§585σεῖε πέδον χθονὸς Ἔννοσι πότνια.
Shake the floor of the earth, O revered Earth-shaker.
§586ἆ ἆ,
Ah, ah!
Soon the palace of Pentheus will be shaken apart in ruins.
§589— ὁ Διόνυσος ἀνὰ μέλαθρα·
"Dionysus is in the palace!
Revere him!" "We revere him, oh!" "Did you see these stone lintels on the pillars parting asunder?
Here Bromius raises his victory cry within the roof." Kindle the lightning's blazing torch!
§595σύμφλεγε σύμφλεγε δώματα Πενθέος.
Burn up, burn up the house of Pentheus!
§596ἆ ἆ,
Ah, ah!
§596aπῦρ οὐ λεύσσεις, οὐδʼ αὐγάζῃ, §597Σεμέλας ἱερὸν ἀμφὶ τάφον, ἅν §598ποτε κεραυνόβολος ἔλιπε φλόγα §599Δίου βροντᾶς;
Do you not see, do you not perceive the fire around the sacred tomb of Semele, the flame which once she, struck by lightning, left from the thunder of Zeus?
Cast down to the ground your trembling bodies, cast them down, Maenads!
For the Lord, the child of Zeus, is coming upon this palace, turning it upside down.
Barbarian women, have you fallen to the ground so utterly struck with fear?
ᾔσθησθʼ, ὡς ἔοικε, Βακχίου §606διατινάξαντος δῶμα Πενθέως·
You perceived, as it seems, Bacchus shaking the house of Pentheus.
ἀλλʼ ἐξανίστατε §607σῶμα καὶ θαρσεῖτε σαρκὸς ἐξαμείψασαι τρόμον.
But raise up your bodies and take courage, casting off the trembling of your flesh.
O greatest light for us of the joyous Bacchic revelry, how gladly I looked upon you, having had only lonely isolation!
Did you fall into despair when I was sent inside, as though about to fall into the dark prison-cells of Pentheus?
§612πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
For how could we not?
τίς μοι φύλαξ ἦν, εἰ σὺ συμφορᾶς τύχοις;
Who was my guardian if you should meet with disaster?
§613ἀλλὰ πῶς ἠλευθερώθης ἀνδρὸς ἀνοσίου τυχών;
But how were you set free, having met with an impious man?
§614αὐτὸς ἐξέσῳσʼ ἐμαυτὸν ῥᾳδίως ἄνευ πόνου.
I saved myself easily without trouble.
§615οὐδέ σου συνῆψε χεῖρε δεσμίοισιν ἐν βρόχοις;
And did he not bind your hands in binding nooses?
§616ταῦτα καὶ καθύβρισʼ αὐτόν, ὅτι με δεσμεύειν δοκῶν §617οὔτʼ ἔθιγεν οὔθʼ ἥψαθʼ ἡμῶν, ἐλπίσιν δʼ ἐβόσκετο.
In this indeed I mocked him: that, thinking he was binding me, he neither touched nor laid hand on me, but fed on empty hopes.
§618πρὸς φάτναις δὲ ταῦρον εὑρών, οὗ καθεῖρξʼ ἡμᾶς ἄγων, §619τῷδε περὶ βρόχους ἔβαλλε γόνασι καὶ χηλαῖς ποδῶν, §620θυμὸν ἐκπνέων, ἱδρῶτα σώματος στάζων ἄπο, §621χείλεσιν διδοὺς ὀδόντας·
For finding a bull near the mangers where he took and shut me up, he cast nooses around its knees and hooves, panting out his wrath, dripping sweat from his body, and biting his lips.
πλησίον δʼ ἐγὼ παρὼν §622ἥσυχος θάσσων ἔλευσσον.
And I, being present nearby, sat quietly and watched.
At this very time, Bacchus came and shook the house, and kindled a fire on his mother's tomb.
ὃ δʼ ὡς ἐσεῖδε, δώματʼ αἴθεσθαι δοκῶν, §625ᾖσσʼ ἐκεῖσε κᾆτʼ ἐκεῖσε, δμωσὶν Ἀχελῷον φέρειν §626ἐννέπων, ἅπας δʼ ἐν ἔργῳ δοῦλος ἦν, μάτην πονῶν.
When Pentheus saw this, thinking his house was ablaze, he rushed here and there, ordering his slaves to bring Achelous water; and every slave was busy at the task, toiling in vain.
And letting go of this toil, thinking that I had fled, he rushed inside the palace, having snatched up a dark sword.
Then Bromius, as it seems to me—I speak my opinion—created a phantom in the courtyard.
ὃ δʼ ἐπὶ τοῦθʼ ὡρμημένος §631ᾖσσε κἀκέντει φαεννὸν αἰθέρʼ, ὡς σφάζων ἐμέ.
