But entering the temple, I will question Phoebus, whether I am the son of a mortal father or of Loxias.
§1549ἔα·
Ha!
τίς οἴκων θυοδόκων ὑπερτελὴς §1550ἀντήλιον πρόσωπον ἐκφαίνει θεῶν;
Who of the gods, appearing above the incense-receiving temple, reveals a face facing the sun?
Let us flee, mother, lest we look upon the things of the gods — unless it is the proper time for us to look.
Do not flee; for you do not flee me as an enemy, but as one who is well-disposed both in Athens and here.
§1555ἐπώνυμος δὲ σῆς ἀφικόμην χθονὸς §1556Παλλάς, δρόμῳ σπεύσασʼ Ἀπόλλωνος πάρα, §1557ὃς ἐς μὲν ὄψιν σφῷν μολεῖν οὐκ ἠξίου, §1558μὴ τῶν πάροιθε μέμψις ἐς μέσον μόλῃ, §1559ἡμᾶς δὲ πέμπει τοὺς λόγους ὑμῖν φράσαι· §1560ὡς ἥδε τίκτει σʼ ἐξ Ἀπόλλωνος πατρός, §1561δίδωσι δʼ οἷς ἔδωκεν, οὐ φύσασί σε, §1562ἀλλʼ ὡς νομίζῃ ʼς οἶκον εὐγενέστατον.
I, Pallas, who give my name to your land, have come, hastening on a run from Apollo, who did not think it fit to come into your sight, lest blame for the past should come into the open, but sends us to speak his words to you: namely, that this woman bore you from your father Apollo, and he gives you to those to whom he gave you, though they did not beget you, but so that you may be deemed to belong to the most noble house.
§1563ἐπεὶ δʼ ἀνεῴχθη πρᾶγμα μηνυθὲν τόδε, §1564θανεῖν σε δείσας μητρὸς ἐκ βουλευμάτων §1565καὶ τήνδε πρὸς σοῦ, μηχαναῖς ἐρρύσατο.
And when this matter was revealed and opened up, fearing lest you die by your mother's plots, and she by yours, he saved you by his contrivances.
§1566ἔμελλε δʼ αὐτὰ διασιωπήσας ἄναξ §1567ἐν ταῖς Ἀθήναις γνωριεῖν ταύτην τε σήν, §1568σέ θʼ ὡς πέφυκας τῆσδε καὶ Φοίβου πατρός.
And the king intended, keeping these things silent, to make known in Athens both this woman as yours, and you as born from her and from your father Phoebus.
But that I may bring the matter to an end, and the prophecies of the god, for which he yoked his chariot, do you both listen.
Take this child, Creusa, go to the land of Cecrops, and seat him upon the royal throne.
ἐκ γὰρ τῶν Ἐρεχθέως γεγὼς §1574δίκαιος ἄρχειν τῆς γʼ ἐμῆς ὅδε χθονός, §1575ἔσται τʼ ἀνʼ Ἑλλάδʼ εὐκλεής.
For being descended from Erechtheus, he has the right to rule over my land, and he will be famous throughout Greece.
οἱ τοῦδε γὰρ §1576παῖδες γενόμενοι τέσσαρες ῥίζης μιᾶς §1577ἐπώνυμοι γῆς κἀπιφυλίου χθονὸς §1578λαῶν ἔσονται, σκόπελον οἳ ναίουσʼ ἐμόν.
For from him four children, born from one root, will give their names to the land and the tribal peoples who inhabit my hill.
§1579Γελέων μὲν ἔσται πρῶτος· εἶτα δεύτερος §1580Ὅπλητες Ἀργαδῆς τʼ, ἐμῆς τʼ ἀπʼ αἰγίδος §1581ἔμφυλον ἕξουσʼ Αἰγικορῆς.
Geleon will be first; then second, the Hopletes and Argadeis; and from my aegis, the Aigikoreis will have their tribe.
οἱ τῶνδε δʼ αὖ §1582παῖδες γενόμενοι σὺν χρόνῳ πεπρωμένῳ §1583Κυκλάδας ἐποικήσουσι νησαίας πόλεις §1584χέρσους τε παράλους, ὃ σθένος τἠμῇ χθονὶ §1585δίδωσιν· ἀντίπορθμα δʼ ἠπείροιν δυοῖν §1586πεδία κατοικήσουσιν, Ἀσιάδος τε γῆς §1587Εὐρωπίας τε· τοῦδε δʼ ὀνόματος χάριν §1588Ἴωνες ὀνομασθέντες ἕξουσιν κλέος.
And their children, in the fullness of fated time, will colonize the island cities of the Cyclades and the coastal lands, which gives strength to my land; and they will inhabit the plains of the two continents on opposite shores, both of the Asian land and the European; and on account of his name, being called Ionians, they will have glory.
