§1117τλήμων Ἀγαύη, καὶ λέγει, παρηίδος §1118ψαύων· Ἐγώ τοι, μῆτερ, εἰμί, παῖς σέθεν §1119Πενθεύς, ὃν ἔτεκες ἐν δόμοις Ἐχίονος· §1120οἴκτιρε δʼ ὦ μῆτέρ με, μηδὲ ταῖς ἐμαῖς §1121ἁμαρτίαισι παῖδα σὸν κατακτάνῃς. §1122ἣ δʼ ἀφρὸν ἐξιεῖσα καὶ διαστρόφους §1123κόρας ἑλίσσουσʼ, οὐ φρονοῦσʼ ἃ χρὴ φρονεῖν, §1124ἐκ Βακχίου κατείχετʼ, οὐδʼ ἔπειθέ νιν.
The wretched man, touching the cheek of Agave, says: "I indeed, mother, am your son Pentheus, whom you bore in the house of Echion; pity me, O mother, and do not because of my errors kill your own son." But she, foaming at the mouth and twisting her rolling eyes, not thinking what she ought to think, was possessed by Bacchius, and he could not persuade her.
§1125λαβοῦσα δʼ ὠλένης ἀριστερὰν χέρα, §1126πλευραῖσιν ἀντιβᾶσα τοῦ δυσδαίμονος §1127ἀπεσπάραξεν ὦμον, οὐχ ὑπὸ σθένους, §1128ἀλλʼ ὁ θεὸς εὐμάρειαν ἐπεδίδου χεροῖν·
And grasping the left hand of his arm, and pressing her foot against the flank of the unfortunate man, she tore off his shoulder, not by strength, but the god gave facility to her hands.
§1129Ἰνὼ δὲ τἀπὶ θάτερʼ ἐξειργάζετο, §1130ῥηγνῦσα σάρκας, Αὐτονόη τʼ ὄχλος τε πᾶς §1131ἐπεῖχε βακχῶν· ἦν δὲ πᾶσʼ ὁμοῦ βοή, §1132ὃ μὲν στενάζων ὅσον ἐτύγχανʼ ἐμπνέων,
And Ino was finishing the deed on the other side, tearing his flesh, and Autonoe and the whole crowd of Bacchants pressed on; and there was a combined cry: he groaning as much as he happened to have breath, while they raised a triumph-shout.
§1133αἳ δʼ ἠλάλαζον. ἔφερε δʼ ἣ μὲν ὠλένην, §1134ἣ δʼ ἴχνος αὐταῖς ἀρβύλαις· γυμνοῦντο δὲ §1135πλευραὶ σπαραγμοῖς· πᾶσα δʼ ᾑματωμένη §1136χεῖρας διεσφαίριζε σάρκα Πενθέως.
And one carried an arm, another a foot with its boots; and laid bare were his flanks by tearing; and everyone, bloodied in hands, was playing ball with the flesh of Pentheus.
§1137κεῖται δὲ χωρὶς σῶμα, τὸ μὲν ὑπὸ στύφλοις §1138πέτραις, τὸ δʼ ὕλης ἐν βαθυξύλῳ φόβῃ, §1139οὐ ῥᾴδιον ζήτημα· κρᾶτα δʼ ἄθλιον, §1140ὅπερ λαβοῦσα τυγχάνει μήτηρ χεροῖν, §1141πήξασʼ ἐπʼ ἄκρον θύρσον ὡς ὀρεστέρου §1142φέρει λέοντος διὰ Κιθαιρῶνος μέσου, §1143λιποῦσʼ ἀδελφὰς ἐν χοροῖσι μαινάδων.
And his body lies scattered, some under the rugged rocks, and some in the deep-wooded foliage of the forest, not an easy search; and his miserable head, which his mother happened to take in her hands, fixing it upon the top of a thyrsus, as if of a mountain lion, she carries through the midst of Cithaeron, leaving her sisters in the dances of the maenads.
§1144χωρεῖ δὲ θήρᾳ δυσπότμῳ γαυρουμένη §1145τειχέων ἔσω τῶνδʼ, ἀνακαλοῦσα Βάκχιον §1146τὸν ξυγκύναγον, τὸν ξυνεργάτην ἄγρας, §1147τὸν καλλίνικον, ᾧ δάκρυα νικηφορεῖ.
