§908τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι κρεῖσσον ἢ φῦναι βροτοῖς.
Not to be born is better than to be born for mortals.
ἔπειτα παῖδας σὺν πικραῖς ἀλγηδόσιν
τίκτω;
Then do I give birth to children with bitter pains?
τεκοῦσα δ’ ἢν μὲν ἄφρονας τέκω,
στένω ματαίως, εἰσορῶσα 〈μὲν〉 κακούς,
χρηστοὺς δ’ ἀπολλῦσ’· ἢν δὲ καὶ σεσωσμένους,
τήκω τάλαιναν καρδίαν ὀρρωδίᾳ.
Having given birth, if I bear foolish ones, I groan in vain, seeing them bad indeed, but losing the good ones; if on the other hand they are preserved, I melt my wretched heart in dread.
τί τοῦτο δὴ τὸ χρηστόν;
What is this good thing indeed?
οὐκ ἀρκεῖ μίαν
ψυχὴν ἀλύειν κἀπὶ τῇδ’ ἔχειν πόνους;
Is it not enough to vex one soul and to have troubles upon it?
§909οὐδεμίαν ὤνησε κάλλος εἰς πόσιν ξυνάορον,
ἁρετὴ δ’ ὤνησε πολλάς· πᾶσα γὰρ ἀγαθὴ γυνὴ
ἥτις ἀνδρὶ συντέτηκε σωφρονεῖν ἐπίσταται.
Beauty benefited no woman in respect to a husband as partner, but virtue benefited many; for every good woman who is fused together with her husband knows how to be temperate.
πρῶτα μέν γε τοῦθ’ ὑπάρχει· κἂν ἄμορφος ᾖ πόσις,
χρὴ δοκεῖν εὔμορφον εἶναι τῇ γε νοῦν κεκτημένῃ· οὐ γὰρ ὀφθαλμὸς τὸ κρίνειν. .
First indeed at least this is present: even if the husband is ugly, she who possesses sense must think him beautiful; for it is not the eye that judges, but the mind.
ἐστὶν ἀλλὰ νοῦς. εὖ λέγειν δ’, ὅταν τι λέξῃ, χρὴ δοκεῖν, κἂν μὴ λέγῃ,
κἀκπονεῖν ἂν τῷ ξυνόντι πρὸς χάριν μέλλῃ τελεῖν.
And she must think he speaks well whenever he says something, even if he does not speak, and she must toil if she is to accomplish anything to please her companion.
ἡδὺ δ’, ἢν κακὸν πάθῃ τι, συσκυθρωπάζειν πόσει
ἄλοχον ἐν κοινῷ τε λύπης ἡδονῆς τ’ ἔχειν μέρος. . .
And it is sweet for a wife to look gloomy with her husband if he suffers any evil, and to have a share in common of grief and pleasure...
σοὶ δ’ ἔγωγε καὶ νοσοῦντι συννοσοῦσ’ ἀνέξομαι
καὶ κακῶν τῶν σῶν ξυνοίσω, κοὐδὲν ἔσται μοι πικρόν.
And I will endure suffering with you when you are sick, and I will bear your evils with you, and nothing will be bitter to me.
§910ὄλβιος ὅστις τῆς ἱστορίας
ἔσχε μάθησιν,
μήτε πολιτῶν ἐπὶ πημοσύνην
μήτ’ εἰς ἀδίκους πράξεις ὁρμῶν,
ἀλλ’ ἀθανάτου καθορῶν φύσεως
κόσμον ἀγήρων, πῇ τε συνέστη
καὶ ὅπῃ καὶ ὅπως.
Blessed is he who has obtained the knowledge of inquiry, neither rushing to the ruin of the citizens nor into unjust deeds, but gazing upon the ageless order of immortal nature, in what way it was constituted, and from where, and how.
τοῖς δὲ τοιούτους οὐδέποτ’ αἰσχρῶν
ἔργων μελέδημα προσίζει.
To such men, the concern of shameful deeds never cleaves.
§911χρύσεαι δή μοι πτέρυγες περὶ νώτῳ
καὶ τὰ σειρήνων πτερόεντα πέδιλα [ἁρμόζεται],
βάσομαί τ’ εἰς αἰθέριον πόλον ἀρθεὶς
Ζηνὶ προσμείξων
Golden wings are indeed on my back, and the winged sandals of the Sirens [are fitted]; and raised up into the ethereal pole, I shall go to join Zeus.
§912σοὶ τῷ πάντων μεδέοντι χοὴν
πέλανόν τε φέρω, Ζεὺς εἴτ’ Ἀίδης
ὀνομαζόμενος στέργεις·
To you, the ruler of all, I bring a libation and a meal-cake, whether you rejoice being named Zeus or Hades.
σὺ δέ μοι
θυσίαν ἄπυρον παγκαρπείας
δέξαι πλήρη προχυθεῖσαν.
And do receive my fireless sacrifice, poured out full of all fruits.
σὺ γὰρ ἔν τε θεοῖς τοῖς οὐρανίδαις
σκῆπτρον τὸ Διὸς μεταχειρίζεις
χθονίων θ’ Ἅιδῃ μετέχεις ἀρχῆς.
For you indeed handle the scepter of Zeus among the heavenly gods, and you share in the rule of Hades among the earthly ones.
πέμψον δ’ ἐς φῶς ψυχὰς ἐνέρων
τοῖς βουλομένοις ἄθλους προμαθεῖν
πόθεν ἔβλαστον, τίς ῥίζα κακῶν,
τίνα δεῖ μακάρων ἐκθυσαμένους
εὑρεῖν μόχθων ἀνάπαυλαν.
