Unprotected by friends; and I, utterly deaf, utterly ignorant, was negligent.
πᾷ πᾷ §913κεῖται ὁ δυστράπελος δυσώνυμος Αἴας;
Where, where lies Ajax, hard to bend, of ill-omened name?
§915οὔτοι θεατός· ἀλλά νιν περιπτυχεῖ §916φάρει καλύψω τῷδε παμπήδην, ἐπεὶ §917οὐδεὶς ἄν, ὅστις καὶ φίλος, τλαίη βλέπειν §918φυσῶντʼ ἄνω πρὸς ῥῖνας ἔκ τε φοινίας §919πληγῆς μελανθὲν αἷμʼ ἀπʼ οἰκείας σφαγῆς.
By no means to be looked upon; but with this enfolding cloak I will cover him completely, since no one, whoever is indeed a friend, would dare to look upon him spurting up towards his nostrils, and from the bloody wound, the blackened blood from his own slaughter.
§920οἴμοι, τί δράσω;
Alas, what shall I do?
τίς σε βαστάσει φίλων;
Who of your friends will lift you up?
§921ποῦ Τεῦκρος;
Where is Teucer?
ὡς ἀκμαῖʼ ἄν, εἰ βαίη, μόλοι §922πεπτῶτʼ ἀδελφὸν τόνδε συγκαθαρμόσαι.
How opportunely he would come, if he should come, to join in composing this fallen brother.
Ill-fated Ajax, what a man you were, and how you now lie, so as to be worthy to obtain lamentations even from enemies.
§925ἔμελλες, τάλας, ἔμελλες χρόνῳ §926στερεόφρων ἄρʼ ἐξανύσσειν κακὰν §927μοῖραν ἀπειρεσίων §928πόνων.
You were destined, wretched one, you were destined in time with stubborn mind to fulfill your evil fate of countless toils.
τοῖά μοι §929πάννυχα καὶ φαέθοντʼ §930ἀνεστέναζες ὠμόφρων §931ἐχθοδόπʼ Ἀτρείδαις §932οὐλίῳ σὺν πάθει.
Such things to me all night long and in the light of day you groaned with fierce heart, hostile to the Atreidae, with destructive passion.
Great indeed was that beginning time of troubles, when the contest of best-handed weapons was set about.
§936ἰώ μοί μοι.
Ah me, me!
§937χωρεῖ πρὸς ἧπαρ, οἶδα, γενναία δύη.
The noble pain goes to the liver, I know.
§938ἰώ μοί μοι.
Ah me, me!
I disbelieve you not at all, woman, even to wail twice, having been recently deprived of such a friend.
§942σοὶ μὲν δοκεῖν ταῦτʼ ἔστʼ, ἐμοὶ δʼ ἄγαν φρονεῖν.
To you indeed these things are for seeming, but to me for feeling too much.
§943ξυναυδῶ.
I agree.
Alas, my child, to what yokes of slavery are we going, what kind of overseers are set over us.
Alas, of the unfeeling two Atreidae you have spoken of the unspeakable deed in this grief.
§949ἀλλʼ ἀπείργοι θεός.
But may a god avert it.
§950οὐκ ἂν τάδʼ ἔστη τῇδε, μὴ θεῶν μέτα.
These things would not have stood thus, not without the gods.
§951ἄγαν δʼ ὑπερβριθές γε τἄχθος ἤνυσαν.
But they have brought about a burden too exceedingly heavy.
Such trouble indeed the dread goddess, daughter of Zeus, Pallas, produces for the sake of Odysseus.
§955ἦ ῥα κελαινώπαν θυμὸν ἐφυβρίζει §956πολύτλας ἀνήρ, §957γελᾷ δὲ τοῖσδε μαινομένοις ἄχεσιν §958πολὺν γέλωτα, φεῦ φεῦ, §960ξύν τε διπλοῖ βασιλῆς κλύοντες Ἀτρεῖδαι.
Surely indeed with dark-faced heart insults the much-enduring man, and laughs at these maddened griefs with much laughter, alas, alas, and together the two kings, the Atreidae, hearing it.
Let them then laugh and rejoice at the misfortunes of this man.
