§814τάχος γὰρ ἔργου καὶ ποδῶν ἅμʼ ἕψεται.
For speed of deed and feet will follow together at once.
§815ὁ μὲν σφαγεὺς ἕστηκεν ᾗ τομώτατος §816γένοιτʼ ἄν, εἴ τῳ καὶ λογίζεσθαι σχολή, §817δῶρον μὲν ἀνδρὸς Ἕκτορος ξένων ἐμοὶ §818μάλιστα μισηθέντος, ἐχθίστου θʼ ὁρᾶν.
The slayer stands where it might become most sharp, if one has leisure even to calculate, a gift of the man Hector, of guest-friends to me the most hated, and most hostile to look upon.
§819πέπηγε δʼ ἐν γῇ πολεμίᾳ τῇ Τρῳάδι, §820σιδηροβρῶτι θηγάνῃ νεηκονής· §821ἔπηξα δʼ αὐτὸν εὖ περιστείλας ἐγώ, §822εὐνούστατον τῷδʼ ἀνδρὶ διὰ τάχους θανεῖν.
And it is fixed in the enemy Trojan land, newly sharpened by the iron-eating whetstone; and I have fixed it, having well arranged it around, most well-disposed for this man to die with speed.
Thus indeed we are well-prepared; and after this, do you first, o Zeus, as is natural, assist me.
§825αἰτήσομαι δέ σʼ οὐ μακρὸν γέρας λαχεῖν.
And I shall ask of you to obtain no great privilege.
§826πέμψον τινʼ ἡμῖν ἄγγελον, κακὴν φάτιν §827Τεύκρῳ φέροντα, πρῶτος ὥς με βαστάσῃ §828πεπτῶτα τῷδε περὶ νεορράντῳ ξίφει, §829καὶ μὴ πρὸς ἐχθρῶν του κατοπτευθεὶς πάρος §830ῥιφθῶ κυσὶν πρόβλητος οἰωνοῖς θʼ ἕλωρ.
Send some messenger to us, bearing the bad news to Teucer, so that he may be the first to raise me fallen around this newly-sprinkled sword, and lest, having been spied beforehand by some of the enemies, I be cast out as a prey for dogs and a spoil for birds.
§831τοσαῦτά σʼ, ὦ Ζεῦ, προστρέπω, καλῶ δʼ ἅμα §832πομπαῖον Ἑρμῆν χθόνιον εὖ με κοιμίσαι, §833ξὺν ἀσφαδᾴστῳ καὶ ταχεῖ πηδήματι §834πλευρὰν διαρρήξαντα τῷδε φασγάνῳ.
So much, o Zeus, I entreat you, and at the same time I call upon Hermes, guide of the underworld, to lull me well to rest, with a convulsionless and swift leap, breaking through my side with this sword.
§835καλῶ δʼ ἀρωγοὺς τὰς ἀεί τε παρθένους §836ἀεί θʼ ὁρώσας πάντα τἀν βροτοῖς πάθη, §837σεμνὰς Ἐρινῦς τανύποδας, μαθεῖν ἐμὲ §838πρὸς τῶν Ἀτρειδῶν ὡς διόλλυμαι τάλας.
And I call as helpers those who are ever virgins and ever seeing all sufferings among mortals, the august, far-striding Erinyes, to witness how I, wretched one, am utterly destroyed by the Atreidae.
§839καί σφας κακοὺς κάκιστα καὶ πανωλέθρους §840ξυναρπάσειαν, ὥσπερ εἰσορῶσʼ ἐμὲ §841αὐτοσφαγῆ πίπτοντα· τὼς §842ὀλοίατο.
And may they seize those evil men most evilly and with utter destruction, just as they behold me falling by my own slaughter; so may they perish.
Go, o swift and avenging Erinyes, taste, spare not the whole host.
§845σὺ δʼ, ὦ τὸν αἰπὺν οὐρανὸν διφρηλατῶν §846Ἥλιε, πατρῴαν τὴν ἐμὴν ὅταν χθόνα §847ἴδῃς, ἐπισχὼν χρυσόνωτον ἡνίαν §848ἄγγειλον ἄτας τὰς ἐμὰς μόρον τʼ ἐμὸν §849γέροντι πατρὶ τῇ τε δυστήνῳ τροφῷ.
And you, o riding your chariot through the steep heaven, Sun, when you see my ancestral land, holding back your gold-backed rein, report my calamities and my fate to my aged father and to my unhappy nurse.
Surely, wretched woman, when she hears this report, she will utter a great wailing in the whole city.
But there is no use in lamenting these things in vain; rather, the deed must be begun with some speed.
O death, death, come now and look upon me; and yet indeed I shall address you also there, being with you.
