§482πᾶς ἀναχορεύει βαρβάρων τάδʼ ὄργια.
Every barbarian dances in celebration of these rites.
§483φρονοῦσι γὰρ κάκιον Ἑλλήνων πολύ.
For they think much worse than Greeks.
§484τάδʼ εὖ γε μᾶλλον· οἱ νόμοι δὲ διάφοροι.
Rather they think much better in this; but their laws are different.
§485τὰ δʼ ἱερὰ νύκτωρ ἢ μεθʼ ἡμέραν τελεῖς;
Do you perform the rites by night or by day?
§486νύκτωρ τὰ πολλά· σεμνότητʼ ἔχει σκότος.
For the most part by night; darkness holds solemnity.
§487τοῦτʼ ἐς γυναῖκας δόλιόν ἐστι καὶ σαθρόν.
This is treacherous and rotten for women.
§488κἀν ἡμέρᾳ τό γʼ αἰσχρὸν ἐξεύροι τις ἄν.
Even by day, one could find what is shameful.
§489δίκην σε δοῦναι δεῖ σοφισμάτων κακῶν.
You must pay the penalty for your evil sophistries.
§490σὲ δʼ ἀμαθίας γε κἀσεβοῦντʼ ἐς τὸν θεόν.
And you for your ignorance and impiety towards the god.
§491ὡς θρασὺς ὁ βάκχος κοὐκ ἀγύμναστος λόγων.
How bold is the bacchant, and not unpracticed in speaking.
§492εἴφʼ ὅ τι παθεῖν δεῖ· τί με τὸ δεινὸν ἐργάσῃ;
Tell me what I must suffer; what terrible thing will you do to me?
§493πρῶτον μὲν ἁβρὸν βόστρυχον τεμῶ σέθεν.
First of all, I will cut off your delicate ringlets.
§494ἱερὸς ὁ πλόκαμος· τῷ θεῷ δʼ αὐτὸν τρέφω.
The lock of hair is sacred; I nourish it for the god.
§495ἔπειτα θύρσον τόνδε παράδος ἐκ χεροῖν.
Next, hand over this thyrsus from your hands.
§496αὐτός μʼ ἀφαιροῦ· τόνδε Διονύσου φορῶ.
Take it from me yourself; I carry this as belonging to Dionysus.
§497εἱρκταῖσί τʼ ἔνδον σῶμα σὸν φυλάξομεν.
And we will guard your body inside the prison.
§498λύσει μʼ ὁ δαίμων αὐτός, ὅταν ἐγὼ θέλω.
The god himself will release me, whenever I wish.
§499ὅταν γε καλέσῃς αὐτὸν ἐν βάκχαις σταθείς.
Yes, when you stand among the Bacchae and call upon him.
§500καὶ νῦν ἃ πάσχω πλησίον παρὼν ὁρᾷ.
Even now, being near, he sees what I suffer.
§501καὶ ποῦ ʼστιν;
And where is he?
οὐ γὰρ φανερὸς ὄμμασίν γʼ ἐμοῖς.
For he is not visible to my eyes.
§502παρʼ ἐμοί· σὺ δʼ ἀσεβὴς αὐτὸς ὢν οὐκ εἰσορᾷς.
Beside me; but you, being impious yourself, do not see him.
§503λάζυσθε·
Seize him!
καταφρονεῖ με καὶ Θήβας ὅδε.
This man despises me and Thebes.
§504αὐδῶ με μὴ δεῖν σωφρονῶν οὐ σώφροσιν.
I, being sane, tell those who are not sane not to bind me.
§505ἐγὼ δὲ δεῖν γε, κυριώτερος σέθεν.
And I order you to be bound, being more powerful than you.
§506οὐκ οἶσθʼ ὅ τι ζῇς, οὐδʼ ὃ δρᾷς, οὐδʼ ὅστις εἶ.
You do not know what life you live, nor what you are doing, nor who you are.
§507Πενθεύς, Ἀγαύης παῖς, πατρὸς δʼ Ἐχίονος.
Pentheus, son of Agave, and of my father Echion.
§508ἐνδυστυχῆσαι τοὔνομʼ ἐπιτήδειος εἶ.
You are well-suited to be unfortunate in your name.
§509χώρει·
Go!
καθείρξατʼ αὐτὸν ἱππικαῖς πέλας §510φάτναισιν, ὡς ἂν σκότιον εἰσορᾷ κνέφας.
Shut him up near the horses' mangers, so that he may look upon the dark gloom.
§511ἐκεῖ χόρευε·
Dance there!
τάσδε δʼ ἃς ἄγων πάρει §512κακῶν συνεργοὺς ἢ διεμπολήσομεν §513ἢ χεῖρα δούπου τοῦδε καὶ βύρσης κτύπου §514παύσας, ἐφʼ ἱστοῖς δμωίδας κεκτήσομαι.
And as for these women whom you bring with you, accomplices in evil, either we will sell them, or, stopping their hands from this noise and clashing of hide, I will keep them as slave-girls at the looms.
I will go; for what is not fated, is not fated to suffer.
ἀτάρ τοι τῶνδʼ ἄποινʼ ὑβρισμάτων §517μέτεισι Διόνυσός σʼ, ὃν οὐκ εἶναι λέγεις·
Yet indeed, for these insults, Dionysus, whom you say does not exist, will pursue you for satisfaction.
