§1Τάδε μὲν Περσῶν τῶν οἰχομένων §2Ἑλλάδ᾽ ἐς αἶαν πιστὰ καλεῖται, §3καὶ τῶν ἀφνεῶν καὶ πολυχρύσων §4ἑδράνων φύλακες, κατὰ πρεσβείαν §5οὓς αὐτὸς ἄναξ Ξέρξης βασιλεὺς §6Δαρειογενὴς §7εἵλετο χώρας ἐφορεύειν.
These are called the trustworthy ones of the Persians who have gone to the land of Hellas, and guardians of the wealthy and gold-abundant seats, according to seniority, whom Lord Xerxes the king himself, son of Darius, chose to watch over the land.
§8ἀμφὶ δὲ νόστῳ τῷ βασιλείῳ §9καὶ πολυχρύσου στρατιᾶς ἤδη §10κακόμαντις ἄγαν ὀρσολοπεῖται §11θυμὸς ἔσωθεν.
But concerning the return of the king and of the gold-abundant army, already my mind within me, too much a prophet of evil, is violently troubled.
§12πᾶσα γὰρ ἰσχὺς Ἀσιατογενὴς §13ᾤχωκε, νέον δ᾽ ἄνδρα βαΰζει, §14κοὔτε τις ἄγγελος οὔτε τις ἱππεὺς §15ἄστυ τὸ Περσῶν ἀφικνεῖται:
For all the strength born of Asia has gone, and it whines for its young man, and neither any messenger nor any horseman arrives at the city of the Persians.
§16οἵτε τὸ Σούσων ἠδ᾽ Ἀγβατάνων §17καὶ τὸ παλαιὸν Κίσσιον ἕρκος §18προλιπόντες ἔβαν, τοὶ μὲν ἐφ᾽ ἵππων, §19τοὶ δ᾽ ἐπὶ ναῶν, πεζοί τε βάδην §20πολέμου στῖφος παρέχοντες: §21οἷος Ἀμίστρης ἠδ᾽ Ἀρταφρένης §22καὶ Μεγαβάτης ἠδ᾽ Ἀστάσπης, §23ταγοὶ Περσῶν, §24βασιλῆς βασιλέως ὕποχοι μεγάλου, §25σοῦνται, στρατιᾶς πολλῆς ἔφοροι, §26τοξοδάμαντές τ᾽ ἠδ᾽ ἱπποβάται, §27φοβεροὶ μὲν ἰδεῖν, δεινοὶ δὲ μάχην §28ψυχῆς εὐτλήμονι δόξῃ: §29Ἀρτεμβάρης θ᾽ ἱππιοχάρμης §30καὶ Μασίστης, ὅ τε τοξοδάμας §31ἐσθλὸς Ἰμαῖος, Φαρανδάκης θ᾽, §32ἵππων τ᾽ ἐλατὴρ Σοσθάνης.
Those who, having left Susa and Ecbatana and the ancient Kissian rampart, went away, some on horses, some on ships, and some on foot, marching in step, presenting a solid mass of war: such as Amistres and Artaphernes and Megabates and Astaspes, leaders of the Persians, kings subject to the Great King, rush forth, commanders of a vast army, subduers of the bow and riders of horses, fearsome to look upon, and dread in battle through the courageous resolve of their soul; and Artembares, fighter from chariots, and Masistres, and the noble bowman Imaeus, and Pharandakes, and Sosthanes, driver of horses.
§33ἄλλους δ᾽ ὁ μέγας καὶ πολυθρέμμων §34Νεῖλος ἔπεμψεν: Σουσισκάνης, §35Πηγασταγὼν Αἰγυπτογενής, §36ὅ τε τῆς ἱερᾶς Μέμφιδος ἄρχων §37μέγας Ἀρσάμης, τάς τ᾽ ὠγυγίους §38Θήβας ἐφέπων Ἀριόμαρδος, §39καὶ ἑλειοβάται ναῶν ἐρέται §40δεινοὶ πλῆθός τ᾽ ἀνάριθμοι.
