You speak of a formidable wise man, who is able to compel those who have no understanding to think wisely.
But indeed you are spinning fine theories when there is no need, father; I fear lest your tongue overreach itself in your troubles.
§925φεῦ, χρῆν βροτοῖσι τῶν φίλων τεκμήριον §926σαφές τι κεῖσθαι καὶ διάγνωσιν φρενῶν, §927ὅστις τ’ ἀληθής ἐστιν ὅς τε μὴ φίλος, §928δισσάς τε φωνὰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἔχειν, §929τὴν μὲν δικαίαν, τὴν δ’ ὅπως ἐτύγχανεν, §930ὡς ἡ φρονοῦσα τἄδικ’ ἐξηλέγχετο §931πρὸς τῆς δικαίας, κοὐκ ἂν ἠπατώμεθα.
Alas, there ought to have been established for mortals some clear token of friends and a discernment of their minds, to know who is a true friend and who is not, and all humans ought to have two voices, one just and the other as it happened to be, so that the voice thinking unjust things might be refuted by the just one, and we would not be deceived.
But has some one of my friends indeed slandered me to your ear, and am I suffering although I am not at all to blame?
Indeed I am struck with amazement; for your words, wandering far out of their wits, terrify me.
§936φεῦ τῆς βροτείας·
Alas for the human mind!
ποῖ προβήσεται;
Whither will it advance?
φρενός. §937τί τέρμα τόλμης καὶ θράσους γενήσεται;
What limit will there be to daring and insolence?
§938εἰ γὰρ κατ’ ἀνδρὸς βίοτον ἐξογκώσεται, §939ὁ δ’ ὕστερος τοῦ πρόσθεν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν §940πανοῦργος ἔσται, θεοῖσι προσβαλεῖν χθονὶ §941ἄλλην δεήσει γαῖαν, ἣ χωρήσεται §942τοὺς μὴ δικαίους καὶ κακοὺς πεφυκότας.
For if it swells up throughout a man's life, and the successor is knavish to excess beyond the predecessor, the gods will have to add another earth to this land, which will contain those who are unjust and wicked by nature.
§943σκέψασθε δ’ ἐς τόνδ’, ὅστις ἐξ ἐμοῦ γεγὼς §944ᾔσχυνε τἀμὰ λέκτρα κἀξελέγχεται §945πρὸς τῆς θανούσης ἐμφανῶς κάκιστος ὤν.
Look at this man, who, born from me, dishonored my bed and is clearly proven to be most wicked by the dead woman.
Show, since indeed you have come into defilement, your face here in opposition to your father.
Do you indeed consort with the gods as an extraordinary man?
σὺ σώφρων καὶ κακῶν ἀκήρατος;
Are you temperate and undefiled by evils?
I would not believe your boasts, attributing ignorance to the gods so as to think foolishly.
§952ἤδη νυν αὔχει καὶ δι’ ἀψύχου βορᾶς §953σίτοις καπήλευ’, Ὀρφέα τ’ ἄνακτ’ ἔχων §954βάκχευε πολλῶν γραμμάτων τιμῶν καπνούς·
Boast now, and practice your petty trade in food with lifeless nourishment, and with Orpheus as your king, rave in Bacchic rites, honoring the smoke of many writings!
§955ἐπεί γ’ ἐλήφθης.
For indeed you have been caught.
τοὺς δὲ τοιούτους ἐγὼ §956φεύγειν προφωνῶ πᾶσι· θηρεύουσι γὰρ §957σεμνοῖς λόγοισιν, αἰσχρὰ μηχανώμενοι.
And I warn everyone to flee such men as these; for they hunt with solemn words, while devising shameful deeds.
§958τέθνηκεν ἥδε· τοῦτό σ’ ἐκσώσειν δοκεῖς;
She is dead; do you think this will save you?
§959ἐν τῷδ’ ἁλίσκῃ πλεῖστον, ὦ κάκιστε σύ·
In this very thing you are most convicted, you most wicked man!
