§205φρονῶ δ’ ὃ πάσχω, καὶ τόδ’ οὐ σμικρὸν κακόν· τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι γὰρ ἡδονὴν ἔχει τινὰ
νοσοῦντα, κέρδος δ’ ἐν κακοῖς ἀγνωσία.
I know what I suffer, and this is no small evil; for not to know, when one is sick, has some pleasure, and ignorance is a gain in evils.
§206ὦ παῖ, γένοιντ’ ἂν εὖ λελεγμένοι λόγοι
ψευδεῖς, ἐπῶν δὲ κάλλεσιν νικῷεν ἂν
τἀληθές· ἀλλ’ οὐ τοῦτο τἀκριβέστατον,
ἀλλ’ ἡ φύσις καὶ τοὐρθόν·
O child, well-spoken words might become false, and by the beauty of verses they might conquer the truth; but this is not the most precise, but rather nature and the right.
ὃς δ’ εὐγλωσσίᾳ
νικᾷ, σοφὸς μέν, ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ τὰ πράγματα
κρείσσω νομίζω τῶν λόγων ἀεί ποτε.
Whoever conquers by eloquence is indeed wise, but I always consider facts stronger than words.
§207κύουσα τίκτω ἡνίκ’ ἠγόμην πάλιν
Pregnant, I brought forth when I was being led back.
§208εἰ δ’ ἠμελήθην ἐκ θεῶν καὶ παῖδ’ ἐμώ,
ἔχει λόγον καὶ τοῦτο· τῶν πολλῶν βροτῶν
δεῖ τοὺς μὲν εἶναι δυστυχεῖς, τοὺς δ’ εὐτυχεῖς.
And if I and my two children were neglected by the gods, this too has reason; for of the many mortals, some must be unfortunate, and others fortunate.
§209οὐ σωφρονίζειν ἔμαθον· αἰδεῖσθαι δὲ χρή,
γύναι, τὸ λίαν καὶ φυλάσσεσθαι φθόνον.
I did not learn to teach moderation; but one must, O woman, fear excess and guard against envy.
§210οὐδὲ γὰρ λάθρᾳ δοκῶ
φωτὸς κακούργου σχήματ’ ἐκμιμούμενον
σοὶ Ζῆν’ ἐς εὐνὴν ὥσπερ ἄνθρωπον μολεῖν.
For I do not think that Zeus, imitating in secret the form of a wicked man, came to your bed like a mortal.
§211φεῦ φεῦ, βροτείων πημάτων ὅσαι τύχαι
ὅσαι τε μορφαί·
Alas, alas! How many are the fortunes and how many the forms of mortal sufferings!
τέρμα δ’ οὐκ εἴποι τις ἄν.
No one could tell their end.
§212εἰ νοῦς ἔνεστιν· εἰ δὲ μή, τί δεῖ καλῆς
γυναικός, εἰ μὴ τὰς φρένας χρηστὰς ἔχοι;
If intelligence is in her; but if not, what need is there of a beautiful woman, if she should not have a good mind?
§213κόρος δὲ πάντων· καὶ γὰρ ἐκ καλλιόνων
λέκτροις ἐπ’ αἰσχροῖς εἶδον ἐκπεπληγμένους,
δαιτὸς δὲ πληρωθείς τις ἄσμενος πάλιν
φαύλῃ διαίτῃ προσβαλὼν ἥσθη στόμα.
And there is satiety in all things; for indeed I have seen men, leaving more beautiful wives, smitten by ugly beds, and someone, filled with a feast, gladly turning his mouth again to simple food and being pleased.
§214κῆδος καθ’ αὐτὸν τὸν σοφὸν κτᾶσθαι χρεών.
A wise man ought to acquire a marriage-connection suitable to himself.
§215πᾶσι δ’ ἀγγέλλω βροτοῖς
ἐσθλῶν ἀπ’ ἀλόχων εὐγενῆ σπείρειν τέκνα.
And I announce to all mortals to sow noble children from good wives.
§216οὐ χρή ποτ’ ἄνδρα δοῦλον ὄντ’ ἐλευθέρας
γνώμας διώκειν οὐδ’ ἐς ἀργίαν βλέπειν.
A man who is a slave ought never to pursue free thoughts, nor look toward idleness.
§217. . τὸ δοῦλον οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅσον κακόν;
Do you not see how great an evil slavery is?
§218φεῦ φεῦ, τὸ δοῦλον ὡς ἁπανταχῇ γένος
πρὸς τὴν ἐλάσσω μοῖραν ὥρισεν θεός.
Alas, alas! How the god has defined the slave race everywhere to a lesser portion.
§219κόσμος δὲ σιγὴ στεγανὸς ἀνδρὸς οὐ κακοῦ· τὸ δ’ ἐκλαλοῦν τοῦθ’ ἡδονῆς μὲν ἅπτεται,
κακὸν δ’ ὁμίλημ’, ἀσθενὲς δὲ καὶ πόλει.
And silent reserve is an ornament of a man who is not bad; but this blabbing touches upon pleasure, but is an evil association, and weak also for the city.
§220πολλοὶ δὲ θνητῶν τοῦτο πάσχουσιν κακόν· γνώμῃ φρονοῦντες οὐ θέλουσ’ ὑπηρετεῖν
ψυχῇ τὰ πολλὰ πρὸς φίλων νικώμενοι.
And many of mortals suffer this evil: though they are wise in judgment, they are unwilling to serve their soul in most things, being conquered by friends.
§221εἰ δέ που τύχοι
πέριξ ἑλίξας εἷλκε. . ὁμοῦ λαβὼν
γυναῖκα πέτραν δρῦν μεταλλάσσων ἀεί.
