§596οὐκ οὖν τὸ μὴ ζῆν κρεῖσσόν ἐστ’ ἢ ζῆν κακῶς;
Is not non-existence better than living wretchedly?
§597τρόπος δὲ χρηστὸς ἀσφαλέστερος νόμου· τὸν μὲν γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἂν διαστρέψαι ποτὲ
λόγος δύναιτο, τὸν δ’ ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω
ῥήτωρ σπαράσσων πολλάκις λυμαίνεται.
And an upright character is more secure than law; for the former, no speech could ever distort, but the latter, a rhetorician, tearing it upside down, often ruins.
§598ὁ πρῶτος εἰπὼν οὐκ ἀγυμνάστῳ φρενὶ
ἔρριψεν ὅστις τόνδ’ ἐκαίνισεν λόγον,
ὡς τοῖσιν εὖ φρονοῦσι συμμαχεῖ τύχη.
He who first spoke and introduced this saying did not utter it with an untrained mind, namely that fortune allies with those who are wise.
restraint to disturb Medea indeed near the royal palace...
§602τί χρῆμα δράσας;
Having done what thing?
φράζε μοι σαφέστερον.
Tell me more clearly.
§603αἰνῶ· διδάξαι δ’ ὦ τέκνον σε βούλομαι.
I approve; but I wish to teach you, O child.
ὅταν μὲν ᾖς παῖς, μὴ πλέον παιδὸς φρονεῖν,
ἐν παρθένοις δὲ παρθένου τρόπους ἔχειν,
ὅταν δ’ ὑπ’ ἀνδρὸς χλαῖναν εὐγενοῦς πέσῃς,
. . . . . . . . . . . . τὰ δ’ ἄλλ’ ἀφεῖναι μηχανήματ’ ἀνδράσιν.
When you are a child, do not think more than a child; among maidens, keep the manners of a maiden; but when you fall under the cloak of a noble husband,............ leave other contrivances to men.
§604πρὸς κέντρα μὴ λάκτιζε τοῖς κρατοῦσί σου.
Do not kick against the pricks to those who rule over you.
§605τὸ δ’ ἔσχατον δὴ τοῦτο θαυμαστὸν βροτοῖς
τυραννίς, οὐχ εὕροις ἂν ἀθλιώτερον.
And this extreme, wondrous thing for mortals is tyranny; you could not find anything more wretched.
φίλους τε πορθεῖν καὶ κατακτανεῖν χρεών,
πλεῖστος φόβος πρόσεστι μὴ δράσωσί τι.
It is necessary to ruin and kill friends, and the greatest fear is present lest they do something.
§606οὐκ ἔστι τὰ θεῶν ἄδικ’, ἐν ἀνθρώποισι δὲ
κακοῖς νοσοῦντα σύγχυσιν πολλὴν ἔχει.
The affairs of the gods are not unjust, but being diseased among wicked men, they have much confusion.
§607ὁρῶσι δ’ οἱ διδόντες εἰς τὰ χρήματα.
And those who give look to wealth.
§608ἐν τοῖσι μὲν δεινοῖσιν ὡς φίλοι φίλων· ὅταν δὲ πράξωσ’ εὖ, διωθοῦνται χάριν
αὐτοὶ δι’ αὑτοὺς εὐτυχεῖν ἡγούμενοι.
In times of danger indeed, friends act as friends of friends; but when they fare well, they push aside gratitude, thinking they are successful through themselves.
§609ὁ γὰρ ξυνὼν κακὸς μὲν ἢν τύχῃ γεγώς,
τοιούσδε τοὺς ξυνόντας ἐκπαιδεύεται,
χρηστοὺς δὲ χρηστός·
For if the companion happens to be wicked, he educates his companions to be such, but if good, good.
ἀλλὰ τὰς ὁμιλίας
ἐσθλὰς διώκειν, ὦ νέοι, σπουδάζετε.
Therefore, O youths, strive to pursue noble associations.
§610φθείρου·
Go to ruin!
τὸ γὰρ δρᾶν οὐκ ἔχων λόγους ἔχεις.
For having no power to act, you have words.
§611ἀντεμμάσασθαι §612ἀρταμεῖν §613εὐστόχως §614κατηβολή §615λύσιμον §616ὄβρια §617οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνθρώποισι τοιοῦτος σκότος,
οὐ χῶμα γαίας κλῃστόν, ἔνθα τὴν φύσιν
ὁ δυσγενὴς κρύψας ἂν εἴη σοφός.
to wipe off on in turn to cut to pieces aptly accusation solvable young animals There is no such darkness for men, nor any closed mound of earth, where the low-born, having hidden his nature, could be wise.
§618τὸν ὄλβον οὐδὲν οὐδαμοῦ κρίνω βροτοῖς,
ὅν γ’ ἐξαλείφει ῥᾷον ἢ γραφὴν θεός.
I judge wealth to be nothing anywhere for mortals, which indeed a god erases more easily than a drawing.
