§176καὶ τοῖς ποιοῦσι ταῦτα καὶ πειρῶσί με §177εἴωθ’ ἀπαντᾶν μᾶλλον ὀργιλωτέρα· §178τοῖσι δὲ φρονοῦσι μηδὲν ἀντίξουν ἐμοὶ §179ἤπιον ἔχω νοῦν εὐμενής τε γίνομαι.
And to those who do these things and test me, I am accustomed to meet them even more angrily; but to those who mind nothing contrary to me, I have a gentle mind and become propitious.
§180ὁ γὰρ μεταλαβὼν τῶν ἐμῶν μυστηρίων §181πρῶτον μὲν εὐθὺς εὐστομεῖν διδάσκεται §182τέρπων ἅπαντας, εὐτραπέλους λέγων λόγους· §183πᾶσιν δ’ ὁρᾶται μετὰ γέλωτος καὶ κρότου. §184ὅτ’ ἐπὶ τὰ λουτρὰ φερόμενος βαστάζεται.
For he who has taken part in my mysteries first straightway is taught to speak words of good omen, delighting all, speaking witty words; and he is seen by all with laughter and clapping, when he is carried and supported on his way to the baths.
§185Ἄτη γάρ, ἣν Ὅμηρος εἶπεν, εἰμ’ ἐγώ, §186βαίνουσ’ ἐπ᾿ ἀνδρῶν κρᾶτα καὶ βάσεις ποδῶν §187ἁπαλὰς ἔχουσα, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς πολλοῖς βροτῶν §188Ποδάγρα καλοῦμαι, γινομένη ποδῶν ἄγρα.
For I am Ate, whom Homer spoke of, walking upon the heads of men, having soft bases of feet, and among the majority of mortals I am called Podagra, becoming the catching of feet.
But come, all you initiates of my rites, honor the unconquered goddess with hymns.
§191Ἀδαμάντινον ἦθος ἔχουσα κόρα, §192πουλυσθενές, ὀβριμόθυμε θεά, §193κλύε σῶν ἱερῶν μερόπων ἐνοπάς.
Daughter having an adamantine character, very powerful, strong-spirited goddess, hear the voices of your sacred mortal worshippers.
§194μέγα σὸν κράτος, ὀλβιόφρον Ποδάγρα, §195τὰν καὶ Διὸς ὠκὺ πέφρικε βέλος, §196τρομέει δέ σε κύμαθ’ ἁλὸς βυθίας, §197τρομέει βασιλεὺς ἐνέρων Ἀΐδας, §198ἐπιδεσμοχαρές, κατακλινοβατές, §199κολυσιδρόμα, βασαναστραγάλα, §200σφυροπρησιπύρα, μογισαψεδάφα, §201δοιδυκοφόβα, γονυκαυσαγρύπνα, §202περικονδυλοπωρυφίλα, §203γονυκαμψεπίκυρτε Ποδάγρα.
Great is your power, blessed-minded Podagra, whom even the swift bolt of Zeus fears, and the waves of the deep sea tremble before you, and Hades, the king of the underworld, trembles before you, rejoicing in bonds, walking on the couch, preventer of running, tormenter of ankles, ankle-burning-with-fever, scarcely touching the ground, pestle-fearing, knee-burning and keeping awake, loving to dig around joints, knee-bending and curving Podagra.
§204Δέσποινα, καιρίῳ γὰρ ἤντησας ποδί, §205ἄκου’, ἔπος γὰρ οὐκ ἐτώσιον φέρω, §206ἀλλ’ ἔστι πρᾶξις τῶν λόγων συνέμπορος· §207ἐγὼ γάρ, ὡς ἔταξας, ἠρέμῳ ποδὶ §208πόλεις ἰχνεύων πάντας ἠρεύνων δόμους §209μαθεῖν ποθῶν εἴ τις σὸν οὐ τιμᾷ κράτος.
Mistress, for you have met me with timely foot, hear, for I bring no empty word, but action is the companion of my words; for I, as you commanded, with quiet foot tracking cities, searched all houses, desiring to learn if anyone does not honor your power.
§210καὶ τῶν μὲν ἄλλων εἶδον ἥσυχον φρένα §211νικωμένων, ἄνασσα, σαῖν βίᾳ χεροῖν, §212δύω δὲ τώδε φῶτε τολμηρὼ θράσει §213ἐφραξέτην λαοῖσι καὶ κατωμνύτην. §214ὡς οὐκέτ’ ἔστι σὸν κράτος σεβάσμιον, §215ἀλλ’ ἔκβολον βροτῶν σε θήσουσιν βίου.
And of the others, I saw the quiet mind of those conquered, queen, by the force of your two hands, but these two men, daring with boldness, fenced themselves in before the peoples and swore together that your power is no longer to be revered, but they will cast you out from the life of mortals.
