§619εὖτʼ ἂν Πληιάδες σθένος ὄβριμον Ὠαρίωνος §620φεύγουσαι πίπτωσιν ἐς ἠεροειδέα πόντον, §621δὴ τότε παντοίων ἀνέμων θυίουσιν ἀῆται· §622καὶ τότε μηκέτι νῆας ἔχειν ἐνὶ οἴνοπι πόντῳ, §623γῆν ἐργάζεσθαι μεμνημένος, ὥς σε κελεύω.
When the Pleiades, fleeing the mighty strength of Orion, fall into the misty sea, then indeed the blasts of all kinds of winds rage; and then no longer keep ships on the wine-dark sea, but remember to work the land, as I bid you.
§624νῆα δʼ ἐπʼ ἠπείρου ἐρύσαι πυκάσαι τε λίθοισι §625πάντοθεν, ὄφρʼ ἴσχωσʼ ἀνέμων μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντων, §626χείμαρον ἐξερύσας, ἵνα μὴ πύθῃ Διὸς ὄμβρος.
Pull the ship onto the mainland and pack it around with stones on all sides, so that they may hold back the wet strength of the blowing winds, and pull out the bilge-plug, lest the rain of Zeus rot it.
§627ὅπλα δʼ ἐπάρμενα πάντα τεῷ ἐγκάτθεο οἴκῳ §628εὐκόσμως στολίσας νηὸς πτερὰ ποντοπόροιο· §629πηδάλιον δʼ ἐυεργὲς ὑπὲρ καπνοῦ κρεμάσασθαι.
And lay up all the fitted gear in your house, orderly folding the wings of the sea-going ship; and hang the well-wrought rudder over the smoke.
§630αὐτὸς δʼ ὡραῖον μίμνειν πλόον, εἰσόκεν ἔλθῃ· §631καὶ τότε νῆα θοὴν ἅλαδʼ ἑλκέμεν, ἐν δέ τε φόρτον §632ἄρμενον ἐντύνασθαι, ἵνʼ οἴκαδε κέρδος ἄρηαι, §633ὥς περ ἐμός τε πατὴρ καὶ σός, μέγα νήπιε Πέρσῃ, §634πλωίζεσκʼ ἐν νηυσί, βίου κεχρημένος ἐσθλοῦ· §635ὅς ποτε καὶ τῇδʼ ἦλθε, πολὺν διὰ πόντον ἀνύσσας, §636Κύμην Αἰολίδα προλιπών, ἐν νηὶ μελαίνῃ· §637οὐκ ἄφενος φεύγων οὐδὲ πλοῦτόν τε καὶ ὄλβον, §638ἀλλὰ κακὴν πενίην, τὴν Ζεὺς ἄνδρεσσι δίδωσιν· §639νάσσατο δʼ ἄγχʼ Ἑλικῶνος ὀιζυρῇ ἐνὶ κώμῃ, §640Ἄσκρῃ, χεῖμα κακῇ, θέρει ἀργαλέῃ, οὐδέ ποτʼ ἐσθλῇ.
And you yourself wait for the timely voyage, until it comes; and then drag the swift ship to the sea, and arrange a fitting cargo in it, so that you may bring home profit, just as my father and yours, O very foolish Perses, used to sail in ships, needing a good livelihood; who once came even here, having traversed much sea, leaving Aeolian Cyme, in a black ship; not fleeing abundance nor wealth and prosperity, but evil poverty, which Zeus gives to men; and he settled near Helicon in a miserable village, Ascra, bad in winter, painful in summer, never good.
But you, O Perses, remember to keep in mind all timely works, and especially concerning seafaring.
§643νῆʼ ὀλίγην αἰνεῖν, μεγάλῃ δʼ ἐνὶ φορτία θέσθαι.
Praise a small ship, but put your cargo in a large one.
§644μείζων μὲν φόρτος, μεῖζον δʼ ἐπὶ κέρδεϊ κέρδος §645ἔσσεται, εἴ κʼ ἄνεμοί γε κακὰς ἀπέχωσιν ἀήτας.
Greater is the cargo, and greater will be the profit upon profit, if indeed the winds keep off their evil blasts.
§646εὖτʼ ἂν ἐπʼ ἐμπορίην τρέψας ἀεσίφρονα θυμὸν §647βούληαι χρέα τε προφυγεῖν καὶ λιμὸν ἀτερπέα, §648δείξω δή τοι μέτρα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης, §649οὔτε τι ναυτιλίης σεσοφισμένος οὔτε τι νηῶν.
When, turning your foolish mind to trade, you wish to escape debts and unpleasant hunger, I will indeed show you the measures of the loud-sounding sea, though I am skilled neither in seafaring nor in ships.
§650οὐ γάρ πώ ποτε νηί γʼ ἐπέπλων εὐρέα πόντον, §651εἰ μὴ ἐς Εὔβοιαν ἐξ Αὐλίδος, ᾗ ποτʼ Ἀχαιοὶ §652μείναντες χειμῶνα πολὺν σὺν λαὸν ἄγειραν §653Ἑλλάδος ἐξ ἱερῆς Τροίην ἐς καλλιγύναικα.
For never yet have I sailed the wide sea in a ship, except to Euboea from Aulis, where once the Achaeans, waiting out a great storm, gathered a great host from sacred Greece for Troy of beautiful women.
