ἆρ ̓ οὐχὶ δοῦλος, οὐχὶ δοριάλωτος εἶ,

μυλῶνα καὶ δημόσιον ἐκτρίβων κόπον;

πῶς οὐ προσῆλθες, τὸν πρὶν αἰδεσθεὶς λόγον; ἀλλ ̓ ἴσθι, μή γ ̓ ἐλθόντος ἐν τάχει σέθεν,

ἡμᾶς τοιῶνδε μηχανῶν τεχνάσματα

καὶ δέσμ ̓ ἂν ἐξευρόντας, ὥστε καὶ βίᾳ
ἄγειν σε, καίπερ ὡς πέτραν πεπηγότα.
ΣΑΜΨΩΝ.

ἐμοὶ μὲν ἁγὼν ἀσμένῳ, σάφ ̓ εἰδότι
πολλοῖς ὀδύρματ ̓ ἐσόμεν ̓, οἳ ̓ ἐκβήσεται.
ἀλλ ̓, οὐ γὰρ ἑλκηθμοῖσιν ἀγρίου τρόπον
θηρός σφε δεῖ με περιάγειν πόλιν κάτα,
τύχης ῥοπῇ κρατοῦντας, οὐκ ἀρνήσομαι
ἡμᾶς ἀμήχανον γάρ ἐστιν ἀντέχειν
τοῖς δεσπόταισι τοὺς τὸ πᾶν ὑπηκόους.
πολλαὶ μέν εἰσιν ἐν βροτοῖς περιστροφαί
χαίρων δὲ πᾶς τις, χῶν βεβούλευται ποιεῖν
τὸ ζῆν ἂν ἀντηλλάξατ ̓· ἐν δὲ τῷ κλύειν
τῶν σῶν, ἐπίστω μηδὲν ἐνδώσοντά με,
μήτ' αἰσχρὰ, μήτ' ἐναντί ̓ Ἑβραίων νόμοις.

ΚΗΡΥΞ.

τὼ δέσμ ̓, ἅτ ̓ ὀρθόβουλος, ἐκδύου τάδε·

1450

1460

By this compliance thou wilt win the lords

To favour, and perhaps to set thee free.

SAMSON.

Brethren, farewell, Your company along

I will not wish, lest it perhaps offend them

To see me girt with friends; and how the sight
Of me, as of a common enemy,

So dreaded once, may now exasperate them,
I know not. Lords are lordliest in their wine;
And the well-feasted priest then soonest fired
With zeal, if aught religion seem concerned:
No less the people, on their holy-days,
Impetuous, insolent, unquenchable.
Happen what may, of me expect to hear
Nothing dishonourable, impure, unworthy
Our God, our law, my nation, or myself;
The last of me or no I cannot warrant.
CHORUS,

Go, and the Holy One

1420

Of Israel be thy guide,

σὺ ταῦτα ταῖς ἀρχαῖσιν, εὐνοίας τυχεῖν, ῥέξαις ἂν, ἢ καὶ τῶνδε τῶν πεδῶν λύσιν.

ΣΑΜΨΩΝ.

ὑμεῖς μὲν ἤδη χαίρετ ̓ οὔ τι τῆς ὁδοῦ
ἐμοῦ γ ̓ ἑκόντος ξυμμετάσχοιτ ̓ ἂν, φίλοι
ἐχθροῖς ἀηδὴς ἥδε μοι παρουσία·
ἴσως δ ̓ ἂν, εἰσορῶντες ὃν κοινὸν πάλαι
ἐχθρόν σφιν ἡγήσαντ', ἀκραχόλῳ μένει
ζέσειαν· εὖ γὰρ οἰνοπλῆγας ἔστι τῳ
γνῶναι τυράννους ὡς τυραννικώτατοι·
ὡς καὶ θυτῆρες οἱ κορεσθέντες βορᾶς
μάλιστα δὴ σπεύδουσιν ὧν θεοῖς μέλει
χω δῆμος, ἔργων τῶν καθ ̓ ἡμέραν λυθεὶς,
ἀχάλινος ἄσβεστός τε κἀσελγὴς ἄγαν.
ὁποῖ ἂν οὖν τύχῃ ποτ', οὐκ ἀκούσομαι
οὐδέν τι δράσας οὔτ ̓ ἀεικὲς οὐδαμῶς,
οὔτ ̓ αὖ Θεοῦ τε τοῦ τε πατρῴου νόμου,
ἀλλ ̓ οὐδ ̓ ἐμαυτοῦ τοῦ γένους τ', ἀνάξιον·
ἄδηλος, εἴτε τἄσχατ ̓, εἴτε μὴ, λαχών,

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

τήνδε κέλευθον σοὶ ̓ξερχομένῳ,

Δαίμων Πάτριος ἡγεμονεύοι,

1470

1480

To what may serve his glory best, and spread his name Great among the Heathen round;

Send thee the Angel of thy birth, to stand

Fast by thy side, who from thy father's field
Rode up in flames, after his message told
Of thy conception, and be now a shield

Of fire; that Spirit, that first rushed on thee
In the camp of Dan,

Be efficacious in thee now at need.

For never was from Heaven imparted

Measure of strength so great to mortal seed,
As in thy wondrous actions hath been seen.

But wherefore comes old Manoah in such haste

With youthful steps? much livelier than ere while

He seems; supposing here to find his son,

Or of him bringing to us some glad news?

MANOAH.

Peace with you, brethren. My inducement hither

Was not at present here to find my son,

By order of the lords new parted hence

1430

1440

τὰ μάλιστ ̓ αὐτοῦ κῦδος ἀέξειν
τοῖσι παροίκοις ἀμφιβόητον.
καὶ μὴν ἅγγελος ὅς σε γενέθλιος
ἀμφιβέβηκεν, παρὰ νῦν σταίη,
σάκος ἀμφιβαλὼν φλογοειδὲς,
σὴν ὃς γένεσιν πάλαι ἀγγείλας
σῆς πατρίας ἀπὸ γῆς ἐπανῆλθεν,
τέρας ἀμφαίνων πυριφεγγές.
καίριον ἔλθοι τό ποθ ̓ ὁπλοφόρῳ

πνεῦμά σοι ἔμφυτον· ὡς οὐπώποτε

θνητῶν ὁπόσοι θεοποίητον

ῥώμην ἔπρεπον, ἠρίστευσαν

θαύμασιν ἔργων

οἷά σε δράσαντ ̓ ἐσορῶμεν.

ἀλλὰ πῶς; Μάνως γεραιὸς ἔρχεται σπουδῇ ποδῶν,

1490

1500

παρὰ δὲ τὸν χρόνον γε τὸν πρὶν κοῦρος ὡς ἀγάλλεται υἱὸν, ὡς ἐπεικάσαι γέ μ', ἐνθάδ' ἐλπίζων κιχεῖν,

εἴτ ̓ ἄρ ̓ οὖν εὐάγγελος μάλ ̓ ἧσπερ εἴληχεν τύχης.
ΜΑΝΩΣ.

εὐδαιμονοίητ ̓, ὦ φίλοι· τὸν υἱὸν οὐχ
ἥκω, ματεύων, ὃς κελευσάντων ἔβη

τῶν κοιράνων, ὡς παιγνίαν αὐτοῖς πόροι