§729θανοῦσ’, ἵν’ εἰδῇ μὴ’πὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς κακοῖς §730ὑψηλὸς εἶναι· τῆς νόσου δὲ τῆσδέ μοι §731κοινῇ μετασχὼν σωφρονεῖν μαθήσεται. §732Ἠλιβάτοις ὑπὸ κευθμῶσι γενοίμαν, §733ἵνα με πτεροῦσσαν ὄρνιν ἀγέλῃσι §734ποταναῖς θεὸς ἐνθείη· §735ἀρθείην δ’ ἐπὶ πόντιον §736κῦμα τᾶς Ἀδριηνᾶς §737ἀκτᾶς Ἠριδανοῦ θ’ ὕδωρ· §738ἔνθα πορφύρεον σταλάσ- §738aσουσιν ἐς οἶδμα πατρὸς τάλαι- §739ναι κόραι Φαέθοντος οἴ- §740κτῳ δακρύων §741τὰς ἠλεκτροφαεῖς αὐγάς. §742Ἑσπερίδων δ’ ἐπὶ μηλόσπορον ἀκτὰν §743ἀνύσαιμι τᾶν ἀοιδῶν, ἵν’ ὁ ποντο- §744μέδων πορφυρέας λίμνας §745ναύταις οὐκέθ’ ὁδὸν νέμει, §746σεμνὸν τέρμονα κυρῶν §747οὐρανοῦ, τὸν Ἄτλας ἔχει· §748κρῆναί τ’ ἀμβρόσιαι χέον- §749ται Ζηνὸς μελάθρων παρὰ κοί- §750ταις, ἵν’ ἁ βιόδωρος αὔ- §750aξει ζαθέα §751χθὼν εὐδαιμονίαν θεοῖς. §752ὦ λευκόπτερε Κρησία §753πορθμίς, ἃ διὰ πόντιον §754κῦμ’ ἁλίκτυπον ἅλμας §755ἐπόρευσας ἐμὰν ἄνασσαν ὀλβίων ἀπ’ οἴκων, §756κακονυμφοτάταν ὄνασιν.
By dying, so that he may learn not to be high-and-mighty over my misfortunes; and sharing in this disease with me in common, he will learn to be temperate. Would that I were under the lofty hiding-places, where a god might place me as a winged bird among the flying flocks; and would that I were lifted up over the marine wave of the Adriatic shore and the water of Eridanus; where the wretched daughters of Phaethon, out of pity for their father, drip their amber-beaming rays of tears into the purple swell. [included above] [included above] And would that I might reach the apple-bearing shore of the Hesperides, the singers, where the ruler of the sea no longer grants a path to sailors over the purple mere, [included above] reaching the solemn boundary of heaven which Atlas holds; and ambrosial springs are poured out near the couches of Zeus's halls, where life-giving, divine earth increases happiness for the gods. O white-winged Cretan ship, which through the marine, salt-beaten wave of the sea-spray didst convey my mistress from her prosperous home, bringing a most ill-starred marriage-blessing.
ἦ γὰρ ἀπ’ ἀμφοτέρων §757ἁ Κρησίας ἐκ γᾶς δύσορ- §758νις ἔπτατο κλεινὰς Ἀθή- §759νας· Μουνίχου δ’ ἀκταῖσιν ἐκ- §760δήσαντο πλεκτὰς πεισμάτων §761ἀρχάς, ἐπ’ ἀ- §762πείρου τε γᾶς ἔβασαν. §764ἀνθ’ ὧν, οὐχ ὁσίων ἐρώ- §765των δεινᾷ φρένας Ἀφροδί- §766τας νόσῳ κατεκλάσθη· §767χαλεπᾷ δ’ ὑπέραντλος οὖσα συμφορᾷ τεράμνων §768ἀπὸ νυμφιδίων κρεμαστὸν ἅψεται ἀμφὶ βρόχον §769λευκᾷ καθαρμόζουσα δεί- §770ρᾳ, δαίμονα στυγνὸν καται- §771δεσθεῖσα, τὰν δ’ εὔδοξον ἀνθ- §772αιρουμένα φήμαν, ἀπαλ- §773λάσσουσά τ’ ἀλ- §774γεινὸν φρενῶν ἔρωτα.
For indeed, with bad omens from both sides, she flew from the Cretan land to glorious Athens; and at the shores of Munychus they bound the woven ends of cables, and stepped upon the mainland. [included above] In return for which, she was crushed in her mind by the terrible disease of Aphrodite because of unholy loves; and being overwhelmed by a hard misfortune, she will fasten a hanging noose around her white neck from the bridal chamber beams, [included above] out of shame for the hateful deity, choosing instead a reputation of good fame, and freeing her mind from painful love. [included above] Oh!
Oh! Come to help, all you who are near the house! My mistress, Theseus's wife, is in a noose! Alas, alas!
It is done; the queenly woman is no more, hung in a suspended noose. Will you not make haste?
§780οὐ σπεύσετ’; οὐκ οἴσει τις ἀμφιδέξιον §781σίδηρον, ᾧ τόδ’ ἅμμα λύσομεν δέρης; §782— φίλαι, τί δρῶμεν;
Will someone not bring a double-edged iron, with which we may loosen this knot from her neck? — Friends, what should we do?
Does it seem best to enter the house and untie our mistress from the tight-drawn noose? — Why?
