§792φαγέδαιν’ ἀεί μου σάρκα θοινᾶται ποδός
A gangrene is constantly feasting on the flesh of my foot.
§793μακάριος ὅστις εὐτυχῶν οἴκοι μένει· ἐν γῇ δ’ ὁ φόρτος, καὶ πάλιν ναυτίλλεται.
Blessed is he who, being prosperous, remains at home; but though his cargo is on land, he sails again.
§794ὁρᾶτε δ’ ὡς κἀν θεοῖσι κερδαίνειν καλόν,
θαυμάζεται δ’ ὁ πλεῖστον ἐν ναοῖς ἔχων
χρυσόν.
And see how even among the gods it is fine to make a profit, and he is admired who has the most gold in his temples.
τί δῆτα καὶ σὲ κωλύει 〈λαβεῖν〉
κέρδος, παρόν γε κἀξομοιοῦσθαι θεοῖς;
What then prevents you too from taking profit, since it is present, and making yourself like the gods?
§795τί δῆτα θάκοις μαντικοῖς ἐνήμενοι
σαφῶς διόμνυσθ’ εἰδέναι τὰ δαιμόνων;
Why indeed, sitting on prophetic seats, do you swear solemnly that you know clearly the matters of the gods?
οὐ τῶνδε χειρώνακτες ἄνθρωποι λόγων· ὅστις γὰρ αὐχεῖ θεῶν ἐπίστασθαι πέρι,
οὐδέν τι μᾶλλον οἶδεν ἢ πείθειν λέγων.
Men are not masters of these words; for whoever boasts that he knows about the gods knows nothing more than how to persuade by speaking.
§796ὑπέρ γε μέντοι παντὸς Ἑλλήνων στρατοῦ
αἰσχρὸν σιωπᾶν, βαρβάρους δ’ ἐᾶν λέγειν.
Yet indeed, on behalf of the whole Greek army, it is shameful to keep silent and to allow barbarians to speak.
§797λέξω δ’ ἐγώ, κἄν μου διαφθείρας δοκῇ
λόγους ὑποστὰς αὐτὸς ἠδικηκέναι· ἀλλ’ ἐξ ἐμοῦ γὰρ τἀμὰ μαθήσῃ κλύων,
ὃ δ’ αὐτὸς αὑτὸν ἐμφανιεῖ σοι λέγων.
And I will speak, even if, by corrupting my words, he who undertook it seems to have done wrong himself; but from me you will learn my affairs by hearing them, while he will reveal himself to you by speaking.
§798πατρὶς καλῶς πράσσουσα τὸν τυχόντ’ ἀεὶ
μείζω τίθησι, δυστυχοῦσα δ’ ἀσθενῆ.
A fatherland, when faring well, always makes even an ordinary man greater, but when faring badly, makes him weak.
§799ὥσπερ δὲ θνητὸν καὶ τὸ σῶμ’ ἡμῶν ἔφυ,
οὕτω προσήκει μηδὲ τὴν ὀργὴν ἔχειν
ἀθάνατον ὅστις σωφρονεῖν ἐπίσταται.
And just as our body was born mortal, so it is fitting that whoever knows how to be wise should not keep his anger immortal.
§800φεῦ, μήποτ’ εἴην ἄλλο πλὴν θεοῖς φίλος
ὡς πᾶν τελοῦσι, κἂν βραδύνωσιν χρόνῳ.
Alas, may I never be anything but a friend to the gods, since they accomplish everything, even if they are slow in time.
§801ἀπέπνευσεν αἰῶνα
He breathed out his life.
§802αἱρεῖς
You capture.
§803ἀκριβές
Precise.
§804μοχθηρόν ἐστιν ἀνδρὶ πρεσβύτῃ τέκνα
δίδωσιν ὅστις οὐκέθ’ ὡραῖος γαμεῖ· δέσποινα γὰρ γέροντι νυμφίῳ γυνή.
It is a troublesome thing for an old man to produce children, whoever marries when no longer in his prime; for the wife becomes mistress to an old bridegroom.
§805ὦ γῆρας, οἷον τοῖς ἔχουσιν εἶ κακόν.
O old age, what an evil you are to those who possess you!
§806ἀλλ’ οὔποτ’ αὐτὸς ἀμπλακὼν ἄλλον βροτὸν
παραινέσαιμ’ ἂν παισὶ προσθεῖναι κράτη
πρὶν ἂν κατ’ ὄσσων τυγχάνῃ με καὶ σκότος,
εἰ χρὴ διελθεῖν πρὸς τέκνων νικώμενον.
But never would I myself, having erred, advise another mortal to hand over power to his children before darkness happens to cover my eyes, if indeed one must go through life being defeated by one's children.
§807πικρὸν νέᾳ γυναικὶ πρεσβύτης ἀνήρ.
An old husband is bitter to a young wife.
§808γυνή τε πάντων ἀγριώτατον κακόν.
And woman is the wildest evil of all.
§809. . . . 〈οἱ〉 πεῖραν οὐ δεδωκότες
μᾶλλον δοκοῦντες ἢ πεφυκότες σοφοί
...those who have given no proof, seeming wise rather than being so by nature...
§810μέγιστον ἆρ’ ἦν ἡ φύσις· τὸ γὰρ κακὸν
οὐδεὶς τρέφων εὖ χρηστὸν ἂν θείη ποτέ.
Nature, then, was the greatest thing; for no one, by rearing a bad thing well, could ever make it good.
§811τἀφ]ανῆ τεκμηρίοισιν εἰκότως ἁλίσκεται.
What is unseen is reasonably captured by clues.
