§413ζῶντός γʼ ἐκείνου ταῦτʼ ἐσυλήθην ἐγώ.
while he lived, never would I have been despoiled of these things.
§414πῶς εἶπας;
Philoctetes: How say you?
ἀλλʼ ἦ χοὖτος οἴχεται θανών;
What, is he too dead and gone?
§415ὡς μηκέτʼ ὄντα κεῖνον ἐν φάει νόει.
Neoptolemus: Think of him as one who is no longer in the light.
§416οἴμοι τάλας.
Philoctetes: Ah, wretched me!
ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὁ Τυδέως γόνος §417οὐδʼ οὑμπολητὸς Σισύφου Λαερτίῳ, §418οὐ μὴ θάνωσι· τούσδε γὰρ μὴ ζῆν ἔδει.
But the son of Tydeus, and that one bought by Laertes from Sisyphus, they will never die; for they are the ones who ought not to be living.
Neoptolemus: No indeed, be sure of this; rather, they are flourishing greatly now in the army of the Argives.
Philoctetes: And what of my old and good friend, Nestor of Pylos? Is he alive?
οὗτος γὰρ τά γε §423κείνων κάκʼ ἐξήρυκε, βουλεύων σοφά.
For he indeed, by his wise counsels, used to restrain their evil deeds.
Neoptolemus: He indeed fares badly now, since his son Antilochus, who was by his side, is dead and gone from him.
Philoctetes: Alas! You have named two men again, of whom I would least of all have wished to hear as dead.
§428φεῦ φεῦ·
Alas, alas!
τί δῆτα δεῖ σκοπεῖν, ὅθʼ οἵδε μὲν §429τεθνᾶσʼ, Ὀδυσσεὺς δʼ ἔστιν αὖ κἀνταῦθʼ ἵνα §430χρῆν ἀντὶ τούτων αὐτὸν αὐδᾶσθαι νεκρόν;
What then must we think, when these men are dead, and Odysseus is again in that place where he himself, instead of them, ought to be reported as a corpse?
Neoptolemus: He is a clever wrestler; but even clever plans, Philoctetes, are often tripped up.
Philoctetes: Come, tell me by the gods, where then was Patroclus, who was your father's dearest beloved?
§435χοὖτος τεθνηκὼς ἦν· λόγῳ δέ σʼ ἐν βραχεῖ §436τοῦτʼ ἐκδιδάξω· πόλεμος οὐδένʼ ἄνδρʼ ἑκὼν §437αἱρεῖ πονηρόν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς χρηστοὺς ἀεί.
Neoptolemus: He too was dead; and in a brief word I will teach you this: war never willingly takes a bad man, but always the good.
§438ξυμμαρτυρῶ σοι· καὶ κατʼ αὐτὸ τοῦτό γε §439ἀναξίου μὲν φωτὸς ἐξερήσομαι, §440γλώσσῃ δὲ δεινοῦ καὶ σοφοῦ, τί νῦν κυρεῖ.
Philoctetes: I bear witness with you; and on this very point, I will inquire about a worthless fellow, yet clever and skilled with his tongue, how he fares now.
§441ποίου δὲ τούτου πλήν γʼ Ὀδυσσέως ἐρεῖς;
Neoptolemus: Of what kind of man do you speak, save Odysseus?
§442οὐ τοῦτον εἶπον, ἀλλὰ Θερσίτης τις ἦν, §443ὃς οὐκ ἂν εἵλετʼ εἰσάπαξ εἰπεῖν, ὅπου §444μηδεὶς ἐῴη·
Philoctetes: I did not mean him, but there was a certain Thersites, who would never choose to speak but once, where no one would permit him.
τοῦτον οἶσθʼ εἰ ζῶν κυρεῖ;
Do you know if he happens to be alive?
§445οὐκ εἶδον αὐτόν, ᾐσθόμην δʼ ἔτʼ ὄντα νιν.
Neoptolemus: I did not see him, but I heard that he is still alive.
§446ἔμελλʼ· ἐπεὶ οὐδέν πω κακόν γʼ ἀπώλετο, §447ἀλλʼ εὖ περιστέλλουσιν αὐτὰ δαίμονες, §448καί πως τὰ μὲν πανοῦργα καὶ παλιντριβῆ §449χαίρουσʼ ἀναστρέφοντες ἐξ Ἅιδου, τὰ δὲ
Philoctetes: He was likely to be; since nothing evil has ever yet perished, but the gods take good care of them, and somehow those who are villainous and versatile they delight in turning back from Hades, while those who are just and good they always send away.