For what oaths could be stronger, what words could there be than her death, so that you might escape the charge?
You will say that she hated you and that the bastard is by nature an enemy to the legitimate children.
Then you call her a poor merchant of her life, if out of hostility to you she destroyed her dearest possession.
But will you say that folly is not in men, but is innate in women?
οἶδ’ ἐγὼ νέους, §968οὐδὲν γυναικῶν ὄντας ἀσφαλεστέρους, §969ὅταν ταράξῃ Κύπρις ἡβῶσαν φρένα· §970τὸ δ’ ἄρσεν αὐτοὺς ὠφελεῖ προσκείμενον.
I know young men who are not a bit more secure than women, whenever Cypris stirs up a youthful mind; but their male sex, being on their side, helps them.
Now therefore—why do I contest these things with your words when the dead woman is present as the clearest witness?
§973ἔξερρε γαίας τῆσδ’ ὅσον τάχος φυγάς, §974καὶ μήτ’ Ἀθήνας τὰς θεοδμήτους μόλῃς, §975μήτ’ εἰς ὅρους γῆς ἧς ἐμὸν κρατεῖ δόρυ.
Begone from this land as an exile as quickly as possible, and neither go to Athens built by gods, nor to the borders of the land which my spear rules.
§976εἰ γὰρ παθών γε σοῦ τάδ’ ἡσσηθήσομαι, §977οὐ μαρτυρήσει μ’ Ἴσθμιος Σίνις ποτὲ §978κτανεῖν ἑαυτόν, ἀλλὰ κομπάζειν μάτην, §979οὐδ’ αἱ θαλάσσῃ σύννομοι Σκιρωνίδες §980φήσουσι πέτραι τοῖς κακοῖς μ’ εἶναι βαρύν.
For if, having suffered these things from you, I am worsted, Isthmian Sinis will never testify that I killed him, but will say I boast in vain; nor will the Scironian rocks that dwell by the sea say that I am heavy upon wicked men.
I know not how I could say that any of mortals is happy; for those who were once first are now overturned.
§983πάτερ, μένος μὲν ξύστασίς τε σῶν φρενῶν §984δεινή· τὸ μέντοι πρᾶγμ’ ἔχον καλοὺς λόγους, §985εἴ τις διαπτύξειεν, οὐ καλὸν τόδε.
Father, the fury and the tension of your mind are terrible; yet this matter, though having fine arguments, is not fine if one were to unfold it.
I am unskilled in delivering a speech before a crowd, but wiser before my peers and a few.
And this too has its reason; for those who are simple among the wise are more eloquent to speak before a crowd.
Nevertheless, since calamity has come, I must loose my tongue.
And first I will begin to speak from where you first attacked me, intending to destroy me, thinking I would not speak in reply.
εἰσορᾷς φάος τόδε §994καὶ γαῖαν· ἐν τοῖσδ’ οὐκ ἔνεστ’ ἀνὴρ ἐμοῦ, §995οὐδ’ ἢν σὺ μὴ φῇς, σωφρονέστερος γεγώς.
You behold this light and the earth: in these there is no man more temperate than me, not even if you deny it.
§996ἐπίσταμαι γὰρ πρῶτα μὲν θεοὺς σέβειν, §997φίλοις τε χρῆσθαι μὴ ἀδικεῖν πειρωμένοις, §998ἀλλ’ οἷσιν αἰδὼς μήτ’ ἐπαγγέλλειν κακὰ §999μήτ’ ἀνθυπουργεῖν αἰσχρὰ τοῖσι χρωμένοις· §1000οὐκ ἐγγελαστὴς τῶν ὁμιλούντων, πάτερ, §1001ἀλλ’ αὑτὸς οὐ παροῦσι κἀγγὺς ὢν φίλοις.
For I know, first, how to revere the gods, and to associate with friends who do not try to do injustice, but who have such shame that they neither command evil deeds nor return shameful favors to those they associate with; not a mocker of my companions, father, but the same to my friends when they are absent as when I am near them.