οὐ πάρεισι πρόσπολοι νεανίαι; §785τὸ πολλὰ πράσσειν οὐκ ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ βίου. §786ὀρθώσατ’ ἐκτείνοντες ἄθλιον νέκυν· §787πικρὸν τόδ’ οἰκούρημα δεσπόταις ἐμοῖς. §788— ὄλωλεν ἡ δύστηνος, ὡς κλύω, γυνή· §789ἤδη γὰρ ὡς νεκρόν νιν ἐκτείνουσι δή. §790γυναῖκες, ἴστε τίς ποτ’ ἐν δόμοις βοή; §791ἠχὼ βαρεῖα προσπόλων ἀφίκετο. §792οὐ γάρ τί μ’ ὡς θεωρὸν ἀξιοῖ δόμος §793πύλας ἀνοίξας εὐφρόνως προσεννέπειν. §794μῶν Πιτθέως τι γῆρας εἴργασται νέον; §795πρόσω μὲν ἤδη βίοτος, ἀλλ’ ὅμως ἔτ’ ἂν §796λυπηρὸς ἡμῖν τούσδ’ ἂν ἐκλίποι δόμους. §797οὐκ ἐς γέροντας ἥδε σοι τείνει τύχη, §798Θησεῦ· νέοι θανόντες ἀλγυνοῦσί σε.
Are there no young male servants present? To meddle too much is not safe in life. Straighten out and stretch the wretched corpse; this is a bitter keeping of the house for my masters. — The unfortunate woman is dead, as I hear; for they are already stretching her out as a corpse. Women, do you know what the cry in the house is? A heavy sound from the servants reached me. For the house does not deign to open its gates and address me in a friendly way as an returning envoy. Has something new happened to Pittheus's old age? His life is already far advanced, but nevertheless his leaving of this house would be a grief to us. This misfortune does not extend to the old, Theseus; the young who have died will grieve you. Alas!
Is the life of my children being plundered? They live, their mother being dead, most painfully for you. What do you say?
§801τί φῄς; ὄλωλεν ἄλοχος;
My wife is dead?
ἐκ τίνος τύχης; §802βρόχον κρεμαστὸν ἀγχόνης ἀνήψατο. §803λύπῃ παχνωθεῖσ’, ἢ ἀπὸ συμφορᾶς τινος; §804τοσοῦτον ἴσμεν· ἄρτι γὰρ κἀγὼ δόμοις, §805Θησεῦ, πάρειμι σῶν κακῶν πενθήτρια.
By what fortune? She fastened a hanging noose of strangulation. Congealed by grief, or from some misfortune? Thus much we know; for I too have just arrived at the house, Theseus, as a mourner of your evils. Alas!
§806αἰαῖ· τί δῆτα τοῖσδ’ ἀνέστεμμαι κάρα §807πλεκτοῖσι φύλλοις, δυστυχὴς θεωρὸς ὤν; §808χαλᾶτε κλῇθρα, πρόσπολοι, πυλωμάτων, §825ἐκλύεθ’ ἁρμούς, ὡς ἴδω πικρὰν θέαν §810γυναικός, ἥ με κατθανοῦσ’ ἀπώλεσεν. §811— ἰὼ ἰὼ τάλαινα μελέων κακῶν· §811aἔπαθες, εἰργάσω §812τοσοῦτον ὥστε τούσδε συγχέαι δόμους. §813— αἰαῖ τόλμας, ὦ βιαίως θανοῦσ’ §814ἀνοσίῳ τε συμφορᾷ, σᾶς χερὸς §815πάλαισμα μελέας. §816— τίς ἄρα σάν, τάλαιν’, ἀμαυροῖ ζόαν; §817ὤμοι ἐγὼ πόνων·
Why indeed am I crowned about my head with woven leaves, being an unfortunate envoy? Loosen the bolts, servants, of the gates, undo the joints, that I may see the bitter sight of my wife, who by dying has destroyed me. — Oh, oh, wretched one of miserable evils; you have suffered, you have done a thing so great as to throw this house into confusion. — Alas for your daring, O you who died violently and by an unholy misfortune, the wretched wrestling of your own hand. — Who indeed, wretched one, obscures your life? Woe is me for my labors!
ἔπαθον, ὦ πόλις, §818τὰ μάκιστ’ ἐμῶν κακῶν.
I have suffered, O city, the greatest of my evils.
ὦ τύχα, §819ὥς μοι βαρεῖα καὶ δόμοις ἐπεστάθης, §820κηλὶς ἄφραστος ἐξ ἀλαστόρων τινός. §821κατακονὰ μὲν οὖν ἀβίοτος βίου· §822κακῶν δ’, ὢ τάλας, πέλαγος εἰσορῶ §823τοσοῦτον ὥστε μήποτ’ ἐκνεῦσαι πάλιν, §824μηδ’ ἐκπερᾶσαι κῦμα τῆσδε συμφορᾶς. §826τίνα λόγον τάλας, τίνα τύχαν σέθεν §827βαρύποτμον, γύναι, προσαυδῶν τύχω; §828ὄρνις γὰρ ὥς τις ἐκ χερῶν ἄφαντος εἶ, §829πήδημ’ ἐς Ἅιδου κραιπνὸν ὁρμήσασά μοι. §830αἰαῖ αἰαῖ, μέλεα μέλεα τάδε πάθη. §831πρόσωθεν δέ ποθεν ἀνακομίζομαι §832τύχαν δαιμόνων §833ἀμπλακίαισι τῶν πάροιθέν τινος.
O fortune, how heavily you have fallen upon me and my house, an unutterable stain from some avenging spirit. Indeed, it is a ruin of life, making life unlivable; and, O wretched me, I behold a ocean of evils so great that I can never swim back out of it, nor cross the wave of this misfortune. What word, wretched me, what heavy-fated fortune of yours, O wife, shall I chance to address? For like a bird you are vanished from my hands, having rushed with a swift leap into Hades. Alas, alas, these sufferings are miserable, miserable. From somewhere far off I bring back upon myself the fortune sent by the gods for the errors of someone of those of old.