§383τοία Στυγός σε μελανοκάρδιος πέτρα
Ἀχερόντιός τε σκοπελὸς αἱματοσταγὴς
φρουροῦσι Κωκυτοῦ τε περίδρομοι κύνες
Ἔχιδνά θ’ ἑκατογκέφαλος, ἢ τὰ σπλάγχνα σου
διασπαράξει, πλευμόνων τ’ ἀνθάψεται
Ταρτησσία μύραινα·
Such a black-hearted rock of Styx, and the blood-dripping cliff of Acheron, and the running hounds of Cocytus, and the hundred-headed Echidna, which will tear your entrails apart, and the Tartessian lamprey that will fasten upon your lungs, are guarding you.
τὼ νεφρὼ δέ σου
αὐτοῖσιν ἐντέροισιν ᾑματωμένω
διασπάσονται Γοργόνες Τειθράσιαι.
And your two kidneys, bloodied along with the intestines themselves, the Teithrasian Gorgons will tear asunder.
§384κάρα τε γάρ σου συγχέω κόμαις ὁμοῦ,
ῥανῶ τε πεδόσ’ ἐγκέφαλον· ὀμμάτων δ’ ἄπο
αἱμοσταγῆ πρηστῆρε ῥεύσονται κάτω.
For I shall crush your head together with your hair, and scatter your brain upon the ground; and from your eyes blood-dripping blasts of fire will flow down.
§385τί με δῆτ’, ὦ μελέα μᾶτερ, ἔτικτες;
Why indeed did you bear me, O wretched mother?
§386ἀνόνητον ἄγαλμ’, ὦ πάτερ, οἴκοισι τεκών
O father, having begotten me as a useless ornament for your house.
§387καίτοι φθόνου μὲν μῦθον ἄξιον φράσω
And yet I shall speak a word worthy of envy.
§388ἀλλ’ ἔστι δή τις ἄλλος ἐν βροτοῖς ἔρως
ψυχῆς δικαίας σώφρονός τε κἀγαθῆς.
But there is indeed another love among mortals, for a righteous, temperate, and good soul.
καὶ χρῆν δὲ τοῖς βροτοῖσι τόνδ’ εἶναι νόμον
τῶν εὐσεβούντων οἵτινές τε σώφρονες
ἐρᾶν, Κύπριν δὲ τὴν Διὸς χαίρειν ἐᾶν.
And it ought to be a law for mortals to love those among the pious who are temperate, and to let Kypris, the daughter of Zeus, go on her way.
§389ἀνὴρ γὰρ ὅστις χρημάτων μὲν ἐνδεής,
δρᾶσαι δὲ χειρὶ δυνατός, οὐκ ἀφέξεται
τὰ τῶν ἐχόντων χρήμαθ’ ἁρπάζειν βίᾳ.
For whatever man is in need of wealth, but is able to act with his hand, will not refrain from seizing by force the property of those who possess.
§390συμπολίτης §391οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν χωρὶς ἀνθρώποις θεῶν· σπουδάζομεν δὲ πόλλ’ ὑπ’ ἐλπίδων, μάτην
πόνους ἔχοντες, οὐδὲν εἰδότες σαφές.
Fellow citizen There is nothing for men without the gods; we busy ourselves with many things under the influence of hopes, having labors in vain, knowing nothing for certain.
§392εἰ δ’ ἄτερ πόνων
δοκεῖς ἔσεσθαι, μῶρος εἶ, θνητὸς γεγώς.
But if you think you will exist without labors, you are a fool, being a mortal.
§393γνώμης γὰρ οὐδὲν ἁρετὴ μονουμένη.
For virtue left alone without wisdom is nothing.
§394οὐ πώποτ’ ἔργου μᾶλλον εἱλόμην λόγους.
Never have I chosen words rather than action.
