§1.1ἄμπνευμα σεμνὸν Ἀλφεοῦ, §1.2κλεινᾶν Συρακοσσᾶν θάλος Ὀρτυγία, §1.3δέμνιον Ἀρτέμιδος, §1.4Δάλου κασιγνήτα, σέθεν ἁδυεπὴς §1.5ὕμνος ὁρμᾶται θέμεν §1.6αἶνον ἀελλοπόδων μέγαν ἵππων, Ζηνὸς Αἰτναίου χάριν·
Sacred breathing-place of Alpheus, Ortygia, sprout of famous Syracuse, couch of Artemis, sister of Delos, from you a sweet-sounding hymn sets out to establish great praise for storm-footed horses, for the favor of Etnaean Zeus.
§1.7ἅρμα δʼ ὀτρύνει Χρομίου Νεμέα θʼ ἔργμασιν νικαφόροις ἐγκώμιον ζεῦξαι μέλος.
And the chariot of Chromius and Nemea urge me to yoke a song of praise to victorious exploits.
And foundations have been laid by the gods along with that man's divine virtues.
And in good fortune lies the pinnacle of all glory; and of great contests the Muse loves to remember.
§1.13σπεῖρέ νυν ἀγλαΐαν τινὰ νάσῳ, τὰν Ὀλύμπου δεσπότας §1.14Ζεὺς ἔδωκεν Φερσεφόνᾳ, κατένευσέν τέ οἱ χαίταις, ἀριστεύοισαν εὐκάρπου χθονὸς §1.15Σικελίαν πίειραν ὀρθώσειν κορυφαῖς πολίων ἀφνεαῖς.
Sow now some splendor upon the island, which the master of Olympus, Zeus, gave to Persephone, and nodded to her with his hair, that he would raise up fertile Sicily, the best of fruitful earth, with the wealthy summits of cities.
§1.16ὤπασε δὲ Κρονίων πολέμου μναστῆρά οἱ χαλκεντέος §1.17λαὸν ἵππαιχμον θαμὰ δὴ καὶ Ὀλυμπιάδων φύλλοις ἐλαιᾶν χρυσέοις §1.18μιχθέντα.
And the son of Cronus gave her a horse-fighting people, wooers of bronze-clad war, and one often mixed with the golden olive leaves of the Olympiads.
πολλῶν ἐπέβαν καιρὸν οὐ ψεύδει βαλών.
I have stepped onto many themes without hitting a false mark.
§1.19ἔσταν δʼ ἐπʼ αὐλείαις θύραις §1.20ἀνδρὸς φιλοξείνου καλὰ μελπόμενος, §1.21ἔνθα μοι ἁρμόδιον §1.22δεῖπνον κεκόσμηται, θαμὰ δʼ ἀλλοδαπῶν §1.23οὐκ ἀπείρατοι δόμοι §1.24ἐντί· λέλογχε δὲ μεμφομένοις ἐσλοὺς ὕδωρ καπνῷ φέρειν §1.25ἀντίον.
And I stood at the courtyard gates of a hospitable man, singing beautiful songs, where a fitting feast has been prepared for me, and often the house is not unacquainted with strangers; and it has fallen to the lot of the good to bring water against the smoke of those who find fault.
τέχναι δʼ ἑτέρων ἕτεραι· χρὴ δʼ ἐν εὐθείαις ὁδοῖς στείχοντα μάρνασθαι φυᾷ.
Different are the skills of different men; but one must fight with inborn nature, walking in straight paths.
§1.26πράσσει γὰρ ἔργῳ μὲν σθένος, §1.27βουλαῖσι δὲ φρήν, ἐσσόμενον προϊδεῖν §1.28συγγενὲς οἷς ἕπεται.
For strength works through action, and the mind through counsels, for those whom the inborn power to foresee the future attends.
Son of Hagesidamus, in your character there are uses for both of these.
§1.31οὐκ ἔραμαι πολὺν ἐν μεγάρῳ πλοῦτον κατακρύψαις ἔχειν, §1.32ἀλλʼ ἐόντων εὖ τε παθεῖν καὶ ἀκοῦσαι φίλοις ἐξαρκέων.
I do not desire to keep great wealth hidden away in my hall, but to enjoy what is present and to be spoken well of by helping my friends.
κοιναὶ γὰρ ἔρχοντʼ ἐλπίδες §1.33πολυπόνων ἀνδρῶν.
For hopes come common to toil-worn men.
ἐγὼ δʼ Ἡρακλέος ἀντέχομαι προφρόνως, §1.34ἐν κορυφαῖς ἀρετᾶν μεγάλαις ἀρχαῖον ὀτρύνων λόγον, §1.35ὡς, ἐπεὶ σπλάγχνων ὕπο ματέρος αὐτίκα θαητὰν ἐς αἴγλαν παῖς Διὸς §1.36ὠδῖνα φεύγων διδύμῳ σὺν κασιγνήτῳ μόλεν, §1.37ὡς οὐ λαθὼν χρυσόθρονον §1.38Ἥραν κροκωτὸν σπάργανον ἐγκατέβα· §1.39ἀλλὰ θεῶν βασιλ έα §1.40σπερχθεῖσα θυμῷ πέμπε δράκοντας ἄφαρ.