And she goes, exulting in her ill-fated prey, inside these walls, calling upon Bacchius, her fellow-hunter, her fellow-worker in the chase, the victorious one, who brings her a victory of tears.
I, therefore, indeed, will go out of the way of this calamity, before Agave comes to the house.
§1150τὸ σωφρονεῖν δὲ καὶ σέβειν τὰ τῶν θεῶν §1151κάλλιστον· οἶμαι δʼ αὐτὸ καὶ σοφώτατον §1152θνητοῖσιν εἶναι κτῆμα τοῖσι χρωμένοις.
To be sober-minded and to revere the things of the gods is best; and I think this is the wisest possession for mortals who practice it.
§1153ἀναχορεύσωμεν Βάκχιον, §1154ἀναβοάσωμεν ξυμφορὰν §1155τὰν τοῦ δράκοντος Πενθέος ἐκγενέτα· §1156ὃς τὰν θηλυγενῆ στολὰν §1157νάρθηκά τε, πιστὸν Ἅιδαν, §1158ἔλαβεν εὔθυρσον, §1159ταῦρον προηγητῆρα συμφορᾶς ἔχων.
Let us dance in honor of Bacchius, let us cry out the calamity of Pentheus, the offspring of the serpent; who took the female garb and the fennel-stalk, a trusted death, as a beautiful thyrsus, having a bull as leader of his calamity.
O Cadmean Bacchants, you have accomplished the famous victory unto wailing, unto tears.
A beautiful contest, to clasp with a hand dripping with blood the body of one's own child!
§1165ἀλλʼ, εἰσορῶ γὰρ ἐς δόμους ὁρμωμένην §1166Πενθέως Ἀγαύην μητέρʼ ἐν διαστρόφοις §1167ὄσσοις, δέχεσθε κῶμον εὐίου θεοῦ.
But—for I see Agave, the mother of Pentheus, hastening to the house with rolling eyes—receive the revel of the joyful god.
§1168Ἀσιάδες βάκχαι — §1168bτί μʼ ὀροθύνεις, ὤ; §1169φέρομεν ἐξ ὀρέων §1170ἕλικα νεότομον ἐπὶ μέλαθρα, §1171μακάριον θήραν. §1172ὁρῶ καί σε δέξομαι σύγκωμον. §1173ἔμαρψα τόνδʼ ἄνευ βρόχων §1174λέοντος ἀγροτέρου νέον ἶνιν· §1175ὡς ὁρᾶν πάρα. §1176πόθεν ἐρημίας; §1177Κιθαιρὼν §1177bΚιθαιρών; §1178κατεφόνευσέ νιν. §1179τίς ἁ βαλοῦσα; §1179bπρῶτον ἐμὸν τὸ γέρας. §1180μάκαιρʼ Ἀγαύη κλῃζόμεθʼ ἐν θιάσοις. §1181τίς ἄλλα; §1181bτὰ Κάδμου §1182τί Κάδμου; §1182bγένεθλα §1182aμετʼ ἐμὲ μετʼ ἐμὲ τοῦδʼ §1183ἔθιγε θηρός· εὐτυχής γʼ ἅδʼ ἄγρα. §1184μέτεχέ νυν θοίνας. §1184bτί; μετέχω, τλᾶμον;
"O Asian Bacchants—" "Why do you arouse me, oh?" "We bring from the mountains a freshly cut shoot to the house, a blessed prey." "I see it and I will receive you as a fellow-reveler." "I caught this without nets, the young offspring of a wild lion, as it is possible to see." "From what wilderness?" "Cithaeron—" "Cithaeron?" "—slayed him." "Who was the one who struck first?" "First was my honor; 'blessed Agave' we are called in the bands." "Who else?" "The offspring of Cadmus—" "What of Cadmus?" "The offspring" "after me, after me touched" "this beast; a fortunate prey!" "Share then in the feast." "What?
