§379πολλοῖσιν· ἀλλὰ τῇδ’ ἀθρητέον τόδε· §380τὰ χρήστ’ ἐπιστάμεσθα καὶ γιγνώσκομεν, §381οὐκ ἐκπονοῦμεν δ’, οἳ μὲν ἀργίας ὕπο, §382οἳ δ’ ἡδονὴν προθέντες ἀντὶ τοῦ καλοῦ §383ἄλλην τιν’.
to many; but in this way we must look at this: we understand and know what is good, but we do not practice it, some from laziness, and others putting some other pleasure before what is noble.
And there are many pleasures in life, long talks and leisure, a pleasant evil, and shame.
δισσαὶ δ’ εἰσίν, ἣ μὲν οὐ κακή, §386ἣ δ’ ἄχθος οἴκων.
And there are two kinds of it, one not bad, and the other a burden to houses.
εἰ δ’ ὁ καιρὸς ἦν σαφής, §387οὐκ ἂν δύ’ ἤστην ταὔτ’ ἔχοντε γράμματα.
But if the proper time were clear, there would not be two things having the same letters.
§388ταῦτ’ οὖν ἐπειδὴ τυγχάνω φρονοῦσ’ ἐγώ, §389οὐκ ἔσθ’ ὁποίῳ φαρμάκῳ διαφθερεῖν §390ἔμελλον, ὥστε τοὔμπαλιν πεσεῖν φρενῶν.
Since, then, I happen to think this, there was no remedy by which I was going to destroy it, so as to fall into the opposite state of mind.
§391λέξω δὲ καὶ σοὶ τῆς ἐμῆς γνώμης ὁδόν· §392ἐπεί μ’ ἔρως ἔτρωσεν, ἐσκόπουν ὅπως §393κάλλιστ’ ἐνέγκαιμ’ αὐτόν.
I will also tell you the path of my judgment: when love wounded me, I considered how I might bear it most nobly.
ἠρξάμην μὲν οὖν §394ἐκ τοῦδε, σιγᾶν τήνδε καὶ κρύπτειν νόσον.
I began, then, from this, to keep silent and hide this disease.
§395γλώσσῃ γὰρ οὐδὲν πιστόν, ἣ θυραῖα μὲν §396φρονήματ’ ἀνδρῶν νουθετεῖν ἐπίσταται, §397αὐτὴ δ’ ὑφ’ αὑτῆς πλεῖστα κέκτηται κακά.
For there is no trust in the tongue, which knows how to admonish the thoughts of other men, but brings upon itself the greatest evils.
Secondly, I planned to bear my madness well by overcoming it with self-control.
§400τρίτον δ’, ἐπειδὴ τοισίδ’ οὐκ ἐξήνυτον §401Κύπριν κρατῆσαι, κατθανεῖν ἔδοξέ μοι, §402κράτιστον — οὐδεὶς ἀντερεῖ — βουλευμάτων.
Thirdly, since by these means I did not succeed in overcoming Cypris, it seemed best to me to die, the best of plans — no one will deny it.
For may it be my lot neither to hide my noble deeds, nor to have many witnesses when I act shamefully.
§405τὸ δ’ ἔργον ᾔδη τὴν νόσον τε δυσκλεᾶ, §406γυνή τε πρὸς τοῖσδ’ οὖσ’ ἐγίγνωσκον καλῶς, §407μίσημα πᾶσιν.
I knew that both the deed and the disease were shameful, and besides, being a woman, I knew well that I was an object of hatred to all.
May she perish miserably whoever first began to shame the marriage bed with men from without.
ἐκ δὲ γενναίων δόμων §410τόδ’ ἦρξε θηλείαισι γίγνεσθαι κακόν.
And from noble houses this evil began to spread among women.
For when shameful things seem good to the noble, surely they will seem very good indeed to the base.
And I hate those who are chaste in words, but in secret harbor shameful daring.
§415αἳ πῶς ποτ’, ὦ δέσποινα ποντία Κύπρι, §416βλέπουσιν ἐς πρόσωπα τῶν ξυνευνετῶν §417οὐδὲ σκότον φρίσσουσι τὸν ξυνεργάτην §418τέραμνά τ’ οἴκων μή ποτε φθογγὴν ἀφῇ;
How, O sea mistress Cypris, can they ever look into the faces of their husbands, and not shudder at the darkness, their accomplice, and at the roof of the house, lest it ever utter a sound?
