§1180ἐπάθομεν πάθεα μέλεα πρὸς θεῶν.
We have suffered miserable sufferings at the hands of the gods.
§1181οἱ παῖδες οἵδε τίνες, ἐφʼ οἷς δακρυρροεῖς;
Who are these children over whom you are shedding tears?
My wretched son begot them; and having begotten them, he slew them, enduring the blood of murder.
§1184εὔφημα φώνει.
Speak words of good omen.
§1185βουλομένοισιν ἐπαγγέλλῃ.
You command this to those who already wish it.
§1186ὦ δεινὰ λέξας.
Oh, you have spoken dreadful things.
§1187οἰχόμεθʼ οἰχόμεθα πτανοί.
We are ruined, we are ruined as if on wings.
§1188τί φῄς;
What do you say?
τί δράσας;
What did he do?
Gone astray in a mad fit, and by the venom-dips of the hundred-headed hydra.
§1191Ἥρας ὅδʼ ἁγών·
This is Hera's contest.
τίς δʼ ὅδʼ οὑν νεκροῖς, γέρον;
But who is this man among the dead, old man?
§1192ἐμὸς ἐμὸς ὅδε γόνος ὁ πολύπονος, ὃς ἐπὶ §1193δόρυ γιγαντοφόνον ἦλθεν σὺν θεοῖ- §1194σι Φλεγραῖον ἐς πεδίον ἀσπιστάς.
This is my, my own long-suffering offspring, who went with the gods with giant-slaying spear to the Phlegraean plain as a shield-bearing warrior.
§1195φεῦ φεῦ·
Alas, alas!
τίς ἀνδρῶν ὧδε δυσδαίμων ἔφυ;
Who of men was ever born so ill-fated?
You would not know another of mortals more full of toil and more driven to wander than he.
§1198τί γὰρ πέπλοισιν ἄθλιον κρύπτει κάρα;
For why does he hide his wretched head with his robes?
Feeling shame before your eyes, and before kindred friendship, and the child-slaying blood.
§1202ἀλλʼ, εἰ συναλγῶν γʼ ἦλθον, ἐκκάλυπτέ νιν.
But, since I have come to share his grief, uncover him.
O child, let go of the robe from your eyes, cast it away, show your face to the sun.
§1206βάρος ἀντίπαλον, δακρύοις συναμιλλαταί, §1207ἱκετεύομεν ἀμφὶ γενειάδα καὶ §1209γόνυ καὶ χέρα σὰν προπίτνων, πολιόν τε §1210δάκρυον ἐκβάλλων·
A weight that matches yours, competing in tears, we suppliant-wise entreat you, falling before your beard and knee and hand, shedding hoary tears.
ἰὼ παῖ, κατά- §1211σχεθε λέοντος ἀγρίου θυμόν, ὡς §1212βρόμον ἐπὶ φόνιον ἀνόσιον ἐξάγῃ, §1213κακὰ θέλων κακοῖς συνάψαι, τέκνον.
Ah, child, restrain the spirit of a wild lion, lest you rush out into a murderous, unholy uproar, wishing to join evils to evils, my child.
Well; to you who sit in this wretched seat I speak, to show your eye to your friends.
For there is no darkness that has so black a cloud as to hide the misfortune of your evils.
§1218τί μοι προσείων χεῖρα σημαίνεις φόνον;
Why do you wave your hand at me to signal murder?
§1219ὡς μὴ μύσος με σῶν βάλῃ προσφθεγμάτων;
Is it so that the pollution of your words may not strike me?
I do not care at all about faring ill along with you; for indeed I was once fortunate.
ἐκεῖσʼ ἀνοιστέον, §1222ὅτʼ ἐξέσῳσάς μʼ ἐς φάος νεκρῶν πάρα.
I must refer back to that time when you saved me into the light from among the dead.
§1223χάριν δὲ γηράσκουσαν ἐχθαίρω φίλων, §1224καὶ τῶν καλῶν μὲν ὅστις ἀπολαύειν θέλει, §1225συμπλεῖν δὲ τοῖς φίλοισι δυστυχοῦσιν οὔ.
And I hate a friendship's gratitude that grows old, and whoever wishes to enjoy good fortunes but not to sail along with friends when they are unfortunate.
Arise, uncover your wretched head, look upon us.
ὅστις εὐγενὴς βροτῶν, §1228φέρει τά γʼ ἐκ θεῶν πτώματʼ οὐδʼ ἀναίνεται.
Whoever of mortals is noble bears the blows from the gods and does not reject them.
§1229Θησεῦ, δέδορκας τόνδʼ ἀγῶνʼ ἐμῶν τέκνων;
Theseus, do you see this contest of my children?
§1230ἤκουσα, καὶ βλέποντι σημαίνεις κακά.
I heard of it, and you point out the evils to me as I look upon them.
§1231τί δῆτά μου κρᾶτʼ ἀνεκάλυψας ἡλίῳ;
Why then did you uncover my head to the sun?
§1232τί δʼ;
Why?
