§364τί δʼ οὐκ ἐκείνῃ τῇ ταλαιπώρῳ νοσεῖ;
Ion: What indeed in her case is not a sickness for that wretched woman?
§365πῶς ὁ θεὸς ὃ λαθεῖν βούλεται μαντεύσεται;
How will the god give an oracle about what he wishes to keep secret?
§366εἴπερ καθίζει τρίποδα κοινὸν Ἑλλάδος.
Creusa: If indeed he sits upon the common tripod of Greece.
§367αἰσχύνεται τὸ πρᾶγμα· μὴ ʼξέλεγχέ νιν.
Ion: He is ashamed of the deed; do not test him.
§368ἀλγύνεται δέ γʼ ἡ παθοῦσα τῇ τύχῃ.
Creusa: Yet she who suffered is pained by her fortune.
§369οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις σοι προφητεύσει τάδε.
Ion: There is no one who will prophesy these things to you.
§370ἐν τοῖς γὰρ αὑτοῦ δώμασιν κακὸς φανεὶς §371Φοῖβος δικαίως τὸν θεμιστεύοντά σοι §372δράσειεν ἄν τι πῆμα.
For Phoebus, appearing wicked in his own house, would justly bring some harm upon the one who gives you the oracle.
ἀπαλλάσσου, γύναι.
Depart, O lady.
§373τῷ γὰρ θεῷ τἀναντίʼ οὐ μαντευτέον.
For one must not seek oracles contrary to the god's will.
§374ἐς γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἀμαθίας ἔλθοιμεν ἄν, §375εἰ τοὺς θεοὺς ἄκοντας ἐκπονήσομεν §376φράζειν ἃ μὴ θέλουσιν, ἢ προβωμίοις §377σφαγαῖσι μήλων ἢ διʼ οἰωνῶν πτεροῖς.
For we would arrive at such a point of folly, if we labor to compel the gods against their will to speak what they do not wish, either by slaughter of sheep before the altars, or by the wings of birds.
§378ἃν γὰρ βίᾳ σπεύδωμεν ἀκόντων θεῶν, §379ἄκοντα κεκτήμεσθα τἀγάθʼ, ὦ γύναι· §380ἃ δʼ ἂν διδῶσʼ ἑκόντες, ὠφελούμεθα.
For if we strive by force against the will of the gods, we possess goods that are no real goods against their will, O lady; but what they give willingly, we are benefited by.
§381πολλαί γε πολλοῖς εἰσι συμφοραὶ βροτῶν, §382μορφαὶ δὲ διαφέρουσιν· ἓν δʼ ἂν εὐτυχὲς §383μόλις ποτʼ ἐξεύροι τις ἀνθρώπων βίῳ.
Many indeed are the misfortunes of mortals, and their forms differ; but one fortunate thing could one scarcely ever find in the life of men.
§384ὦ Φοῖβε, κἀκεῖ κἀνθάδʼ οὐ δίκαιος εἶ §385ἐς τὴν ἀποῦσαν, ἧς πάρεισιν οἱ λόγοι· §386ὃς οὔτʼ ἔσωσας τὸν σὸν ὃν σῶσαί σʼ ἐχρῆν, §387οὔθʼ ἱστορούσῃ μητρὶ μάντις ὢν ἐρεῖς, §388ὡς, εἰ μὲν οὐκέτʼ ἔστιν, ὀγκωθῇ τάφῳ, §389εἰ δʼ ἔστιν
Creusa: O Phoebus, both there and here you are unjust toward her who is absent, whose story is present here; You who did not save your own child, whom you ought to have saved, nor will you, being a prophet, tell the inquiring mother, so that, if he is no more, he may be honored with a tomb, and if he is...
But one must let these things be, if by the god we are prevented from learning what I wish to know.
§392ἀλλʼ, ὦ ξένʼ, εἰσορῶ γὰρ εὐγενῆ πόσιν §393Ξοῦθον πέλας δὴ τόνδε, τὰς Τροφωνίου §394λιπόντα θαλάμας, τοὺς λελεγμένους λόγους §395σίγα πρὸς ἄνδρα, μή τινʼ αἰσχύνην λάβω §396διακονοῦσα κρυπτά, καὶ προβῇ λόγος §397οὐχ ᾗπερ ἡμεῖς αὐτὸν ἐξειλίσσομεν.
But, O stranger, for I see my noble husband Xuthus near here, having left the chambers of Trophonius; the words we have spoken keep silent before my husband, lest I incur some shame serving secret matters, and the talk proceed not in the way we are unfolding it.
§398τὰ γὰρ γυναικῶν δυσχερῆ πρὸς ἄρσενας, §399κἀν ταῖς κακαῖσιν ἁγαθαὶ μεμειγμέναι §400μισούμεθʼ· οὕτω δυστυχεῖς πεφύκαμεν.
For the affairs of women are difficult toward men, and because the good are mixed with the bad, we are hated; thus unfortunate we are born.
