§487ἔρημον οὕτω χωρὶς ἀνθρώπων στίβου, §488ἀλλʼ ἢ πρὸς οἶκον τὸν σὸν ἔκσωσόν μʼ ἄγων §489ἢ πρὸς τὰ Χαλκώδοντος Εὐβοίας σταθμά· §490κἀκεῖθεν οὔ μοι μακρὸς εἰς Οἴτην στόλος §491Τραχινίαν τε δειράδʼ ἠδʼ ἐς εὔροον §492Σπερχειὸν ἔσται·
(do not leave me) desolate thus, apart from the tread of men, but either bring me safe, taking me to your home, or to the stations of Chalcodon in Euboea; and thence my journey to Oeta, and the Trachinian ridge, and to the fair-flowing Spercheius will not be long.
Bring me, that you may show me to my dear father, whom indeed, for a long time since, I have feared lest he has departed from me.
πολλὰ γὰρ τοῖς ἱγμένοις §495ἔστελλον αὐτὸν ἱκεσίους πέμπων λιτάς, §496αὐτόστολον πέμψαντά μʼ ἐκσῶσαι δόμους.
For many times, through those who came here, I used to send for him, dispatching suppliant prayers, that he would send a ship of his own and rescue me home.
§497ἀλλʼ ἢ τέθνηκεν ἢ τὰ τῶν διακόνων, §498ὡς εἰκός, οἶμαι, τοὐμὸν ἐν σμικρῷ μέρος §499ποιούμενοι τὸν οἴκαδʼ ἤπειγον στόλον.
But either he is dead, or those who served me, as is likely, I think, making my interest of small account, hastened their own homeward voyage.
§500νῦν δʼ, εἰς σὲ γὰρ πομπόν τε καὐτὸν ἄγγελον §501ἥκω, σὺ σῶσον, σύ μʼ ἐλέησον, εἰσορῶν §502ὡς πάντα δεινὰ κἀπικινδύνως βροτοῖς §503κεῖται παθεῖν μὲν εὖ, παθεῖν δὲ θάτερα.
But now, since in you I have come to one who is both escort and messenger himself, do you save me, do you pity me, seeing how all things for mortals are set in dread and danger, whether to fare well or to suffer the opposite.
§504χρὴ δʼ ἐκτὸς ὄντα πημάτων τὰ δείνʼ ὁρᾶν, §505χὤταν τις εὖ ζῇ, τηνικαῦτα τὸν βίον §506σκοπεῖν μάλιστα, μὴ διαφθαρεὶς λάθῃ.
And he who is outside of troubles must look to the dangers, and when a man lives well, then most of all should he watch his life, lest he perish unawares.
Chorus: Pity him, lord; he has told of the struggle of many hard-to-bear labors, such as I hope none of my friends may ever meet.
§510εἰ δὲ πικρούς, ἄναξ, ἔχθεις Ἀτρείδας, §511ἐγὼ μέν, τὸ κείνων κακὸν τῷδε κέρδος §515μετατιθέμενος, ἔνθαπερ ἐπιμέμονεν, §516ἐπʼ εὐστόλου ταχείας νεὼς §517πορεύσαιμʼ ἂν ἐς δόμους, τὰν θεῶν §518νέμεσιν ἐκφυγών.
And if, lord, you hate the harsh Atridae, for my part, turning their evil into a gain for this man, I would convey him to his home, whither he eagerly desires, upon a well-equipped, swift ship, escaping the anger of the gods.
§519ὅρα σὺ μὴ νῦν μέν τις εὐχερὴς παρῇς, §520ὅταν δὲ πλησθῇς τῆς νόσου ξυνουσίᾳ, §521τότʼ οὐκέθʼ αὑτὸς τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις φανῇς.
Neoptolemus: Take care lest now you are easy to persuade, but when you are filled with the company of his disease, then you will no longer appear the same as in these words.
Chorus: Not at all; there is no way that you will ever have cause to reproach me with this blame justly.
Neoptolemus: But indeed, it is shameful for me to appear less ready than you to labor for the stranger in what is timely.
Well, if it seems good, let us sail; let him set forth quickly; for the ship will carry him and will not refuse.
Only may the gods bring us safe out of this land and to wherever we wish to sail from here.
§530ὦ φίλτατον μὲν ἦμαρ, ἥδιστος δʼ ἀνήρ, §531φίλοι δὲ ναῦται, πῶς ἂν ὑμὶν ἐμφανὴς §532ἔργῳ γενοίμην, ὥς μʼ ἔθεσθε προσφιλῆ;
Philoctetes: O dearest day, and sweetest man, and friendly sailors, how might I show you in deed how dear you have made yourselves to me?