And Pentheus, rushing at it, dashed forward and stabbed the bright air, as if slaughtering me.
§632πρὸς δὲ τοῖσδʼ αὐτῷ τάδʼ ἄλλα Βάκχιος λυμαίνεται· §633δώματʼ ἔρρηξεν χαμᾶζε· συντεθράνωται δʼ ἅπαν §634πικροτάτους ἰδόντι δεσμοὺς τοὺς ἐμούς·
And besides these things, Bacchus brings other ruin upon him: he shattered the buildings to the ground; and everything is wrecked for him as he looks upon my most bitter imprisonment.
κόπου δʼ ὕπο §635διαμεθεὶς ξίφος παρεῖται·
From exhaustion, letting go of his sword, he is paralyzed.
πρὸς θεὸν γὰρ ὢν ἀνὴρ §636ἐς μάχην ἐλθεῖν ἐτόλμησε.
For, being a mere man, he dared to go to battle against a god.
ἥσυχος δʼ ἐκβὰς ἐγὼ §637δωμάτων ἥκω πρὸς ὑμᾶς, Πενθέως οὐ φροντίσας.
And I, departing quietly from the palace, have come to you, caring nothing for Pentheus.
As it seems to me—at least, his boot is sounding inside the house—he will come to the front of the palace immediately.
τί ποτʼ ἄρʼ ἐκ τούτων ἐρεῖ;
What then will he say after this?
§640ῥᾳδίως γὰρ αὐτὸν οἴσω, κἂν πνέων ἔλθῃ μέγα.
For I shall easily bear him, even if he comes breathing great fury.
§641πρὸς σοφοῦ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς ἀσκεῖν σώφρονʼ εὐοργησίαν.
For it is the part of a wise man to practice a self-controlled gentleness of temper.
§642πέπονθα δεινά·
I have suffered terrible things!
διαπέφευγέ μʼ ὁ ξένος, §643ὃς ἄρτι δεσμοῖς ἦν κατηναγκασμένος.
The stranger has escaped me, he who but now was constrained in bonds.
§644ἔα ἔα·
Ah, ah!
§645ὅδʼ ἐστὶν ἁνήρ·
Here is the man!
τί τάδε;
What is this?
πῶς προνώπιος §646φαίνῃ πρὸς οἴκοις τοῖς ἐμοῖς, ἔξω βεβώς;
How do you appear in front of my palace, having gone outside?
§647στῆσον πόδʼ, ὀργῇ δʼ ὑπόθες ἥσυχον πόδα.
Stop your step, and place a quiet foot under your anger.
§648πόθεν σὺ δεσμὰ διαφυγὼν ἔξω περᾷς;
From where did you escape your bonds and pass outside?
§649οὐκ εἶπον—ἢ οὐκ ἤκουσασ—ὅτι λύσει μέ τις;
Did I not say—or did you not hear—that someone would release me?
§650τίς;
Who?
τοὺς λόγους γὰρ ἐσφέρεις καινοὺς ἀεί.
For you always introduce strange words.
§651ὃς τὴν πολύβοτρυν ἄμπελον φύει βροτοῖς.
He who grows the grape-clustered vine for mortals.
§652ὠνείδισας δὴ τοῦτο Διονύσῳ καλόν.
Indeed, you have cast this as a fine reproach against Dionysus.
§653κλῄειν κελεύω πάντα πύργον ἐν κύκλῳ.
I order to close up every tower in a circle.
§654τί δʼ;
Why?
οὐχ ὑπερβαίνουσι καὶ τείχη θεοί;
Do gods not also leap over walls?
§655σοφὸς σοφὸς σύ, πλὴν ἃ δεῖ σʼ εἶναι σοφόν.
Wise, wise you are, except in what you ought to be wise.
§656ἃ δεῖ μάλιστα, ταῦτʼ ἔγωγʼ ἔφυν σοφός.
In what is most necessary, in that I was born wise.
But listen first to his words and learn what he, who has come from the mountain, has to report to you.
§659ἡμεῖς δέ σοι μενοῦμεν, οὐ φευξούμεθα.
And we will remain for you, we will not flee.
§660Πενθεῦ κρατύνων τῆσδε Θηβαίας χθονός, §661ἥκω Κιθαιρῶνʼ ἐκλιπών, ἵνʼ οὔποτε §662λευκῆς χιόνος ἀνεῖσαν εὐαγεῖς βολαί.
Pentheus, ruler of this Theban land, I have come, having left Cithaeron, where the bright falls of white snow never cease.
§663ἥκεις δὲ ποίαν προστιθεὶς σπουδὴν λόγου;
And with what urgent word have you come?