Kratos: We have come to the far border of the earth, to the Scythian tract, to an untrodden wilderness.
§3Ἥφαιστε, σοὶ δὲ χρὴ μέλειν ἐπιστολὰς §4ἅς σοι πατὴρ ἐφεῖτο, τόνδε πρὸς πέτραις §5ὑψηλοκρήμνοις τὸν λεωργὸν ὀχμάσαι §6ἀδαμαντίνων δεσμῶν ἐν ἀρρήκτοις πέδαις.
Hephaestus, it is your duty to attend to the commands which the Father laid upon you, to bind this wrongdoer to the high-cliffed rocks, in the unbreakable bonds of adamantine fetters.
§7τὸ σὸν γὰρ ἄνθος, παντέχνου πυρὸς σέλας, §8θνητοῖσι κλέψας ὤπασεν: τοιᾶσδέ τοι §9ἁμαρτίας σφε δεῖ θεοῖς δοῦναι δίκην, §10ὡς ἂν διδαχθῇ τὴν Διὸς τυραννίδα §11στέργειν, φιλανθρώπου δὲ παύεσθαι τρόπου.
For your flower, the bright gleam of all-working fire, he stole and bestowed upon mortals; for such an offense he must pay the penalty to the gods, so that he may be taught to accept the tyranny of Zeus and to cease from his man-loving ways.
§12Κράτος Βία τε, σφῷν μὲν ἐντολὴ Διὸς §13ἔχει τέλος δὴ κοὐδὲν ἐμποδὼν ἔτι: §14ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἄτολμός εἰμι συγγενῆ θεὸν §15δῆσαι βίᾳ φάραγγι πρὸς δυσχειμέρῳ.
Hephaestus: Kratos and Bia, for you the command of Zeus has its fulfillment, and there is no longer any obstacle; but I lack the courage to bind a kindred god by force to this storm-beaten ravine.
Yet, it is an absolute necessity for me to find the courage for this; for it is a heavy thing to disregard the Father’s words.
§18τῆς ὀρθοβούλου Θέμιδος αἰπυμῆτα παῖ, §19ἄκοντά σ᾽ ἄκων δυσλύτοις χαλκεύμασι §20προσπασσαλεύσω τῷδ᾽ ἀπανθρώπῳ πάγῳ §21ἵν᾽ οὔτε φωνὴν οὔτε του μορφὴν βροτῶν §22ὄψει, σταθευτὸς δ᾽ ἡλίου φοίβῃ φλογὶ §23χροιᾶς ἀμείψεις ἄνθος: ἀσμένῳ δέ σοι
High-counseling son of right-planning Themis, against my will and yours, I shall nail you with bronze fetters hard to loose to this desolate rock, where you will perceive neither the voice nor the form of any mortal, but, parched by the sun's bright flame, you will lose the fair bloom of your skin.
§24ἡ ποικιλείμων νὺξ ἀποκρύψει φάος, §25πάχνην θ᾽ ἑῴαν ἥλιος σκεδᾷ πάλιν: §26αἰεὶ δὲ τοῦ παρόντος ἀχθηδὼν κακοῦ §27τρύσει σ᾽: ὁ λωφήσων γὰρ οὐ πέφυκέ πω.
To your joy, starry-kirtled night will hide the light, and then again the sun will scatter the morning frost; and ever the weight of your present evil will wear you down, for your deliverer is not yet born.
§28τοιαῦτ᾽ ἐπηύρου τοῦ φιλανθρώπου τρόπου.
Such is the reward you have reaped for your man-loving ways.
For you, a god, not cowering before the wrath of the gods, bestowed privileges upon mortals beyond what was right.
§31ἀνθ᾽ ὧν ἀτερπῆ τήνδε φρουρήσεις πέτραν §32ὀρθοστάδην, ἄυπνος, οὐ κάμπτων γόνυ: §33πολλοὺς δ᾽ ὀδυρμοὺς καὶ γόους ἀνωφελεῖς §34φθέγξει: Διὸς γὰρ δυσπαραίτητοι φρένες: §35ἅπας δὲ τραχὺς ὅστις ἂν νέον κρατῇ.
In return for which, you will keep watch on this joyless rock, standing upright, sleepless, not bending a knee; and many wails and useless laments you will utter; for the heart of Zeus is hard to appease, and everyone who rules newly is harsh.
§36εἶεν, τί μέλλεις καὶ κατοικτίζει μάτην;
Kratos: Well, why do you delay and pity him in vain?
Why do you not hate the god most hateful to the gods, who betrayed your privilege to mortals?
§39τὸ συγγενές τοι δεινὸν ἥ θ᾽ ὁμιλία.
Hephaestus: Kinship and companionship are indeed a powerful thing.
Kratos: I agree; but how is it possible to disobey the Father’s words?
οὐ τοῦτο δειμαίνεις πλέον;
Do you not fear this even more?
