§261μόνον βροτῶν ἔφασκε τοῦδʼ εἶναι πάθους· §262ὃς αὐτὸν ἐλθόντʼ ἐς δόμους ἐφέστιον, §263ξένον παλαιὸν ὄντα, πολλὰ μὲν λόγοις §264ἐπερρόθησε, πολλὰ δʼ ἀτηρᾷ φρενί, §265λέγων χεροῖν μὲν ὡς ἄφυκτʼ ἔχων βέλη §266τῶν ὧν τέκνων λείποιτο πρὸς τόξου κρίσιν, §267φωνεῖ δὲ δοῦλος ἀνδρὸς ὡς ἐλευθέρου §268ῥαίοιτο· δείπνοις δʼ ἡνίκʼ ἦν ᾠνωμένος, §269ἔρριψεν ἐκτὸς αὐτόν.
He kept saying that he alone of mortals was the cause of this suffering; for when he came as a guest to his hearth, though being an old guest-friend, he insulted him much with words and much with a ruinous mind, saying that though he had inescapable arrows in his hands, he fell short of his own children in the contest of the bow, and he proclaimed that a slave of a free man would crush him; and when he was drunk at the feast, he cast him out.
ὧν ἔχων χόλον, §270ὡς ἵκετʼ αὖθις Ἴφιτος Τιρυνθίαν §271πρὸς κλιτύν, ἵππους νομάδας ἐξιχνοσκοπῶν, §272τότʼ ἄλλοσʼ αὐτὸν ὄμμα, θατέρᾳ δὲ νοῦν §273ἔχοντʼ, ἀπʼ ἄκρας ἧκε πυργώδους πλακός.
Having anger because of these things, when Iphitus came again to the Tirynthian hill, tracking his wandering horses, then, while his eye was turned elsewhere and his mind was on another thing, he hurled him down from the top of the towering cliff.
§274ἔργου δʼ ἕκατι τοῦδε μηνίσας ἄναξ §275ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων Ζεὺς πατὴρ Ὀλύμπιος §276πρατόν νιν ἐξέπεμψεν οὐδʼ ἠνέσχετο, §277ὁθούνεκʼ αὐτὸν μοῦνον ἀνθρώπων δόλῳ §278ἔκτεινεν· εἰ γὰρ ἐμφανῶς ἠμύνατο, §279Ζεύς τἂν συνέγνω ξὺν δίκῃ χειρουμένῳ· §280ὕβριν γὰρ οὐ στέργουσιν οὐδὲ δαίμονες.
But because of this deed, the angry lord, Zeus, the father of all, the Olympian, sent him away to be sold, and did not tolerate it, because he killed him, alone of men, by guile; for if he had avenged himself openly, Zeus would surely have pardoned him for subduing him with justice; even the gods do not love insolence.
§281κεῖνοι δʼ ὑπερχλίοντες ἐκ γλώσσης κακῆς §282αὐτοὶ μὲν Ἅιδου πάντες εἴσʼ οἰκήτορες, §283πόλις δὲ δούλη· τάσδε δʼ ἅσπερ εἰσορᾷς §284ἐξ ὀλβίων ἄζηλον εὑροῦσαι βίον §285χωροῦσι πρὸς σέ· ταῦτα γὰρ πόσις τε σὸς §286ἐφεῖτʼ, ἐγὼ δὲ πιστὸς ὢν κείνῳ τελῶ.
But they, boasting excessively with evil tongue, are now themselves all inhabitants of Hades, and their city is enslaved; and these women whom you see, having found an unenviable life from happy circumstances, are coming to you; for your husband commanded these things, and I, being faithful to him, am performing them.
§287αὐτὸν δʼ ἐκεῖνον, εὖτʼ ἂν ἁγνὰ θύματα §288ῥέξῃ πατρῴῳ Ζηνὶ τῆς ἁλώσεως, §289φρόνει νιν ὡς ἥξοντα· τοῦτο γὰρ λόγου §290πολλοῦ καλῶς λεχθέντος ἥδιστον κλύειν.
But as for him himself, when holy sacrifices he has offered to ancestral Zeus for the capture, expect him to come; for of all this long and well-spoken speech, this is the sweetest to hear.
Queen, now a clear joy has come to you, both from what is present and from what you have learned by report.
And how should I not rejoice, hearing of my husband's successful fortune, with all-righteous mind?
§295πολλή ʼστʼ ἀνάγκη τῇδε τοῦτο συντρέχειν.
There is a great necessity that this should go along with that.
Yet, for those who consider well, there is room to fear for him who fares well, lest he should stumble.
