But fearing the great vulture, perhaps, if you should suddenly appear, they would cower in silence, speechless.
§172ἦ ῥά σε Ταυροπόλα Διὸς Ἄρτεμις, §173ὦ μεγάλα φάτις, ὦ §174μᾶτερ αἰσχύνας ἐμᾶς, ὥρ- §175μασε πανδάμους ἐπὶ βοῦς ἀγελαίας, §176ἦ πού τινος νίκας ἀκάρπωτον χάριν, §177ἤ ῥα κλυτῶν ἐνάρων §178ψευσθεῖσʼ, ἀδώροις εἴτʼ ἐλαφαβολίαις;
Was it indeed the bull-slaying Artemis, daughter of Zeus, O great rumor, O mother of my shame, who drove you against the herd of cattle belonging to all the people, perhaps because of some victory for which she received no fruit of gratitude, or because she was cheated of glorious spoils, or because of deer-hunts without gifts?
§179ἢ χαλκοθώραξ εἴ τινʼ Ἐνυάλιος §180μομφὰν ἔχων ξυνοῦ δορὸς ἐννυχίοις §181μαχαναῖς ἐτείσατο λώβαν;
Or did bronze-breasted Enyalius, finding some cause of complaint about a shared spear, take vengeance for the insult by nightly plots?
For never from your own mind, son of Telamon, would you have gone so far astray as to fall upon the flocks.
Yet, indeed, a disease from the gods might come; but may Zeus and Phoebus ward off the evil rumor of the Argives.
§187εἰ δʼ ὑποβαλλόμενοι §188κλέπτουσι μύθους οἱ μεγάλοι βασιλῆς, §189ἢ τᾶς ἀσώτου Σισυφιδᾶν γενεᾶς, §190μὴ μηκέτʼ, ὦναξ, ὧδʼ ἐφάλοις κλισίαις §191ὄμμʼ ἔχων κακὰν φάτιν ἄρῃ.
But if, stealthily suborning, the great kings steal words of falsehood, or he of the ruinous race of Sisyphids, do not, O King, any longer by the seaside tents keeping your eyes fixed, bear the evil rumor.
§192ἀλλʼ ἄνα ἐξ ἑδράνων §193ὅπου μακραίωνι §194στηρίζει ποτὲ τᾷδʼ ἀγωνίῳ σχολᾷ, §195ἄταν οὐρανίαν φλέγων.
But arise from your seat, where in long-continued rest from battle you have been rooted, blazing a heaven-sent ruin.
§196ἐχθρῶν δʼ ὕβρις ὧδʼ ἀτάρβητα §197ὁρμᾶτʼ ἐν εὐανέμοις βάσσαις, §198πάντων καχαζόντων §199γλώσσαις βαρυάλγητα· §200ἐμοὶ δʼ ἄχος ἕστακεν.
Meanwhile, the insolence of your enemies thus fearlessly rushes in wind-swept glens, while all are mocking with tongues of heavy grief; and for me, grief stands fast.
§201ναὸς ἀρωγοὶ τῆς Αἴαντος, §202γενεᾶς χθονίων ἀπʼ Ἐρεχθειδᾶν, §203ἔχομεν στοναχὰς οἱ κηδόμενοι §204τοῦ Τελαμῶνος τηλόθεν οἴκου.
Helpers of the ship of Ajax, of the race of the earth-born Erechtheids, we have cause for lamentation, we who care for the house of Telamon from afar.
For now the dread, great, and mighty-handed Ajax, in a turbid storm lies sick.
And what weight has this night taken in exchange for quietness?
§210παῖ τοῦ Φρυγίου σὺ Τελεύταντος, §211λέγʼ, ἐπεί σε λέχος δουριάλωτον §212στέρξας ἀνέχει θούριος Αἴας· §213ὥστʼ οὐκ ἂν ἄϊδρις ὑπείποις.
You, daughter of Phrygian Teleutas, speak, since spear-won bedfellow though you are, fierce Ajax loves and cherishes you; so you would not speak without knowledge.
§214πῶς δῆτα λέγω λόγον ἄρρητον;
How indeed can I speak of things unspeakable?
§215θανάτῳ γὰρ ἴσον πάθος ἐκπεύσῃ.
For you shall learn of a suffering equal to death.
Seized with madness, our famous Ajax was ruined in the night.
Such hand-slain, blood-dyed victims you might see inside the tent, the offerings of that man.
§221οἵαν ἐδήλωσας ἀνδρὸς αἴθονος §222ἀγγελίαν ἄτλατον οὐδὲ φευκτάν, §225τῶν μεγάλων Δαναῶν ὕπο κλῃζομέναν, §226τὰν ὁ μέγας μῦθος ἀέξει.
What a report you have revealed of a fiery man, unbearable and unavoidable, rumored by the great Danai, which the great rumor increases.
περίφαντος ἁνὴρ §229θανεῖται, παραπλάκτῳ §230χερὶ συγκατακτὰς §231κελαινοῖς ξίφεσιν βοτὰ καὶ §232βοτῆρας ἱππονώμας ποίμναν·
The illustrious man will die, having slaughtered with distracted hand, with dark swords, the cattle and the horse-guiding herdsmen of the flock.
