"And I will wither you alive and drag you down below, that you may pay the penalty in return for your mother-slaying misery.
§269ὄψι δὲ κεἴ τις ἄλλος ἤλιτεν βροτῶν §270ἢ θεὸν ἢ ξένον §271τιν᾽ ἀσεβῶν ἢ τοκέας φίλους, §272ἔχονθ᾽ ἕκαστον τῆς δίκης ἐπάξια. —
you shall see if any other of mortals has sinned, against a god or some guest, impiously, or against beloved parents, having the worthy deserts of justice.
§273μέγας γὰρ Ἅιδης ἐστὶν εὔθυνος βροτῶν §274ἔνερθε χθονός, §275δελτογράφῳ δὲ πάντ᾽ ἐπωπᾷ φρενί. §276ἐγὼ διδαχθεὶς ἐν κακοῖς ἐπίσταμαι §277πολλοὺς καθαρμούς, καὶ λέγειν ὅπου δίκη §278σιγᾶν θ᾽ ὁμοίως: ἐν δὲ τῷδε πράγματι §279φωνεῖν ἐτάχθην πρὸς σοφοῦ διδασκάλου:
great Hades is the judge of mortals the earth, he oversees all things with a tablet-writing mind." "I, having been taught by misfortunes, know purifications, and how to speak where it is right, likewise to be silent; but in this matter was ordered to speak by a wise teacher.
the blood is asleep and fading from my hand, the matricidal pollution is washed away.
while it was still fresh, at the hearth of god Phoebus, was driven away by purifying sacrifices of slain swine.
it would be a long story for me from the beginning to tell all those I visited with harmless association.
§286[χρόνος καθαιρεῖ πάντα γηράσκων ὁμοῦ. ] §287καὶ νῦν ἀφ᾽ ἁγνοῦ στόματος εὐφήμως καλῶ §288χώρας ἄνασσαν τῆσδ᾽ Ἀθηναίαν ἐμοὶ §289μολεῖν ἀρωγόν: κτήσεται δ᾽ ἄνευ δορὸς §290αὐτόν τε καὶ γῆν καὶ τὸν Ἀργεῖον λεὼν §291πιστὸν δικαίως ἐς τὸ πᾶν τε σύμμαχον.
[Time, growing old, purifies all things together.] now with pure mouth reverently I call upon, the queen of this land, to come to me a helper; she shall acquire without a spear myself and my land and the Argive people a faithful and justly aligned ally for all time.
§292ἀλλ᾽ εἴτε χώρας ἐν τόποις Λιβυστικοῖς, §293Τρίτωνος ἀμφὶ χεῦμα γενεθλίου πόρου, §294τίθησιν ὀρθὸν ἢ κατηρεφῆ πόδα, §295φίλοις ἀρήγουσ᾽, εἴτε Φλεγραίαν πλάκα §296θρασὺς ταγοῦχος ὡς ἀνὴρ ἐπισκοπεῖ, §297ἔλθοι,—κλύει δὲ καὶ πρόσωθεν ὢν θεός,— §298ὅπως γένοιτο τῶνδ᾽ ἐμοὶ λυτήριος. §299οὔτοι σ᾽ Ἀπόλλων οὐδ᾽ Ἀθηναίας σθένος §300ῥύσαιτ᾽ ἂν ὥστε μὴ οὐ παρημελημένον §301ἔρρειν, τὸ χαίρειν μὴ μαθόνθ᾽ ὅπου φρενῶν, §302ἀναίματον βόσκημα δαιμόνων, σκιάν.
whether in the places of the Libyan land, the stream of Triton, her natal path, sets her foot upright or covered, her friends, or whether she oversees the Flegraean plain, a bold commander overseeing it like a man, she come,—for a god hears even from afar,— she may become my deliverer from these troubles." "Surely neither Apollo nor the strength of Athena rescue you so that you would not, utterly neglected, away, not knowing where in your mind joy lies, bloodless victim of the gods, a mere shadow.
you not even answer, but spit out my words, who have been reared and consecrated for me?
alive you shall feast me, not even slaughtered at an altar; you shall hear this song, your binding chain.
§307ἄγε δὴ καὶ χορὸν ἅψωμεν, ἐπεὶ §308μοῦσαν στυγερὰν §309ἀποφαίνεσθαι δεδόκηκεν, §310λέξαι τε λάχη τὰ κατ᾽ ἀνθρώπους §311ὡς ἐπινωμᾷ στάσις ἁμά.
now, let us also join the dance, since hateful music has seemed good to display, to tell of the lots among men, our band dispenses them.
§312εὐθυδίκαιοι δ᾽ οἰόμεθ᾽ εἶναι: §313τὸν μὲν καθαρὰς χεῖρας προνέμοντ᾽ §314οὔτις ἐφέρπει μῆνις ἀφ᾽ ἡμῶν, §315ἀσινὴς δ᾽ αἰῶνα διοιχνεῖ:
believe we are straight-judging: him who extends clean hands wrath from us creeps up, unharmed he passes through life.
