Prometheus: Believe me, believe me, suffer with him who now suffers.
ταὐτά τοι πλανωμένη §278πρὸς ἄλλοτ᾽ ἄλλον πημονὴ προσιζάνει.
For wandering calamity, you know, settles now upon one, now upon another in the same way.
Chorus: Not to unwilling ears did you urge this, Prometheus.
§281καὶ νῦν ἐλαφρῷ ποδὶ κραιπνόσυτον §282θᾶκον προλιποῦσ᾽, αἰθέρα θ᾽ ἁγνὸν §283πόρον οἰωνῶν, ὀκριοέσσῃ §284χθονὶ τῇδε πελῶ, τοὺς σοὺς δὲ πόνους §285χρῄζω διὰ παντὸς ἀκοῦσαι.
And now with light foot leaving our swift-moving seat, and the pure air, the highway of birds, to this rugged ground I will draw near, and your labors I wish to hear to the end.
§286ἥκω δολιχῆς τέρμα κελεύθου §287διαμειψάμενος πρὸς σέ, Προμηθεῦ, §288τὸν πτερυγωκῆ τόνδ᾽ οἰωνὸν §289γνώμῃ στομίων ἄτερ εὐθύνων: §290ταῖς σαῖς δὲ τύχαις, ἴσθι, συναλγῶ.
Oceanus: I have come, having crossed the limit of a long journey to you, Prometheus, guiding this swift-winged bird by my will, without bits: and with your fortunes, know well, I suffer.
§291τό τε γάρ με, δοκῶ, συγγενὲς οὕτως §292ἐσαναγκάζει, §293χωρίς τε γένους οὐκ ἔστιν ὅτῳ §294μείζονα μοῖραν νείμαιμ᾽ ἢ σοί.
For our kinship, I think, thus compels me, and apart from kinship, there is no one to whom I would allot a greater share than to you.
§295γνώσει δὲ τάδ᾽ ὡς ἔτυμ᾽, οὐδὲ μάτην §296χαριτογλωσσεῖν ἔνι μοι: φέρε γὰρ §297σήμαιν᾽ ὅ τι χρή σοι συμπράσσειν: §298οὐ γάρ ποτ᾽ ἐρεῖς ὡς Ὠκεανοῦ §299φίλος ἐστὶ βεβαιότερός σοι.
And you will know these things as true, and not in vain is it in me to speak flattering words: for come, show me what I must do to help you; for you will never say that of Oceanus there is a friend more firm to you.
§300ἔα: τί χρῆμα λεύσσω;
Prometheus: Ha! What do I see?
καὶ σὺ δὴ πόνων ἐμῶν §301ἥκεις ἐπόπτης;
Have you too indeed come to witness my labors?
πῶς ἐτόλμησας, λιπὼν §302ἐπώνυμόν τε ῥεῦμα καὶ πετρηρεφῆ §303αὐτόκτιτ᾽ ἄντρα, τὴν σιδηρομήτορα §304ἐλθεῖν ἐς αἶαν;
How did you dare, leaving both the stream named after you and the rock-roofed self-built caves, to come to the iron-bearing land?
ἢ θεωρήσων τύχας §305ἐμὰς ἀφῖξαι καὶ συνασχαλῶν κακοῖς;
Or have you arrived to behold my fortunes and to suffer with my evils?
§306δέρκου θέαμα, τόνδε τὸν Διὸς φίλον, §307τὸν συγκαταστήσαντα τὴν τυραννίδα, §308οἵαις ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ πημοναῖσι κάμπτομαι.
Behold the spectacle, this friend of Zeus, who helped to establish his tyranny, by what sufferings I am bent by him.
Oceanus: I see, Prometheus, and I wish to advise you for the best, although you are crafty.
Know yourself and adapt yourself to new ways: for new also is the tyrant among the gods.
§313εἰ δ᾽ ὧδε τραχεῖς καὶ τεθηγμένους λόγους §314ῥίψεις, τάχ᾽ ἄν σου καὶ μακρὰν ἀνωτέρω §315θακῶν κλύοι Ζεύς, ὥστε σοι τὸν νῦν ὄχλον §316παρόντα μόχθων παιδιὰν εἶναι δοκεῖν.
But if you hurl such harsh and sharpened words, soon even far higher than his lofty throne Zeus might hear you, so that your present crowd of labors would seem to be a mere child's play.
But, wretched one, dismiss the anger you hold, and seek release from these sufferings.
§319ἀρχαῖ᾽ ἴσως σοι φαίνομαι λέγειν τάδε: §320τοιαῦτα μέντοι τῆς ἄγαν ὑψηγόρου §321γλώσσης, Προμηθεῦ, τἀπίχειρα γίγνεται.
