Humanitext Reader

Euripides · Fragments §484-495

Cosmogony and the Fall of the Sons of Theano

Passage 16 of 35 · Greek

Summary

Following fragments on the myth of creation, justice, and prudence, a messenger describes the tragic battle between the sons of Theano and the brothers Boeotus and Aeolus, detailing the sons' deaths.

§484κοὐκ ἐμὸς ὁ μῦθος, ἀλλ’ ἐμῆς μητρὸς πάρα, ὡς οὐρανός τε γαῖά τ’ ἦν μορφὴ μία· ἐπεὶ δ’ ἐχωρίσθησαν ἀλλήλων δίχα, τίκτουσι πάντα κἀνέδωκαν εἰς φάος, δένδρη, πετεινά, θῆρας οὕς θ’ ἅλμη τρέφει γένος τε θνητῶν.
And the story is not mine, but from my mother, how heaven and earth were once one form; but when they were separated from each other, they brought forth all things and delivered them into the light: trees, winged things, beasts which the brine nurtures, and the race of mortals.
§486δικαιοσύνας τὸ χρύσεον πρόσωπον
The golden face of Justice.
§487ὄμνυμι δ’ ἱερὸν αἰθέρ’, οἴκησιν Διός
I swear by the sacred ether, the dwelling of Zeus.
§489τὸν δ’ ἀμφὶ βοῦς ῥιφέντα Βοιωτὸν καλεῖν
To call him Boeotus, who was cast among the cows.
§490σύν τοι θεῷ χρὴ τοὺς σοφοὺς ἀναστρέφειν βουλεύματ’ ἀεὶ πρὸς τὸ χρησιμώτερον.
With the god's help, the wise must always turn their counsels toward what is more useful.
§491ἴστω δ’ ἄφρων ὢν ὅστις ἄτεκνος ὤν τὸ πρὶν παῖδας θυραίους εἰς δόμους ἐκτήσατο, τὴν μοῖραν εἰς τὸ μὴ χρεὼν παραστρέφων· ᾧ γὰρ θεοὶ διδῶσι μὴ φῦναι τέκνα, οὐ χρὴ μάχεσθαι πρὸς τὸ θεῖον, ἀλλ’ ἐᾶν.
Let him who, being childless before, has acquired foreign children into his home, know that he is foolish, turning his fortune toward what is not fitting; for he to whom the gods grant not to have children born, should not fight against the divine, but let it be.
§492ἀνδρῶν δὲ πολλοὶ τοῦ γέλωτος εἵνεκα ἀσκοῦσι χάριτας κερτόμους· ἐγὼ δέ πως μισῶ γελοίους, οἵτινες τήτει σοφῶν ἀχάλιν’ ἔχουσι στόματα, κεὶς ἀνδρῶν μὲν οὐ τελοῦσιν ἀριθμόν, ἐν γέλωτι δ’ εὐπρεπεῖς οἰκοῦσιν οἴκους καὶ τὰ ναυστολούμενα ἔσω δόμων σῴζουσι
Many of men, for the sake of laughter, practice mocking graces; but I somehow hate the buffoons, who, through lack of wise men, have unbridled mouths, and though they do not count in the number of men, live in homes decent in laughter and save what is brought by ship inside their houses.
§493ἄλγιστόν ἐστι θῆλυ μισηθὲν γένος· αἱ γὰρ σφαλεῖσαι ταῖσιν οὐκ ἐσφαλμέναις αἶσχος γυναιξὶ καὶ κεκοίνωνται ψόγον ταῖς οὐ κακαῖσιν αἱ κακαί· τὰ δ’ εἰς γάμους οὐδὲν δοκοῦσιν ὑγιὲς ἀνδράσιν φρονεῖν.
The female race is most painful when hated; for those who have stumbled are a disgrace to the women who have not stumbled, and the bad women share the blame with those who are not bad; and in regard to marriage they seem to think nothing healthy toward their husbands.
§494τῆς μὲν κακῆς κάκιον οὐδὲν γίγνεται γυναικός, ἐσθλῆς δ’ οὐδὲν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν πέφυκ’ ἄμεινον· διαφέρουσι δ’ αἱ φύσεις.
Nothing becomes worse than a bad woman, and nothing is born better to excess than a noble one; but their natures differ.
§495〈ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ.〉 ― ― ― ― τίς ἦν ὁ 〈τυφλὰ τάδε βέλεμν’〉 ἐφεὶς ἐμοί; ὡς δ’ οὐκ ἐφαινόμεσθα, σῖγα δ’ εἴχομεν, πρόσω πρὸς αὐτὸν πάλιν ὑποστρέψας πόδα χωρεῖ δρομαίαν, θῆρ’ ἑλεῖν πρόθυμος ὤν, βοᾷ δέ· κἀν τῷδ’ ἐξεφαινόμεσθα δὴ ὀρθοσταδὸν λόγχαις ἐπείγοντες.
〈MESSENGER〉... "... 'Who was it that let loose these blind missiles at me?' Since we did not appear, but kept silence, turning his foot back toward us, he went running, eager to catch the beast, and shouted; and at this very moment we revealed ourselves, standing upright and pressing on with spears....
