O blessed ones, well-seated, it is the height of time to hold onto the statues.
§98λομεν ἀγάστονοι; —
Why do we delay, groaning deeply?
§100ἀκούετ᾽ ἢ οὐκ ἀκούετ᾽ ἀσπίδων κτύπον;
Do you hear or do you not hear the clash of shields?
When, if not now, shall we hold prayerful robes and wreaths?
§103κτύπον δέδορκα: πάταγος οὐχ ἑνὸς δορός.
I perceive the clash; the rattle is not of a single spear.
§104τί ῥέξεις;
What will you do?
προδώσεις, παλαίχθων §105Ἄρης, τὰν τεάν; —
Will you betray your own land, ancient-soiled Ares?
O golden-helmeted divinity, look, look upon the city which you once made well-beloved.
Gods who protect the land, come all together, see this maidenly band of suppliants on account of slavery.
For a wave of sloping-crested men boils around the city, aroused by the blasts of Ares.
But, O Father Zeus, all-accomplishing, altogether ward off capture by the enemies.
And the Argives encircle the town of Cadmus; fear of warlike weapons is upon us.
And the horse-bridles bound across their jaws ring out murder.
§124ἑπτὰ δ᾽ ἀγάνορες πρέποντες στρατοῦ §125δορυσσοῖς σαγαῖς πύλαις ἑβδόμαις §127προσίστανται πάλῳ λαχόντες.
And seven arrogant men, conspicuous in the army with spear-shaking equipment, at the seventh gate, stand, having obtained it by lot.
§128σύ τ᾽, ὦ Διογενὲς φιλόμαχον κράτος, §129ῥυσίπολις γενοῦ, §130Παλλάς, ὅ θ᾽ ἵππιος ποντομέδων ἄναξ §131ἰχθυβόλῳ Ποσειδάων μαχανᾷ, §132ἐπίλυσιν πόνων, ἐπίλυσιν δίδου.
And you, O Zeus-born, battle-loving power, savior of the city, Pallas, and the horse-ruling lord of the sea, Poseidon, with your fish-striking machine, grant release from troubles, grant release.
And you, Ares, alas, alas, guard the city named after Cadmus and care for it visibly.
§140καὶ Κύπρις, ἅτ᾽ εἶ γένους προμάτωρ, §141ἄλευσον: σέθεν γὰρ ἐξ αἵματος §142γεγόναμεν: λιταῖσί σε θεοκλύτοις §143ἀυτοῦσαι πελαζόμεσθα.
And Cypris, who are the foremother of our race, ward off the evil; for we are born of your blood; with god-hearing prayers crying aloud we approach you.
And you, Lord Lyceus, become Lyceus (wolf-like) to the enemy army in return for our groans.
And you, Leto-born maiden, make ready your bow, dear Artemis.
Ah, ah, ah, ah, I hear the rattle of chariots around the city: O queenly Hera.
§153ἔλακον ἀξόνων βριθομένων χνόαι.
The hubs of the heavy-laden axles creak.
Dear Artemis, [ah, ah, ah, ah], and the spear-shaken air is driven mad.
§156τί πόλις ἄμμι πάσχει, τί γενήσεται;
What is our city suffering, what will become of it?
§157ποῖ δ᾽ ἔτι τέλος ἐπάγει θεός;
To what end does God still lead it?
Ah, ah, ah, ah, a shower of stones from skirmishers comes upon the battlements; O dear Apollo!
A clash at the gates of bronze-bound shields, O child of Zeus, whence comes the holy battle-deciding end in war.
And you, blessed Queen Onca, before the city, protect the seven-gated seat.
§166ἰὼ παναρκεῖς θεοί, §167ἰὼ τέλειοι τέλειαί τε γᾶς §168τᾶσδε πυργοφύλακες, §169πόλιν δορίπονον μὴ προδῶθ᾽ §170ἑτεροφώνῳ στρατῷ.
O all-sufficient gods, O perfect gods and goddesses, guardians of the towers of this land, do not betray the spear-worn city to a foreign-tongued host.
Hear, hear the hand-stretched prayers of the maidens in all justice.
§173ἰὼ φίλοι δαίμονες, §175λυτήριοί <τ᾽> ἀμφιβάντες πόλιν, §176δείξαθ᾽ ὡς φιλοπόλεις, §177μέλεσθέ θ᾽ ἱερῶν δημίων, §178μελόμενοι δ᾽ ἀρήξατε: §179φιλοθύτων δέ τοι πόλεος ὀργίων §180μνήστορες ἐστέ μοι.
