον τὸ γυναικῶν.
Often before have I gone through subtler discussions, and have entered into greater rivalries than the female sex ought to investigate; but indeed, we too have a Muse, who associates with us for the sake of wisdom; not indeed with all, but a small class among many you might perhaps find, and the race of women is not without the Muse.
§1090καί φημι βροτῶν οἵτινές εἰσιν §1091πάμπαν ἄπειροι μηδ’ ἐφύτευσαν §1092παῖδας, προφέρειν εἰς εὐτυχίαν §1093τῶν γειναμένων.
And I say that of mortals, whoever are entirely without experience and have not begotten children, surpass in happiness those who have given birth.
§1094οἱ μὲν ἄτεκνοι δι’ ἀπειροσύνην §1095εἴθ’ ἡδὺ βροτοῖς εἴτ’ ἀνιαρὸν §1096παῖδες τελέθουσ’ οὐχὶ τυχόντες §1097πολλῶν μόχθων ἀπέχονται· §1098οἷσι δὲ τέκνων ἔστιν ἐν οἴκοις §1099γλυκερὸν βλάστημ’, ὁρῶ μελέτῃ §1100κατατρυχομένους τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον, §1101πρῶτον μὲν ὅπως θρέψουσι καλῶς §1102βίοτόν θ’ ὁπόθεν λείψουσι τέκνοις· §1103ἔτι δ’ ἐκ τούτων εἴτ’ ἐπὶ φλαύροις §1104εἴτ’ ἐπὶ χρηστοῖς §1104aμοχθοῦσι, τόδ’ ἐστὶν ἄδηλον.
For those without children, through inexperience of whether children are sweet or painful to mortals, not having obtained them, are kept away from many labors; but those who have in their homes a sweet blossom of children, I see worn out with care through all their time, first how they shall rear them well, and from what source they shall leave a livelihood for their children; and furthermore, whether they are toiling for worthless or for good children is unclear.
§1105ἓν δὲ τὸ πάντων λοίσθιον ἤδη §1106πᾶσιν κατερῶ θνητοῖσι κακόν· §1107καὶ δὴ γὰρ ἅλις βίοτόν θ’ ηὗρον §1108σῶμά τ’ ἐς ἥβην ἤλυθε τέκνων §1109χρηστοί τ’ ἐγένοντ’· εἰ δὲ κυρήσαι §1110δαίμων οὕτως, φροῦδος ἐς Ἅιδην §1111θάνατος προφέρων σώματα τέκνων.
But one final evil, the last of all, I will now declare for all mortals; for suppose indeed they have found sufficient livelihood, and the bodies of the children have reached youth, and they have turned out good; yet if such a fate should happen, death, carrying away the bodies of the children, is gone to Hades.
§1112πῶς οὖν λύει πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις §1113τήνδ’ ἔτι λύπην ἀνιαροτάτην §1114παίδων ἕνεκεν §1115θνητοῖσι θεοὺς ἐπιβάλλειν;
How then does it profit that, in addition to the other ills, the gods should cast this still most grievous sorrow for the sake of children upon mortals?
Friends, for a long time indeed awaiting the event, I watch to see how things from that quarter will turn out.
§1118καὶ δὴ δέδορκα τόνδε τῶν Ἰάσονος §1119στείχοντ’ ὀπαδῶν· πνεῦμα δ’ ἠρεθισμένον §1120δείκνυσιν ὥς τι καινὸν ἀγγελεῖ κακόν.
And look, I see this one of Jason's attendants coming; and his agitated breathing shows that he will announce some new misfortune.
§1121ὦ δεινὸν ἔργον παρανόμως εἰργασμένη, §1122Μήδεια, φεῦγε φεῦγε, μήτε ναΐαν §1123λιποῦσ’ ἀπήνην μήτ’ ὄχον πεδοστιβῆ.
Oh, you who have committed a terrible, unlawful deed, Medea, flee, flee, neither leaving behind a ship nor a carriage that treads the earth.
§1124τί δ’ ἄξιόν μοι τῆσδε τυγχάνει φυγῆς;
But what has happened to make me deserve this flight?