φόν〈ον. τὼ δ’ εἰσιδόντε δίπτυχον θείοιν κάρ〈α ἥσθησαν, εἶπόν θ’· εἷα συλλάβεσθ’ ἄγρα〈ς, καιρὸν γὰρ ἥκετ’· οὐδ’ ὑπώπτευον 〈δόλον, φίλων προσώπων εἰσορῶντες ὄ〈μματα.
And they, seeing the double face of their two uncles, were glad and said: 'Ho, help us with the hunt, for you have come at the right time'; nor did they suspect any guile, looking into the eyes of friendly faces.
οἳ δ’ εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν πίτυλον ἤπειγ〈ον δορός, πέτροι τ’ ἐχώρουν χερμάδες θ’ ἡ〈μῶν πάρα, ἐκεῖθεν, οἳ δ’ ἐκεῖθεν· ὡς δ’ ᾔε〈ι μάχη σιγή τ’ ἀφ’ ἡμῶν, γνωρίσαντ〈ε δὴ τὸ πᾶν λέγουσι· μητρὸς ὦ κασίγνητ〈οι φίλης, τί δρᾶτ’;
But they pressed on toward the same thrust of the spear, and stones and pebbles came from our side, from this side and that; and as the battle went on and silence from us, they, realizing the whole truth, said: 'O dear brothers of our mother, what are you doing?
ἀποκτείνοντες ο〈ὓς ἥκιστα χρῆν φωρᾶσθε· πρὸς θεῶν δρᾶτ〈ε μηδαμῶς τάδε. σὼ δ’ αὐταδέλφω χερμ〈άδ’ αἴρουσιν χεροῖν, λέγουσί θ’ ὡς ἔφυσα〈ν ἐκ δούλης ποθέν, κοὐ δεῖ τύραννά〈α σκῆπτρα καὶ θρόνους λαβεῖν πρεσβεῖ’ ἔχοντ〈ας δυσγενεῖς τῶν εὐγενῶν.
You are caught killing those whom you least ought to; by the gods, do not do this at all.' But your two brothers raised pebbles in their hands, and said that they were born from some slave-woman, and that they, being low-born, should not take royal sceptres and thrones, having privileges over the well-born.
κἀπεὶ τάδ’ εἰσ〈ήκουσαν. . . . . ― ― ― ― ― ― ― ― * * * ἑσφηλέ τ’ εἰς γῆν, 〈τὸν βίον τ’ ἀ〉φ〈εί〉λετο· ἡμῶν δ’ ἐχώρει κωφὰ πρὸς γαῖαν βέλη.
And when they heard this......... and tripped him to the earth, and took away his life; while our blind missiles went silently toward the ground.
δ〉υοῖν δ’ ἀδελφοῖν σοῖν τὸν αὖ νεώτερον λό〉γχῃ πλατείᾳ συοφόνῳ δι’ ἥπατοςπαίσ〉ας ἔδωκε νερτέροις καλὸν νεκρὸν Βοιω〉τός, ὅσπερ τὸν πρὶν ἔκτεινεν βαλών.
And of your two brothers, Boeotus struck the younger one with a broad, boar-killing spear through the liver and gave a beautiful corpse to the underworld, the very one who had previously thrown and killed the other.
κἀντεῦ〉θεν ἡμεῖς οἱ λελειμμένοι φίλων κοῦφον〉 πόδ’ ἄλλος ἄλλοσ’ εἴχομεν φυγῇ· εἶδον δὲ τ〉ὸν μὲν ὄρεος ὑλίμῳ φόβῃ κρυφθέν〉τα, τὸν δὲ πευκίνων ὄζων ἔπι· οἳ δ’ εἰς φάρ〉αγγ’ ἔδυνον, οἳ δ’ ὑπ’ εὐσκίους θάμνους κα〉θῖζον· τὼ δ’ ὁρῶντ’ οὐκ ἠξίουν δούλους φονε〉ύειν φασγάνοις ἐλευθέροις.
And from there, we who were left of our friends took to flight, light-footed, this way and that; and I saw one hidden in the woody foliage of the mountain, and another upon the pine branches; and some crawled into the ravine, and others sat under the shady bushes; and those two, seeing us, did not deign to kill slaves with free swords.
τύχην τοιαύτην σ〉ῶν κασιγνήτων κλύεις.
Such fortune of your brothers you hear.
ἐγὼ μὲν 〈οὖν〉 οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅτῳ σκοπεῖν χρεὼν τὴν εὐγένειαν· τοὺς γὰρ ἀνδρείους φύσιν καὶ τοὺς δικαίους τῶν κενῶν δοξασμάτων, κἂν ὧσι δούλων, εὐγενεστέρους λέγω. ΧΟΡΟΣ. αἰαῖ, κέκρανται δεινὰ πρὸς〉 κακοῖς κακά, οὐδ’ ἡδόμεσθ’ ἀγῶνι δυστυ〉χεῖ δόμοις δισσῶν ἀδελφῶν μόρον ἀκούον〉τες σέθεν. ΘΕΑΝΩ. οἴμοι τὸ πᾶν δῆτ’ἐσφάλημ〉εν ἐλπίδων ― ― ― ― ― ― ται μέγα
I indeed know not by what standard one should look at noble birth; for those who are brave in nature and just, away from empty reputations, even if they are of slaves, I call more noble. 〈CHORUS〉 Alas, terrible evils have been accomplished upon evils; nor do we rejoice in the unfortunate struggle for the house, hearing of the death of your two brothers. 〈THEANO〉 Ah me, we have been completely failed of our hopes... great"

