§998ὦπται πάλαι δὴ καὶ βεβούλευται τάδε.
Prometheus: These things have long been seen and resolved upon.
Hermes: Boldly resolve, O foolish one, boldly resolve at last, to think rightly in the face of your present sufferings.
§1001ὀχλεῖς μάτην με κῦμ᾽ ὅπως παρηγορῶν.
Prometheus: You trouble me in vain, like one preaching to a wave.
§1002εἰσελθέτω σε μήποθ᾽ ὡς ἐγὼ Διὸς §1003γνώμην φοβηθεὶς θηλύνους γενήσομαι, §1004καὶ λιπαρήσω τὸν μέγα στυγούμενον §1005γυναικομίμοις ὑπτιάσμασιν χερῶν §1006λῦσαί με δεσμῶν τῶνδε: τοῦ παντὸς δέω.
Let it never enter your mind that I, fearing the mind of Zeus, shall become womanish in spirit, and that I shall entreat him whom I deeply hate with woman-mimicking supplications of upturned hands to release me from these bonds; I am far from it.
§1007λέγων ἔοικα πολλὰ καὶ μάτην ἐρεῖν: §1008τέγγει γὰρ οὐδὲν οὐδὲ μαλθάσσει λιταῖς §1009ἐμαῖς: δακὼν δὲ στόμιον ὡς νεοζυγὴς §1010πῶλος βιάζει καὶ πρὸς ἡνίας μάχει.
Hermes: I seem to be speaking much, and speaking in vain; for you are not at all moistened or softened by my prayers; but biting the bit like a newly-yoked colt, you use force and fight against the reins.
§1011ἀτὰρ σφοδρύνει γ᾽ ἀσθενεῖ σοφίσματι.
Yet you are growing violent with a weak sophistry.
For stubbornness in one who does not think rightly, by itself, has less power than nothing.
§1014σκέψαι δ᾽, ἐὰν μὴ τοῖς ἐμοῖς πεισθῇς λόγοις, §1015οἷός σε χειμὼν καὶ κακῶν τρικυμία §1016ἔπεισ᾽ ἄφυκτος: πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ ὀκρίδα §1017φάραγγα βροντῇ καὶ κεραυνίᾳ φλογὶ §1018πατὴρ σπαράξει τήνδε, καὶ κρύψει δέμας §1019τὸ σόν, πετραία δ᾽ ἀγκάλη σε βαστάσει.
But consider, if you are not persuaded by my words, what a storm and a triple wave of evils, unavoidable, will come upon you; for first, the Father will tear this rugged cliff with thunder and the flame of the lightning-bolt, and will hide your body, and a rocky embrace will hold you fast.
§1020μακρὸν δὲ μῆκος ἐκτελευτήσας χρόνου §1021ἄψορρον ἥξεις εἰς φάος: Διὸς δέ σοι §1022πτηνὸς κύων, δαφοινὸς αἰετός, λάβρως §1023διαρταμήσει σώματος μέγα ῥάκος, §1024ἄκλητος ἕρπων δαιταλεὺς πανήμερος, §1025κελαινόβρωτον δ᾽ ἧπαρ ἐκθοινάσεται.
And having completed a long stretch of time, you will come back to the light; and Zeus’s winged dog, the blood-red eagle, greedily will tear a great shred of your body, creeping in as an uninvited banqueter all day long, and will feast upon your black-gnawed liver.
§1026τοιοῦδε μόχθου τέρμα μή τι προσδόκα, §1027πρὶν ἂν θεῶν τις διάδοχος τῶν σῶν πόνων §1028φανῇ, θελήσῃ τ᾽ εἰς ἀναύγητον μολεῖν §1029Ἅιδην κνεφαῖά τ᾽ ἀμφὶ Ταρτάρου βάθη.
Expect no end to such a labor, until some god appears as a successor to your sufferings, and is willing to go to the rayless Hades and around the murky depths of Tartarus.
§1030πρὸς ταῦτα βούλευ᾽: ὡς ὅδ᾽ οὐ πεπλασμένος §1031ὁ κόμπος, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν εἰρημένος: §1032ψευδηγορεῖν γὰρ οὐκ ἐπίσταται στόμα §1033τὸ Δῖον, ἀλλὰ πᾶν ἔπος τελεῖ.
Therefore advise yourself; for this is no boast made up, but spoken only too truly; for the mouth of Zeus does not know how to speak falsehood, but fulfills every word.
But do you look around and reflect, and never think that stubbornness is ever better than good counsel.
§1036ἡμῖν μὲν Ἑρμῆς οὐκ ἄκαιρα φαίνεται §1037λέγειν: ἄνωγε γάρ σε τὴν αὐθαδίαν §1038μεθέντ᾽ ἐρευνᾶν τὴν σοφὴν εὐβουλίαν.
Chorus: To us, Hermes seems to speak not out of season; for he bids you, laying aside your stubbornness, to seek after wise counsel.
§1039πιθοῦ: σοφῷ γὰρ αἰσχρὸν ἐξαμαρτάνειν.
Comply; for it is shameful for a wise man to err.
§1040εἰδότι τοί μοι τάσδ᾽ ἀγγελίας §1041ὅδ᾽ ἐθώυξεν, πάσχειν δὲ κακῶς §1042ἐχθρὸν ὑπ᾽ ἐχθρῶν οὐδὲν ἀεικές.
