And he likened the lightnings and thunderbolts to the midday heat.
§432ἔχει δὲ σῆμα γυμνὸν ἄνδρα πυρφόρον, §433φλέγει δὲ λαμπὰς διὰ χερῶν ὡπλισμένη: §434χρυσοῖς δὲ φωνεῖ γράμμασιν “Πρήσω πόλιν. ”
And he has as a device a naked man carrying fire, and a blazing torch shines, armed in his hands; and in golden letters he speaks: "I will burn the city." Against such a man, send—who will match him?
Who will await this boasting man without trembling?
§437καὶ τῷδε κόμπῳ κέρδος ἄλλο τίκτεται.
[Eteocles] And from this boast indeed another gain is born.
For indeed, of men's vain thoughts, the tongue becomes a true accuser.
§440Καπανεὺς δ᾽ ἀπειλεῖ δρᾶν παρεσκευασμένος, §441θεοὺς ἀτίζων, κἀπογυμνάζων στόμα §442χαρᾷ ματαίᾳ θνητὸς ὢν εἰς οὐρανὸν §443πέμπει γεγωνὰ Ζηνὶ κυμαίνοντ᾽ ἔπη:
And Capaneus threatens, prepared to act, dishonoring the gods, and exercising his mouth with vain joy, though being mortal, toward heaven he sends loud, swelling words to Zeus.
§444πέποιθα δ᾽ αὐτῷ ξὺν δίκῃ τὸν πυρφόρον §445ἥξειν κεραυνόν, οὐδὲν ἐξῃκασμένον §446μεσημβρινοῖσι θάλπεσιν τοῖς ἡλίου.
But I trust that, with justice, the fire-bearing thunderbolt will come upon him, in no way likened to the midday heat of the sun.
§447ἀνὴρ δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ, κεἰ στόμαργός ἐστ᾽ ἄγαν, §448αἴθων τέτακται λῆμα, Πολυφόντου βία, §449φερέγγυον φρούρημα, προστατηρίας §450Ἀρτέμιδος εὐνοίαισι σύν τ᾽ ἄλλοις θεοῖς.
And against him, even if he is too talkative, a man of fiery spirit is stationed, the strength of Polyphontes, a trustworthy defense, by the goodwill of protecting Artemis, and along with the other gods.
§451λέγ᾽ ἄλλον ἄλλαις ἐν πύλαις εἰληχότα.
Speak of another who has drawn his lot at another gate.
§452ὄλοιθ᾽ ὃς πόλει μεγάλ᾽ ἐπεύχεται, §453κεραυνοῦ δέ νιν βέλος ἐπισχέθοι, §454πρὶν ἐμὸν ἐσθορεῖν δόμον, πωλικῶν θ᾽ §455ἑδωλίων <μ᾽> ὑπερκόπῳ §456δορί ποτ᾽ ἐκλαπάξαι.
[Chorus] May he perish who boasts grandly against the city, and may the bolt of the thunderbolt hold him back, before he leaps into my home, and from the maidenly chambers with his arrogant spear ever drives me out.
§457[καὶ μὴν τὸν ἐντεῦθεν λαχόντα πρὸς πύλαις] §458λέξω: τρίτῳ γὰρ Ἐτεόκλῳ τρίτος πάλος §459ἐξ ὑπτίου ᾽πήδησεν εὐχάλκου κράνους, §460πύλαισι Νηίσταισι προσβαλεῖν λόχον.
[Messenger] And indeed, the one who drew his lot next at the gates I will tell; for the third lot for Eteoclus leaped out from the upturned, well-bronzed helmet, to hurl his troop against the Neistan gates.
And he wheels his horses, snorting in their headbands, longing to fall down against the gates.
And the muzzles whistle with a barbaric clang, filled with the proud breath of their nostrils.
§465ἐσχημάτισται δ᾽ ἀσπὶς οὐ σμικρὸν τρόπον: §466ἀνὴρ [δ᾽] ὁπλίτης κλίμακος προσαμβάσεις §467στείχει πρὸς ἐχθρῶν πύργον, ἐκπέρσαι θέλων.
And his shield is fashioned in no small manner; a hoplite steps up the rungs of a ladder, towards the enemy's tower, wishing to destroy it.
And this man too shouts in syllables of letters, that not even Ares could cast him out from the towers.
Against this man too, send one who is trustworthy to ward off the slave's yoke from this city.
§472πέμποιμ᾽ ἂν ἤδη τόνδε, σὺν τύχῃ δέ τῳ: §473καὶ δὴ πέπεμπται κόμπον ἐν χεροῖν ἔχων, §474Μεγαρεύς, Κρέοντος σπέρμα τοῦ σπαρτῶν γένους, §475ὃς οὔτι μάργων ἱππικῶν φρυαγμάτων §476βρόμον φοβηθεὶς ἐκ πυλῶν χωρήσεται, §477ἀλλ᾽ ἢ θανὼν τροφεῖα πληρώσει χθονί, §478ἢ καὶ δύ᾽ ἄνδρε καὶ πόλισμ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀσπίδος §479ἑλὼν λαφύροις δῶμα κοσμήσει πατρός.