§450δίκαια καὶ τὰ χρήστʼ ἀποστέλλουσʼ ἀεί. §451ποῦ χρὴ τίθεσθαι ταῦτα, ποῦ δʼ αἰνεῖν, ὅταν §452τὰ θεῖʼ ἐπαινῶν τοὺς θεοὺς εὕρω κακούς;
How must we reckon these things, and how praise them, when, while praising the deeds of the gods, I find the gods to be evil?
§453ἐγὼ μέν, ὦ γένεθλον Οἰταίου πατρός, §454τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη τηλόθεν τό τʼ Ἴλιον §455καὶ τοὺς Ἀτρείδας εἰσορῶν φυλάξομαι·
Neoptolemus: For my part, O child of the Oetaean father, henceforth indeed, from afar, both Ilium and the sons of Atreus will I watch and avoid.
§456ὅπου δʼ ὁ χείρων τἀγαθοῦ μεῖζον σθένει §457κἀποφθίνει τὰ χρηστὰ χὠ δειλὸς κρατεῖ, §458τούτους ἐγὼ τοὺς ἄνδρας οὐ στέρξω ποτέ·
And where the worse man has greater power than the good, and good things perish and the coward rules, those men I will never love.
But the rocky Scyros shall suffice for me henceforth, so that I may be pleased at home.
§461νῦν δʼ εἶμι πρὸς ναῦν·
But now I will go to my ship.
καὶ σύ, Ποίαντος τέκνον, §462χαῖρʼ ὡς μέγιστα, χαῖρε· καί σε δαίμονες §463νόσου μεταστήσειαν, ὡς αὐτὸς θέλεις.
And you, child of Poeas, farewell as best you may, farewell; and may the gods free you from your disease, even as you yourself wish.
But let us go, so that whenever the god grants us voyage, even then we may set forth.
§466ἤδη, τέκνον, στέλλεσθε;
Philoctetes: Already, my child, are you setting forth?
Neoptolemus: Yes, for the opportunity calls us to watch the voyage from nearby rather than from afar.
§468πρός νύν σε πατρὸς πρός τε μητρός, ὦ τέκνον, §469πρός τʼ εἴ τί σοι κατʼ οἶκόν ἐστι προσφιλές, §470ἱκέτης ἱκνοῦμαι, μὴ λίπῃς μʼ οὕτω μόνον, §471ἔρημον ἐν κακοῖσι τοῖσδʼ οἵοις ὁρᾷς §472ὅσοισί τʼ ἐξήκουσας ἐνναίοντά με·
Philoctetes: Now by your father and by your mother, child, and by whatever is dear to you at home, I beseech you as a suppliant, do not leave me thus alone, desolate in these evils of such a kind as you see and as many as you have heard that I dwell in.
§473ἀλλʼ ἐν παρέργῳ θοῦ με.
But take me as a secondary task.
Wearisome indeed, I know well, is the burden of this freight; yet bear with it.
τοῖσι γενναίοισί τοι §476τό τʼ αἰσχρὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ τὸ χρηστὸν εὐκλεές.
To noble minds, indeed, what is shameful is hateful, and what is good is glorious.
§477σοὶ δʼ ἐκλιπόντι τοῦτʼ ὄνειδος οὐ καλόν, §478δράσαντι δʼ, ὦ παῖ, πλεῖστον εὐκλείας γέρας, §479ἐὰν μόλω ʼγὼ ζῶν πρὸς Οὐταίαν χθόνα.
To you, if you leave this undone, the reproach is not fair; but if you do it, child, there is the greatest prize of glory, if I come alive to the Oetaean land.
§480ἴθʼ·
Come!
ἡμέρας τοι μόχθος οὐχ ὅλης μιᾶς.
The trouble is not indeed of one whole day.
§481τόλμησον.
Consent.
ἐμβαλοῦ μʼ ὅπῃ θέλεις ἄγων, §482εἰς ἀντλίαν, εἰς πρῷραν, εἰς πρύμνην, ὅποι §483ἥκιστα μέλλω τοὺς ξυνόντας ἀλγυνεῖν.
Cast me where you will as you take me, into the bilge, into the prow, into the stern, wherever I am least likely to annoy my shipmates.
Consent, by Zeus of the suppliants himself, child, be persuaded.
προσπίτνω σε γόνασι, καίπερ ὢν §486ἀκράτωρ ὁ τλήμων, χωλός.
I fall before you on my knees, though I am helpless, wretched, and lame.
ἀλλὰ μή μʼ ἀφῇς
Oh, do not leave me...