§137οὐδὲ μέμφομαι: §138τελευτὰς δ᾽ ἐν χρόνῳ §139πατήρ μοι παντόπτας §140πρευμενεῖς κτίσειεν, §141σπέρμα σεμνᾶς μέγα ματρὸς §142εὐνὰς ἀνδρῶν, ἒ ἔ, §143ἄγαμον ἀδάματον ἐκφυγεῖν.
And I do not complain; but in time, may my all-seeing father bring about favorable endings, so that we, the great offspring of our revered mother, may escape the beds of men, ah, ah, unmarried and unsubdued.
§144θέλουσα δ᾽ αὖ θέλουσαν ἁγνά μ᾽ §145ἐπιδέτω Διὸς κόρα, §146ἔχουσα σέμν᾽ ἑδώλι᾽ ἀσφαλῆ, §147παντὶ δὲ σθένει §148διωγμοῖς ἀσχαλῶσ᾽ §149ἀδμήτας ἀδμήτα §150ῥύσιος γενέσθω, §151σπέρμα σεμνᾶς μέγα ματρὸς §152εὐνὰς ἀνδρῶν, ἒ ἔ, §153ἄγαμον ἀδάματον ἐκφυγεῖν.
And may the holy daughter of Zeus look upon me, willing upon a willing maid, holding her secure, revered sanctuary; and with all her might, indignant at our pursuers, may the virgin goddess become the savior of a virgin, so that we, the great offspring of our revered mother, may escape the beds of men, ah, ah, unmarried and unsubdued.
§154εἰ δὲ μή, μελανθὲς §155ἡλιόκτυπον γένος §156τὸν γάιον, §157τὸν πολυξενώτατον §158Ζῆνα τῶν κεκμηκότων §159ἱξόμεθα σὺν κλάδοις §160ἀρτάναις θανοῦσαι, §161μὴ τυχοῦσαι θεῶν Ὀλυμπίων.
But if not, we, a sun-burnt black race, shall go with our branches to the earthly Zeus, the host of many deceased, having died by hanging, if we fail to win the favor of the Olympian gods.
§162ἆ Ζήν, Ἰοῦς: ἰὼ
Ah Zeus, of Io!
§163μῆνις μάστειρ᾽ ἐκ θεῶν:
Oh, the pursuing wrath of the gods!
I recognize the excessive anger of the heaven-conquering wives.
§168καὶ τότ᾽ οὐ δικαίοις §169Ζεὺς ἐνέξεται λόγοις, §170τὸν τᾶς βοὸς §171παῖδ᾽ ἀτιμάσας, τὸν αὐ- §172τός ποτ᾽ ἔκτισεν γόνῳ, §173νῦν ἔχων παλίντροπον §174ὄψιν ἐν λιταῖσιν:
And then Zeus will be liable to unjust words, having dishonored the son of the heifer, whom he himself once begot, now keeping his face turned away from our prayers.
§175ὑψόθεν δ᾽ εὖ κλύοι καλούμενος.
May he hear us from on high when called.
§175aἆ Ζήν, Ἰοῦς: ἰὼ
Ah Zeus, of Io!
§175bμῆνις μάστειρ᾽ ἐκ θεῶν:
Oh, the pursuing wrath of the gods!
I recognize the excessive anger of the heaven-conquering wives.
Children, we must be wise; and you have come with a wise, trustworthy old father as your pilot.
And now, having taken foresight for what is on land, I advise you to guard my words, recording them in your minds.
§180ὁρῶ κόνιν, ἄναυδον ἄγγελον στρατοῦ: §181σύριγγες οὐ σιγῶσιν ἀξονήλατοι: §182ὄχλον δ᾽ ὑπασπιστῆρα καὶ δορυσσόον §183λεύσσω, ξὺν ἵπποις καμπύλοις τ᾽ ὀχήμασιν:
I see dust, the silent messenger of an army; the axle-driven pipes are not silent; and I behold a crowd with shields and shaking spears, with horses and curved chariots.
Perhaps the rulers of this land are coming as onlookers to us, having heard from messengers.
§186ἀλλ᾽ εἴτ᾽ ἀπήμων εἴτε καὶ τεθηγμένος §187ὠμῇ ξὺν ὀργῇ τόνδ᾽ ἐπόρνυται στόλον, §188ἄμεινόν ἐστι παντὸς εἵνεκ᾽, ὦ κόραι, §189πάγον προσίζειν τόνδ᾽ ἀγωνίων θεῶν.
But whether with harmless intent or whetted with raw anger this host is rushing, it is better in every respect, O girls, to sit by this hill of the gods of assembly.
§190κρείσσων δὲ πύργου βωμός, ἄρρηκτον σάκος.
An altar is stronger than a tower, an unbroken shield.
§191ἀλλ᾽ ὡς τάχιστα βᾶτε, καὶ λευκοστεφεῖς §192ἱκτηρίας, ἀγάλματ᾽ αἰδοίου Διός, §193σεμνῶς ἔχουσαι διὰ χερῶν εὐωνύμων, §194αἰδοῖα καὶ γοεδνὰ καὶ ζαχρεῖ᾽ ἔπη §195ξένους ἀμείβεσθ᾽, ὡς ἐπήλυδας πρέπει, §196τορῶς λέγουσαι τάσδ᾽ ἀναιμάκτους φυγάς.
