αὐτοῦ παρόντος, οὐδενός με δεῖ ποτε.

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

ὑπέρ γε τέκνων πατέρα δεῖ προμηθίας,

1550

σὺ δ ̓ ἀντὶ τοῦ σοῦ πάντ ̓ ἂν ἀποβαλεῖν θέλοις
παῖδες φιλοῦσι τούς σφε θρέψαντας τρέφειν,
σοὶ δ ̓ ἡ πρόνοια πῶς τὸν υἱὸν ἂν τρέφοις,
τῶν σῶν ὑπερσχόντ ̓, ὀμμάτων φθορᾷ, χρόνων.
ΜΑΝΩΣ.

ἐμοὶ γὰρ ὀμμάτων μὲν ἀσμένῳ μάλα
τούτων μελήσει, καὶ τρέφειν καθήμενον

οἴκοι, μεγαυχεῖ θ ̓ ὧν δέδρακ ̓ ἀγάλματι πρέποντα, κυμαίνουσαν ὤμοισιν τρίχα

θαμβοῦντι, τὴν ἐθνῶν ποθ ̓ εἵρξασαν μένος. 1560 καὶ δὴ πέπεισμαι μήποτ ̓ ἂν στέρξαι Θεὸν τόνδ ̓ αὖθις ἰσχύοντα σὺν κομῶν τροφῇ τῶν ἀντὶ πιστῆς κρᾶτα πέρι τεταγμένων φρουρᾶς, ἐν ἄλλοις εἴ γε μὴ κλεινοῖς τέ νιν διακονεῖν ἔσωσεν· οὐδ ̓ ἀργὸν γέρας οἶμαί νιν ἐκλάζοντα καὶ νωθρὸν τρέφειν. ὡς δ ̓ οὐ ξυνεκπεσόντος ὀφθαλμοῖς σθένους, εἴη ξυναναλαβεῖν νιν ὀφθαλμοὺς σθένει. ΧΟΡΟΣ.

εὖ δῆτ ̓ ἔοικας οὔτ ̓ ἄρ ̓ ἐλπίδων μάτην

Of his delivery, and thy joy thereon
Conceived, agreeable to a father's love,
In both which we, as next, participate.

MANOAH.

I know your friendly minds, and-O, what noise!
Mercy of Heaven, what hideous noise was that!
Horribly loud, unlike the former shout.

CHORUS.

Noise call you it? or universal groan,

As if the whole inhabitation perished!

Blood, death, and deathful deeds, are in that noise.

Ruin, destruction at the utmost point.

MANOAH.

Of ruin indeed methought I heard the noise.

O it continues, they have slain my son.

CHORUS.

Thy son is rather slaying them; that outcry
From slaughter of one foe could not ascend.

MANOAH.

Some dismal accident it needs must be,

What shall we do, stay here or run and see?

CHORUS.

Best keep together here, lest, running thither

1510

1520

τούτων ἔχεσθαι, τήν θ ̓ ὁμόσπορον χαρὰν
καλῶς ἔδειξας, ὡς φιλόστοργος πατήρ.
τῶν δ ̓ ἡμὶν ἀμφοῖν, οἷα δευτέροις, μέτα.
ΜΑΝΩΣ.

ἀλλ ̓ εὐμενεῖς μὲν ὄντας εὖ γ ̓ ἐπίσταμαι—
τί δαί; τίν ̓ εἰσήκουσα, πρὸς Θεοῦ, κτύπον;
λαμπρὸς μὲν ἦν καὶ φοβερὸς, οἷος οὐ τὸ πρίν.

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

κτύπον μὲν οὖν, μᾶλλον δὲ πάγκοινόν τινα στόνον, διαφθαρέντος ὡς ὅλου γένους

ἐν αἱματωπῷ καὶ πολυκτόνῳ φόνῳ

αὕτως κατ ̓ ἄκρας, αυτόπρεμν ̓ ὀλωλότων.

ΜΑΝΩΣ.

ὀλωλότων γὰρ ὡς, ψόφου κατῃσθόμην.

παπαῖ· τὸν υἱὸν, οὐ λήγουσι γὰρ, κατέκτανον,

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

μᾶλλον γ ̓ ὑπ ̓ αὐτοῦ κατθανόντας ἂν λέγοις,

ἑνὸς γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἦν ποθ ̓ ἡ δεινὴ βοή.

ΜΑΝΩΣ.

οἰκτρόν τι συμβέβηκεν, εὔδηλον τόδε.

οὔκουν ἐκεῖσε, τοῦ βλέπειν, δραμεῖν χρεών;

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

οὐκ, ἀλλὰ τἀνθάδ ̓ ἀσφαλέστερ ̓, ὡς ἐκεῖ

M

1570

1580

We unawares run into danger's mouth.

This evil on the Philistines is fallen;

From whom could else a general cry be heard?
The sufferers then will scarce molest us here;
From other hands we need not much to fear.
What if, his eyesight-for to Israel's God
Nothing is hard-by miracle restored,

He now be dealing dole among his foes,
And over heaps of slaughtered walk his way?

MANOAH.

That were a joy presumptuous to be thought.

CHORUS.

Yet God hath wrought things as incredible

For his people of old; what hinders now?

MANOAH.

He can, I know, but doubt to think he will;

Yet hope would fain subscribe, and tempts belief.

A little stay will bring some notice hither.

CHORUS.

Of good or bad so great, of bad the sooner;

1530

κίνδυνον ἂν λάθοιμεν εἰσπεσόντες ἄν.
ἔστιν τόδ ̓, ἔστι, τοῖς Φιλιστίνοις κακὸν,

οὐδ ̓ ἦν ἀπ ̓ ἄλλων τόνδ ̓ ἂν ὠρυθμὸν κλύειν.
ταύτῃ μὲν οὖν μένοντας οὐ βλάψουσί πως,
αὐτοὶ κακῶς ἔχοντες· οὐδ ̓ ἄλλοι τινές.
ἴσως μὲν, οὐ γὰρ ἔστι τὸν μέγαν Θεὸν
οὐδέν ποτ ̓ εἴ γε μὴ μάλ ̓ εὐχερῶς ποιεῖν,
τῶν ὀμμάτων οἳ παρὰ φύσιν κατηγμένων,
ἐχθροῖσιν ἀντίποινα κατὰ μέρος φέρει,
στείχων νενησμένοισιν ἐν νεκροῖς μέσος.

ΜΑΝΩΣ.

ὑπέρμετρον δὲ τοῦτο, καὶ παρ ̓ ἐλπίδα.

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

Θεὸς δὲ τοιάδ ̓ ἔσθ' ὅτ ̓ εἴργασται πάλαι πρὸς τῶν ἑαυτοῦ γ', οὐδ ̓ ὁ κωλύσων πάρα.

ΜΑΝΩΣ.

δῆλος σθένων, ἄδηλος εἰ καὶ βούλεται.

ὅμως δέ μ' ἐλπὶς ὥστε δέξασθαι τάδε

σαίνει· μένουσι δ', ἄγγελος τάχ ̓ ἂν μέλοι.

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

φθάνει τὰ λύπρ ̓, ὡς ἐν τόσῃ γε συμφορᾷ

1590

1600