§207δαιμονίη, τί λέληκας;
"Miserable bird, why do you shriek?
ἔχει νύ σε πολλὸν ἀρείων·
Now one much better than you holds you.
§208τῇ δʼ εἶς, ᾗ σʼ ἂν ἐγώ περ ἄγω καὶ ἀοιδὸν ἐοῦσαν·
You will go wherever I may lead you, even though you are a singer.
§209δεῖπνον δʼ, αἴ κʼ ἐθέλω, ποιήσομαι ἠὲ μεθήσω.
And I will make a meal of you, if I wish, or let you go.
§210ἄφρων δʼ, ὅς κʼ ἐθέλῃ πρὸς κρείσσονας ἀντιφερίζειν· §211νίκης τε στέρεται πρός τʼ αἴσχεσιν ἄλγεα πάσχει. §212ὣς ἔφατʼ ὠκυπέτης ἴρηξ, τανυσίπτερος ὄρνις.
And foolish is he who wishes to contend against those who are stronger; for he is deprived of victory and suffers pain besides his disgrace." So spoke the swift-flying hawk, the long-winged bird.
§213ὦ Πέρση, σὺ δʼ ἄκουε δίκης, μηδʼ ὕβριν ὄφελλε· §214ὕβρις γάρ τε κακὴ δειλῷ βροτῷ· οὐδὲ μὲν ἐσθλὸς §215ῥηιδίως φερέμεν δύναται, βαρύθει δέ θʼ ὑπʼ αὐτῆς
O Perses, do you listen to justice, and do not increase insolence; for insolence is bad for a wretched mortal; nor indeed can a noble man easily bear it, but he is weighed down under it, having met with calamities.
§216ἐγκύρσας ἄτῃσιν· ὁδὸς δʼ ἑτέρηφι παρελθεῖν §217κρείσσων ἐς τὰ δίκαια· Δίκη δʼ ὑπὲρ Ὕβριος ἴσχει §218ἐς τέλος ἐξελθοῦσα· παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.
The road to pass by on the other side is better towards just things; for Justice prevails over Insolence when she has gone through to the end; and even a fool learns by suffering.
§219αὐτίκα γὰρ τρέχει Ὅρκος ἅμα σκολιῇσι δίκῃσιν.
For immediately the Oath runs alongside crooked judgments.
§220τῆς δὲ Δίκης ῥόθος ἑλκομένης, ᾗ κʼ ἄνδρες ἄγωσι §221δωροφάγοι, σκολιῇς δὲ δίκῃς κρίνωσι θέμιστας.
And there is a clamor of Justice being dragged, wherever gift-devouring men may lead her, and judge ordinances with crooked judgments.
§222ἣ δʼ ἕπεται κλαίουσα πόλιν καὶ ἤθεα λαῶν, §223ἠέρα ἑσσαμένη, κακὸν ἀνθρώποισι φέρουσα, §224οἵ τε μιν ἐξελάσωσι καὶ οὐκ ἰθεῖαν ἔνειμαν.
And she follows, weeping, to the city and dwellings of the people, clothed in mist, bringing evil to men, those who drive her out and did not deal her straight.
§225Οἳ δὲ δίκας ξείνοισι καὶ ἐνδήμοισι διδοῦσιν §226ἰθείας καὶ μή τι παρεκβαίνουσι δικαίου, §227τοῖσι τέθηλε πόλις, λαοὶ δʼ ἀνθεῦσιν ἐν αὐτῇ· §228εἰρήνη δʼ ἀνὰ γῆν κουροτρόφος, οὐδέ ποτʼ αὐτοῖς §229ἀργαλέον πόλεμον τεκμαίρεται εὐρύοπα Ζεύς·
But those who give straight judgments to strangers and citizens, and do not step aside at all from what is just, for them the city flourishes, and the people blossom in it; and peace, the nurse of youth, is upon the earth, nor ever for them does wide-seeing Zeus ordain grievous war.
Nor ever does hunger attend straight-judging men, nor calamity, but they share the fruits of works cared for in abundance.
§232τοῖσι φέρει μὲν γαῖα πολὺν βίον, οὔρεσι δὲ δρῦς §233ἄκρη μέν τε φέρει βαλάνους, μέσση δὲ μελίσσας· §234εἰροπόκοι δʼ ὄιες μαλλοῖς καταβεβρίθασιν· §235τίκτουσιν δὲ γυναῖκες ἐοικότα τέκνα γονεῦσιν· §236θάλλουσιν δʼ ἀγαθοῖσι διαμπερές· οὐδʼ ἐπὶ νηῶν §237νίσσονται, καρπὸν δὲ φέρει ζείδωρος ἄρουρα.
For them the earth bears much livelihood, and on the mountains the oak bears acorns at its top, and bees in its middle; and woolly sheep are weighed down with fleeces; and women bear children resembling their parents; and they flourish with good things continuously; nor do they go upon ships, but the grain-giving earth bears fruit.
