ὡσεὶ τηλύγετος γεγὼς, δὶς θεόθεν κηρυχθέντ' ἄνων μαντεύματα. ὑφ ̓ οὗ προη

-γητοῦ, φρενὸς ἐγκρατὴς,
ἥβας ἐς τέλος ἱκόμαν,

θνατοῦ τ ̓ ἔργον ὑπερδραμὼν

660

ἠρίστευσ ̓ ἐπὶ βαρβάρους.
ἀπεῤῥιμμένον αὖ τὰ νῦν
ἐχθοδοπόν τ ̓ ἐᾷ,

αὐτὸς ἐμ ̓ ὃς μάχαν κελεύσε,
ζωγρηθέντ', ἀλαόν τ' ἰδεῖν,

ὧν οὐκ ἄν τις ἄκος φέροι,

σκοπὸν τοῖσδ ̓ ὕβρεώς τε κἀπασ‐
-συτέρων ὀνειδῶν.

οὐδ ̓ ἐς ἐκείνους ἔστι τελεῖν μοι,

τοὺς εὐέλπιδας, οὐ γὰρ ἔτ ̓ ἐλπίδες,

670

οὔτις ἀνιῶν, φεῦ, θεραπεία,

πλὴν τόδε δῶρον Θεοῦ πάρα μέτριον,

ὡς δὲ τόδ ̓ ὠφελον εὐχαῖσι λαβεῖν, τέρμ ̓ ὀδύναισιν,

θάνατος, μῆχαρ ταχύπομπον.

CHORUS.

Many are the sayings of the wise,
In ancient and in modern books inrolled,
Extolling patience as the truest fortitude;
And to the bearing well of all calamities,
All chances incident to man's frail life,
Consolatories writ

With studied argument, and much persuasion sought,
Lenient of grief and anxious thought.

But with the afflicted in his pangs their sound

660

Little prevails, or rather seems a tune

Harsh, and of dissonant mood from his complaint;

Unless he feel within

Some source of consolation from above,

Secret refreshings, that repair his strength,

And fainting spirits uphold.

God of our fathers, what is man?

That thou toward him with hand so various

Or might I say contrarious?—

Temperest thy providence through his short course; 670

Not evenly, as thou rulest

The angelic orders and inferior creatures mute,

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

ἢ μάλα πολλὰ σοφαῖς ἔνι κείμενα ῥήματα βίβλοις, νῦν ἔν τε τῷ πάλαι χρόνῳ,

ἆθλον ἀριστείας τοῖς τλασιπόνοισιν ἔδωκεν·

ἐστὶν δ ̓ ὅσα δεινὰ βροτοῖσιν,

ὅσσ ̓ ἀμενηνὸν ἔχει μερόπων γένος

ἐξαντλεῖν, ἐπὶ τοῖσδε γεγραμμέναι
εἰσὶν ἐπῳδαὶ,

σαίνοντ ̓ εὔθετ ̓ ἔπη, ὀλοῶν θέλγητρα μεριμνών.
δυστάνῳ δ', ἀλύρου τρόπον ἁρμονίας παραμούσου,
μάταιος οἴχεται ψόφος

ἐκ τούτων· ὁ δ ̓ ἔναυλον ἔχων θεόθεν μείλικτρον, κρυπτὰν ἀρετᾶς τιν' ἀφορμὴν

καὶ παλίνορσον ἐνῆκε φρεσὶν μένος,

ἦ, Πατρώϊε, ποικιλοβούλου

κἀξυμβλήτου

χειρὸς ἐπῄσθετο σᾶς γένος ἀνθρώπων ταχύποτμον

οὐχ ὁμαλὸν, ὡς μακάρων χοροῦ

ἢ νηπίων, ἄναξ, βοτῶν ἀλόγων, μέδεις·
οὐδὲ λέγοιμ ̓ ἂν

τόνδ' ἀδιάκριτον ὄχλον ἀλητῶν

680

690

Irrational and brute.

Nor do I name of men the common rout,
That, wandering loose about,

Grow up and perish, as the summer fly,
Heads without name, no more remembered;

But such as thou hast solemnly elected,
With gifts and graces eminently adorned,
To some great work, thy glory,

And people's safety, which in part they effect.

Yet toward these thus dignified thou oft,

Amidst their highth of noon,

680

Changest thy countenance and thy hand, with no regard

Of highest favours past

From thee on them, or them to thee of service.

Nor only dost degrade them, or remit

To life obscured, which were a fair dismission;

But throwest them lower than thou didst exalt them high,

Unseemly falls in human eye,

690

Too grievous for the trespass or omission.

Oft leavest them to the hostile sword

Of heathen and profane, their carcasses

To dogs and fowls a prey, or else captived,

μυιῶν τρόπον ὀλλυμένων θεροεσσῶν,

ἀνωνύμους

ἀργῶν κεφαλὰς ἀμνάστους·

οὐκ, ἀλλ ̓ οἵουσπερ

ἀρετᾶς ἅτε δῶρον ἔχοντας,

δείξας μεγάλοις αὐτὸς ἐπ ̓ ἔργοις,

τῶν σῶν χάριν σέθεν τε

ἔν τε τοῖσδ ̓ ἡμιτελέστοις

συχνᾷ μεταλλαγᾷ μεσαμερίου φάους κάββαλες, οὐδ ̓ ὧν

αὐτὸς ἔδωκας καὐτὸς ἀπηύρω

ἐστὶν μελέδημά σοι, οὐδ ̓ ἐριτίμων.

τοὺς δ ̓ οὐ μόνον

πότμῳ κολάσας ἐπιεικεῖ

παθεῖν ἀφῆκας,

πλέον ἢ κατὰ τὸν πάλαι ὄλβον,

ὧν θ' ἥμαρτον, ἐν οἷσίν τ ̓ ἤμπλακον,

αἴσχιστ ̓ ἰδεῖν πεσόντας·

ἢ βιαίῳ πολέμῳ,

πτανοῖς τε κύρμα καὶ κυσὶν, ἐχθροῖσι βαρβάροισι καὶ βεβήλοις,

ἢ σώματ' αἰχμάλωτ ̓ ἀποῤῥίψας ἐᾷς,

700

710