§329πόνου δ᾽ ἴδοις ἂν οὐδαμοῦ ταὐτὸν πτερόν:
You could not see the same wing of trouble anywhere.
§330ἐπεὶ τίς ηὔχει τήνδ᾽ ἀνέλπιστον φυγὴν §331κέλσειν ἐς Ἄργος κῆδος ἐγγενὲς τὸ πρίν, §332ἔχθει μεταπτοιοῦσαν εὐναίων γάμων;
For who would have expected this unexpected flight, writhing with hatred of the marriage bed, to run aground here at Argos, which was formerly of kindred blood?
What do you say you are suppliants for before these gods of assembly, holding white-wreathed, newly-plucked branches?
§335ὡς μὴ γένωμαι δμωὶς Αἰγύπτου γένει.
That I may not become a slave to the race of Aegyptus.
§336πότερα κατ᾽ ἔχθραν, ἢ τὸ μὴ θέμις λέγεις;
Do you say this because of hatred, or because it is not lawful?
§337τίς δ᾽ ἂν φίλους ὄνοιτο τοὺς κεκτημένους;
Who would favor their owners as kindred?
§338σθένος μὲν οὕτως μεῖζον αὔξεται βροτοῖς.
Yet in this way, greater strength grows for mortals.
§339καὶ δυστυχούντων γ᾽ εὐμαρὴς ἀπαλλαγή.
And indeed, in times of misfortune, easy is the separation.
§340πῶς οὖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς εὐσεβὴς ἐγὼ πέλω;
How then can I be pious towards you?
§341αἰτοῦσι μὴ ʼκδοὺς παισὶν Αἰγύπτου πάλιν.
By not giving us up to the sons of Aegyptus when they demand us.
§342βαρέα σύ γ᾽ εἶπας, πόλεμον ἄρασθαι νέον.
A heavy thing you have spoken, to take up a new war.
§343ἀλλ᾽ ἡ δίκη γε ξυμμάχων ὑπερστατεῖ.
But Justice indeed stands as champion for her allies.
§344εἴπερ γ᾽ ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς πραγμάτων κοινωνὸς ἦν.
If indeed she was a partner in the matter from the beginning.
§345αἰδοῦ σὺ πρύμναν πόλεος ὧδ᾽ ἐστεμμένην.
Revere the stern of the city, thus wreathed.
§346πέφρικα λεύσσων τάσδ᾽ ἕδρας κατασκίους.
I shudder as I look upon these shaded seats.
§347βαρύς γε μέντοι Ζηνὸς ἱκεσίου κότος.
Heavy indeed is the wrath of Zeus the god of suppliants.
Child of Palaechthon, hear me with a favorable heart, king of the Pelasgians.
§350ἴδε με τὰν ἱκέτιν φυγάδα περίδρομον, §351λυκοδίωκτον ὡς δάμαλιν ἂμ πέτραις §352ἠλιβάτοις, ἵν᾽ ἀλκᾷ πίσυνος μέμυ- §353κε φράζουσα βοτῆρι μόχθους.
Look upon me, the fleeing, wandering suppliant, like a heifer pursued by wolves upon the sheer rocks, where, trusting in her strength, she bellows, telling the herdsman of her troubles.
I see this assembly of the gods of assembly shaded by newly-plucked branches and nodding in supplication.
§356εἴη δ᾽ ἄνατον πρᾶγμα τοῦτ᾽ ἀστοξένων.
May this matter of the resident aliens be without harm.
And let not strife arise for the city from unexpected and unforeseen things; for of these the city has no need.
May indeed the suppliant Themis, daughter of Zeus who assigns lots, look upon our harmless flight.
§361σὺ δὲ παρ᾽ ὀψιγόνου μάθε γεραιόφρων: §362ποτιτρόπαιον αἰδόμενος †οὖνπερ §363ἱεροδόκα†. . §364θεῶν λήματ᾽ ἀπ᾽ ἀνδρὸς ἁγνοῦ.
And you, learn from one born later, though you are old in mind: if you revere a suppliant, the gods who receive sacred gifts do not despise the offerings from a pure man.
τὸ κοινὸν δ᾽ εἰ μιαίνεται πόλις, §367ξυνῇ μελέσθω λαὸς ἐκπονεῖν ἄκη.
If the common state of the city is polluted, let the people together take care to work out remedies.
But I would not fulfill any promise beforehand, until I have shared this with all the citizens.
§370σύ τοι πόλις, σὺ δὲ τὸ δάμιον: §371πρύτανις ἄκριτος ὤν, §372κρατύνεις βωμόν, ἑστίαν χθονός, §373μονοψήφοισι νεύμασιν σέθεν, §374μονοσκήπτροισι δ᾽ ἐν θρόνοις χρέος §375πᾶν ἐπικραίνεις: ἄγος φυλάσσου.