§298ἐμοὶ γὰρ οἶκτος δεινὸς εἰσέβη, φίλαι, §299ταύτας ὁρώσῃ δυσπότμους ἐπὶ ξένης §300χώρας ἀοίκους ἀπάτοράς τʼ ἀλωμένας, §301αἳ πρὶν μὲν ἦσαν ἐξ ἐλευθέρων ἴσως §302ἀνδρῶν, τανῦν δὲ δοῦλον ἴσχουσιν βίον.
For a terrible pity has entered me, my friends, as I look upon these ill-fated women in a foreign land, homeless and fatherless wanderers, who before were perhaps born of free men, but now possess a slave's life.
§303ὦ Ζεῦ τροπαῖε, μή ποτʼ εἰσίδοιμί σε §304πρὸς τοὐμὸν οὕτω σπέρμα χωρήσαντά ποι, §305μηδʼ, εἴ τι δράσεις, τῆσδέ γε ζώσης ἔτι.
O Zeus who turnest the enemy back, may I never see you marching thus against my own offspring, nor, if you will do anything, while I am still alive.
§306οὕτως ἐγὼ δέδοικα τάσδʼ ὁρωμένη.
Thus am I afraid, looking upon these women.
§307ὦ δυστάλαινα, τίς ποτʼ εἶ νεανίδων;
O unfortunate girl, who on earth are you of the young women?
§308ἄνανδρος ἢ τεκνοῦσσα;
Unmarried, or having borne children?
πρὸς μὲν γὰρ φύσιν §309πάντων ἄπειρος τῶνδε, γενναία δέ τις.
For by your appearance you are inexperienced in all these things, but you seem of noble birth.
§310Λίχα, τίνος ποτʼ ἐστὶν ἡ ξένη βροτῶν;
Lichas, who of mortals is this stranger?
§311τίς ἡ τεκοῦσα, τίς δʼ ὁ φιτύσας πατήρ;
Who is the mother who bore her, and who is the father who begot her?
Speak out; for I pitied her most of these as I looked, inasmuch as she alone knows how to feel her situation.
§314τί δʼ οἶδʼ ἐγώ, τί δʼ ἄν με καὶ κρίνοις;
What do I know? And why would you question me?
ἴσως §315γέννημα τῶν ἐκεῖθεν οὐκ ἐν ὑστάτοις.
Perhaps she is the offspring of those there, and not among the lowest.
§316μὴ τῶν τυράννων;
Is she of the rulers?
Εὐρύτου σπορά τις ἦν;
Was she some offspring of Eurytus?
§317οὐκ οἶδα· καὶ γὰρ οὐδʼ ἀνιστόρουν μακράν.
I do not know; for I did not question her at length.
§318οὐδʼ ὄνομα πρός του τῶν ξυνεμπόρων ἔχεις;
Nor do you have her name from any of your traveling companions?
§319ἥκιστα· σιγῇ τοὐμὸν ἔργον ἤνυτον.
Not at all; I performed my task in silence.
Speak, unfortunate girl, to us from yourself, since it is a misfortune indeed not to know who you are.
§322οὔ τἄρα τῷ γε πρόσθεν οὐδὲν ἐξ ἴσου §323χρόνῳ διήσει γλῶσσαν, ἥτις οὐδαμὰ §324προύφηνεν οὔτε μείζονʼ οὔτʼ ἐλάσσονα, §325ἀλλʼ αἰὲν ὠδίνουσα συμφορᾶς βάρος §326δακρυρροεῖ δύστηνος, ἐξ ὅτου πάτραν §327διήνεμον λέλοιπεν· ἡ δέ τοι τύχη §328κακὴ μὲν αὐτῇ γʼ, ἀλλὰ συγγνώμην ἔχει.
Then indeed in no way equally to the former time will she let loose her tongue, she who never disclosed anything, either greater or less, but always travailing with the weight of her misfortune, weeps, unhappy one, since she left her wind-swept country; indeed, her fortune is bad for her, but she has claim to pardon.
§329ἡ δʼ οὖν ἐάσθω, καὶ πορευέσθω στέγας §330οὕτως ὅπως ἥδιστα, μηδὲ πρὸς κακοῖς §331τοῖς οὖσιν ἄλλην πρός γʼ ἐμοῦ λύπην λάβῃ· §332ἅλις γὰρ ἡ παροῦσα.
Let her then be, and let her go into the house in such a way as is most pleasant, and let her not, besides the existing evils, receive another pain from me; for the present one is enough.
And to the house let us go now, all of us, so that you may hasten whither you wish, and I may arrange matters within.
§335αὐτοῦ γε πρῶτον βαιὸν ἀμμείνασʼ, ὅπως §336μάθῃς ἄνευ τῶνδʼ, οὕστινάς τʼ ἄγεις ἔσω, §337ὧν τʼ οὐδὲν εἰσήκουσας ἐκμάθῃς ἃ δεῖ·
Wait here first a little while, so that you may learn apart from these who they are whom you bring inside, and may fully learn what you must of those things which you have not heard.