§5.1ΠΡΟΜΗΘΕΥΣ
Λῦσόν με, ὦ Ζεῦ· δεινὰ γὰρ ἤδη πέπονθα.
PROMETHEUS Free me, Zeus; for I have already suffered terrible things.
ΖΕΥΣ
Λύσω σε, φῄς, ὃν ἐχρῆν βαρυτέρας πέδας ἔχοντα καὶ τὸν Καύκασον ὅλον ὑπέρ κεφαλῆς ἐπικείμενον ὑπὸ ἑκκαίδεκα γυπῶν μὴ μόνον κείρεσθαι τὸ ἧπαρ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξορύττεσθαι, ἀνθ' ὧν τοιαῦθ' ἡμῖν ζῷα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἔπλασας καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἔκλεψας καὶ γυναῖκας ἐδημιούργησας;
ZEUS Release you, you say? You, who ought to have heavier fetters and to have the whole Caucasus lying upon your head, and to have not only your liver devoured by sixteen vultures, but also your eyes gouged out, in return for having fashioned such creatures as men for us, and stolen fire, and created women?
ἃ μὲν γὰρ ἐμὲ ἐξηπάτησας ἐν τῇ νομῇ τῶν κρεῶν ὀστᾶ πιμελῇ κεκαλυμμένα παραθεὶς καὶ τὴν ἀμείνω τῶν μοιρῶν σεαυτῷ φυλάττων, τί χρὴ λέγειν;
For as to how you deceived me in the division of the meat, serving up bones covered with fat and keeping the better portion for yourself, what need is there to speak?
ΠΡΟΜΗΘΕΥΣ
Οὔκουν ἱκανὴν ἤδη τὴν δίκην ἐκτέτικα τοσοῦτον χρόνον τῷ Καυκάσῳ προσηλωμένος τὸν κάκιστα ὀρνέων ἀπολούμενον ἀετὸν τρέφων τῷ ἥπατι;
PROMETHEUS Have I not then already paid sufficient penalty, having been nailed to the Caucasus for so long a time, feeding with my liver that eagle which of all birds deserves to perish most miserably?
ΖΕΥΣ
Οὐδὲ πολλοστημόριον τοῦτο ὧν σε δεῖ παθεῖν.
ZEUS This is not even a tiny fraction of what you ought to suffer.
ΠΡΟΜΗΘΕΥΣ
Καὶ μὴν οὐκ ἀμισθί με λύσεις, ἀλλά σοι μηνύσω τι, ὦ Ζεῦ, πάνυ ἀναγκαῖον.
PROMETHEUS And yet, you will not release me without a reward, but I will reveal to you, Zeus, something very necessary.
§5.2ΖΕΥΣ
Κατασοφίζῃ με, ὦ Προμηθεῦ.
ZEUS You are trying to trick me, Prometheus.
ΠΡΟΜΗΘΕΥΣ
Καὶ τί πλέον ἕξω;
PROMETHEUS And what more shall I gain?
οὐ γὰρ ἀγνοήσεις αὖθις ἔνθα ὁ Καύκασός ἐστιν, οὐδὲ ἀπορήσεις δεσμῶν, ἤν τι τεχνάζων ἁλίσκωμαι.
For you will not forget where the Caucasus is, nor will you lack fetters, if I am caught playing tricks.
ΖΕΥΣ
Εἰπὲ πρότερον ὅντινα μισθὸν ἀποτίσεις ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν ὄντα.
ZEUS Tell me first what reward you will pay, which is necessary for us.
ΠΡΟΜΗΘΕΥΣ
Ἢν εἴπω ἐφ' ὅ τι βαδίζεις νῦν, ἀξιόπιστος ἔσομαί σοι καὶ περὶ τῶν ὑπολοίπων μαντευόμενος;
PROMETHEUS If I tell you where you are going now, will I be trustworthy to you when prophesying about the remaining things?
ΖΕΥΣ
Πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
ZEUS Why not, indeed?
ΠΡΟΜΗΘΕΥΣ
Παρὰ τὴν Θέτιν, συνεσόμενος αὐτῇ.
PROMETHEUS To Thetis, to associate with her.
ΖΕΥΣ
Τουτὶ μὲν ἔγνως· τί δ’ οὖν τὸ ἐπὶ τούτῳ;
ZEUS This much you know; what then is the next thing?
δοκεῖς γὰρ ἀληθές τι ἐρεῖν.
For you seem to be about to tell some truth.
ΠΡΟΜΗΘΕΥΣ
Μηδέν, ὦ Ζεῦ, κοινωνήσῃς τῇ Νηρεΐδι· ἢν γὰρ αὕτη κυοφορήσῃ ἐκ σοῦ, τὸ τεχθὲν ἴσα ἐργάσεταί σε οἷα καὶ σὺ ἔδρασας —
ΖΕΥΣ
Τοῦτο φῄς, ἐκπεσεῖσθαί με τῆς ἀρχῆς;
PROMETHEUS Do not by any means, Zeus, associate with the Nereid; for if she conceives by you, the child born of her will do to you exactly what you did— ZEUS Do you mean this, that I shall fall from my power?
ΠΡΟΜΗΘΕΥΣ
Μὴ γένοιτο, ὦ Ζεῦ.
PROMETHEUS May it not happen, Zeus!
πλὴν τοιοῦτό γε ἡ μῖξις αὐτῆς ἀπειλεῖ.
But such is what her embrace threatens.
ΖΕΥΣ
Χαιρέτω τοιγαροῦν ἡ Θέτις· σὲ δὲ ὁ Ἥφαιστος ἐπὶ τούτοις λυσάτω.
ZEUS Farewell then to Thetis; and let Hephaestus release you on these conditions.