§42αἰεί γε δὴ νηλὴς σὺ καὶ θράσους πλέως.
Hephaestus: You are always ruthless and full of boldness.
Kratos: Yes, for lamenting over this man is no cure; and you, do not labor in vain at things that bring no help.
§45ὦ πολλὰ μισηθεῖσα χειρωναξία.
Hephaestus: O handiwork, so utterly detested!
§46τί νιν στυγεῖς;
Kratos: Why do you detest it?
πόνων γὰρ ὡς ἁπλῷ λόγῳ §47τῶν νῦν παρόντων οὐδὲν αἰτία τέχνη.
For, to speak plainly, your craft is not at all responsible for the present troubles.
§48ἔμπας τις αὐτὴν ἄλλος ὤφελεν λαχεῖν.
Hephaestus: Still, I wish some other had obtained it.
§49ἅπαντ᾽ ἐπαχθῆ πλὴν θεοῖσι κοιρανεῖν.
Kratos: Everything is a burden except to rule over the gods.
§50ἐλεύθερος γὰρ οὔτις ἐστὶ πλὴν Διός.
For no one is free except Zeus.
§51ἔγνωκα τοῖσδε κοὐδὲν ἀντειπεῖν ἔχω.
Hephaestus: I know it by these facts, and I have nothing to say against it.
Kratos: Will you not then make haste to cast the fetters around him, so that the Father may not see you idling?
§54καὶ δὴ πρόχειρα ψάλια δέρκεσθαι πάρα.
Hephaestus: Look, the hand-fetters are ready at hand to be seen.
Kratos: Cast them around his hands, and with mighty strength strike with the hammer, nail him to the rocks.
§57περαίνεται δὴ κοὐ ματᾷ τοὔργον τόδε.
Hephaestus: Indeed, this work is being accomplished and does not linger.
§58ἄρασσε μᾶλλον, σφίγγε, μηδαμῇ χάλα.
Kratos: Strike harder, tighten, slacken in no way.
§59δεινὸς γὰρ εὑρεῖν κἀξ ἀμηχάνων πόρον.
For he is clever at finding a way out even from difficulties.
§60ἄραρεν ἥδε γ᾽ ὠλένη δυσεκλύτως.
Hephaestus: Well, this arm at least is fixed, hard to loose.
Kratos: Now buckle this one too securely, so that he may learn that, though a wise-schemer, he is duller than Zeus.
§63πλὴν τοῦδ᾽ ἂν οὐδεὶς ἐνδίκως μέμψαιτό μοι.
Hephaestus: None but he could justly find fault with my work.
Kratos: Now drive the stubborn jaw of the adamantine wedge straight through his chest, with all your might.
§66αἰαῖ, Προμηθεῦ, σῶν ὑπερστένω πόνων.
Hephaestus: Alas, Prometheus! I groan for your sufferings.
Kratos: Are you shrinking again, and groaning for the enemies of Zeus?
ὅπως μὴ σαυτὸν οἰκτιεῖς ποτε.
Take care lest you should pity yourself one day.
§69ὁρᾷς θέαμα δυσθέατον ὄμμασιν.
Hephaestus: You see a sight hard for eyes to look upon.
§70ὁρῶ κυροῦντα τόνδε τῶν ἐπαξίων.
Kratos: I see this man obtaining what he deserves.
§71ἀλλ᾽ ἀμφὶ πλευραῖς μασχαλιστῆρας βάλε.
Come, cast the bands around his ribs.
§72δρᾶν ταῦτ᾽ ἀνάγκη, μηδὲν ἐγκέλευ᾽ ἄγαν.
Hephaestus: It is necessary to do this; do not command me too much.
§73ἦ μὴν κελεύσω κἀπιθωύξω γε πρός.
Kratos: Indeed, I will command and even urge you on besides.
§74χώρει κάτω, σκέλη δὲ κίρκωσον βίᾳ.
Go down, and bind his legs with force.
§75καὶ δὴ πέπρακται τοὔργον οὐ μακρῷ πόνῳ.
Hephaestus: Look, the deed is done, with no long labor.
Kratos: Now strike the piercing fetters with all your might; for the overseer of our work is indeed severe.
§78ὅμοια μορφῇ γλῶσσά σου γηρύεται.
Hephaestus: Your tongue utters sounds that match your form.
Kratos: You may play the soft-hearted, but do not reproach me for my stubbornness and the harshness of my temper.
§81στείχωμεν: ὡς κώλοισιν ἀμφίβληστρ᾽ ἔχει.
Let us go; for his limbs are now enclosed in the net.
Now triumph there, and stealing the privileges of the gods, bestow them upon creatures of a day!
τί σοι §84οἷοί τε θνητοὶ τῶνδ᾽ ἀπαντλῆσαι πόνων;
How are mortals able to drain off any of these sufferings of yours?
§85ψευδωνύμως σε δαίμονες Προμηθέα
Falsely do the gods call you Prometheus.