Send into the light the souls of those below, for those who wish to learn beforehand of their struggles, from where they sprang, what is the root of evils, and to whom of the blessed gods they must sacrifice to find a respite from their labors.
§913τίς τάδε λεύσσων θεὸν οὐχὶ νοεῖ,
μετεωρολόγων δ’ ἑκὰς ἔρριψεν
σκολιὰς ἀπάτας;
Who, looking at these things, does not perceive a god, and does not cast far away the crooked deceits of the meteorologists?
ὧν ἀτηρὰ
γλῶσσ’ εἰκοβολεῖ περὶ τῶν ἀφανῶν
οὐδὲν γνώμης μετέχουσα.
Whose baneful tongue guesses about unseen things, sharing in no judgment.
§914κακὸν γυναῖκα πρὸς νέον ζεῦξαι νέαν· ὃ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλης λέκτρον ἱμείρει λαβεῖν,
ἢ δ’ ἐνδεὴς τοῦδ’ οὖσα βουλεύει κακά.
It is a bad thing to yoke a young woman to a young man; for he longs to take the bed of another woman, while she, being in need of this, plots evils.
§915νικᾷ δὲ χρεία μ’ ἡ κακῶς τ’ ὀλουμένη
γαστήρ, ἀφ’ ἧς δὴ πάντα γίγνεται κακά.
But necessity conquers me, and the wretchedly perishing belly, from which indeed all evils arise.
§916ὦ πολύμοχθος βιοτὴ θνητοῖς,
ὡς ἐπὶ παντὶ σφαλερὰ κεῖσαι,
καὶ τὰ μὲν αὔξεις, τὰ δ’ ἀποφθινύθεις·
O life of much toil for mortals, how precariously you lie upon everything!
κοὐκ ἔστιν ὅρος κείμενος οὐδεὶς
εἰς ὅντινα χρὴ κέλσαι θνητοῖς,
πλὴν ὅταν ἔλθῃ κρυερὰ Διόθεν
θανάτου πεμφθεῖσα τελευτή.
You increase some things and waste away others; and there is no boundary set for mortals at which they must arrive, except when the cold end of death sent from Zeus comes.
§917ὅσοι δ’ ἰατρεύειν καλῶς,
πρὸς τὰς διαίτας τῶν ἐνοικούντων πόλιν
τὴν γῆν ἰδόντας τὰς νόσους σκοπεῖν χρεών.
Those who wish to heal well must examine diseases looking at the land in relation to the lifestyles of those inhabiting the city.
§918πρὸς ταῦθ’ ὅτι χρὴ καὶ παλαμάσθων
καὶ πᾶν ἐπ’ ἐμοὶ τεκταινέσθων· τὸ γὰρ εὖ μετ’ ἐμοῦ
καὶ τὸ δίκαιον ξύμμαχον ἔσται,
κοὺ μή ποθ’ ἁλῶ κακὰ πράσσων.
Therefore let them plot what is necessary and construct everything against me; for the good is with me, and justice will be an ally, and I shall never be caught doing evil.
§919κορυφὴ δὲ θεῶν ὁ πέριξ χθόν’ ἔχων
φαεννὸς αἰθήρ
The summit of the gods is the bright ether holding the earth around.
§920ἡ φύσις ἐβούλεθ’, ᾗ νόμων οὐδὲν μέλει.
Nature wished it, which cares nothing for laws.
§921ἀωρὶ πόντου κύματ’ εὐρέος περᾷ. . . σμικραῖς ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιτρέπουσιν ἐλπίσιν
He crosses the waves of the wide sea unseasonably... they entrust themselves to small hopes.
§922τίς τοὐμὸν ὄνομα τοὐπονείδιστον βροτοῖς
οὐκ οἶδε Λαμίας τῆς Λιβυστικῆς γένος;
Who among mortals does not know my name, infamous among mortals, of the race of Libyan Lamia?
§923οὐκ ἐγγυῶμαι, ζημίαν φιλεγγύων
σκοπῶν· τὰ Πυθοῖ δ’ οὐκ ἐᾷ με γράμματα.
I do not give surety, considering the loss of those fond of giving surety; the letters at Pytho do not permit me.
§924μή μοι λεπτῶν θίγγανε μύθων, ψυχῇ
τί περισσὰ φρονεῖς;
Do not touch me with subtle words; why do you think superfluous things in your soul?
εἰ μὴ μέλλεις
σεμνύνεσθαι παρ’ ὁμοίοις.
Unless you are about to boast among your equals.
§926γλώσσῃ διαψαίρουσα μυκτήρων πόρους
Licking with her tongue the passages of her nostrils.
§927ἔνδον γυναικῶν καὶ παρ’ οἰκέταις λόγος
Talk inside the women's quarters and among the servants.
§928οὐ γὰρ ἀσφαλὲς
περαιτέρω τὸ κάλλος ἢ μέσον λαβεῖν.
For it is not safe to obtain beauty further or beyond the mean.
§929ἑῷος ἡνίχ’ ἱππότης ἐξέλαμψεν ἀστήρ
When the eastern equestrian star shone forth.
§930οἴμοι, δράκων μου γίγνεται τὸ ἥμισυ· τέκνον, περιπλάκηθι τῷ λοιπῷ πατρί.
Alas, half of me becomes a dragon; child, embrace your remaining father.