§1Δήμητερ ἑστιοῦχʼ Ἐλευσῖνος χθονὸς §2τῆσδʼ, οἵ τε ναοὺς ἔχετε πρόσπολοι θεᾶς, §3εὐδαιμονεῖν με Θησέα τε παῖδʼ ἐμὸν §4πόλιν τʼ Ἀθηνῶν τήν τε Πιτθέως χθόνα, §5ἐν ᾗ με θρέψας ὀλβίοις ἐν δώμασιν §6Αἴθραν πατὴρ δίδωσι τῷ Πανδίονος §7Αἰγεῖ δάμαρτα, Λοξίου μαντεύμασιν.
Demeter, guardian of the hearth of this land of Eleusis, and you temple-servants who tend the shrine of the goddess, I pray for prosperity for myself and my son Theseus, and for the city of Athens and the land of Pittheus, where my father reared me in a wealthy home and gave me, Aethra, to Pandion's son Aegeus, to be his wife, according to the oracles of Loxias.
§8ἐς τάσδε γὰρ βλέψασʼ ἐπηυξάμην τάδε §9γραῦς, αἳ λιποῦσαι δώματʼ Ἀργείας χθονὸς §10ἱκτῆρι θαλλῷ προσπίτνουσʼ ἐμὸν γόνυ, §11πάθος παθοῦσαι δεινόν·
For looking upon these aged women, I made this prayer, who have left their homes in the Argive land and fall at my knees with the suppliant's bough, having suffered a terrible affliction.
ἀμφὶ γὰρ πύλας §12Κάδμου θανόντων ἑπτὰ γενναίων τέκνων §13ἄπαιδές εἰσιν, οὕς ποτʼ Ἀργείων ἄναξ §14Ἄδραστος ἤγαγʼ, Οἰδίπου παγκληρίας §15μέρος κατασχεῖν φυγάδι Πολυνείκει θέλων §16γαμβρῷ.
For around the gates of Cadmus, for their seven noble sons who died, they are childless; whom once the king of the Argives, Adrastus, led, wishing to secure a share of Oedipus' inheritance for the exile Polynices, his son-in-law.
νεκροὺς δὲ τοὺς ὀλωλότας δορὶ §17θάψαι θελουσῶν τῶνδε μητέρων χθονὶ §18εἴργουσιν οἱ κρατοῦντες οὐδʼ ἀναίρεσιν §19δοῦναι θέλουσι, νόμιμʼ ἀτίζοντες θεῶν.
But the dead who perished by the spear, these mothers wish to bury in the earth, but those in power prevent them and refuse to grant recovery of the bodies, honoring not the laws of the gods.
§20κοινὸν δὲ φόρτον ταῖσδʼ ἔχων χρείας ἐμῆς §21Ἄδραστος ὄμμα δάκρυσιν τέγγων ὅδε §22κεῖται, τό τʼ ἔγχος τήν τε δυστυχεστάτην §23στένων στρατείαν ἣν ἔπεμψεν ἐκ δόμων· §24ὅς μʼ ἐξοτρύνει παῖδʼ ἐμὸν πεῖσαι λιταῖς §25νεκρῶν κομιστὴν ἢ λόγοισιν ἢ δορὸς §26ῥώμῃ γενέσθαι καὶ τάφου μεταίτιον, §27μόνον τόδʼ ἔργον προστιθεὶς ἐμῷ τέκνῳ §28πόλει τʼ Ἀθηνῶν.
Sharing with them the common burden of needing my help, Adrastus lies here, wetting his eyes with tears, lamenting the spear and the most unhappy expedition he sent forth from his house; he urges me to persuade my son by supplications to become the recoverer of the dead, either by words or by the power of the spear, and to help in their burial, laying this duty alone upon my child and the city of Athens.
τυγχάνω δʼ ὑπὲρ χθονὸς §29ἀρότου προθύουσʼ, ἐκ δόμων ἐλθοῦσʼ ἐμῶν §30πρὸς τόνδε σηκόν, ἔνθα πρῶτα φαίνεται §31φρίξας ὑπὲρ γῆς τῆσδε κάρπιμος στάχυς.
But I happen to be making preliminary sacrifice for the plowing of the land, having come from my home to this shrine, where first the fruitful ear of corn is said to have appeared bristling above this ground.
§32δεσμὸν δʼ ἄδεσμον τόνδʼ ἔχουσα φυλλάδος §33μένω πρὸς ἁγναῖς ἐσχάραις δυοῖν θεαῖν §34Κόρης τε καὶ Δήμητρος, οἰκτίρουσα μὲν §35πολιὰς ἄπαιδας τάσδε μητέρας τέκνων, §36σέβουσα δʼ ἱερὰ στέμματʼ.
Having this unbound bond of foliage, I remain at the holy altars of the two goddesses, Kore and Demeter, pitying indeed these grey-haired mothers bereft of their children, and respecting the holy wreaths.
οἴχεται δέ μοι §37κῆρυξ πρὸς ἄστυ δεῦρο Θησέα καλῶν, §38ὡς ἢ τὸ τούτων λυπρὸν ἐξέλῃ χθονός, §39ἢ τάσδʼ ἀνάγκας ἱκεσίους λύσῃ, θεοὺς §40ὅσιόν τι δράσας· πάντα γὰρ διʼ ἀρσένων §41γυναιξὶ πράσσειν εἰκός, αἵτινες σοφαί.
And my messenger has gone to the city to call Theseus hither, so that he may either remove their sorrow from the land, or free them from these binding supplications, having done some pious deed for the gods; for it is fitting for women to accomplish everything through men, if they are wise.
