§332οἴμοι·
Philoctetes: Ah me!
φράσῃς μοι μὴ πέρα, πρὶν ἂν μάθω §333πρῶτον τόδʼ, ἦ τέθνηχʼ ὁ Πηλέως γόνος;
Tell me no further, before I first learn this: did the son of Peleus truly die?
Neoptolemus: He is dead, by no man, but by a god, laid low, as they say, shot by Phoebus.
§336ἀλλʼ εὐγενὴς μὲν ὁ κτανών τε χὠ θανών·
Philoctetes: Well, noble indeed was both the slayer and the slain.
But I am at a loss, child, whether I should first inquire into your suffering or lament him.
Neoptolemus: I think indeed, wretched man, that your own sufferings are enough for you, so that you do not have to lament those of your neighbors.
Philoctetes: You speak rightly; therefore, tell me your business again, how they insulted you.
§343ἦλθόν με νηὶ ποικιλοστόλῳ μέτα §344δῖός τʼ Ὀδυσσεὺς χὠ τροφεὺς τοὐμοῦ πατρός, §345λέγοντες, εἴτʼ ἀληθὲς εἴτʼ ἄρʼ οὖν μάτην, §346ὡς οὐ θέμις γίγνοιτʼ, ἐπεὶ κατέφθιτο §347πατὴρ ἐμός, τὰ πέργαμʼ ἄλλον ἤ μʼ ἑλεῖν.
Neoptolemus: They came for me in a finely adorned ship, noble Odysseus and the guardian of my father, saying—whether it was true or indeed in vain— that it was not right, since my father had died, for anyone other than me to capture the citadel of Troy.
§348ταῦτʼ, ὦ ξένʼ, οὕτως ἐννέποντες οὐ πολὺν §349χρόνον μʼ ἐπέσχον μή με ναυστολεῖν ταχύ, §350μάλιστα μὲν δὴ τοῦ θανόντος ἱμέρῳ, §351ὅπως ἴδοιμʼ ἄθαπτον· οὐ γὰρ εἰδόμην· §352ἔπειτα μέντοι χὠ λόγος καλὸς προσῆν, §353εἰ τἀπὶ Τροίᾳ πέργαμʼ αἱρήσοιμʼ ἰών.
Having said these things, strangers, they did not keep me for a long time from sailing quickly, chiefly indeed out of desire for the dead man, so that I might see him unburied—for I had never seen him; then, moreover, a fair promise was added, if I went, that I would capture the towers of Troy.
And it was already the second day of my sailing, when I, with a favorable oar, put in at bitter Sigeum.
§356κατηγόμην· καί μʼ εὐθὺς ἐν κύκλῳ στρατὸς §357ἐκβάντα πᾶς ἠσπάζετʼ, ὀμνύντες βλέπειν §358τὸν οὐκέτʼ ὄντα ζῶντʼ Ἀχιλλέα πάλιν.
And immediately, as I landed, the whole army welcomed me in a circle, swearing that they saw Achilles, who was no more, living again.
§359κεῖνος μὲν οὖν ἔκειτʼ· ἐγὼ δʼ ὁ δύσμορος §360ἐπεὶ ʼδάκρυσα κεῖνον, οὐ μακρῷ χρόνῳ §361ἐλθὼν Ἀτρείδας πρὸς φίλους, ὡς εἰκὸς ἦν, §362τά θʼ ὅπλʼ ἀπῄτουν τοῦ πατρὸς τά τʼ ἄλλʼ ὅσʼ ἦν.
He indeed lay dead; but I, wretched one, when I had wept for him, not long after, went to the sons of Atreus, as friends, as was natural, and demanded my father's arms and all his other possessions.
§363οἱ δʼ εἶπον, οἴμοι, τλημονέστατον λόγον· §364ὦ σπέρμʼ Ἀχιλλέως, τἄλλα μὲν πάρεστί σοι §365πατρῷʼ ἑλέσθαι, τῶν δʼ ὅπλων κείνων ἀνὴρ §366ἄλλος κρατύνει νῦν, ὁ Λαέρτου γόνος. §367κἀγὼ δακρύσας εὐθὺς ἐξανίσταμαι §368ὀργῇ βαρείᾳ, καὶ καταλγήσας λέγω· §369ὦ σχέτλιʼ, ἦ ʼτολμήσατʼ ἀντʼ ἐμοῦ τινι §370δοῦναι τὰ τεύχη τἀμά, πρὶν μαθεῖν ἐμοῦ; §371ὁ δʼ εἶπʼ Ὀδυσσεύς, πλησίον γὰρ ὢν κυρεῖ, §372ναί, παῖ, δεδώκασʼ ἐνδίκως οὗτοι τάδε· §373ἐγὼ γὰρ αὔτʼ ἔσωσα κἀκεῖνον παρών. §374κἀγὼ χολωθεὶς εὐθὺς ἤρασσον κακοῖς §375τοῖς πᾶσιν, οὐδὲν ἐνδεὲς ποιούμενος, §376εἰ τἀμὰ κεῖνος ὅπλʼ ἀφαιρήσοιτό με.
