§1.670χολῇ κεκραμένου δ’ ἀνῆγον ἐς στόμα, §1.671οἵδ’ ὠσὶν ἠχὴν οὐ σαφῶς δεδεγμένοι, §1.672οὔτ᾿ εἶδον, οἷ’ ἔρεξε θαύματ’ ἐν βροτοῖς, §1.673ἄλλως διῆγον καὶ διήνεγκαν Κᾶρας §1.674καὶ στέρν’ ἔτυπτον ἀμαθῶς ἀγνωσίᾳ.
And they brought to His mouth a sponge mixed with gall, while those who did not clearly receive the sound with their ears, nor saw what kind of wonders He did among mortals, spent their time in vain and shook their heads, and ignorantly beat their breasts in lack of knowledge.
§1.675Ἐγὼ δὲ πόρρω, Δεσπότῃ γὰρ εἱπόμην,) §1.676πρῶτον μὲν εἰς χλοηρὸν ἷζον που νάπος §1.677τά τ᾿ ἐκ ποδῶν σιγηλὰ καὶ γλώσσης ἄπο §1.678ἔσωζον, ὡς ὁρῶν νιν, οὐχ ὁρώμενος §1.679ὄχλῳ κακεργάτῃ τε καὶ μιαιφόνῳ· §1.680σέ τ᾿ αὐ δακρυχέουσαν ἑστῶσαν ἰδὼν §1.681ἤλυθον εἰπεῖν οὐ καλῶς πεπραγμένα.
But I followed the Lord, though at a distance; first, I sat somewhere in a verdant glen, and kept both my feet silent and my tongue still, so that I might see Him, while not being seen myself by the evil-doing and blood-thirsty crowd; and seeing you in turn standing and shedding tears, I have come to tell of these ill-fated events.
§1.682Ἰώ μοι, ἰώ·
Alas, alas!
§1.683Αἲ αἲ, τί δράσω;
Ah, ah, what shall I do?
καρδία γὰρ οἴχεται.
For my heart is gone.
§1.684Πῶς πῶς δ’ ἔτι ζώ καὶ φέρω ταῦτα κλύειν;
How, how do I still live and bear to hear these things?
§1.685ἰδεῖν δὲ ταῦτα πῶς ποτ᾿ οἴσω παντλάμων;
And how shall I, all-suffering, ever bear to see these things?
Go, O women, children of Galilee, address Him and escort Him from the earth.
§1.688Ὠ δεῦτε, φίλαι, δεῦτε, λίπωμεν δέος.
Oh come, dear friends, come, let us abandon fear.
§1.689Σὺ γὰρ φύγῃς τὸν δῆμον, ὡς τί μὴ πάθῃς;
For why should you flee the crowd, so as not to suffer what?
§1.690Κἀγὼ δὲ τόνδε λοιπὸν εἰς τί καὶ τρέσω;
And as for me, why should I fear this henceforth?
Let us go then, let us go, let fear be far away; for what profit is it for us to live here any longer?
§1.693Ἀλλ’ ἀπίωμεν, ὡς ἴδω Παιδὸς πάθη.
But let us depart, so that I may see the sufferings of my Child.
§1.694Ἰώ μοι, ἰώ·
Alas, alas!
Women, I do not see the bright face of my Child; for He has changed His color and lost His wondrous beauty.
Women, when I saw the gloomy eye of my Child, I long to die, and can no longer bear to live.
§1.699χωρεῖτε χωρεῖτ’, οὐκέτι τὸ ζῆν φέρω.
Go, go, I no longer bear to live.
O you who appeared as a common benefit to mortals, beloved Child, in return for what do you suffer these things?
§1.702ποινὰς δὲ ποίων ἀμπλακημάτων τίνεις;
And for what misdeeds do you pay the penalty?
§1.703ἁγνὰς γὰρ, ἁγνὰς χεῖρας αἱμάτων φέρεις §1.704ἁγνά τε χείλη καὶ μέλος πᾶν καὶ στόμα, §1.705ψυχὴν πάναγνον ἄδολον τε καρδίαν.
For you bear hands pure, pure of blood, and pure lips, and every limb, and mouth, an all-pure soul and a guileless heart.
§1.706Καὶ πῶς ὁρῶ λῃσταῖς σε συνηρτημένον;
And how do I see you bound together with robbers?
§1.707οὐδ’ ἐξ ἐπακτοῦ τινὸς ἐχθρῶν πημονῆς, §1.708φίλος δ’ ἀπόλλυσ’ οὐκ ἄκονθ’ ἑκουσίως §1.709μύστης, ὃν ὑπέδειξας ἄρτῳ σοῖς φίλοις §1.710φειδεύμενος τάλανος, ὡς φύγῃ κακὸν, §1.711κἂν οὐ συνῆκεν ἐμπαγεὶς βροχώμασι.
And not from any brought-on malice of enemies, but a friend destroys you—one who was willing, not unwilling— an initiate, whom you showed with bread to your friends, sparing himself, wretched one, so that he might flee evil, even if he did not understand, being caught in the snares.
