§213Ἐχίονος παῖς, ᾧ κράτος δίδωμι γῆς.
The son of Echion, to whom I give the power of this land.
§214ὡς ἐπτόηται·
How excited he is!
τί ποτʼ ἐρεῖ νεώτερον;
What strange news will he tell us?
§215ἔκδημος ὢν μὲν τῆσδʼ ἐτύγχανον χθονός, §216κλύω δὲ νεοχμὰ τήνδʼ ἀνὰ πτόλιν κακά, §217γυναῖκας ἡμῖν δώματʼ ἐκλελοιπέναι §218πλασταῖσι βακχείαισιν, ἐν δὲ δασκίοις §219ὄρεσι θοάζειν, τὸν νεωστὶ δαίμονα §220Διόνυσον, ὅστις ἔστι, τιμώσας χοροῖς·
Pentheus: I happened to be away from this land, but I hear of new evils throughout this city, that our women have left their homes in feigned Bacchic revelries, and in the shaded mountains they rush, honoring with dances the newly arrived divinity Dionysus, whoever he is.
§221πλήρεις δὲ θιάσοις ἐν μέσοισιν ἑστάναι §222κρατῆρας, ἄλλην δʼ ἄλλοσʼ εἰς ἐρημίαν §223πτώσσουσαν εὐναῖς ἀρσένων ὑπηρετεῖν, §224πρόφασιν μὲν ὡς δὴ μαινάδας θυοσκόους, §225τὴν δʼ Ἀφροδίτην πρόσθʼ ἄγειν τοῦ Βακχίου.
And that in the midst of their bands stand full mixing bowls, and that they creep away, one here, one there, into secret places, to serve the beds of men, on the pretext that they are indeed sacrifice-observing maenads, but putting Aphrodite before Bacchus.
§226ὅσας μὲν οὖν εἴληφα, δεσμίους χέρας §227σῴζουσι πανδήμοισι πρόσπολοι στέγαις· §228ὅσαι δʼ ἄπεισιν, ἐξ ὄρους θηράσομαι, §231καὶ σφᾶς σιδηραῖς ἁρμόσας ἐν ἄρκυσιν §232παύσω κακούργου τῆσδε βακχείας τάχα.
Those, then, whom I have caught, with hands bound, the servants guard in the public prison; and those who are away, I will hunt from the mountain, and having bound them in iron nets, I will soon stop this mischievous Bacchic revelry.
§233λέγουσι δʼ ὥς τις εἰσελήλυθε ξένος, §234γόης ἐπῳδὸς Λυδίας ἀπὸ χθονός, §235ξανθοῖσι βοστρύχοισιν εὐοσμῶν κόμην, §236οἰνῶπας ὄσσοις χάριτας Ἀφροδίτης ἔχων, §237ὃς ἡμέρας τε κεὐφρόνας συγγίγνεται §238τελετὰς προτείνων εὐίους νεάνισιν.
And they say that some stranger has arrived, a wizard, a sorcerer from the Lydian land, with fragrant hair of golden curls, having the wine-dark graces of Aphrodite in his eyes, who associates both day and night with young women, holding out Bacchic rites to young girls.
§239εἰ δʼ αὐτὸν εἴσω τῆσδε λήψομαι στέγης, §240παύσω κτυποῦντα θύρσον ἀνασείοντά τε §241κόμας, τράχηλον σώματος χωρὶς τεμών.
But if I catch him inside this house, I will stop him from beating his thyrsus and tossing his hair, by cutting his head off from his body.
§242ἐκεῖνος εἶναί φησι Διόνυσον θεόν, §243ἐκεῖνος ἐν μηρῷ ποτʼ ἐρράφθαι Διός, §244ὃς ἐκπυροῦται λαμπάσιν κεραυνίαις §245σὺν μητρί, Δίους ὅτι γάμους ἐψεύσατο.
That man claims that Dionysus is a god, claims that he was once sewn into the thigh of Zeus, who was burnt to ashes by the lightning torches along with his mother, because she lied about a marriage with Zeus.
Are these things not worthy of a terrible hanging, to commit such insolent outrages, whoever this stranger may be?
§248ἀτὰρ τόδʼ ἄλλο θαῦμα, τὸν τερασκόπον §249ἐν ποικίλαισι νεβρίσι Τειρεσίαν ὁρῶ §250πατέρα τε μητρὸς τῆς ἐμῆσ—πολὺν γέλων— §251νάρθηκι βακχεύοντʼ·
But here is another wonder, I see Teiresias, the seer, in dappled fawnskins, and my mother’s father—a great laughing-stock— reveling with a wand!
ἀναίνομαι, πάτερ, §252τὸ γῆρας ὑμῶν εἰσορῶν νοῦν οὐκ ἔχον.
I disown it, father, seeing your old age devoid of sense.
§253οὐκ ἀποτινάξεις κισσόν;
Will you not shake off the ivy?
οὐκ ἐλευθέραν §254θύρσου μεθήσεις χεῖρʼ, ἐμῆς μητρὸς πάτερ;
Will you not free your hand and let go of the thyrsus, father of my mother?
§255σὺ ταῦτʼ ἔπεισας, Τειρεσία· τόνδʼ αὖ θέλεις §256τὸν δαίμονʼ ἀνθρώποισιν ἐσφέρων νέον §257σκοπεῖν πτερωτοὺς κἀμπύρων μισθοὺς φέρειν.
