§505μέσον πόρον διῆκε, θερμαίνων φλογί:
passed through the middle of the stream, warming it with its flame.
And they fell upon one another; and indeed happy was whoever most quickly broke off the breath of life.
§508ὅσοι δὲ λοιποὶ κἄτυχον σωτηρίας, §509Θρῄκην περάσαντες μόγις πολλῷ πόνῳ, §510ἥκουσιν ἐκφυγόντες, οὐ πολλοί τινες, §511ἐφ᾽ ἑστιοῦχον γαῖαν: ὡς στένειν πόλιν §512Περσῶν, ποθοῦσαν φιλτάτην ἥβην χθονός.
And as many as remained and happened upon safety, passing through Thrace with difficulty and much labor, have arrived, having escaped, no great number, at their hearth-bearing land. So that the city of the Persians groans, yearning for the dearest youth of the land.
These things are true; but I leave out many things in speaking of the evils which a god has hurled down upon the Persians.
[Chorus Leader] O hard-toiling divinity, how indeed too heavily with your feet you have leaped upon the whole Persian race.
§517οἲ ᾽γὼ τάλαινα διαπεπραγμένου στρατοῦ:
[Atossa] Woe is me, wretched for the destroyed army!
O vivid vision of the dreams of night, how very clearly you revealed to me the evils.
§520ὑμεῖς δὲ φαύλως αὔτ᾽ ἄγαν ἐκρίνατε.
But you, my elders, too lightly interpreted these things.
§521ὅμως δ᾽, ἐπειδὴ τῇδ᾽ ἐκύρωσεν φάτις §522ὑμῶν, θεοῖς μὲν πρῶτον εὔξασθαι θέλω: §523ἔπειτα γῇ τε καὶ φθιτοῖς δωρήματα §524ἥξω λαβοῦσα πέλανον ἐξ οἴκων ἐμῶν,— §525ἐπίσταμαι μὲν ὡς ἐπ᾽ ἐξειργασμένοις, §526ἀλλ᾽ ἐς τὸ λοιπὸν εἴ τι δὴ λῷον πέλοι.
Yet, since your word has ratified this course, first indeed I wish to pray to the gods; and then, gifts to the earth and to the dead I shall bring, taking the sacred cake from my palace— knowing indeed that it is for things already done, but in the hope that for the future something better might happen.
And you, upon these things that have been done, as faithful counsellors, must bring faithful advice to one another.
§529καὶ παῖδ᾽, ἐάν περ δεῦρ᾽ ἐμοῦ πρόσθεν μόλῃ, §530παρηγορεῖτε, καὶ προπέμπετ᾽ ἐς δόμους, §531μὴ καί τι πρὸς κακοῖσι προσθῆται κακόν.
And my son, if indeed he should come here before me, comfort him, and escort him to the palace, lest he should add some further evil to our present evils.
§532ὦ Ζεῦ βασιλεῦ, νῦν <μὲν> Περσῶν §533τῶν μεγαλαύχων καὶ πολυάνδρων §534στρατιὰν ὀλέσας §535ἄστυ τὸ Σούσων ἠδ᾽ Ἀγβατάνων §536πένθει δνοφερῷ κατέκρυψας:
[Chorus] O King Zeus, now indeed of the Persians, the proud and highly populous army having destroyed, the city of Susa and of Ecbatana in dark mourning you have shrouded.
§537πολλαὶ δ᾽ ἀταλαῖς χερσὶ καλύπτρας §538κατερεικόμεναι §539διαμυδαλέοις δάκρυσι κόλπους §540τέγγουσ᾽, ἄλγους μετέχουσαι.
And many women with tender hands their veils tearing, with drenching tears their bosoms wet, sharing in the grief.
§541αἱ δ᾽ ἁβρόγοοι Περσίδες ἀνδρῶν §542ποθέουσαι ἰδεῖν ἀρτιζυγίαν, §543λέκτρων εὐνὰς ἁβροχίτωνας, §544χλιδανῆς ἥβης τέρψιν, ἀφεῖσαι, §545πενθοῦσι γόοις ἀκορεστοτάτοις.
And the softly-wailing Persian wives, longing to see their newly-wedded husbands, leaving the soft-sheeted marriage beds, the delight of luxurious youth, mourn with insatiable lamentations.
And I too the fate of those who are gone truly mourn as full of sorrow.
Now indeed the whole land of Asia groans, being emptied.
§550Ξέρξης μὲν ἄγαγεν, ποποῖ, §551Ξέρξης δ᾽ ἀπώλεσεν, τοτοῖ, §552Ξέρξης δὲ πάντ᾽ ἐπέσπε δυσφρόνως §553βαρίδεσσι ποντίαις.
Xerxes led them forth, alas, Xerxes destroyed them, oh, Xerxes managed all things foolishly with his seafaring barques.
§554τίπτε Δαρεῖος μὲν οὕ- §555τω τότ᾽ ἀβλαβὴς ἐπῆν §556τόξαρχος πολιήταις, §557Σουσίδαις φίλος ἄκτωρ;
Why indeed was Darius then so harmless a ruler, a leader of the bow for the citizens, the beloved guide for the Susians?
§558πεζοὺς δὲ καὶ θαλασσίους §559λινόπτεροι κυανώπιδες §560νᾶες μὲν ἄγαγον, ποποῖ, §561νᾶες δ᾽ ἀπώλεσαν, τοτοῖ, §562νᾶες πανωλέθροισιν ἐμβολαῖς, §563ἠδ᾽ Ἰαόνων χέρες.