ἴσως τοι, κεἰ βλέποντα μὴ ʼπόθουν, §963θανόντʼ ἂν οἰμώξειαν ἐν χρείᾳ δορός.
Perhaps indeed, even if they did not desire him when living, they might wail for him when dead in the need of the spear.
For those foolish in their minds do not know the good they hold, until someone casts it out.
Bitter has his death been to me as it was sweet to them, and to himself pleasing.
ὧν γὰρ ἠράσθη τυχεῖν §968ἐκτήσαθʼ αὑτῷ, θάνατον ὅνπερ ἤθελεν.
For what he desired to obtain, he acquired for himself, the very death he wished.
§969τί δῆτα τοῦδʼ ἐπεγγελῷεν ἂν κάτα;
Why then indeed should they mock at him?
§970θεοῖς τέθνηκεν οὗτος, οὐ κείνοισιν, οὔ.
By the gods' will has he died, not by theirs, no.
§971πρὸς ταῦτʼ Ὀδυσσεὺς ἐν κενοῖς ὑβριζέτω.
Therefore let Odysseus insult in empty ways.
For Ajax is no longer for them, but to me leaving behind griefs and wailing he has departed.
§974ἰώ μοί μοι.
Ah me, me!
Silence; for I seem to hear the voice of Teucer, shouting a strain that hits the mark of this calamity.
O dearest Ajax, o brotherly eye to me, have you fared as the report prevails?
§979ὄλωλεν ἁνήρ, Τεῦκρε, τοῦτʼ ἐπίστασο.
The man is ruined, Teucer, know this.
§980ὤμοι βαρείας ἆρα τῆς ἐμῆς τύχης.
Alas then for my heavy fortune.
§982πάρα στενάζειν.
it is permitted to groan.
§982bὦ περισπερχὲς πάθος.
O excessively sudden pain.
τί γὰρ τέκνον §984τὸ τοῦδε, ποῦ μοι γῆς κυρεῖ τῆς Τρῳάδος;
Alas, wretched one; for what of his child, where on this Trojan land does he happen to be?
§985μόνος παρὰ σκηναῖσιν.
Alone by the tents.
§985bοὐχ ὅσον τάχος §986δῆτʼ αὐτὸν ἄξεις δεῦρο, μή τις ὡς κενῆς §987σκύμνον λεαίνης δυσμενῶν ἀναρπάσῃ;
Why then do you not with all speed bring him here, lest someone, as of a deserted lioness her whelp, snatch him away of the enemies?
§988ἴθʼ, ἐγκόνει, σύγκαμνε.
Go, make haste, labor with us.
τοῖς θανοῦσί τοι §989φιλοῦσι πάντες κειμένοις ἐπεγγελᾶν.
For towards the dead everyone is accustomed to mock when they lie low.
And indeed when still living, Teucer, that man charged you to care for him, just as indeed you are caring.
§992ὦ τῶν ἁπάντων δὴ θεαμάτων ἐμοὶ §993ἄλγιστον ὧν προσεῖδον ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐγώ, §994ὁδός θʼ ὁδῶν πασῶν ἀνιάσασα δὴ §995μάλιστα τοὐμὸν σπλάγχνον, ἣν δὴ νῦν ἔβην, §996ὦ φίλτατʼ Αἴας, τὸν σὸν ὡς ἐπῃσθόμην §997μόρον διώκων κἀξιχνοσκοπούμενος.
O of all spectacles indeed to me the most painful which I have looked upon with my eyes, and the road of all roads indeed having pained most of all my heart, which indeed just now I trod, o dearest Ajax, when I became aware of your fate, pursuing and tracking you.
For a swift rumor about you, as if from some god, went through all the Achaeans, that you have gone and died.
Which I, wretched one, hearing when far away, groaned inwardly; and now, seeing it, I am undone.
§1002οἴμοι.
Alas.
§1003ἴθʼ, ἐκκάλυψον, ὡς ἴδω τὸ πᾶν κακόν.
Go, uncover him, so that I may see the whole evil.
O sight hard to look upon and of bitter daring, how many griefs have you sown for me in your death!