Notes

  1. §484ἐμῆς μητρὸς πάρα — Meaning "from my mother", the preposition πάρα is postposed (anastrophe) and its accent is shifted to the first syllable.
  2. §491ἴστω δ’ ἄφρων ὢν — ἴστω is the third-person singular imperative of οἶδα ("to know"), and ἄφρων ὢν is a supplementary participle construction ("let him know that he is foolish").
  3. §491ᾧ γὰρ θεοὶ διδῶσι μὴ φῦναι τέκνα — ᾧ is a relative pronoun with the omitted demonstrative antecedent ("to him whom..."). The subject of διδῶσι is θεοὶ, and the infinitive μὴ φῦναι ("not to have children born") functions as the object.
  4. §492οἵτινες τήτει σοφῶν ἀχάλιν’ ἔχουσι στόματα — τήτει is the dative of the noun τῆτος ("want", "lack"). Here it indicates "by reason of the lack of wise men" or "due to a lack of wisdom".
  5. §495τὼ δ’ εἰσιδόντε δίπτυχον θείοιν κάρα — The dual forms τὼ ... εἰσιδόντε refer to Boeotus and Aeolus, and δίπτυχον θείοιν κάρα is the accusative representing "the two heads (faces) of their two uncles." The deliberate use of dual forms highlights the physical symmetry between the pairs.

Cite this passage

Euripides, Fragments §484-495. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg020.humanitext-grc1:484-495

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