§89sparsum pestis, ducam in horrendum nefas
As a scattered plague, shall I, a grandfather, lead my grandsons into horrible crime?
§90avus nepotes— magne divorum parens §91nosterque, quamvis pudeat, ingenti licet §92taxata poena lingua crucietur loquax, §93nec hoc tacebo: moneo, ne sacras manus §94violate caede neve furiali malo §95aspergite aras.
Great parent of the gods, and our own, though it may bring shame, and though my talkative tongue be tortured by a huge punishment imposed upon it, I will not keep silent about this: I warn you, do not violate sacred hands with slaughter, nor defile the altars with furious evil.
stabo et arcebo scelus— §96quid ora ferres verbere et tortos ferox
I will stand and prevent the crime.— Why do you strike my face with a whip, and fiercely threaten with twisted snakes?
§97minaris angues? quid famem infixam intimis
Why do you stir up the hunger fixed deep in my marrow?
§98agitas medullis? flagrat incensum siti §99cor et perustis flamma visceribus micat— §101Hunc, hunc furorem divide in totam domum!
My heart, set on fire, burns with thirst, and the flame flickers within my parched entrails.— Divide this, this madness into the entire household!
§102sic, sic ferantur et suum infensi invicem §103sitiant cruorem, sentit introitus tuos §104domus et nefando tota contactu horruit.
Thus, thus let them be driven, and, hostile in turn, let them thirst for their own blood. The household feels your entrance, and has shuddered as a whole at your unspeakable touch.
§105actum est abunde, gradere ad infernos specus §106amnemque notum; iam tuum maestae pedem §107terrae gravantur: cernis ut fontis liquor §108introrsus actus linquat, ut ripae vacent §109ventusque raras igneus nubes ferat?
It is done abundantly; proceed to the underworld caves and the familiar river; already the sad lands feel your step as heavy: do you see how the spring's water, driven inward, leaves, how the banks are empty, and the fiery wind carries sparse clouds?
§110pallescit omnis arbor ac nudus sitit §111fugiente pomo ramus, et qui fluctibus §112illinc propinquis Isthmos atque illinc fremit §113vicina gracili dividens terra vada, §114longe remotos tutus exaudit sonos.
Every tree turns pale, and the bare branch thirsts as the fruit flees, and the Isthmus, which with waves roaring on this side and on that, dividing the neighboring waters with its slender land, safely hears the far distant sounds.
§115iam Lerna retro cessit et Phoronides §116latuere venae nec suas profert sacer §117Alpheos undas et Cithaeronis iuga §118stant parte nulla cana deposita nive §119timentque veterem nobiles Argi sitim.
Now Lerna has retreated, and the Phoronidian streams have hidden themselves, nor does sacred Alpheus bring forth his own waves, and the ridges of Cithaeron ridges stand with no part covered by white snow, and noble Argos fears its ancient thirst.
Behold, Titan himself hesitates whether to command to follow, or to compel the dying day to go by the reins.
§122Argos de superis si quis Achaicum §123Pisaeasque domos curribus inclitas, §124Isthmi si quis amat regna Corinthii §125et portus geminos et mare dissidens, §126si quis Taygeti conspicuas nives, §127quas cum Sarmaticus tempore frigido §128in summis Boreas composuit iugis, §129aestas veliferis solvit Etesiis, §130quem tangit gelido flumine lucidus §131Alpheos, stadio notus Olympico, §132advertat placidum numen et arceat, §133alternae scelerum no redeant vices §134nec succedat avo deterior nepos §135et maior placeat culpa minoribus.
If anyone of the gods above loves Achaean Argos and the houses of Pisa famous for chariots, if anyone loves the kingdoms of Corinthian Isthmus and the twin ports and the opposing sea, if anyone loves the conspicuous snows of Taygetus, which, when in the cold season the Sarmatian Boreas has piled on the highest ridges, summer melts with sail-bearing Etesians, if anyone is touched by Alpheus with his cold stream, famous for the Olympic stadium, let him turn his peaceful divinity and avert that the alternate turns of crimes do not return, nor a worse grandson succeed his grandfather, and a greater fault please the younger ones.
