§1377ἀπεστερήθην φιλτάτης μητρὸς τροφῆς.
I was deprived of the nurture of my dearest mother.
And wretched too was she who bore me; for she has suffered the same suffering, having lost the joy of her child.
And now, taking this chest, I will bring it as an offering to the god, so that I may find nothing of what I do not wish.
For if some slave-woman happens to have given me birth, it is worse to find my mother than to let it be in silence.
§1384ὦ Φοῖβε, ναοῖς ἀνατίθημι τήνδε σοῖς
O Phoebus, I dedicate this to your temples.
§1385καίτοι τί πάσχω;
Yet what am I doing?
τοῦ θεοῦ προθυμίᾳ §1386πολεμῶ, τὰ μητρὸς σύμβολʼ ὃς σέσωκέ μοι.
I am fighting against the goodwill of the god, who has preserved for me my mother's tokens.
This must be opened, and I must be daring; for I could never bypass what is fated.
O sacred garlands, what have you ever hidden for me, and you bindings, with which my dear treasures were guarded?
§1391ἰδοὺ περίπτυγμʼ ἀντίπηγος εὐκύκλου §1392ὡς οὐ γεγήρακʼ ἔκ τινος θεηλάτου, §1393εὐρώς τʼ ἄπεστι πλεγμάτων· ὁ δʼ ἐν μέσῳ §1394χρόνος πολὺς δὴ τοῖσδε θησαυρίσμασιν.
Look, how the covering of the well-rounded chest has not grown old, through some divine influence, and mold is absent from the wickerwork; yet the intervening time was indeed long for these treasures.
§1395τί δῆτα φάσμα τῶν ἀνελπίστων ὁρῶ;
What indeed unexpected sight do I see?
§1396σίγα σύ·
Be silent!
πολλὰ καὶ πάροιθεν οἶσθά μοι §1397οὐκ ἐν σιωπῇ τἀμά· μή με νουθέτει.
You have known many of my affairs not in silence before; do not admonish me.
§1398ὁρῶ γὰρ ἄγγος οὗ ʼξέθηκʼ ἐγώ ποτε §1399σέ γʼ, ὦ τέκνον μοι, βρέφος ἔτʼ ὄντα νήπιον, §1400Κέκροπος ἐς ἄντρα καὶ Μακρὰς πετρηρεφεῖς.
For I see the vessel in which I once exposed you, my child, while you were still a tender babe, into the caves of Cecrops and the rock-roofed Macrai.
§1401λείψω δὲ βωμὸν τόνδε, κεἰ θανεῖν με χρή.
And I will leave this altar, even if I must die.
§1402λάζυσθε τήνδε·
Seize this woman!
θεομανὴς γὰρ ἥλατο §1403βωμοῦ λιποῦσα ξόανα· δεῖτε δʼ ὠλένας.
For driven by madness she leaped from the altar, leaving the sacred images; bind her arms.
You may never cease slaughtering; for I will cling to this vessel, and to you, and to your hidden things.
§1406τάδʼ οὐχὶ δεινά;
Is this not terrible?
ῥυσιάζομαι λόγῳ.
I am being claimed by words.
§1407οὔκ, ἀλλὰ σοῖς φίλοισιν εὑρίσκῃ φίλος.
No, but you are found as a beloved one to your beloved ones.
§1408ἐγὼ φίλος σός;
I, your beloved?
κᾆτά μʼ ἔκτεινες λάθρα;
And then did you try to kill me in secret?
§1409παῖς γʼ, εἰ τόδʼ ἐστὶ τοῖς τεκοῦσι φίλτατον.
Yes, a child is indeed the dearest thing to parents.
§1410παῦσαι πλέκουσα.
Cease weaving plots!
— λήψομαί σʼ ἐγὼ καλῶς.
I will catch you well.
§1411ἐς τοῦθʼ ἱκοίμην, τοῦδε τοξεύω, τέκνον.
May I arrive at this; I am aiming at this, my child.
§1412κενὸν τόδʼ ἄγγος ἢ στέγει πλήρωμά τι;
Is this vessel empty, or does it cover some contents?
§1413σά γʼ ἔνδυθʼ, οἷσί σʼ ἐξέθηκʼ ἐγώ ποτε.
It has your clothes, with which I once exposed you.
§1414καὶ τοὔνομʼ αὐτῶν ἐξερεῖς πρὶν εἰσιδεῖν;
And will you name them before seeing inside?
§1415κἂν μὴ φράσω γε, κατθανεῖν ὑφίσταμαι.
Even if I do not tell, I submit to die.
§1416λέγʼ· ὡς ἔχει τι δεινὸν ἥ γε τόλμα σου.