§619τὸ γῆρας, ὦ παῖ, τῶν νεωτέρων φρενῶν
σοφώτερον πέφυκε κἀσφαλέστερον,
ἐμπειρία τε τῆς ἀπειρίας κρατεῖ
Old age, my child, is by nature wiser and more secure than the minds of the younger, and experience prevails over inexperience.
§620κλύετ’ ὦ μοῖραι Διὸς αἵ τε παρὰ
θρόνον ἀγχοτάτω θεῶν ἑζόμεναι
Hear, O Fates of Zeus, and you who sit closest to the throne of the gods.
§621. . τὰ δ’ ἔνθεν οὐκέτ’ ἂν φράσαι λόγῳ
δακρύων δυναίμην χωρίς
...and what followed I could no longer tell in speech without tears.
§622πάρεσμεν, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ᾐσθάνου παρόντα με.
We are present, but you did not perceive me being present.
§623βοάσομαί τἄρα τὰν ὑπέρτονον
βοάν·
I will cry out then with an high-pitched shout: Ho!
ἰώ, πύλαισιν ἤ τις ἐν δόμοις;
Is anyone at the gates or in the house?
It is enough I did not kill your father, but a enemy indeed.
§626δήμῳ δὲ μήτε πᾶν ἀναρτήσῃς κράτος
μήτ’ αὖ κακώσῃς, πλοῦτον ἔντιμον τιθείς,
μηδ’ ἄνδρα δήμῳ πιστὸν ἐκβάλῃς ποτὲ
μηδ’ αὖξε καιροῦ μείζον’, οὐ γὰρ ἀσφαλές,
μή σοι τύραννος λαμπρὸς ἐξ ἀστοῦ φανῇ.
Neither attach all power to the people, nor on the other hand maltreat them, making wealth honored; and never cast out a man trusted by the people, nor increase him beyond the proper limit, for it is not safe, lest a brilliant tyrant appear to you from among the citizens.
κόλουε δ’ ἄνδρα παρὰ δίκην τιμώμενον· πόλει γὰρ εὐτυχοῦντες οἱ κακοὶ νόσος.
And prune back the man who is honored contrary to justice; for the wicked, when successful, are a disease to the city.
§627εἰσὶν γὰρ εἰσὶ διφθέραι μελεγγραφεῖς
πολλῶν γέμουσαι Λοξίου γηρυμάτων
For there are, indeed there are, leather tablets written with black ink, full of many utterances of Loxias.
and to slaughter sheep upon the hearths of the gods...and burn down, and do whatever you wish.
§630ἐγὼ δὲ Σαρδιανός, οὐκέτ’ Ἀργόλας
And I am a man of Sardis, no longer of Argos.
§631πολὺς δὲ κοσσάβων ἀραγμὸς
Κύπριδος προσῳδὸν ἀχεῖ
μέλος ἐν δόμοισιν.
And much rattling of kottabos echoes in the house, a song attuned to Cypris.
§632πολλῶν τὰ χρήματ’ αἴτι’ ἀνθρώποις κακῶν.
Wealth is the cause of many evils to men.
blame Whosoever manages his own nature best, this man is by nature wise for his own interest.
§635οἱ τὰς τέχνας δ’ ἔχοντες ἀθλιώτεροι
τῆς φαυλότητος· καὶ γὰρ ἐν κοινῷ ψέγειν
ἅπασι κεῖσθαι δυστυχὲς κοὐκ εὐτυχές.
Those who possess skills are more miserable than mediocrity; for to lie open to all for blame in public is unfortunate and not lucky.
§636ἔα ἔα·
Ah, ah!
ὁρῶ γ’ ἐπ’ ἀκταῖς νομάδα κυματοφθόρον
ἁλιαίετον· τὸν παῖδα χερσεύειν μόρος.
I see on the shores a wandering, wave-destroying sea-eagle; the child's fate is to be on land.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ γῆς εἰς θάλασσαν ἔπτατο
ὁ κύματ’ οἰκῶν ὄρνις, ἡρμήνευσεν ἂν
τὸν παῖδ’ ἐν ὑγροῖς κύμασιν τεθνηκέναι·
For if the bird that dwells in the waves had flown from the land to the sea, it would have interpreted that the child had died in the wet waves.
νῦν δ’ ἐκλιπὼν ἤθη τε καὶ νομὸν βίου
δεῦρ’ ἔπτατ’· οὐκ οὖν ἔσθ’ ὁ παῖς ἐν οἴδμασιν.
But now, having left its haunts and customary way of life, it has flown hither; therefore the child is not in the swells.
§637φεῦ φεῦ, τὸ γῆρας ὡς ἔχει πολλὰς νόσους.
Alas, alas, how many diseases old age has.
§638τίς δ’ οἶδεν εἰ τὸ ζῆν μέν ἐστι κατθανεῖν,
τὸ κατθανεῖν δὲ ζῆν κάτω νομίζεται;
Who knows if living is indeed dying, and dying is judged as living below?
§639μάτην γὰρ οἴκῳ σὸν τόδ’ ἐκβαίη τέλος
For may this end of yours turn out in vain for the house.