§564ὅταν κακοὶ πράξωσιν, ὦ ξένοι, καλῶς,
ἄγαν κρατοῦντες κοὺ νομίζοντες δίκην
δώσειν ἔδρασαν πάντ’ ἐφέντες ἡδονῇ.
When wicked men fare well, my friends, ruling excessively and not thinking they will pay the penalty, they do all things, giving way to pleasure.
§565〈ΔΙΟΜ.〉 σὺ δ’ ὧδ’ ἔρημος ξυμμάχων ἀπόλλυσαι; 〈ΟΙΝ.〉 οἳ μὲν γὰρ οὐκέτ’ εἰσίν, οἱ δ’ ὄντες κακοί.
<DIOMEDES>: But do you, thus desolate of allies, perish? <OENEUS>: For some are no longer here, and those who are, are wicked.
§566ὡς οὐδὲν ἀνδρὶ πιστὸν ἄλλο πλὴν τέκνων· κέρδους δ’ ἕκατι καὶ τὸ συγγενὲς νοσεῖ.
How nothing else is trustworthy to a man except children; and for the sake of gain, even kinship is sick.
§567τὰς βροτῶν
γνώμας σκοπῶν ὥστε Μαγνῆτις λίθος
τὴν δόξαν ἕλκει καὶ μεθίησιν πάλιν.
Observing the minds of mortals, just like a Magnesian stone, it attracts opinion and releases it again.
§569ἀθράνευτον §570ἀκρίζων §571ἀμηχανῶ δ’ ἔγωγε κοὐκ ἔχω μαθεῖν,
εἴτ’ οὖν ἄμεινόν ἐστι γίγνεσθαι τέκνα
θνητοῖσιν εἴτ’ ἄπαιδα καρποῦσθαι βίον.
Unsanctified Grazing the heights I myself am at a loss and cannot learn, whether indeed it is better for children to be born to mortals, or to enjoy a childless life.
ὁρῶ γὰρ οἷς μὲν οὐκ ἔφυσαν, ἀθλίους· ὅσοισι δ’ εἰσίν, οὐδὲν εὐτυχεστέρους.
For I see those to whom they were not born miserable, and those who have them, not a bit happier.
καὶ γὰρ κακοὶ γεγῶτες ἐχθίστη νόσος,
κἂν αὖ γένωνται σώφρονες, κακὸν μέγα,
λυποῦσι τὸν φύσαντα μὴ πάθωσί τι.
For if they turn out wicked, they are the most hateful disease; and if again they turn out sensible, it is a great evil, as they worry the parent lest they suffer something.
§572ἕν ἐστι πάντων πρῶτον εἰδέναι τουτί,
φέρειν τὰ συμπίπτοντα μὴ παλιγκότως·
One thing is first of all to know this: to bear what falls upon us without resentment.
χοὗτός γ’ ἀνὴρ ἄριστος αἵ τε συμφοραὶ
ἧσσον δάκνουσιν.
And this man is indeed best, and misfortunes bite him less.
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα γὰρ λέγειν
ἐπιστάμεσθα, δρᾶν δ’ ἀμηχάνως ἔχει.
But we know how to speak of these things, but to do them is impossible.
§573ἀλλ’ ἔστι γὰρ δὴ κὰν κακοῖσιν ἡδονὴ
θνητοῖς ὀδυρμοὶ δακρύων τ’ ἐπιρροαί· ἀλγηδόνας δὲ ταῦτα κουφίζει φρενῶν
καὶ καρδίας ἔλυσε τοὺς ἄγαν πόνους.
But indeed, even in evils, there is a pleasure for mortals—laments and outpourings of tears; and these lighten the pains of the mind and release the excessive griefs of the heart.
§574τεκμαιρόμεσθα τοῖς παροῦσι τἀφανῆ.
We infer the unseen from the present.
§575ὅστις δὲ θνητῶν βούλεται δυσώνυμον
εἰς γῆρας ἐλθεῖν, οὐ λογίζεται καλῶς· μακρὸς γὰρ αἰὼν μυρίους τίκτει πόνους.
Whosoever of mortals wishes to reach an ill-omened old age does not reckon well; for a long life breeds countless pains.
§576ὁ πλεῖστα πράσσων πλεῖσθ’ ἁμαρτάνει βροτῶν.
The mortal who does the most things commits the most errors.
§577ἐγὼ μὲν εὖτ’ ἂν τοὺς κακοὺς ὁρῶ βροτῶν
πίπτοντας, εἶναι φημὶ δαιμόνων γένος.
For my part, when I see the wicked among mortals falling, I say that there is a race of gods.
§578τὰ τῆς γε λήθης φάρμακ’ ὀρθώσας μόνος,
ἄφωνα φωνήεντα συλλαβὰς τιθεὶς
ἐξηῦρον ἀνθρώποισι γράμματ’ εἰδέναι,
ὥστ’ οὐ παρόντα ποντίας ὑπὲρ πλακὸς
τἀκεῖ κατ’ οἴκους πάντ’ ἐπίστασθαι καλῶς,
παισίν τ’ ἀποθνῄσκοντα χρημάτων μέτρον
γράψαντας εἰπεῖν, τὸν λαβόντα δ’ εἰδέναι.
Having alone set right the remedies for forgetfulness, combining speechless and vocal things into syllables, I invented letters for men to know, so that one not present, beyond the expanse of the sea, might know well all things at home, and that a dying man might write and tell the measure of his wealth to his children, and the receiver might know it.