§233ὤμοι·
Alas!
κεῖθεν κεῖθεν ἄρʼ ἡμῖν §234δεσμῶτιν ἄγων ἤλυθε ποίμναν· §235ὧν τὰ μὲν εἴσω σφάζʼ ἐπὶ γαίας, §236τὰ δὲ πλευροκοπῶν δίχʼ ἀνερρήγνυ.
From there, indeed from there, leading the bound flock, he came to us; of which some he slaughtered inside on the ground, and others, hacking their sides, he tore in two.
§237δύο δʼ ἀργίποδας κριοὺς ἀνελὼν §238τοῦ μὲν κεφαλὴν καὶ γλῶσσαν ἄκραν §239ῥιπτεῖ θερίσας, τὸν δʼ ὀρθὸν ἄνω §240κίονι δήσας §241μέγαν ἱπποδέτην ῥυτῆρα λαβὼν §242παίει λιγυρᾷ μάστιγι διπλῇ, §243κακὰ δεννάζων ῥήμαθʼ, ἃ δαίμων §244κοὐδεὶς ἀνδρῶν ἐδίδαξεν.
And seizing two white-footed rams, of one he cut off the head and the tip of the tongue and threw them away; but the other, bound upright to a pillar, taking a great horse-binding strap, he lashed with a whistling double whip, uttering evil words of abuse, which a god and no man had taught him.
§245ὥρα τινʼ ἤδη κάρα καλύμμασι §246κρυψάμενον ποδοῖν κλοπὰν ἀρέσθαι, §247ἢ θοὸν εἰρεσίας ζυγὸν ἑζόμενον §250ποντοπόρῳ ναῒ μεθεῖναι.
It is time for one now, hiding his head in a veil, to take to stealthy flight on foot, or seating himself at the swift bench of rowing, to let the sea-faring ship go.
§251τοίας ἐρέσσουσιν ἀπει- §252λὰς δικρατεῖς Ἀτρεῖδαι §253καθʼ ἡμῶν· πεφόβημαι §254λιθόλευστον Ἄρη §255ξυναλγεῖν μετὰ τοῦδε τυπείς, §256τὸν αἶσʼ ἄπλατος ἴσχει.
Such threats do the two ruling Atreidae ply against us; I fear the death of stoning, struck to suffer grief along with him, whom an unapproachable fate holds.
§257οὐκέτι· λαμπρᾶς γὰρ ἄτερ στεροπᾶς §258ᾄξας ὀξὺς νότος ὣς λήγει, §259καὶ νῦν φρόνιμος νέον ἄλγος ἔχει· §260τὸ γὰρ ἐσλεύσσειν οἰκεῖα πάθη, §261μηδενὸς ἄλλου παραπράξαντος, §262μεγάλας ὀδύνας ὑποτείνει.
No longer; for without bright lightning having rushed like a sharp south wind, he ceases, and now, sane, he has a new pain; for to look upon one's own sufferings, when no other has had a hand in them, stretches out great pains.
But if it has ceased, I think we are very fortunate; for of evil that is gone, the account is now less.
§265πότερα δʼ ἄν, εἰ νέμοι τις αἵρεσιν, λάβοις, §266φίλους ἀνιῶν αὐτὸς ἡδονὰς ἔχειν, §267ἢ κοινὸς ἐν κοινοῖσι λυπεῖσθαι ξυνών;
And which, if someone gave you a choice, would you take: yourself to have pleasures while distressing friends, or to be shared in grieving, present among those who grieve?
§268τό τοι διπλάζον, ὦ γύναι, μεῖζον κακόν.
Truly, the double grief, O woman, is the greater evil.
§269ἡμεῖς ἄρʼ οὐ νοσοῦντος ἀτώμεσθα νῦν.
Then we, though he is not sick, are distressed now.
§270πῶς τοῦτʼ ἔλεξας;
How did you mean this?
οὐ κάτοιδʼ ὅπως λέγεις.
I do not understand how you speak.
§271ἁνὴρ ἐκεῖνος, ἡνίκʼ ἦν ἐν τῇ νόσῳ, §272αὐτὸς μὲν ἥδεθʼ οἷσιν εἴχετʼ ἐν κακοῖς, §273ἡμᾶς δὲ τοὺς φρονοῦντας ἠνία ξυνών·
That man, when he was in the sickness, himself was pleased with the evils that held him, but distressed us, who were sane, by his presence.
§274νῦν δʼ ὡς ἔληξε κἀνέπνευσε τῆς νόσου, §275κεῖνός τε λύπῃ πᾶς ἐλήλαται κακῇ §276ἡμεῖς θʼ ὁμοίως οὐδὲν ἧσσον ἢ πάρος.
But now, since he has ceased and recovered from the sickness, he is utterly driven by evil grief, and we no less than before, in like manner.
§277ἆρʼ ἔστι ταῦτα δὶς τόσʼ ἐξ ἁπλῶν κακά;
Is this not then a double evil instead of a single one?
I agree with you, and I fear lest from a god some stroke has come.
πῶς γάρ, εἰ πεπαυμένος
For how is it, if though he has ceased...