Xuthus: First indeed may the god, receiving the first-fruits of my greetings, be glad, and you too, O wife.
§403μῶν χρόνιος ἐλθών σʼ ἐξέπληξʼ ὀρρωδίᾳ;
Surely I have not frightened you with fear by arriving late?
§404οὐδέν γʼ· ἀφίκου δʼ ἐς μέριμναν. ἀλλά μοι
Creusa: Not at all; but you have arrived when I was in anxiety.
But tell me, what oracle do you bring from Trophonius, how the seed of children shall be joined for us?
§407οὐκ ἠξίωσε τοῦ θεοῦ προλαμβάνειν §408μαντεύμαθʼ· ἓν δʼ οὖν εἶπεν· οὐκ ἄπαιδά με §409πρὸς οἶκον ἥξειν οὐδὲ σὲ ἐκ χρηστηρίων.
Xuthus: He did not think it fit to anticipate the god's oracles; but one thing indeed he said: that I would not return without child from the oracle, nor would you, to our home.
§410ὦ πότνια Φοίβου μῆτερ, εἰ γὰρ αἰσίως §411ἔλθοιμεν, ἅ τε νῷν συμβόλαια πρόσθεν ἦν §412ἐς παῖδα τὸν σόν, μεταπέσοι βελτίονα.
Creusa: O revered mother of Phoebus, if only we might arrive favorably, and that whatever dealings we had before with your son might change for the better.
§413ἔσται τάδʼ· ἀλλὰ τίς προφητεύει θεοῦ;
Xuthus: These things shall be; but who is the prophet of the god?
§414ἡμεῖς τά γʼ ἔξω, τῶν ἔσω δʼ ἄλλοις μέλει, §415οἳ πλησίον θάσσουσι τρίποδος, ὦ ξένε, §416Δελφῶν ἀριστῆς, οὓς ἐκλήρωσεν πάλος.
Ion: We indeed do the things outside; but other things inside are the care of others, who sit near the tripod, O stranger, the nobles of Delphi, whom the lot has chosen.
§417καλῶς· ἔχω δὴ πάνθʼ ὅσων ἐχρῄζομεν.
Xuthus: Excellent; I have indeed all that we were seeking.
§418στείχοιμʼ ἂν εἴσω· καὶ γάρ, ὡς ἐγὼ κλύω, §419χρηστήριον πέπτωκε τοῖς ἐπήλυσι §420κοινὸν πρὸ ναοῦ· βούλομαι δʼ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ §421τῇδʼ — αἰσία γάρ — θεοῦ λαβεῖν μαντεύματα.
I would go inside; for, as I hear, a common oracle has fallen for the newcomers before the temple; and I wish on this day, which is auspicious, to receive the god's prophecies.
§422σὺ δʼ ἀμφὶ βωμούς, ὦ γύναι, δαφνηφόρους §423λαβοῦσα κλῶνας, εὐτέκνους εὔχου θεοῖς §424χρησμούς μʼ ἐνεγκεῖν ἐξ Ἀπόλλωνος δόμων.
And you, O wife, taking laurel-bearing branches around the altars, pray to the gods that I may bring fruitful oracles from the house of Apollo.
§425ἔσται τάδʼ, ἔσται.
Creusa: These things shall be, they shall be.
Λοξίας δʼ ἐὰν θέλῃ §426νῦν ἀλλὰ τὰς πρὶν ἀναλαβεῖν ἁμαρτίας, §427ἅπας μὲν οὐ γένοιτʼ ἂν εἰς ἡμᾶς φίλος, §428ὅσον δὲ χρῄζει — θεὸς γάρ ἐστι — δέξομαι.
If Loxias wishes now at least to retrieve his former wrongs, he would not indeed become entirely a friend to us, but whatever he wishes to give — for he is a god — I shall receive.
Ion: Why ever does the stranger woman with secret words always mock the god with riddles?
Is it because she loves the woman on whose behalf she seeks the oracle, or is she also keeping silent about something which must be silenced?
προσήκει γʼ οὐδέν.
It concerns me not at all.
But going with golden pitchers, I shall pour dew into the vessels for sprinkling.
But I must admonish Phoebus, as to what he is doing: having yoked maidens by force, does he betray them?
παῖδας ἐκτεκνούμενος λάθρᾳ §439θνῄσκοντας ἀμελεῖ;
Having begotten children in secret, does he neglect them when they are dying?
μὴ σύ γʼ· ἀλλʼ, ἐπεὶ κρατεῖς, §440ἀρετὰς δίωκε.
Do not do so; but, since you are powerful, pursue virtue.
καὶ γὰρ ὅστις ἂν βροτῶν §441κακὸς πεφύκῃ, ζημιοῦσιν οἱ θεοί.
For whoever among mortals is wicked, the gods punish him.
§442πῶς οὖν δίκαιον τοὺς νόμους ὑμᾶς βροτοῖς
How then is it just for you to lay down laws for mortals...