And others the great and nourishing Nile sent: Susiskanes, Pegastagon born in Egypt, and the ruler of sacred Memphis, great Arsames, and Ariomardos who rules over ancient Thebes, and the marsh-dwelling rowers of ships, dread and countless in multitude.
§41ἁβροδιαίτων δ᾽ ἕπεται Λυδῶν §42ὄχλος, οἵτ᾽ ἐπίπαν ἠπειρογενὲς §43κατέχουσιν ἔθνος, τοὺς Μιτρογαθὴς §44Ἀρκτεύς τ᾽ ἀγαθός, βασιλῆς δίοποι, §45καὶ πολύχρυσοι Σάρδεις ἐπόχους §46πολλοῖς ἅρμασιν ἐξορμῶσιν, §47δίρρυμά τε καὶ τρίρρυμα τέλη, §48φοβερὰν ὄψιν προσιδέσθαι.
And there follows the crowd of soft-living Lydians, who hold the entire mainland nation, whom Mitrogathes and noble Arkteus, ruling kings, [lead], and wealthy Sardis sends them forth mounted on many chariots, squads of double and triple poles, a fearsome sight to behold.
§49στεῦται δ᾽ ἱεροῦ Τμώλου πελάτης §50ζυγὸν ἀμφιβαλεῖν δούλιον Ἑλλάδι, §51Μάρδων, Θάρυβις, λόγχης ἄκμονες, §52καὶ ἀκοντισταὶ Μυσοί: Βαβυλὼν δ᾽
And those who dwell near sacred Tmolus resolve to cast the yoke of slavery upon Hellas, Mardon, Tharybis, anvils of the spear, and the javelin-throwing Mysians.
And Babylon the wealthy sends a mixed crowd in a long train, both those mounted on ships and those relying on their bow-drawing courage.
And the dagger-bearing race from all Asia follows under the dread commands of the king.
§59τοιόνδ᾽ ἄνθος Περσίδος αἴας §60οἴχεται ἀνδρῶν, §61οὓς πέρι πᾶσα χθὼν Ἀσιᾶτις §62θρέψασα πόθῳ στένεται μαλερῷ, §63τοκέες τ᾽ ἄλοχοί θ᾽ ἡμερολεγδὸν §64τείνοντα χρόνον τρομέονται.
Such a flower of men of the Persian land is gone, for whom all the Asian land that nourished them groans with fierce longing, and parents and wives, counting the days, tremble at the lengthening time.
§65πεπέρακεν μὲν ὁ περσέπτολις ἤδη §66βασίλειος στρατὸς εἰς ἀν- §67τίπορον γείτονα χώραν, §68λινοδέσμῳ σχεδίᾳ πορ- §69θμὸν ἀμείψας §70Ἀθαμαντίδος Ἕλλας, §71πολύγομφον ὅδισμα §72ζυγὸν ἀμφιβαλὼν αὐχένι πόντου.
Already the city-destroying royal army has crossed over to the opposing neighboring land, having traversed the strait of Athamantian Helle on a cable-bound raft, having cast a many-bolted roadway as a yoke upon the neck of the sea.
§73πολυάνδρου δ᾽ Ἀσίας θούριος ἄρχων §74ἐπὶ πᾶσαν χθόνα ποιμα- §75νόριον θεῖον ἐλαύνει §76διχόθεν, πεζονόμον τ᾽ ἔκ §77τε θαλάσσας, §78ἐχυροῖσι πεποιθὼς §79στυφελοῖς ἐφέταις, χρυ- §80σογόνου γενεᾶς ἰσόθεος φώς.
And the impetuous ruler of populous Asia drives his wondrous human flock over the whole earth in two ways, both by land and by sea, trusting in his strong and stern commanders, himself a godlike man of the gold-begotten race.
§81κυανοῦν δ᾽ ὄμμασι λεύσσων §82φονίου δέργμα δράκοντος, §83πολύχειρ καὶ πολυναύτας, §84Σύριόν θ᾽ ἅρμα διώκων, §85ἐπάγει δουρικλύτοις ἀν- §86δράσι τοξόδαμνον Ἄρη.
And glaring with dark eyes, with the look of a murderous dragon, with many hands and many ships, and driving a Syrian chariot, he leads the bow-subduing War against men famous for the spear.
