πρὸς ταῦτ ̓, ἔασον εὐπρεπῶν σκῆψιν λόγων·
ἕρκος τις ἡμῖν στενόπορον χωριζέτω,
ὅπου βλέπων, μᾶλλον δ ̓ ὅπου φεύγειν ἔχων
ἥκιστα κερδάναις ἄν· εἶτα φαίδιμον
πήληκα καὶ θώρηκα καὶ χαλκήλατον
χιτῶνα κνημιδάς τε καὶ βραχιόνων
πρόβλημα χειριδάς τε καὶ πελώριον
ἔγχος τὸ θ ̓ ἑπτάβοιον εὔπηκτον σάκος
λάβοις ἄν· αὐτὸς δρύϊνον ἀντισχὼν ξύλον
πατάγῳ σιδηροῦν σοὶ διαῤῥήξω λόφον,
κρατὸς μάταιον ἔρυμα, καὶ Γάθης πόθον,
ὅσον γ ̓ ἂν ἐξῇ διατελεῖν πνέοντά σε,
καὶ σφόδρ ̓ ἐνήσω· τοῦτο δ ̓ οὐκ ἔσται ποτὲ,
ἃ δρᾶν ἔμελλες ἐν Γάθῃ σε γαυριάν.
ΉΡΑΦΑΣ.
οὐκ ἂν σὺ τήνδε τὴν ἀγακλειτὴν στολὴν,
τὴν καὶ φερίστους ἀσφαλεῖ παντευχία
συχνὸν κεκοσμηκυῖαν, ὑβρίζειν ἔτλης,
εἰ μή σ ̓ ἐπῳδαῖς καὶ κακοῖς μαγεύμασι
γόης ἐθώρηξ ̓· ὡς δὲ σοῦ μαθεῖν πάρα,
γέρας τόδ' ἔσχες γενόμενος θεόσδοτον,
κόμαις ἐνοικοῦν, αἷς σθένους μέτεστι δὴ
Were bristles ranged like those that ridge the back
Of chafed wild boars, or ruffled porcupines.
I know no spells, use no forbidden arts;
My trust is in the living God, who gave me
At my nativity this strength, diffused
No less through all my sinews, joints, and bones,
Than thine, while I preserved these locks unshorn,
The pledge of my unviolated vow.
For proof hereof, if Dagon be thy God,
Go to his temple, invocate his aid
With solemnest devotion, spread before him
How highly it concerns his glory now
To frustrate and dissolve these magic spells,
Which I to be the power of Israel's God
Avow, and challenge Dagon to the test,
Offering to combat thee his champion bold,
With the utmost of his godhead seconded:
Then thou shalt see, or rather to thy sorrow
ἥκιστα πάντων, οὐδ ̓ ἂν εἰ τριχῶν στίχας ἔχοις οἵανπερ δειράδ ̓, ὡς ἂν ἐμμανὴς ὕστριξ τις, ἢ καὶ κάπρος ἠγριωμένος, ΣΑΜΨΩΝ.
οὔ μοι μαγεύματ', οὔ τις ἄῤῥητος τέχνη
ἐγὼ τὸν ἀείζωον αἰδοῦμαι Θεὸν,
ὃς ξύμφυτόν μοι ἔδωκε τὸ σθένος τόδε,
οὐδ ̓ ἧσσον, ἢ τὸ σὸν, δι ̓ ὀστέων ραφὰς
ἄρθρων τε νεῦρα διαχυθὲν, ταύτην ἕως
ἔσωσ ̓ ἔθειραν, ὧνπερ ὅρκον ὤμοσα
πίστιν βεβαίαν· σοὶ μὲν οὖν πορευτέον
πρὸς τὸν Δάγωνος, εἴ γέ σοι Δάγων θεὸς,
ὅπως ἐλέγξεις τοῦτο, σεμναῖσιν λιταῖς
ἀρωγὸν ἐπικαλῶν σφε, κἀκτείνας μακρὰν
ὡς κάρτα δεῖ νιν ὃν κλέος τηρεῖν τανῦν,
λύοντ ̓ ἐπῳδὰς τάσδε κἀπωθούμενον.
αἱ δ ̓ οὐκ ἐπῳδαὶ, τοῦ δὲ πατρῴου Θεοῦ
τοὔργον τὸ καὶ Δάγωνος ἀντειπόντος ἂν
δείξαιμι, τόν τ ̓ ἀντίπαλον, ὃν προείλετο,
σὲ, θεὸν ἔχοντα παντελῆ παραστάτην,
ἴσοις ἀγῶσιν ἀνταμιλλᾶσθαι καλώ.
ἰδεῖν γὰρ, ἢ κλαίων ἂν αἰσθέσθαι γ ̓ ἔχοις,
Soon feel, whose God is strongest, thine or mine.
Thee he regards not, owns not, hath cut off
Quite from his people, and delivered up
Into thy enemies' hand; permitted them
To put out both thine eyes, and fettered send thee
Into the common prison, there to grind
Among the slaves and asses, thy comrades,
As good for nothing else, no better service,
With those thy boisterous locks; no worthy match
For valour to assail, nor by the sword
Of noble warrior, so to stain his honour,
But by the barber's razor best subdued.
All these indignities, for such they are
From thine, these evils I deserve and more,
Acknowledge them from God inflicted on me
Justly, yet despair not of his final pardon,
Whose ear is ever open, and his eye
Gracious to re-admit the suppliant ;
τὸν ἐμίν τε τὸν σόν θ', ὁπότερος κρείσσων, θεός.
οὐ σοῦ Θεοῦ γ ̓ ἕκατι σοὶ θαρσεῖν ἔδει,
ὃς σοῦ παρημέληκεν, ὧν τ ̓ ὥραν νέμει
ἐνόσφισ ̓, ἀρνεῖταί τε μὴ γνῶναι πάνυ,
κάδωκεν αἰχμάλωτον ὀφθαλμωρύχοις,
ξὺν τοῖς τυχοῦσι δέσμιον, νωμᾶν μύλην,
δούλων ὄνων θ ̓ ἑταῖρον, ὡς τούτῳ μόνῳ
τὰ νῦν ἀραρότ ̓· οὐδὲ βοστρύχοις ποτὲ
βέλτιον ἂν χρήσαιο τοῖς ὑπερκόποις·
οὐδ ̓ ἂν τοιοῦδ ̓ ἀγῶνος ἀνθάπτοιτό που,
ἀνάξιον γὰρ, ἀνδρὸς ἀλκίμου δόρυ,
τὴν εὐγένειαν ὕβρισαι· ξυροῦ δ ̓ ἀκμῇ
νίκης τις ἂν τύχοι ποτ ̓ εὐπρεπεστέρας.
ΣΑΜΨΩΝ.
εὖ μὲν ξύνοιδα τοῖσδε, καὶ τούτων ἔτι
αἰσχίοσιν, δίκαιον ὑβρισθεὶς νόμον
τῶν σῶν ὑπ ̓ ἀστῶν, τῷ Θεῷ διακόνων
πάρεστι δ ̓ ἐλπὶς, ἐν δίκης καταστροφαῖς,
κλύων τε γὰρ βλέπων τε δέξασθαι φιλεῖ
τῶν προστροπαίων τὰς παλισσίτους λιτὰς,
μὴ δυσπροσοίστου κἀμὲ τεύξεσθαι Θεοῦ.
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