καταπατοῦντος μεγασθενῆ περ, ὑπέροπλα· σύχν ̓ ὡς λέοντ ̓ ὄρμενον

ἔτρεσ ̓ Ασκαλωνίτας

χαλκεόνωτος ἐν μά

χαις, πτήξας πόδα δεινὸν,

ἔμπειρος πολεμιστὴς

πήληχ. ὑψίλοφον κόνει περιπεσὼν ἐμόλυνεν.

τὸ δ ̓ αὖθις, ὧν πᾶς πέρι τὰ νῦν θροεῖ, τοὺς χιλίους ἐν Ῥαμαιληχίῳ φονεύσας, ὄνου λαβὼν σιαγόν ̓, ἔστινον ξίφος, ἄωτον ἀπέταμε χθονός

βίᾳ δὲ πυκνὰς ᾤχετ ̓ ἀναφέρων πρόῤῥιζον αὐτοῖς πύλας μοχλοῖσι

σταθμοισί τ' Αζης, ἐς Εβρέαν ἕδραν γιγάντων, τὸ δ ̓ οὐ πάρεργον ἦν,

ἀλλ ̓ ὥς τιν ̓ ἄστρα φασὶ βάρβαροι φέρειν.

τίν ̓ οὖν κακῶν κάκιστά σοι;

δεσμῶν πέπονθας πλέω,

δεσμὰ δεσμῶν, ἀμαυρὸς ἀεί.

κλῃσθεὶς αὐτὸς ἐν αὐτῷ

κακῶν ἔξοχα πάσχει

εἰσὶν, οἵ γε δεδορκότες ψυχᾶς ὄμμα μάταιοι

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Imprisoned now indeed,

In real darkness of the body, dwells,
Shut up from outward light,

To incorporate with gloomy night;
For inward light, alas!

Puts forth no visual beam,

O mirror of our fickle state,

Since man on earth, unparalleled !

The rarer thy example stands,

By how much, from the top of wondrous glory,
Strongest of mortal men,

To lowest pitch of abject fortune thou art fallen :

For him I reckon not in high estate,

Whom long descent of birth,

Or the sphere of fortune, raises;

But thee whose strength, while virtue was her mate,

Might have subdued the earth,

Universally crowned with highest praises.

SAMSON.

I hear the sound of words; their sense the air

Dissolves unjointed ere it reach my ear.

CHORUS.

He speaks, let us draw nigh-Matchless in might,

The glory late of Israel, now the grief!

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κλαίουσ ̓ ἀφεγγές· σὺ δ ̓ οὖν οὐ μάταν, ἔργῳ δύαισιν ἀλααῖς σώματος βιασθείς· νύκτ ̓ ἐνδέδυκας, φεῦ, διανταῖον κνέφας

φρενῶν δὲ φῶς ἀνόμματον·

τοιαῦτ ̓ ἰδεῖν ἔφυ τἀνθρώπινα ὑπερβέβηκας δ ̓ ὅσ ̓ ἦν τὰ πρόσθεν,

ἀφ ̓ ὑψιπύργων ὃς ἐκπεσὼν ἑδρῶν τανῦν ἐφάνθης ἐπ ̓ ἐσχάτοις τύχας, ῥώμαν ἄριστος, οἷος οὐκ ἄλλος, τὸ πρίν. τιμὰν ἐμοῦ γ ̓ ἂν οὐ λάβοι

γένος παλαιὸν κλυτὸς,

ἢ τροπαΐσιν τύχας προκόψας, σὺ δ', ὃν δόξα περιστε

φὴς ἀνήγαγεν, ὦ τ ̓ ἂν ἔ

δωκεν ΐς, ἀρετὰ ξύνοικος, βροτῶν βασιλεύειν.

ΣΑΜΨΩΝ.

ἤκουσα φωνήν· ὃν δ ̓ ἐσήμῃνεν λόγον,

ἄναρθρος ἐῤῥύηκε, πρίν γ ̓ ὤτων θιγεῖν.

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

ἡμᾶς προσελθεῖν, τοῦδε βάζοντος, χρεών. φεύ, φεῦ, κράτιστε, κῦδος Εβραίοις πάλαι,

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We come, thy friends and neighbours not unknown, 180

From Eshtaol and Zora's fruitful vale,

To visit or bewail thee: or, if better,

Counsel or consolation we may bring,

Salve to thy sores; apt words have power to swage

The tumours of a troubled mind,

And are as balm to festered wounds.

SAMSON.

Your coming, friends, revives me; for I learn

Now of my own experience, not by talk,
How counterfeit a coin they are who friends
Bear in their superscription, of the most
I would be understood. In prosperous days
They swarm, but in adverse withdraw their head,
Not to be found though sought. Ye see, O friends,
How many evils have enclosed me round;

Yet that which was the worst now least afflicts me,
Blindness for had I sight, confused with shame,
How could I once look up, or heave the head?
Who, like a foolish pilot, have shipwrecked

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νῦν τοὔμπαλιν δακρυτὸς, ἥκομεν σέθεν
φίλοι τ ̓ ἀπ ̓ οἰκείων τε γείτονες τόπων,
Ἐσητάλου Ζώρας τε, παμφόρου πέδου,
σοὶ δηξιθύμων συστενάξοντες πόνων.
ἀλλ ̓ εἴ τι τῶνδε κρεῖσσόν ἐστι συμβαλεῖν
παρηγοροῦντας ἢ παραινοῦντας, τόδε
τύχοις ἂν ἡμῶν, βουκολούμενος πάθη.
ἔστ ̓ εὐεπείᾳ παρακόπους κηλεῖν φρένας,
ἕλκη τις ὡς ἔθελξεν ἐξηνθηκότα.

ΣΑΜΨΩΝ.

ζωήν τιν', ὑμῶν μοι προσελθόντων, νέαν
ξύνοιδα, κιβδήλου δὲ παράσημον τύπου

κόμμ' ἐγχαραχθὲν οἷς τὰ πλεῖστ ̓ εἶχον φίλοις.
εὐπραξίαις συχνός τις, ἐν τροπαῖς χρόνων
ἀπώχετ', οὐδ ̓ εὕροι τις ἂν μακρῷ πόνῳ.
ὁρᾶτέ μ', οἷα πάντοθεν πάσχω κακά,
ὃ δ ̓ ἦν κάκιστον, τοῦδ ̓ ἔτ ̓ οὐκ ὤραν ἔχω,
τῆς τυφλότητος· καὶ γὰρ εἰ βλέπειν παρῆν,
πῶς ἂν δυναίμην ὀμμάτων ὀρθοστάδην
γλήνας ἐπαίρειν, τήνδ ̓ ἔτ ̓ αἰσχύνην ἔχων;
ὅστις, μάταιος ὥς τις οἰακοστρόφος,

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