Both infantry and seafarers, the linen-winged, dark-eyed ships led them forth, alas, ships destroyed them, oh, ships with utterly destructive rami, and the hands of the Ionians.
§564τυτθὰ δ᾽ ἐκφυγεῖν ἄνακτ᾽ §565αὐτὸν εἰσακούομεν §566Θρῄκης ἂμ πεδιήρεις §567δυσχίμους τε κελεύθους.
And that the king himself barely escaped we hear, through the plains of Thrace and its winter-hard paths.
§568τοὶ δ᾽ ἄρα πρωτόμοιροι, φεῦ, §569ληφθέντες πρὸς ἀνάγκας, ἠέ, §570ἀκτὰς ἀμφὶ Κυχρείας, ὀᾶ, §571<ἔρρουσι:> στένε καὶ δακνά- §572ζου, βαρὺ δ᾽ ἀμβόασον §573οὐράνι᾽ ἄχη, ὀᾶ: §574τεῖνε δὲ δυσβάυκτον §575βοᾶτιν τάλαιναν αὐδάν.
And those indeed who first met their doom, alas, caught by necessity, oh, around the shores of Cychreia, ah, have perished. Groan and bite your lip, and cry aloud heavily heaven-high griefs, ah; and raise the ill-boding, wailing, wretched voice.
And torn by the swirling waters, alas, they are lacerated by the silent, oh, children of the undefiled sea, ah.
§579πενθεῖ δ᾽ ἄνδρα δόμος στερη- §580θείς, τοκέες τ᾽ ἄπαιδες §581δαιμόνι᾽ ἄχη, ὀᾶ, §582δυρόμενοι γέροντες §583τὸ πᾶν δὴ κλύουσιν ἄλγος.
And the house, bereaved, mourns its master, and childless parents, lamenting these god-sent griefs, ah, the old men now hear the sum of all sorrow.
§584τοὶ δ᾽ ἀνὰ γᾶν Ἀσίαν δὴν §585οὐκέτι περσονομοῦνται, §586οὐδ᾽ ἔτι δασμοφοροῦσιν §587δεσποσύνοισιν ἀνάγκαις, §588οὐδ᾽ ἐς γᾶν προπίτνοντες §589ἅζονται: βασιλεία §590γὰρ διόλωλεν ἰσχύς.
And those throughout the land of Asia no longer live under Persian laws, nor do they pay tribute under masterly necessity, nor falling to the ground do they worship; for the kingly power has perished.
§591οὐδ᾽ ἔτι γλῶσσα βροτοῖσιν §592ἐν φυλακαῖς: λέλυται γὰρ §593λαὸς ἐλεύθερα βάζειν, §594ὡς ἐλύθη ζυγὸν ἀλκᾶς.
Nor is the tongue of mortals any longer under guard; for the people are set free to speak openly, since the yoke of strength has been loosed.
And the blood-stained, wave-washed island of Ajax holds the remains of the Persians.
§598φίλοι, κακῶν μὲν ὅστις ἔμπειρος κυρεῖ, §599ἐπίσταται βροτοῖσιν ὡς ὅταν κλύδων §600κακῶν ἐπέλθῃ πάντα δειμαίνειν φιλεῖ: §601ὅταν δ᾽ ὁ δαίμων εὐροῇ, πεποιθέναι §602τὸν αὐτὸν αἰεὶ δαίμον᾽ οὐριεῖν τύχην.
[Atossa] Friends, whoever happens to be experienced in evils, knows that for mortals, when a wave of evils comes upon them, they are accustomed to fear all things; but when the divinity flows smoothly, they believe that the same divinity will always send a favorable wind to fortune.
§603ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἤδη πάντα μὲν φόβου πλέα §604ἐν ὄμμασιν τἀνταῖα φαίνεται θεῶν, §605βοᾷ δ᾽ ἐν ὠσὶ κέλαδος οὐ παιώνιος: §606τοία κακῶν ἔκπληξις ἐκφοβεῖ φρένας.
For to me now indeed all things are full of fear, and before my eyes the hostile signs of the gods appear, and in my ears rings a sound not of healing; such a shock of evils terrifies my mind.
§607τοιγὰρ κέλευθον τήνδ᾽ ἄνευ τ᾽ ὀχημάτων §608χλιδῆς τε τῆς πάροιθεν ἐκ δόμων πάλιν §609ἔστειλα, παιδὸς πατρὶ πρευμενεῖς χοὰς §610φέρουσ᾽, ἅπερ νεκροῖσι μειλικτήρια, §611βοός τ᾽ ἀφ᾽ ἁγνῆς λευκὸν εὔποτον γάλα, §612τῆς τ᾽ ἀνθεμουργοῦ στάγμα, παμφαὲς μέλι, §613λιβάσιν ὑδρηλαῖς παρθένου πηγῆς μέτα, §614ἀκήρατόν τε μητρὸς ἀγρίας ἄπο §615ποτὸν παλαιᾶς ἀμπέλου γάνος τόδε: §616τῆς τ᾽ αἰὲν ἐν φύλλοισι θαλλούσης βίον §617ξανθῆς ἐλαίας καρπὸς εὐώδης πάρα, §618ἄνθη τε πλεκτά, παμφόρου γαίας τέκνα.
Therefore, this path, without chariots and my former luxury, from the house again I have set out, bringing to the father of my son favorable libations, such as are soothing offerings for the dead: white milk, good to drink, from a pure cow, and the distillation of the flower-worker, bright honey, with watery drafts from a virgin spring, and this undefiled drink from a wild mother, the bright joy of an ancient vine; and the fragrant fruit of the golden olive, which always flourishes in its leaves, and woven flowers, children of the all-bearing earth.