§497τείσασθε τήνδε· καὶ γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν νοσεῖ
τὰ τῶν γυναικῶν·
Punish this woman; for from this source the affairs of women are sick.
οἳ μὲν ἢ παίδων πέρι
ἢ συγγενείας εἵνεκ’ οὐκ ἀπώλεσαν
κακὴν λαβόντες·
Some, either for the sake of children or because of kinship, did not destroy a bad woman they had taken.
εἶτα τοῦτο τἄδικον
πολλαῖς ὑπερρύηκε καὶ χωρεῖ πρόσω,
ὥστ’ ἐξίτηλος ἁρετὴ καθίσταται.
Then this injustice overflowed to many and goes forward, so that virtue becomes extinct.
§498πλὴν τῆς τεκούσης θῆλυ πᾶν μισῶ γένος.
Except for the one who bore me, I hate the entire female race.
§499μάτην ἄρ’ εἰς γυναῖκας ἐξ ἀνδρῶν ψόγος
ψάλλει, κενὸν τόξευμα, καὶ κακῶς λέγει· αἳ δ’ εἶσ’ ἀμείνους ἀρσένων, ἐγὼ λέγω.
In vain, then, does blame from men strike against women, an empty arrow, and speak ill; but they are better than males, I say.
§500ὅστις δ’ ἄμεικτον πατέρ’ ἔχει νεανίας
στυγνόν τ’ ἐν οἴκοις, μεγάλα κέκτηται κακά.
A youth who has an unsociable and gloomy father in the house has acquired great evils.
§501γάμους δ’ ὅσοι σπεύδουσι μὴ πεπρωμένους,
μάτην πονοῦσιν· ἡ δὲ τῷ χρεὼν πόσει
μένουσα κἀσπούδαστος ἦλθεν εἰς δόμους.
Those who hasten after marriages not destined for them labor in vain; but the woman who waits for her destined husband comes to his house even without effort.
§502ὅσοι γαμοῦσι δ’ ἢ γένει κρείσσους γάμους
ἢ πολλὰ χρήματ’, οὐκ ἐπίστανται γαμεῖν· τὰ τῆς γυναικὸς γὰρ κρατοῦντ’ ἐν δώμασιν
δουλοῖ τὸν ἄνδρα, κοὐκέτ’ ἔστ’ ἐλεύθερος.
Those who marry into a superior family or for much wealth do not know how to marry; for the possessions of the wife, ruling in the house, enslave the husband, and he is no longer free.
πλοῦτος δ’ ἐπακτὸς ἐκ γυναικείων γάμων
ἀνόνητος· αἱ γὰρ διαλύσεις 〈οὐ〉 ῥᾴδιαι.
And imported wealth from a wife's marriage is useless; for dissolutions are not easy.
§503μετρίων λέκτρων, μετρίων δὲ γάμων
μετὰ σωφροσύνης
κῦρσαι θνητοῖσιν ἄριστον.
To obtain a moderate bed and a moderate marriage with temperance is best for mortals.
§504ὦ τέκνον, ἀνθρώποισιν ἔστιν οἷς βίος
ὁ μικρὸς εὔκρας ἐγένεθ’, οἷς δ’ ὄγκος κακόν.
O child, to some men a small life becomes well-tempered, while to others puffiness is an evil.
§505τὰ προσπεσόντα δ’ ὅστις εὖ φέρει βροτῶν,
ἄριστος εἶναι σωφρονεῖν τ’ ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ.
Whosoever of mortals bears well the things that befall him seems to me to be the best and to be wise.
§506δοκεῖτε πηδᾶν τἀδικήματ’ εἰς θεοὺς
πτεροῖσι, κἄπειτ’ ἐν Διὸς δέλτου πτυχαῖς
γράφειν τιν’ αὐτά, Ζῆνα δ’ εἰσορῶντά νιν
θνητοῖς δικάζειν;
Do you think that injustices leap to the gods on wings, and then someone writes them in the folds of Zeus's tablet, and Zeus, looking at them, judges mortals?
οὐδ’ ὁ πᾶς ἂν οὐρανὸς
Διὸς γράφοντος τὰς βροτῶν ἁμαρτίας
ἐξαρκέσειεν οὐδ’ ἐκεῖνος ἂν σκοπῶν
πέμπειν ἑκάστῳ ζημίαν· ἀλλ’ ἡ Δίκη
ἐνταῦθά ποὔστιν ἐγγύς, εἰ βούλεσθ’ ὁρᾶν.
Not even the whole heaven would suffice if Zeus wrote down the sins of mortals, nor could he, looking at them, send punishment to each; but Justice is somewhere here close by, if you wish to see.
§507τί τοὺς θανόντας οὐκ ἐᾷς τεθνηκέναι
καὶ τἀκχυθέντα συλλέγεις ἀλγήματα;
Why do you not let the dead remain dead, and why do you gather up the spilt sufferings?
§508παλαιὸς αἶνος· ἔργα μὲν νεωτέρων,
βουλαὶ δ’ ἔχουσι τῶν γεραιτέρων κράτος.
An ancient proverb: deeds belong to the younger, but the counsels of the older hold sway.
§509τί δ’ ἄλλο;
What else?
φωνὴ καὶ σκιὰ γέρων ἀνήρ.
An old man is but a voice and a shadow.