§856σὲ δʼ, ὦ φαεννῆς ἡμέρας τὸ νῦν σέλας, §857καὶ τὸν διφρευτὴν Ἥλιον προσεννέπω, §858πανύστατον δὴ κοὔποτʼ αὖθις ὕστερον.
And you, o current brightness of the shining day, and the charioteer Sun, I address you, for the very last time, and never again hereafter.
§859ὦ φέγγος, ὦ γῆς ἱερὸν οἰκείας πέδον §860Σαλαμῖνος, ὦ πατρῷον ἑστίας βάθρον, §861κλειναί τʼ Ἀθῆναι, καὶ τὸ σύντροφον γένος, §862κρῆναί τε ποταμοί θʼ οἵδε, καὶ τὰ Τρωικὰ §863πεδία προσαυδῶ, χαίρετʼ, ὦ τροφῆς ἐμοί·
O light, o sacred soil of my own land Salamis, o ancestral foundation of my hearth, and famous Athens, and the kindred race, and these springs and rivers, and the Trojan plains I address, farewell, o my nourishers!
This last word Ajax speaks to you, and the rest I shall speak in Hades to those below.
§866πόνος πόνῳ πόνον φέρει.
Toil brings toil upon toil.
§867πᾷ πᾷ
Where, where?
§868πᾷ γὰρ οὐκ ἔβαν ἐγώ;
For where have I not gone?
§869κοὐδεὶς ἐπισπᾶται με συμμαθεῖν τόπος.
And no place draws me to learn with it.
§872ἡμῶν γε ναὸς κοινόπλουν ὁμιλίαν.
It is indeed the ship-sharing company of our men.
§873τί οὖν δή;
What then, indeed?
§874πᾶν ἐστίβηται πλευρὸν ἕσπερον νεῶν.
All the western side of the ships has been trodden.
§875ἔχεις οὖν;
Do you have anything then?
§876πόνου γε πλῆθος, κοὐδὲν εἰς ὄψιν πλέον.
A abundance of toil indeed, and nothing more to see.
But indeed, neither along the path from the sun's rays does the man reveal himself anywhere, having appeared.
§879τίς ἂν δῆτά μοι, τίς ἂν φιλοπόνων §880ἁλιαδᾶν ἔχων ἀύπνους ἄγρας §881ἢ τίς Ὀλυμπιάδων §882θεᾶν, ἢ ῥυτῶν §884Βοσπορίων ποταμῶν, §885ἴδρις τὸν ὠμόθυμον εἴ §886ποθι πλαζόμενον §887ἀπύοι;
Who then for me, who of the industrious fishermen having sleepless catches, or who of the Olympian goddesses, or of the flowing Bosporian rivers, having knowledge, if somewhere he saw the fierce-hearted one wandering, might call out?
σχέτλια γὰρ §888ἐμέ γε τὸν μακρῶν ἀλάταν πόνων §889οὐρίῳ μὴ πελάσαι δρόμῳ, §890ἀλλʼ ἀμενηνὸν ἄνδρα μὴ λεύσσειν ὅπου.
For it is hard that I, the wanderer of long toils, do not approach him with a favorable course, but do not see where the weak man is.
§891ἰώ μοί μοι.
Ah me, me!
§892τίνος βοὴ πάραυλος ἐξέβη νάπους;
Whose cry came from the nearby glade?
§893ἰὼ τλάμων.
Ah, wretched one!
I see the spear-captured ill-fated bride Tecmessa, mingled with this lamentation.
§896ᾤχωκʼ, ὄλωλα, διαπεπόρθημαι, φίλοι.
I am gone, I am ruined, I am utterly destroyed, friends!
§897τί δʼ ἔστιν;
What is it?
Here lies Ajax for us, newly slain just now, folded around a hidden sword.
§900ὤμοι ἐμῶν νόστων·
Alas for my returns!
Alas, you have slain me too, lord, this fellow-sailor, o wretched one!
§903ὦ ταλαῖφρον γύναι.
O wretched woman!
§904ὡς ὧδε τοῦδʼ ἔχοντος αἰάζειν πάρα.
Since things are thus, it is permitted to wail.
§905τίνος ποτʼ ἆρʼ ἔπραξε χειρὶ δύσμορος;
By whose hand then did the ill-fated one do this?
§906αὐτὸς πρὸς αὐτοῦ· δῆλον.
By his own; it is clear.
ἐν γάρ οἱ χθονὶ §907πηκτὸν τόδʼ ἔγχος περιπετὲς κατηγορεῖ.
For in the ground this fixed sword on which he fell accuses it.
§908ὤμοι ἐμᾶς ἄτας, οἶος ἄρʼ αἱμάχθης.
Alas for my ruin, how alone you were bloodied!