§1Ζεὺς μὲν ἀφίκτωρ ἐπίδοι προφρόνως §2στόλον ἡμέτερον νάιον ἀρθέντ᾽ §3ἀπὸ προστομίων λεπτοψαμάθων §4Νείλου.
May Zeus, the protector of suppliants, look with favor upon our ship-borne company, which set sail from the fine-sanded mouths of the Nile.
Δίαν δὲ λιποῦσαι §5χθόνα σύγχορτον Συρίᾳ φεύγομεν, §6οὔτιν᾽ ἐφ᾽ αἵματι δημηλασίαν §7ψήφῳ πόλεως γνωσθεῖσαν, §8ἀλλ᾽ αὐτογενεῖ φυξανορίᾳ, §9γάμον Αἰγύπτου παίδων ἀσεβῆ
Leaving the divine land that borders Syria, we flee, not because we were banished by a public decree of the city for any shedding of blood, but by our own self-determined flight from men, holding in abhorrence the impious marriage with the sons of Aegyptus.
§10ʼξ̓ονοταζόμεναι. §11Δαναὸς δὲ πατὴρ καὶ βούλαρχος §12καὶ στασίαρχος τάδε πεσσονομῶν, §13κύδιστ᾽ ἀχέων ἐπέκρανεν, §14φεύγειν ἀνέδην διὰ κῦμ᾽ ἅλιον, §15κέλσαι δ᾽ Ἄργους γαῖαν, ὅθεν δὴ §16γένος ἡμέτερον τῆς οἰστροδόνου §17βοὸς ἐξ ἐπαφῆς κἀξ ἐπιπνοίας §18Διὸς εὐχόμενον τετέλεσται.
Our father Danaus, the counselor and leader of our band, playing this game of draughts, decided upon this as the most honorable course among our griefs: to flee unrestrained across the salty wave, and to put in at the land of Argos, whence indeed our race claims to have sprung, from the touch and breath of Zeus upon the gadfly-driven cow, bringing our lineage to completion.
§19τίν᾽ ἂν οὖν χώραν εὔφρονα μᾶλλον §20τῆσδ᾽ ἀφικοίμεθα §21σὺν τοῖσδ᾽ ἱκετῶν ἐγχειριδίοις §22ἐριοστέπτοισι κλάδοισιν;
To what friendlier land than this, then, could we come, bearing in our hands these wool-wreathed branches of suppliants?
§23ὦ πόλις, ὦ γῆ, καὶ λευκὸν ὕδωρ, §24ὕπατοί τε θεοί, καὶ βαρύτιμοι §25χθόνιοι θήκας κατέχοντες, §26καὶ Ζεὺς σωτὴρ τρίτος, οἰκοφύλαξ §27ὁσίων ἀνδρῶν, δέξασθ᾽ ἱκέτην §28τὸν θηλυγενῆ στόλον αἰδοίῳ §29πνεύματι χώρας: ἀρσενοπληθῆ δ᾽ §30ἑσμὸν ὑβριστὴν Αἰγυπτογενῆ, §31πρὶν πόδα χέρσῳ τῇδ᾽ ἐν ἀσώδει §32θεῖναι, ξὺν ὄχῳ ταχυήρει
O city, O land, and O bright water, and you supreme gods, and you heavy-punishing chthonic deities who hold the tombs, and Zeus the Savior, the third, guardian of the homes of holy men: receive as suppliants this female company with the reverent breath of your land; but as for the wanton swarm of men born of Aegyptus, before they set foot on this silty shore, drive them with their swift-wheeled ship out into the deep sea.
§33πέμψατε πόντονδ᾽: ἔνθα δὲ λαίλαπι §34χειμωνοτύπῳ, βροντῇ στεροπῇ τ᾽ §35ὀμβροφόροισίν τ᾽ ἀνέμοις ἀγρίας §36ἁλὸς ἀντήσαντες ὄλοιντο, §37πρίν ποτε λέκτρων, ὧν θέμις εἴργει, §38σφετεριξάμενοι πατραδέλφειαν §39τήνδ᾽ ἀεκόντων ἐπιβῆναι.
There, meeting with a winter-striking tempest, with thunder, lightning, and rain-bearing winds, may they perish in the wild sea, before ever they seize us, their father's brothers' daughters, and ascend beds forbidden by right, against our will.
§40νῦν δ᾽ ἐπικεκλομένα §41Δῖον πόρτιν ὑπερ- §42πόντιον τιμάορ᾽, ἶνίν τ᾽ §43ἀνθονόμον τᾶς προγόνου §44βοὸς ἐξ ἐπιπνοίας, §45Ζηνὸς ἔφαψιν: ἐπωνυμίᾳ δ᾽ §46ἐπεκραίνετο μόρσιμος αἰὼν §47εὐλόγως, §48Ἔπαφόν τ᾽ ἐγέννασεν:
And now I call upon the divine heifer beyond the sea, our avenger, and the offspring of her who grazed on flowers, our ancestress, born from the breath and the touch of Zeus; and with a name fittingly suited, the destined time of her pregnancy was completed, in accordance with reason, and she gave birth to Epaphus.
§49ὅντ᾽ ἐπιλεξαμένα, §50νῦν ἐν ποιονόμοις §51ματρὸς ἀρχαίας τόποις τῶν §52πρόσθε πόνων μνασαμένα, §53τά τε νῦν ἐπιδείξω §54πιστὰ τεκμήρια γαιονόμοις, §55τὰ δ᾽ ἄελπτά περ ὄντα φανεῖται.