§419ἡμᾶς γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτ’ ἀποκτείνει, φίλαι, §420ὡς μήποτ’ ἄνδρα τὸν ἐμὸν αἰσχύνασ’ ἁλῶ, §421μὴ παῖδας οὓς ἔτικτον· ἀλλ’ ἐλεύθεροι §422παρρησίᾳ θάλλοντες οἰκοῖεν πόλιν §423κλεινῶν Ἀθηνῶν, μητρὸς οὕνεκ’ εὐκλεεῖς.
For this very thing kills me, friends, that I may never be caught having shamed my husband, nor the children I bore; but may they live free and flourishing in free speech, inhabit the city of famous Athens, glorious because of their mother.
For it enslaves a man, even if he is bold of heart, when he is conscious of his mother's or father's evils.
And they say this alone competes with life on equal terms, a just and good judgment, in whoever possesses it.
§428κακοὺς δὲ θνητῶν ἐξέφην’, ὅταν τύχῃ, §429προθεὶς κάτοπτρον ὥστε παρθένῳ νέᾳ §430χρόνος· παρ’ οἷσι μήποτ’ ὀφθείην ἐγώ.
And time, when it happens, reveals the wicked among mortals, holding up a mirror as if to a young maiden; time; among whom may I never be seen.
Alas, alas, how beautiful is self-control everywhere, and reaps a good reputation among mortals.
§433δέσποιν’, ἐμοί τοι συμφορὰ μὲν ἀρτίως §434ἡ σὴ παρέσχε δεινὸν ἐξαίφνης φόβον· §435νῦν δ’ ἐννοοῦμαι φαῦλος οὖσα· κἀν βροτοῖς §436αἱ δεύτεραί πως φροντίδες σοφώτεραι.
Mistress, indeed your misfortune just now caused me a terrible fear all of a sudden; but now I realize I was foolish; and among mortals, second thoughts are somehow wiser.
For you have suffered nothing extraordinary or out of reason; the angers of a goddess have fallen upon you.
§439ἐρᾷς·
You are in love; what wonder is this?
τί τοῦτο θαῦμα; σὺν πολλοῖς βροτῶν.
Along with many mortals.
§440κἄπειτ’ ἔρωτος οὕνεκα ψυχὴν ὀλεῖς;
And then, because of love, will you destroy your life?
It surely does not benefit those who love their neighbors, and those who will in the future, if they must die.
§443Κύπρις γὰρ οὐ φορητός, ἢν πολλὴ ῥυῇ· §444ἣ τὸν μὲν εἴκονθ’ ἡσυχῇ μετέρχεται, §445ὃν δ’ ἂν περισσὸν καὶ φρονοῦνθ’ εὕρῃ μέγα, §446τοῦτον λαβοῦσα — πῶς δοκεῖς; — καθύβρισεν.
For Cypris is not to be borne, if she flows in full force; she pursues the one who yields to her gently, but whomsoever she finds stubborn and high-minded, taking him — how do you think? — she humiliates him utterly.
She ranges through the air, and Cypris is in the sea-surge, and all things are born from her.
She is the one who sows and gives love, of which all of us upon the earth are offspring.
§451ὅσοι μὲν οὖν γραφάς τε τῶν παλαιτέρων §452ἔχουσιν αὐτοί τ’ εἰσὶν ἐν μούσαις ἀεί, §453ἴσασι μὲν Ζεὺς ὥς ποτ’ ἠράσθη γάμων §454Σεμέλης, ἴσασι δ’ ὡς ἀνήρπασέν ποτε §455ἡ καλλιφεγγὴς Κέφαλον ἐς θεοὺς Ἕως §456ἔρωτος εἵνεκ’·
Those indeed who have the writings of the ancients, and are themselves always in the service of the Muses, know how Zeus once longed for union with Semele, and they know how once beautiful-shining Dawn snatched Cephalus to the gods because of love.
ἀλλ’ ὅμως ἐν οὐρανῷ §457ναίουσι κοὐ φεύγουσιν ἐκποδὼν θεούς, §458στέργουσι δ’, οἶμαι, ξυμφορᾷ νικώμενοι.
But nonetheless in heaven they dwell, and do not flee out of the way of the gods; and they are content, I think, being conquered by their fate.
§459σὺ δ’ οὐκ ἀνέξῃ;
But will you not endure?
χρῆν σ’ ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς ἄρα
You ought then on specified terms