§366κεῖται στενωποῦ πλησίον θαλασσίου §367ἰπούμενος ῥίζαισιν Αἰτναίαις ὕπο: §368κορυφαῖς δ᾽ ἐν ἄκραις ἥμενος μυδροκτυπεῖ §369Ἥφαιστος: ἔνθεν ἐκραγήσονταί ποτε §370ποταμοὶ πυρὸς δάπτοντες ἀγρίαις γνάθοις §371τῆς καλλικάρπου Σικελίας λευροὺς γύας:
He lies near the narrow passage of the sea, pressed down beneath the roots of Etna, where sitting on the topmost peaks, Hephaestus strikes the hot metal; from there, some day, rivers of fire will burst forth, devouring with wild jaws the level fields of fair-fruiting Sicily.
§372τοιόνδε Τυφὼς ἐξαναζέσει χόλον §373θερμοῖς ἀπλάτου βέλεσι πυρπνόου ζάλης, §374καίπερ κεραυνῷ Ζηνὸς ἠνθρακωμένος.
Such wrath will Typhon boil over, with hot arrows of an unapproachable, fire-breathing tempest, although he has been charred to ashes by the thunderbolt of Zeus.
But you are not inexperienced, and do not need me as a teacher; save yourself as you know how.
And I will endure the present fortune, until the mind of Zeus ceases from his anger.
Oceanus: Do you not know this, Prometheus, that words are physicians for a diseased anger?
Prometheus: If indeed one softens the heart in due season, and does not dry up the swelling passion by force.
Oceanus: But in being eager and daring, what harm do you see inherent?
δίδασκέ με.
Teach me.
§385μόχθον περισσὸν κουφόνουν τ᾽ εὐηθίαν.
Prometheus: Superfluous labor and light-minded folly.
Oceanus: Leave me to suffer from this disease, since it is most profitable for one who is wise not to seem to be wise.
§388ἐμὸν δοκήσει τἀμπλάκημ᾽ εἶναι τόδε.
Prometheus: This mistake will seem to be my own.
§389σαφῶς μ᾽ ἐς οἶκον σὸς λόγος στέλλει πάλιν.
Oceanus: Clearly your words send me back home.
§390μὴ γάρ σε θρῆνος οὑμὸς εἰς ἔχθραν βάλῃ.
Prometheus: Yes, lest my lamentation cast you into hatred.
§391ἦ τῷ νέον θακοῦντι παγκρατεῖς ἕδρας;
Oceanus: Hatred of the one who newly sits upon the all-powerful throne?
§392τούτου φυλάσσου μή ποτ᾽ ἀχθεσθῇ κέαρ.
Prometheus: Guard against him, lest his heart ever be vexed.
§393ἡ σή, Προμηθεῦ, συμφορὰ διδάσκαλος.
Oceanus: Your misfortune, Prometheus, is my teacher.
§394στέλλου, κομίζου, σῷζε τὸν παρόντα νοῦν.
Prometheus: Go, depart, preserve your present mind.
§395ὁρμωμένῳ μοι τόνδ᾽ ἐθώυξας λόγον.
Oceanus: To me, as I was starting, you urged this word.
§396λευρὸν γὰρ οἶμον αἰθέρος ψαίρει πτεροῖς §397τετρασκελὴς οἰωνός: ἄσμενος δέ τἂν §398σταθμοῖς ἐν οἰκείοισι κάμψειεν γόνυ.
For the four-legged bird brushes with his wings the smooth path of the air; and gladly he would bend his knee in his own stable.
§399στένω σε τᾶς οὐλομένας τύχας, Προμηθεῦ: §400δακρυσίστακτα δ᾽ ἀπ᾽ ὄσσων §401ῥαδινῶν λειβομένα ῥέος παρειὰν §402νοτίοις ἔτεγξα παγαῖς:
Chorus: I lament you for your ruinous fortune, Prometheus; shedding a stream of tears from my tender eyes, I have wet my cheek with wet springs.
§403ἀμέγαρτα γὰρ τάδε Ζεὺς §404ἰδίοις νόμοις κρατύνων §405ὑπερήφανον θεοῖς τοῖς §406πάρος ἐνδείκνυσιν αἰχμάν.
For Zeus, ruling these things harshly by his own laws, shows an arrogant power to the gods of old.
§407πρόπασα δ᾽ ἤδη στονόεν λέλακε χώρα, §408μεγαλοσχήμονά τ᾽ ἀρχαι- §409οπρεπῆ. . . . στένουσι τὰν σὰν §410συνομαιμόνων τε τιμάν, §411ὁπόσοι τ᾽ ἔποικον ἁγνᾶς §412Ἀσίας ἕδος νέμονται, §413μεγαλοστόνοισι σοῖς πή- §414μασι συγκάμνουσι θνατοί. §415Κολχίδος τε γᾶς ἔνοικοι §416παρθένοι, μάχας ἄτρεστοι, §417καὶ Σκύθης ὅμιλος, οἳ γᾶς §418ἔσχατον τόπον ἀμφὶ Μαι- §419ῶτιν ἔχουσι λίμναν, §420†Ἀραβίας τ᾽ ἄρειον ἄνθος, §421ὑψίκρημνον οἳ πόλισμα §422Καυκάσου πέλας νέμονται, §423δάιος στρατός, ὀξυπρῴ- §424ροισι βρέμων ἐν αἰχμαῖς.
