§762ἦ που πικρῶς νιν θέραπες ἦγον ἐκ φόνου; §763οὐδεὶς ἐπέστη τῷδε δοῦλος ὢν πόνῳ. §764φαίης ἄν, εἰ παρῆσθʼ ὅτʼ ἠγάπα νεκρούς. §765ἔνιψεν αὐτὸς τῶν ταλαιπώρων σφαγάς; §766κἄστρωσέ γʼ εὐνὰς κἀκάλυψε σώματα. §767δεινὸν μὲν ἦν βάσταγμα κᾀσχύνην ἔχον. §768τί δʼ αἰσχρὸν ἀνθρώποισι τἀλλήλων κακά;
: "Surely the servants carried them away from the slaughter with bitter grief?": "No one who was a slave was set over this labor." "You would say so, if you had been present when he was showing love to the dead.": "Did he himself wash the wounds of the wretched ones?": "Yes, and he spread their biers and covered their bodies.": "It was a terrible burden and held shame.": "Yet what is shameful to men in one another's misfortunes?": "Alas!
§769οἴμοι· πόσῳ σφιν συνθανεῖν ἂν ἤθελον. §770ἄκραντʼ ὀδύρῃ ταῖσδέ τʼ ἐξάγεις δάκρυ. §771δοκῶ μέν, αὐταί γʼ εἰσὶν αἱ διδάσκαλοι. §772ἀλλʼ εἶἑν· αἴρω χεῖρʼ ἀπαντήσας νεκροῖς §773Ἅιδου τε μολπὰς ἐκχέω δακρυρρόους, §774φίλους προσαυδῶν, ὧν λελειμμένος τάλας §775ἔρημα κλαίω· τοῦτο γὰρ μόνον βροτοῖς §776οὐκ ἔστι τἀνάλωμʼ ἀναλωθὲν λαβεῖν, §777ψυχὴν βροτείαν· χρημάτων δʼ εἰσὶν πόροι.
How much I wish I had died with them.": "In vain you lament, and you draw tears from these women.": "I think so indeed, yet they themselves are my teachers." "But so be it; I raise my hand to meet the dead, pour out the tearful songs of Hades, upon my loved ones, abandoned by whom, wretched as I am, weep in desolation; for this alone is impossible for mortals spent, to get back again, life; but for wealth there are means of supply.": "Some things are well, others unfortunate.
§778— τὰ μὲν εὖ, τὰ δὲ δυστυχῆ. §779πόλει μὲν εὐδοξία §780καὶ στρατηλάταις δορὸς §781διπλάζεται τιμά· §782ἐμοὶ δὲ παίδων μὲν εἰσιδεῖν μέλη §783πικρόν, καλὸν θέαμα δʼ, εἴπερ ὄψομαι, §784τὰν ἄελπτον ἁμέραν §785ἰδοῦσα, πάντων μέγιστον ἄλγος.
the city, good fame for the leaders of the spear is doubled; for me to look upon the limbs of my children bitter, though a noble sight, if indeed I shall see unexpected day seen, yet it is the greatest pain of all.": "Unmarried, still and forever, that ancient father Time kept me through my days.
§786— ἄγαμόν μʼ ἔτι δεῦρʼ ἀεὶ §787Χρόνος παλαιὸς πατὴρ §788ὤφελʼ ἁμερᾶν κτίσαι. §789τί γάρ μʼ ἔδει παίδων;
why did I need children?
§790τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἤλπιζον ἂν πεπονθέναι §791πάθος περισσόν, εἰ γάμων ἀπεζύγην, §792νῦν δʼ ὁρῶ σαφέστατον §793κακόν, τέκνων φιλτάτων στερεῖσα. §794ἀλλὰ τάδʼ ἤδη σώματα λεύσσω §795τῶν οἰχομένων παίδων· μελέα §796πῶς ἂν ὀλοίμην σὺν τοῖσδε τέκνοις §797κοινὸν ἐς Ἅιδην καταβᾶσα; §798στεναγμόν, ὦ ματέρες, §799τῶν κατὰ χθονὸς νεκρῶν §800ἀύσατʼ ἀπύσατʼ ἀντίφωνʼ ἐμῶν §801στεναγμάτων κλύουσαι. §802— ὦ παῖδες, ὦ πικρὸν φίλων §803προσηγόρημα ματέρων, §804προσαυδῶ σε τὸν θανόντα. §805ἰὼ ἰώ. §805bτῶν γʼ ἐμῶν κακῶν ἐγώ. §806αἰαῖ. §807ἐπάθομεν ὤ §807bτὰ κύντατʼ ἄλγη κακῶν. §808ὦ πόλις Ἀργεία, τὸν ἐμὸν πότμον οὐκ ἐσορᾶτε; §809— ὁρῶσι κἀμὲ τὰν τάλαι- §810ναν, τέκνων ἄπαιδα. §811προσάγετε τῶν δυσπότμων §812σώμαθʼ αἱματοσταγῆ, §813σφαγέντας οὐκ ἄξιʼ οὐδʼ ὑπʼ ἀξίων, §814ἐν οἷς ἀγὼν ἐκράνθη. §815— δόθʼ, ὡς περιπτυχαῖσι δὴ §816χέρας προσαρμόσασʼ ἐμοῖς §817ἐν ἀγκῶσι τέκνα θῶμαι. §818ἔχεις ἔχεις. §818b— πημάτων γʼ ἅλις βάρος. §819αἰαῖ. §819bτοῖς τεκοῦσι δʼ οὐ λέγεις; §820ἀίετέ μου. §820bστένεις ἐπʼ ἀμφοῖν ἄχη. §821εἴθε με Καδμείων ἔναρον στίχες ἐν κονίαισιν. §822— ἐμὸν δὲ μήποτʼ ἐζύγη §823δέμας ἐς ἀνδρὸς εὐνάν. §824ἴδετε κακῶν πέλαγος, ὦ §825ματέρες τάλαιναι τέκνων. §826— κατὰ μὲν ὄνυξιν ἠλοκίσμεθʼ, ἀμφὶ δὲ §827σποδὸν κάρᾳ κεχύμεθα. §828ἰὼ ἰώ μοί μοι· §829κατά με πέδον γᾶς ἕλοι, §830διὰ δὲ θύελλα σπάσαι, §831πυρός τε φλογμὸς ὁ Διὸς ἐν κάρᾳ πέσοι. §833— πικροὺς ἐσεῖδες γάμους, §834πικρὰν δὲ Φοίβου φάτιν· §835ἔρημά σʼ ἁ πολύστονος Οἰδιπόδα §836δώματα λιποῦσʼ ἦλθʼ Ἐρινύς.
