And he snatched the reins with his hands from the rim, having fitted his feet right into the driving boots.
§1190καὶ πρῶτα μὲν θεοῖς εἶπ’ ἀναπτύξας χέρας· §1191Ζεῦ, μηκέτ’ εἴην, εἰ κακὸς πέφυκ’ ἀνήρ· §1192αἴσθοιτο δ’ ἡμᾶς ὡς ἀτιμάζει πατὴρ §1193ἤτοι θανόντας ἢ φάος δεδορκότας. §1194κἀν τῷδ’ ἐπῆγε κέντρον ἐς χεῖρας λαβὼν §1195πώλοις ὁμαρτῇ· πρόσπολοι δ’ ὑφ’ ἅρματος §1196πέλας χαλινῶν εἱπόμεσθα δεσπότῃ §1197τὴν εὐθὺς Ἄργους κἀπιδαυρίας ὁδόν.
And first, stretching out his hands, he spoke to the gods: "O Zeus, may I no longer exist, if I am a base man; and may my father perceive how he dishonors us, whether we are dead or still beholding the light." And therewith, taking the whip into his hands, he applied it to the fillies all at once; and we servants, beneath the chariot, followed our master near the reins, along the road leading straight toward Argos and Epidauria.
§1198ἐπεὶ δ’ ἔρημον χῶρον εἰσεβάλλομεν, §1199ἀκτή τις ἔστι τοὐπέκεινα τῆσδε γῆς §1200πρὸς πόντον ἤδη κειμένη Σαρωνικόν.
But when we entered a deserted region, there is a certain shore beyond this land, already lying toward the Saronic Gulf.
§1201ἔνθεν τις ἠχὼ χθόνιος ὡς βροντὴ Διὸς §1202βαρὺν βρόμον μεθῆκε, φρικώδη κλύειν· §1203ὀρθὸν δὲ κρᾶτ’ ἔστησαν οὖς τ’ ἐς οὐρανὸν §1204ἵπποι· παρ’ ἡμῖν δ’ ἦν φόβος νεανικὸς §1205πόθεν ποτ’ εἴη φθόγγος.
From there, a subterranean roar, like the thunder of Zeus, sent forth a deep rumble, horrific to hear; and the horses raised their heads erect and turned their ears toward heaven; and among us there was a violent fear as to whence the voice might be.
ἐς δ’ ἁλιρρόθους §1206ἀκτὰς ἀποβλέψαντες ἱερὸν εἴδομεν §1207κῦμ’ οὐρανῷ στηρίζον, ὥστ’ ἀφῃρέθη §1208Σκίρωνος ἀκτὰς ὄμμα τοὐμὸν εἰσορᾶν· §1209ἔκρυπτε δ’ Ἰσθμὸν καὶ πέτραν Ἀσκληπιοῦ.
And looking away toward the wave-dashed shores, we saw a monstrous wave reaching up to heaven, so that my eye was deprived of beholding the cliffs of Sciron; it hid the Isthmus and the rock of Asclepius.
§1210κἄπειτ’ ἀνοιδῆσάν τε καὶ πέριξ ἀφρὸν §1211πολὺν καχλάζον ποντίῳ φυσήματι §1212χωρεῖ πρὸς ἀκτὰς οὗ τέθριππος ἦν ὄχος.
And then, swelling up and bubbling with much foam all around with the sea's breath, it made its way toward the shore where the four-horse chariot was.
§1213αὐτῷ δὲ σὺν κλύδωνι καὶ τρικυμίᾳ §1214κῦμ’ ἐξέθηκε ταῦρον, ἄγριον τέρας· §1215οὗ πᾶσα μὲν χθὼν φθέγματος πληρουμένη §1216φρικῶδες ἀντεφθέγγετ’, εἰσορῶσι δὲ §1217κρεῖσσον θέαμα δεργμάτων ἐφαίνετο.