§316ὅστις δ᾽ ἀλιτὼν ὥσπερ ὅδ᾽ ἁνὴρ §317χεῖρας φονίας ἐπικρύπτει, §318μάρτυρες ὀρθαὶ τοῖσι θανοῦσιν §319παραγιγνόμεναι πράκτορες αἵματος §320αὐτῷ τελέως ἐφάνημεν.
whoever sins, like this man, hides his bloody hands, upright witnesses for the dead as exactors of blood, appear to him completely at the end.
who bore me, O mother, to the blind and to those who see, hear me.
ὁ Λατοῦς γὰρ ἶ- §324νίς μ᾽ ἄτιμον τίθησιν §325τόνδ᾽ ἀφαιρούμενος §326πτῶκα, ματρῷον ἅγ- §327νισμα κύριον φόνου.
For Leto's makes me dishonored, away this hare, a mother's to expiate her murder.
§328ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ τεθυμένῳ §329τόδε μέλος, παρακοπά, §330παραφορὰ φρενοδαλής, §331ὕμνος ἐξ Ἐρινύων, §332δέσμιος φρενῶν, ἀφόρ- §333μικτος, αὐονὰ βροτοῖς.
the victim, this song, a distraction, mind-destroying frenzy, hymn from the Erinyes, binder of the mind, without lyre, a withering to mortals.
§334τοῦτο γὰρ λάχος διανταία §335Μοῖρ᾽ ἐπέκλωσεν ἐμπέδως ἔχειν, §336θνατῶν τοῖσιν αὐτουργίαι §337ξυμπέσωσιν μάταιοι, §338τοῖς ὁμαρτεῖν, ὄφρ᾽ ἂν §339γᾶν ὑπέλθῃ: θανὼν δ᾽ §340οὐκ ἄγαν ἐλεύθερος.
this lot all-piercing spun out for us to hold firmly: mortals, to those on whom self-slayings should fall, pursue them until goes beneath the earth; and even dead is not too free.
§341ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ τεθυμένῳ §342τόδε μέλος, παρακοπά, §343παραφορὰ φρενοδαλής, §344ὕμνος ἐξ Ἐρινύων, §345δέσμιος φρενῶν, ἀφόρ- §346μικτος, αὐονὰ βροτοῖς.
the victim, this song, a distraction, mind-destroying frenzy, hymn from the Erinyes, binder of the mind, without lyre, a withering to mortals.
§347γιγνομέναισι λάχη τάδ᾽ ἐφ᾽ ἁμὶν ἐκράνθη, §350ἀθανάτων δ᾽ ἀπέχειν χέρας, οὐδέ τις ἐστὶ §351ξυνδαίτωρ μετάκοινος.
our birth, these lots were ordained for us, keep our hands off the immortals, nor is there companion who shares a feast with us.
§352παλλεύκων δὲ πέπλων ἀνέορτος ἄκληρος ἐτύχθην.
of all-white robes, festival-free and portionless was I made.
§353 §354δωμάτων γὰρ εἱλόμαν §355ἀνατροπάς: ὅταν Ἄρης §356τιθασὸς ὢν φίλον ἕλῃ, §357ἐπὶ τὸν ὧδ᾽ ἱέμεναι §358κρατερὸν ὄνθ᾽ ὅμως ἀμαυ- §359ροῦμεν [ὑφ᾽] αἵματος νέου. >
I chose the overthrows houses; whenever Ares, domestic, slays a friend, upon him thus, though he is, nevertheless we make him dim the fresh blood.
§360σπευδομένα δ᾽ ἀφελεῖν §361τινὰ τάσδε μερίμνας, §362θεῶν δ᾽ ἀτέλειαν ἐμαῖς §363μελέταις ἐπικραίνειν, §364μηδ᾽ εἰς ἄγκρισιν ἐλθεῖν— §365Ζεὺς δ᾽ αἱμοσταγὲς ἀξ- §366ιόμισον ἔθνος τόδε λέσχας §367ἇς ἀπηξιώσατο— §368μάλα γὰρ οὖν ἁλομένα §369ἀνέκαθεν βαρυπεσῆ §370καταφέρω ποδὸς ἀκμάν, §371σφαλερὰ τανυδρόμοις <ὅμως> §372κῶλα, δύσφορον μάταν.
striving to remove another these cares, to bring to fulfillment the exemption of the gods from my concerns, that they do not even come to a trial— has deemed unworthy of his conversation blood-dripping, race— since, leaping indeed above with a heavy fall bring down the swift-running strength of my foot, limbs stumbling for the swift runners, burden hard to bear.
§373δόξαι τ᾽ ἀνδρῶν καὶ μάλ᾽ ὑπ᾽ αἰθέρι σεμναὶ §374τακόμεναι κατὰ γᾶν μινύθουσιν ἄτιμοι §375ἁμετέραις ἐφόδοις μελανείμοσιν, ὀρχησ- §376μοῖς τ᾽ ἐπιφθόνοις ποδός.
the reputations of men, though very solemn under the sky, away on the earth and diminish without honor, our black-garbed approaches and dances the foot.
§377πίπτων δ᾽ οὐκ οἶδεν τόδ᾽ ὑπ᾽ ἄφρονι λύμᾳ:
as he falls, he does not know it because of his senseless ruin."