ἃ δ’ εἰς ἔριν πίπτουσιν ἀνθρώποις κακὰ
δέλτος διαιρεῖ, κοὐκ ἐᾷ ψευδῆ λέγειν.
And the evils that men fall into in strife, a tablet decides, and does not allow anyone to speak falsely.
§579πάλαι πάλαι δή σ’ ἐξερωτῆσαι θέλων,
σχολή μ’ ἀπεῖργε
Long, long indeed have I wished to ask you, but lack of leisure prevented me.
§580Ἀγάμεμνον, ἀνθρώποισι πᾶσιν αἱ τύχαι
μορφὴν ἔχουσι, συντρέχει δ’ εἰς ἓν τόδε· τούτου δὲ πάντες, οἵ τε μουσικῆς φίλοι
ὅσοι τε χωρὶς ζῶσι, χρημάτων ὕπερ
μοχθοῦσιν, ὃς δ’ ἂν πλεῖστ’ ἔχῃ σοφώτατος.
Agamemnon, for all men, fortunes have various shapes, but they run together into this one: all of them, both friends of the Muses and those who live without them, toil for the sake of wealth, and whoever has the most is the wisest.
§581στρατηλάται τἄν μυρίοι γενοίμεθα,
σοφὸς δ’ ἂν εἷς τις ἢ δύ’ ἐν μακρῷ χρόνῳ.
General-commanders we might become by the tens of thousands, but a wise man would be one or two in a long time.
§582εἰ τῶν πολιτῶν οἶσι νῦν πιστεύομεν,
τούτοις ἀπιστήσαιμεν, οἷς δ’ οὐ χρώμεθα,
τούτοισι χρησαίμεσθ’, ἴσως σωθεῖμεν ἄν.
If we should distrust those of the citizens whom we now trust, and use those whom we do not employ, we might perhaps be saved.
§583ὅστις λέγει μὲν εὖ, τὰ δ’ ἔργ’ ἐφ’ οἷς λέγει
αἴσχρ’ ἐστί, τούτου τὸ σοφὸν οὐκ αἰνῶ ποτέ.
Whosoever speaks well, but the deeds upon which he speaks are shameful, I never praise the wisdom of this man.
§584εἷς τοι δίκαιος μυρίων οὐκ ἐνδίκων
κρατεῖ τὸ θεῖον τὴν δίκην τε συλλαβών.
One just man indeed, having obtained the divine and justice, prevails over ten thousand unjust men.
§585τοῦ γὰρ δικαίου κὰν βροτοῖσι κἀν θεοῖς
ἀθάνατος ἀεὶ δόξα διατελεῖ μόνου.
For of the just man alone, both among mortals and among gods, an immortal glory always endures.
O daughter of Dionysus' Thyiad, who along Mount Ida rejoices with his dear mother at the shouts of tambourines.
κώπην χρυσόκολλον §588ἐκάνετ’ ἐκάνετε τὰν
πάνσοφον, ὦ Δαναοί,
τὰν οὐδέν’ ἀλγύνουσαν ἀηδόνα μουσᾶν.
...a gold-studded oar You killed, you killed the all-wise one, O Danaans, the nightingale of the Muses who pained no one.
§590ἔμβολα §591ἐμοὶ πατρὶς μὲν Ἄργος, ὄὔομα δ’ Ἡρακλῆς,
θεῶν δὲ πάντων πατρὸς ἐξέφυν Διός· ἐμῇ γὰρ ἦλθε μητρὶ κεδνὸν εἰς λέχος
Ζεύς, ὡς λέλεκται τῆς ἀληθείας ὕπο.
Rams (of ships) To me, my homeland is Argos, and my name is Heracles, and I was born from Zeus, the father of all gods; for Zeus came to my mother's dear bed, as is told by the truth.
ἥκω δὲ δεῦρο πρὸς βίαν Εὐρυσθέως.
And I have come here by the violence of Eurystheus.
§592ἵνα πλημοχόας τάσδ’ εἰς χθόνιον
χάσμ’ εὐφήμως προχέωμεν
In order that we may solemnly pour out these plemochoae into the chasm of the earth.
§593σὲ τὸν αὐτοφυᾶ τὸν ἐν αἰθερίῳ
ῥύμβῳ πάντων φύσιν ἐμπλέξανθ’,
ὃν πέρι μὲν φῶς, πέρι δ’ ὀρφναία
νὺξ αἰολόχρως, ἄκριτός τ’ ἄστρων
ὄχλος ἐνδελεχῶς ἀμφιχορεύει
You, the self-begotten, who in the ethereal whirling have entwined the nature of all things, around whom light, and dark-gleaming night, and the countless host of stars continuously dance.
§594ἀκάμας τε χρόνος περί γ’ ἀενάῳ
ῥεύματι πλήρης φοιτᾷ τίκτων
αὐτὸς ἑαυτόν, δίδυμοί τ’ ἄρκτοι
ταῖς ὠκυπλάνοις πτερύγων ῥιπαῖς
τὸν Ἀτλάντειον τηροῦσι πόλον
And untiring time, in an ever-flowing stream, full, wanders, generating itself, and the twin Bears with the swift-wandering beat of their wings guard the Atlantean pole.
§595αἰδοῦς ἀχαλκεύτοισιν ἔζευκται πέδαις
Is bound with the un-forged fetters of shame.