Speak; for indeed your daring has something terrible.
§1417σκέψασθʼ·
Behold!
ὃ παῖς ποτʼ οὖσʼ ὕφασμʼ ὕφηνʼ ἐγὼ §1418ποῖόν τι;
The textile which I once wove when I was a girl — What kind?
πολλὰ παρθένων ὑφάσματα.
There are many textiles of maidens.
§1419οὐ τέλεον, οἷον δʼ ἐκδίδαγμα κερκίδος.
Not complete, but like a trial-piece of the shuttle.
§1420μορφὴν ἔχον τίνʼ;
What shape does it have?
ὥς με μὴ ταύτῃ λάβῃς.
Speak, so that you may not catch me in this.
§1421Γοργὼ μὲν ἐν μέσοισιν ἠτρίοις πέπλων.
A Gorgon in the middle of the warp of the robe.
§1422ὦ Ζεῦ, τίς ἡμᾶς ἐκκυνηγετεῖ πότμος;
O Zeus, what destiny is hunting us down?
§1423κεκρασπέδωται δʼ ὄφεσιν αἰγίδος τρόπον.
And it is bordered with snakes in the manner of an aegis.
§1424ἰδού·
Look!
§1424aτόδʼ ἔσθʼ ὕφασμα, θέσφαθʼ ὡς εὑρίσκομεν.
This is the textile; how we find the oracle's signs!
§1425ὦ χρόνιον ἱστῶν παρθένευμα τῶν ἐμῶν.
O long-remembered maidenly work of my looms!
§1426ἔστιν τι πρὸς τῷδʼ, ἢ μόνῳ τῷδʼ εὐτυχεῖς;
Is there something besides this, or are you fortunate in this alone?
§1427δράκοντες· ἀρχαῖόν τι παγχρύσῳ γένει §1428δώρημʼ Ἀθάνας, ἣ τέκνʼ ἐντρέφειν λέγει §1429Ἐριχθονίου γε τοῦ πάλαι μιμήματα.
Snakes; an ancient gift of Athena to the golden-born race, who bids us rear children, imitations of the ancient Erichthonius.
§1430τί δρᾶν, τί χρῆσθαι, φράζε μοι, χρυσώματι;
Tell me, what are we to do, how to use this golden ornament?
§1431δέραια παιδὶ νεογόνῳ φέρειν, τέκνον.
As necklaces for a newborn child to wear, my child.
§1432ἔνεισιν οἵδε· τὸ δὲ τρίτον ποθῶ μαθεῖν.
These are here; but I long to learn the third thing.
§1433στέφανον ἐλαίας ἀμφέθηκά σοι τότε, §1434ἣν πρῶτʼ Ἀθάνα σκόπελον εἰσηνέγκατο, §1435ὅς, εἴπερ ἔστιν, οὔποτʼ ἐκλείπει χλόην, §1436θάλλει δʼ, ἐλαίας ἐξ ἀκηράτου γεγώς.
I placed a wreath of olive around you then, which Athena first brought to her rock; which, if indeed it is, never loses its greenness, but flourishes, being born from an undefiled olive tree.
§1437ὦ φιλτάτη μοι μῆτερ, ἄσμενός σʼ ἰδὼν
O my dearest mother!
§1438πρὸς ἀσμένας πέπτωκα σὰς παρηίδας.
Seeing you with joy, I fall upon your joyful cheeks.
§1439ὦ τέκνον, ὦ φῶς μητρὶ κρεῖσσον ἡλίου — §1440συγγνώσεται γὰρ ὁ θεός — ἐν χεροῖν σʼ ἔχω, §1441ἄελπτον εὕρημʼ, ὃν κατὰ γᾶς ἐνέρων §1442χθόνιον μετὰ Περσεφόνας τʼ ἐδόκουν ναίειν.
O child, O light more precious than the sun to your mother — for the god will forgive me — I hold you in my arms, an unexpected find, whom I thought was dwelling below the earth among the shades with Persephone.
But, my dear mother, in your arms I, who died and yet did not die, now appear.
§1445ἰὼ ἰώ, λαμπρᾶς αἰθέρος ἀμπτυχαί,
Ah, ah! Folds of the radiant upper air!
πόθεν μοι §1448συνέκυρσʼ ἀδόκητος ἡδονά;
From where has this unexpected pleasure met me?
πόθεν §1449ἐλάβομεν χαράν;
From where did we receive this joy?
Mother, that I am yours was once to me more unlikely to happen than any other thing.
§1452ἔτι φόβῳ τρέμω.
I still tremble with fear.
§1453μῶν οὐκ ἔχειν μʼ ἔχουσα;
Do you not believe you hold me, though you hold me?