The royal princess has just died, and Creon her father, by your poisons.
You have told a most beautiful story, and among my benefactors and friends you shall henceforth be.
§1129τί φῄς;
What do you say?
φρονεῖς μὲν ὀρθὰ κοὐ μαίνῃ, γύναι, §1130ἥτις, τυράννων ἑστίαν ᾐκισμένη, §1131χαίρεις κλύουσα κοὐ φοβῇ τὰ τοιάδε;
Are you in your right mind and not mad, woman, you who, having ravaged the hearth of the rulers, rejoice to hear it and do not fear such things?
§1132ἔχω τι κἀγὼ τοῖς γε σοῖς ἐναντίον §1133λόγοισιν εἰπεῖν· ἀλλὰ μὴ σπέρχου, φίλος, §1134λέξον δέ· πῶς ὤλοντο;
I too have something to say in opposition to your words; but do not be angry, friend, and tell me: how did they die?
δὶς τόσον γὰρ ἂν §1135τέρψειας ἡμᾶς, εἰ τεθνᾶσι παγκάκως.
For you would double my pleasure if they died most miserably.
§1136ἐπεὶ τέκνων σῶν ἦλθε δίπτυχος γονὴ §1137σὺν πατρί, καὶ παρῆλθε νυμφικοὺς δόμους, §1138ἥσθημεν οἵπερ σοῖς ἐκάμνομεν κακοῖς §1139δμῶες· δι’ ὤτων δ’ εὐθὺς ἦν πολὺς λόγος §1140σὲ καὶ πόσιν σὸν νεῖκος ἐσπεῖσθαι τὸ πρίν.
When the double offspring of your children arrived with their father and entered the bridal chambers, we servants who were grieved by your misfortunes were glad; and immediately there was much talk through our ears that you and your husband had settled your former quarrel.
§1141κυνεῖ δ’ ὃ μέν τις χεῖρ’, ὃ δὲ ξανθὸν κάρα §1142παίδων· ἐγὼ δὲ καὐτὸς ἡδονῆς ὕπο §1143στέγας γυναικῶν σὺν τέκνοις ἅμ’ ἑσπόμην.
And one kissed the hand, and another the golden head of the children; and I myself, for joy, followed along with the children to the women's chambers.
§1144δέσποινα δ’ ἣν νῦν ἀντὶ σοῦ θαυμάζομεν, §1145πρὶν μὲν τέκνων σῶν εἰσιδεῖν ξυνωρίδα, §1146πρόθυμον εἶχ’ ὀφθαλμὸν εἰς Ἰάσονα· §1147ἔπειτα μέντοι προὐκαλύψατ’ ὄμματα §1148λευκήν τ’ ἀπέστρεψ’ ἔμπαλιν παρηίδα, §1149παίδων μυσαχθεῖσ’ εἰσόδους· πόσις δὲ σὸς §1150ὀργάς τ’ ἀφῄρει καὶ χόλον νεάνιδος §1151λέγων τάδ’· Οὐ μὴ δυσμενὴς ἔσῃ φίλοις, §1152παύσῃ δὲ θυμοῦ καὶ πάλιν στρέψεις κάρα, §1153φίλους νομίζουσ’ οὕσπερ ἂν πόσις σέθεν, §1154δέξῃ δὲ δῶρα καὶ παραιτήσῃ πατρὸς §1155φυγὰς ἀφεῖναι παισὶ τοῖσδ’, ἐμὴν χάριν; §1156ἣ δ’ ὡς ἐσεῖδε κόσμον, οὐκ ἠνέσχετο,
And the mistress whom we now respect instead of you, before she saw the pair of your children, held her eager eye upon Jason; then, however, she covered her eyes and turned away her white cheek back, loathing the entrance of the children; but your husband tried to soothe the anger and wrath of the young bride, saying this: "Do not be hostile to your friends, and cease from your anger, and turn back your head, considering as friends whoever your husband does, and receive the gifts and beg of your father to release these children from exile, for my sake?" And she, as soon as she saw the finery, could not contain herself,