§1185νέος ὁ μόσχος ἄρ- §1186τι γένυν ὑπὸ κόρυθʼ ἁπαλότριχα §1187κατάκομον θάλλει. §1188πρέπει γʼ ὥστε θὴρ ἄγραυλος φόβῃ. §1189ὁ Βάκχιος κυναγέτας §1190σοφὸς σοφῶς ἀνέπηλʼ ἐπὶ θῆρα §1191τόνδε μαινάδας. §1192ὁ γὰρ ἄναξ ἀγρεύς. §1193ἐπαινεῖς; §1193bἐπαινῶ. §1194τάχα δὲ Καδμεῖοι §1195καὶ παῖς γε Πενθεὺς §1195bματέρʼ ἐπαινέσεται, §1196λαβοῦσαν ἄγραν τάνδε λεοντοφυῆ. §1197περισσάν. §1197bπερισσῶς. §1198ἀγάλλῃ; §1198bγέγηθα, §1198aμεγάλα μεγάλα καὶ §1199φανερὰ τᾷδʼ ἄγρᾳ κατειργασμένα. §1200δεῖξόν νυν, ὦ τάλαινα, σὴν νικηφόρον §1201ἀστοῖσιν ἄγραν ἣν φέρουσʼ ἐλήλυθας. §1202ὦ καλλίπυργον ἄστυ Θηβαίας χθονὸς §1203ναίοντες, ἔλθεθʼ ὡς ἴδητε τήνδʼ ἄγραν, §1204Κάδμου θυγατέρες θηρὸς ἣν ἠγρεύσαμεν, §1205οὐκ ἀγκυλητοῖς Θεσσαλῶν στοχάσμασιν, §1206οὐ δικτύοισιν, ἀλλὰ λευκοπήχεσι §1207χειρῶν ἀκμαῖσιν.
Shall I share, wretched one?" "The calf is young, just growing its downy hair under its helmet-like mane, it is blooming with a thick coat." "Yes, it looks indeed like a wild beast by its hair." "Bacchius, the hunter, wisely, wisely unleashed the maenads upon this beast." "For the lord is a hunter." "Do you praise me?" "I praise you." "And soon the Cadmeans, and indeed my son Pentheus, will praise his mother, who caught this lion-like prey." "Extraordinary!" "Extraordinarily." "Do you exult?" "I rejoice; great, great and manifest deeds have been accomplished by this prey." "Show then, O wretched one, your victorious prey which you have brought to the citizens." "O you who dwell in the well-towered city of the Theban land, come that you may see this prey, which we, Cadmus' daughters, hunted down, not with strap-thrown missiles of the Thessalians, nor with nets, but with the white-armed tips of our hands.
κᾆτα κομπάζειν χρεὼν §1208καὶ λογχοποιῶν ὄργανα κτᾶσθαι μάτην;
Then is it necessary to boast and to acquire the instruments of spear-makers in vain?
But we with this very hand caught this one, and tore apart the limbs of the beast.
§1211ποῦ μοι πατὴρ ὁ πρέσβυς;
Where is my aged father?
ἐλθέτω πέλας.
Let him come near.
§1212Πενθεύς τʼ ἐμὸς παῖς ποῦ ʼστιν;
And Pentheus my son, where is he?
αἰρέσθω λαβὼν §1213πηκτῶν πρὸς οἴκους κλιμάκων προσαμβάσεις, §1214ὡς πασσαλεύσῃ κρᾶτα τριγλύφοις τόδε §1215λέοντος ὃν πάρειμι θηράσασʼ ἐγώ. §1216ἕπεσθέ μοι φέροντες ἄθλιον βάρος §1217Πενθέως, ἕπεσθε, πρόσπολοι, δόμων πάρος, §1218οὗ σῶμα μοχθῶν μυρίοις ζητήμασιν §1219φέρω τόδʼ, εὑρὼν ἐν Κιθαιρῶνος πτυχαῖς §1220διασπαρακτόν, κοὐδὲν ἐν ταὐτῷ πέδῳ
Let him take and raise the ladder-steps against the house, so that he may nail to the triglyphs this head of the lion which I have come having hunted." Follow me, carrying the wretched burden of Pentheus, follow, attendants, before the house, whose body, after searching with countless labors, I carry here, having found it in the folds of Cithaeron torn to pieces, and nothing in the same ground."