§1110Ζεὺς ἐν θεοῖσι μάντις ἀψευδέστατος
καὶ τέλος αὐτὸς ἔχει.
Zeus is the most truthful prophet among the gods, and he himself holds the end.
§1111κρίμνη σεαυτὴν ἐκ μέσης ἀντηρίδος
Hang yourself from the middle prop.
§1112ἔδει γὰρ ἡμᾶς τοῖς θεοῖς θύειν, ὅταν
γυναῖκα κατορύττῃ τις, οὐχ ὅταν γαμῇ.
For we ought to sacrifice to the gods when someone buries a wife, not when he marries.
§1113ἡ φύσις ἑκάστῳ τοῦ γένους ἐστὶν πατρίς.
The nature of one's race is each person's fatherland.
A marketplace mind Pleasure is everywhere, and everything happens through pleasure.
§1117κακᾶν βίων διαγωγήν §1123ἀλίαστον §1124ἀλλήλων §1125ἔρρ’ ἰών §1126κρυπταί §1127περιδῦσαι §1129θεὸν δὲ ποῖον, εἰπέ μοι, νοητέον; τὸν πάνθ’ ὁρῶντα καὐτὸν οὐχ ὁρώμενον. §1130ποῖος δ’ ἂν οἶκος τεκτόνων πλασθεὶς ὕπο
δέμας τὸ θεῖον περιβάλοι τοίχων πτυχαῖς;
A passing of evil lives Unswerving Of one another Begone Hidden To strip off "Tell me, what kind of god must we conceive?" "The one who sees all things, while he himself is not seen." What kind of house fashioned by builders could enclose the divine body within the folds of its walls?
§1131ὁρᾶθ’ ὅσοι νομίζετ’ οὐκ εἶναι θεόν,
δὶς. ἐξαμαρτάνοντες οὐκ εὐγνωμόνως;
Do you see, all you who think there is no god, how you err twice in your lack of good sense?
ἔστιν γὰρ ἔστιν.
For he exists, yes, he exists.
εἰ δέ τις πράσσει καλῶς
κακὸς πεφυκώς, τὸν χρόνον κερδαινέτω· χρόνῳ γὰρ οὗτος ὕστερον δώσει δίκην.
And if anyone who is evil fares well, let him gain time; for in time he will later pay the penalty.
§1132ΕΡΜΗΣ. Δόμοι μὲν οἵδ’ εὔπυργά τ’ ἐρύματα χθονὸς
οὐκ ἐν πολυχρύσοισιν ἤσκηται χλιδαῖς· ἀρχὴν δὲ τῶνδε καὶ θεῶν ἱδρύματα
Ἀκρίσιος εἴληχεν, τύραννος τῆσδε γῆς·
HERMES: These dwellings indeed and the well-towered fortifications of the land are not adorned with wealthy luxuries; but Acrisius, the ruler of this land, has received as his lot the origin of these and the shrines of the gods.
Ἕλλησι δ’ Ἄργος ἡ πόλις κικλήσκεται.
The city is called Argos by the Greeks.
οὗτος δ’ ἔρωτι παιδὸς ἄρσενος σχεθεὶς
Πυθώδ’ ἀφῖκτο, καὶ λέγει Φοίβῳ τάδε· πῶς ἂν γένοιτο σπέρμα παιδὸς ἐν δόμῳ,
τίνος θεῶν βροτῶν τε πρευμενοῦς τυχών;
He, seized by love for a male child, came to Pytho, and says these things to Phoebus: how might the seed of a child come to be in his house, having met with which of the gods and mortals as favorable?
κεῖνος δὲ δυσξύμβλητον ἐξήνεγκ’ ὄπα· ἔσται μὲν ἔσται παιδὸς ἄρσενος τόκος
οὐκ ἐξ ἐκείνου· πρῶτα γὰρ θῆλυν σπορὰν
φῦσαι δεήσει.
But he brought forth a difficult-to-understand oracle: there will indeed be a birth of a male child, but not from him; for first it will be necessary for him to beget a female offspring.
κᾆτά πως κείνη ποτὲ
εὐνὴν κρυφαίαν γνοῦσα καὶ μὴ γνοῦσα δὴ
ὑπόπτερον λέοντα τέξεται πατρί,
ὃς τῆσδέ τ’ ἄρξει χἀτέρας πολλῆς χθονός.
And then somehow she, having known and yet not known a secret bed, will bear for her father a winged lion, who will rule both this and much other land.
τοιαῦτ’ ἀκούσας Λοξίου μαντεύματα
γάμων ἀπείχεθ’· ὅμως δέ γε τίκτει λαθών,
πρὸς τοῦ παρόντος ἱμέρου νικώμενος.
Having heard such oracles of Loxias, he abstained from marriage; nevertheless he begat secretly, overcome by his present desire.
Δανάην δέ πως ὠνόμασε τήνδ’, ὁθούνεκα
πολὺς παρῆλθεν εἰς γονὴν παίδων χρόνος.
And he named her Danae somehow, because much time had passed before the birth of children.
ἐν παρθενῶσι δ’ εὐθὺς οἷς ἐδείματο
δίδωσιν Ἀργείαισιν ἔμφρουρον κόραις,
εἰς ἀνδρὸς ὄψιν εὐλαβούμενος μολεῖν.
