§1Πάλαι ποτʼ ἐστὶ τοῦτʼ ἐμοὶ δεδογμένον· §2ὁ μὲν δίκαιος τοῖς πέλας πέφυκʼ ἀνήρ, §3ὃ δʼ ἐς τὸ κέρδος λῆμʼ ἔχων ἀνειμένον §4πόλει τʼ ἄχρηστος καὶ συναλλάσσειν βαρύς, §5αὑτῷ δʼ ἄριστος·
For a long time now this has been my firm conviction: the just man is born for his neighbors, while he who has a mind unbridled for gain is both useless to the city and difficult to deal with, but best for himself.
οἶδα δʼ οὐ λόγῳ μαθών.
I know this not from hearsay but by experience.
§6ἐγὼ γὰρ αἰδοῖ καὶ τὸ συγγενὲς σέβων, §7ἐξὸν κατʼ Ἄργος ἡσύχως ναίειν, πόνων §8πλείστων μετέσχον εἷς ἀνὴρ Ἡρακλέει, §9ὅτʼ ἦν μεθʼ ἡμῶν·
For I, respecting reverence and kinship, though it was possible for me to dwell quietly in Argos, shared in the greatest of labors, as one man with Heracles, when he was with us.
νῦν δʼ, ἐπεὶ κατʼ οὐρανὸν §10ναίει, τὰ κείνου τέκνʼ ἔχων ὑπὸ πτεροῖς §11σῴζω τάδʼ αὐτὸς δεόμενος σωτηρίας.
But now, since he dwells in heaven, I keep his children under my wings and protect them, though I myself am in need of safety.
For when their father departed from the earth, Eurystheus first wanted to kill us.
§14ἀλλʼ ἐξέδραμεν·
But we escaped.
καὶ πόλις μὲν οἴχεται, §15ψυχὴ δʼ ἐσώθη.
And though our city is lost, our lives were saved.
φεύγομεν δʼ ἀλώμενοι §16ἄλλην ἀπʼ ἄλλης ἐξορίζοντες πόλιν.
And we flee, wandering, driven out from one city to another.
§17πρὸς τοῖς γὰρ ἄλλοις καὶ τόδʼ Εὐρυσθεὺς κακοῖς §18ὕβρισμʼ ἐς ἡμᾶς ἠξίωσεν ὑβρίσαι· §19πέμπων ὅπου γῆς πυνθάνοιθʼ ἱδρυμένους §20κήρυκας ἐξαιτεῖ τε κἀξείργει χθονός, §21πόλιν προτείνων Ἄργος οὐ σμικρὸν φίλην §22ἐχθράν τε θέσθαι, χαὑτὸν εὐτυχοῦνθʼ ἅμα.
For in addition to our other ills, Eurystheus has seen fit to inflict this outrage upon us: sending heralds wherever on earth he learns we are settled, he demands our surrender and drives us from the land, offering the city of Argos as no small friend or as an enemy to be made, while himself being prosperous at the same time.
§23οἳ δʼ ἀσθενῆ μὲν τἀπ’ ἐμοῦ δεδορκότες, §24σμικροὺς δὲ τούσδε καὶ πατρὸς τητωμένους, §25τοὺς κρείσσονας σέβοντες ἐξείργουσι γῆς.
And they, seeing the weakness on my part, and these children small and deprived of their father, and respecting the stronger, drive us from their land.
§26ἐγὼ δὲ σὺν φεύγουσι συμφεύγω τέκνοις §27καὶ σὺν κακῶς πράσσουσι συμπράσσω κακῶς, §28ὀκνῶν προδοῦναι, μή τις ὧδ’ εἴπῃ βροτῶν· §29Ἴδεσθ’, ἐπειδὴ παισὶν οὐκ ἔστιν πατήρ, §30Ἰόλαος οὐκ ἤμυνε συγγενὴς γεγώς. §31πάσης δὲ χώρας Ἑλλάδος τητώμενοι, §32Μαραθῶνα καὶ σύγκληρον ἐλθόντες χθόνα §33ἱκέται καθεζόμεσθα βώμιοι θεῶν, §34προσωφελῆσαι· πεδία γὰρ τῆσδε χθονὸς §35δισσοὺς κατοικεῖν Θησέως παῖδας λόγος, §36κλήρῳ λαχόντας ἐκ γένους Πανδίονος, §37τοῖσδʼ ἐγγὺς ὄντας·
But I flee together with the fleeing children, and suffer misfortune together with those who fare ill, shrinking from betraying them, lest any mortal should say: ‘Look, since the children have no father, Iolaus, though being a kinsman, did not defend them.’ And deprived of every land of Greece, having come to Marathon and the neighboring territory, we sit as suppliants at the altars of the gods, to seek aid; for the plains of this land, as the story goes, are inhabited by the twin sons of Theseus, who received them by lot from the line of Pandion, and are closely related to these children.
ὧν ἕκατι τέρμονας §38κλεινῶν Ἀθηνῶν τόνδʼ ἀφικόμεσθʼ ὅρον.