Mentioning him now, in the pasture-lands of my ancient mother, and remembering her former sufferings, I shall now point out to the inhabitants of this land trustworthy proofs, and things, though unexpected, will become clear.
And indeed, someone will recognize the truth in the length of my speech.
§58εἰ δὲ κυρεῖ τις πέλας οἰωνοπόλων §59ἐγγάιος οἶκτον [οἰκτρὸν] ἀίων, §60δοξάσει τιν᾽ ἀκούειν ὄπα τᾶς Τηρεΐας §61μήτιδος οἰκτρᾶς ἀλόχου, §62κιρκηλάτας ἀηδόνος,
And if there happens to be nearby some local bird-diviner who hears our plaintive cry, he will fancy that he hears the voice of Tereus' wife, that wretched, scheming spouse, the nightingale pursued by the hawk.
§63ἅτ᾽ ἀπὸ χλωρῶν πετάλων ἐργομένα §64πενθεῖ νέον οἶκτον ἠθέων: §65ξυντίθησι δὲ παιδὸς μόρον, ὡς αὐτοφόνως §66ὤλετο πρὸς χειρὸς ἕθεν §67δυσμάτορος κότου τυχών:
For she, shut out from the green leaves, mourns with a strange lament for her lost home, and weaves into her song the fate of her child, how he perished by her own hand, meeting with an unnatural mother's wrath.
§68τὼς καὶ ἐγὼ φιλόδυρ- §69τος Ἰαονίοισι νόμοισι §70δάπτω τὰν ἁπαλὰν §71Νειλοθερῆ παρειὰν §72ἀπειρόδακρύν τε καρδίαν.
In like manner, I too, fond of lament, in Ionian strains, tear my tender, Nile-burnt cheek and my heart unaccustomed to tears.
§73γοεδνὰ δ᾽ ἀνθεμίζομαι §74δειμαίνουσα φίλους, τᾶσδε φυγᾶς §75ἀερίας ἀπὸ γᾶς §76εἴ τις ἐστὶ κηδεμών.
I gather the blossoms of grief, fearing for my loved ones, whether there is anyone to care for us, since we have fled from that misty land to this shore.
But, O ancestral gods, hear us well, looking upon what is just!
§79ἥβᾳ μὴ τέλεον §80δόντες ἔχειν παρ᾽ αἶσαν, §81ὕβριν δ᾽ ἑτοίμως στυγοῦντες, <εὖ> §82πέλοιτ᾽ ἂν ἔνδικοι γάμοις.
Do not grant to youth to possess their desire fully against destiny, but, promptly hating insolence, may you be just toward our marriage.
Even for those hard-pressed by war there is an altar, a shield against harm for fugitives, revered by the gods.
§86εὖ δ᾽ εἴη Διόθεν παναληθῶς.
May all go well from Zeus, in all truth.
§87Διὸς ἵμερος οὐκ εὐθήρατος ἐτύχθη.
The desire of Zeus is not easily tracked down.
It blazes everywhere, even in the darkness, with dark fortune, for mortal peoples.
It falls safely, not on its back, if a matter is brought to its final fulfillment by the nod of Zeus.
For the paths of his mind stretch tangled and thick-shadowed, hard to perceive.
§96ἰάπτει δ᾽ ἐλπίδων §97ἀφ᾽ ὑψιπύργων πανώλεις §98βροτούς, βίαν δ᾽ §99οὔτιν᾽ ἐξοπλίζει, §100πᾶν ἄπονον δαιμόνιον:
He hurls mortals to utter destruction from their high-towered hopes, yet he marshals no force; all that is divine is without effort.
Sitting upon his holy seat, his thought somehow accomplishes his purpose completely, from his pure throne.
§104ἰδέσθω δ᾽ εἰς ὕβριν §105βρότειον, οἵᾳ νεάζει §106πυθμὴν δι᾽ ἁ- §107μὸν γάμον τεθαλὼς §108δυσπαραβούλοισι φρεσίν, §109καὶ διάνοιαν μαινόλιν §110κέντρον ἔχων ἄφυκτον, ἄτας §111ἀπάταν μεταλγοῦς.
Let him look upon the insolence of mortals, how it flourishes afresh, its stem growing strong for our marriage through evil counsel, having a mad intent, with an inescapable sting, an illusion of ruin that ends in grief.
§112τοιαῦτα πάθεα μέλεα θρεομένα λέγω §113λιγέα βαρέα δακρυοπετῆ, §114ἰὴ ἰή, §115ἰηλέμοισιν ἐμπρεπῆ: [θρεομένη μέλη] §116ζῶσα γόοις με τιμῶ.
Such wretched sufferings I speak of in my lamenting songs, shrill, heavy, falling with tears, ie, ie, well-suited for dirges; though still living, I honor myself with laments.
I supplicate the hilly land of Apia, and my foreign speech you understand well, O land.
Many times I fall down with rent linen garments, my Sidonian veil.
But to the gods due sacrifices are made when things turn out well, where death is absent.
§127ποῖ τόδε κῦμ᾽ ἀπάξει;
Whither will this wave carry me?
I supplicate the hilly land of Apia, and my foreign speech you understand well, O land.
Many times I fall down with rent linen garments, my Sidonian veil.