And immediately he gave her to Argive maidens as a guard in the maiden-chambers which he built, taking care that she should not come into the sight of a man.
εἶθ’ ὡς ὁ μακρὸς ηὔξανεν ταύτην χρόνος,
καὶ κάλλος εἶχεν ἔξοχον καθ’ Ἑλλάδα,
φίλτροις ἀφύκτοις Ζεὺς κατασχεθεὶς πατὴρ
εὐνῇ συνελθεῖν λάθρᾳ πως ἠβούλετο.
Then as long time grew her, and she had outstanding beauty throughout Greece, father Zeus, seized by inescapable love-charms, wished to come to her bed in secret somehow.
σαφῶς δὲ πείθειν οὐκ ἔχων, εἰς μηχανὴν
τοιάνδ’ ἐχώρησ’, ὡς ἄπυρος χρυσὸς γεγώς,
ποθεινὸν εἰδὼς κτῆμα τοῦτο τοῖς βροτοῖς,
διὰ στέγους ῥεύσειεν ἐν χερσὶν κόρης.
But not having a way to persuade her clearly, he resorted to such a device: having become uncoined gold, knowing that this is a desirable possession for mortals, he flowed through the roof into the hands of the maiden.
ἢ δ’ ἀγνοοῦσα τὸν κεκρυμμένον δόλον
κόλποισι τὸν θεὸν εἰσρέοντ’ ἐδέξατο.
And she, ignorant of the hidden guile, received the god flowing into her lap.
χρόνῳ δ’ ἑαυτὴν ὡς κατεῖδ’ ἐγκύμονα,
εἰς θαῦμ’ ἐσῄει κἀξεπέπληκτο σφοδρῶς,
ὡς εἰς τόδ’ ἦλθε μέμψιν εὐλαβουμένη.
And in time when she saw herself pregnant, she entered into wonder and was severely astounded, as she came to this, taking care to avoid blame.
φυγῇ δὲ λάθρα τῆσδε γῆς ὁρμωμένην
μαθὼν πατήρ νιν, ἐγκατάκλειστον δόμοις
ἔργει χολωθεὶς καὶ σκότῳ κρύψας ἔχει,
τἀληθὲς ὄψει προσκοπούμενος μαθεῖν· κἂν ταῦτ’ ἀληθῆ καὶ σαφῶς ἔχοντ’ ἴδῃ,
ἔγνωκεν ἄμφω ποντίους ἀφιέναι,
τὴν παῖδα καὶ τὸ τεχθέν.
But when her father learned that she was setting forth in secret flight from this land, being angered he shut her up and kept her enclosed in the house, hiding her in darkness, looking forward to learning the truth by sight; and if he sees these things to be true and clear, he has resolved to cast both into the sea, the child and the newborn.
ὧν δέ γ’ ἐστάλην,
μύθους Δανάῃ τούσδ’ εὐπροσηγόρους ἄγων
ἐκ Διός, ἀφίξομαι τάχιστα σημανῶν.
But I, for whose sake I was sent, bringing these friendly words to Danae from Zeus, shall arrive very quickly to make them known.
ὑπηρέτην γὰρ ὄντα τἀπεσταλμένα
πράσσειν προθύμως, ὅστις ἄν γ’ ᾖ νουνεχής.
For it is the part of a servant to perform eagerly what has been sent, whoever is sensible.
ΧΟΡΟΣ. τίς ὁ καινοτρόπος οὗτος μῦθος
κατ’ ἐμὰν ἧκεν ἀκουάν;
CHORUS: What is this strange story that has come to my hearing?
ἔνθ’ ἀσπερχὲς μενεαίνουσα
τοῖσδε δώμασι κοιράνου ἀμφίδοξος πελάζω.
Thereupon, with heavy anxiety for these dwellings of the ruler, I approach.
τίς δεσπότιν ἐμὴν Δανάην
βάξις ἔχει κατὰ πτόλιν;
What rumor holds my mistress Danae throughout the city?
ἣν μήποτ’ ὤφελ’ εἰς ὧτα φέρειν
ὁ πρῶτος τάδε φράσαι τολμήσας,
ὡς ἐγκύμων εἴληπται χρανθεῖσ’ ἄλεκτρος
ἀνδρός· πατὴρ δέ μιν κλῄσας
ἐν παρθενῶσι σφραγῖσι δέμας φυλάσσει.
Which I wish the one who first dared to speak these things had never brought to our ears, that she has been caught pregnant, defiled without the bed of a husband; and her father, shutting her up in the maiden-chambers, guards her body with seals.
ταῦτ’ ἐτήτυμα μαθεῖν θέλω.
I wish to learn if these things are true.
ἀλλ’ εἰσορῶ γὰρ τῆσδε κοίρανον χθονὸς
Ἀργείας Ἀκρίσιον πρὸ δόμων στείχοντα. ὀργῇ βαρύς, ὡς δόξαι, κέαρ.
But indeed I see Acrisius, the ruler of this Argive land, walking before the house, heavy in his heart with anger, as it seems.
ΑΚΡΙΣΙΟΣ. σὺ δ’ εἰ κατ’ οἴκους εὐνοῶν ἐτύγχανες,
οὐκ ἄν ποτ’ ἦλθες εἰς τόδε θράσους. .
ACRISIUS: And you, if you happened to be well-disposed to the house, would never have come to this degree of boldness...