§212— τί γάρ;
Chorus: — What then?
The thunderbolt with fire at both ends, the mighty one in Zeus’s far-darting hands?
— I see it; the hostile Mimas, he is burning to ashes with fire.
— And Bromius, the Bacchant, is slaying another with un-warlike avy wands, one of the children of Earth.
You there, by the temple, I address: is it lawful to pass beyond the thresholds of the sanctuary, even with a bare foot?
§222οὐ θέμις, ὦ ξέναι.
Ion: It is not lawful, O foreign women.
§223aτίνα τήνδε θέλεις;
Ion: What is this that you wish to know?
Chorus: Does the house of Phoebus truly hold the central navel of the earth?
§224aστέμμασί γʼ ἐνδυτόν, ἀμφὶ δὲ Γοργόνες.
Ion: Yes, clothed in wreaths, and around are Gorgons.
§225οὕτω καὶ φάτις αὐδᾷ.
Chorus: So indeed report declares.
§226εἰ μὲν ἐθύσατε πέλανον πρὸ δόμων §227καί τι πυθέσθαι χρῄζετε Φοίβου, §228πάριτʼ ἐς θυμέλας· ἐπὶ δʼ ἀσφάκτοις §229μήλοισι δόμων μὴ πάριτʼ ἐς μυχόν.
Ion: If you have offered the cake of meal before the temple and desire to inquire anything of Phoebus, approach the altar; but without the slaughter of sheep, do not pass into the innermost part of the house.
§230ἔχω μαθοῦσα·
Chorus: I understand.
We shall not transgress the law of the god; but what is outside will delight our eyes.
§233πάντα θεᾶσθʼ, ὅ τι καὶ θέμις, ὄμμασι.
Ion: Gaze upon everything with your eyes, whatever is lawful.
Chorus: My masters have permitted me to look upon these sanctuaries of the god.
§234aδμῳαὶ δὲ τίνων κλῄζεσθε δόμων;
Ion: But of what house are you called the handmaids?
Chorus: The nourishing palace of my rulers, which dwells beside Pallas; but you ask concerning this lady who is present.
Ion: You have nobility, and a token of your character you possess in this appearance, whoever you may be, O lady.
For one might generally know concerning a person, looking at their appearance, whether they are noble by birth.
§240aἔα·
But wait!
§241ἀλλʼ ἐξέπληξάς μʼ, ὄμμα συγκλῄσασα σὸν §242δακρύοις θʼ ὑγράνασʼ εὐγενῆ παρηίδα, §243ὡς εἶδες ἁγνὰ Λοξίου χρηστήρια.
Indeed you have startled me, closing your eyes and moistening your noble cheek with tears, as soon as you saw the holy oracle of Loxias.
§244τί ποτε μερίμνης ἐς τόδʼ ἦλθες, ὦ γύναι;
Why ever have you fallen into such anxiety, O lady?
Where all others, when looking upon the sanctuaries of the god, rejoice, does your eye there shed tears?
§247ὦ ξένε, τὸ μὲν σὸν οὐκ ἀπαιδεύτως ἔχει §248ἐς θαύματʼ ἐλθεῖν δακρύων ἐμῶν πέρι· §249ἐγὼ δʼ ἰδοῦσα τούσδʼ Ἀπόλλωνος δόμους §250μνήμην παλαιὰν ἀνεμετρησάμην τινά· §251οἴκοι δὲ τὸν νοῦν ἔσχον ἐνθάδʼ οὖσά που.
Creusa: O stranger, your behavior is not untutored, in falling into wonder concerning my tears; but I, seeing this house of Apollo, traced back some ancient memory; and though being here, I kept my mind somewhere at home.
§252ὦ τλήμονες γυναῖκες·
O wretched women!
ὦ τολμήματα §253θεῶν.
O daring deeds of the gods!
τί δῆτα;
What then?
ποῖ δίκην ἀνοίσομεν, §254εἰ τῶν κρατούντων ἀδικίαις ὀλούμεθα;
Where shall we refer our cause for justice, if we are to perish by the injustices of those who rule?
§255τί χρῆμʼ ἀνερμήνευτα δυσθυμῇ, γύναι;
Ion: Why are you despondent, O lady, over things unexplained?
§256οὐδέν·
Creusa: Nothing.
μεθῆκα τόξα· τἀπὶ τῷδε δὲ §257ἐγώ τε σιγῶ, καὶ σὺ μὴ φρόντιζʼ ἔτι.
I have unbent my bow; and as for what follows, I am silent, and do you care no more.
§258τίς δʼ εἶ;
Ion: But who are you?
πόθεν γῆς ἦλθες;
From what land did you come?
ἐκ ποίας πάτρας §259πέφυκας;
From what kind of fatherland are you born?
