§75Τειρεσίας δʼ ἔτι μῶνος ἁμᾶ κυσὶν ἄρτι γένεια §76περκάζων ἱερὸν χῶρον ἀνεστρέφετο· §77διψάσας δʼ ἄφατόν τι ποτὶ ῥόον ἤλυθε κράνας, §78σχέτλιος·
Teiresias, still alone with his dogs, his chin just darkening with beard, was wandering in the sacred place; and having become unspeakably thirsty, he came to the flowing stream of the spring, wretched youth!
οὐκ ἐθέλων δʼ εἶδε τὰ μὴ θεμιτά·
And unwillingly he saw what is not lawful to see.
§79τὸν δὲ χολωσαμένα περ ὅμως προσέφασεν Ἀθάνα §80τίς σε, τὸν ὀφθαλμὼς οὐκέτʼ ἀποισόμενον, §81ὦ Εὐηρείδα, χαλεπὰν ὁδὸν ἄγαγε δαίμων; §82ἁ μὲν ἔφα, παιδὸς δʼ ὄμματα νὺξ ἔλαβεν.
And to him, though angered, Athena nevertheless spoke: "Who, O son of Everes, has some deity led on this harsh path— you, who will never carry back your eyes?" So she spoke, and night seized the youth's eyes.
He stood speechless, for griefs glued his knees, and helplessness held his voice.
And the nymph cried out: "What have you done to my boy, mistress?
τοιαῦται δαίμονες ἐστὲ φίλαι; §87ὄμματά μοι τῶ παιδὸς ἀφείλεο.
Are you goddesses such friends to us?" "You have taken away the eyes of my boy.
Accursed child, you have seen the breasts and flanks of Athena, but you will never see the sun again.
ὦ ἐμὲ δειλάν, §90ὦ ὄρος, ὦ Ἑλικὼν οὐκέτι μοι παριτέ, §91ἦ μεγάλʼ ἀντʼ ὀλίγων ἐπράξαο· δόρκας ὀλέσσας §92καὶ πρόκας οὐ πολλὰς φάεα παιδὸς ἔχεις. §93ἆ καὶ ἅμʼ ἀμφοτέραισι φίλον περὶ παῖδα λαβοῖσα §94μάτηρ μὲν γοερᾶν οἶτον ἀηδονίδων §95ἆγε βαρὺ κλαίοισα, θεὰ δʼ ἐλέησεν ἑταίραν §96καί νιν Ἀθαναία πρὸς τόδʼ ἔλεξεν ἔπος §97δῖα γύναι, μετὰ πάντα βαλεῦ πάλιν ὅσσα διʼ ὀργὰν §98εἶπας· ἐγὼ δʼ οὔ τοι τέκνον ἔθηκʼ ἀλαόν.
O wretched me!" "O mountain, O Helicon, no longer passable for me, surely you have exacted a great price for little; having lost a few gazelles and roe-deer, you hold the light of my boy's eyes!" Ah, and wrapping both her arms around her dear son, the mother, weeping heavily, led the lament of the wailing nightingales; but the goddess pitied her companion; and Athena spoke to her this word: "Noble woman, take back all that you have said in anger; for it is not I who made your child blind.
§99οὐ γὰρ Ἀθαναίᾳ γλυκερὸν πέλει ὄμματα παίδων §100ἁρπάζειν· Κρόνιοι δʼ ὧδε λέγοντι νόμοι· §101ὅς κε τινʼ ἀθανάτων, ὅκα μὴ θεὸς αὐτὸς ἕληται, §102ἀθρήσῃ, μισθῶ τοῦτον ἰδεῖν μεγάλω.
For it is not sweet to Athena to snatch away the eyes of youths; but the laws of Cronus' son say thus: Whoever beholds any of the immortals, when the deity does not choose it themselves, sees them at a great price.
§103δῖα γύναι, τὸ μὲν οὐ παλινάγρετον αὖθι γένοιτο §104ἔργον· ἐπεὶ μοιρᾶν ὧδʼ ἐπένησε λίνα, §105ἁνίκα τὸ πρᾶτόν νιν ἐγείναο·
Noble woman, this deed cannot be undone again; since the threads of the Fates spun it thus, when you first gave birth to him.
