δεῦρ ̓ ἤλθεθ ̓ ἁδρῶν ἐν ποδωκείᾳ μελῶν, τὸν υἱὸν εἴπατ ̓ εἰ πάρεστιν ἐνθάδε,
οἷος μὲν ἦν, θαυμαστὸς, ἐν τύχης ἀκμῇ, τοιόσδε τῇ νῦν ἐστ ̓ ἰδεῖν κακουχία,
φεῦ τῆς ἐλεινῆς τοῦδ', ἀνικήτου τὸ πρὶν,
φθορᾶς· ὅδ ̓ οὖν ὁ περιβόητος, ὃν πάλαι
ἐχθροὶ παρ ̓ αὑτοῖς περιπολοῦντα πανταχοῦ
ὑπεξέφευγον ὡς θεοῖς ἰσόῤῥοπον;
σμερδνῷ μόνος δ ̓ ἀντεῖχεν εὐτάκτῳ στρατῷ,
ἀντὶ στρατοῦ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἦν· τοῦτον δὲ νῦν
καὶ δειλὸς ἐλθὼν ἐν διαστάσει δορὸς
κατεργάσαιτ ̓ ἄν· οὐ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων σθένει
οὐδεὶς πεποιθὼς ἵκετα σκοπόν ποτε
πάντη γὰρ ἐστὶ δολοπλόκου ψεύδους πλέα
βρότεια πράγματ'· ἔρχεται συχνὸν κακὰ
αὐτῶν μάτην ὧν ηὐξάμεσθ ̓ ἐπηβόλοις.
ἐγὼ μὲν ᾔτουν τὸν Θεὸν παίδων σπορὰν,
ἀτεκνίαν γὰρ ὡς ὄνειδος ᾠόμην·
τυχὼν δ ̓, ἔδοξα πᾶσιν ὀλβιώτατος!
Who would be now a father in my stead?
Oh, wherefore did God grant me my request,
And as a blessing with such pomp adorned?
Why are his gifts desirable, to tempt
Our earnest prayers, then, given with solemn hand
As graces, draw a scorpion's tail behind?
For this did the Angel twice descend? for this
Ordained thy nurture holy? as of a plant
Select and sacred, glorious for a while,
The miracle of men; then in an hour
Ensnared, assaulted, overcome, led bound,
Thy foes' derision, captive, poor, and blind,
Into a dungeon thrust, to work with slaves.
Alas! methinks whom God hath chosen once
To worthiest deeds, if he through frailty err,
He should not so o'erwhelm, and as a thrall
Subject him to so foul indignities;
Be it but for honour's sake of former deeds.
Appoint not heavenly disposition, father.
Nothing of all these evils hath befallen me
νῦν τοῦδε τἀνδρὸς τήνδε τὴν παιδουργίαν
ἑκὼν τίς ἄν ποτ ̓ ἀντιδέξασθαι θέλοι;
ὡς ὤφελον δὲ μήποτ ̓ ἐκ Θεοῦ τόδε
δώροις ἀγαστὸν ἀφθόνοις εἰληφέναι·
σπουδῇ μὲν πασ', ὧν ἐνῆκ ̓ ὀξὺν πόθον
λαβόντα δ', οἷα σκορπίου κέντρον, δάκνει·
τοῦδ ̓ οἵνεκ ̓ ἠξιώσαθ ̓ ἅγγελος Θεοῦ
καὶ δὶς κατελθεῖν, ἐκκρίτοις θ ̓ οἷον φυτοῖς ἔθη καθιέρωσε σοὶ τὰ παιδικὰ,
ὅθεν τέθηλας ἡμὶν εἰς βραχὺν χρόνον
θαυμαστὸς ἀνδρῶν· εἶτα καν βαιᾷ ῥοπῇ
δόλοισιν αἰχμάλωτον, ἐχθροῖσιν γέλων
οἳ κατεπάλαισαν σ', ὄμματ ̓ ἐστερημένον
δοῦλόν τε, πάντων τ ̓ ἀπορίᾳ, θητῶν μέτα
πόνοις ταλαιπωροῦντα, τοιοῦτόν σ ̓ ὁρῶ.
ἀλλ ̓ ὅν γ ̓ ἐπ ̓ ἄκροις ἐξέλεξ ̓ ἔργοις Θεὸς,
εἰ καὶ βρότειον ἔπαθεν, αἰκίᾳ τόσῃ
πρόῤῥιζον οὐκ ἔδει νιν αἰσχίστῃ πεσεῖν,
κλέους γ ̓ ἕκατι τῶν πάρος πεπραγμένων.
μὴ τὰκ Θεοῦ τυχόντα μέμψασθαι, πάτερ. οὐκ ἐστιν οὐδὲν ταισίδ ̓ ἐν δύαις ἐμοὶ
But justly; I myself have brought them on,
Sole author I, sole cause. If aught seem vile,
As vile hath been my folly, who have profaned
The mystery of God, given me under pledge
Of vow, and have betrayed it to a woman,
A Canaanite, my faithless enemy.
This well I knew, nor was at all surprised,
But warned by oft experience. Did not she
Of Timna first betray me? and reveal
The secret wrested from me in her highth
Of nuptial love professed, carrying it straight
To them who had corrupted her, my spies
And rivals? In this other was there found
More faith, who also in her prime of love,
Spousal embraces, vitiated with gold,
Though offered only, by the scent conceived
Her spurious first-born, treason against me?
Thrice she assayed, with flattering prayers and sighs
And amorous reproaches, to win from me
ὃ μὴ κακουργῶν μόνος ἐμηχανησάμην,
αὐτόσσυτον πῆμ ̓, ἐνδίκῳ παθήματι.
τί δ' αἰσχρὸν, εἰ μὴ τοὐκ Θεοῦ δοθὲν σθένος
ἐφ ̓ ᾧτε κρυπτὸν ἀσφαλῶς σώζειν ἀεὶ,
ῥῖψαι διαφθείραντ ̓, ἀβελτέρῳ φρενί ;
παρ ̓ οὗ προδόντος ἔμαθε βάρβαρος γυνὴ,
ἐχθρόξενόν μοι κἀπατήλιον κάρα.
οὐδ ̓ ἦν ἀπροσδόκητα, προἐσήμαινε γὰρ
τὰ πολλὰ πρὶν πραχθέντα· τοιοῦτον πάλαι
ἔτλη τὸ Τίμνης θρέμμα, πρώταρχος δόλων.
ἡ γὰρ τὰ κρυπτὰ παρατεθέντ ̓, ἔρωτ ̓ ἐπεὶ
ἐψεύσατ ̓ αἰνόλεκτρος, ἐν σμικρῷ χρόνῳ
τοῖς ἀνταγωνισταῖς τε καὶ σκοποῖς ἐμοῦ,
αὐτὴν παρεκτρέψασιν, ἁρπάσασά μου
μετέδωκεν· οὐδ ̓ ἄμεμπτος ἡτέρα δοκεῖ,
ἣ κὰν ἀπαρχαῖς εὐφιλῶν νυμφευμάτων
πρωτόσπορόν τι κῦμα, δυσγενὲς τέκος,
αὔρας πνοαῖσι παρανόμως ἐγείνατο,
φενακίσασά μ'· ἀργυρώνητος μάτην,
δῶρον προτεινάντων γὰρ οὐκ ἐδέξατο.
τρίς μου, λιταῖς σαίνουσα καὶ πολλῷ στίνῳ
πλάσασ ̓ ἔρωτα, τὸν μάλ ̓ ἄῤῥητον λόγον
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