But go as quickly as possible, and holding reverently in your left hands the white-wreathed suppliant branches, the symbols of revered Zeus, answer the foreigners with respectful, plaintive, and urgent words, as fits strangers, clearly explaining this bloodless flight.
§197φθογγῇ δ᾽ ἑπέσθω πρῶτα μὲν τὸ μὴ θρασύ, §198τὸ μὴ μάταιον δ᾽ ἐκ σεσωφρονισμένων §199ἴτω προσώπων ὄμματος παρ᾽ ἡσύχου.
And first let there be no boldness in your voice, and let nothing vain come from your self-controlled faces, from a quiet eye.
And do not be talkative nor dragging in speech; the race here is very envious of this.
§202μέμνησο δ᾽ εἴκειν: χρεῖος εἶ ξένη φυγάς.
And remember to yield; you are a needy foreign fugitive.
§203θρασυστομεῖν γὰρ οὐ πρέπει τοὺς ἥσσονας.
For it does not fit the weaker to speak boldly.
§204πάτερ, φρονούντως πρὸς φρονοῦντας ἐννέπεις.
Father, you speak wisely to those who are wise.
And I shall take care to remember these good commands of yours; and may Zeus our ancestor look upon us.
§207ἴδοιτο δῆτα πρευμενοῦς ἀπ᾽ ὄμματος.
Indeed, may he look upon us with a favorable eye.
§208θέλοιμ᾽ ἂν ἤδη σοὶ πέλας θρόνους ἔχειν.
I would wish now to have my seat near you.
§209μή νυν σχόλαζε, μηχανῆς δ᾽ ἔστω κράτος.
Do not delay then, let the plan have power.
§210ὦ Ζεῦ, κόπων οἴκτειρε μἀπολωλότας.
O Zeus, pity us who are worn out, and do not let us perish.
§211κείνου θέλοντος εὖ τελευτήσει τάδε.
If he is willing, these things will end well.
§212καὶ Ζηνὸς ὄρνιν τόνδε νῦν κικλήσκετε.
And now call upon this bird of Zeus.
We call upon the saving rays of the sun, and pure Apollo, the god who was an exile from heaven.
§215εἰδὼς ἂν αἶσαν τήνδε συγγνοίη βροτοῖς.
Knowing this fate, he would have sympathy with mortals.
§216συγγνοῖτο δῆτα καὶ παρασταίη πρόφρων.
May he indeed have sympathy and stand by us favorably.
§217τίν᾽ οὖν κικλήσκω τῶνδε δαιμόνων ἔτι;
Whom then of these deities shall I still call upon?
§218ὁρῶ τρίαιναν τήνδε σημεῖον θεοῦ.
I see this trident, the symbol of the god.
§219ἀλλ᾽ εὖ τ᾽ ἔπεμψεν εὖ τε δεξάσθω χθονί.
But he sent us well, and may he receive us well in this land.
§220Ἑρμῆς ὅδ᾽ ἄλλος τοῖσιν Ἑλλήνων νόμοις.
This is Hermes, another according to Greek customs.
§221ἐλευθέροις νυν ἐσθλὰ κηρυκευέτω.
Now let him herald good things to those who are free.
§222πάντων δ᾽ ἀνάκτων τῶνδε κοινοβωμίαν §223σέβεσθ᾽: ἐν ἁγνῷ δ᾽ ἑσμὸς ὡς πελειάδων §224ἵζεσθε κίρκων τῶν ὁμοπτέρων φόβῳ, §225ἐχθρῶν ὁμαίμων καὶ μιαινόντων γένος.
Revere the common altar of all these lords; and in the holy place, like a flock of doves in fear of hawks of the same wing, sit down, in fear of enemies of the same blood who defile the race.
§226ὄρνιθος ὄρνις πῶς ἂν ἁγνεύοι φαγών;
How can a bird be pure that eats another bird?
And how can one be pure who marries an unwilling maid from an unwilling father?
οὐδὲ μὴ ʼν Ἅιδου θανὼν §229φύγῃ ματαίων αἰτίας, πράξας τάδε.
Not even in Hades when dead shall he escape the charge of foolishness, having done these things.
For there too, as they say, another Zeus among the deceased passes final judgment on crimes.
Consider, and answer in this manner, so that this matter of yours may win well.
§234ποδαπὸν ὅμιλον τόνδ᾽ ἀνελληνόστολον §235πέπλοισι βαρβάροισι καὶ πυκνώμασι §236χλίοντα προσφωνοῦμεν;
From what country do we address this company clad in un-Greek style, luxurious with barbarian robes and headbands?
οὐ γὰρ Ἀργολὶς §237ἐσθὴς γυναικῶν οὐδ᾽ ἀφ᾽ Ἑλλάδος τόπων.
For this is not Argive women's clothing, nor is it from the lands of Greece.