Perhaps I seem to you to speak ancient things; yet such indeed, Prometheus, are the wages of an over-boastful tongue.
But you are not yet humble, nor do you yield to evils, and besides the present ones you wish to receive others.
§324οὔκουν ἔμοιγε χρώμενος διδασκάλῳ §325πρὸς κέντρα κῶλον ἐκτενεῖς, ὁρῶν ὅτι §326τραχὺς μόναρχος οὐδ᾽ ὑπεύθυνος κρατεῖ.
Therefore, if you take me as your teacher, you will not stretch out your leg against the goads, seeing that a harsh monarch rules and is not accountable.
§327καὶ νῦν ἐγὼ μὲν εἶμι καὶ πειράσομαι §328ἐὰν δύνωμαι τῶνδέ σ᾽ ἐκλῦσαι πόνων: §329σὺ δ᾽ ἡσύχαζε μηδ᾽ ἄγαν λαβροστόμει.
And now I will go and try if I can release you from these labors; but do you keep quiet and do not speak too violently.
Or do you not know accurately, being exceedingly wise, that on a vain tongue punishment is rubbed?
Prometheus: I envy you because you are free from blame, having shared in all things and dared them with me.
§334καὶ νῦν ἔασον μηδέ σοι μελησάτω.
And now let it be and do not let it concern you.
§335πάντως γὰρ οὐ πείσεις νιν: οὐ γὰρ εὐπιθής.
For by no means will you persuade him; for he is not easy to persuade.
§336πάπταινε δ᾽ αὐτὸς μή τι πημανθῇς ὁδῷ.
But look out for yourself, lest you suffer some harm on your way.
Oceanus: You are much better at advising your neighbors than yourself; I judge by deed and not by word.
§339ὁρμώμενον δὲ μηδαμῶς μ᾽ ἀντισπάσῃς.
But do not pull me back when I am eager to start.
For I boast, I boast that this gift to me Zeus will grant, so as to release you from these labors.
Prometheus: For some things I praise you and will never cease; for in eagerness you lack nothing.
But do not labor; for in vain, aiding nothing, you will labor for me, if indeed you wish to labor.
§346ἀλλ᾽ ἡσύχαζε σαυτὸν ἐκποδὼν ἔχων: §347ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐκ εἰ δυστυχῶ, τοῦδ᾽ οὕνεκα §348θέλοιμ᾽ ἂν ὡς πλείστοισι πημονὰς τυχεῖν.
But keep quiet, holding yourself out of the way; for I, even if I am unfortunate, do not for this reason wish sufferings to happen to as many as possible.
§349οὐ δῆτ᾽, ἐπεί με χαἰ κασιγνήτου τύχαι §350τείρουσ᾽ Ἄτλαντος, ὃς πρὸς ἑσπέρους τόπους §351ἕστηκε κίον᾽ οὐρανοῦ τε καὶ χθονὸς §352ὤμοις ἐρείδων, ἄχθος οὐκ εὐάγκαλον.
No indeed, since the fortunes of my brother Atlas also distress me, who in western regions stands, the pillar of heaven and earth supporting on his shoulders, a burden not easy to embrace.
§353τὸν γηγενῆ τε Κιλικίων οἰκήτορα §354ἄντρων ἰδὼν ᾤκτειρα, δάιον τέρας §355ἑκατογκάρανον πρὸς βίαν χειρούμενον §356Τυφῶνα θοῦρον, πᾶσι δ᾽ ἀντέστη θεοῖς, §357σμερδναῖσι γαμφηλαῖσι συρίζων φόβον: §358ἐξ ὀμμάτων δ᾽ ἤστραπτε γοργωπὸν σέλας, §359ὡς τὴν Διὸς τυραννίδ᾽ ἐκπέρσων βίᾳ:
And the earth-born inhabitant of the Cilician caves having seen I pitied, the hostile monster, the hundred-headed impetuous Typhon, subdued by force, who stood against all the gods, hissing terror from his terrible jaws; and from his eyes flashed a grim light, as if he would overthrow the tyranny of Zeus by force.
§360ἀλλ᾽ ἦλθεν αὐτῷ Ζηνὸς ἄγρυπνον βέλος, §361καταιβάτης κεραυνὸς ἐκπνέων φλόγα, §362ὃς αὐτὸν ἐξέπληξε τῶν ὑψηγόρων §363κομπασμάτων.
But there came to him the sleepless bolt of Zeus, the descending thunderbolt breathing flame, which struck him out of his high-boasting vaunts.
φρένας γὰρ εἰς αὐτὰς τυπεὶς §364ἐφεψαλώθη κἀξεβροντήθη σθένος.
For struck into his very heart he was burnt to ashes and his strength was thundered away.
§365καὶ νῦν ἀχρεῖον καὶ παράορον δέμας
And now, a useless and paralyzed body,