νῦν δὲ κομίζευ, §106ὦ Εὐηρείδα, τέλθος ὀφειλόμενον.
But now receive, O son of Everes, the debt that is owed.
§107πόσσα μὲν ἁ Καδμηὶς ἐς ὕστερον ἔμπυρα καυσεῖ, §108τόσσα δʼ Ἀρισταῖος, τὸν μόνον εὐχόμενοι §109παῖδα, τὸν ἁβατὰν Ἀκταίονα, τυφλὸν ἰδέσθαι.
How many burnt sacrifices will the daughter of Cadmus burn hereafter, and how many Aristaeus, praying that they might see their only son, the young Actaeon, blind!
§110καὶ τῆνος μεγάλας σύνδρομος Ἀρτέμιδος §111ἐσσεῖτʼ· ἀλλʼ οὐκ αὐτὸν ὅ τε δρόμος αἵ τʼ ἐν ὄρεσσι §112ῥυσεῦνται ξυναὶ τᾶμος ἑκαβολίαι, §113ὁππόκʼ ἂν οὐκ ἐθέλων περ ἴδῃ χαρίεντα λοετρὰ §114δαίμονος· ἀλλʼ αὐταὶ τὸν πρὶν ἄνακτα κύνες §115τουτάκι δειπνησεῦντι· τὰ δʼ υἱέος ὀστέα μάτηρ §116λεξεῖται δρυμὼς πάωτας ἐπερχομένα· §117ὀλβίσταν ἐρέει σε καὶ εὐαίωνα γενέσθαι, §118ἐξ ὀρέων ἀλαὸν παῖδʼ ὑποδεξαμέναν.
And he too will be a companion of the great Artemis in the chase; but neither his running nor their shared archery in the mountains will save him then, when he, though unwillingly, sees the lovely bath of the goddess; but his own dogs will then feast on their former master, and his mother will gather her son's bones, going through all the thickets; she will call you most blessed and happy in your life, because you received your blind son back from the mountains.
O companion, therefore do not lament at all; for many other honors await this boy from me for your sake.
Since I shall make him a prophet sung of by future generations, yes, far greater indeed than any other.
He will know birds, which is auspicious, and those which fly in vain, and of which the wings are not good.
He will declare many oracles to the Boeotians, and many to Cadmus, and later to the great Labdacids.
I shall also give him a great staff, which will guide his feet as is necessary, and I shall give him a long-lasting end of life.
§129καὶ μόνος, εὖτε θάνῃ, πεπνυμένος ἐν νεκύεσσι §130φοιτασεῖ, μεγάλωι τίμιος Ἁγεσίλᾳ. §131ὥς φαμένα κατένευσε· τὸ δʼ ἐντελὲς ᾧ κʼ ἔπι νεύσῃ §132Παλλάς, ἐπεὶ μώνᾳ Ζεὺς τό γε θυγατέρων §133δῶκεν Ἀθαναίᾳ, πατρώια πάντα φέρεσθαι, §134λωτροχόοι, μάτηρ δʼ οὔτις ἔτικτε θεάν, §135ἀλλὰ Διὸς κορυφά.
And he alone, when he dies, will wander wise among the dead, honored by the great Leader of the People." Having spoken thus, she nodded; and that is fulfilled upon whatever Pallas nods; since to Athena alone of his daughters Zeus granted to possess all things of her father, water-bearers, and no mother gave birth to the goddess, but the head of Zeus.
κορυφὰ Διὸς οὐκ ἐπινεύει §136ψεύδεα κοὐδὲ Διὸς ψεύδετ αι ἁ θυγάτηρ.
The head of Zeus does not nod to falsehoods, nor does the daughter of Zeus lie.
§137ἔρχετʼ Ἀθαναία νῦν ἀτρεκές· ἀλλὰ δέχεσθε §138τὰν θεόν, ὦ κῶραι τὦργον ὅσαις μέλεται, §139σύν τʼ εὐαγορίᾳ σύν τʼ εὔγμασι σύν τʼ ὀλολυγαῖς.
Athena is coming now in truth; but receive the goddess, O maidens whose task this is, both with words of good omen and with prayers and with sacred cries.
§140χαῖρε θεά, κάδευ δʼ Ἄργεος Ἰναχίω.
Hail, goddess, and care for Inachian Argos!