For whose sake does the Father send you away from the earth, and why did He wish you to die so dishonorably?
§1.714Δύστηνος, οἷον οἷον ἔργον νῦν βλέπω
Wretched me, what a, what a deed do I now behold!
§1.715οὐ τλητὸν οὐδὲ λεκτὸν, ἀλλ’ ἀπωλόμην.
Not to be borne, nor to be spoken, but I am undone.
§1.716Αἲ αἵ, Τέκνον, σῶν πανταδίκων σφαγμάτων·
Ah, ah, Child, of your utterly unjust slaughter!
§1.717αἰ αἰ μάλ’ αὖθις, ὡς κακῶς διόλλυσαι, §1.718οὐκ ἐξαμαρτὼν αὐτὸς, ἀλλ’ ἁμαρτίας §1.719πρώτης γυναικὸς ἐξιώμενος βλάβην
Ah, ah, once again, how miserably you are destroyed, though you yourself did not sin, but healing the harm of the first woman's transgression.
I know, indeed I know these things, yet I know not how to speak; and I understand what these things will soon be.
§1.722ἄλγος δ’ ὕπερθεν τῶν ἐμῶν ἐλπισμάτων.
But pain lies upon me, beyond my hopes.
§1.723στένω τε πυκνὰ συμφορᾷ νικωμένη, §1.724δάκρυσί τε βλέφαρα θερμοῖς τέγγεται· §1.725ἀεὶ γάρ ἐστι τῶν γυναικείων φῦλον §1.726πολύστονον τε καὶ πολύδακρυ πλέον.
And I groan frequently, overcome by the calamity, and my eyelids are wet with warm tears; for the race of women is always full of groans and much more given to tears.
§1.727Ἴδ’, ὦ γυναικῶν ἐξ ἁπασῶν βελτίων, §1.728ὁ παρθένος πάρεστιν υἱός σοι νέος, §1.729ἰδοὺ δὲ καὶ σοὶ, μύστα, μήτηρ παρθένος.
Behold, O best of all women, the virgin is present, your new son, and behold also for you, initiate, a virgin mother.
§1.730Τί γοῦν, τί, γύναι, δακρύοις τέγγεις κόρας;
Why then, why, woman, do you wet your eyes with tears?
§1.731τί δ’ αὖ κατηφεῖς ὄμμα καὶ δακρυρροεῖς §1.732καὶ συγχυθεῖσ’ ἕστηκας, ἡνίκ’ εὐτυχεῖς, §1.733κοὐκ ἀσμένη τόνδ’ ἐξ ἐμοῦ δέχῃ τρόπον;
And why again do you cast down your eyes and weep, and stand confused, when you are fortunate, and do not gladly receive this manner from me?
These things are in harmony with what was predicted, which I myself said, as did the mouth of the prophets.
§1.736Νῦν καιρὸς ἐχθρὸν γηγενῶν τίσειν δίκην.
Now is the time for the enemy of the earth-born to pay the penalty.
§1.737Τί δῆτα λοιπὸν σῷ γ’ ἐπιστένεις Τέκνῳ;
Why then do you still lament for your Child?
§1.738Οὐδέν· λαοῦ τοῦδ’ ἐννοουμένη πέρι §1.739ἔγωγ᾿ ἐμαυτῇ πρὸς λόγους ἀφικόμην §1.740καὶ τούσδε θρηνῶ συμφορᾷ νικωμένη §1.741ᾤμωξα θ’, οἷον ἔργον ἔστ᾿ εἰργαστέον §1.742τοὐντεῦθεν αὐτοῖς, οἵ σ’ ἀνήρτησαν, Τέκνον, §1.743καραδοκῶ τε πάνθ’, ὅπη προβήσεται.
Nothing; but reflecting upon this people, I came to reason with myself, and I lament for them, overcome by the calamity, and I wailed at what a deed must be done hereafter by them, who suspended you, Child, and I await all things, how they will turn out.
§1.744λύπη δὲ κρείσσων καὶ βεβαίας ἐλπίδος.
But grief is stronger even than secure hope.
§1.745Τον μὲν γὰρ ἡμῶν δυσμενῆ πεφυκότα §1.746ῥᾷον κτενεῖς σὺ καὶ καταβάλῃς μόρον §1.747θᾶττόν τ’ ἀνιὼν τοὺς ἀλάστορας τίσεις· §1.748γυνη δὲ θῆλυ κἀπὶ δακρύοις ἔφυ· §1.749ὅθεν κἀγὼ στένουσα καὶ πεπληγμένη §1.750κέντροις ἀνίας ἡ τλάμων ὀδύρομαι.
For the one who has become our enemy you will easily slay and cast down death, and rising quickly you will punish the avengers; but woman was born weak and prone to tears; wherefore I too, groaning and struck by the stings of distress, lament in my misery.
I am indeed glorious, but yet I perish, deprived of your divine sight.
§1.753Ως γὰρ ἄελπτον δρᾶμα προσπεσὸν τόδε
For since this unexpected drama has fallen upon me...