§395πλούτου δ’ ἀπορρυέντος ἀσθενεῖς γάμοι· τὴν μὲν γὰρ εὐγένειαν αἰνοῦσιν βροτοί,
μᾶλλον δὲ κηδεύουσι τοῖς εὐδαίμοσιν.
When wealth flows away, marriages are weak; for mortals praise noble birth indeed, but they contract alliances more with the prosperous.
§396ἀλλ’ εἴπερ ἔστιν ἐν βροτοῖς ψευδηγορεῖν
πιθανά, νομίζειν χρή σε καὶ τοὐναντίον,
ἄπιστ’ ἀληθῆ πολλὰ συμβαίνειν βροτοῖς.
But if indeed it is possible among mortals to speak plausible falsehoods, you must believe also the opposite, that many unbelievable truths happen to mortals.
§397θεοῦ θέλοντος κἂν ἐπὶ ῥιπὸς πλέοις.
If a god wills, you could sail even upon a wicker mat.
§398εὕδουσα δ’ Ἰνοῦς συμφορὰ χρόνον πολὺν
νῦν ὄμμ’ ἐγείρει
And the misfortune of Ino, which has been sleeping for a long time, now rouses its eye.
§399φίλαι γυναῖκες, πῶς ἂν ἐξ ἀρχῆς δόμους
Ἀθάμαντος οἰκήσαιμι τῶν πεπραγμένων
δράσασα μηδέν;
O dear women, how could I have dwelt in the house of Athamas from the beginning, having done nothing of what was performed?
§400ὦ θνητὰ πράγματ’, ὦ γυναικεῖαι φρένες· ὅσον νόσημα τὴν Κύπριν κεκτήμεθα.
O mortal affairs, O womanly minds; how great a disease we possess in Kypris!
§401φεῦ,
ὅσῳ τὸ θῆλυ δυστυχέστερον γένος
πέφυκεν ἀνδρῶν· ἔν τε τοῖσι γὰρ καλοῖς
πολλῷ λέλειπται κἀπὶ τοῖς αἰσχροῖς πλέον.
Alas, by how much the female race is born more unfortunate than men; for in noble things it is left far behind, and in shameful things even more so.
§402νόμοι γυναικῶν οὐ καλῶς κεῖνται πέρι· χρῆν γὰρ τὸν εὐτυχοῦνθ’ ὅπως πλείστας ἔχειν
[γυναῖκας, εἴπερ τροφὴ δόμοις παρῆν],
ὡς τὴν κακὴν μὲν ἐξέβαλλε δωμάτων,
τὴν δ’ οὖσαν ἐσθλὴν ἡδέως ἐσῴζετο.
The laws concerning women are not well established; for the prosperous man ought to have as many wives as possible [if there was sustenance in the house], so that he might cast the bad one out of the halls, but gladly preserve the one who is noble.
νῦν δ’ εἰς μίαν βλέπουσι, κίνδυνον μέγαν
ῥίπτοντες· οὐ γὰρ τῶν τρόπων πειρώμενοι
νύμφας ἐς οἴκους ἑρματίζονται βροτοί.
But now they look to one, casting a great risk; for mortals do not ballast their houses with brides by testing their characters.
§403τίς ἆρα μήτηρ ἢ πατὴρ κακὸν μέγα
βροτοῖς ἔφυσε τὸν δυσώνυμον φθόνον;
What mother or father indeed produced for mortals that great evil, the ill-named envy?
ποῦ καί ποτ’ οἰκεῖ σώματος λαχὼν μέρος;
And where does it dwell, having obtained what part of the body?
ἐν χερσὶν ἢ σπλάγχνοισιν ἢ παρ’ ὄμματα;
In the hands, or in the entrails, or near the eyes?
ἔσθ’ ἡμῖν ὡς ἦν μόχθος ἰατροῖς μέγας
τομαῖς ἀφαιρεῖν ἢ ποτοῖσι φαρμάκοις
πασῶν μεγίστην τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις νόσων.