§42— ἱκετεύω σε, γεραιά, §43γεραιῶν ἐκ στομάτων, πρὸς §44γόνυ πίπτουσα τὸ σόν· §45— ἄνομοι — τέκνα λῦσαι. — φθιμένων §46νεκύων οἳ καταλείπουσι μέλη §47θανάτῳ λυσιμελεῖ θηρσὶν ὀρείοισι βοράν· §48— ἐσιδοῦσʼ οἰκτρὰ μὲν ὄσσων §49δάκρυʼ ἀμφὶ βλεφάροις, ῥυ- §50σὰ δὲ σαρκῶν πολιᾶν §51καταδρύμματα χειρῶν·
— I entreat you, aged lady, from aged lips, falling down at your knee; lawlessly they refuse to release the children of the dead, of the perished dead, who leave their limbs as food for mountain beasts, having met a limb-relaxing death; — seeing the pitiful tears from my eyes around my eyelids, and the wrinkled lacerations of grey flesh torn by my hands; for what else can I do?
I, who neither laid out my dead children in my house nor behold the mounds of earth for their graves.
§54— ἔτεκες καὶ σύ ποτʼ, ὦ πότνια, κοῦρον §55φίλα ποιησαμένα λέ- §56κτρα πόσει σῷ· μετά νυν §57δὸς ἐμοὶ σᾶς διανοίας, §58μετάδος δʼ, ὅσσον ἐπαλγῶ μελέα ʼγὼ §59φθιμένων οὓς ἔτεκον· §60παράπεισον δὲ σόν, ὤ, λισσόμεθʼ, ἐλθεῖν §61τέκνον Ἰσμηνὸν ἐμάν τʼ ἐς χέρα θεῖναι §62νεκύων θαλερᾷ σώματʼ ἀλαίνοντʼ ἄταφα.
— You too once bore a son, lady, having made your marriage bed dear to your husband; share now, I pray, with me your understanding, share indeed, as much as I, wretched woman, suffer for the dead whom I brought forth; and persuade, we beseech you, your son to go to Ismenus, and to place into my hands the bodies of the young dead, wandering unburied.
§63— ὁσίως οὔχ, ὑπʼ ἀνάγκας δὲ προπίπτου- §64σα προσαιτοῦσʼ ἔμολον δε- §64aξιπύρους θεῶν θυμέλας· §65ἔχομεν δʼ ἔνδικα, καὶ σοί §66τι πάρεστι σθένος ὥστʼ εὐτεκνίᾳ δυσ- §67τυχίαν τὰν παρʼ ἐμοὶ §68καθελεῖν· οἰκτρὰ δὲ πάσχουσʼ ἱκετεύω §69σὸν ἐμοὶ παῖδα ταλαίνᾳ ʼν χερὶ θεῖναι §70νέκυν, ἀμφιβαλεῖν λυγρὰ μέλη παιδὸς ἐμοῦ.
— Not in accordance with holy rites, but falling prostrate under necessity, and begging, I have come to the fire-receiving altars of the gods; but we have justice on our side, and you have some power, so that through your own happy motherhood you may overthrow the misfortune that is with me; suffering pitifully, I entreat you to place my dead child into my hands, wretched that I am, so that I may embrace the sorrowful limbs of my son.
— Here comes another contest of lamentations, succeeding the former; the hands of the attendants resound.
§73ἴτʼ ὦ ξυνῳδοὶ κτύποι, §74ἴτʼ ὦ ξυναλγηδόνες, §75χορὸν τὸν Ἅιδας σέβει, §76διὰ παρῇδος ὄνυχα λευκὸν §77αἱματοῦτε χρῶτά τε φόνιον· §78τὰ γὰρ φθιτῶν §78aτοῖς ὁρῶσι κόσμος.
Go, you harmonious beats of grief, go, partners in sorrow, join the dance which Hades honors; make your white nails bloody along your cheek, and make your skin gory with wounds; for the grief of the dead is an honor for those who behold it.
§79— ἄπληστος ἅδε μʼ ἐξάγει χάρις γόων §80πολύπονος, ὡς ἐξ ἀλιβάτου πέτρας §81ὑγρὰ ῥέουσα σταγὼν §82ἄπαυστος αἰεί· γόων, §83τὸ γὰρ θανόντων τέκνων §84ἐπιπονόν τι κατὰ γυναῖκας §85ἐς γόους πέφυκε πάθος.
— This insatiable pleasure of lamentation leads me forth with heavy toil, like a wet drop flowing from a steep rock, ceaseless forever; of lamentation; for to lament for dead children is a painful passion natural to women, leading to wailing.
ἒ ἔ.
Ah, ah!
Whose lamentations did I hear, and the beating of breasts, and dirges for the dead, coming from these shrines, as an echo travels forth?
How fear makes me flutter, lest my mother, whom I pursue with my step after she has been long absent from home, might have met with some new trouble.
§92ἔα·
Ah!
§92aτί χρῆμα;
What is this?
καινὰς ἐσβολὰς ὁρῶ λόγων· §93μητέρα γεραιὰν βωμίαν ἐφημένην §94ξένους θʼ ὁμοῦ γυναῖκας, οὐχ ἕνα ῥυθμὸν §95κακῶν ἐχούσας· ἔκ τε γὰρ γερασμίων
I see a new beginning of speech; I see my aged mother sitting at the altar, and stranger women with her, having no single pattern of distress; for from their venerable...