She shall die miserably, and everyone who touches the maiden; with such poisons will I smear the gifts.
§790ἐνταῦθα μέντοι τόνδ’ ἀπαλλάσσω λόγον· §791ᾤμωξα δ’ οἷον ἔργον ἔστ’ ἐργαστέον §792τοὐντεῦθεν ἡμῖν· τέκνα γὰρ κατακτενῶ §793τἄμ’· οὔτις ἔστιν ὅστις ἐξαιρήσεται· §794δόμον τε πάντα συγχέασ’ Ἰάσονος §795ἔξειμι γαίας, φιλτάτων παίδων φόνον §796φεύγουσα καὶ τλᾶσ’ ἔργον ἀνοσιώτατον.
However, here I dismiss this topic; and I wail at what a deed must be done by us next; for I shall kill my children, my own; there is no one who will rescue them; and having utterly confounded the whole house of Jason, I shall go out of the land, fleeing the murder of my dearest children, and having dared a most unholy deed.
§797οὐ γὰρ γελᾶσθαι τλητὸν ἐξ ἐχθρῶν, φίλαι.
For to be laughed at by enemies is not to be tolerated, my friends.
§798ἴτω· τί μοι ζῆν κέρδος;
Let it go; what gain is it for me to live?
οὔτε μοι πατρὶς §799οὔτ’ οἶκος ἔστιν οὔτ’ ἀποστροφὴ κακῶν.
I have no fatherland, nor home, nor refuge from evils.
§800ἡμάρτανον τόθ’ ἡνίκ’ ἐξελίμπανον §801δόμους πατρῴους, ἀνδρὸς Ἕλληνος λόγοις §802πεισθεῖσ’, ὃς ἡμῖν σὺν θεῷ τείσει δίκην.
I erred then when I was leaving my father's house, persuaded by the words of a Greek man, who, with the god's help, shall pay the penalty to us.
§803οὔτ’ ἐξ ἐμοῦ γὰρ παῖδας ὄψεταί ποτε §804ζῶντας τὸ λοιπὸν οὔτε τῆς νεοζύγου §805νύμφης τεκνώσει παῖδ’, ἐπεὶ κακῶς κακὴν §806θανεῖν σφ’ ἀνάγκη τοῖς ἐμοῖσι φαρμάκοις.
For he shall never see children from me alive in the future, nor from his newly wedded bride shall he beget a child, since she, the evil one, must miserably die by my poisons.
§807μηδείς με φαύλην κἀσθενῆ νομιζέτω §808μηδ’ ἡσυχαίαν, ἀλλὰ θατέρου τρόπου, §809βαρεῖαν ἐχθροῖς καὶ φίλοισιν εὐμενῆ· §810τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων εὐκλεέστατος βίος.
Let no one think me insignificant and weak, nor quiet, but of the other character, severe to enemies and well-disposed to friends; for the life of such people is most glorious.
§811ἐπείπερ ἡμῖν τόνδ’ ἐκοίνωσας λόγον, §812σέ τ’’ ὠφελεῖν θέλουσα, καὶ νόμοις βροτῶν §813ξυλλαμβάνουσα, δρᾶν σ’ ἀπεννέπω τάδε.
Since you have shared this plan with us, wishing to help you and supporting the laws of mortals, I forbid you to do this.
It cannot be otherwise; but it is pardonable for you to say this, not suffering miserably as I do.
§816ἀλλὰ κτανεῖν σὸν σπέρμα τολμήσεις, γύναι;
But will you dare to kill your offspring, woman?
§817οὕτω γὰρ ἂν μάλιστα δηχθείη πόσις.
For thus your husband would be most deeply stung.
§818σὺ δ’ ἂν γένοιό γ’ ἀθλιωτάτη γυνή.
But you would become the most wretched woman.
§819ἴτω· περισσοὶ πάντες οὑν μέσῳ λόγοι.
Let it go; all words in between are superfluous.
But go, run, and bring Jason; for we employ you for all trustful things.
And say nothing of my decisions, if indeed you wish well to your masters and were born a woman.
§824Ἐρεχθεΐδαι τὸ παλαιὸν ὄλβιοι §825καὶ θεῶν παῖδες μακάρων, ἱερᾶς §826χώρας ἀπορθήτου τ’ ἄπο, φερβόμενοι §827κλεινοτάταν σοφίαν, αἰεὶ διὰ λαμπροτάτου §830βαίνοντες ἁβρῶς αἰθέρος, ἔνθα ποθ’ ἁγνὰς §831ἐννέα Πιερίδας Μούσας λέγουσι §832ξανθὰν Ἁρμονίαν φυτεῦσαι· §835τοῦ καλλινάου τ’ ἐπὶ Κηφισοῦ ῥοαῖς §836τὰν Κύπριν κλῄζουσιν ἀφυσσαμέναν §837χώραν καταπνεῦσαι μετρίας ἀνέμων §840ἡδυπνόους αὔρας· αἰεὶ δ’ ἐπιβαλλομέναν §841χαίταισιν εὐώδη ῥοδέων πλόκον ἀνθέων §842τᾷ Σοφίᾳ παρέδρους πέμπειν Ἔρωτας, §845παντοίας ἀρετᾶς ξυνεργούς.
