§1008ἦ πού με Τελαμών, σὸς πατὴρ ἐμός θʼ ἅμα, §1009δέξαιτʼ ἂν εὐπρόσωπος ἵλεώς τʼ ἴσως §1010χωροῦντʼ ἄνευ σοῦ.
Surely Telamon, your father and mine at the same time, would receive me with a cheerful face and perhaps favorably, when I return without you.
πῶς γὰρ οὔχ;
For how could he not?
ὅτῳ πάρα §1011μηδʼ εὐτυχοῦντι μηδὲν ἥδιον γελᾶν.
To whom it is possible, even when faring well, to smile not a bit more sweetly.
§1012οὗτος τί κρύψει;
What will this man hide?
ποῖον οὐκ ἐρεῖ κακόν, §1013τὸν ἐκ δορὸς γεγῶτα πολεμίου νόθον, §1014τὸν δειλίᾳ προδόντα καὶ κακανδρίᾳ §1015σέ, φίλτατʼ Αἴας, ἢ δόλοισιν, ὡς τὰ σὰ §1016κράτη θανόντος καὶ δόμους νέμοιμι σούς.
What kind of evil will he not say, calling me a bastard born of the enemy's spear, who betrayed you through cowardice and unmanliness, dearest Ajax, or through plots, so that I might manage your powers and your house when you were dead.
Such things a hot-tempered man, heavy in old age, will say, getting angry for nothing into strife.
And in the end, pushed out, I shall be cast away from the land, appearing by his words a slave instead of a free man.
Such things indeed at home; but in Troy for me there are many enemies, and few helpful things.
§1023καὶ ταῦτα πάντα σοῦ θανόντος ηὑρόμην.
And all these things I have found since you died.
§1024οἴμοι, τί δράσω;
Alas, what shall I do?
How shall I tear you away from this bitter, gleaming sword, o wretched one, by which as your killer you breathed your last?
εἶδες ὡς χρόνῳ §1027ἔμελλέ σʼ Ἕκτωρ καὶ θανὼν ἀποφθίσαι;
Did you see how in time Hector, even when dead, was destined to destroy you?
§1028σκέψασθε, πρὸς θεῶν, τὴν τύχην δυοῖν βροτοῖν.
Consider, by the gods, the fortune of two mortals.
§1029Ἕκτωρ μέν, ᾧ δὴ τοῦδʼ ἐδωρήθη πάρα §1030ζωστῆρι πρισθεὶς ἱππικῶν ἐξ ἀντύγων §1031ἐκνάπτετʼ αἰέν, ἔστʼ ἀπέψυξεν βίον· §1032οὗτος δʼ ἐκείνου τήνδε δωρειὰν ἔχων §1033πρὸς τοῦδʼ ὄλωλε θανασίμῳ πεσήματι.
Hector indeed, bound by the very belt which was given to him by this man, to the chariot rails, was dragged continuously until he gasped out his life; while this man, having that gift from him, has perished by this sword with a fatal fall.
Did not an Erinys forge this sword, and Hades make that belt, as a wild craftsman?
§1036ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν καὶ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ πάντʼ ἀεὶ §1037φάσκοιμʼ ἂν ἀνθρώποισι μηχανᾶν θεούς· §1038ὅτῳ δὲ μὴ τάδʼ ἐστὶν ἐν γνώμῃ φίλα, §1039κεῖνός τʼ ἐκεῖνα στεργέτω κἀγὼ τάδε.
I indeed then would say that both these things and all things always the gods contrive for mankind; but to whomsoever these things are not pleasing in opinion, let him cherish those views and I these.
Do not spin things out, but consider how you will cover the man in a grave, and what you will say soon.
For I see a hostile man, and perhaps with evil laughter, as a wicked man would do, he might come.
§1044τίς δʼ ἐστὶν ὅντινʼ ἄνδρα προσλεύσσεις στρατοῦ;
But who is the man of the army whom you look upon?
§1045Μενέλαος, ᾧ δὴ τόνδε πλοῦν ἐστείλαμεν.
Menelaus, for whom indeed we set out on this voyage.
§1046ὁρῶ· μαθεῖν γὰρ ἐγγὺς ὢν οὐ δυσπετής.
I see him; for being near he is not hard to recognize.
You there, I tell you not to gather up this corpse with your hands, but leave it as it lies.
§1049τίνος χάριν τοσόνδʼ ἀνήλωσας λόγον;
For whose sake have you spent so many words?
§1050δοκοῦντʼ ἐμοί, δοκοῦντα δʼ ὃς κραίνει στρατοῦ.
It is my view, and the view of the one who rules the army.
§1051οὔκουν ἂν εἴποις ἥντινʼ αἰτίαν προθείς;
Would you then tell us, setting forth what reason?