§654ἔνθα δʼ ἐγὼν ἐπʼ ἄεθλα δαΐφρονος Ἀμφιδάμαντος §655Χαλκίδα τʼ εἲς ἐπέρησα· τὰ δὲ προπεφραδμένα πολλὰ §656ἄεθλʼ ἔθεσαν παῖδες μεγαλήτορος· ἔνθα μέ φημι §657ὕμνῳ νικήσαντα φέρειν τρίποδʼ ὠτώεντα.
There I crossed over for the games of warlike Amphidamas to Chalcis; and the sons of that great-hearted man proposed many well-advertised games; there I declare that I, conquering with a hymn, carried off an eared tripod.
This I dedicated to the Muses of Helicon, where they first set me on the path of sweet song.
§660τόσσον τοι νηῶν γε πεπείρημαι πολυγόμφων· §661ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς ἐρέω Ζηνὸς νόον αἰγιόχοιο· §662Μοῦσαι γάρ μʼ ἐδίδαξαν ἀθέσφατον ὕμνον ἀείδειν.
So much indeed is my experience of many-bolted ships; but even so I will speak the mind of Zeus who holds the aegis; for the Muses have taught me to sing wondrous song.
§663ἤματα πεντήκοντα μετὰ τροπὰς ἠελίοιο, §664ἐς τέλος ἐλθόντος θέρεος καματώδεος ὥρης, §665ὡραῖος πέλεται θνητοῖς πλόος· οὔτε κε νῆα §666καυάξαις οὔτʼ ἄνδρας ἀποφθείσειε θάλασσα, §667εἰ δὴ μὴ πρόφρων γε Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων §668ἢ Ζεὺς ἀθανάτων βασιλεὺς ἐθέλῃσιν ὀλέσσαι· §669ἐν τοῖς γὰρ τέλος ἐστὶν ὁμῶς ἀγαθῶν τε κακῶν τε.
For fifty days after the solstice, when the season of wearisome summer comes to an end, a timely voyage is possible for mortals; you would neither wreck your ship, nor would the sea destroy your men, unless indeed Poseidon the earth-shaker or Zeus the king of the immortals should purposely wish to destroy them; for in them is the end of both good and evil alike.
§670τῆμος δʼ εὐκρινέες τʼ αὖραι καὶ πόντος ἀπήμων· §671εὔκηλος τότε νῆα θοὴν ἀνέμοισι πιθήσας §672ἑλκέμεν ἐς πόντον φόρτον τʼ ἐς πάντα τίθεσθαι, §673σπεύδειν δʼ ὅττι τάχιστα πάλιν οἶκόνδε νέεσθαι· §674μηδὲ μένειν οἶνόν τε νέον καὶ ὀπωρινὸν ὄμβρον §675καὶ χειμῶνʼ ἐπιόντα Νότοιό τε δεινὰς ἀήτας, §676ὅστʼ ὤρινε θάλασσαν ὁμαρτήσας Διὸς ὄμβρῳ §677πολλῷ ὀπωρινῷ, χαλεπὸν δέ τε πόντον ἔθηκεν.
At that time the breezes are well-defined and the sea is harmless; peaceful then, trusting your swift ship to the winds, drag it into the sea and put all your cargo on board, and hasten to return home again as quickly as possible; and do not wait for the new wine and autumn rain and oncoming winter, and the terrible blasts of the South Wind, which rouses the sea, accompanying the heavy autumn rain of Zeus, and makes the sea difficult.
§678ἄλλος δʼ εἰαρινὸς πέλεται πλόος ἀνθρώποισιν· §679ἦμος δὴ τὸ πρῶτον, ὅσον τʼ ἐπιβᾶσα κορώνη §680ἴχνος ἐποίησεν, τόσσον πέταλʼ ἀνδρὶ φανείῃ §681ἐν κράδῃ ἀκροτάτῃ, τότε δʼ ἄμβατός ἐστι θάλασσα· §682εἰαρινὸς δʼ οὗτος πέλεται πλόος.
There is another voyage for men in the spring; when indeed for the first time, as large as the print a crow makes when she steps, so large do the leaves appear to a man on the topmost branch of a fig-tree, then indeed the sea is mountable; and this is the spring voyage.
οὔ μιν ἔγωγε §683αἴνημʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἐμῷ θυμῷ κεχαρισμένος ἐστίν· §684ἁρπακτός· χαλεπῶς κε φύγοις κακόν· ἀλλά νυ καὶ τὰ §685ἄνθρωποι ῥέζουσιν ἀιδρείῃσι νόοιο· §686χρήματα γὰρ ψυχὴ πέλεται δειλοῖσι βροτοῖσιν.
I indeed do not praise it; for it is not pleasing to my mind; it is snatched; you would escape evil with difficulty; but even so men do these things through ignorance of mind; for money is life to wretched mortals.
§687δεινὸν δʼ ἐστὶ θανεῖν μετὰ κύμασιν.
But it is a terrible thing to die among the waves.
ἀλλά σʼ ἄνωγα §688φράζεσθαι τάδε πάντα μετὰ φρεσίν, ὡς ἀγορεύω.
But I bid you consider all these things in your heart, as I speak them.