§1049ἐγὼ γὰρ ὅστις μὴ δίκαιος ὢν ἀνὴρ
βωμὸν προσίζει, τὸν νόμον χαίρειν ἐῶν
πρὸς τὴν δίκην ἄγοιμ’ ἂν οὐ τρέσας θεούς· κακὸν γὰρ ἄνδρα χρὴ κακῶς πάσχειν ἀεί.
For as for me, whoever, being unjust, sits suppliant at an altar, dismissing the law, I would drag him to justice, not fearing the gods; for it is necessary that an evil man always suffer evilly.
§1050ἀλλ’ οὐ πρέπει τύραννον, ὡς ἐγὼ φρονῶ,
οὐδ’ ἄνδρα χρηστὸν νεῖκος αἴρεσθαι κακοῖς· τιμὴ γὰρ αὕτη τοῖσιν ἀσθενεστέροις.
But it is not fitting for a tyrant, as I think, nor for an excellent man to raise a quarrel with the wicked; for this is an honor to the weaker.
§1051σὺν τοῖσι δεινοῖς αὔξεται κλέος βροτοῖς.
Along with terrible things, the glory of mortals increases.
§1052νεανίας γὰρ ὅστις ὢν Ἄρη στυγῇ,
κόμη μόνον καὶ σάρκες, ἔργα δ’ οὐδαμοῦ.
For a youth, whoever he may be, who hates Ares, is only hair and flesh, and his deeds are nowhere.
ὁρᾷς τὸν εὐτράπεζον ὡς ἡδὺς βίος
ὃ τ’ ὄλβος ἔξωθέν τίς ἐστι πραγμάτων· ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἔνεστι στέφανος οὐδ’ εὐανδρία,
εἰ μή τι καὶ τολμῶσι κινδύνου μέτα·
You see how sweet is the life of one with a rich table, and what kind of prosperity it is outside of actions; but there is no crown nor manliness in it, unless they also dare something with danger.
οἱ γὰρ πόνοι τίκτουσι τὴν εὐανδρίαν,
ἡ δ’ εὐλάβεια σκότον ἔχει καθ’ Ἑλλάδα,
τὸ διαβιῶναι μόνον ἀεὶ θηρωμένη.
For toils beget manliness, while caution keeps in darkness throughout Greece, always hunting only for survival.
§1053μισῶ δ’ ὅταν τις καὶ χθουὸς στρατηλάτης
μὴ πᾶσι πάντων προσφέρῃ μειλίγματα.
And I hate it when someone, even being the general of a land, does not offer soothing words of all kinds to everyone.
§1054ἔρωτα δεινὸν ἔχομεν· ἐκ δ’ ἐμῶν λόγων
ἑλοῦ τὰ βέλτισθ’·
We hold a terrible love; choose the best from my words.
ὡς ἄπιστόν ἐστ’ ἔρως
κὰν τῷ κακίστῳ τῶν φρενῶν οἰκεῖν φιλεῖ.
How untrustworthy is love, and it loves to dwell even in the worst of minds.
§1055οἰκοφθόρον γὰρ ἄνδρα κωλύει γυνὴ
ἐσθλὴ παραζευχθεῖσα καὶ σῴζει δόμους.
For a good wife, being yoked alongside, restrains a house-ruining man and saves the home.
§1056οὐ πάντες οὔτε δυστυχοῦσιν ἐν γάμοις
οὔτ’ εὐτυχοῦσι· συμφορὰ δ’ ὃς ἂν τύχῃ
κακῆς γυναικός, εὐτυχεῖ δ’ ἐσθλῆς τυχών.
Not all are unfortunate in marriage, nor are all fortunate; but whoever happens upon a bad wife is a misfortune, and he who meets with a good one is fortunate.
§1057μακάριος ὅστις εὐτυχεῖ γάμον λαβὼν
ἐσθλῆς γυναικός, δυστυχεῖ δ’ ὁ μὴ λαβών.
Blessed is he who is fortunate in obtaining a marriage with a good wife, but he who does not obtain one is unfortunate.
§1058ἐγὼ γὰρ ἕξω λέκτρα αὐτοῖς καλῶς ἔχειν
δίκαιόν ἐστιν οἶσι συγγηράσομαι.
For it is right for me to keep the marriage bed well for those with whom I shall grow old together.
§1059δεινὴ μὲν ἀλκὴ κυμάτων θαλασσίων,
δειναὶ δὲ ποταμῶν καὶ πυρὸς θερμοῦ πνοαί,
δεινὸν δὲ πενία, δεινὰ δ’ ἄλλα μυρία,
ἀλλ’ οὐδὲν οὕτω δεινὸν ὡς γυνὴ κακόν·
Terrible indeed is the force of sea waves, and terrible are the blasts of rivers and of hot fire, and terrible is poverty, and countless other things; but no evil is so terrible as a woman.
οὐδ’ ἂν γένοιτο γράμμα τοιοῦτον γραφῇ
οὐδ’ ἂν λόγος δείξειεν.
No such character could be written in script, nor could speech point it out.