And if somewhere by chance, having wound it around, he dragged, taking together the woman, the rock, the oak, constantly changing.
§222τήν τοι Δίκην λέγουσι παῖδ’ εἶναι χρόνου,
δείκνυσι δ’ ἡμῶν ὅστις ἐστὶ μὴ κακός.
They say that Justice is the child of Time, and she shows who of us is not wicked.
§223Δίκα τοι Δίκα χρόνιος, ἀλλ’ ὅμως ὑποπεσοῦσ’
ἔλαθεν, ὅταν ἔχῃ τιν’ ἀσεβῆ βροτῶν.
Justice indeed, Justice is slow, but nevertheless, falling upon them, she goes unnoticed when she holds some impious one of mortals.
§224Ζῆθον μὲν ἐλθόνθ’ ἁγνὸν ἐς Θήβης πέδον
οἰκεῖν κελεύω, τὸν δὲ μουσικώτατον
κλεινὰς Ἀθήνας ἐκπερᾶν Ἀμφίονα.
I bid Zethus to go and dwell in the holy plain of Thebes, and Amphion, the most musical, to cross over to famous Athens.
§226νόσον ἔχειν §227εὐθύδημον §228Δαναὸς ὁ πεντήκοντα θυγατέρων πατὴρ
Νείλου λιπὼν κάλλιστον ἐκ γαίας ὕδωρ,
ὃς ἐκ μελαμβρότοιο πληροῦται ῥοὰς
Αἰθιοπίδος γῆς, ἡνίκ’ ἂν τακῇ χιὼν
τέθριππ’ ἄγοντος ἡλίου κατ’ αἰθέρα,
ἐλθὼν ἐς Ἄργος ᾤκισ’ Ἰνάχου πόλιν· Πελασγιώτας δ’ ὠνομασμένους τὸ πρὶν
Δαναοὺς καλεῖσθαι νόμον ἔθηκ’ ἀν’ Ἑλλάδα.
to have a disease of straight people Danaus, the father of fifty daughters, leaving the most beautiful water of the Nile from the earth, which is filled in its streams from the black-skinned land of Ethiopia, whenever the snow melts as the sun drives his four-horse chariot through the sky, coming to Argos, settled the city of Inachus; and he established a law throughout Greece that those previously named Pelasgians should be called Danaans.
§229βασιλεῦ χώρας τῆς πολυβώλου
Κισσεῦ, πεδίον πυρὶ μαρμαίρει
O King Cisseus of the fertile land, the plain gleams with fire.
§230οὐ γὰρ ὑπερθεῖν κύματος ἄκραν
δυνάμεσθ’· ἔτι γὰρ θάλλει πενία
κακὸν ἔχθιστον, φεύγει δ’ ὄλβος.
For we cannot run over the crest of the wave; for still poverty, the most hateful evil, flourishes, and prosperity flees.
§231ἡμῶν τί δῆτα τυγχάνεις χρείαν ἔχων;
Why then do you happen to have need of us?
πατέρων γὰρ ἐσθλῶν ἐλπίδας δίδως γεγώς.
For being born of noble fathers, you give hope.
§232ἐν τοῖς τέκνοις γὰρ ἁρετὴ τῶν εὐγενῶν
ἔλαμψε, κρεῖσσόν τ’ ἐστὶ πλουσίου γάμου
〈γένος〉· πένης γὰρ οὐκ ἐκεῖν’ ἀπώλεσεν
τὸ τοῦ πατρὸς γενναῖον.
For in children the virtue of the well-born shines, and noble birth is better than a rich marriage; for a poor man does not lose that noble character of his father.
§233σοὶ δ’ εἶπον, ὦ παῖ, τὰς τύχας ἐκ τῶν πόνων
θηρᾶν· ὁρᾶς γὰρ πατέρα σὸν τιμώμενον.
And I told you, O child, to hunt fortunes from labors; for you see your father honored.
§234πατρὸς δ’ ἀνάγκη παισὶ πείθεσθαι λόγῳ.
And children must obey the word of their father.
§235πλουτεῖς, ὁ πλοῦτος δ’ ἀμαθία δειλόν θ’ ἅμα.
You are rich, but wealth is ignorance and cowardly at the same time.
§236σὺν μυρίοισι τὰ καλὰ γίγνεται πόνοις.
Beautiful things come with ten thousand labors.
§237νεανίαν γὰρ ἄνδρα χρὴ τολμᾶν ἀεί· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὢν ῥᾴθυμος εὐκλεὴς ἀνήρ,
ἀλλ’ οἱ πόνοι τίκτουσι τὴν εὐδοξίαν.
For a young man must always dare; for no one who is idle is a famous man, but labors give birth to good reputation.
§238οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις ἡδέως ζητῶν βιοῦν
εὔκλειαν εἰσεκτήσατ’, ἀλλὰ χρὴ πονεῖν.
There is no one who, seeking to live pleasantly, acquired fame, but one must labor.
§239ὁ δ’ ἡδὺς αἰὼν ἡ κακή τ’ ἀνανδρία
οὔτ’ οἶκον οὔτε πόλιν ἀνορθώσειεν ἄν.
And a pleasant life and evil unmanliness would restore neither a house nor a city.
§240ἐμὲ δ’ ἄρ’ οὐ
μοχθεῖν δίκαιον;
Is it not then right for me to labor?
τίς δ’ ἄμοχθος εὐκλεής;
And who without labor is famous?
τίς τῶν μεγίστων δειλὸς ὢν ὠρέξατο;
Who, being cowardly, reached out for the greatest things?