§192οἵτινες ὕμνους ἐπὶ μὲν θαλίαις §193ἐπί τ’ εἰλαπίναις καὶ παρὰ δείπνοις §194ηὕροντο βίου τερπνὰς ἀκοάς·
Who invented hymns for festivities, and for banquets and feasts, as delightful hearings of life.
§195στυγίους δὲ βροτῶν οὐδεὶς λύπας §196ηὕρετο μούσῃ καὶ πολυχόρδοις §197ᾠδαῖς παύειν, ἐξ ὧν θάνατοι §198δειναί τε τύχαι σφάλλουσι δόμους.
But no one of mortals has invented how to cease gloomy griefs with music and many-stringed songs, from which deaths and terrible fortunes ruin houses.
§199καίτοι τάδε μὲν κέρδος ἀκεῖσθαι §200μολπαῖσι βροτούς· ἵνα δ’ εὔδειπνοι §201δαῖτες, τί μάτην τείνουσι βοήν;
And yet for mortals to cure these with songs is a gain; but where there are rich banquets, why do they lift up their voices in vain?
For the present fullness of the feast holds pleasure of itself for mortals.
§204ἰαχὰν ἄιον πολύστονον γόων, §205λιγυρὰ δ’ ἄχεα μογερὰ βοᾷ §206τὸν ἐν λέχει προδόταν κακόνυμφον· §207θεοκλυτεῖ δ’ ἄδικα παθοῦσα §208τὰν Ζηνὸς ὁρκίαν Θέμιν, §209ἅ νιν ἔβασεν §210Ἑλλάδ’ ἐς ἀντίπορον §211δι’ ἅλα νύχιον ἐφ’ ἁλμυρὰν §212πόντου κλῇδ’ ἀπέραντον.
I heard the cry accompanied by many groans of lamentations, and she shrieks with shrill and miserable griefs against the traitor in her bed, the bad bridegroom; having suffered injustice, she calls upon the gods, upon Themis of oaths, the guardian of Zeus, who brought her to the opposite land of Greece, through the dark sea, over the salty, boundless key of the sea.
§214Κορίνθιαι γυναῖκες, ἐξῆλθον δόμων, §215μή μοί τι μέμφησθ’· οἶδα γὰρ πολλοὺς βροτῶν §216σεμνοὺς γεγῶτας, τοὺς μὲν ὀμμάτων ἄπο, §217τοὺς δ’ ἐν θυραίοις· οἱ δ’ ἀφ’ ἡσύχου ποδὸς §218δύσκλειαν ἐκτήσαντο καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν.
Corinthian women, I have come out of the house, lest you find any fault with me; for I know many mortals who have become proud, some away from public view, and others in public; while others, from a quiet foot, have acquired a bad reputation for indifference.
§219δίκη γὰρ οὐκ ἔνεστ’ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς βροτῶν, §220ὅστις πρὶν ἀνδρὸς σπλάγχνον ἐκμαθεῖν σαφῶς §221στυγεῖ δεδορκώς, οὐδὲν ἠδικημένος.
For there is no justice in the eyes of mortals, who, before clearly learning the heart of a man, hate him at first sight, though they have suffered no wrong.
. . . §222χρὴ δὲ ξένον μὲν κάρτα προσχωρεῖν πόλει. . . §223οὐδ’ ἀστὸν ᾔνεσ’ ὅστις αὐθάδης γεγὼς §224πικρὸς πολίταις ἐστὶν ἀμαθίας ὕπο.
And a foreigner must indeed adapt to the city; nor do I praise a citizen who, having become stubborn, is bitter to his fellow citizens through ignorance.
§225ἐμοὶ δ’ ἄελπτον πρᾶγμα προσπεσὸν τόδε §226ψυχὴν διέφθαρκ’· οἴχομαι δὲ καὶ βίου §227χάριν μεθεῖσα κατθανεῖν χρῄζω, φίλαι.
But for me this unexpected event, falling upon me, has shattered my soul; I am ruined, and having let go of the joy of life, I wish to die, my friends.
For my husband, in whom was my all to judge well, has turned out to be the worst of men.
§230πάντων δ’ ὅσ’ ἔστ’ ἔμψυχα καὶ γνώμην ἔχει §231γυναῖκές ἐσμεν ἀθλιώτατον φυτόν· §232ἃς πρῶτα μὲν δεῖ χρημάτων ὑπερβολῇ §233πόσιν πρίασθαι, δεσπότην τε σώματος §234λαβεῖν· κακοῦ γὰρ τοῦτ’ ἔτ’ ἄλγιον κακόν.
Of all things that are alive and have intelligence, we women are the most wretched creature; we who first must buy a husband with an excess of wealth and take a master of our body; for this is an even more painful evil than an evil.
And in this lies the greatest struggle, whether to take a bad one or a good one.
οὐ γὰρ εὐκλεεῖς ἀπαλλαγαὶ §237γυναιξίν, οὐδ’ οἷόν τ’ ἀνήνασθαι πόσιν.
