§1064ἀλλʼ εὖ γέ τοι κάτισθι μὴ πολλοὺς ἔτι §1065τρόχους ἁμιλλητῆρας ἡλίου τελεῖν, §1066ἐν οἷσι τῶν σῶν αὐτὸς ἐκ σπλάγχνων ἕνα §1067νέκυν νεκρῶν ἀμοιβὸν ἀντιδοὺς ἔσει, §1068ἀνθʼ ὧν ἔχεις μὲν τῶν ἄνω βαλὼν κάτω §1069ψυχήν τʼ ἀτίμως ἐν τάφῳ κατῴκισας, §1070ἔχεις δὲ τῶν κάτωθεν ἐνθάδʼ αὖ θεῶν §1071ἄμοιρον, ἀκτέριστον, ἀνόσιον νέκυν.
But know well indeed that you shall not still complete many swift-wheeling courses of the sun, before you yourself shall have given one from your own loins as a corpse in exchange for the dead, in return for having cast down to the depths those of the upper world and unworthily lodged a living soul in a tomb, and for keeping here, on the other hand, a corpse belonging to the gods below, without a share, unburied, and unholy.
In these things neither you have any part, nor the gods above, but they are violently treated by you.
§1074τούτων σε λωβητῆρες ὑστεροφθόροι §1075λοχῶσιν Ἅιδου καὶ θεῶν Ἐρινύες, §1076ἐν τοῖσιν αὐτοῖς τοῖσδε ληφθῆναι κακοῖς.
For these things the late-destroying avengers of Hades and of the gods, the Furies, lie in wait for you, that you may be caught in these very same evils.
§1077καὶ ταῦτʼ ἄθρησον εἰ κατηργυρωμένος §1078λέγω· φανεῖ γὰρ οὐ μακροῦ χρόνου τριβὴ §1079ἀνδρῶν γυναικῶν σοῖς δόμοις κωκύματα.
And see if I speak these things bribed by silver; for the delay of no long time will reveal the wailing of men and women in your house.
§1080ἐχθραὶ δὲ πᾶσαι συνταράσσονται πόλεις, §1081ὅσων σπαράγματʼ ἢ κύνες καθήγνισαν §1082ἢ θῆρες ἤ τις πτηνὸς οἰωνός, φέρων §1083ἀνόσιον ὀσμὴν ἑστιοῦχον ἐς πόλιν.
And all hostile cities are stirred up in trouble, whose torn remains either dogs have hallowed, or wild beasts, or some winged bird, carrying an unholy odor to each hearth-owning city.
§1084τοιαῦτά σου, λυπεῖς γάρ, ὥστε τοξότης §1085ἀφῆκα θυμῷ καρδίας τοξεύματα §1086βέβαια, τῶν σὺ θάλπος οὐχ ὑπεκδραμεῖ.
Such arrows, since you provoke me, like an archer I have shot in anger at your heart, sure arrows, whose heat you shall not escape.
§1087ὦ παῖ, σὺ δʼ ἡμᾶς ἄπαγε πρὸς δόμους, ἵνα §1088τὸν θυμὸν οὗτος ἐς νεωτέρους ἀφῇ, §1089καὶ γνῷ τρέφειν τὴν γλῶσσαν ἡσυχαιτέραν §1090τὸν νοῦν τʼ ἀμείνω τῶν φρενῶν ἢ νῦν φέρει.
My boy, lead us home, so that this man may vent his anger upon younger men, and learn to keep his tongue more quiet and his mind better than the heart he now carries.
§1091ἁνήρ, ἄναξ, βέβηκε δεινὰ θεσπίσας· §1092ἐπιστάμεσθα δʼ, ἐξ ὅτου λευκὴν ἐγὼ §1093τήνδʼ ἐκ μελαίνης ἀμφιβάλλομαι τρίχα, §1094μή πώ ποτʼ αὐτὸν ψεῦδος ἐς πόλιν λακεῖν.
The man, O king, has gone after prophesying terrible things; and we know, since I have had this white hair instead of black, that he has never yet spoken a falsehood to the city.
§1095ἔγνωκα καὐτὸς καὶ ταράσσομαι φρένας.
I know it too, and my mind is troubled.
For to yield is terrible, but to resist and smite my proud heart with ruin also stands before me as a terrible thing.
§1098εὐβουλίας δεῖ, παῖ Μενοικέως, λαβεῖν.
There is need of good counsel, son of Menoeceus.
§1099τί δῆτα χρὴ δρᾶν;
What then must I do?
φράζε. πείσομαι δʼ ἐγώ.
Tell me, and I will obey.
Go and release the maiden from her underground chamber, and build a tomb for him who lies exposed.
§1102καὶ ταῦτʼ ἐπαινεῖς καὶ δοκεῖς παρεικαθεῖν;
Do you indeed advise this, and think I should yield?
As quickly as possible, O king; for swift-footed harms from the gods cut short the foolish-minded.
Ah, it is hard, but I depart from my heart's resolve to do it; we must not wage a vain war against necessity.
§1107δρᾶ νυν τάδʼ ἐλθὼν μηδʼ ἐπʼ ἄλλοισιν τρέπε.
