as one who tried to kill the sacred youth and in the temple was causing blood-pollution.
πᾶσα δὲ ζητεῖ πόλις §1226τὴν ἀθλίως σπεύσασαν ἀθλίαν ὁδόν· §1227παίδων γὰρ ἐλθοῦσʼ εἰς ἔρον Φοίβου πάρα, §1228τὸ σῶμα κοινῇ τοῖς τέκνοις ἀπώλεσεν.
And the whole city is searching for her who miserably rushed upon a miserable path; for having come to Phoebus out of desire for children, she has destroyed her own life in common with her child.
§1229οὐκ ἔστʼ οὐκ ἔστιν θανάτου §1230παρατροπὰ μελέᾳ μοι· §1231φανερὰ φανερὰ τάδʼ ἤδη, §1232σπονδᾶς ἐκ Διονύσου, §1233βοτρύων θοᾶς ἐχίδνας §1234σταγόσι μειγνυμένας φόνῳ §1235φανερὰ θύματα νερτέρων, §1236συμφοραὶ μὲν ἐμῷ βίῳ, §1237λεύσιμοι δὲ καταφθοραὶ δεσποίνᾳ.
There is not, there is not any escape from death for miserable me; clear, clear are these things now, from the libation of Dionysus, when with the juice of grape-clusters a swift viper's drops were mixed for murder, clear offerings to the underworld, disasters indeed for my life, and a stoning destruction for my mistress.
§1238τίνα φυγὰν πτερόεσσαν ἢ §1239χθονὸς ὑπὸ σκοτίων μυχῶν πορευθῶ, §1240θανάτου λεύσιμον ἄταν §1241ἀποφεύγουσα, τεθρίππων §1242ὠκιστᾶν χαλᾶν ἐπιβᾶσʼ, §1243ἢ πρύμνας ἐπὶ ναῶν;
What winged flight, or to what dark recesses beneath the earth shall I travel, fleeing the stoning doom of death, having mounted the swiftest hoofs of a four-horse chariot, or upon the sterns of ships?
It is not possible to escape notice, unless the god, willing to do so, steals us away.
What, O miserable mistress, remains for your soul to suffer?
Is it that, wishing to do some evil to our neighbors, we ourselves shall suffer, just as is right?
Servants, we are pursued to deadly slaughter, condemned by the Pythian vote, and I am handed over.
§1252ἴσμεν, ὦ τάλαινα, τὰς σὰς συμφοράς, ἵνʼ εἶ τύχης.
We know, wretched woman, your misfortunes, in what state of fortune you are.
§1253ποῖ φύγω δῆτʼ;
Where then should I flee?
ἐκ γὰρ οἴκων προύλαβον μόγις πόδα §1254μὴ θανεῖν, κλοπῇ δʼ ἀφῖγμαι διαφυγοῦσα πολεμίους.
For I have barely stolen my foot from the house so as not to die, and I have arrived by stealth, escaping the enemies.
§1255ποῖ δʼ ἂν ἄλλοσʼ ἢ ʼπὶ βωμόν;
And where else than to the altar?
§1255bκαὶ τί μοι πλέον τόδε;
And what advantage is this to me?
§1256ἱκέτιν οὐ θέμις φονεύειν.
It is not lawful to slay a suppliant.
§1256bτῷ νόμῳ δέ γʼ ὄλλυμαι.
But by the law indeed I am destroyed.
§1257χειρία γʼ ἁλοῦσα.
Yes, if you are caught in their hands.
And look! here these bitter adversaries are rushing here, sword in hand.
§1258bἵζε νυν πυρᾶς ἔπι.
Sit now upon the altar.
§1259κἂν θάνῃς γὰρ ἐνθάδʼ οὖσα, τοῖς ἀποκτείνασί σε §1260προστρόπαιον αἷμα θήσεις· οἰστέον δὲ τὴν τύχην.
For even if you die remaining here, to those who kill you you will make your blood a source of pollution; and we must bear fortune.
§1261ὦ ταυρόμορφον ὄμμα Κηφισοῦ πατρός, §1262οἵαν ἔχιδναν τήνδʼ ἔφυσας ἢ πυρὸς §1263δράκοντʼ ἀναβλέποντα φοινίαν φλόγα, §1264ᾗ τόλμα πᾶσʼ ἔνεστιν, οὐδʼ ἥσσων ἔφυ §1265Γοργοῦς σταλαγμῶν, οἷς ἔμελλέ με κτενεῖν.
O bull-faced eye of father Cephisus, what a viper you have begotten in this woman, or a dragon looking up with a bloody flame of fire, in whom is all daring, nor is she inferior to the drops of Gorgon's blood, with which she was about to kill me.
§1266λάζυσθʼ, ἵνʼ αὐτῆς τοὺς ἀκηράτους πλόκους §1267κόμης καταξήνωσι Παρνασοῦ πλάκες, §1268ὅθεν πετραῖον ἅλμα δισκηθήσεται.
Seize her, so that the cliffs of Parnassus may tear the pure locks of her hair, whence she shall be hurled like a discus in a rocky leap.
But I met with a good daimon, before coming to the city of Athens and falling under a stepmother.
