§176σὺν μάρτυσιν θεοῖς δεῖ μʼ ἀπαλλάξαι σέθεν.
With the gods as witnesses, I must rid myself of you.
§177Διὸς κεραυνόν τʼ ἠρόμην τέθριππά τε, §178ἐν οἷς βεβηκὼς τοῖσι γῆς βλαστήμασιν §179Γίγασι πλευροῖς πτήνʼ ἐναρμόσας βέλη §180τὸν καλλίνικον μετὰ θεῶν ἐκώμασεν·
I would ask Zeus's thunderbolt and the four-horse chariot, mounted upon which he fit winged arrows into the ribs of the Giants, those offspring of the earth, and celebrated the beautiful victory with the gods.
§181τετρασκελές θʼ ὕβρισμα, Κενταύρων γένος, §182Φολόην ἐπελθών, ὦ κάκιστε βασιλέων, §183ἐροῦ τίνʼ ἄνδρʼ ἄριστον ἐγκρίνειαν ἄν, §184ἢ οὐ παῖδα τὸν ἐμόν, ὃν σὺ φῂς εἶναι δοκεῖν.
And the four-legged insolence, the race of Centaurs — go to Pholoe, O basest of kings, and ask them whom they would judge to be the best man, if not my son, whom you say only seemed to be so.
§185Δίρφυν τʼ ἐρωτῶν ἥ σʼ ἔθρεψʼ Ἀβαντίδα §186οὐκ ἄν σʼ ἐπαινέσειεν· οὐ γὰρ ἔσθʼ ὅπου §187ἐσθλόν τι δράσας μάρτυρʼ ἂν λάβοις πάτραν.
And if you ask Dirphys of Abantis, which reared you, it would not praise you; for there is no place where, having done some noble deed, you could take your homeland as a witness.
And you find fault with that all-wise invention, the archer's equipment; listen to me now, and become wise.
§190ἀνὴρ ὁπλίτης δοῦλός ἐστι τῶν ὅπλων §191καὶ τοῖσι συνταχθεῖσιν οὖσι μὴ ἀγαθοῖς §192αὐτὸς τέθνηκε δειλίᾳ τῇ τῶν πέλας, §193θραύσας τε λόγχην οὐκ ἔχει τῷ σώματι §194θάνατον ἀμῦναι, μίαν ἔχων ἀλκὴν μόνον·
A hoplite is a slave to his weapons, and if those stationed with him are not brave, he himself dies through the cowardice of his neighbors; and if he breaks his spear, he has nothing with which to ward off death from his body, having only one defense.
§195ὅσοι δὲ τόξοις χεῖρʼ ἔχουσιν εὔστοχον, §196ἓν μὲν τὸ λῷστον, μυρίους οἰστοὺς ἀφεὶς §197ἄλλοις τὸ σῶμα ῥύεται μὴ κατθανεῖν, §198ἑκὰς δʼ ἀφεστὼς πολεμίους ἀμύνεται §199τυφλοῖς ὁρῶντας οὐτάσας τοξεύμασιν
But those whose hand is skilled with the bow have this greatest advantage: though letting fly ten thousand arrows, they protect their own body from death against others, and standing far off, they ward off enemies, wounding those who see them with unseen arrows.
§200τὸ σῶμά τʼ οὐ δίδωσι τοῖς ἐναντίοις, §201ἐν εὐφυλάκτῳ δʼ ἐστί· τοῦτο δʼ ἐν μάχῃ §202σοφὸν μάλιστα, δρῶντα πολεμίους κακῶς §203σῴζειν τὸ σῶμα, μὴ ʼκ τύχης ὡρμισμένον.
They do not offer their body to the opponents, but remain well-guarded; and this is wisest in battle, to harm the enemy while keeping one's own body safe, not anchored to chance.
These words hold an opinion contrary to yours concerning established matters.
§206παῖδας δὲ δὴ τί τούσδʼ ἀποκτεῖναι θέλεις;
But why indeed do you wish to kill these children?
§207τί σʼ οἵδʼ ἔδρασαν;
What have they done to you?
In one thing I hold you wise: if, being base yourself, you fear the offspring of the noblest.
ἀλλὰ τοῦθʼ ὅμως ἡμῖν βαρύ, §210εἰ δειλίας σῆς κατθανούμεθʼ εἵνεκα, §211ὃ χρῆν σʼ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν τῶν ἀμεινόνων παθεῖν, §212εἰ Ζεὺς δικαίας εἶχεν εἰς ἡμᾶς φρένας.
Yet this is heavy for us nonetheless, if we must die because of your cowardice — a fate you ought to have suffered at our hands, who are better than you, if Zeus had a just mind toward us.