You persuaded him to this, Teiresias; you want to introduce this new divinity to men, so that you may observe the birds and receive rewards for burnt offerings.
§258εἰ μή σε γῆρας πολιὸν ἐξερρύετο, §259καθῆσʼ ἂν ἐν βάκχαισι δέσμιος μέσαις, §260τελετὰς πονηρὰς εἰσάγων· γυναιξὶ γὰρ §261ὅπου βότρυος ἐν δαιτὶ γίγνεται γάνος, §262οὐχ ὑγιὲς οὐδὲν ἔτι λέγω τῶν ὀργίων.
If your gray old age did not protect you, you would be sitting bound in the midst of the Bacchae, for introducing wicked rites; for where the brightness of the grape is present in a feast, I say there is nothing healthy any longer in their rites.
§263τῆς δυσσεβείας.
Chorus: What impiety!
ὦ ξένʼ, οὐκ αἰδῇ θεοὺς §264Κάδμον τε τὸν σπείραντα γηγενῆ στάχυν,
O stranger, do you not revere the gods and Cadmus, who sowed the earth-born crop?
§265Ἐχίονος δʼ ὢν παῖς καταισχύνεις γένος;
Being the son of Echion, do you disgrace your race?
§266ὅταν λάβῃ τις τῶν λόγων ἀνὴρ σοφὸς §267καλὰς ἀφορμάς, οὐ μέγʼ ἔργον εὖ λέγειν· §268σὺ δʼ εὔτροχον μὲν γλῶσσαν ὡς φρονῶν ἔχεις, §269ἐν τοῖς λόγοισι δʼ οὐκ ἔνεισί σοι φρένες.
Teiresias: When a wise man finds a noble starting point for his speech, it is no great task to speak well; but you have a smooth tongue as if you were wise, yet in your words there is no sense.
A man powerful in boldness and able to speak becomes a bad citizen if he lacks intelligence.
§272οὗτος δʼ ὁ δαίμων ὁ νέος, ὃν σὺ διαγελᾷς, §273οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην μέγεθος ἐξειπεῖν ὅσος §274καθʼ Ἑλλάδʼ ἔσται.
And this new divinity whom you mock— I could not express how great he will be throughout Greece.
δύο γάρ, ὦ νεανία, §275τὰ πρῶτʼ ἐν ἀνθρώποισι· Δημήτηρ θεά— §276γῆ δʼ ἐστίν, ὄνομα δʼ ὁπότερον βούλῃ κάλει· §277αὕτη μὲν ἐν ξηροῖσιν ἐκτρέφει βροτούς·
For, young man, there are two chief things among men: the goddess Demeter— she is the Earth, call her by whichever name you wish; she nourishes mortals with dry food.
§278ὃς δʼ ἦλθʼ ἔπειτʼ, ἀντίπαλον ὁ Σεμέλης γόνος §279βότρυος ὑγρὸν πῶμʼ ηὗρε κεἰσηνέγκατο §280θνητοῖς, ὃ παύει τοὺς ταλαιπώρους βροτοὺς §281λύπης, ὅταν πλησθῶσιν ἀμπέλου ῥοῆς, §282ὕπνον τε λήθην τῶν καθʼ ἡμέραν κακῶν §283δίδωσιν, οὐδʼ ἔστʼ ἄλλο φάρμακον πόνων.
But he who came next, the son of Semele, found a match for it, the liquid drink of the grape-cluster, and introduced it to mortals, which stops wretched mortals from grief, when they are filled with the flow of the vine, and gives sleep and forgetfulness of daily evils, and there is no other remedy for troubles.
He, being a god, is poured out in libation to the gods, so that through him men have their blessings.
And do you laugh at him, because he was sewn into the thigh of Zeus?
διδάξω σʼ ὡς καλῶς ἔχει τόδε.
I will teach you how this makes good sense.
§288ἐπεί νιν ἥρπασʼ ἐκ πυρὸς κεραυνίου §289Ζεύς, ἐς δʼ Ὄλυμπον βρέφος ἀνήγαγεν θεόν, §290Ἥρα νιν ἤθελʼ ἐκβαλεῖν ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ· §291Ζεὺς δʼ ἀντεμηχανήσαθʼ οἷα δὴ θεός.
When Zeus snatched him from the lightning-fire and brought the infant god up to Olympus, Hera wished to cast him out of heaven; but Zeus devised a counter-scheme, as a god would.
§292ῥήξας μέρος τι τοῦ χθόνʼ ἐγκυκλουμένου §293αἰθέρος, ἔθηκε τόνδʼ ὅμηρον ἐκδιδούς, §294Διόνυσον Ἥρας νεικέων·
Having broken off a part of the ether which surrounds the earth, he made of it a hostage, giving it up, protecting Dionysus from Hera’s quarrels.
χρόνῳ δέ νιν §295βροτοὶ ῥαφῆναί φασιν ἐν μηρῷ Διός, §296ὄνομα μεταστήσαντες, ὅτι θεᾷ θεὸς §297Ἥρᾳ ποθʼ ὡμήρευσε, συνθέντες λόγον.
But in time, mortals came to say that he was sewn in the thigh of Zeus, altering the word, because a god once served as a hostage to goddess Hera, putting this story together.
§298μάντις δʼ ὁ δαίμων ὅδε· τὸ γὰρ βακχεύσιμον
And this divinity is a prophet; for Bacchic frenzy...