§538bοὐκ ἄλλῳ, τέκνον.
No other, child.
§539ἡ τύχη πόθεν ποθʼ ἥκει;
From where on earth has this fortune come?
§539bδύο μίαν θαυμάζομεν.
We two are wondering at one and the same thing.
§540ἔα.
Ah!
τίνος δέ σοι πέφυκα μητρός;
But from what mother was I born to you?
§540bοὐκ ἔχω φράσαι.
I cannot tell.
§541οὐδὲ Φοῖβος εἶπε;
Did not even Phoebus say?
§541bτερφθεὶς τοῦτο, κεῖνʼ οὐκ ἠρόμην.
Delighted with this, I did not ask that.
§542γῆς ἄρʼ ἐκπέφυκα μητρός.
Then I must have been born from Mother Earth.
§542bοὐ πέδον τίκτει τέκνα.
The soil does not bear children.
§543πῶς ἂν οὖν εἴην σός;
How then could I be yours?
§543bοὐκ οἶδʼ, ἀναφέρω δʼ ἐς τὸν θεόν.
I do not know, but I refer it to the god.
§544φέρε λόγων ἁψώμεθʼ ἄλλων.
Come, let us touch upon other talk.
§544bταῦτʼ ἀμείνονʼ, ὦ τέκνον.
This is better, child.
§545ἦλθες ἐς νόθον τι λέκτρον;
Did you enter into some illicit bed?
§545bμωρίᾳ γε τοῦ νέου.
Yes, through the folly of youth.
§546πρὶν κόρην λαβεῖν Ἐρεχθέως;
Before you took the daughter of Erechtheus?
§546bοὐ γὰρ ὕστερόν γέ πω.
For indeed, never since then.
§547ἆρα δῆτʼ ἐκεῖ μʼ ἔφυσας;
Is that indeed when you begot me?
§547bτῷ χρόνῳ γε συντρέχει.
It certainly coincides with the time.
And then, how did I arrive here— That puzzles me.
§549διὰ μακρᾶς ἐλθὼν κελεύθου;
Having come through a long journey?
§549bτοῦτο κἄμʼ ἀπαιολεῖ.
This confounds me too.
§550Πυθίαν δʼ ἦλθες πέτραν πρίν;
Did you come to the Pythian rock before?
§550bἐς φανάς γε Βακχίου.
Yes, to the torch-feasts of Bacchus.
§551προξένων δʼ ἔν του κατέσχες;
And did you stay at the house of some host?
§551bὅς με Δελφίσιν κόραις
Who, with Delphian maidens, introduced me...
§552ἐθιάσευσʼ, ἢ πῶς τάδʼ αὐδᾷς;
...initiated into the Dionysian rites? Or how do you mean this?
§552bΜαινάσιν γε Βακχίου.
Yes, among the Maenads of Bacchus.
§553ἔμφρονʼ ἢ κάτοινον ὄντα;
Sober, or drunk with wine?
§553bΒακχίου πρὸς ἡδοναῖς.
In the pleasures of Bacchus.
§554τοῦτʼ ἐκεῖνʼ ἵνʼ ἐσπάρημεν.
This is indeed the place where we were sown.
§554bὁ πότμος ἐξηῦρεν, τέκνον.
Fate found it out, child.
§555πῶς δʼ ἀφικόμεσθα ναούς;
And how did we arrive at the temple?
§555bἔκβολον κόρης ἴσως.
Perhaps exposed by the maiden.
§556ἐκπεφεύγαμεν τὸ δοῦλον.
I have escaped the status of a slave.
§556bπατέρα νυν δέχου, τέκνον.
Receive now your father, child.
§557τῷ θεῷ γοῦν οὐκ ἀπιστεῖν εἰκός.
At least it is reasonable not to distrust the god.
§557bεὖ φρονεῖς ἄρα.
Then you are of sound mind.
And what else do we want— Now you see what you ought to see.
§559ἢ Διὸς παιδὸς γενέσθαι παῖς;
—than to become the child of Zeus's child?
§559bὃ σοί γε γίγνεται.
Which is exactly what is happening to you.
§560ἦ θίγω δῆθʼ οἵ μʼ ἔφυσαν;
May I indeed touch the one who begot me?
§560bπιθόμενός γε τῷ θεῷ.
Yes, by obeying the god.
Rejoice for me, father— I welcome this dear voice.
§562ἡμέρα θʼ ἡ νῦν παροῦσα.
And the day that is now present.
§562bμακάριόν γʼ ἔθηκέ με.
It has indeed made me blessed.
§563ὦ φίλη μῆτερ, πότʼ ἆρα καὶ σὸν ὄψομαι δέμας;
O dear mother, when indeed shall I see your form too?
§564νῦν ποθῶ σε μᾶλλον ἢ πρίν, ἥτις εἶ ποτʼ, εἰσιδεῖν.
Now more than before, whoever you are, I long to look upon you.
