σκῆψιν προτείνεις, οὐδ ̓ ἔγωγ ̓ ἀρνήσομαι,
τὸ μὴ σθένειν γε τοῖσι δελεάζουσί σε
χρύσῳ Φιλιστίνοισιν ἀντέχειν τότε
οἷς εἴ τιν ̓ ἦν φεύγοντα νικῆσαι λόγοις,
τίς δήποθ ̓ ἱερόσυλος ἢ πατροκτόνος,
προδότης τίς, αἰνόλεκτρος ἢ μιαίφονος,
ἐπὶ τοισίδ ̓ οὐκ ἄμεμπτος; ἀσθενεῖ γε πᾶς
ὃς ἂν πονηρὸς ᾖ· σὲ δ ̓ οὔποτ ̓ ἂν Θεὸς
ἢ θνητὸς ἀπολύσειε τοιούτων χάριν.
ἀλλ ̓ οὐδ ̓ ἔρωτος τοῦτ ̓ ἔδρας ἡσσημένη,
οἰστρηλατουμένη δὲ λαγνείας μένει.
ἔρωτ ̓ ἔρως γὰρ ἀνταμοιβὸν ἄρνυται,
οὗ γ ̓ οὔτιν ̓ ἐλπίδ ̓ εἶχες, ἡ σαυτῆς κάτα
τείνασα δυσκάθαρτον ἐξ ἐμοῦ στύγος
πρὸς σοῦ γὰρ ἤδη δεινὸν ἠπατημένος.
αὐτὴ μὲν ἥλως ἡ θέλουσ ̓ ὑπεκφυγεῖν,

αἴσχει ματαίῳ προσβαλοῦσ ̓ αἶσχος πόνῳ.

ΔΗΛΙΛΗ.

ἐπεὶ σὺ, καίπερ σαυτὸν αἰτιώμενος,

γυναιξὶν ἀνδράσιν τ ̓ ἀπεννέπεις τάδε, φαίην ἂν οἵας ἐμβολάς τε καὶ δόλων

τέχνας περιβληθεῖσα, πολιορκουμένων

870

880

Which might have awed the best resolved of men,
The constantest, to have yielded without blame.

It was not gold, as to my charge thou layest,

That wrought with me. Thou knowest the magistrates

And princes of my country came in person,
Solicited, commanded, threatened, urged,

85'1

Adjured by all the bonds of civil duty
And of religion; pressed how just it was,
How honourable, how glorious, to entrap
A common enemy, who had destroyed
Such numbers of our nation; and the priest
Was not behind, but ever at my ear,
Preaching how meritorious with the gods
It would be to ensnare an irreligious
Dishonourer of Dagon. What had I

To oppose against such powerful arguments?
Only my love of thee held long debate,

And combated in silence all these reasons

With hard contest. At length that grounded maxim,
So rife and celebrated in the mouths

Of wisest men, that to the public good

Private respects must yield, with grave authority
Took full possession of me and prevailed;

860

Virtue, as I thought, truth, duty, so enjoining.

870

δίκην, ἀπεῖπον, οἶσιν αὐθάδης μάλα ἐνέδωκεν ἄν τις, ἀψεγῶς φοβούμενος·

χρύσου γὰρ οὐκ ἦν ἔργον, ὥς με διέβαλες τοὺς δ ̓ ἐν τέλει κάτοισθα, πρωτάρχους πόλεως, αὐτούς μ' ἀπειλαῖς ἐντολαῖς τε καὶ λιταῖς ἐπικαλέσαντας, πρὸς νόμου τε δημίου τοῦ τ ̓ ἐκ θεῶν σθένοντος, ὡς μάλ ̓ εὐπρεπῶς πεσοῖτο, καλλίσταισιν ἀγρευτὸς πάγαις, ὁ τῶν πολιτῶν μυρίους ἀποκτανών. οὐδ ̓ ὑστερεῖν ἔδοξαν οἱ τοὺς θεοὺς πέρι, θρυλοῦντες ὡς εὔνοιαν ἔκ γε δαιμόνων κτήσοιτο πᾶς τις ξυλλαβὼν τὸν δυσσεβῶς Δάγων ̓ ἀτιμάσαντα· τοιούτοις μὲν οὖν τίς ἢ λογισμοῖς ἀνταγωνιστὴς ἐγώ; ἕρως ὑπὲρ σοῦ χρόνιος ἀντιστὰς μόνος στεῤῥὸν σιωπῶν ἆθλον ἀθλεύειν ἔτλη. τέλος, τὸ περιβόητον ἐκ σοφωτάτων κηρυχθὲν ἀνδρῶν ῥῆμα καὶ παλαίφατον,

