§864παίζω· μεταβολὰς γὰρ πόνων ἀεὶ φιλῶ.
I play; for I always love the changes of labors.
§865φήμη τὸν ἐσθλὸν κἀν μυχοῖς δείκνυσι γῆς.
Rumor points out the good man even in the depths of the earth.
§866ἀλλ’ ἥδε μ’ ἐξέσῳσεν, ἥδε μοι τροφός,
μήτηρ, ἀδελφή, δμωίς, ἄγκυρα στέγης.
But she saved me, she is my nurse, mother, sister, handmaid, and the anchor of the house.
§867ἀλλ’ ἄγχιμος γὰρ ἥδε Φοιβεία γυνή
But look, near at hand is this Phoebian woman.
§868θεοὶ χθόνιοι
ζοφερὰν ἀδίαυλον ἔχοντες
ἕδραν φθειρομένων Ἀχεροντίαν λίμνην
Chthonic gods, possessing the dark, non-returnable seat of the perishing, the Acherontian lake.
§869ἄδωρος χάρις §870δράκοντος αἱματωπὸν ὄμμα §871αἱματοσταγῆ
κηλῖδα τέγγῃ §872ἀκόμπαστος λόγος §873ἀκόμπαστος φάτις §874οὔ σοι παραινῶ μηχανωμένῃ κακὰ
ἐχθροῖσι, σαυτῇ προσβαλεῖν ἀλάστορα.
A giftless grace The blood-red eye of the dragon You wet the blood-dripping stain An unboastful speech An unboastful rumor I do not advise you, who are plotting evils against your enemies, to bring down an avenging spirit upon yourself.
§875Κύπρις, ὡς ἡδεῖα καὶ μοχθηρὸς 〈εἶ〉.
Cypris, how sweet and how wretched you are.
The trembling run of an old foot But ether begets you, maiden, which is named Zeus among men.
§878τίς ἔσθ’ ὁ μέλλων σκόλοπος ἢ λευσμοῦ τυχεῖν;
Who is he that is about to meet with the stake or stoning?
§879ὁ λῷστος οὗτος καὶ φιλοξενέστατος §880οὐκ ἐν γυναιξὶ τοὺς νεανίας χρεὼν
ἀλλ’ ἐν σιδήρῳ κὰν ὅπλοις τιμὰς ἔχειν.
This best and most hospitable man It is not among women that young men should have honors, but in iron and in arms.
The purple sea But it is shameful to speak, and heavy to keep silent.
§884τηλοῦ γὰρ οἰκῶν βίοτον ἐξιδρυσάμην.
For living far away, I established my livelihood.
§885ἄληθες, ὦ παῖ τῆς θαλασσίας θεοῦ;
Is it true, O son of the sea goddess?
§886μισῶ πολίτην ὅστις ὠφελεῖν πάτραν
βραδὺς φανεῖται, μεγάλα δὲ βλάπτειν ταχύς,
καὶ πόριμον αὑτῷ, τῇ πόλει δ’ ἀμήχανον.
I hate a citizen who appears slow to benefit his fatherland, but swift to do it great harm, and resourceful for himself, but helpless for the city.
§887ὅταν τὰ νῦν ἄπιστα πίσθ’ ἡγώμεθα,
τὰ δ’ ὄντα πίστ’ ἄπιστα
Whenever we deem what is now incredible to be credible, and what is currently credible to be incredible.
§888βέβληκ’ Ἀχιλλεὺς δύο κύβω καὶ τέσσαρα
Achilles has thrown two aces and a four.
§889πεσεῖν ἐς εὐνὴν καὶ γαμήλιον λέχος
To fall into the bed and bridal couch.
§890λόγων δίκαιον μισθὸν ἂν λόγους φέροις,
ἔργον δ’ ἐκεῖνος ἔργον ὃς παρέσχετο.
For words, you would bring words as a just reward, but he who provided a deed, a deed.
§892ἐπεὶ τί δεῖ βροτοῖσι πλὴν δυοῖν μόνον,
Δήμητρος ἀκτῆς πώματός θ’ ὑδρηχόου,
ἅπερ πάρεστι καὶ πέφυχ’ ἡμᾶς τρέφειν;
For what else do mortals need except two things only: Demeter's grain and the water-pouring drink, which are present and are made to nourish us?
ὧν οὐκ ἀπαρκεῖ πλησμονή· τρυφῇ δέ τοι
ἄλλων ἐδεστῶν μηχανὰς θηρεύομεν.
Of these, abundance is not enough; but because of luxury, we hunt for devices of other foods.
§893ἀρκεῖ μετρία βιοτά μοι
σώφρονος τραπέζης,
τὸ δ’ ἄκαιρον ἅπαν ὑπερβάλλον
τε μὴ προσείμαν.
A moderate life of a temperate table is enough for me, and may I not admit anything unseasonable and excessive.
§894τἀλλότρια. . τὸν καλῶς εὐδαίμονα
The things of others... the truly happy man...
§895ἐν πλησμονῇ τοι Κύπρις, ἐν πεινῶντι δ’ οὔ.
Indeed, Cypris is in fullness, but not in a hungry man.
§896Βακχίου φιλανθέμου
Αἴθοπα πεπαίνοντ’ ὀρχάτους ὀπωρινούς,
ἐξ οὗ βροτοὶ καλοῦσιν οἶνον αἴθοπα.
...of flower-loving Bacchus, ripening the autumn orchards with fiery gleam, from which mortals call wine fiery.
