§1Ἑρμῆς
ὁ μὲν Καύκασος, ὦ Ἥφαιστε, οὗτος, ᾧ τὸν ἄθλιον τουτονὶ Τιτᾶνα προσηλῶσθαι δεήσει·
Hermes: This, Hephaestus, is Caucasus, to which this miserable Titan must be nailed.
περισκοπῶμεν δὲ ἤδη κρημνόν τινα ἐπιτήδειον, εἴ που τῆς χιόνος τι γυμνόν ἐστιν, ὡς βεβαιότερον καταπαγείη τὰ δεσμὰ καὶ οὗτος ἅπασι περιφανὴς εἴη κρεμάμενος.
Let us now look around for some suitable cliff, if there is any part of it bare of snow, so that the bonds may be fastened more securely and he may be visible to everyone as he hangs.
Ἥφαιστος
περισκοπῶμεν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ·
Hephaestus: Let us look around, Hermes.
οὔτε γὰρ ταπεινὸν καὶ πρόσγειον ἐσταυρῶσθαι χρή, ὡς μὴ ἐπαμύνοιεν αὐτῷ τὰ πλάσματα αὐτοῦ οἱ ἄνθρωποι, οὔτε μὴν κατὰ τὸ ἄκρον, — ἀφανὴς γὰρ ἂν εἴη τοῖς κάτω — ἀλλʼ εἰ δοκεῖ κατὰ μέσον ἐνταῦθά που ὑπὲρ τῆς φάραγγος ἀνεσταυρώσθω ἐκπετασθεὶς τὼ χεῖρε ἀπὸ τουτουὶ τοῦ κρημνοῦ πρὸς τὸν ἐναντίον.
For he must not be crucified low down and near the ground, lest his creations, mankind, should come to his aid, nor indeed at the very summit—for he would be invisible to those below—but if you agree, let him be crucified about the middle, over the ravine, with his hands stretched out from this cliff to the opposite one.
Ἑρμῆς
εὖ λέγεις·
Hermes: Well said.
ἀπόξυροί τε γὰρ αἱ πέτραι καὶ ἀπρόσβατοι πανταχόθεν, ἠρέμα ἐπινενευκυῖαι, καὶ τῷ ποδὶ στενὴν ταύτην ὁ κρημνὸς ἔχει τὴν ἐπίβασιν, ὡς ἀκροποδητὶ μόλις ἑστάναι, καὶ ὅλως ἐπικαιρότατος ἂν ὁ σταυρὸς γένοιτο.
For the rocks are sheer and inaccessible on all sides, slightly overhanging, and the cliff has this narrow foothold, so that one can scarcely stand on tiptoe, and on the whole, the place would be most convenient for the cross.
μὴ μέλλε οὖν, ὦ Προμηθεῦ, ἀλλʼ ἀνάβαινε καὶ πάρεχε σεαυτὸν καταπαγησόμενον πρὸς τὸ ὄρος.
Do not delay, then, Prometheus, but climb up and present yourself to be nailed to the mountain.
§2Προμηθεύς
ἀλλὰ κἂν ὑμεῖς γε, ὦ Ἥφαιστε καὶ Ἑρμῆ, κατελεησατέ με παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν δυστυχοῦντα.
Prometheus: But at least do you, Hephaestus and Hermes, pity me, who am suffering misfortune undeservedly.
Ἑρμῆς
τοῦτο φής, ὦ Προμηθεῦ, ἀντὶ σοῦ ἀνασκολοπισθῆναι αὐτίκα μάλα παρακούσαντας τοῦ ἐπιτάγματος·
Hermes: Are you saying this, Prometheus, that we should be crucified immediately in your stead, disobeying the command?
ἢ οὐχ ἱκανὸς εἶναί σοι δοκεῖ ὁ Καύκασος καὶ ἄλλους χωρῆσαι δύο προσπατταλευθέντας;
Or does Caucasus seem to you not large enough to hold two others nailed up?
ἀλλʼ ὄρεγε τὴν δεξιάν· σὺ δέ, ὦ Ἥφαιστε, κατάκλειε καὶ προσήλου καὶ τὴν σφῦραν ἐρρωμένως κατάφερε.
Come, stretch out your right hand; and you, Hephaestus, lock it, nail it, and bring down the hammer with force.
δὸς καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν· κατειλήφθω εὖ μάλα καὶ αὕτη.
Give the other hand too; let this one also be gripped very tight.
εὖ ἔχει.
Well done.
καταπτήσεται δὲ ἤδη καὶ ὁ ἀετὸς ἀποκερῶν τὸ ἧπαρ, ὡς πάντα ἔχοις ἀντὶ τῆς καλῆς καὶ εὐμηχάνου πλαστικῆς.