§238οἷς δʼ ὕβρις τε μέμηλε κακὴ καὶ σχέτλια ἔργα, §239τοῖς δὲ δίκην Κρονίδης τεκμαίρεται εὐρύοπα Ζεύς.
But to those who care for evil insolence and cruel deeds, for them wide-seeing Zeus, the son of Kronos, ordains punishment.
Often even a whole city suffers because of an evil man, whoever sins and devises reckless deeds.
Upon them the son of Kronos brings great trouble from heaven, hunger and plague together; and the people perish.
§244οὐδὲ γυναῖκες τίκτουσιν, μινύθουσι δὲ οἶκοι §245Ζηνὸς φραδμοσύνῃσιν Ὀλυμπίου· ἄλλοτε δʼ αὖτε §246ἢ τῶν γε στρατὸν εὐρὺν ἀπώλεσεν ἢ ὅ γε τεῖχος §247ἢ νέας ἐν πόντῳ Κρονίδης ἀποαίνυται αὐτῶν.
Nor do the women bear children, and the houses diminish, by the designs of Olympian Zeus; and at another time either the son of Kronos destroys their broad army, or their wall, or he takes away their ships on the sea.
§248ὦ βασιλῆς, ὑμεῖς δὲ καταφράζεσθε καὶ αὐτοὶ §249τήνδε δίκην· ἐγγὺς γὰρ ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἐόντες §250ἀθάνατοι φράζονται, ὅσοι σκολιῇσι δίκῃσιν §251ἀλλήλους τρίβουσι θεῶν ὄπιν οὐκ ἀλέγοντες.
O kings, do you yourselves also consider this justice; for near at hand among men, the immortals watch all those who with crooked judgments wear each other down, neglecting the retribution of the gods.
§252τρὶς γὰρ μύριοί εἰσιν ἐπὶ χθονὶ πουλυβοτείρῃ §253ἀθάνατοι Ζηνὸς φύλακες θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων· §254οἵ ῥα φυλάσσουσίν τε δίκας καὶ σχέτλια ἔργα §255ἠέρα ἑσσάμενοι, πάντη φοιτῶντες ἐπʼ αἶαν.
For thrice ten thousand are they upon the many-nourishing earth, immortal guardians of Zeus of mortal men, who watch judgments and cruel deeds, clothed in mist, going everywhere over the earth.
And there is virgin Justice, born of Zeus, noble and revered among the gods who hold Olympus.
§258καί ῥʼ ὁπότʼ ἄν τίς μιν βλάπτῃ σκολιῶς ὀνοτάζων, §259αὐτίκα πὰρ Διὶ πατρὶ καθεζομένη Κρονίωνι §260γηρύετʼ ἀνθρώπων ἄδικον νόον, ὄφρʼ ἀποτίσῃ §261δῆμος ἀτασθαλίας βασιλέων, οἳ λυγρὰ νοεῦντες §262ἄλλῃ παρκλίνωσι δίκας σκολιῶς ἐνέποντες.
And whenever anyone harms her, speaking of her crookedly, immediately sitting down beside father Zeus the son of Kronos she speaks of the unjust mind of men, so that the people may pay for the outrages of the kings, who, planning evil, bend judgments aside, speaking crookedly.
§263ταῦτα φυλασσόμενοι, βασιλῆς, ἰθύνετε †δίκας §264δωροφάγοι, σκολιέων δὲ δικέων ἐπὶ πάγχυ λάθεσθε.
Guarding against these things, O kings, make straight your judgments, you gift-devourers, and forget crooked judgments entirely.
A man devises evil for himself who devises evil for another, and the evil counsel is worst for the one who counseled it.
§267πάντα ἰδὼν Διὸς ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ πάντα νοήσας §268καί νυ τάδʼ, αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσʼ, ἐπιδέρκεται, οὐδέ ἑ λήθει, §269οἵην δὴ καὶ τήνδε δίκην πόλις ἐντὸς ἐέργει.
The eye of Zeus, seeing all and understanding all, looks upon these things too, if he wishes, nor does it escape him what kind of justice indeed even this city keeps within.
§270νῦν δὴ ἐγὼ μήτʼ αὐτὸς ἐν ἀνθρώποισι δίκαιος §271εἴην μήτʼ ἐμὸς υἱός· ἐπεὶ κακὸν ἄνδρα δίκαιον §272ἔμμεναι, εἰ μείζω γε δίκην ἀδικώτερος ἕξει·
Now indeed may I myself not be just among men, nor my son; since it is a bad thing for a man to be just if the more unjust man is to have the greater justice.
§273ἀλλὰ τά γʼ οὔ πω ἔολπα τελεῖν Δία μητιόεντα.
But these things indeed I do not yet expect wise Zeus to bring to pass."