Finally let the weary, impious offspring of Tantalus lay aside its fierce impulses.
§138Peccatum satis est; fas valuit nihil §139aut commune nefas, proditus occidit §140deceptor domini Myrtilus, et fide §141vectus qua fuerat nobile reddidit §142mutato pelagus nomine: notior §143nulla est Ioniis fabula navibus.
Crime is enough; divine law has availed nothing, nor common impiety; betrayed died Myrtilus, the deceiver of his master, and by the faith with which he had carried him, made the sea famous by its changed name: more known story there is none to Ionian ships.
§144exceptus gladio parvulus impio §145dum currit patrium natus ad osculum, §146immatura focis victima concidit §147divisusque tua est, Tantale, dextera, §148mensas ut strueres hospitibus deis.
Welcomed by an impious sword, while the little son runs to his father's kiss, he fell as an untimely victim on the hearths, and was carved up, Tantalus, by your right hand, so that you might prepare tables for the guest gods.
§149hos aeterna fames persequitur cibos, §150hos aeterna sitis; nec dapibus feris §151decerni potuit poena decentior.
Eternal hunger pursues these foods, eternal thirst; nor for such wild feasts could a more fitting punishment be decreed.
§152Stat lassus vacuo gutture Tantalus: §153impendet capiti plurima noxio §154Phineis avibus praeda fugacior; §155hinc illinc gravidis frondibus incubat §156et curvata suis fetibus ac tremens §157alludit patulis arbor hiatibus.
Tantalus stands weary with empty throat: over his guilty head hangs much prey, more fleeting than the Phineian birds; here and there a tree broods with heavy foliage, and bent down by its fruits and trembling, it plays with his gaping mouth.
§158haec, quamvis avidus nec patiens morae, §159deceptus totiens tangere neglegit §160obliquatque oculos oraque comprimit §161inclusisque famem dentibus alligat
These, though greedy and impatient of delay, having been deceived so many times, he neglects to touch, and turns away his eyes and compresses his mouth, and with closed teeth binds his hunger.
§162sed tunc divitias omne nemus suas §163demittit propius pomaque desuper §164insultant foliis mitia languidis §165accenduntque famem, quae iubet irritas §166exercere manus— has ubi protulit §167et falli libuit, totus in arduum §168autumnus rapitur silvaque mobilis,
But then the whole grove lets down its riches closer, and the ripe fruits from above mock him with their limp leaves and kindle his hunger, which commands him to employ fruitless hands— when he has stretched these forth, and has chosen to be deceived, all the autumn is snatched up on high, and the moving forest flees.
§169instat deinde sitis non levior fame; §170qua cum percaluit sanguis et igneis §171exarsit facibus, stat miser obvios §172fluctus ore petens, quos profugus latex §173avertit sterili deficiens vado §174conantem que sequi deserit; hic bibit §175altum de rapido gurgite pulverem.
Then thirst presses on, no lighter than hunger; when the blood has grown hot with this, and has burned with fiery torches, the wretched man stands seeking the oncoming waves with his mouth, which the fleeing water averts, failing in a dry channel, and deserts him as he tries to follow; here he drinks deep dust from the rapid whirlpool.
§176Ignave, iners, enervis et (quod maximum §177probrum tyranno rebus in summis reor) §178inulte, post tot scelera, post fratris dolos §179fasque omne raptum questibus vanis agis
Cowardly, inactive, enervated, and (what I deem the greatest disgrace for a tyrant in the highest matters) unavenged, after so many crimes, after a brother's tricks, and all divine law snatched away, do you act with vain complaints as angry Atreus?
§180iratus Atreus? fremere iam totus tuis §181debebat armis orbis et geminum mare §182utrimque classes agere, iam flammis agros §183lucere et urbes decuit ac strictum undique §184micare ferrum, tota sub nostro sonet §185Argolica tellus equite; non silvae tegant
Already the whole world should have roared with your arms, and the twin sea driven fleets on both sides, already it was fitting that the fields and cities should shine with flames, and the drawn iron gleam on all sides; let all the Argolic land resound under our horsemen; let no forests cover...