And I cling eagerly to Heracles, arousing an ancient story among the great heights of virtue, how, when from the womb of his mother into the wondrous light the son of Zeus came, escaping the birth-pangs with his twin brother, how he did not escape the notice of golden-throned Hera as he entered the saffron swaddling bands; but the queen of the gods, vexed in her heart, sent serpents immediately.
§1.41τοὶ μὲν οἰχθεισᾶν πυλᾶν §1.42ἐς θαλάμου μυχὸν εὐρὺν ἔβαν, τέκνοισιν ὠκείας γνάθους §1.43ἀμφελίξασθαι μεμαῶτες· ὁ δʼ ὀρθὸν μὲν ἄντεινεν κάρα, πειρᾶτο δὲ πρῶτον μάχας, §1.44δισσαῖσι δοιοὺς αὐχένων §1.45μάρψαις ἀφύκτοις χερσὶν ἑαῖς ὄφιας· §1.46ἀγχομένοις δὲ χρόνος §1.47ψυχὰς ἀπέπνευσεν μελέων ἀφάτων.
They, through the opened doors, went into the wide recess of the chamber, eager to wrap their swift jaws around the children; but he raised his head upright and made trial of his first battle, grasping the two serpents by their necks with his two inescapable hands; and as they were strangled, time breathed the souls out of their unspeakable limbs.
§1.48ἐκ δʼ ἄρʼ ἄτλατον δέος §1.49πλᾶξε γυναῖκας, ὅσαι τύχον Ἀλκμήνας ἀρήγοισαι λέχει· §1.50καὶ γὰρ αὐτά, ποσσὶν ἄπεπλος ὀρούσαισʼ ἀπὸ στρωμνᾶς, ὅμως ἄμυνεν ὕβριν κνωδάλων.
Then unbearable fear struck the women who happened to be helping at Alcmene's bed; for she herself, leaping unclad from her bed on her feet, nevertheless tried to ward off the violence of the beasts.
§1.51ταχὺ δὲ Καδμείων ἀγοὶ χαλκέοις ἀθρόοι σὺν ὅπλοις ἔδραμον· §1.52ἐν χερὶ δʼ Ἀμφιτρύων κολεοῦ γυμνὸν τινάσσων φάσγανον §1.53ἵκετʼ, ὀξείαις ἀνίαισι τυπείς.
And quickly the leaders of the Cadmeians ran together in their bronze armor; and Amphitryon came, shaking in his hand a sword bare of its sheath, struck by sharp grief.
τὸ γὰρ οἰκεῖον πιέζει πάνθʼ ὁμῶς· §1.54εὐθὺς δʼ ἀπήμων κραδία κᾶδος ἀμφʼ ἀλλότριον.
For what is one's own oppresses everyone alike, but the heart is quickly free from grief concerning another's trouble.
And he stood, mixed with unbearable amazement and joy.
εἶδε γὰρ ἐκνόμιον §1.57λῆμά τε καὶ δύναμιν §1.58υἱοῦ παλίγγλωσσον δέ οἱ ἀθάνατοι §1.59ἀγγέλων ῥῆσιν θέσαν.
For he saw the extraordinary courage and power of his son, and the immortals had made the speech of the messengers turn back for him.
§1.60γείτονα δʼ ἐκκάλεσεν Διὸς ὑψίστου προφάταν ἔξοχον, §1.61ὀρθόμαντιν Τειρεσίαν· ὁ δέ οἱ φράζε καὶ παντὶ στρατῷ, ποίαις ὁμιλήσει τύχαις, §1.62ὅσσους μὲν ἐν χέρσῳ κτανών, §1.63ὅσσους δὲ πόντῳ θῆρας ἀϊδροδίκας· §1.64καί τινα σὺν πλαγίῳ §1.65ἀνδρῶν κόρῳ στείχοντα τὸν ἐχθρότατον §1.66φᾶσέ νιν δώσειν μόρῳ.
And he called out his neighbor, the outstanding prophet of highest Zeus, the true-divining Tiresias; and he declared to him and to all the host with what fortunes he would meet, how many beasts he would kill on dry land, and how many lawless monsters in the sea; and how some most hostile man walking with crooked insolence he said he would give over to death.
§1.67καὶ γὰρ ὅταν θεοὶ ἐν πεδίῳ Φλέγρας Γιγάντεσσιν μάχαν §1.68ἀντιάζωσιν, βελέων ὑπὸ ῥιπαῖσι κείνου φαιδίμαν γαίᾳ πεφύρσεσθαι κόμαν §1.69ἔνεπεν·
For indeed, when the gods meet the Giants in battle on the plain of Phlegra, under the rush of his missiles, their bright hair would be fouled in the dust, he declared.
αὐτὸν μὰν ἐν εἰράνᾳ καμάτων μεγάλων ἐν σχερῷ §1.70ἁσυχίαν τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ποινὰν λαχόντʼ ἐξαίρετον §1.71ὀλβίοις ἐν δώμασι, δεξάμενον θαλερὰν Ἥβαν ἄκοιτιν καὶ γάμον §1.72δαίσαντα, πὰρ Δὶ Κρονίδᾳ σεμνὸν αἰνήσειν νόμον.
But he himself, in peace, as an exceptional reward for his great labors, would obtain quietness for all time, in blessed halls, receiving blooming Hebe as his wife, and having celebrated his marriage feast, beside Cronian Zeus he would praise the holy law.