that he may envy them, so that a desire for wealth may possess him; and those who are not unfortunate should fear what is pitiful.
§180τόν θʼ ὑμνοποιὸν αὐτὸς ἃν τίκτῃ μέλη §181χαίροντα τίκτειν· ἢν δὲ μὴ πάσχῃ τόδε, §182οὔτοι δύναιτʼ ἂν οἴκοθέν γʼ ἀτώμενος §183τέρπειν ἂν ἄλλους· οὐδὲ γὰρ δίκην ἔχει.
And the poet, whatever songs he may produce, should produce them rejoicing; but if he does not experience this, he could never, being himself afflicted at home, delight others; for indeed it is not reasonable.
Perhaps then you might say: "Passing by the Pelopian land, how is it that you enjoin this task upon Athens?" I have a right to explain this.
§186ἐγὼ δίκαιός εἰμʼ ἀφηγεῖσθαι τάδε. §187Σπάρτη μὲν ὠμὴ καὶ πεποίκιλται τρόπους, §188τὰ δʼ ἄλλα μικρὰ κἀσθενῆ· πόλις δὲ σὴ §189μόνη δύναιτʼ ἂν τόνδʼ ὑποστῆναι πόνον· §190τά τʼ οἰκτρὰ γὰρ δέδορκε καὶ νεανίαν §191ἔχει σὲ ποιμένʼ ἐσθλόν· οὗ χρείᾳ πόλεις §192πολλαὶ διώλοντʼ, ἐνδεεῖς στρατηλάτου.
Sparta indeed is cruel and double-dealing in her ways, and the other cities are small and weak; but your city alone would be able to undergo this task; for she looks upon what is pitiful, and she has you as a noble, youthful shepherd; through the lack of which many cities have perished, being in need of a general.
Chorus: And I speak the same word to you as this man, Theseus, that you should take my fortunes with pity.
Theseus: Indeed, I have laboured before, contending with others in such a debate.
ἔλεξε γάρ τις ὡς τὰ χείρονα §197πλείω βροτοῖσίν ἐστι τῶν ἀμεινόνων· §198ἐγὼ δὲ τούτοις ἀντίαν γνώμην ἔχω, §199πλείω τὰ χρηστὰ τῶν κακῶν εἶναι βροτοῖς· §200εἰ μὴ γὰρ ἦν τόδʼ, οὐκ ἂν ἦμεν ἐν φάει.
For someone said that for mortals the worse things are more numerous than the better; but I hold the opposite opinion to them, that good things are more numerous for mortals than bad; for if this were not so, we would not be in the light of day.
§201αἰνῶ δʼ ὃς ἡμῖν βίοτον ἐκ πεφυρμένου §202καὶ θηριώδους θεῶν διεσταθμήσατο, §203πρῶτον μὲν ἐνθεὶς σύνεσιν, εἶτα δʼ ἄγγελον §204γλῶσσαν λόγων δούς, ὥστε γιγνώσκειν ὄπα, §205τροφήν τε καρποῦ τῇ τροφῇ τʼ ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ §206σταγόνας ὑδρηλάς, ὡς τά γʼ ἐκ γαίας τρέφῃ §207ἄρδῃ τε νηδύν· πρὸς δὲ τοῖσι χείματος §208προβλήματʼ, αἶθρον ἐξαμύνασθαι θεοῦ, §209πόντου τε ναυστολήμαθʼ, ὡς διαλλαγὰς §210ἔχοιμεν ἀλλήλοισιν ὧν πένοιτο γῆ.
And I praise the one of the gods who ordered our life out of confusion and a beast-like state, first by putting understanding in us, and then by giving us a tongue for speech, so as to understand the voice, and the nourishment of crops, and for that nourishment watery drops from heaven, so that they may nourish the products of the earth and water the belly; and besides these, protections against winter, to ward off the cold and heat of the god, and seafaring, so that we might have exchanges with one another of what the land lacks.
§211ἃ δʼ ἔστʼ ἄσημα κοὐ σαφῶς γιγνώσκομεν, §212ἐς πῦρ βλέποντες καὶ κατὰ σπλάγχνων πτυχὰς §213μάντεις προσημαίνουσιν οἰωνῶν τʼ ἄπο.
And what is obscure and we do not clearly know, seers predict for us by looking into the fire, and from the folds of entrails, and from birds.
Do we not then live luxuriously, when god has given us such a preparation, we for whom these things are not enough?
§216ἀλλʼ ἡ φρόνησις τοῦ θεοῦ μεῖζον σθένειν §217ζητεῖ, τὸ γαῦρον δʼ ἐν φρεσὶν κεκτημένοι §218δοκοῦμεν εἶναι δαιμόνων σοφώτεροι.
But human wisdom seeks to have greater strength than god, and possessing pride in our minds, we think we are wiser than the divinities.