§533ἴωμεν, ὦ παῖ, προσκύσαντε τὴν ἔσω §534ἄοικον εἰσοίκησιν, ὥς με καὶ μάθῃς §535ἀφʼ ὧν διέζων ὥς τʼ ἔφυν εὐκάρδιος.
Let us go, my child, having kissed the inner homeless home, so that you may also learn from me on what I lived and how stout-hearted I was by nature.
§536οἶμαι γὰρ οὐδʼ ἂν ὄμμασιν μόνην θέαν §537ἄλλον λαβόντα πλὴν ἐμοῦ τλῆναι τάδε· §538ἐγὼ δʼ ἀνάγκῃ προύμαθον στέργειν κακά.
For I think that no other, having taken even the mere sight with his eyes, except myself, could have endured these things; but I by necessity have learned beforehand to bear evils.
§539ἐπίσχετον, μάθωμεν· ἄνδρε γὰρ δύο, §540ὁ μὲν νεὼς σῆς ναυβάτης, ὁ δʼ ἀλλόθρους, §541χωρεῖτον, ὧν μαθόντες αὖθις εἴσιτον.
Chorus: Wait, let us learn; for two men, one a sailor of your ship, and the other a stranger of foreign tongue, are approaching; having learned from them, go in afterwards.
§542Ἀχιλλέως παῖ, τόνδε τὸν ξυνέμπορον, §543ὃς ἦν νεὼς σῆς σὺν δυοῖν ἄλλοιν φύλαξ, §544ἐκέλευσʼ ἐμοί σε ποῦ κυρῶν εἴης φράσαι, §545ἐπείπερ ἀντέκυρσα, δοξάζων μὲν οὔ, §546τύχῃ δέ πως πρὸς ταὐτὸν ὁρμισθεὶς πέδον.
Merchant: Son of Achilles, this fellow-traveler of yours, who with two others was guardian of your ship, I ordered to tell me where you happened to be, since I met him by chance, not expecting to do so, but by some fortune being anchored at the same land.
§547πλέων γὰρ ὡς ναύκληρος οὐ πολλῷ στόλῳ §548ἀπʼ Ἰλίου πρὸς οἶκον ἐς τὴν εὔβοτρυν §549Πεπάρηθον, ὡς ἤκουσα τοὺς ναύτας ὅτι §550σοὶ πάντες εἶεν συννεναυστοληκότες, §551ἔδοξέ μοι μὴ σῖγα, πρὶν φράσαιμί σοι, §552τὸν πλοῦν ποεῖσθαι, προστυχόντι τῶν ἴσων.
For sailing as a shipmaster with no large fleet from Ilium to my home, to grape-rich Peparethus, when I heard from the sailors that they had all sailed with you, it seemed best to me not to make my voyage in silence, before I spoke to you, having met with an equal return.
§553οὐδὲν σύ που κάτοισθα τῶν σαυτοῦ πέρι, §554ἃ τοῖσιν Ἀργείοισιν ἀμφὶ σοῦ νέα §555βουλεύματʼ ἐστί, κοὐ μόνον βουλεύματα, §556ἀλλʼ ἔργα δρώμενʼ, οὐκέτʼ ἐξαργούμενα.
You know nothing, I suppose, of your own affairs, what new counsels the Argives have concerning you, and not only counsels, but deeds being done, no longer delayed.
§557ἀλλʼ ἡ χάρις μὲν τῆς προμηθίας, ξένε, §558εἰ μὴ κακὸς πέφυκα, προσφιλὴς μενεῖ· §559φράσον δʼ ἅπερ, γʼ ἔλεξας, ὡς μάθω τί μοι §560νεώτερον, βούλευμʼ ἀπʼ Ἀργείων ἔχεις.
Neoptolemus: Well, the favor of your foresight, stranger, unless I am by nature ungrateful, will remain dear to me; but tell me what you spoke of, that I may learn what newer counsel you have from the Argives concerning me.
Merchant: They are gone, pursuing you with a naval force, the old Phoenix and the sons of Theseus.
§563ὡς ἐκ βίας μʼ ἄξοντες ἢ λόγοις πάλιν;
Neoptolemus: To bring me back by force, or by words?
§564οὐκ οἶδʼ· ἀκούσας δʼ ἄγγελος πάρειμί σοι.
Merchant: I know not; but having heard it, I am here as a messenger to you.
Neoptolemus: Are Phoenix and his shipmates indeed doing this so eagerly for the sake of the Atridae?
§567ὡς ταῦτʼ ἐπίστω δρώμενʼ, οὐ μέλλοντʼ ἔτι.
Merchant: Know that these things are being done, and no longer delayed.
§568πῶς οὖν Ὀδυσσεὺς πρὸς τάδʼ οὐκ αὐτάγγελος
Neoptolemus: Why then was Odysseus not his own messenger for this?