§1034κάθες βαλὼν ἐς πῶμα τῷ νεανίᾳ §1035ἰδίᾳ δέ, μή τι πᾶσι, χωρίσας ποτὸν §1036τῷ τῶν ἐμῶν μέλλοντι δεσπόζειν δόμων.
"Drop it in, casting it into the drink for the young man, separating his drink, privately and not for all, for the one who is about to lord it over my house.
§1037κἄνπερ διέλθῃ λαιμόν, οὔποθʼ ἵξεται §1038κλεινὰς Ἀθήνας, κατθανὼν δʼ αὐτοῦ μενεῖ. §1039σὺ μέν νυν εἴσω προξένων μέθες πόδα· §1040ἡμεῖς δʼ ἐφʼ ᾧ τετάγμεθʼ ἐκπονήσομεν. §1041ἄγʼ, ὦ γεραιὲ πούς, νεανίας γενοῦ §1042ἔργοισι, κεἰ μὴ τῷ χρόνῳ πάρεστί σοι.
And if it passes through his throat, he will never reach famous Athens, but will die and remain here." "You now, direct your foot inside to the hosts; and we will work out that for which we have been stationed." "Come, old foot, become young in deeds, even if time does not grant it to you.
Go against the enemy with your mistress, and join in the murder and help cast him out of the house.
§1045τὴν δʼ εὐσέβειαν εὐτυχοῦσι μὲν καλὸν §1046τιμᾶν· ὅταν δὲ πολεμίους δρᾶσαι κακῶς §1047θέλῃ τις, οὐδεὶς ἐμποδὼν κεῖται νόμος. §1048Εἰνοδία θύγατερ Δάματρος, ἃ τῶν §1049νυκτιπόλων ἐφόδων ἀνάσσεις §1050καὶ μεθαμερίων, ὅδωσον §1051δυσθανάτων κρατήρων πλη- §1052ρώματʼ ἐφʼ οἷσι πέμπει §1053πότνια πότνιʼ ἐμὰ χθονίας §1054Γοργοῦς λαιμοτόμων ἀπὸ §1055σταλαγμῶν §1056τῷ τῶν Ἐρεχθεϊδᾶν §1057δόμων ἐφαπτομένῳ·
It is beautiful for the fortunate to honor piety; but when one wishes to do harm to enemies, no law stands in the way." "Einodia, daughter of Demeter, you who rule over the night-roaming assaults and those of the day, guide straight the draft filled in the death-bringing mixing-bowls, which my revered mistress sends, derived from the throat-cut drops of the earth-born Gorgon, against the one who lays hands on the house of the Erechtheids.
And may no other ever rule the homes of this city except the noble Erechtheids.
§1061εἰ δʼ ἀτελὴς θάνατος σπουδαί τε δεσποί- §1062νας, ὅ τε καιρὸς ἄπεισι τόλμας, §1063ᾇ νῦν ἐλπὶς ἐφαίνετʼ, ἢ θη- §1064κτὸν ξίφος ἢ δαίμων ἐξά- §1065ψει βρόχον ἀμφὶ δειρήν, §1066πάθεσι πάθεα δʼ ἐξανύτουσʼ §1067εἰς ἄλλας βιότου κάτει- §1068σι μορφάς.
But if the death and the endeavors of my mistress remain unfulfilled, and the opportunity for her daring deed slips away—where hope just now appeared— either a sharpened sword or a divinity will fasten a noose around her neck, and accomplishing suffering upon suffering, she will go down into other forms of life.
§1069οὐ γὰρ δόμων γʼ ἑτέρους §1070ἄρχοντας ἀλλοδαποὺς §1071ζῶσά ποτʼ ἐν φαεν- §1072ναῖς ἀνέχοιτʼ ἂν αὐγαῖς §1073ἁ τῶν εὐπατριδᾶν γεγῶσʼ οἴκων.
For she, being born of a noble house, would never, while alive in the shining rays of light, endure other, foreign rulers in her home.
§1074αἰσχύνομαι τὸν πολύυ- §1075μνον θεόν, εἰ παρὰ καλλιχόροισι παγαῖς §1076λαμπάδα θεωρὸν εἰκάδων §1077ὄψεται ἐννύχιος ἄυπνος ὤν, ὅτε §1078καὶ Διὸς ἀστερωπὸς §1079ἀνεχόρευσεν αἰθήρ, §1080χορεύει δὲ σελάνα §1081καὶ πεντήκοντα κόραι §1082Νηρέος, αἱ κατὰ πόντον §1083ἀενάων τε ποταμῶν §1084δίνας, χορευόμεναι §1085τὰν χρυσοστέφανον κόραν §1086καὶ ματέρα σεμνάν· §1087ἵνʼ ἐλπίζει βασιλεύ- §1088σειν ἄλλων πόνον ἐσπεσὼν §1089ὁ Φοίβειος ἀλάτας.
I feel shame before the god of many hymns, if beside the fountains of beautiful dances he, sleepless through the night, shall look upon the sacred torch on the twentieth day, when also the starry ether of Zeus joins in the dance, and the moon dances, and the fifty daughters of Nereus, who in the sea and in the eddies of ever-flowing rivers, join in the dance, honoring in dance the golden-crowned Maiden and her revered Mother; where the wanderer of Phoebus hopes to rule, falling upon the toil of others.