And now the eagle will fly down to tear your liver, so that you may have all this in return for your beautiful and ingenious plastic art.
§3Προμηθεύς
ὦ Κρόνε καὶ Ἰαπετὲ καὶ σὺ ὦ μῆτερ, οἷα πέπονθα ὁ κακοδαίμων οὐδὲν δεινὸν εἰργασμένος.
Prometheus: O Cronus and Iapetus and you, my mother, what things I suffer, wretch that I am, having done nothing wrong!
Ἑρμῆς
οὐδέν, ὦ Προμηθεῦ, δεινὸν εἰργάσω, ὃς πρῶτα μὲν τὴν νομὴν τῶν κρεῶν ἐγχειρισθεὶς οὕτως ἄδικον ἐποιήσω καὶ ἀπατηλήν, ὡς σαυτῷ μὲν τὰ κάλλιστα ὑπεξελέσθαι, τὸν Δία δὲ παραλογίσασθαι ὀστᾶ
καλύψας ἄργετι δημῷ;
Hermes: Having done nothing wrong, Prometheus?
μέμνημαι γὰρ Ἡσιόδου νὴ Δίʼ οὕτως εἰπόντος· ἔπειτα δὲ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀνέπλασας, πανουργότατα ζῷα, καὶ μάλιστά γε τὰς γυναῖκας· ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τὸ τιμιώτατον κτῆμα τῶν θεῶν τὸ πῦρ κλέψας, καὶ τοῦτο ἔδωκας τοῖς ἀνθρώποις;
You who, first of all, when entrusted with the distribution of the meat, made it so unjust and deceitful as to choose the best parts for yourself and deceive Zeus by covering the bones with white fat? (For, by Zeus, I remember Hesiod saying so.) And then you fashioned men, most mischievous creatures, and especially women; and to crown all, you stole fire, the most precious possession of the gods, and gave it to men?
τοσαῦτα δεινὰ εἰργασμένος φὴς μηδὲν ἀδικήσας δεδέσθαι;
Having done such terrible things, do you say you are bound without having done any wrong?
§4Προμηθεύς
ἔοικας, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ σὺ κατὰ τὸν ποιητὴν
ἀναίτιον αἰτιάασθαι
ὃς τὰ τοιαῦτά μοι προφέρεις, ἐφʼ οἷς ἔγωγε τῆς ἐν πρυτανείῳ σιτήσεως, εἰ τὰ δίκαια ἐγίγνετο, ἐτιμησάμην ἂν ἐμαυτῷ.
Prometheus: You seem, Hermes, you too, to "blame the blameless" in the manner of the poet, since you bring such charges against me, for which, if justice were done, I should have assessed my own reward as public maintenance in the Prytaneum.
εἰ γοῦν σχολή σοι, ἡδέως ἂν καὶ δικαιολογησαίμην ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐγκλημάτων, ὡς δείξαιμι ἄδικα ἐγνωκότα περὶ ἡμῶν τὸν Δία· σὺ δὲ — στωμύλος γὰρ εἶ καὶ δικανικός — ἀπολόγησαι ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ὡς δικαίαν τὴν ψῆφον ἔθετο, ἀνεσταυρῶσθαί με πλησίον τῶν Κασπίων τούτων πυλῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ Καυκάσου, οἴκτιστον θέαμα πᾶσι Σκύθαις.
At any rate, if you have leisure, I would gladly plead my cause against the accusations, to show that Zeus has judged unjustly concerning me; and you—for you are a talkative and litigious fellow—defend him, showing that he gave a just verdict in crucifying me near these Caspian Gates on Caucasus, a most pitiable spectacle to all Scythians.
Ἑρμῆς
ἕωλον μέν, ὦ Προμηθεῦ, τὴν ἔφεσιν ἀγωνιῇ καὶ ἐς οὐδὲν δέον· ὅμως δʼ οὖν λέγε·
Hermes: You will plead a stale appeal, Prometheus, and to no purpose; nevertheless, speak.
καὶ γὰρ ἄλλως περιμένειν ἀναγκαῖον, ἔστʼ ἂν ὁ ἀετὸς καταπτῇ ἐπιμελησόμενός σου τοῦ ἥπατος.
For we must wait in any case until the eagle flies down to tend to your liver.
τὴν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ δὴ ταύτην σχολὴν καλῶς ἂν ἔχον εἴη εἰς ἀκρόασιν καταχρήσασθαι σοφιστικήν, οἷος εἶ σὺ πανουργότατος ἐν τοῖς λόγοις.
This interval of leisure might well be employed in listening to a sophistical discourse from you, who are most mischievous in speech.