§1052ὁθούνεκʼ αὐτὸν ἐλπίσαντες οἴκοθεν §1053ἄγειν Ἀχαιοῖς ξύμμαχόν τε καὶ φίλον, §1054ἐξηύρομεν ζητοῦντες ἐχθίω Φρυγῶν· §1055ὅστις στρατῷ ξύμπαντι βουλεύσας φόνον §1056νύκτωρ ἐπεστράτευσεν, ὡς ἕλοι δορί· §1057κεἰ μὴ θεῶν τις τήνδε πεῖραν ἔσβεσεν, §1058ἡμεῖς μὲν ἂν τήνδʼ ἣν ὅδʼ εἴληχεν τύχην §1059θανόντες ἂν προυκείμεθʼ αἰσχίστῳ μόρῳ, §1060οὗτος δʼ ἂν ἔζη.
Because, hoping to bring him from home as an ally and a friend to the Achaeans, we found him on inquiry to be more hostile than the Phrygians; who, having planned slaughter against the whole army, marched by night, so that he might take us with the spear; and unless one of the gods had quenched this attempt, we, having suffered this fate which this man has obtained, would lie dead by a most shameful death, while he would be living.
νῦν δʼ ἐνήλλαξεν θεὸς §1061τὴν τοῦδʼ ὕβριν πρὸς μῆλα καὶ ποίμνας πεσεῖν.
But now a god turned his insolence to fall upon the sheep and flocks.
§1062ὧν οὕνεκʼ αὐτὸν οὔτις ἔστʼ ἀνὴρ σθένων §1063τοσοῦτον ὥστε σῶμα τυμβεῦσαι τάφῳ, §1064ἀλλʼ ἀμφὶ χλωρὰν ψάμαθον ἐκβεβλημένος §1065ὄρνισι φορβὴ παραλίοις γενήσεται.
For which reasons there is no man who has strength so great as to entomb his body in a grave, but cast out on the pale sand he shall become food for the birds of the shore.
§1066πρὸς ταῦτα μηδὲν δεινὸν ἐξάρῃς μένος.
Therefore do not raise up any terrible anger.
§1067εἰ γὰρ βλέποντος μὴ ʼδυνήθημεν κρατεῖν, §1068πάντως θανόντος γʼ ἄρξομεν, κἂν μὴ θέλῃς, §1069χερσὶν παρευθύνοντες.
For even if we were not able to master him when living, we shall certainly rule him when dead, even if you do not wish it, guiding him with our hands.
οὐ γὰρ ἔσθʼ ὅπου §1070λόγων ἀκοῦσαι ζῶν ποτʼ ἠθέλησʼ ἐμῶν.
For there is no place where he ever wished to listen to my words when living.
And indeed it is the part of a bad man for a common citizen to deem it right to listen in no way to those set over him.
§1073οὐ γάρ ποτʼ οὔτʼ ἂν ἐν πόλει νόμοι καλῶς §1074φέροιντʼ ἄν, ἔνθα μὴ καθεστήκῃ δέος, §1075οὔτʼ ἂν στρατός γε σωφρόνως ἄρχοιτʼ ἔτι, §1076μηδὲν φόβου πρόβλημα μηδʼ αἰδοῦς ἔχων.
For never would laws be well carried out in a city where fear is not established, nor would an army be governed prudently anymore, having no defense of fear or shame.
But a man must, even if he grows a great body, think that he might fall even from a small evil.
§1079δέος γὰρ ᾧ πρόσεστιν αἰσχύνη θʼ ὁμοῦ, §1080σωτηρίαν ἔχοντα τόνδʼ ἐπίστασο· §1081ὅπου δʼ ὑβρίζειν δρᾶν θʼ ἃ βούλεται παρῇ, §1082ταύτην νόμιζε τὴν πόλιν χρόνῳ ποτὲ §1083ἐξ οὐρίων δραμοῦσαν ἐς βυθὸν πεσεῖν.
For know that he who has fear and shame together, has safety; but where there is license to insult and do what one wishes, believe that this city will in time, though having run with favorable winds, sink to the bottom.
§1084ἀλλʼ ἑστάτω μοι καὶ δέος τι καίριον, §1085καὶ μὴ δοκῶμεν δρῶντες ἃν ἡδώμεθα §1086οὐκ ἀντιτείσειν αὖθις ἃν λυπώμεθα.
But let there stand for me also some timely fear, and let us not think that, doing what we please, we shall not pay back in turn what we may suffer in pain.
§1087ἕρπει παραλλὰξ ταῦτα.
These things go by turns.
πρόσθεν οὗτος ἦν
Formerly this man was...