For divorce is not honorable for women, nor is it possible to reject a husband.
§238ἐς καινὰ δ’ ἤθη καὶ νόμους ἀφιγμένην §239δεῖ μάντιν εἶναι, μὴ μαθοῦσαν οἴκοθεν, §240ὅτῳ μάλιστα χρήσεται ξυνευνέτῃ.
And having arrived among new customs and laws, one must be a prophet, not having learned from home, how best to deal with her bed-partner.
§241κἂν μὲν τάδ’ ἡμῖν ἐκπονουμέναισιν εὖ §242πόσις ξυνοικῇ μὴ βίᾳ φέρων ζυγόν, §243ζηλωτὸς αἰών· εἰ δὲ μή, θανεῖν χρεών.
And if, while we labor well at these things, our husband lives with us, not bearing the yoke by force, our life is enviable; otherwise, we must die.
§244ἀνὴρ δ’, ὅταν τοῖς ἔνδον ἄχθηται ξυνών, §245ἔξω μολὼν ἔπαυσε καρδίαν ἄσης· §247ἡμῖν δ’ ἀνάγκη πρὸς μίαν ψυχὴν βλέπειν.
And a man, when he is vexed being with those inside, goes outside and eases his heart of weariness; but we must look to a single soul.
§248λέγουσι δ’ ἡμᾶς ὡς ἀκίνδυνον βίον §249ζῶμεν κατ’ οἴκους, οἳ δὲ μάρνανται δορί· §250κακῶς φρονοῦντες· ὡς τρὶς ἂν παρ’ ἀσπίδα §251στῆναι θέλοιμ’ ἂν μᾶλλον ἢ τεκεῖν ἅπαξ.
And they say that we live a life free of danger at home, while they fight with the spear; thinking badly; since I would rather stand three times by a shield than give birth once.
§252ἀλλ’ οὐ γὰρ αὑτὸς πρὸς σὲ κἄμ’ ἥκει λόγος· §253σοὶ μὲν πόλις θ’ ἥδ’ ἐστὶ καὶ πατρὸς δόμοι §254βίου τ’ ὄνησις καὶ φίλων συνουσία, §255ἐγὼ δ’ ἔρημος ἄπολις οὖσ’ ὑβρίζομαι §256πρὸς ἀνδρός, ἐκ γῆς βαρβάρου λελῃσμένη, §257οὐ μητέρ’, οὐκ ἀδελφόν, οὐχὶ συγγενῆ §258μεθορμίσασθαι τῆσδ’ ἔχουσα συμφορᾶς.
But indeed the same reasoning does not apply to you and me; you have this city and your father's halls, the enjoyment of life and the company of friends, but I, desolate and cityless, am insulted by a husband, plundered from a barbarian land, having no mother, no brother, no relative to anchor myself away from this disaster.
§259τοσοῦτον οὖν σου τυγχάνειν βουλήσομαι, §260ἤν μοι πόρος τις μηχανή τ’ ἐξευρεθῇ §261πόσιν δίκην τῶνδ’ ἀντιτείσασθαι κακῶν, §263σιγᾶν.
This much therefore I will wish to obtain from you, if some way and device is found by me to exact punishment from my husband for these evils, to keep silent.
γυνὴ γὰρ τἄλλα μὲν φόβου πλέα §264κακή τ’ ἐς ἀλκὴν καὶ σίδηρον εἰσορᾶν· §265ὅταν δ’ ἐς εὐνὴν ἠδικημένη κυρῇ, §266οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλη φρὴν μιαιφονωτέρα.
For a woman is in other things full of fear, and bad at strength and to look upon steel; but when she happens to be wronged in her bed, there is no other mind more murderous.
I will do this; for justly you will punish your husband, Medea; and I do not wonder that you grieve at your fortunes.
But I see also Creon, ruler of this land, coming, a messenger of new decisions.
§271σὲ τὴν σκυθρωπὸν καὶ πόσει θυμουμένην, §272Μήδειαν, εἶπον τῆσδε γῆς ἔξω περᾶν §273φυγάδα, λαβοῦσαν δισσὰ σὺν σαυτῇ τέκνα· §274καὶ μή τι μέλλειν· ὡς ἐγὼ βραβεὺς λόγου §275τοῦδ’ εἰμί, κοὐκ ἄπειμι πρὸς δόμους πάλιν, §276πρὶν ἄν σε γαίας τερμόνων ἔξω βάλω.
You, the sullen one and angry at your husband, Medea, I command to go out of this land as an exile, taking your two children with you; and do not delay; since I am the arbiter of this decree, and I will not go back to my house before I cast you out of the boundaries of the land.
§277αἰαῖ·
Alas!
πανώλης ἡ τάλαιν’ ἀπόλλυμαι.
Utterly ruined, I, wretched one, perish.
§278ἐχθροὶ γὰρ ἐξιᾶσι πάντα δὴ κάλων,
For my enemies are letting out every reef,