§1271ἐν συμμάχοις γὰρ ἀνεμετρησάμην φρένας §1272τὰς σάς, ὅσον μοι πῆμα δυσμενής τʼ ἔφυς· §1273ἔσω γὰρ ἄν με περιβαλοῦσα δωμάτων §1274ἄρδην ἂν ἐξέπεμψας εἰς Ἅιδου δόμους.
For among my allies I have measured your mind, how great a bane and enemy you have been to me; for if you had enclosed me inside the house, you would have sent me utterly to the halls of Hades.
§1275ἀλλʼ οὔτε βωμὸς οὔτʼ Ἀπόλλωνος δόμος §1276σώσει σʼ· ὁ δʼ οἶκτος ὁ σὸς ἐμοὶ κρείσσων πάρα §1277καὶ μητρὶ τἠμῇ· καὶ γὰρ εἰ τὸ σῶμά μοι §1278ἄπεστιν αὐτῆς, τοὔνομʼ οὐκ ἄπεστί πω.
But neither the altar nor the house of Apollo shall save you; and pity for you is stronger with me and for my mother; for even if her body is absent from me, her name is not yet absent.
§1279ἴδεσθε τὴν πανοῦργον, ἐκ τέχνης τέχνην §1280οἵαν ἔπλεξε· βωμὸν ἔπτηξεν θεοῦ, §1281ὡς οὐ δίκην δώσουσα τῶν εἰργασμένων.
Behold the villainous woman, what trick upon trick she has woven; she cowered at the altar of the god, as if she would not pay the penalty for what she has done.
I forbid you to kill me, both on behalf of myself and of the god where we stand.
§1284τί δʼ ἐστὶ Φοίβῳ σοί τε κοινὸν ἐν μέσῳ;
But what is there in common between Phoebus and you?
§1285ἱερὸν τὸ σῶμα τῷ θεῷ δίδωμʼ ἔχειν.
I give my body as sacred to the god to possess.
§1286κἄπειτʼ ἔκαινες φαρμάκοις τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ;
And did you then try to kill the god's own with poison?
§1287ἀλλʼ οὐκέτʼ ἦσθα Λοξίου, πατρὸς δὲ σοῦ.
But you were no longer Loxias's, but your father's.
§1288ἀλλʼ ἐγενόμεσθα πατρός· οὐσίαν λέγω.
But I became my father's—I speak of my essence.
§1289οὐκοῦν τότʼ ἦσθα· νῦν δʼ ἐγώ, σὺ δʼ οὐκέτι.
Therefore you were so then; but now I am, and you are no longer.
§1290οὐκ εὐσεβεῖς γε· τἀμὰ δʼ εὐσεβῆ τότʼ ἦν.
You are not pious, at least; but my deeds were pious then.
§1291ἔκτεινά σʼ ὄντα πολέμιον δόμοις ἐμοῖς.
I tried to kill you, since you were an enemy to my house.
§1292οὔτοι σὺν ὅπλοις ἦλθον ἐς τὴν σὴν χθόνα.
I surely did not come with weapons into your land.
§1293μάλιστα· κἀπίμπρης γʼ Ἐρεχθέως δόμους.
Indeed you did—and you were setting fire to the house of Erechtheus.
§1294ποίοισι πανοῖς ἢ πυρὸς ποίᾳ φλογί;
With what torches, or with what flame of fire?
§1295ἔμελλες οἰκεῖν τἄμʼ, ἐμοῦ βίᾳ λαβών.
You were about to inhabit my possessions, taking them by force in spite of me.
§1296πατρός γε γῆν διδόντος ἣν ἐκτήσατο.
Yes, since my father was giving the land which he had acquired.
§1297τοῖς Αἰόλου δὲ πῶς μετῆν τῶν Παλλάδος;
But how did the sons of Aeolus have a share in the land of Pallas?
§1298ὅπλοισιν αὐτήν, οὐ λόγοις ἐρρύσατο.
With weapons, not with words, he rescued it.
§1299ἐπίκουρος οἰκήτωρ γʼ ἂν οὐκ εἴη χθονός.
An ally would surely not be an inheritor of the land.
§1300κἄπειτα τοῦ μέλλειν μʼ ἀπέκτεινες φόβῳ;
And then, did you try to kill me out of fear of what I might do?
§1301ὡς μὴ θάνοιμί γʼ, εἰ σὺ μὴ μέλλων τύχοις.
Lest I should die, if you should happen not to be merely about to do it.
§1302φθονεῖς ἄπαις οὖσʼ, εἰ πατὴρ ἐξηῦρέ με.
You are envious, being childless, because my father found me.
§1303σὺ τῶν ἀτέκνων δῆτʼ ἀναρπάσεις δόμους;
Will you indeed snatch away the houses of those who are childless?
§1304ἡμῖν δέ γʼ ἀλλὰ πατρικῆς οὐκ ἦν μέρος;
But was there no portion of my father's estate for me?
§1305ὅσʼ ἀσπὶς ἔγχος θʼ· ἥδε σοι παμπησία.
Only as much as a shield and spear; that is your entire inheritance.