and that you might perish helplessly, wandering through the sandy expanse under the airy breezes.
§872ἴυζε καὶ λάκαζε καὶ κάλει θεούς.
HERALD: Cry out, and shriek, and call upon the gods.
§873Αἰγυπτίαν γὰρ βᾶριν οὐχ ὑπερθορεῖ.
For you shall not escape the Egyptian bark.
Cry out and scream, pouring forth a more bitter strain of distress.
§876οἰοῖ οἰοῖ, §877λύμας, ᾇ σὺ πρὸ γᾶς ὑλάσκων §878περί, χάμψα, βρυάζεις: §879ὃς ἐπωπᾷ δ᾽, ὁ μέγας §880Νεῖλος, ὑβρίζοντά σ᾽ ἀποτρέ- §881ψειεν ἄιστον ὕβριν.
CHORUS: Alas, alas, O abuser, you who howl in front of this land, like a crocodile, you boast exceedingly; but may the great Nile, who watches over all, turn away your outrage so that your insolence vanishes.
HERALD: I command you to go to the double-prowed bark as quickly as possible; let no one delay.
§884ὁλκὴ γὰρ οὔτοι πλόκαμον οὐδάμ᾽ ἅζεται.
For the hand that drags you will not respect your hair.
CHORUS: Oh, father, tearing me away from the statues, he drags me to the sea, like a spider, step by step.
§888ὄναρ ὄναρ μέλαν,
A black nightmare, a black nightmare!
§889ὀτοτοτοῖ,
Alas!
Mother Earth, Mother Earth, turn away the terrifying cry, O King Zeus, son of Earth!
HERALD: I do not fear the local gods here; for they did not nurture me, nor did they bring me to old age by their care.
CHORUS: A two-footed serpent rages nearby; like a viper, it has bitten my foot and holds me fast.
§897a<ὄναρ ὄναρ μέλαν,>
A black nightmare, a black nightmare!
§898ὀτοτοτοῖ,
Alas!
Mother Earth, Mother Earth, turn away the terrifying cry, O King Zeus, son of Earth!
HERALD: Unless someone goes to the ship yielding to this, the ripping of her tunic will feel no pity for her plight.
§904ἰὼ πόλεως ἀγοὶ πρόμοι, δάμναμαι.
CHORUS: O leaders and chiefs of the city, I am being overpowered!
HERALD: It seems I shall drag you by tearing you away by the hair, since you do not quickly listen to my words.
§907διωλόμεσθ᾽: ἄελπτ᾽, ἄναξ, πάσχομεν.
CHORUS: We are undone; we are suffering unexpected things, O king.
HERALD: Many ruling sons of Egypt you shall soon see; be of good courage, you will not speak of anarchy.
§910οὗτος, τί ποιεῖς;
KING PELASGUS: You there, what are you doing?
ἐκ ποίου φρονήματος §911ἀνδρῶν Πελασγῶν τήνδ᾽ ἀτιμάζεις χθόνα;
From what pride do you insult this land of Pelasgian men?
§912ἀλλ᾽ ἦ γυναικῶν ἐς πόλιν δοκεῖς μολεῖν;
Or do you think you have come to a city of women?
Being a barbarian, you are too insolent towards Greeks; and though making many mistakes, you have corrected nothing in your mind.
§916τί δ᾽ ἠμπλάκηται τῶνδ᾽ ἐμοὶ δίκης ἄτερ;
HERALD: And what has been done by me incorrectly without justice?
§917ξένος μὲν εἶναι πρῶτον οὐκ ἐπίστασαι.
KING: First, you do not know how to act as a guest.
§918πῶς δ᾽ οὐχί;
HERALD: How so?
τἄμ᾽ ὀλωλόθ᾽ εὑρίσκων ἄγω.
I am finding and leading away my lost property.
§919ποίοισιν εἰπὼν προξένοις ἐγχωρίοις;
KING: To what local protectors did you speak when doing so?
§920Ἑρμῇ μεγίστῳ προξένῳ μαστηρίῳ.
HERALD: To Hermes, the greatest protector of searches.
§921θεοῖσιν εἰπὼν τοὺς θεοὺς οὐδὲν σέβει.
KING: Speaking to gods, you have no respect for the gods.
§922τοὺς ἀμφὶ Νεῖλον δαίμονας σεβίζομαι.
HERALD: I revere the deities around the Nile.
§923οἱ δ᾽ ἐνθάδ᾽ οὐδέν, ὡς ἐγὼ σέθεν κλύω.
KING: But those here are nothing, as I hear from you.
§924ἄγοιμ᾽ ἄν, εἴ τις τάσδε μὴ ʼξαιρήσεται.
HERALD: I would lead them away, unless someone takes them from me.
§925κλαίοις ἄν, εἰ ψαύσειας, οὐ μάλ᾽ ἐς μακράν.