οὐ μιαίνεις θνητὸς ὢν τὰ τῶν θεῶν.
Being mortal, you do not pollute the things of the gods.
§1233φεῦγʼ, ὦ ταλαίπωρʼ, ἀνόσιον μίασμʼ ἐμόν.
Flee, wretched man, from my unholy pollution.
§1234οὐδεὶς ἀλάστωρ τοῖς φίλοις ἐκ τῶν φίλων.
There is no avenging spirit from friends to friends.
§1235ἐπῄνεσʼ· εὖ δράσας δέ σʼ οὐκ ἀναίνομαι.
I thank you; and I do not regret having done good to you.
§1236ἐγὼ δὲ πάσχων εὖ τότʼ οἰκτίρω σε νῦν.
And I, having received good then, pity you now.
§1237οἰκτρὸς γάρ εἰμι τἄμʼ ἀποκτείνας τέκνα.
For I am indeed pitiful, having slain my own children.
§1238κλαίω χάριν σὴν ἐφʼ ἑτέραισι συμφοραῖς.
I weep for your sake because of your other misfortunes.
§1239ηὗρες δέ γʼ ἄλλους ἐν κακοῖσι μείζοσιν;
But have you found others in greater evils?
§1240ἅπτῃ κάτωθεν οὐρανοῦ δυσπραξίᾳ.
You touch the sky from below with your misfortune.
§1241τοιγὰρ παρεσκευάσμεθʼ ὥστε κατθανεῖν.
Therefore indeed I have prepared myself to die.
§1242δοκεῖς ἀπειλῶν σῶν μέλειν τι δαίμοσιν;
Do you think the gods care at all for your threats?
§1243αὔθαδες ὁ θεός, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς θεοὺς ἐγώ.
God is self-willed, and so am I towards the gods.
§1244ἴσχε στόμʼ, ὡς μὴ μέγα λέγων μεῖζον πάθῃς.
Hold your tongue, lest by speaking big you suffer worse.
§1245γέμω κακῶν δή, κοὐκέτʼ ἔσθʼ ὅπῃ τεθῇ.
I am full of evils indeed, and there is no longer any place where they may be placed.
§1246δράσεις δὲ δὴ τί;
And what indeed will you do?
ποῖ φέρῃ θυμούμενος;
Whither are you carried in your anger?
§1247θανών, ὅθενπερ ἦλθον, εἶμι γῆς ὕπο.
Dying, I will go beneath the earth, whence I came.
§1248εἴρηκας ἐπιτυχόντος ἀνθρώπου λόγους.
You have spoken the words of an ordinary man.
§1249σὺ δʼ ἐκτὸς ὤν γε συμφορᾶς με νουθετεῖς.
But you, being outside of misfortune, advise me.
§1250ὁ πολλὰ δὴ τλὰς Ἡρακλῆς λέγει τάδε;
Does the much-enduring Heracles say this?
§1251οὐκ οὖν τοσαῦτά γʼ, εἰ μέτρῳ μοχθητέον.
Not so many indeed, if one must suffer with limit.
§1252εὐεργέτης βροτοῖσι καὶ μέγας φίλος;
The benefactor to mortals and their great friend?
§1253οἱ δʼ οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦσί μʼ, ἀλλʼ Ἥρα κρατεῖ.
But they help me not at all; rather, Hera rules.
§1254οὐκ ἄν σʼ ἀνάσχοιθʼ Ἑλλὰς ἀμαθίᾳ θανεῖν.
Greece would not tolerate your dying through folly.
§1255ἄκουε δή νυν, ὡς ἁμιλληθῶ λόγοις §1256πρὸς νουθετήσεις σάς· ἀναπτύξω δέ σοι §1257ἀβίωτον ἡμῖν νῦν τε καὶ πάροιθεν ὄν.
Hear then now, so that I may contend in words against your admonitions; and I will unfold to you that my life is unlivable, both now and in the past.
§1258πρῶτον μὲν ἐκ τοῦδʼ ἐγενόμην, ὅστις κτανὼν §1259μητρὸς γεραιὸν πατέρα προστρόπαιος ὢν §1260ἔγημε τὴν τεκοῦσαν Ἀλκμήνην ἐμέ.
First of all, I was born from this man, who, having slain the aged father of my mother and being blood-polluted, married her who gave me birth, Alcmene.
But when the foundation of a family is not laid correctly, it is necessary that the descendants are unfortunate.
§1263Ζεὺς δʼ — ὅστις ὁ Ζεύς — πολέμιόν μʼ ἐγείνατο §1264Ἥρᾳ — σὺ μέντοι μηδὲν ἀχθεσθῇς, γέρον· §1265πατέρα γὰρ ἀντὶ Ζηνὸς ἡγοῦμαι σὲ ἐγώ·
And Zeus—whoever Zeus may be—begot me as an enemy to Hera; yet do not you be vexed at all, old man, for I regard you as my father instead of Zeus.
§1266ἔτʼ ἐν γάλακτί τʼ ὄντι γοργωποὺς ὄφεις
And while I was still at the breast, grim-eyed serpents...