§213εἰ δʼ οὖν ἔχειν γῆς σκῆπτρα τῆσδʼ αὐτὸς θέλεις, §214ἔασον ἡμᾶς φυγάδας ἐξελθεῖν χθονός· §215βίᾳ δὲ δράσῃς μηδέν, ἢ πείσῃ βίαν, §216ὅταν θεοῦ σοι πνεῦμα μεταβαλὸν τύχῃ.
But if you indeed wish to hold the scepter of this land yourself, permit us to leave the land as exiles; do nothing by force, or you will suffer force, whenever the wind of the god happens to change for you.
§217φεῦ·
Alas!
§217aὦ γαῖα Κάδμου·
O land of Cadmus!
καὶ γὰρ ἐς σὲ ἀφίξομαι §218λόγους ὀνειδιστῆρας ἐνδατούμενος·
For indeed, I shall turn to you too, showering reproaches upon you.
§219τοιαῦτʼ ἀμύνεθʼ Ἡρακλεῖ τέκνοισί τε;
Is this the defense you offer to Heracles and his children?
He who went alone through battle against all the Minyans and made Thebes' eyes look with freedom.
§222οὐδʼ Ἑλλάδʼ ᾔνεσʼ — οὐδʼ ἀνέξομαί ποτε §223σιγῶν — κακίστην λαμβάνων ἐς παῖδʼ ἐμόν, §224ἣν χρῆν νεοσσοῖς τοῖσδε πῦρ λόγχας ὅπλα §225φέρουσαν ἐλθεῖν, ποντίων καθαρμάτων §226χέρσου τʼ ἀμοιβάς — ὧν ἐμόχθησας χάριν.
Nor do I praise Greece — nor will I ever endure to keep silent — finding it most base toward my son, when it ought to have come bringing fire, spears, and weapons for these fledglings, in return for the cleansing of the sea and the land — in gratitude for which you labored.
§227τὰ δʼ, ὦ τέκνʼ, ὑμῖν οὔτε Θηβαίων πόλις §228οὔθʼ Ἑλλὰς ἀρκεῖ· πρὸς δʼ ἔμʼ ἀσθενῆ φίλον §229δεδόρκατʼ, οὐδὲν ὄντα πλὴν γλώσσης ψόφον.
But, O children, neither the city of Thebes nor Greece is sufficient for you; and you look to me, a weak friend, who am nothing but the sound of a tongue.
For the strength we once had has left us, and with old age our limbs are trembling and our power is dim.
§232εἰ δʼ ἦ νέος τε κἄτι σώματος κρατῶν, §233λαβὼν ἂν ἔγχος τοῦδε τοὺς ξανθοὺς πλόκους §234καθῃμάτωσʼ ἄν, ὥστʼ Ἀτλαντικῶν πέραν §235φεύγειν ὅρων ἂν δειλίᾳ τοὐμὸν δόρυ.
If I were young and still master of my body, I would have taken a spear and bloodied this man's golden locks, so that he would have fled in cowardice beyond the Atlantic boundaries from my spear.
Do not noble mortals have starting points for their speeches, even if one is slow to speak?
You speak against us with those words of yours built up like towers; but I will do you harm in return for your words.
§240ἄγʼ, οἳ μὲν Ἑλικῶνʼ, οἳ δὲ Παρνασοῦ πτυχὰς §241τέμνειν ἄνωχθʼ ἐλθόντες ὑλουργοὺς δρυὸς §242κορμούς· ἐπειδὰν δʼ ἐσκομισθῶσιν πόλει, §243βωμὸν πέριξ νήσαντες ἀμφήρη ξύλα §244ἐμπίμπρατʼ αὐτῶν καὶ πυροῦτε σώματα §245πάντων, ἵνʼ εἰδῶσʼ οὕνεκʼ οὐχ ὁ κατθανὼν §246κρατεῖ χθονὸς τῆσδʼ, ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ τὰ νῦν τάδε.
Go, some to Helicon, others to the valleys of Parnassus, and order the woodcutters to go and cut logs of oak; when they are brought into the city, pile the wood all around the altar, set fire to them, and burn the bodies of them all, so they may know that it is not the dead man who rules this land, but I, here and now.
§247ὑμεῖς δέ, πρέσβεις, ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἐναντίοι §248γνώμαισιν ὄντες, οὐ μόνον στενάξετε §249τοὺς Ἡρακλείους παῖδας, ἀλλὰ καὶ δόμου §250τύχας, ὅταν πάσχῃ τι, μεμνήσεσθε δὲ §251δοῦλοι γεγῶτες τῆς ἐμῆς τυραννίδος.
And you, elders, who are contrary to my decisions, shall lament not only the children of Heracles, but also the fortunes of your own house when it suffers, and you shall remember that you are slaves of my tyranny.