And now the whole land has cried out mournfully, and they lament the great and ancient honor of you and your kinsmen, and as many mortals as inhabit the dwelling of holy Asia nearby, suffer with you in your deeply-mourned pains; and the maidens who dwell in the Colchian land, fearless in battle, and the host of Scythians, who hold the uttermost place of the earth around the Maeotian lake, and the warlike flower of Arabia, who inhabit the high-cliffed town near Caucasus, a hostile army, raging among sharp-pointed spears.
§425†μόνον δὲ πρόσθεν [ἄλλον] ἐν πόνοις §426δαμέντ᾽ [ἀδαμαντοδέτοις §427Τιτᾶνα λύμαις] εἰσιδόμαν θεῶν, §428Ἄτλαντος [αἰὲν] ὑπέροχον σθένος κραταιόν, §429<ὃς γᾶν> οὐράνιόν τε πόλον §430νώτοις ὑποστενάζει.
Only one other of the gods before have I seen subdued in pains, the Titan bound in adamantine outrages, the always outstanding and mighty strength of Atlas, who supports the earth and the pole of heaven groaning beneath his back.
† §431βοᾷ δὲ πόντιος κλύδων §432ξυμπίτνων, στένει βυθός, §433κελαινὸς [δ᾽] Ἄιδος ὑποβρέμει μυχὸς γᾶς, §434παγαί θ᾽ ἁγνορύτων ποταμῶν §435στένουσιν ἄλγος οἰκτρόν.
And the wave of the sea roars as it falls together, the deep groans, the dark recess of Hades beneath the earth rumbles, and the springs of pure-flowing rivers lament your pitiful pain.
§436μή τοι χλιδῇ δοκεῖτε μηδ᾽ αὐθαδίᾳ §437σιγᾶν με: συννοίᾳ δὲ δάπτομαι κέαρ, §438ὁρῶν ἐμαυτὸν ὧδε προυσελούμενον.
Prometheus: Do not indeed think that from pride or stubbornness I keep silent; but I am eaten at heart by reflection, seeing myself thus insulted.
And yet to these new gods, who else but I completely distributed their privileges?
But I keep silent about these things; for I would speak to you who already know.
But hear the sufferings among mortals, how, though they were childish before, I made them rational and possessed of minds.
And I will speak, holding no blame against men, but explaining the goodwill of what I have given.
§447οἳ πρῶτα μὲν βλέποντες ἔβλεπον μάτην, §448κλύοντες οὐκ ἤκουον, ἀλλ᾽ ὀνειράτων §449ἀλίγκιοι μορφαῖσι τὸν μακρὸν βίον §450ἔφυρον εἰκῆ πάντα, κοὔτε πλινθυφεῖς §451δόμους προσείλους ᾖσαν, οὐ ξυλουργίαν: §452κατώρυχες δ᾽ ἔναιον ὥστ᾽ ἀήσυροι §453μύρμηκες ἄντρων ἐν μυχοῖς ἀνηλίοις.
Who, first, seeing did not see, hearing did not hear, but like the shapes of dreams, throughout their long life confused all things at random; and they knew neither brick-woven houses turned to the sun, nor carpentry, but they dwelt beneath the earth like tiny ants in the sunless recesses of caves.
§454ἦν δ᾽ οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς οὔτε χείματος τέκμαρ §455οὔτ᾽ ἀνθεμώδους ἦρος οὔτε καρπίμου §456θέρους βέβαιον, ἀλλ᾽ ἄτερ γνώμης τὸ πᾶν §457ἔπρασσον, ἔστε δή σφιν ἀντολὰς ἐγὼ §458ἄστρων ἔδειξα τάς τε δυσκρίτους δύσεις.
And there was to them no certain sign of winter, nor of flowery spring, nor of fruitful summer, but without judgment they did all things, until I showed them the risings of the stars and their settings, hard to discern.
§459καὶ μὴν ἀριθμόν, ἔξοχον σοφισμάτων, §460ἐξηῦρον αὐτοῖς, γραμμάτων τε συνθέσεις, §461μνήμην θ᾽ ἁπάντων, μουσομήτορ᾽ ἐργάνην.
Moreover, number, outstanding among inventions, I found out for them, and the combinations of letters, and memory of all things, the mother of the Muses, the worker of all.
§462κἄζευξα πρῶτος ἐν ζυγοῖσι κνώδαλα §463ζεύγλαισι δουλεύοντα σάγμασίν θ᾽, ὅπως §464θνητοῖς μεγίστων διάδοχοι μοχθημάτων §465γένοινθ᾽, ὑφ᾽ ἅρμα τ᾽ ἤγαγον φιληνίους §466ἵππους, ἄγαλμα τῆς ὑπερπλούτου χλιδῆς.
And I first yoked beasts under yokes, subject to collars and pack-saddles, so that they might become for mortals partners in their greatest labors, and I led under the chariot the rein-loving horses, the ornament of exceeding wealth.