§510παπαῖ, νέος καὶ σκαιὸς οἷός ἐστ’ ἀνήρ.
Alas, what a thing is a young and foolish man.
§511δοῦλον γὰρ ἐσθλὸν τοὔνομ’ οὐ διαφθερεῖ,
πολλοὶ δ’ ἀμείνους εἰσὶ τῶν ἐλευθέρων.
For the name will not ruin a noble slave, and many are better than the free.
§512ἀργὸς πολίτης κεῖνος, ὡς κακός γ’ ἀνήρ.
That idle citizen is indeed a bad man.
§513ἴσως ἀλάστορ’ οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν κτανεῖν.
Perhaps he did not dare to kill the avenging spirit.
§515Καλυδὼν μὲν ἥδε γαῖα, Πελοπίας χθονὸς
ἐν ἀντιπόρθμοις πεδί’ ἔχουσ’ εὐδαίμονα· Οἰνεὺς δ’ ἀνάσσει τῆσδε γῆς Αἰτωλίας,
Πορθάονος παῖς, ὅς ποτ’ Ἀλθαίαν γαμεῖ,
Λήδας ὅμαιμον, Θεστίου δὲ παρθένον.
This land is Calydon, having prosperous plains opposite the Pelopian earth; and Oeneus rules over this Aetolian land, the son of Porthaon, who once married Althaea, sister of Leda, and daughter of Thestius.
§516Οἰνεύς ποτ’ ἐκ γῆς πολύμετρον λαβὼν στάχυν
θύων ἀπαρχάς
Oeneus once, having received a rich harvest from the land, sacrificing the first fruits...
§517Μελέαγρε, μελέαν γάρ ποτ’ ἀγρεύεις ἄγραν
Meleager, for once you hunt a miserable hunt...
§518καὶ κτῆμα δ’, ὦ τεκοῦσα, κάλλιστον τόδε,
πλούτου δὲ κρεῖσσον· τοῦ μὲν ὠκεῖα πτέρυξ,
παῖδες δὲ χρηστοί, κἂν θάνωσι, δώμασιν
καλόν τι θησαύρισμα τοῖς τεκοῦσί τε
ἀνάθημα βιότου κοὔποτ’ ἐκλείπει δόμους.
And this possession, O mother, is most beautiful, and better than wealth; of the latter there is a swift wing, but good children, even if they die, are a beautiful treasure to the house and to those who bore them, a dedication of life, and never leave the home.
§519δειλοὶ γὰρ ἄνδρες οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἐν μάχῃ
ἀριθμόν, ἀλλ’ ἄπεισι κἂν παρῶσ’ ὅμως.
For cowardly men have no number in battle, but they are absent even if they are present.
§520ἡγησάμην οὖν, εἰ παραζεύξειέ τις
χρηστῷ πονηρὸν λέκτρον, οὐκ ἂν εὐτεκνεῖν,
ἐσθλοῖν δ’ ἀπ’ ἀμφοῖν ἐσθλὸν ἂν φῦναι γόνον.
I thought therefore, if one should yoke a bad mate with a good one, they would not produce good children, but from two good parents a noble offspring would be born.
§521ἔνδον μένουσαν τὴν γυναῖκ’ εἶναι χρεὼν
ἐσθλήν, θύρασι δ’ ἀξίαν τοῦ μηδενός.
The woman who stays inside ought to be good, but at the doors she is worth nothing.
§522εἰ κερκίδων μὲν ἀνδράσιν μέλοι πόνος,
γυναιξὶ δ’ ὅπλων ἐμπέσοιεν ἡδοναί· ἐκ τῆς ἐπιστήμης γὰρ ἐκπεπτωκότες
κεῖνοί τ’ ἂν οὐδὲν εἶεν οὔθ’ ἡμεῖς ἔτι.
If the labor of shuttles were the concern of men, and the pleasures of weapons should fall upon women; for having fallen out of their proper knowledge, both they would be nothing, nor would we be any longer.
§523κερκίδος ἀοιδοῦ μελέτας §524ἡ γὰρ Κύπρις πέφυκε τῷ σκότῳ φίλη,
τὸ φῶς δ’ ἀνάγκην προστίθησι σωφρονεῖν.
The cares of the singing shuttle For Cypris is by nature a friend of darkness, but light imposes the necessity of being moderate.
§525εἰ δ’ εἰς γάμους ἔλθοιμ’, ὃ μὴ τύχοι ποτέ,
τῶν ἐν δόμοισιν ἡμερευουσῶν ἀεὶ
βελτίον’ ἂν τέκοιμι λήμασιν τέκνα· ἐκ γὰρ πατρὸς καὶ μητρὸς ὅστις ἐκπονεῖ
σκληρὰς διαίτας οἱ γόνοι βελτίονες.
But if I should enter into marriage, which may it never happen, I would bear children better in spirit than those women who always spend their days inside the house; for from a father and a mother who labor through harsh lifestyles, the offspring are better.
§526τό τοι κράτιστον, κἂν γονῇ κακός τις ᾖ,
τοῦτ’ ἔστιν ἀρετή· τὸ δ’ ὄνομ’ οὐ διαφθερεῖ.
Indeed, the most excellent thing, even if someone is low-born by birth, is virtue; and the name will not ruin it.