§87δόκιμος δ᾽ οὔτις ὑποστὰς §88μεγάλῳ ῥεύματι φωτῶν §89ἐχυροῖς ἕρκεσιν εἴργειν §90ἄμαχον κῦμα θαλάσσας: §91ἀπρόσοιστος γὰρ ὁ Περσᾶν §92στρατὸς ἀλκίφρων τε λαός.
And no one is proved able to withstand the great torrent of men, to keep out with strong barriers the invincible wave of the sea; for the army of the Persians is irresistible and its people are brave of heart.
But what mortal man shall escape the guileful deceit of a god?
Who is he that with swift foot can leap so easily?
§97φιλόφρων γὰρ παρασαίνει §98βροτὸν εἰς ἄρκυας Ἄτα, §99τόθεν οὐκ ἔστιν ὕπερθέν §100νιν ἄνατον ἐξαλύξαι.
For with friendly guise Ate flatters a mortal into her nets, whence it is not possible for him to escape unhurt.
§101θεόθεν γὰρ κατὰ Μοῖρ᾽ §102ἐκράτησεν τὸ παλαι- §103όν, ἐπέσκηψε δὲ Πέρσαις §104πολέμους πυργοδαΐκτους §105διέπειν ἱππιοχάρμας §106τε κλόνους §107πόλεών τ᾽ ἀναστάσεις.
For by divine decree Fate has ruled from of old, and charged the Persians to pursue tower-destroying wars, and the tumult of chariot-fighting, and the overthrow of cities.
§108ἔμαθον δ᾽ εὐρυπόροι- §109ο θαλάσσας πολιαι- §110νομένας πνεύματι λάβρῳ §111ἐσορᾶν πόντιον ἄλσος, §112πίσυνοι λεπτοδόμοις πεί- §113σμασι λα- §114οπόροις τε μαχαναῖς.
And they learned to look upon the deep of the sea, white-foaming under the violent wind, trusting in slender-built cables and people-ferrying devices.
§115ταῦτά μοι μελαγχίτων §116φρὴν ἀμύσσεται φόβῳ, §117ὀᾶ, Περσικοῦ στρατεύματος §118τοῦδε, μὴ πόλις πύθη- §119ται κένανδρον μέγ᾽ ἄστυ Σουσίδος, §120καὶ τὸ Κισσίων πόλισμ᾽ §121ἀντίδουπον ᾄσεται, §122ὀᾶ, τοῦτ᾽ ἔπος γυναικοπλη- §123θὴς ὅμιλος ἀπύων, §125βυσσίνοις δ᾽ ἐν πέπλοις πέσῃ λακίς.
Therefore my dark-cloaked mind is torn with fear, alas! for this Persian army, lest the city should learn that the great town of Susa is emptied of men, and the Kissian fortress should sing in responsive wailing, alas! the crowd of women crying out this word, and ruin should fall on their fine linen robes.
§126πᾶς γὰρ ἱππηλάτας §127καὶ πεδοστιβὴς λεὼς §128σμῆνος ὣς ἐκλέλοιπεν μελισ- §129σᾶν σὺν ὀρχάμῳ στρατοῦ, §130τὸν ἀμφίζευκτον ἐξαμείψας §131ἀμφοτέρας ἅλιον §132πρῶνα κοινὸν αἴας.
For the entire horse-driving and foot-treading host, like a swarm of bees, has departed with the leader of the army, having crossed the sea-washed headland bridged on both sides, common to both lands.
§133λέκτρα δ᾽ ἀνδρῶν πόθῳ §134πίμπλαται δακρύμασιν: §135Περσίδες δ᾽ ἁβροπενθεῖς ἑκά- §136στα πόθῳ φιλάνορι §137τὸν αἰχμάεντα θοῦρον εὐνα- §138τῆρ᾽ ἀποπεμψαμένα §139λείπεται μονόζυξ.
And the beds are filled with tears through longing for husbands; and the Persian women, mourning in refinement, each in her love-longing for her husband, having sent away her spear-armed impetuous bedfellow, is left single-yoked.