§238ὅπως δὲ χώραν οὔτε κηρύκων ὕπο, §239ἀπρόξενοί τε, νόσφιν ἡγητῶν, μολεῖν §240ἔτλητ᾽ ἀτρέστως, τοῦτο θαυμαστὸν πέλει.
how you dared to come to this land without heralds, without protectors, and without guides, fearlessly, is indeed a wonder.
indeed, branches according to the customs of suppliants beside you before the gods of assembly.
§243μόνον τόδ᾽ Ἑλλὰς χθὼν συνοίσεται στόχῳ.
in this point will the land of Greece agree with my conjecture.
indeed, it would be right to guess many other things, there were not a voice here present to declare them.
§246εἴρηκας ἀμφὶ κόσμον ἀψευδῆ λόγον.
have spoken a true word concerning our attire.
should I speak to you as a common citizen, as a herald with Hermes’ staff, or as the leader of the city?
§249πρὸς ταῦτ᾽ ἀμείβου καὶ λέγ᾽ εὐθαρσὴς ἐμοί.
reply to this, answer and speak with good courage to me.
I am Pelasgus, son of earth-born, leader of this land.
from me, their king, the race the Pelasgians, justly named after me, harvests this land.
all the land through which pure flows, towards the setting sun, I rule.
§256ὁρίζομαι δὲ τήν τε Περραιβῶν χθόνα, §257Πίνδου τε τἀπέκεινα, Παιόνων πέλας, §258ὄρη τε Δωδωναῖα: συντέμνει δ᾽ ὅρος §259ὑγρᾶς θαλάσσης: τῶνδε τἀπὶ τάδε κρατῶ.
I define as my boundary the land of the Perrhaebians, the parts beyond Pindus, near the Paeonians, the Dodonaean mountains; and the boundary cut off by the wet sea; of these lands on this side I rule.
this plain of the land itself of old been called Apia, in honor of a healing man.
§262Ἆπις γὰρ ἐλθὼν ἐκ πέρας Ναυπακτίας §263ἰατρόμαντις παῖς Ἀπόλλωνος χθόνα §264τήνδ᾽ ἐκκαθαίρει κνωδάλων βροτοφθόρων, §265τὰ δὴ παλαιῶν αἱμάτων μιάσμασι §266χρανθεῖσ᾽ ἀνῆκε γαῖα †μηνεῖται ἄκη† §267δρακονθόμιλον δυσμενῆ ξυνοικίαν.
Apis, coming from the opposite shore of Naupactus, healer-prophet and son of Apollo, this land of man-destroying monsters, the earth, stained by the defilements ancient bloodshed, had brought up in anger, hostile dwelling of a swarm of dragons.
§268τούτων ἄκη τομαῖα καὶ λυτήρια §269πράξας ἀμέμπτως Ἆπις Ἀργείᾳ χθονὶ §270μνήμην ποτ᾽ ἀντίμισθον ηὕρετ᾽ ἐν λιταῖς.
performed sharp and releasing remedies for these blame, Apis found for himself a reward of memory the prayers of the Argive land.
now that you have the proofs from me, may declare your race and speak further.
§273μακράν γε μὲν δὴ ῥῆσιν οὐ στέργει πόλις.
indeed, the city does not love a long speech.
§274βραχὺς τορός θ᾽ ὁ μῦθος: Ἀργεῖαι γένος §275ἐξευχόμεσθα, σπέρματ᾽ εὐτέκνου βοός: §276καὶ ταῦτ᾽ ἀληθῆ πάντα προσφύσω λόγῳ.
and clear is our speech: we declare ourselves Argives race, the offspring of the cow blessed with fair children; all these things I shall attach to my speech as true.
tell unbelievable things, O strangers, me to hear, how this race of yours is Argive.
you are more like Libyan and by no means like the women of this country.
§281καὶ Νεῖλος ἂν θρέψειε τοιοῦτον φυτόν, §282Κύπριος χαρακτήρ τ᾽ ἐν γυναικείοις τύποις §283εἰκὼς πέπληκται τεκτόνων πρὸς ἀρσένων:
the Nile might nurture such a plant, a Cyprian character of female form, like yours, stamped by male artisans.
§284Ἰνδάς τ᾽ ἀκούω νομάδας ἱπποβάμοσιν §285εἶναι καμήλοις ἀστραβιζούσας, χθόνα §286παρ᾽ Αἰθίοψιν ἀστυγειτονουμένας.
I hear that there are nomad Indian women who ride on horse-like with pack-saddles, the land neighboring the Ethiopians.
the husbandless, meat-eating Amazons, you were equipped with bows, I should have very much likened to them.