O dear divinities, and saviors standing around the city, show how you love the city, care for the public rites, and caring for them succor us; and be mindful, I pray you, of the city's love-offering rites.
§181ὑμᾶς ἐρωτῶ, θρέμματ᾽ οὐκ ἀνασχετά, §182ἦ ταῦτ᾽ ἄριστα καὶ πόλει σωτήρια, §183στρατῷ τε θάρσος τῷδε πυργηρουμένῳ, §185βρέτη πεσούσας πρὸς πολισσούχων θεῶν §186αὔειν, λακάζειν, σωφρόνων μισήματα;
I ask you, intolerable creatures, is this best and a salvation for the city, and a courage for this besieged army, falling before the statues of the city-protecting gods, to shriek and wail, things hated by the wise?
Neither in troubles nor in pleasant prosperity may I be a housemate with the female race.
For when she rules, her boldness is unapproachable; but when she is afraid, she is an even greater evil to house and city.
§191καὶ νῦν πολίταις τάσδε διαδρόμους φυγὰς §192θεῖσαι διερροθήσατ᾽ ἄψυχον κάκην: §193τὰ τῶν θύραθεν δ᾽ ὡς ἄριστ᾽ ὀφέλλεται, §194αὐτοὶ δ᾽ ὑφ᾽ αὑτῶν ἔνδοθεν πορθούμεθα.
And now, by making these running flights, you have spread among the citizens a soulless cowardice; thus the affairs of those outside are most highly advanced, while we ourselves are ruined from within by ourselves.
§195τοιαῦτά τἂν γυναιξὶ συνναίων ἔχοις.
Such things you would have by dwelling with women.
§196κεἰ μή τις ἀρχῆς τῆς ἐμῆς ἀκούσεται, §197ἀνὴρ γυνή τε χὤ τι τῶν μεταίχμιον, §198ψῆφος κατ᾽ αὐτῶν ὀλεθρία βουλεύσεται, §199λευστῆρα δήμου δ᾽ οὔ τι μὴ φύγῃ μόρον.
And if anyone does not listen to my authority, man or woman or whatever is in between, a destructive vote shall be resolved against them, and they shall by no means escape the public doom of stoning.
For affairs outside concern a man, let not a woman advise; but staying inside, do no harm.
§202ἤκουσας ἢ οὐκ ἤκουσας, ἢ κωφῇ λέγω;
Did you hear or did you not hear, or do I speak to the deaf?
§203ὦ φίλον Οἰδίπου τέκος, ἔδεισ᾽ ἀκού- §204σασα τὸν ἁρματόκτυπον ὄτοβον ὄτοβον, §205ὅτε τε σύριγγες ἔκλαγξαν ἑλίτροχοι, §206ἱππικῶν τ᾽ ἄπυον πηδαλίων διὰ στόμα §207πυριγενετᾶν χαλινῶν.
O dear child of Oedipus, I feared when I heard the chariot-clashing rattle, rattle, and when the wheel-spinning hubs shrieked, and the horse-steering bits through their mouths, fire-born bits.
§208τί οὖν;
What then?
ὁ ναύτης ἆρα μὴ ʼς πρῷραν φυγὼν §209πρύμνηθεν ηὗρε μηχανὴν σωτηρίας, §210νεὼς καμούσης ποντίῳ πρὸς κύματι;
Does the sailor, by fleeing to the prow from the stern, find a means of safety when the ship is laboring against the sea wave?
§211ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ δαιμόνων πρόδρομος ἦλθον ἀρ- §212χαῖα βρέτη, θεοῖσι πίσυνος, νιφάδος §213ὅτ᾽ ὀλοᾶς νιφομένας βρόμος ἐν πύλαις: §214δὴ τότ᾽ ἤρθην φόβῳ πρὸς μακάρων λιτάς, πόλεως §215ἵν᾽ ὑπερέχοιεν ἀλκάν.
But I went running to the ancient statues of the divinities, trusting in the gods, when the roar of the destructive snowstorm of stones was at the gates; then indeed I was raised by fear to prayers to the blessed ones, so that they might hold their protection over the city.
§216πύργον στέγειν εὔχεσθε πολέμιον δόρυ.
Pray that the tower keeps off the enemy spear.
§217aοὔκουν τάδ᾽ ἔσται πρὸς θεῶν;
Will not this then be from the gods?