Prometheus: Indeed, to me who already knew them, these messages this man has shouted, and for an enemy to suffer badly from enemies is nothing unseemly.
§1043πρὸς ταῦτ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἐμοὶ ῥιπτέσθω μὲν §1044πυρὸς ἀμφήκης βόστρυχος, αἰθὴρ δ᾽ §1045ἐρεθιζέσθω βροντῇ σφακέλῳ τ᾽ §1046ἀγρίων ἀνέμων: χθόνα δ᾽ ἐκ πυθμένων §1047αὐταῖς ῥίζαις πνεῦμα κραδαίνοι, §1048κῦμα δὲ πόντου τραχεῖ ῥοθίῳ §1049συγχώσειεν τῶν τ᾽ οὐρανίων §1050ἄστρων διόδους: εἴς τε κελαινὸν §1051Τάρταρον ἄρδην ῥίψειε δέμας §1052τοὐμὸν ἀνάγκης στερραῖς δίναις: §1053πάντως ἐμέ γ᾽ οὐ θανατώσει.
Therefore, let there be hurled against me the double-edged curl of fire, and let the ether be provoked with thunder and the spasm of wild winds; and let the wind shake the earth from its very foundations, roots and all, and let the wave of the sea with its rough roar confound both the sea and the paths of the celestial stars; and let him hurl my body utterly into black Tartarus with the harsh whirls of necessity; by no means, at any rate, shall he put me to death.
Hermes: Yet indeed, such plans and words are to be heard from those who are stricken in mind.
For what does his prayer fall short of raving?
τί χαλᾷ μανιῶν;
What does it relax of madness?
§1058ἀλλ᾽ οὖν ὑμεῖς γ᾽ αἱ πημοσύναις §1059συγκάμνουσαι ταῖς τοῦδε τόπων §1060μετά ποι χωρεῖτ᾽ ἐκ τῶνδε θοῶς, §1061μὴ φρένας ὑμῶν ἠλιθιώσῃ §1062βροντῆς μύκημ᾽ ἀτέραμνον.
But at any rate, you who sympathize with his sufferings in these places, depart quickly from these parts to some other place, lest the unyielding bellow of thunder stupefy your minds.
§1063ἄλλο τι φώνει καὶ παραμυθοῦ μ᾽ §1064ὅ τι καὶ πείσεις: οὐ γὰρ δή που §1065τοῦτό γε τλητὸν παρέσυρας ἔπος.
Chorus: Speak some other word and advise me for you surely have not dragged in this unbearable word.
§1066πῶς με κελεύεις κακότητ᾽ ἀσκεῖν;
How do you command me to practice cowardice?
§1067μετὰ τοῦδ᾽ ὅ τι χρὴ πάσχειν ἐθέλω: §1068τοὺς προδότας γὰρ μισεῖν ἔμαθον, §1069κοὐκ ἔστι νόσος §1070τῆσδ᾽ ἥντιν᾽ ἀπέπτυσα μᾶλλον.
With him I wish to suffer whatever is necessary; for I have learned to hate betrayers, and there is no sickness which I spit upon more than this.
§1071ἀλλ᾽ οὖν μέμνησθ᾽ ἁγὼ προλέγω §1072μηδὲ πρὸς ἄτης θηραθεῖσαι §1073μέμψησθε τύχην, μηδέ ποτ᾽ εἴπηθ᾽ §1074ὡς Ζεὺς ὑμᾶς εἰς ἀπρόοπτον §1075πῆμ᾽ εἰσέβαλεν: μὴ δῆτ᾽, αὐταὶ δ᾽ §1076ὑμᾶς αὐτάς.
Hermes: But at any rate, remember what I forewarn, and having been hunted down by calamity, do not blame your fortune, nor ever say that Zeus cast you into unforeseen ruin; do not indeed, but you yourselves cast yourselves.
εἰδυῖαι γὰρ §1077κοὐκ ἐξαίφνης οὐδὲ λαθραίως §1078εἰς ἀπέραντον δίκτυον ἄτης §1079ἐμπλεχθήσεσθ᾽ ὑπ᾽ ἀνοίας.
For knowing it, and neither suddenly nor secretly, will you be entangled in an endless net of calamity by your own folly.
Prometheus: Indeed, in deed and no longer in word, the earth has been shaken.
§1082βρυχία δ᾽ ἠχὼ παραμυκᾶται §1083βροντῆς, ἕλικες δ᾽ ἐκλάμπουσι §1084στεροπῆς ζάπυροι, στρόμβοι δὲ κόνιν §1085εἱλίσσουσι: σκιρτᾷ δ᾽ ἀνέμων §1086πνεύματα πάντων εἰς ἄλληλα §1087στάσιν ἀντίπνουν ἀποδεικνύμενα: §1088ξυντετάρακται δ᾽ αἰθὴρ πόντῳ.
And the deep echo of thunder bellows from below, and the fiery spirals of lightning flash out, and whirlwinds roll up the dust; and the blasts of all the winds leap against one another, showing a strife of opposing currents; and the ether is confounded with the deep.
Such a blast from Zeus, producing terror, marches openly against me.