And along with the surge and the triple wave, the wave cast up a bull, a wild monster; with whose roar all the earth was filled and echoed back a horrific sound; and to those beholding it there appeared a sight too terrible for eyes to look upon.
§1218εὐθὺς δὲ πώλοις δεινὸς ἐμπίπτει φόβος· §1219καὶ δεσπότης μὲν ἱππικοῖσιν ἤθεσιν §1220πολὺς ξυνοικῶν ἥρπασ’ ἡνίας χεροῖν, §1221ἕλκει δὲ κώπην ὥστε ναυβάτης ἀνὴρ §1222ἱμᾶσιν ἐς τοὔπισθεν ἀρτήσας δέμας·
And immediately a dreadful fear fell upon the fillies; and our master, being long familiar with the ways of horses, snatched the reins in his hands, and pulled them back, just as a sailor pulls the oar, binding his body backward in the leather straps.
§1223αἳ δ’ ἐνδακοῦσαι στόμια πυριγενῆ γναθμοῖς §1224βίᾳ φέρουσιν, οὔτε ναυκλήρου χερὸς §1225οὔθ’ ἱπποδέσμων οὔτε κολλητῶν ὄχων §1226μεταστρέφουσαι.
But they, biting the fire-born bits in their jaws, bore him away by force, turning heedless of the pilot's hand, or of the harness or the well-jointed chariot.
κεἰ μὲν ἐς τὰ μαλθακὰ §1227γαίας ἔχων οἴακας εὐθύνοι δρόμον, §1228προυφαίνετ’ ἐς τὸ πρόσθεν, ὥστ’ ἀναστρέφειν, §1229ταῦρος, φόβῳ τέτρωρον ἐκμαίνων ὄχον·
And if indeed, holding the helm, he guided their course toward the soft ground of the earth, the bull appeared in front to turn them back, driving the four-horse chariot mad with fear.
§1230εἰ δ’ ἐς πέτρας φέροιντο μαργῶσαι φρένας, §1231σιγῇ πελάζων ἄντυγι ξυνείπετο §1232ἐς τοῦθ’ ἕως ἔσφηλε κἀνεχαίτισεν, §1233ἁψῖδα πέτρῳ προσβαλὼν ὀχήματος.
But if they rushed with maddened minds toward the rocks, it followed close, silently approaching the chariot rim, until it tripped and overturned the vehicle, dashing the wheel-rim against the rock.
And everything was thrown into confusion; the wheel-hubs leapt upwards and the axle-pins as well.
§1236αὐτὸς δ’ ὁ τλήμων ἡνίαισιν ἐμπλακεὶς §1237δεσμὸν δυσεξήνυστον ἕλκεται δεθείς, §1238σποδούμενος μὲν πρὸς πέτραις φίλον κάρα §1239θραύων τε σάρκας, δεινὰ δ’ ἐξαυδῶν κλύειν· §1240Στῆτ’, ὦ φάτναισι ταῖς ἐμαῖς τεθραμμέναι, §1241μή μ’ ἐξαλείψητ’·
But the wretched man himself, entangled in the reins, bound in an inextricable knot, is dragged along, dashing his dear head against the rocks and tearing his flesh, crying out in a voice terrible to hear: "Stop, o you who were reared at my mangers, do not wipe me out!
ὦ πατρὸς τάλαιν’ ἀρά.
O wretched curse of my father!
§1242τίς ἄνδρ’ ἄριστον βούλεται σῶσαι παρών; §1243πολλοὶ δὲ βουληθέντες ὑστέρῳ ποδὶ §1244ἐλειπόμεσθα.
Who is present and wishes to save a most noble man?" And though many of us wished to, with lagging feet we were left behind.
χὣ μὲν ἐκ δεσμῶν λυθεὶς §1245τμητῶν ἱμάντων οὐ κάτοιδ’ ὅτῳ τρόπῳ §1246πίπτει, βραχὺν δὴ βίοτον ἐμπνέων ἔτι·
And he, freed from the bonds of the cut leather straps, I know not in what manner, falls to the ground, still breathing a brief life.