Indeed, how great a labor was there for physicians to remove by incisions or by draughts of drugs this greatest of all diseases among men.
§404τό τ’ εὐγενὲς
πολλὴν δίδωσιν ἐλπίδ’ ὡς ἄρξουσι γῆς.
And noble birth gives great hope that they will rule the land.
§405τὴν εὐγένειαν, κἂν ἄμορφος ᾖ γάμος,
τιμῶσι πολλοὶ προσλαβεῖν τέκνων χάριν,
τό τ’ ἀξίωμα μᾶλλον ἢ τὰ χρήματα.
Noble birth, even if the marriage is ill-favored, many honor to obtain for the sake of children, and its dignity rather than wealth.
§406μὴ σκυθρωπὸς ἴσθ’ ἄγαν
πρὸς τοὺς κακῶς πράσσοντας, ἄνθρωπος γεγώς.
Do not be too sullen toward those who fare badly, being yourself a man.
§407ἀμουσία τοι μηδ’ ἐπ’ οἰκτροῖσιν δάκρυ
στάζειν· κακὸν δέ, χρημάτων ὄντων ἄλις,
φειδοῖ πονηρᾷ μηδέν’ εὖ ποιεῖν βροτῶν.
It is indeed a lack of culture not to shed a tear even over pitiable things; and it is an evil, when there is wealth in abundance, by wretched stinginess to do good to none of mortals.
§408ἐν ἐλπίσιν χρὴ τοὺς σοφοὺς ἄγειν βίον.
The wise must lead their life in hopes.
§409μήτ’ εὐτυχοῦσα πᾶσαν ἡνίαν χάλα
κακῶς τε πράσσουσ’ ἐλπίδος κεδνῆς ἔχου.
Neither when faring well loosen every rein, nor when faring badly hold back from good hope.
§410τοιάνδε χρὴ γυναικὶ πρόσπολον ἐᾶν
ἥτις τὸ μὲν δίκαιον οὐ σιγήσεται,
τὰ δ’ αἰσχρὰ μισεῖ καὶ κατ’ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχει.
Such a maidservant one must allow for a woman, who will not keep silent what is just, but hates shameful things and keeps them under her eyes.
§411ἴστω δὲ μηδεὶς ταῦθ’ ἃ σιγᾶσθαι χρεών· μικροῦ γὰρ ἐκ λαμπτῆρος Ἰδαῖον λέπας
πρήσειεν ἄν τις, καὶ πρὸς ἄντρ’ εἰπὼν ἕνα
πύθοιντ’ ἂν ἀστοὶ πάντες ἃ κρύπτειν χρεών.
Let no one know these things which must be kept silent; for from a small torch one might set fire to the Idaean ridge, and having spoken to a single cave, all the citizens would learn what must be hidden.
§412ἐμοὶ γὰρ εἴη πτωχός, εἰ δὲ βούλεται
πτωχοῦ κακίων, ὅστις ὢν εὔνους ἐμοὶ
φόβον παρελθὼν τἀπὸ καρδίας ἐρεῖ.
For may there be to me a poor man, or if he wishes, one worse than a poor man, who being well-disposed to me, overcoming fear, will speak what is from the heart.
§413ἐπίσταμαι δὲ πάνθ’ ὅσ’ εὐγενῆ χρεών,
σιγᾶν θ’ ὅπου δεῖ καὶ λέγειν ἵν’ ἀσφαλές,
ὁρᾶν θ’ ἃ δεῖ με κοὐχ ὁρᾶν ἃ μὴ πρέπει,
γαστρὸς κρατεῖν δέ· καὶ γὰρ ἐν κακοῖσιν ὢν
ἐλευθέροισιν ἐμπεπαίδευμαι τρόποις.
And I know all things that a noble person must, both to be silent where necessary and to speak where it is safe, and to see what I must and not to see what is not proper, and to master my belly; for even being in evils, I have been educated in the ways of free men.