The Erechtheidae are prosperous from of old and children of the blessed gods, from a holy and unravaged land, feeding upon most glorious wisdom, always stepping elegantly through the brightest air, where once they say the holy nine Pierian Muses begot blonde Harmonia; and they celebrate Cypris, drawing water from the streams of the beautifully flowing Cephisus, breathing down upon the land moderate, sweet-blowing breezes of winds; and always casting upon her hair a fragrant wreath of rosy blossoms, sending the Loves as companions to Wisdom, helpers of every kind of virtue.
§846πῶς οὖν ἱερῶν ποταμῶν §847ἢ πόλις; ἦ φίλων §848πόμπιμός σε χώρα §849τὰν παιδολέτειραν ἕξει, §850τὰν οὐχ ὁσίαν μετ’ ἄλλων;
How then shall either the city of holy rivers, or the land that is an escort of friends, hold you, the child-murderess, the unholy one among others?
Consider the blow to the children, consider what a murder you are taking upon yourself.
No, by your knees, by all means and in every way we entreat you, do not murder your children.
Whence will you get boldness, either of mind or with hand and heart against your children, bringing upon them a terrible daring?
And how, casting your eyes upon the children, will you keep a tearless fate of murder?
You will not be able, when the children fall suppliant, to wet your hand with blood with a hard-hearted mind.
§866ἥκω κελευσθείς· καὶ γὰρ οὖσα δυσμενὴς §867οὔ τἂν ἁμάρτοις τοῦδέ γ’, ἀλλ’ ἀκούσομαι §868τί χρῆμα βούλῃ καινὸν ἐξ ἐμοῦ, γύναι.
I have come as bidden; for even though you are hostile you would not fail to obtain this at least, but I will hear what new thing you want from me, woman.
§869Ἰᾶσον, αἰτοῦμαί σε τῶν εἰρημένων §870συγγνώμον’ εἶναι· τὰς δ’ ἐμὰς ὀργὰς φέρειν §871εἰκός σ’, ἐπεὶ νῷν πόλλ’ ὑπείργασται φίλα.
Jason, I beg you to be forgiving of the things that have been said; and it is reasonable for you to bear my anger, since many friendly deeds have been done by us both.
§872ἐγὼ δ’ ἐμαυτῇ διὰ λόγων ἀφικόμην §873κἀλοιδόρησα· Σχετλία, τί μαίνομαι §874καὶ δυσμεναίνω τοῖσι βουλεύουσιν εὖ, §875ἐχθρὰ δὲ γαίας κοιράνοις καθίσταμαι §876πόσει θ’, ὃς ἡμῖν δρᾷ τὰ συμφορώτατα, §877γήμας τύραννον καὶ κασιγνήτους τέκνοις §878ἐμοῖς φυτεύων;
And I went into discussions with myself, and reproached myself: "Wretched one, why am I mad and hostile to those who plan well, and make myself an enemy to the rulers of the land and to my husband, who does what is most advantageous for us, marrying a royal bride and begetting brothers for my children?
οὐκ ἀπαλλαχθήσομαι §879θυμοῦ—τί πάσχω; —θεῶν ποριζόντων καλῶς;
Shall I not rid myself of anger—what is happening to me?—when the gods provide well?
§880οὐκ εἰσὶ μέν μοι παῖδες, οἶδα δὲ χθόνα §881φεύγοντας ἡμᾶς καὶ σπανίζοντας φίλων; §882ταῦτ’ ἐννοήσασ’ ᾐσθόμην ἀβουλίαν §883πολλὴν ἔχουσα καὶ μάτην θυμουμένη.
Do I not have children, and do I not know that we are fleeing the land and are in want of friends?" Reflecting on these things, I realized I had much foolishness and was angry in vain.
§884νῦν οὖν ἐπαινῶ· σωφρονεῖν τ’ ἐμοὶ δοκεῖς §885κῆδος τόδ’ ἡμῖν προσλαβών, ἐγὼ δ’ ἄφρων, §886ᾗ χρῆν μετεῖναι τῶνδε τῶν βουλευμάτων, §887καὶ ξυγγαμεῖν σοι, καὶ παρεστάναι λέχει §888νύμφην τε κηδεύουσαν ἥδεσθαι σέθεν.
Now therefore I praise you; and you seem to me to be wise in taking this alliance for us, and I was foolish, who ought to have shared in these plans, and joined in the marriage, and stood by the bed, and rejoiced in caring for your bride.
§889ἀλλ’ ἐσμὲν οἷόν ἐσμεν, οὐκ ἐρῶ κακόν, §890γυναῖκες· οὔκουν χρῆν σ’ ὁμοιοῦσθαι κακοῖς, §891οὐδ’ ἀντιτείνειν νήπι’ ἀντὶ νηπίων.
But we are what we are, I will not say evil, women; therefore you ought not to copy our evils, nor return foolishness for foolishness.
§892παριέμεσθα, καί φαμεν κακῶς φρονεῖν
We ask to be forgiven, and we say that we were foolish then,