You indeed are the city, and you are the public; being a ruler subject to no judgment, govern the altar, the hearth of the land, by your sole-voting nods, and upon your sole-sceptered throne you determine every duty; guard against pollution.
May pollution indeed be for my enemies, but I cannot aid you without harm.
§378οὐδ᾽ αὖ τόδ᾽ εὖφρον, τάσδ᾽ ἀτιμάσαι λιτάς.
Yet again, it is not wise to dishonor these supplications.
I am at a loss, and fear holds my mind, whether to act, or not to act, and to take whatever fortune.
§381τὸν ὑψόθεν σκοπὸν ἐπισκόπει, §382φύλακα πολυπόνων §383βροτῶν, οἳ τοῖς πέλας προσήμενοι §384δίκας οὐ τυγχάνουσιν ἐννόμου.
Look upon the watcher from on high, the guardian of much-suffering mortals, who, sitting as suppliants at their neighbors’ places, do not obtain lawful justice.
Indeed, the wrath of Zeus, the protector of suppliants, remains, not to be appeased by the groans of the sufferer.
§387εἴ τοι κρατοῦσι παῖδες Αἰγύπτου σέθεν §388νόμῳ πόλεως, φάσκοντες ἐγγύτατα γένους §389εἶναι, τίς ἂν τοῖσδ᾽ ἀντιωθῆναι θέλοι;
If indeed the sons of Aegyptus have power over you by the law of your city, claiming to be nearest of kin, who would wish to oppose them?
You must flee according to the laws of your home, showing that they have no authority over you.
May I then never become subject to the power of men.
ὕπαστρον δέ τοι §394μῆχαρ ὁρίζομαι γάμου δύσφρονος §395φυγάν: ξύμμαχον δ᾽ ἑλόμενος δίκαν §396κρῖνε σέβας τὸ πρὸς θεῶν.
Under the stars I define my escape from an hateful marriage as my remedy; and choosing Justice as your ally, judge the reverence due to the gods.
§397οὐκ εὔκριτον τὸ κρῖμα: μή μ᾽ αἱροῦ κριτήν.
The judgment is not easy to judge; do not choose me as judge.
§398εἶπον δὲ καὶ πρίν, οὐκ ἄνευ δήμου τάδε §399πράξαιμ᾽ ἄν, οὐδέ περ κρατῶν, μὴ καί ποτε §400εἴπῃ λεώς, εἴ πού τι κἀλλοῖον τύχοι, §401“ἐπήλυδας τιμῶν ἀπώλεσας πόλιν. ” §402ἀμφοτέροις ὁμαίμων τάδ᾽ ἐπισκοπεῖ §403Ζεὺς ἑτερορρεπής, νέμων εἰκότως §404ἄδικα μὲν κακοῖς, ὅσια δ᾽ ἐννόμοις.
And I said even before, that I would not do this without the people, even though I am ruler, lest ever the people should say, if anything otherwise should happen, "By honoring strangers you destroyed the city." Zeus, the kindred of both, looks upon these things, turning the scale to one side or the other, distributing fitly unjust things to the wicked, and holy things to the lawful.
Since these things incline equally, why do you hesitate to do what is just?
§407δεῖ τοι βαθείας φροντίδος σωτηρίου, §408δίκην κολυμβητῆρος, ἐς βυθὸν μολεῖν §409δεδορκὸς ὄμμα, μηδ᾽ ἄγαν ᾠνωμένον: §410ὅπως ἄνατα ταῦτα πρῶτα μὲν πόλει, §411αὐτοῖσί θ᾽ ἡμῖν ἐκτελευτήσει καλῶς, §412καὶ μήτε δῆρις ῥυσίων ἐφάψεται §413μήτ᾽ ἐν θεῶν ἕδραισιν ὧδ᾽ ἱδρυμένας §414ἐκδόντες ὑμᾶς τὸν πανώλεθρον θεὸν §415βαρὺν ξύνοικον θησόμεσθ᾽ ἀλάστορα, §416ὃς οὐδ᾽ ἐν Ἅιδου τὸν θανόντ᾽ ἐλευθεροῖ.
Indeed there is need of deep, saving thought, like a diver, to go down into the depth with a keen-sighted eye, not overly clouded with wine; so that these things may turn out well, first without harm to the city, and to ourselves also, and that neither strife may seize us for reprisals, nor that we, by giving you up who are thus seated at the seats of the gods, may bring upon ourselves the all-destroying god, the heavy companion, the avenger, who does not set the dead free even in Hades.
§417μῶν οὐ δοκεῖ δεῖν φροντίδος σωτηρίου;
Does it not seem that there is need of saving thought?