My capital secret, in what part my strength
Lay stored, in what part summed, that she might know;
Thrice I deluded her, and turned to sport
Her importunity, each time perceiving
How openly, and with what impudence,
She purposed to betray me, and—which was worse
Than undissembled hate—with what contempt 400
She sought to make me traitor to myself.
Yet the fourth time, when, mustering all her wiles,
With blandished parlies, feminine assaults,
Tongue-batteries, she surceased not day nor night
To storm me over-watched, and wearied out,
At times when men seek most repose and rest,
I yielded, and unlocked her all my heart,
Who, with a grain of manhood well resolved,
Might .easily have shook off all her snares ;
But foul effeminacy held me yoked
: 410
Her bond-slave. O indignity! O blot
To honour and religion ! servile mind
Rewarded well with servile punishment !
The base degree to which I now am fallen,
These rags, this grinding is not yet so base,
όπου το θησαυρισθεν ενναίοι σθένος, υπεξέκλεπτεν αντιμηχανωμένου δ' εμού, τρίς ύβριν του μ' ενοχλούντος τρόπου 4ΙΟ απηύρατ’, ως και δήλος ην εκάστοτε τόνδ' άνδρ’ ενεδρεύουσ', αναίσχυντον στόμα και πρός, σφαλήναι τοίς εμοίς αυτόν λόγοις παρήγε με σκώπτουσα τοιαύτης εγώ προειλόμην αν ήτις έκ πρoύπτου στυγοί. τέλος δ', επεί στόμαργος ήθροισεν δόλους, γυναικοβούλων τ' έμβολαις προσφθεγμάτων επέκειτο πάννυχός τε και πανήμερος ήδη καμόντι και κατ' άνθρωπον πόνων άμπαυλαν αμφέποντι και λήθην κακών 420 είξας έδειξα ταν φρεσίν κεκρυμμένα. αλλ' εί γε και πολλοστον ανδρείας παρών, έμουν αμοχθι καταγέλαστος ώχετ' άν. ανθ' ών αεικές ήνεσ', οία θηλύνους, ζυγόν γυναικός, ουδ' έτ' έκφεύγειν ενην, Θεού τ' όνειδος, του τ' εν ανθρώποις κλέους. φρονών τα δούλων, δουλίαν έκτησάμην. προϋχει δε της νύν η πάροιθεν αισχρότης, εί και ρακώδες είμα και στερρόν πόνον
As was my former servitude, ignoble,
Unmanly, ignominious, infamous,
True slavery, and that blindness worse than this,
That saw not how degenerately I served.
I cannot praise thy marriage choices, son,
Rather approved them not; but thou didst plead
Divine impulsion prompting how thou mightest
Find some occasion to infest our foes.
I state not that; this I am sure, our foes
Found soon occasion thereby to make thee
Their captive, and their triumph; thou the sooner
Temptation foundest, or over-potent charms,
To violate the sacred trust of silence
Deposited within thee; which to have kept
Tacit, was in thy power: true; and thou bearest
Enough, and more, the burden of that fault ;
Bitterly hast thou paid, and still art paying,
That rigid score ; a worse thing yet remains.
This day the Philistines a popular feast
Here celebrate in Gaza ; and proclaim
Great pomp, and sacrifice, and praises loud,
To Dagon, as their god, who hath delivered
είληχ' επεί βάναυσον, ουδ' εν ανδράσι 430 πρέποντα, δυσκλεά τε, τον το πρίν χρόνον σαφώς ξύνοιδ' άτιμος εκτρίψας βίον, και σφόδρα δούλος και πλέον του νύν τυφλός γένος γάρ ήτίμαζον, ουδ' έγνων τόδε.
ΜΑΝΩΣ. ώ τέκνον, ουδ' έμοιγ επαινετός δοκεί, μάλλον δ' αηδής, σων γάμων προαίρεσις" συ δ', ως επ' εχθρούς θεόθεν, ει τλαίης τάδε, σχήσων αφορμήν, πρόφασιν έσκήψω λέχη: αλλ' ού, τόδ' ειπών, έμ’ αν έχoις ξυμμάρτυρα. τοσούτον οίδα" καίρι' ήν αυτοίς τάδε, σοί και αιχμαλώτω γαυριάν αυτόν δε σε και θάσσον εκ των δυσγάμων ομιλιών, υπερβιασθέντ' ευθέτοις μαγεύμασι σιγήν προδούναι, σοι Θεού πιστον γέρας, εξόν φυλάσσειν' οι δέ τήσδ' αμαρτίας πικρόν μάλ' εκπράσσουσι σ' ες τα νύν χρέος, πλέον γε του δέοντος αισχίω δ' έτι παραυτίκ' έσται, των Φιλιστίνων ύπο κοινήν εορτήν εν πόλει ποιουμένων. τω γάρ Δάγωνι, τήσδε της χώρας θεώ, 450
Thee, Samson, bound and blind into their hands,
Them out of thine, who slewest them many a slain.
So Dagon shall be magnified, and God,
Beside whom is no god, compared with idols,
Disglorified, blasphemed, and had in scorn,
By the idolatrous rout amidst their wine;
Which to have come to pass by means of thee,
Samson, of all thy sufferings think the heaviest,
Of all reproach the most with shame that ever
Could have befallen thee and thy father's house.
Father, I do acknowledge and confess
That I this honour, I this pomp have brought
To Dagon, and advanced his praises high
Among the Heathen round; to God have brought
Dishonour, obloquy, and oped the mouths
Of idoists and atheists; have brought scandal
To Israel, diffidence of God, and doubt
In feeble hearts, propense enough before
To waver, or fall off and join with idols;
Which is my chief affliction, shame and sorrow,
The anguish of my soul, that suffers not
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