§219ἧς καὶ σὺ φαίνῃ δεκάδος, οὐ σοφὸς γεγώς, §220ὅστις κόρας μὲν θεσφάτοις Φοίβου ζυγεὶς §221ξένοισιν ὧδʼ ἔδωκας ὡς ζώντων θεῶν, §222λαμπρὸν δὲ θολερῷ δῶμα συμμείξας τὸ σὸν §223ἥλκωσας οἴκους· χρῆν γὰρ οὐδὲ σώματα §224ἄδικα δικαίοις τὸν σοφὸν συμμιγνύναι, §225εὐδαιμονοῦντας δʼ ἐς δόμους κτᾶσθαι φίλους.
Of which group you too appear to be, not having been wise, you who, having yoked your daughters according to Phoebus' oracles, gave them to strangers as if the gods were living, and by mixing your bright house with the turbid, you wounded your home; for the wise man ought not to mix unjust bodies with the just, but to acquire prosperous friends for his house.
§226κοινὰς γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τὰς τύχας ἡγούμενος §227τοῖς τοῦ νοσοῦντος πήμασιν διώλεσε §228τὸν συννοσοῦντα κοὐδὲν ἠδικηκότα.
For god, considering fortunes to be common, destroys with the afflictions of the sick man the one who suffers with him, though he has done no wrong.
§229ἐς δὲ στρατείαν πάντας Ἀργείους ἄγων, §230μάντεων λεγόντων θέσφατʼ, εἶτʼ ἀτιμάσας §231βίᾳ παρελθὼν θεοὺς ἀπώλεσας πόλιν, §232νέοις παραχθείς, οἵτινες τιμώμενοι §233χαίρουσι πολέμους τʼ αὐξάνουσʼ ἄνευ δίκης, §234φθείροντες ἀστούς, ὁ μὲν ὅπως στρατηλατῇ, §235ὁ δʼ ὡς ὑβρίζῃ δύναμιν ἐς χεῖρας λαβών, §236ἄλλος δὲ κέρδους οὕνεκʼ, οὐκ ἀποσκοπῶν §237τὸ πλῆθος εἴ τι βλάπτεται πάσχον τάδε.
And when leading all the Argives to war, when the seers declared the oracles, you dishonoured them, and going past the gods by force, you destroyed your city, being led astray by young men, who, when honoured, rejoice and increase wars without justice, corrupting the citizens; one, that he may lead an army, another, that he may wax insolent, having taken power into his hands, and another for the sake of gain, not looking to see whether the multitude suffers any harm by experiencing these things.
§238τρεῖς γὰρ πολιτῶν μερίδες· οἳ μὲν ὄλβιοι §239ἀνωφελεῖς τε πλειόνων τʼ ἐρῶσʼ ἀεί· §240οἳ δʼ οὐκ ἔχοντες καὶ σπανίζοντες βίου §241δεινοί, νέμοντες τῷ φθόνῳ πλέον μέρος, §242ἐς τοὺς ἔχοντας κέντρʼ ἀφιᾶσιν κακά, §243γλώσσαις πονηρῶν προστατῶν φηλούμενοι· §244τριῶν δὲ μοιρῶν ἡ ʼν μέσῳ σῴζει πόλεις, §245κόσμον φυλάσσουσʼ ὅντινʼ ἂν τάξῃ πόλις.
For there are three classes of citizens: some are prosperous and useless, and always lust for more; others, having nothing and lacking means of life, are dangerous, giving too great a share to envy, and they loose wicked stings against those who possess wealth, being deceived by the tongues of wicked leaders; but of the three parts, the one in the middle saves cities, guarding whatever order the city may appoint.
§246κἄπειτʼ ἐγώ σοι σύμμαχος γενήσομαι;
And after this, shall I become an ally to you?
§247τί πρὸς πολίτας τοὺς ἐμοὺς λέγων καλόν;
What honorable thing could I say to my citizens?
Go in peace; for if you have not planned well, you must bear your fortune yourself, and leave us alone.
Chorus: He erred; but in the young men among mankind this is inherent; and it is right to have forgiveness for him.
§253οὔτοι δικαστήν σʼ εἱλόμην ἐμῶν κακῶν §254οὐδʼ, εἴ τι πράξας μὴ καλῶς εὑρίσκομαι, §255τούτων κολαστὴν κἀπιτιμητήν, ἄναξ, §256ἀλλʼ ὡς ὀναίμην.
Adrastus: Indeed, I did not choose you as a judge of my evils, nor, if I am found to have done something not well, as a punisher and chastiser of these things, O king, but that I might benefit.
εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλῃ τάδε, §257στέργειν ἀνάγκη τοῖσι σοῖς· τί γὰρ πάθω;
But if you do not wish this, I must acquiesce in your decisions; for what can I do?
§258ἄγʼ, ὦ γεραιαί, στείχετε, γλαυκὴν χλόην
Come, aged women, go; the pale-green foliage...