§518ἡμᾶς γὰρ ἀδικῶν κεῖνον εἰς δεσμοὺς ἄγεις.
For by injuring us, you are leading him into bonds.
§519aἈχελῴου θύγατερ, §520πότνιʼ εὐπάρθενε Δίρκα, §521σὺ γὰρ ἐν σαῖς ποτε παγαῖς §522τὸ Διὸς βρέφος ἔλαβες, §523ὅτε μηρῷ πυρὸς ἐξ ἀ- §524θανάτου Ζεὺς ὁ τεκὼν ἥρ- §525πασέ νιν, τάδʼ ἀναβοάσας· §526Ἴθι, Διθύραμβʼ, ἐμὰν ἄρ- §527σενα τάνδε βᾶθι νηδύν·
O daughter of Achelous, revered, beautiful virgin Dirce, for you once in your springs received the child of Zeus, when Zeus, the father, snatched him from the immortal fire into his thigh, crying aloud this as he hid him: "Go, Dithyrambus, enter this male womb of mine.
§528ἀναφαίνω σε τόδʼ, ὦ Βάκ- §529χιε, Θήβαις ὀνομάζειν. §530σὺ δέ μʼ, ὦ μάκαιρα Δίρκα, §531στεφανηφόρους ἀπωθῇ §532θιάσους ἔχουσαν ἐν σοί.
I reveal you, O Bacchus, for Thebes to call by this name." But you, O blessed Dirce, thrust me away, when I hold garland-wearing bands of worshippers in your land.
§533τί μʼ ἀναίνῃ;
Why do you reject me?
τί με φεύγεις;
Why do you flee from me?
Yet, yes, by the grape-bearing grace of the vine of Dionysus, yet you will have care for Bromius.
What wrath, what wrath does the earth-born race born from the dragon of old, Pentheus, reveal!
§540ποτε Πενθεύς, ὃν Ἐχίων §541ἐφύτευσε χθόνιος, §542ἀγριωπὸν τέρας, οὐ φῶ- §543τα βρότειον, φόνιον δʼ ὥσ- §544τε γίγαντʼ ἀντίπαλον θεοῖς· §545ὃς ἔμʼ ἐν βρόχοισι τὰν τοῦ §546Βρομίου τάχα ξυνάψει, §547τὸν ἐμὸν δʼ ἐντὸς ἔχει δώ- §548ματος ἤδη θιασώταν §549σκοτίαις κρυπτὸν ἐν εἱρκταῖς.
Whom Echion, the earth-born, begot, a wild-faced monster, not a mortal man, but like a murderous giant fighting against the gods; Who will soon bind me, the follower of Bromius, in nooses, and already holds inside his house my companion of the revels, hidden in a dark prison.
Do you see this, O son of Zeus, Dionysus, your prophets in the struggles of constraint?
Come, shaking your golden-faced thyrsus, Lord, down from Olympus, and restrain the insolence of the murderous man.
§556πόθι Νύσας ἄρα τᾶς θη- §557ροτρόφου θυρσοφορεῖς §558θιάσους, ὦ Διόνυσʼ, ἢ §559κορυφαῖς Κωρυκίαις;
Where then on beast-rearing Nysa do you lead the thyrsus-bearing bands, O Dionysus, or on the Corycian peaks?
§560τάχα δʼ ἐν ταῖς πολυδένδρεσ- §561σιν Ὀλύμπου θαλάμαις, ἔν- §562θα ποτʼ Ὀρφεὺς κιθαρίζων §563σύναγεν δένδρεα μούσαις, §564σύναγεν θῆρας ἀγρώτας.
Or perhaps in the thickly-wooded recesses of Olympus, where once Orpheus playing his lyre gathered trees by his songs, gathered wild beasts.
§565μάκαρ ὦ Πιερία, §566σέβεταί σʼ Εὔιος, ἥξει §567τε χορεύσων ἅμα βακχεύ- §568μασι, τόν τʼ ὠκυρόαν §569διαβὰς Ἀξιὸν εἱλισ- §570σομένας Μαινάδας ἄξει, §571Λυδίαν πατέρα τε, τὸν §572τᾶς εὐδαιμονίας βροτοῖς §573ὀλβοδόταν, τὸν ἔκλυον §574εὔιππον χώραν ὕδασιν §575καλλίστοισι λιπαίνειν.
O blessed Pieria, the Joyous One reveres you, and he will come to dance with his Bacchic bands, and crossing the swift-flowing Axius, he will lead the whirling Maenads, and the Lydias, the father river, giver of wealth and happiness to mortals, which they say fertilizes the land of fine horses with its most beautiful waters.
§576ἰώ,
Io!
Hear, hear my voice, Io Bacchae, Io Bacchae!
§578τίς ὅδε, τίς ὅδε πόθεν ὁ κέλαδος
Who is this, who is this?
§579ἀνά μʼ ἐκάλεσεν Εὐίου;
From where did this shout of the Joyous One call me?
Io, Io, again I say, the son of Semele, the child of Zeus.
§582ἰὼ ἰὼ δέσποτα δέσποτα,
Io, Io, master, master!