then I would have expected to suffer excessive grief, if I had been kept from marriage, now I see the clearest, deprived of my dearest children.": "But look, already I see these bodies my departed children; wretched as I am, I wish I might perish along with these children, down to a common Hades!": "A groan, O mothers, for the dead beneath the earth out, an answering cry to my, when you hear them.": "O children, O bitter address of your mothers, address you, who are dead." "Io, io!": "And I, for my own evils.": "Aiai!": "We have suffered, ah!": "the most shameless of evil pains.": "O Argive city, do you not behold my fate?": "They see me too, the wretched one, of my children.": "Bring near the bodies of those ill-fated ones, with blood, undeservedly and not by worthy men, whom the contest was fulfilled.": "Give them to us, so that in my embrace my hands around them, may place my children in my arms.": "You have them, you have them.": "Yes, a sufficient weight of woes.": "Aiai!": "Do you not speak to the parents?": "Listen to me.": "You groan for the griefs of both.": "Would that the ranks of the Cadmeans had slain me in the dust.": "And would that my body had never been yoked a husband's bed.": "Behold a sea of evils, O mothers of children.": "We have been furrowed by our nails, and around heads ashes have been poured.": "Io, io, woe is me!" "May the floor of the earth take me down, a whirlwind tear me apart, the fiery flame of Zeus fall upon my head!": "Bitter marriages you beheld, bitter was the oracle of Phoebus; the house of Oedipus full of groans, Fury came to you.": "When I was about to ask you, as you were pouring out laments, I let it go; leaving behind the words let them be, but now I look upon Adrastos.
§837μέλλων σʼ ἐρωτᾶν, ἡνίκʼ ἐξήντλεις στρατῷ §838γόους, ἀφήσω· τοὺς ἐκεῖ μὲν ἐκλιπὼν §840εἴασα μύθους, νῦν δʼ Ἄδραστον εἰσορῶ· §841πόθεν ποθʼ οἵδε διαπρεπεῖς εὐψυχίᾳ §842θνητῶν ἔφυσαν;
where indeed did these men, preeminent in courage mortals, spring?
εἰπέ γʼ ὡς σοφώτερος §843νέοισιν ἀστῶν τῶνδʼ· ἐπιστήμων γὰρ εἶ.
Tell me, as one who is wiser the young among these citizens, for you are knowledgeable.
I saw deeds of theirs too great for words express in speech, by which they hoped to capture the city.
§846ἓν δʼ οὐκ ἐρήσομαί σε, μὴ γέλωτʼ ὄφλω, §847ὅτῳ ξυνέστη τῶνδʼ ἕκαστος ἐν μάχῃ §848ἢ τραῦμα λόγχης πολεμίων ἐδέξατο.
one thing I will not ask you, lest I incur ridicule: whom each of these stood in combat, from what weapon of the enemy he received a wound.
§849κενοὶ γὰρ οὗτοι τῶν τʼ ἀκουόντων λόγοι §850καὶ τοῦ λέγοντος, ὅστις ἐν μάχῃ βεβὼς §851λόγχης ἰούσης πρόσθεν ὀμμάτων πυκνῆς §852σαφῶς ἀπήγγειλʼ ὅστις ἐστὶν ἁγαθός.
such tales are empty, both for those who hear them and for the speaker, who, having stood in battle the spears are flying before his eyes, report clearly who is the brave man.
§853οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην οὔτʼ ἐρωτῆσαι τάδε §854οὔτʼ αὖ πιθέσθαι τοῖσι τολμῶσιν λέγειν· §855μόλις γὰρ ἄν τις αὐτὰ τἀναγκαῖʼ ὁρᾶν §856δύναιτʼ ἂν ἑστὼς πολεμίοις ἐναντίος.
could neither ask these things in turn believe those who dare to speak of them; a man could scarcely see even what is necessary, standing opposite the enemy.
§857ἄκουε δή νυν· καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἄκοντί μοι §858δίδως ἔπαινον ὧν ἔγωγε βούλομαι §859φίλων ἀληθῆ καὶ δίκαιʼ εἰπεῖν πέρι.
then now; for you give me praise not unwillingly, I wish to speak true and just things my friends.
§860ὁρᾷς τὸν ἁβρόν, οὗ βέλος διέπτατο;
you see that noble one, through whom the weapon flew?