§565ἀλλʼ ἴσως τέθνηκας, ἡμεῖς δʼ οὐδὲν ἂν δυναίμεθα.
But perhaps you are dead, and we can do nothing.
§566κοιναὶ μὲν ἡμῖν δωμάτων εὐπραξίαι· §567ὅμως δὲ καὶ δέσποιναν ἐς τέκνʼ εὐτυχεῖν §568ἐβουλόμην ἂν τούς τʼ Ἐρεχθέως δόμους.
Common to us is the prosperity of this house; nonetheless, I could have wished that our mistress too were fortunate regarding children, and the house of Erechtheus.
§569ὦ τέκνον, ἐς μὲν σὴν ἀνεύρεσιν θεὸς §570ὀρθῶς ἔκρανε, καὶ συνῆψʼ ἐμοί τε σέ, §571σύ τʼ αὖ τὰ φίλταθʼ ηὗρες οὐκ εἰδὼς πάρος.
O child, regarding your discovery, the god has brought it to fulfillment rightly, and joined you and me, and you in turn have found your dearest, though not knowing it before.
§572ὃ δʼ ᾖξας ὀρθῶς, τοῦτο κἄμʼ ἔχει πόθος, §573ὅπως σύ τʼ, ὦ παῖ, μητέρʼ εὑρήσεις σέθεν, §574ἐγώ θʼ ὁποίας μοι γυναικὸς ἐξέφυς.
And the wish you rightly rushed toward, a longing for this holds me too: how you, my child, will find your mother, and I from what kind of woman you were born to me.
§575χρόνῳ δὲ δόντες ταῦτʼ ἴσως εὕροιμεν ἄν.
By giving it time, perhaps we might find this out.
§576ἀλλʼ ἐκλιπὼν θεοῦ δάπεδʼ ἀλητείαν τε σὴν §577ἐς τὰς Ἀθήνας στεῖχε κοινόφρων πατρί, §578οὗ σʼ ὄλβιον μὲν σκῆπτρον ἀναμένει πατρός, §579πολὺς δὲ πλοῦτος· οὐδὲ θάτερον νοσῶν §580δυοῖν κεκλήσῃ δυσγενὴς πένης θʼ ἅμα, §581ἀλλʼ εὐγενής τε καὶ πολυκτήμων βίου.
But leave the floor of the god and your wandering life, and go to Athens, of one mind with your father, where a prosperous scepter of your father awaits you, and much wealth; nor, suffering from either of the two afflictions, will you be called low-born and poor at the same time, but both noble and rich in life.
§582σιγᾷς;
Are you silent?
τί πρὸς γῆν ὄμμα σὸν βαλὼν ἔχεις;
Why do you keep your eye cast to the ground?
You have gone into deep thoughts, and changing back from joy, you strike your father with fear.
The appearance of things does not seem the same when they are far off and when they are seen from close by.
And I embrace this fortune, having found you as my father; but hear, father, what I think.
§589ἄκουσον. εἶναί φασι τὰς αὐτόχθονας §590κλεινὰς Ἀθήνας οὐκ ἐπείσακτον γένος, §591ἵνʼ ἐσπεσοῦμαι δύο νόσω κεκτημένος, §592πατρός τʼ ἐπακτοῦ καὐτὸς ὢν νοθαγενής.
They say that glorious Athens is autochthonous, not an imported race, where I shall throw myself in, possessing two 'diseases': having an imported father and being myself of illegitimate birth.
§593καὶ τοῦτʼ ἔχων τοὔνειδος, ἀσθενὴς μὲν ὤν — §595ἢν δʼ ἐς τὸ πρῶτον πόλεος ὁρμηθεὶς ζυγὸν §596ζητῶ τις εἶναι, τῶν μὲν ἀδυνάτων ὕπο §597μισησόμεσθα· λυπρὰ γὰρ τὰ κρείσσονα·
And having this reproach, being weak— But if, rushing to the first rank of the city, I seek to be someone, I shall be hated by those who are powerless; for superior things are painful.
§598ὅσοι δέ, χρηστοὶ δυνάμενοί τʼ εἶναι σοφοί, §599σιγῶσι κοὐ σπεύδουσιν ἐς τὰ πράγματα, §600γέλωτʼ ἐν αὐτοῖς μωρίαν τε λήψομαι §601οὐχ ἡσυχάζων ἐν πόλει φόβου πλέᾳ.
And among those who are good and able to be wise, but remain silent and do not hasten into public affairs, I shall incur laughter and a reputation for folly for not keeping quiet in a city full of fear.
And again, by those who are prominent and active in the city, if I rise to greater dignity, I shall be watched by their votes.
οὕτω γὰρ τάδʼ, ὦ πάτερ, φιλεῖ· §605οἳ τὰς πόλεις ἔχουσι κἀξιώματα,
For so these things are accustomed to be, father; those who hold cities and high offices,