ὄνομα τί σε καλεῖν ἡμᾶς χρεών;
By what name is it right for us to call you?
Creusa: Creusa indeed is my name, and from Erechtheus I am born, and my fatherland is the city of the Athenians.
Ion: O you who dwell in a famous city and were reared from noble ancestors, how I admire you, O lady!
§264τοσαῦτα κεὐτυχοῦμεν, ὦ ξένʼ, οὐ πέρα.
Creusa: Thus far indeed we are fortunate, O stranger, and no further.
§265πρὸς θεῶν ἀληθῶς, ὡς μεμύθευται βροτοῖς;
Ion: By the gods, is it truly as it has been mythologized among mortals?
§266τί χρῆμʼ ἐρωτᾷς, ὦ ξένʼ, ἐκμαθεῖν θέλων;
Creusa: What matter do you ask, O stranger, wishing to learn?
§267ἐκ γῆς πατρός σου πρόγονος ἔβλαστεν πατήρ;
Ion: Did the ancestor of your father spring from the earth?
§268Ἐριχθόνιός γε· τὸ δὲ γένος μʼ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ.
Creusa: Erichthonius indeed; but my noble birth does not benefit me.
§269ἦ καί σφʼ Ἀθάνα γῆθεν ἐξανείλετο;
Ion: And did Athena truly take him up from the earth?
§270ἐς παρθένους γε χεῖρας, οὐ τεκοῦσά νιν.
Creusa: Yes, into her maiden hands, not having given birth to him herself.
§271δίδωσι δʼ, ὥσπερ ἐν γραφῇ νομίζεται;
Ion: And did she give him, just as is customary in paintings?
§272Κέκροπός γε σῴζειν παισὶν οὐχ ὁρώμενον.
Creusa: Yes, to the daughters of Cecrops to keep safe, unseen.
§273ἤκουσα λῦσαι παρθένους τεῦχος θεᾶς.
Ion: I heard that the maidens opened the basket of the goddess.
§274τοιγὰρ θανοῦσαι σκόπελον ᾕμαξαν πέτρας.
Creusa: Therefore, dying, they stained the rocky cliff with blood.
§275εἶἑν·
Ion: Well then.
§275aτί δαὶ τόδʼ;
And what of this?
ἆρʼ ἀληθὲς ἢ μάτην λόγος
Is it true, or is the story in vain?
§276τί χρῆμʼ ἐρωτᾷς;
Creusa: What matter do you ask?
καὶ γὰρ οὐ κάμνω σχολῇ.
Indeed I am not lacking in leisure.
§277πατὴρ Ἐρεχθεὺς σὰς ἔθυσε συγγόνους;
Ion: Did your father Erechtheus sacrifice your sisters?
§278ἔτλη πρὸ γαίας σφάγια παρθένους κτανεῖν.
Creusa: He dared to kill the maidens as victims on behalf of the land.
§279σὺ δʼ ἐξεσώθης πῶς κασιγνήτων μόνη;
Ion: And how were you saved alone of your sisters?
§280βρέφος νεογνὸν μητρὸς ἦν ἐν ἀγκάλαις.
Creusa: I was a newborn infant in my mother’s arms.
§281πατέρα δʼ ἀληθῶς χάσμα σὸν κρύπτει χθονός;
Ion: And did a chasm of the earth truly conceal your father?
§282πληγαὶ τριαίνης ποντίου σφʼ ἀπώλεσαν.
Creusa: The blows of the trident of the sea-god destroyed him.
§283Μακραὶ δὲ χῶρός ἐστʼ ἐκεῖ κεκλημένος;
Ion: And is there a place there called Makrai?
§284τί δʼ ἱστορεῖς τόδʼ;
Creusa: Why do you inquire this?
ὥς μʼ ἀνέμνησάς τινος.
How you have reminded me of something!
§285τιμᾷ σφε Πύθιος ἀστραπαί τε Πύθιαι.
Ion: The Pythian god and Pythian lightnings honor it.
§286· ὡς μήποτʼ ὤφελόν σφʼ ἰδεῖν.
Creusa: Oh, would that I had never seen it!
§287τί δὲ στυγεῖς σὺ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ φίλτατα;
Ion: And why do you hate what is dearest to the god?
§288οὐδέν·
Creusa: Nothing.
ξύνοιδʼ ἄντροισιν αἰσχύνην τινά.
I am conscious of some shame in those caves.
§289πόσις δὲ τίς σʼ ἔγημʼ Ἀθηναίων, γύναι;
Ion: And what husband of the Athenians married you, O lady?
§290οὐκ ἀστός, ἀλλʼ ἐπακτὸς ἐξ ἄλλης χθονός.
Creusa: Not a citizen, but an imported one from another land.