§812ἤδη δὲ πολλῶν ᾑρέθην λόγων κριτὴς
καὶ πόλλ’ ἁμιλληθέντα μαρτύρων ὕπο
τἀναντί’ ἔγνων συμφορᾶς μιᾶς πέρι.
Already I have been chosen as a judge of many arguments, and I have known many things contested by witnesses, with opposite views about a single event.
κἀγὼ μὲν οὕτω χὥστις ἔστ’ ἀνὴρ σοφὸς
λογίζομαι τἀληθές, εἰς ἀνδρὸς φύσιν
σκοπῶν δίαιτάν θ’ ἥντιν’ ἡμερεύεται. . .
And I, and whoever is a wise man, calculate the truth in this way: by looking into a man's nature and the kind of daily life he leads...
ὅστις δ’ ὁμιλῶν ἥδεται κακοῖς ἀνήρ,
οὐ πώποτ’ ἠρώτησα, γιγνώσκων ὅτι
τοιοῦτός ἐστιν οἷσπερ ἥδεται ξυνών.
But as for a man who delights in associating with the wicked, I have never questioned him, knowing that he is such as those with whom he delights to associate.
§813ὦ πλοῦθ’, ὅσῳ μὲν ῥᾷστον εἶ βάρος φέρειν,
πόνοι δὲ κἀν σοὶ καὶ φθοραὶ πολλαὶ βίου
ἔνεισ’·
O wealth, how very easy a burden you are to bear!
ὁ γὰρ πᾶς ἀσθενὴς αἰὼν βροτοῖς.
Yet in you also there are many labors and ruins of life; for the whole lifespan of mortals is weak.
§814φθόνον οὐ σέβω,
φθονεῖσθαι δὲ θέλοιμ’ ἂν ἐπ’ ἐσθλοῖς.
I do not revere envy, but I would wish to be envied for noble things.
§815δμωσὶν δ’ ἐμοῖσιν εἶπον ὡς ταυτηρίαις
πυρίδες καὶ διιπετῆ κτεῖναι
And I told my servants to quench the fire with water-jars, and to slay it with rain-fallen waters.
§816καίτοι ποτ’ εἴ τιν’ εἰσίδοιμ’ ἀνὰ πτόλιν
τυφλὸν προηγητῆρος ἐξηρτημένον,
ἀδημονοῦντα συμφοραῖς ἐλοιδόρουν,
ὡς δειλὸς εἴη θάνατον ἐκποδὼν ἔχων.
And yet, if ever I saw anyone in the city, blind and clinging to a guide, distressed by his misfortunes, I used to mock him, saying that he was a coward because he had death out of his way.
καὶ νῦν λόγοισι τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἐναντίως
πέπτωχ’ ὁ τλήμων·
And now, contrary to my own words, I have fallen, wretched one!
ὦ φιλόζωοι βροτοί,
οἳ τὴν ἐπιστείχουσαν ἡμέραν ἰδεῖν
ποθεῖτ’ ἔχοντες μυρίων ἄχθος κακῶν.
O life-loving mortals, who long to see the coming day though bearing the burden of ten thousand evils!
οὕτως ἔρως βροτοῖσιν ἔγκειται βίου· τὸ ζῆν γὰρ ἴσμεν, τοῦ θανεῖν δ’ ἀπειρίᾳ
πᾶς τις φοβεῖται φῶς λιπεῖν τόδ’ ἡλίου.
So strong is the love of life implanted in mortals; for we know living, but through inexperience of dying, everyone fears to leave this light of the sun.
§817σὺ δ’, ὦ πατρῴα χθὼν ἐμῶν γεννητόρων,
χαῖρ’·
And you, O ancestral land of my parents, farewell!
ἀνδρὶ γάρ τοι, κἂν ὑπερβάλλῃ κακοῖς,
οὐκ ἔστι τοῦ θρέψαντος ἥδιον πέδον.
For to a man, even if he is overwhelmed by evils, there is no ground sweeter than that which reared him.
§818ἀμνήστευτος γυνή §819Σιδώνιόν ποτ’ ἄστυ Κάδμος ἐκλιπών,
Ἀγήνορος παῖς, ἦλθε Θηβαίαν χθόνα
Φοῖνιξ πεφυκώς, ἐκ δ’ ἀμείβεται γένος
Ἑλληνικόν, Διρκαῖον οἰκήσας πέδον.
An unmarried woman Once, Cadmus, leaving the Sidonian city, the son of Agenor, came to the Theban land, being a Phoenician; and he changed his race to Greek, having inhabited the Dircean plain.
ᾗ δ’ ἦλθ’ ἀνάγκῃ πεδία Φοινίκης λιπών,
λέγοιμ’ ἄν.
By what necessity he came, leaving the plains of Phoenicia, I will tell.
ἦσαν τρεῖς Ἀγήνορος κόροι· Κίλιξ, ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ Κιλικία κικλήσκεται,
Φοῖνίξ 〈θ’〉, ὅθεν περ τοὔνομ’ ἡ χώρα φέρει,
καὶ Θάσος
There were three sons of Agenor: Cilix, from whom Cilicia also is named, and Phoenix, from whom indeed the country bears its name, and Thasus...
§821εἰ μὲν τόδ’ ἦμαρ πρῶτον ἦν κακουμένῳ
καὶ μὴ μακρὰν δὴ διὰ πόνων ἐναυστόλουν,
εἰκὸς σφαδᾴζειν ἦν ἂν ὡς νεόζυγα
πῶλον χαλινὸν ἀρτίως δεδεγμένον· νῦν δ’ ἀμβλύς εἰμι καὶ κατηρτυκὼς κακῶν.
If this day were the first of my suffering, and I had not already been sailing long through labors, it would be natural for me to struggle restlessly, like a newly yoked colt that has just received the bridle; but now I am blunt and broken in by evils.