KING: You will suffer, if you touch them, and that before long.
§926ἤκουσα τοὔπος οὐδαμῶς φιλόξενον.
HERALD: I hear a word that is by no means hospitable.
§927οὐ γὰρ ξενοῦμαι τοὺς θεῶν συλήτορας.
KING: For I do not act as host to robbers of the gods.
§928λέγοιμ᾽ ἂν ἐλθὼν παισὶν Αἰγύπτου τάδε.
HERALD: I shall go and say this to the sons of Egypt.
§929ἀβουκόλητον τοῦτ᾽ ἐμῷ φρονήματι.
KING: This is of no concern to my mind.
§930ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἂν εἰδὼς ἐννέπω σαφέστερον,— §931καὶ γὰρ πρέπει κήρυκ᾽ ἀπαγγέλλειν τορῶς §932ἕκαστα,—πῶς φῶ, πρὸς τίνος τ᾽ ἀφαιρεθεὶς §933ἥκειν γυναικῶν αὐτανέψιον στόλον;
HERALD: But so that I may speak more clearly knowing the facts,— for indeed it is proper for a herald to report each thing precisely,—how shall I say, and by whom deprived, that I have returned with this fleet of women, our cousins?
§934οὔτοι δικάζει ταῦτα μαρτύρων ὕπο §935Ἄρης: τὸ νεῖκος δ᾽ οὐκ ἐν ἀργύρου λαβῇ §936ἔλυσεν: ἀλλὰ πολλὰ γίγνεται πάρος §937πεσήματ᾽ ἀνδρῶν κἀπολακτισμοὶ βίου.
KING: Ares does not judge these things by witnesses; nor does he settle the dispute by taking silver; but many falls of men and kicking off of lives happen before that.
§938τί σοι λέγειν χρὴ τοὔνομ᾽;
Why must I tell you my name?
ἐν χρόνῳ μαθὼν §939εἴσι σύ τ᾽ αὐτὸς χοἰ ξυνέμποροι σέθεν.
Learning it in time you yourself and your companions will know it.
As for these women, if they are willing and out of goodwill of their minds you may lead them, provided a pious word persuades them.
§942τοιάδε δημόπρακτος ἐκ πόλεως μία §943ψῆφος κέκρανται, μήποτ᾽ ἐκδοῦναι βίᾳ §944στόλον γυναικῶν: τῶνδ᾽ ἐφήλωται τορῶς §945γόμφος διαμπάξ, ὡς μένειν ἀραρότως.
But such a single decree, enacted by the people, has been ratified by the city, never to surrender this fleet of women by force; through these things a bolt has been driven right through, so that they remain fixedly.
§946ταῦτ᾽ οὐ πίναξίν ἐστιν ἐγγεγραμμένα §947οὐδ᾽ ἐν πτυχαῖς βίβλων κατεσφραγισμένα, §948σαφῆ δ᾽ ἀκούεις ἐξ ἐλευθεροστόμου §949γλώσσης.
These things are not written on tablets, nor sealed in the folds of books, but you hear them clearly from a free-speaking tongue.
κομίζου δ᾽ ὡς τάχιστ᾽ ἐξ ὀμμάτων.
Now get yourself out of my sight as quickly as possible.
§950ἔοιγμεν ἤδη πόλεμον ἀρεῖσθαι νέον.
HERALD: It seems we are now about to raise a new war.
§951εἴη δὲ νίκη καὶ κράτη τοῖς ἄρσεσιν.
May victory and strength belong to the males.
KING: But you shall find indeed that the male inhabitants of this land do not drink wine made from barley.
§954ὑμεῖς δὲ πᾶσαι ξὺν φίλαις ὀπάοσι §955θράσος λαβοῦσαι στείχετ᾽ εὐερκῆ πόλιν, §956πύργων βαθείᾳ μηχανῇ κεκλῃμένην.
But all of you, together with your dear attendants, taking courage, go to the well-fortified city, closed by the deep device of towers.
And there are indeed many public dwellings, and I myself have built dwellings with no small hand.
§959ἔνθ᾽ ὑμίν ἐστιν εὐτύκους ναίειν δόμους §960πολλῶν μετ᾽ ἄλλων: εἰ δέ τις μείζων χάρις, §961πάρεστιν οἰκεῖν καὶ μονορρύθμους δόμους.
There you may dwell in well-built homes with many others; or if it is more pleasing, you may also live in single dwellings.
Of these, choose the best and most pleasing to your heart.
I am your protector, and all the citizens, by whom this decree is ratified.
τί τῶνδε κυριωτέρους μένεις;
Why do you wait for those of greater authority?
§966ἀλλ᾽ ἀντ᾽ ἀγαθῶν ἀγαθοῖσι βρύοις,
CHORUS: May you abound in good things in return for your goodness.