For their sake, to the boundaries of glorious Athens we have come, to this boundary.
§39δυοῖν γερόντοιν δὲ στρατηγεῖται φυγή· §40ἐγὼ μὲν ἀμφὶ τοῖσδε καλχαίνων τέκνοις, §41ἣ δʼ αὖ τὸ θῆλυ παιδὸς Ἀλκμήνη γένος §42ἔσωθε ναοῦ τοῦδʼ ὑπηγκαλισμένη §43σῴζει·
This flight is led by two old people: I, on the one hand, anxiously caring for these children, and she, on the other hand, Alcmene, protecting the female offspring of her son inside this temple, holding them in her arms, preserves them.
νέας γὰρ παρθένους αἰδούμεθα §44ὄχλῳ πελάζειν κἀπιβωμιοστατεῖν.
For we are ashamed to let young virgins approach the crowd and stand before the altar.
§45Ὕλλος δʼ ἀδελφοί θʼ οἷσι πρεσβεύει γένος §46ζητοῦσʼ ὅπου γῆς πύργον οἰκιούμεθα, §47ἢν τῆσδʼ ἀπωθώμεσθα πρὸς βίαν χθονός.
And Hyllus and his brothers, of whom he is the eldest, are seeking where on earth we may establish a stronghold, if we should be driven by force from this land.
O children, children, come here, take hold of my robes.
ὁρῶ κήρυκα τόνδʼ Εὐρυσθέως §50στείχοντʼ ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς, οὗ διωκόμεσθʼ ὕπο §51πάσης ἀλῆται γῆς ἀπεστερημένοι.
I see this herald of Eurystheus walking toward us, by whom we are pursued as wanderers, deprived of every land.
§52ὦ μῖσος, εἴθʼ ὄλοιο χὡ πέμψας σ’ ἀνήρ·
O hateful wretch, may you perish, and the man who sent you!
For how many evils indeed, to the noble father of these children, did you announce from this very same mouth.
§55ἦ που καθῆσθαι τήνδʼ ἕδραν καλὴν δοκεῖς §56πόλιν τʼ ἀφῖχθαι σύμμαχον, κακῶς φρονῶν· §57οὐ γάρ τις ἔστιν ὃς πάροιθʼ αἱρήσεται §58τὴν σὴν ἀχρεῖον δύναμιν ἀντʼ Εὐρυσθέως.
[Copreus] No doubt you think that sitting in this seat is fine, and that you have come to an allied city, in your foolishness; for there is no one who will choose your useless power instead of Eurystheus.
§59χώρει·
Go!
τί μοχθεῖς ταῦτʼ;
Why do you trouble yourself with this?
ἀνίστασθαί σε χρὴ §60ἐς Ἄργος, οὗ σε λεύσιμος μένει δίκη.
You must get up to Argos, where a judgment of stoning awaits you.
[Iolaus] No indeed, since the altar of the god will protect me, and free is this land on which we have stepped.
§63βούλῃ πόνον μοι τῇδε προσθεῖναι χερί;
[Copreus] Do you wish to cause trouble for this hand of mine?
§64οὔτοι βίᾳ γέ μʼ οὐδὲ τούσδʼ ἄξεις λαβών.
[Iolaus] Surely you will not lead me or these children away by force.
§65γνώσῃ σύ·
[Copreus] You shall see.
μάντις δʼ ἦσθʼ ἄρʼ οὐ καλὸς τάδε.
It seems you were a poor prophet in this.
§66οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο τοῦτʼ ἐμοῦ ζῶντός ποτε.
[Iolaus] That will never happen while I am alive.
§67ἄπαιρʼ·
[Copreus] Stand back!
ἐγὼ δὲ τούσδε, κἂν σὺ μὴ θέλῃς, §68ἄξω νομίζων, οὗπέρ εἰσʼ, Εὐρυσθέως.
But these children, even if you do not wish it, I shall lead away, considering them to belong to Eurystheus, as indeed they do.
[Iolaus] O you who have inhabited Athens for a long time, help us!
ἱκέται δʼ ὄντες ἀγοραίου Διὸς §71βιαζόμεσθα καὶ στέφη μιαίνεται — §72πόλει τʼ ὄνειδος καὶ θεῶν ἀτιμία.
Though we are suppliants of Zeus of the Market, we are being forced, and our garlands are desecrated — a disgrace to the city and a dishonor to the gods!
§73— ἔα ἔα·
[Chorus] Ah, ah!
τίς ἡ βοὴ βωμοῦ πέλας §74ἕστηκε;
What is this shout that has arisen near the altar?
ποίαν συμφορὰν δείξει τάχα;
What misfortune will it soon display?
ὦ τάλας.
Oh, wretched man!
§77— πρὸς τοῦ ποτʼ ἐν γῇ πτῶμα δύστηνον πίτνεις;
By whom, pray, have you been cast to this miserable fall upon the ground?