Go now and do this; do not turn it over to others.
§1108ὧδʼ ὡς ἔχω στείχοιμʼ ἄν·
Just as I am, I will go.
ἴτʼ ἴτʼ ὀπάονες, §1109οἵ τʼ ὄντες οἵ τʼ ἀπόντες, ἀξίνας χεροῖν §1110ὁρμᾶσθʼ ἑλόντες εἰς ἐπόψιον τόπον.
Come, come, attendants, both those present and absent, take axes in your hands and hasten to the place in view.
And I, since my judgment has turned this way, since I myself bound her, will be present to set her free.
For I fear it may be best to finish one's life keeping the established laws.
§1115πολυώνυμε, Καδμείας νύμφας ἄγαλμα §1116καὶ Διὸς βαρυβρεμέτα §1117γένος, κλυτὰν ὃς ἀμφέπεις §1118Ἰταλίαν, μέδεις δὲ §1119παγκοίνοις, Ἐλευσινίας §1120Δῃοῦς ἐν κόλποις, Βακχεῦ Βακχᾶν §1121ὁ ματρόπολιν Θήβαν §1122ναιετῶν παρʼ ὑγρῶν §1125Ἰσμηνοῦ ῥείθρων ἀγρίου τʼ ἐπὶ σπορᾷ δράκοντος.
O you of many names, glory of the Cadmean bride, and offspring of loud-thundering Zeus, who guard famous Italy, and rule in the all-welcoming valleys of Eleusinian Deo, O Bacchus, dweller in Thebes, the mother-city of Bacchants, by the fluid streams of Ismenus and near the sowing of the fierce dragon's teeth.
§1126σὲ δʼ ὑπὲρ διλόφου πέτρας στέροψ ὄπωπε §1127λιγνύς, ἔνθα Κωρύκιαι §1128στείχουσι νύμφαι Βακχίδες, §1130Κασταλίας τε νᾶμα.
The smoky flame has seen you above the double-crested rock, where the Corycian nymphs, the Bacchants, walk, and the stream of Castalia.
§1131καί σε Νυσαίων ὀρέων §1132κισσήρεις ὄχθαι χλωρά τʼ ἀκτὰ §1133πολυστάφυλος πέμπει, §1134ἀμβρότων ἐπέων §1135εὐαζόντων Θηβαΐας ἐπισκοποῦντʼ ἀγυιάς· §1137τὰν ἐκ πᾶσαι τιμᾷς ὑπερτάταν πόλεων §1138ματρὶ σὺν κεραυνίᾳ·
And the ivy-clad hills of the Nysaean mountains and the green shore rich in clusters of grapes send you, while immortal words raise the cry of praise, to watch over the streets of Thebes; which city you honor above all others, together with your lightning-smitten mother.
§1140καὶ νῦν, ὡς βιαίας ἔχεται §1141πάνδαμος πόλις ἐπὶ νόσου, §1142μολεῖν καθαρσίῳ ποδὶ Παρνασίαν ὑπὲρ κλιτὺν §1145ἢ στονόεντα πορθμόν.
And now, when the whole city is held fast by a violent plague, come with purifying foot over the slope of Parnassus or over the moaning strait.
§1146ἰὼ πῦρ πνειόντων χοράγʼ ἄστρων, νυχίων §1147φθεγμάτων ἐπίσκοπε, §1148παῖ Διὸς γένεθλον, προφάνηθʼ, §1150ὦναξ, σαῖς ἅμα περιπόλοις §1151Θυίαισιν, αἵ σε μαινόμεναι πάννυχοι χορεύουσι §1152τὸν ταμίαν Ἴακχον.
Io, leader of the choir of fire-breathing stars, guardian of the voices of the night, O child, offspring of Zeus, appear, O king, with your attendant Thyiads, who in frenzy dance all night long for you, their lord Iacchus.
§1155Κάδμου πάροικοι καὶ δόμων Ἀμφίονος, §1156οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὁποῖον στάντʼ ἂν ἀνθρώπου βίον §1157οὔτʼ αἰνέσαιμʼ ἂν οὔτε μεμψαίμην ποτέ.
Neighbors of Cadmus and of the house of Amphion, there is no state of human life that I would ever praise or blame.
§1158τύχη γὰρ ὀρθοῖ καὶ τύχη καταρρέπει §1159τὸν εὐτυχοῦντα τόν τε δυστυχοῦντʼ ἀεί· §1160καὶ μάντις οὐδεὶς τῶν καθεστώτων βροτοῖς.
For fortune raises up and fortune casts down the fortunate and the unfortunate alike; and no prophet can tell what is established for mortals.
§1161Κρέων γὰρ ἦν ζηλωτός, ὡς ἐμοί, ποτέ, §1162σώσας μὲν ἐχθρῶν τήνδε Καδμείαν χθόνα §1163λαβών τε χώρας παντελῆ μοναρχίαν §1164ηὔθυνε, θάλλων εὐγενεῖ τέκνων σπορᾷ·
For Creon was once enviable, as I thought, having saved this Cadmean land from enemies, and having taken the absolute sovereignty of the country, he ruled it, flourishing with a noble offspring of children.