§897παίδευμα δ’ Ἔρως σοφίας ἀρετῆς
πλεῖστον ὑπάρχει,
καὶ προσομιλεῖν οὗτος ὁ δαίμων
πάντων ἥδιστος ἔφυ θνητοῖς· καὶ γὰρ ἄλυπον τέρψιν τιν’ ἔχων
εἰς ἐλπίδ’ ἄγει.
And Eros is the greatest education in wisdom and virtue, and this divinity was born sweetest of all for mortals to associate with; for having a certain painless pleasure, he leads to hope.
τοῖς δ’ ἀτελέστοις
τῶν τοῦδε πόνων μήτε συνείην
χωρίς τ’ ἀγρίων ναίοιμι τρόπων.
May I not associate with those uninitiated in his labors, and may I dwell apart from wild ways.
τὸ δ’ ἐρᾶν προλέγω τοῖσι νέοισιν
μήποτε φεύγειν,
χρῆσθαι δ’ ὀρθῶς, ὅταν ἔλθῃ.
And I tell the young beforehand never to flee from loving, but to use it rightly when it comes.
§898τὴν Ἀφροδίτην οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅση θεός;
Do you not see how great a goddess Aphrodite is?
ἣν οὐδ’ ἂν εἴποις οὐδὲ μετρήσειας ἂν
ὅση πέφυκε κἀφ’ ὅσον διέρχεται.
Whom you could neither describe nor measure, how great she is and how far she extends.
αὕτη τρέφει σὲ κἀμὲ καὶ πάντας βροτούς.
She nourishes you and me and all mortals.
τεκμήριον δέ, μὴ λόγῳ μόνον μάθῃς,
ἔργῳ δὲ δείξω τὸ σθένος τὸ τῆς θεοῦ. ἐρᾷ μὲν ὄμβρου γαῖ’, ὅταν ξηρὸν πέδον
ἄκαρπον αὐχμῷ νοτίδος ἐνδεῶς ἔχῃ· ἐρᾷ δ’ ὁ σεμνὸς οὐρανὸς πληρούμενος
ὄμβρου πεσεῖν εἰς γαῖαν Ἀφροδίτης ὕπο· ὅταν δὲ συμμιχθῆτον ἐς ταὐτὸν δύο,
φύουσιν ἡμῖν πάντα καὶ τρέφουσ’ ἅμα,
δι’ ὧν βρότειον ζῇ τε καὶ θάλλει γένος.
And as proof—that you may learn not by word alone, but I will show by deed the strength of the goddess: the earth loves rain, when the dry, fruitless plain is in drought, lacking moisture; and the holy heaven, filled with rain, loves to fall onto the earth under Aphrodite's power; and when the two are mingled together, they beget all things for us and nourish them at the same time, through which the mortal race lives and flourishes.
§899εἴ μοι τὸ Νεστόρειον εὔγλωσσον μέλος
Ἀντήνορός τε τοῦ Φρυγὸς δοίη θεός,
οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην μὴ στέγοντα πιμπλάναι,
σοφοὺς ἐπαντλῶν ἀνδρὶ μὴ σοφῷ λόγους.
If a god should give me the sweet-tongued song of Nestor and of Antenor the Phrygian, I would not be able to fill that which does not hold, pouring wise words upon an unwise man.
§900ὥφειλε δῆθεν, εἴπερ ἔστ’ ἐν οὐρανῷ
Ζεύς, μὴ τὸν αὐτὸν δυστυχῆ καθιστάναι.
Surely, if Zeus is in heaven, he ought not to make the same person unfortunate.
§901πολλάκι μοι πραπίδων διῆλθε φροντίς,
εἴτε τύχα 〈τις〉 εἴτε δαίμων τὰ βρότεια κραίνει,
παρά τ’ ἐλπίδα καὶ παρὰ δίκαν
τοὺς μὲν ἀπ’ οἴκων δ’ ἐναπίπτοντας
ἀτὰρ θεοῦ, τοὺς δ’ εὐτυχοῦντας ἄγει.
Often there has passed through my mind the thought: whether some chance or a deity governs mortal affairs, leading some, who fall headlong from their homes, contrary to hope and justice, while leading others, though without a god's aid, to good fortune.
§902τὸν ἐσθλὸν ἄνδρα, κἂν ἑκὰς ναίῃ χθονός,
κἂν μήποτ’ ὄσσοις εἰσίδω, κρίνω φίλον.
The good man, even if he dwells far away in the land, and even if I never look upon him with my eyes, I judge to be a friend.
§903ἄφρων ἂν εἴην, εἰ τρέφοιν τὰ τῶν πέλας.
I would be foolish if I were to nourish the things of my neighbors.
§904ἀλλ’ ἄκρας εὐηθίας
ἅπτοιτ’ ἂν ὅστις τὴν φύσιν νικᾶν θέλει.
But he would touch the height of silliness who wishes to conquer nature.
§905μισῶ σοφιστήν, ὅστις οὐχ αὑτῷ σοφός.
I hate a wise man who is not wise for himself.
§906ψῦχος δὲ λεπτῷ χρωτὶ πολεμιώτατον.
Cold is most hostile to delicate skin.
§907κρέασι βοείοις χλωρὰ σῦκ’ ἐπήσθιεν
ἄμουσ’ ὑλακτῶν ὥστε βαρβάρῳ μαθεῖν.
He ate fresh figs along with beef, barking uncouthly so that even a barbarian could understand.