Therefore, having bound their feet with a strong bond, I have come on the fifth day, having traversed two stadia.
§218Ὡς κραιπνὸς ἔπτης, ἀγγέλων ὤκιστέ μοι.
How swiftly you flew, swiftest of my messengers.
And leaving the boundaries of what difficult land have you come?
σαφῶς μήνυσον, ὡς εἰδῶ τάχος.
Tell clearly, so that I may know quickly.
§221Πρῶτον μὲν ἔλιπον πέντε βαθμῶν κλίμακα, §222ξύλων τρέμουσαν διαλύτοισιν ἁρμογαῖς, §223ὅθεν μὲ δέχεται κορδυβαλλῶδες πέδον §224σχληροῖσι ταρσοῖς ἀντερεῖδον κρούμασιν.
First I left a staircase of five steps, of wood, trembling with loose joints, from where the bumpy ground received me, resisting with hard strikes of the soles.
§225ὅπερ διανύσας ἴχνεσιν ἀλγεινοῖς ἐγὼ §226ἐστρωμένην χάλιξιν εἰσέβην ὁδὸν §227καὶ δυσπάτητον ὀξέσιν κέντροις λίθων.
Which having traversed with painful steps, I entered a road paved with gravel and hard to tread on due to the sharp points of stones.
§228μεθ’ ἣν ὀλίσθῳ περιπεσὼν λείας ὁδοῦ §229ἔσπευδον εἰς τὸ πρόσθε, διάλυτος δέ μου §230ἔσυρεν ὀπίσω πηλὸς ἀσθενῆ σφυρά, §231δι᾿ ἧς περῶντι νότιος ἐκ μελῶν ἱδρὼς §232ἔρρει βάσιν μου σαθρὰν ἐκλελυμένῳ.
After which, falling into a slip on a smooth road, I was hastening forward, but the mud, dissolving me, dragged my weak ankles backward, through which as I passed, wet sweat from my limbs flowed, for me whose weak step was completely undone.
§233ὅθεν μὲ δέχεται πᾶν μέλος κεκμηκότα §234πλατεῖα μὲν κέλευθος, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἀσφαλής· §235τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἔνθεν, τὰ δέ μ’ ἐχκεῖθ’ ὀχήματα §236ἤπειγεν, ἠνάγκαξεν, ἔσπερχεν τρέχειν.
From where a wide but not safe path received me, weary in every limb; for vehicles from this side and from that side urged me, forced me, hurried me to run.
§237ἐγὼ δὲ νωθρὸν ἐλαφρὰ κουφίζων πόδα §238δόχμιος ἔβαινον εἰς ὁδοῦ πέζαν στενήν, §239ἕως ἀπήνη παραδράμῃ τροχήλατος· §240μύστης γὰρ ὢν σὸς ταχὺ τρέχειν οὐκ ἔσθενον.
And I, lifting my sluggish foot lightly, went sideways to the narrow edge of the road, until the wheeled carriage should run past; for being your initiate, I was not able to run quickly.
Not in vain, best of men, has this deed been rightly done by you.
τῇ δὲ σῇ προθυμίᾳ §243ἴσαισι τιμαῖς ἀντισηκώσω χάριν.
And for your eagerness, I will weigh out a favor with equal honors.
And let this be a pleasing gift to you: for the next three years you shall experience only light pains.
§246ὑμεῖς δὲ μιαροὶ καὶ θεοῖς ἐχθίστατοι, §247τίνες πότ’ ὄντες καὶ τίνων πεφυκότες §248τολμᾶτε Ποδάγρας ἀνθαμιλλᾶσθαι κράτει, §249τῆς οὐδ’ ὁ Κρονίδας οἶδε νικῆσαι βίαν;
But you, polluted and most hateful to the gods, who on earth are you and born of whom, that you dare to contend against the power of Podagra, whose force not even the son of Kronos knows how to conquer?
Speak, O worst of men; for indeed I have subdued most of the heroes, as the wise well know.
§252Πρίαμος Ποδάρκης ποδαγρὸς ὢν ἐκλῄξετο· §253ἔθανε δ’ Ἀχιλλεὺς ποδαγρὸς ὢν ὁ Πηλέως· §254ὁ Βελλεροφόντης ποδαγρὸς ὢν ἐκαρτέρει· §255Θηβῶν δυνάστης Οἰδίπους ποδαγρὸς ἦν· §256ἐκ τῶν Πελοπιδῶν ποδαγρὸς ἦν ὁ Πλεισθένης· §257Ποίαντος υἱὸς ποδαγρὸς ὢν ἦρχε στόλου
Priam was called Podarkes, though being gouty; and Achilles the son of Peleus died, being gouty; Bellerophon endured, being gouty; Oedipus, the ruler of Thebes, was gouty; of the Pelopidae, Pleisthenes was gouty; the son of Poeas ruled the fleet, being gouty.