διδαχθεὶς <δ᾽> ἂν τόδ᾽ εἰδείην πλέον, §290ὅπως γένεθλον σπέρμα τ᾽ Ἀργεῖον τὸ σόν.
But having been instructed, might know this more clearly, how your race and offspring is Argive.
say that Io was once the key-keeper of the house of Hera this Argive land.
§293ἦν ὡς μάλιστα, καὶ φάτις πολλὴ κρατεῖ.
was indeed so, and a widespread rumor prevails.
§295μὴ καὶ λόγος τις Ζῆνα μιχθῆναι βροτῷ;
there not also a report that Zeus was joined with a mortal?
§296κοὐ κρυπτά γ᾽ Ἥρας ταῦτα τἀμπαλάγματα.
these embraces were indeed not hidden from Hera.
§297πῶς οὖν τελευτᾷ βασιλέων νείκη τάδε;
then did these quarrels of the rulers end?
§298βοῦν τὴν γυναῖκ᾽ ἔθηκεν Ἀργεία θεός.
Argive goddess made the woman a cow.
§300οὔκουν πελάζει Ζεὺς ἐπ᾽ εὐκραίρῳ βοΐ;
Zeus then not approach the fair-horned cow?
§301φασίν, πρέποντα βουθόρῳ ταύρῳ δέμας.
say so, in the likeness of a mounting bull.
§302τί δῆτα πρὸς ταῦτ᾽ ἄλοχος ἰσχυρὰ Διός;
then did the powerful wife of Zeus do in response?
§303τὸν πάνθ᾽ ὁρῶντα φύλακ᾽ ἐπέστησεν βοΐ.
set the all-seeing guardian over the cow.
§304ποῖον πανόπτην οἰοβουκόλον λέγεις;
kind of all-seeing herdsman do you mean?
§305Ἄργον, τὸν Ἑρμῆς παῖδα γῆς κατέκτανεν.
, whom Hermes, the son of Earth, slew.
§306τί οὖν ἔτευξεν ἄλλο δυσπότμῳ βοΐ;
other thing then did she devise for the ill-fated cow?
§307βοηλάτην μύωπα κινητήριον.
cattle-driving, stimulating gadfly.
§308οἶστρον καλοῦσιν αὐτὸν οἱ Νείλου πέλας.
near the Nile call it oistros.
§309τοιγάρ νιν ἐκ γῆς ἤλασεν μακρῷ δρόμῳ.
so it drove her from the land in a long course.
§310καὶ ταῦτ᾽ ἔλεξας πάντα συγκόλλως ἐμοί.
you have spoken all these things in perfect agreement with my knowledge.
§311καὶ μὴν Κάνωβον κἀπὶ Μέμφιν ἵκετο.
indeed she came to Canopus and to Memphis.
§313καὶ Ζεύς γ᾽ ἐφάπτωρ χειρὶ φιτύει γόνον.
Zeus, touching her with his hand, engenders offspring.
§314τίς οὖν ὁ Δῖος πόρτις εὔχεται βοός;
then is this calf of Zeus who claims descent from the cow?
§315Ἔπαφος ἀληθῶς ῥυσίων ἐπώνυμος.
, truly named after his deliverance.
§317Λιβύη, μέγιστον γῆς <πέδον> καρπουμένη.
, harvesting the greatest plain of the earth.
§318τίν᾽ οὖν ἔτ᾽ ἄλλον τῆσδε βλαστημὸν λέγεις;
then do you name as another offspring of hers?
§319Βῆλον δίπαιδα, πατέρα τοῦδ᾽ ἐμοῦ πατρός.
, who had two sons, the father of this my father.
§320τὸ πάνσοφον νῦν ὄνομα τούτου μοι φράσον.
me now the all-wise name of this man.
§321Δαναός, ἀδελφὸς δ᾽ ἐστὶ πεντηκοντάπαις.
; and his brother has fifty children.
§322καὶ τοῦδ᾽ ἄνοιγε τοὔνομ᾽ ἀφθόνῳ λόγῳ.
reveal his name too with generous speech.
§323Αἴγυπτος.
εἰδὼς δ᾽ ἁμὸν ἀρχαῖον γένος §324πράσσοις ἄν, ὡς Ἀργεῖον ἀνστήσεις στόλον.
And knowing my ancient race, might act so as to protect this Argive band.
seem indeed to me to share in this land of old.
ἀλλὰ πῶς πατρῷα δώματα §327λιπεῖν ἔτλητε;
But how did you dare leave your ancestral homes?
τίς κατέσκηψεν τύχη;
What fortune befell you?
§328ἄναξ Πελασγῶν, αἰόλ᾽ ἀνθρώπων κακά.
of the Pelasgians, various are the evils of men.