890

900

ΚΡΑΤΕΙΝ ΤΟ ΚΟΙΝΟΝ, τῶν φρενῶν ἐδέσποσεν· αἰδὼς γὰρ ἦν, καὶ πίστις, ὡς δοκεῖν γ ̓ ἐμοὶ,

ἀρετή τε σεμνότιμος, οἷς ἠπειγόμην.

SAMSON.

I thought where all thy circling wiles would end;

In feigned religion, smooth hypocrisy.

But had thy love, still odiously pretended,

Been, as it ought, sincere, it would have taught thee

Far other reasonings, brought forth other deeds.

I, before all the daughters of my tribe

And of my nation, chose thee from among

My enemies, loved thee, as too well thou knewest,

Too well; unbosomed all my secrets to thee,
Not out of levity, but overpowered

By thy request, who could deny thee nothing;
Yet now am judged an enemy. Why then
Didst thou at first receive me for thy husband,
Then, as since then, thy country's foe professed?
Being once a wife, for me thou wast to leave
Parents and country; nor was I their subject,
Nor under their protection but my own,

Thou mine, not theirs. If aught against my life

880

ΣΑΜΨΩΝ.

ἢ κάρτ ̓ ἔλεξας προσδοκῶντί μοι τάδε·
θεῶν γὰρ ευσχημόν τι καὶ πλαστὸν σέβας
ἔσθ', οὗ γ ̓ ἔκυρσαν σῶν δόλων περιστροφαί.
εἰ δ ̓ ἣν προτείνεις, ὡς ἐχρῆν, ἀκήρατος
ἔρως ὑπῆρχε, τῶνδε διαφέροντά σ ̓ ἂν
ἐδίδαξεν ἔργα καὶ λόγοις ἐνουθέτει.

σὲ δὴ πρὸ πασῶν τῆς ἐμῆς πάτρας κορῶν
ἐμφυλίων τε, κἀκ γένους ἐξειλόμην
ἐχθροῦ· πόθου γὰρ, ᾧ κατειχόμην, σέθεν,
ἄγαν κατέγνως τὴν ἄγαν προθυμίαν,
ὥστ ̓ ἐκκαλύψαι τἀν φρεσὶν κειμήλια,
οὐχ ὡς ἀνοίας ἔνοχος, ἀλλ ̓ ἡσσημένος
σοῦ λιπαρούσης, ᾗ τὸ πᾶν ὑπεικτέον.
νῦν ταῦτα δράσας ἐχθρὸς ὢν ἐφηυρέθην.
τί δή μ' ἐδέξω νυμφικαῖς εὐναῖς τότε,
ἐχθρόν γε τῆς σῆς νῦν τε καὶ πάλαι πάτρας;
σὲ δ ̓ εἰσάπαξ δάμαρτα, τὴν πόλιν τ ̓ ἔδει
παρ ̓ οὐδὲν, ἀντ ̓ ἐμοῦγε, καὶ γεννήτορας
ἄγειν· ἐκείνων δ ̓ οὐκ ἐμοὶ κλύειν θέμις,
σοῦ γὰρ φύλαξ καὶ τοῦδε τἀνδρὸς αὐτὸς ἦ.
πρὸς ταῦθ ̓ ὅ σ ̓ αὐτῶν οἶσιν ἂν μ' εἴη κτανεῖν

910

920