[Eteocles] I would send this man indeed, and with some fortune; and indeed he has been sent, carrying his boast in his hands, Megareus, seed of Creon, of the race of the Sown Men, who, not at all fearing the sound of the raging horse-snortings, will withdraw from the gates, but either by dying he will pay back his rearing to the earth, or taking both two men and the town on the shield, he will adorn his father's house with spoils.
§480κόμπαζ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἄλλῳ, μηδέ μοι φθόνει λόγων.
Boast of another, and do not grudge me your words.
[Chorus] I pray that this man may succeed, O champion of my home, and that those men may fail.
§483ὡς δ᾽ ὑπέραυχα βάζουσιν ἐπὶ πτόλει §484μαινομένᾳ φρενί, τώς νιν §485Ζεὺς νεμέτωρ ἐπίδοι κοταίνων.
And as they speak arrogant words against the city with a raging mind, so may retribution-apportioning Zeus look upon them in anger.
§486τέταρτος ἄλλος, γείτονας πύλας ἔχων §487Ὄγκας Ἀθάνας, ξὺν βοῇ παρίσταται, §488Ἱππομέδοντος σχῆμα καὶ μέγας τύπος:
[Messenger] Another, the fourth, having the neighboring gates of Onca Athena, stands near with a shout, the form and great frame of Hippomedon.
And the vast threshing-floor, I mean the circle of his shield, I shuddered when he spun it; I will not say otherwise.
§491ὁ σηματουργὸς δ᾽ οὔ τις εὐτελὴς ἄρ᾽ ἦν §492ὅστις τόδ᾽ ἔργον ὤπασεν πρὸς ἀσπίδι, §493Τυφῶν᾽ ἱέντα πύρπνοον διὰ στόμα §494λιγνὺν μέλαιναν, αἰόλην πυρὸς κάσιν:
The device-maker indeed was no mean artist who provided this work on the shield, Typhoeus, sending through his fire-breathing mouth black smoke, the shimmering sister of fire.
And a surrounding mesh of snakes is fastened to the surrounding rim of the hollow-bellied circle.
He himself raised the war-cry, and inspired by Ares he rages for battle like a maenad, looking slaughter.
The attack of such a man must be well guarded against; for terror already boasts at the gates.
§501πρῶτον μὲν Ὄγκα Παλλάς, ἥτ᾽ ἀγχίπτολις, §502πύλαισι γείτων, ἀνδρὸς ἐχθαίρουσ᾽ ὕβριν, §503εἴρξει νεοσσῶν ὣς δράκοντα δύσχιμον:
[Eteocles] First indeed Pallas Onca, who is near the city, neighbor to the gates, loathing the man's insolence, will ward him off like a terrible snake from her nestlings.
§504Ὑπέρβιος δέ, κεδνὸς Οἴνοπος τόκος, §505ἀνὴρ κατ᾽ ἄνδρα τοῦτον ᾑρέθη, θέλων §506ἐξιστορῆσαι μοῖραν ἐν χρείᾳ τύχης, §507οὔτ᾽ εἶδος οὔτε θυμὸν οὔθ᾽ ὅπλων σχέσιν §508μωμητός, Ἑρμῆς δ᾽ εὐλόγως ξυνήγαγεν.
And Hyperbius, the noble son of Oenops, has been chosen man against man for this opponent, wishing to search out his fate in the need of fortune; blameless indeed in form, in spirit, and in the fitting of his armor, and Hermes has reasonably brought them together.
§509ἐχθρὸς γὰρ ἁνὴρ ἀνδρὶ τῷ ξυστήσεται, §510ξυνοίσετον δὲ πολεμίους ἐπ᾽ ἀσπίδων §511θεούς: ὁ μὲν γὰρ πύρπνοον Τυφῶν᾽ ἔχει, §512Ὑπερβίῳ δὲ Ζεὺς πατὴρ ἐπ᾽ ἀσπίδος §513σταδαῖος ἧσται, διὰ χερὸς βέλος φλέγων: §514κοὔπω τις εἶδε Ζῆνά που νικώμενον.
For the man is hostile to the man he will match, and they will bring together hostile gods upon their shields; for the one has fire-breathing Typhoeus, and on Hyperbius's shield, father Zeus sits standing, brandishing a flaming bolt through his hand; and no one yet has ever seen Zeus defeated anywhere.
§515τοιάδε μέντοι προσφίλεια δαιμόνων.
Such indeed is the friendship of the deities.
And we are on the side of the conquerors, and they on the defeated, if Zeus indeed is stronger in battle than Typhoeus.
§519εἰκὸς δὲ πρᾶξαι κἄνδρας ὧδ᾽ ἀντιστάτας: §518Ὑπερβίῳ τε πρὸς λόγον τοῦ σήματος §520σωτὴρ γένοιτ᾽ ἂν Ζεὺς ἐπ᾽ ἀσπίδος τυχών.
And it is reasonable that the opposing men should fare likewise; and for Hyperbius, in accordance with the meaning of his device, Zeus, who is on his shield, may prove a savior.