§1090ὁρᾶθʼ ὅσοι δυσκελάδοι- §1091σιν κατὰ μοῦσαν ἰόντες ἀείδεθʼ ὕμνοις §1092ἁμέτερα λέχεα καὶ γάμους §1093Κύπριδος ἀθέμιτας ἀνοσίους, ὅσον §1094εὐσεβίᾳ κρατοῦμεν §1095ἄδικον ἄροτον ἀνδρῶν.
Look, all you who go according to the ill-sounding muse, singing in hymns of our beds and the unlawful, unholy unions of Cypris, how much we surpass in piety the unjust harvest of men!
Let the song of ill-repute and the ill-sounding muse go against men concerning their beds.
§1099δείκνυσι γὰρ ὁ Διὸς ἐκ §1100παίδων ἀμνημοσύναν, §1101οὐ κοινὰν τεκέων τύχαν §1102οἴκοισι φυτεύσας §1103δεσποίνᾳ· πρὸς δʼ Ἀφροδί- §1104ταν ἄλλαν θέμενος χάριν §1105νόθου παιδὸς ἔκυρσεν. §1106κλειναὶ γυναῖκες, ποῦ κόρην Ἐρεχθέως, §1107δέσποιναν εὕρω;
For the son sprung from Zeus shows ingratitude, not planting a shared fortune of children in his house with his mistress; but bestowing his favor on another Aphrodite, he obtained a bastard child." "Noble women, where can I find the daughter of Erechtheus, my mistress?
For I have traversed the whole city searching for her, and I cannot find her." "What is it, fellow servant?
τίς προθυμία §1110ποδῶν ἔχει σε, καὶ λόγους τίνας φέρεις;
What urgency of feet possesses you, and what news do you bring?" "We are being hunted!
The local rulers of this land are searching for her, so that she may die by stoning." "Alas, what will you say?
§1113οἴμοι, τί λέξεις; οὔτι που λελήμμεθα §1114κρυφαῖον ἐς παῖδʼ ἐκπορίζουσαι φόνον; §1115ἔγνως; — μεθέξεις οὐκ ἐν ὑστάτοις κακοῦ. §1116ὤφθη δὲ πῶς τὰ κρυπτὰ μηχανήματα; §1117τὸ μὴ δίκαιον τῆς δίκης ἡσσώμενον §1118ἐξηῦρεν ὁ θεός, οὐ μιανθῆναι θέλων.
Surely we have not been caught planning a secret murder against the boy?" "You have guessed it; and you will share in the punishment not among the last." "But how were the hidden plots revealed?" "The god, unwilling to be defiled, discovered the injustice as it was overcome by justice." "How?
§1119πῶς; ἀντιάζω σʼ ἱκέτις ἐξειπεῖν τάδε.
I entreat you as a suppliant to speak of these things.
§1120πεπυσμέναι γάρ, εἰ θανεῖν ὅμως χρεών, §1121ἥδιον ἂν θάνοιμεν, εἴθʼ ὁρᾶν φάος. §1122ἐπεὶ θεοῦ μαντεῖον ᾤχετʼ ἐκλιπὼν §1123πόσις Κρεούσης, παῖδα τὸν καινὸν λαβὼν §1124πρὸς δεῖπνα θυσίας θʼ ἃς θεοῖς ὡπλίζετο, §1125Ξοῦθος μὲν ᾤχετʼ ἔνθα πῦρ πηδᾷ θεοῦ §1126βακχεῖον, ὡς σφαγαῖσι Διονύσου πέτρας §1127δεύσειε δισσὰς παιδὸς ἀντʼ ὀπτηρίων, §1128λέξας· Σὺ μὲν νῦν, τέκνον, ἀμφήρεις μένων §1129σκηνὰς ἀνίστη τεκτόνων μοχθήμασι. §1130θύσας δὲ Γενέταις Θεοῖσιν ἢν μακρὸν χρόνον §1131μένω, παροῦσι δαῖτες ἔστωσαν φίλοις. §1132λαβὼν δὲ μόσχους ᾤχεθʼ· ὁ δὲ νεανίας §1133σεμνῶς ἀτοίχους περιβολὰς σκηνωμάτων §1134ὀρθοστάταις ἱδρύεθʼ, ἡλίου βολὰς §1135καλῶς φυλάξας, οὔτε πρὸς μέσας φλογὸς §1136ἀκτῖνας, οὔτʼ αὖ πρὸς τελευτώσας βίον, §1137πλέθρου σταθμήσας μῆκος εἰς εὐγωνίαν, §1138μέτρημʼ ἔχουσαν τοὐν μέσῳ γε μυρίων
For having heard them, if we must die after all, we would die more gladly, or indeed look upon the light." "When the husband of Creusa left the oracle of the god, taking his new son to the feasts and sacrifices which he was preparing for the gods, Xuthus indeed went where the Bacchic fire of the god leaps, so that he might wet the twin rocks of Dionysus with sacrifices in return for the child's birth-gifts, saying: 'You now, my child, remain and set up the enclosed tents through the labors of craftsmen.' 'And if I remain a long time after sacrificing to the Birth-gods, let the feast be ready for the friends who are present.' And taking the calves, he went away; but the young man solemnly erected the wall-less enclosures of tents with upright poles, carefully avoiding the rays of the sun, neither against the middle rays of its flame, nor again against those ending their life, measuring a length of a plethron into a right angle, having an area in the middle of ten thousand feet..."