εἰ δέ του θεῶν
τόδ’ ἐστὶ πλάσμα, δημιουργὸς ὢν κακῶν
μέγιστος ἴστω καὶ βροτοῖσι δυσμενής.
If this is the creation of some god, let him be known as the greatest creator of evils and hostile to mortals.
§1060ἐχθροῖσιν εἴη πολεμίαν δάμαρτ’ ἔχειν.
May it be for enemies to have a hostile wife.
§1061μοχθοῦμεν ἄλλως θῆλυ φρουροῦντες γένος· ἥτις γὰρ αὐτὴ μὴ πέφυκεν ἔνδικος,
τί δεῖ φυλάσσειν κἀξαμαρτάνειν πλέον;
We toil in vain guarding the female race; for if she herself is not by nature just, what need is there to watch her and err even more?
§1062γυναικὶ δ’ ὄλβος, ἢν πόσιν στέργοντ’ ἔχῃ.
And for a woman, it is wealth if she has a husband who loves her.
§1063δεῖ πυνθάνεσθαι γάρ σε νῷν χἡμᾶς σέθεν.
For you must learn from us, and we from you.
τὸ μὲν μέγιστον, οὔποτ’ ἄνδρα χρὴ σοφὸν
λίαν φυλάσσειν ἄλοχον ἐν μυχοῖς δόμων· ἐρᾷ γὰρ ὄψις τῆς θύραθεν ἡδονῆς·
First and foremost, a wise man should never guard his wife too much in the inner chambers of the house; for the eyes love the pleasure from outside.
ἐν δ’ ἀφθόνοισι τοῖσδ’ ἀναστρωφωμένη
βλέπουσά τ’ εἰς πᾶν καὶ παροῦσα πανταχοῦ
τὴν ὄψιν ἐμπλήσασ’ ἀπήλλακται κακῶν·
But moving about in these abundant spaces, looking at everything and being present everywhere, having filled her sight, she is freed from evils.
τό τ’ ἄρσεν ἀεὶ τοῦ κεκρυμμένου λίχνον.
The male too is always greedy for what is hidden.
ὅστις δὲ μοχλοῖς καὶ διὰ σφραγισμάτων
σῴζει δάμαρτα, δρᾶν τι δὴ δοκῶν σοφὸν
μάταιός ἐστι καὶ φρονῶν οὐδὲν φρονεῖ·
But whoever guards his wife with bolts and seals, thinking he is doing something wise, is foolish and understands nothing in his thinking.
ἥτις γὰρ ἡμῶν καρδίαν θύραζ’ ἔχει,
θᾶσσον μὲν οἰστοῦ καὶ πτεροῦ χαρίζεται,
λάθοι δ’ ἂν Ἄργου τὰς πυκνοφθάλμους κόρας·
For whichever of us has her heart turned outdoors is more quickly compliant than an arrow or a wing, and she would elude even the many-eyed maidens of Argus.
καὶ πρὸς κακοῖσι τοῦτο δὴ μέγας γέλως,
ἀνήρ τ’ ἀχρεῖος χἡ γυνὴ διοίχεται.
And in addition to these evils, this indeed is a great laughing-stock: the husband is useless, and the wife is gone.
§1064ἀλλ’ ἴσθ’, ἐμοὶ μὲν οὗτος οὐκ ἔσται νόμος,
τὸ μὴ οὐ σὲ μῆτερ προσφιλῆ νέμειν ἀεὶ
καὶ τοῦ δικαίου καὶ τόκων τῶν σῶν χάριν.
But know this, for me this shall not be the law: not to regard you always as beloved, mother, both for the sake of justice and of your offspring.
στέργω δὲ τὸν φύσαντα τῶν πάντων βροτῶν
μάλισθ’· ὁρίζω τοῦτο, καὶ σὺ μὴ φθόνει·
But I love him who begot me most of all mortals; I define this, and do not you be envious.
κείνου γὰρ ἐξέβλαστον· οὐδ’ ἂν εἷς ἀνὴρ
γυναικὸς αὐδήσειεν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πατρός.
For from him I sprang, and not a single man would be called of his mother, but of his father.
§1065καὶ τῶν παλαιῶν πόλλ’ ἔπη καλῶς ἔχει· λόγοι γὰρ ἐσθλοὶ φάρμακον φόβου βροτοῖς.
And many sayings of the ancients are good; for noble words are a medicine of fear for mortals.
§1066ἡ τοῖς ἐν οἴκῳ χρήμασιν λελείμμεθα,
ἡ δ’ εὐγένεια καὶ τὸ γενναῖον μένει.
Either we are left behind in the wealth of the house, but noble birth and nobility remain.
§1067τὸν σὸν δὲ παῖδα σωφρονοῦντ’ ἐπίσταμαι
χρηστοῖς θ’ ὁμιλοῦντ’ εὐσεβεῖν τ’ ἠσκηκότα.
And I know your son to be self-controlled, associating with the good and practicing piety.
πῶς οὖν ἂν ἐκ τοιοῦδε σώματος κακὸς
γένοιτ’ ἄν;
How then from such a person could an evil man come?
οὐδεὶς τοῦτό μ’ ἂν πίθοι ποτέ.
No one would ever persuade me of this.