And the horses vanished, and that wretched monster of a bull, somewhere in the rocky land, I know not where.
§1249δοῦλος μὲν οὖν ἔγωγε σῶν δόμων, ἄναξ, §1250ἀτὰρ τοσοῦτόν γ’ οὐ δυνήσομαί ποτε, §1251τὸν σὸν πιθέσθαι παῖδ’ ὅπως ἐστὶν κακός· §1252οὐδ’ εἰ γυναικῶν πᾶν κρεμασθείη γένος, §1253καὶ τὴν ἐν Ἴδῃ γραμμάτων πλήσειέ τις §1254πεύκην, ἐπεί νιν ἐσθλὸν ὄντ’ ἐπίσταμαι.
Now, O king, I am indeed a slave of your house, but never shall I be able to do this: to believe that your son is a base man; not even if the whole race of women should hang themselves, and even if someone should fill with writing all the pine tablets on Ida, since I know well that he is noble.
§1255αἰαῖ·
Chorus: Alas!
κέκρανται συμφορὰ νέων κακῶν, §1256οὐδ’ ἔστι μοίρας τοῦ χρεών τ’ ἀπαλλαγή.
A misfortune of new evils has been fulfilled, nor is there any escape from fate and necessity.
§1257μίσει μὲν ἀνδρὸς τοῦ πεπονθότος τάδε §1258λόγοισιν ἥσθην τοῖσδε· νῦν δ’ αἰδούμενος §1259θεούς τ’ ἐκεῖνόν θ’, οὕνεκ’ ἐστὶν ἐξ ἐμοῦ, §1260οὔθ’ ἥδομαι τοῖσδ’ οὔτ’ ἐπάχθομαι κακοῖς.
Theseus: Through my hatred for the man who has suffered these things, I was pleased by these words; but now, out of reverence for the gods and for him, because he is of my own blood, I am neither pleased nor grieved by these evils.
§1261πῶς οὖν;
Messenger: How then?
κομίζειν, ἢ τί χρὴ τὸν ἄθλιον §1262δράσαντας ἡμᾶς σῇ χαρίζεσθαι φρενί;
What must we do with the wretched man to gratify your mind?
Consider; but if you take my advice, you will not be cruel toward your unfortunate son.
§1265κομίζετ’ αὐτόν, ὡς ἰδὼν ἐν ὄμμασιν §1266τὸν τἄμ’ ἀπαρνηθέντα μὴ χρᾶναι λέχη §1267λόγοις τ’ ἐλέγξω δαιμόνων τε συμφοραῖς.
Theseus: Bring him here, so that seeing before my eyes him who denied that he defiled my bed, I may refute him by my words and by the disasters of the gods.
§1268σὺ τὰν θεῶν ἄκαμπτον φρένα καὶ βροτῶν §1269ἄγεις, Κύπρι, σὺν δ’ §1270ὁ ποικιλόπτερος ἀμφιβαλὼν §1271ὠκυτάτῳ πτερῷ.
Chorus: You, Cypris, lead the unyielding heart of gods and mortals, and with you he of the variegated wings enfolds them with swiftest wing.
And he flies over the earth and over the resonant salty sea.
§1274θέλγει δ’ Ἔρως, ᾧ μαινομένᾳ κραδίᾳ §1275πτανὸς ἐφορμάσῃ χρυσοφαής, §1276φύσιν ὀρεσκόων σκυλάκων πελαγίων θ’ §1277ὅσα τε γᾶ τρέφει §1278τά τ’ ἀέλιος αἰθόμενα δέρκεται, §1280ἄνδρας τε· συμπάντων βασιληίδα τιμάν,
And Eros charms, upon whose maddened heart he rushes, winged and golden-shining, the nature of mountain-bred beasts and of ocean-dwelling creatures, and as many things as the earth nourishes, and those that the burning sun beholds, and men; over all these you hold a royal honor.