§1589Ξούθῳ δὲ καὶ σοὶ γίγνεται κοινὸν γένος, §1590Δῶρος μέν, ἔνθεν Δωρὶς ὑμνηθήσεται §1591πόλις κατʼ αἶαν Πελοπίαν· ὁ δεύτερος §1592Ἀχαιός, ὃς γῆς παραλίας Ῥίου πέλας §1593τύραννος ἔσται, κἀπισημανθήσεται §1594κείνου κεκλῆσθαι λαὸς ὄνομʼ ἐπώνυμος.
And to Xuthus and you a common offspring will be born: Dorus, from whom the Doric state will be celebrated in the Pelopian land; and second, Achaeus, who will be ruler of the coastal land near Rhium, and the people will be marked out to be called by his name.
§1595καλῶς δʼ Ἀπόλλων πάντʼ ἔπραξε· πρῶτα μὲν §1596ἄνοσον λοχεύει σʼ, ὥστε μὴ γνῶναι φίλους· §1597ἐπεὶ δʼ ἔτικτες τόνδε παῖδα κἀπέθου §1598ἐν σπαργάνοισιν, ἁρπάσαντʼ ἐς ἀγκάλας §1599Ἑρμῆν κελεύει δεῦρο πορθμεῦσαι βρέφος, §1600ἔθρεψέ τʼ οὐδʼ εἴασεν ἐκπνεῦσαι βίον.
And Apollo has done all things well: first, he let you give birth without illness, so that your friends did not know; and when you bore this child and laid him in swaddling-bands, he ordered Hermes to snatch the infant into his arms and convey him here, and he reared him and did not allow him to breathe out his life.
§1601νῦν οὖν σιώπα, παῖς ὅδʼ ὡς πέφυκε σός, §1602ἵνʼ ἡ δόκησις Ξοῦθον ἡδέως ἔχῃ, §1603σύ τʼ αὖ τὰ σαυτῆς ἀγάθʼ ἔχουσʼ ἴῃς, γύναι.
Now therefore keep silent that this child is yours, so that the belief may hold Xuthus in pleasure, and you in turn, woman, may go holding your own good fortune.
And farewell; for after this respite from labors, I announce a happy fate to you.
§1606ὦ Διὸς Παλλὰς μεγίστου θύγατερ, οὐκ ἀπιστίᾳ §1607σοὺς λόγους ἐδεξάμεσθα· πείθομαι δʼ εἶναι πατρὸς §1608Λοξίου καὶ τῆσδε. — καὶ πρὶν τοῦτο δʼ οὐκ ἄπιστον ἦν.
O Pallas, daughter of greatest Zeus, we have received your words not with disbelief; and I believe that I am the son of my father Loxias and this woman — indeed, even before this, that was not unbelievable.
§1609τἀμὰ νῦν ἄκουσον· αἰνῶ Φοῖβον οὐκ αἰνοῦσα πρίν, §1610οὕνεχʼ οὗ ποτʼ ἠμέλησε παιδὸς ἀποδίδωσί μοι.
Hear my words now: I praise Phoebus, though I did not praise him before, because he restores to me my child whom he once neglected.
§1611αἵδε δʼ εὐωποὶ πύλαι μοι καὶ θεοῦ χρηστήρια, §1612δυσμενῆ πάροιθεν ὄντα. νῦν δὲ καὶ ῥόπτρων χέρας §1613ἡδέως ἐκκρημνάμεσθα καὶ προσεννέπω πύλας.
And these beautiful gates and the oracle of the god, which were hostile before, are now pleasing; now we happily hang our hands from the knockers and address the gates.
§1614ᾔνεσʼ οὕνεκʼ εὐλογεῖς θεὸν μεταβαλοῦσʼ· ἀεὶ γὰρ οὖν §1615χρόνια μὲν τὰ τῶν θεῶν πως, ἐς τέλος δʼ οὐκ ἀσθενῆ.
I praise you because, having changed your mind, you speak well of the god; for the ways of the gods are always slow, perhaps, but in the end they are not weak.
§1616ὦ τέκνον, στείχωμεν οἴκους.
O child, let us go home.
§1616bστείχεθʼ, ἕψομαι δʼ ἐγώ.
Go, and I will follow.
§1617ἀξία γʼ ἡμῶν ὁδουρός.
A worthy companion on our way.
§1617bκαὶ φιλοῦσά γε πτόλιν.
And one who loves the city, indeed.
§1618ἐς θρόνους δʼ ἵζου παλαιούς.
And sit upon the ancient thrones.
§1618bἄξιον τὸ κτῆμά μοι.
A possession worthy to me.
§1619ὦ Διὸς Λητοῦς τʼ Ἄπολλον, χαῖρʼ·
O Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto, farewell!
ὅτῳ δʼ ἐλαύνεται §1620συμφοραῖς οἶκος, σέβοντα δαίμονας θαρσεῖν χρεών· §1621ἐς τέλος γὰρ οἱ μὲν ἐσθλοὶ τυγχάνουσιν ἀξίων, §1622οἱ κακοὶ δʼ, ὥσπερ πεφύκασʼ, οὔποτʼ εὖ πράξειαν ἄν.
He whose house is driven by misfortunes, respecting the gods, must take courage; for in the end the good obtain what they deserve, but the wicked, just as they are by nature, would never fare well.