But they spoke—ah!—the most ruthless words: "Seed of Achilles, all other things of your father's are yours to take, but of those arms, another man rules them now, the son of Laertes." And I, weeping, immediately arose in heavy anger, and deeply grieved, I said: "Wretched men, did you dare to give my armor to anyone instead of me, before learning from me?" And Odysseus said—for he happened to be nearby— "Yes, boy, they have justly given these things; for I saved them and him, being present." And I, angered, immediately struck him with all kinds of bad words, leaving nothing undone, if he was to deprive me of my arms.
§377ὁ δʼ ἐνθάδʼ ἥκων, καίπερ οὐ δύσοργος ὤν, §378δηχθεὶς πρὸς ἁξήκουσεν ὧδʼ ἠμείψατο· §379οὐκ ἦσθʼ ἵνʼ ἡμεῖς, ἀλλʼ ἀπῆσθʼ ἵνʼ οὔ σʼ ἔδει· §380καὶ ταῦτʼ, ἐπειδὴ καὶ λέγεις θρασυστομῶν, §381οὐ μήποτʼ ἐς τὴν Σκῦρον ἐκπλεύσῃς ἔχων. §382τοιαῦτʼ ἀκούσας κἀξονειδισθεὶς κακὰ §383πλέω πρὸς οἴκους, τῶν ἐμῶν τητώμενος §384πρὸς τοῦ κακίστου κἀκ κακῶν Ὀδυσσέως.
But he, having come hither, although not easily angered, stung by what he heard, answered thus: "You were not where we were, but you were absent where you should not have been; and these things, since you speak so boldly, you shall never sail back to Scyros possessing." Having heard such evils and been insulted, I sail to my home, deprived of my own, by the basest Odysseus, born of the base.
§385κοὐκ αἰτιῶμαι κεῖνον ὡς τοὺς ἐν τέλει· §386πόλις γάρ ἐστι πᾶσα τῶν ἡγουμένων §387στρατός τε σύμπας· οἱ δʼ ἀκοσμοῦντες βροτῶν §388διδασκάλων λόγοισι γίγνονται κακοί.
Yet I do not blame him so much as those in authority; for a whole city belongs to its leaders, and so does the entire army; and those of mortals who are disorderly become bad by the words of their teachers.
My story is all told; and may he who hates the sons of Atreus be a friend both to me and to the gods.
§391ὀρεστέρα παμβῶτι Γᾶ, μᾶτερ αὐτοῦ Διός, §392ἃ τὸν μέγαν Πακτωλὸν εὔχρυσον νέμεις, §395σὲ κἀκεῖ, μᾶτερ πότνιʼ, ἐπηυδώμαν, §396ὅτʼ ἐς τόνδʼ Ἀτρειδᾶν ὕβρις πᾶσʼ ἐχώρει, §397ὅτε τὰ πάτρια τεύχεα παρεδίδοσαν, §400ἰὼ μάκαιρα ταυροκτόνων §401λεόντων ἔφεδρε, τῷ Λαρτίου §402σέβας ὑπέρτατον.
Chorus: Mountain-dwelling, all-nourishing Earth, mother of Zeus himself, you who rule the great, gold-rich Pactolus, I called upon you there also, revered mother, when all the insolence of the sons of Atreus went against this man, when they handed over his father's armor, oh blessed one, seated upon bull-slaying lions, when the supreme reverence was given to the son of Laertes.
§403ἔχοντες, ὡς ἔοικε, σύμβολον σαφὲς §404λύπης πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὦ ξένοι, πεπλεύκατε, §405καί μοι προσᾴδεθʼ ὥστε γιγνώσκειν ὅτι §406ταῦτʼ ἐξ Ἀτρειδῶν ἔργα κἀξ Ὀδυσσέως.
Philoctetes: You have sailed, strangers, having, as it seems, a clear token of grief shared with us, and your story harmonizes with mine, so that I recognize these deeds as coming from the sons of Atreus and Odysseus.
§407ἔξοιδα γάρ νιν παντὸς ἂν λόγου κακοῦ §408γλώσσῃ θιγόντα καὶ πανουργίας, ἀφʼ ἧς §409μηδὲν δίκαιον ἐς τέλος μέλλοι ποεῖν.
For I know well that he would touch every evil word with his tongue and every villainy, from which he would intend to accomplish nothing just in the end.
But this is not at all a wonder to me, but rather if the greater Ajax was present, seeing these things, and tolerated them.
§412οὐκ ἦν ἔτι ζῶν, ὦ ξένʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε
Neoptolemus: He was no longer living, stranger; for never...