§99ostro sic niveus puniceo color §100perfusus rubuit, sic nitidum iubar §101pastor luce nova roscidus aspicit.
Thus her snowy color, drenched in Tyrian purple, blushed; thus the dewy shepherd beholds the bright beam in the new light.
§102ereptus thalamis Phasidis horridi, §103effrenae solitus pectora coniugis §104invita trepidus prendere dextera, §105felix Aeoliam corripe virginem.
Rescued from the chambers of dreadful Phasis, accustomed to clasp the breasts of an unbridled wife with an unwilling and trembling right hand, fortunately embrace the Aeolian maiden, O bridegroom.
§106nunc primum soceris, sponse, volentibus.
Now for the first time, O bridegroom, with your parents-in-law being willing.
§107concesso, iuvenes, ludite iurgio, §108hinc illinc, iuvenes, mittite carmina: §109rara est in dominos iusta licentia.
Play, young men, with the permitted bickering, hither and thither, young men, throw your songs: rare is the rightful freedom against masters.
§110Candida thyrsigeri proles generosa Lyaei, §111multifidam iam tempus erat succendere pinum: §112excute sollemnem digitis marcentibus ignem.
Bright and noble offspring of thyrsus-bearing Lyaeus, it was already time to light the split pine-torch: brandish the solemn fire with your languid fingers.
§113festa dicax fundat convicia fescenninus.
Let the witty Fescennine singer pour out festive insults.
Let the crowd loose their jests—let that woman go in silent darkness, if any fugitive female marries a foreign husband.
§116Occidimus, aures pepulit hymenaeus meas.
I am undone! The marriage song has struck my ears.
§117vix ipsa tantum, vix adnue credo malum,
Scarcely do I myself believe so great an evil, scarcely do I assent to it.
§118hoc facere Iason potuit, erepto patre §119patria atque regno sedibus solam exteris §120deserere durus? merita contempsit mea §121qui scelere flammas viderat vinci et mare?
Could Jason do this? Having snatched away my father, my fatherland, and my kingdom, could he, hard-hearted, desert me alone in foreign lands? Has he despised my merits, he who had seen flames and the sea conquered by my crime?
§122adeone credit omne consumptum nefas?
Does he believe that all wickedness is thus exhausted?
Uncertain, frenzied, and with an insane mind, I am driven in all directions; from where can I avenge myself?
Would that he had a brother! But there is a wife: into her let the sword be driven.
hoc meis satis est malis?
Is this enough for my ills?
§127si quod Pelasgae, si quod urbes barbarae §128novere facinus quod tuae ignorent manus, §129nunc est parandum.
If Greek cities, or if barbarian cities know any crime that your hands are ignorant of, now it must be prepared.
scelera te hortentur tua §130et cuncta redeant f inclitum regni decus §131raptum et nefandae virginis parvus comes §132divisus ense, funus ingestum. patri §133sparsum que ponto corpus et Peliae senis §134decocta aeno membra: funestum impie §135quam saepe fudi sanguinem, et nullum scelus §136irata feci: suasit infelix amor.
Let your own crimes exhort you, and let all things return: the famous glory of the kingdom snatched away, and the little companion of the dreadful maiden divided by the sword, his death thrust upon his father, and his body scattered on the sea, and the limbs of old Pelias boiled in the bronze cauldron: how often impiously have I shed deadly blood! And yet no crime did I commit in anger: unhappy love prompted them.
§137Quid tamen Iason potuit, alieni arbitri §138iurisque factus? debuit ferro obvium §139offerre pectus— melius, a melius, dolor §140furiose, loquere, si potest, vivat meus, §141ut fuit, Iason; si minus, vivat tamen §142memorque nostri muneris parcat mihi.
Yet what could Jason do, having been made subject to another's judgment and law? He ought to have offered his breast to meet the sword—better, ah better, speak, O furious grief! If it is possible, let my Jason live, as he was; if not, let him live nevertheless, and, mindful of our gift, let him spare me.
§143culpa est Creontis tota, qui sceptro impotens §144coniugia solvit quique genetricem abstrahit §145gnatis et arto pignore astrictam fidem §146dirimit: petatur solus hic, poenas luat
The guilt is entirely Creon's, who, unrestrained in his power, dissolves marriages, and drags the mother away from her children, and breaks the faith bound by a tight pledge: let him alone be targeted, let him pay the penalties he owes.
§147quas debet, alto cinere cumulabo domum; §148videbit atrum verticem flammis agi §149Malea longas navibus flectens moras.
I will heap his house with deep ash; Cape Malea, forcing long delays on ships, shall see a black peak driven by flames.
§150Sile, obsecro, questusque secreto abditos §151manda dolori, gravia quisquis vulnera §152patiente et aequo mutus animo pertulit, §153referre potuit: ira quae tegitur nocet; §154professa perdunt odia vindictae locum.
Be silent, I pray, and commit your complaints, hidden in secret, to your grief; whoever has borne heavy wounds in silence, with a patient and calm mind, has been able to repay them: anger which is hidden hurts; declared hatred loses the opportunity for vengeance.
Light is the grief which can take counsel and hide itself: great evils do not remain hidden.
§157libet ire contra,
I desire to go against them.
Stop your furious impulse, foster-daughter: scarcely does silent quiet defend you.
§159Fortuna fortes metuit, ignavos premit.
Fortune fears the brave, and oppresses the cowardly.
§160Tunc est probanda, si locum virtus habet.
Then is virtue to be approved, if virtue has a place.
§161Numquam potest non esse virtuti locus.
There can never not be a place for virtue.
§162Spes nulla rebus monstrat adflictis viam.
No hope shows a way to afflicted affairs.
§163Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil.
He who can hope for nothing, should despair of nothing.
The Colchians have departed, there is no faith of a husband, and nothing remains to you of such great wealth.
Medea remains; here you see sea and land, and iron and fire and gods and thunderbolts.
§168Rex est timendus,
The king is to be feared.
§168bRex meus fuerat pater.
My father had been a king.
§169Non metuis arma?
Do you not fear arms?
§169bSint licet terra edita.
Even if they be produced from the earth.
§170Moriere.
You will die.
§170bCupio.
I desire it.
§170cProfuge.
Flee.
§170dPaenituit fugae.
I have repented of flight.
§171cMater es.
You are a mother.
§171dCui sim vides.
You see whose mother I am.
§172Profugere dubitas?
Do you hesitate to flee?
§172bFugiam, ut ulciscar prius.
I will flee, but so that I may avenge first.
§173Vindex sequetur,
An avenger will follow.
§173bForsan inveniam moras.
Perhaps I shall find delays.
Restrain your words, spare threats now, madwoman, and diminish your pride: it is fitting to adapt to the time.
§176Fortuna opes auferre, non animum potest,
Fortune can take away wealth, not the spirit.
§177sed cuius ictu regius cardo strepit?
But by whose blow does the royal door-hinge creak?
§178ipse' est Pelasgo tumidus imperio Creo.
It is Creon himself, swollen with Greek power.
Medea, the harmful offspring of Colchian Aeetes, does she not yet carry her foot out of my kingdoms?
She is brewing something: her deceit is known, her hand is known, whom will she spare, or whom will she allow to be secure?
§183abolere propere pessimam ferro luem §184equidem parabam: precibus evicit gener, §185concessa vita est, liberet fines metu
To destroy quickly this worst pestilence with the sword I indeed was preparing: my son-in-law won by his prayers, life has been granted, let her free our territories from fear.