ἄλλων ἂν ὠρέξω γὰρ, εἴ γε μὴ πεσες
ὄνῳ ξυνέκβλητός τε καὶ πατούμενος
πάλιν δ ̓ ἂν ἠρίστευσεν ἡ Φιλιστία
ὑπ ̓ ἐμοῦ πολίτου, τῶν τε περιτετμημένων
προεῖχεν, ὧν κύδιστος ἐν κλόνοισι σύ.
τόδ', οὗ γ ̓ ἂν οὔπως μονομαχῶν ἥμαρτον ἂν,
ἀπεστέρησάς μ ̓ ὀμμάτων τητώμενος.
μὴ δὴ τὰ μὴ δεδραμέν ̓ ἐκφήνῃς λόγῳ ματαιόκομπος· δεῖ δέ σ', ὡς ἕτοιμα, δρᾶν. ἩΡΑΦΑΣ.
οὐκ ἔστ ̓ ἀγών μοι πρὸς τὸν ὀμματοστερῆ·
λουτροῦ δ ̓ ἀθίκτων οὐδ ̓ ἂν ἁψαίμην ἐγώ.
ΣΑΜΨΩΝ.
τούτων δ ̓ ἔμ' ἠξίωσαν οἱ σοὶ δεσπόται,
οἱ τίμιοι δὴ, τὸν παρηπατημένον,
οἱ καὶ ξυναθροισθέντες οὐκ ἔτλησαν ἂν
γυμνῷ μόνῳ τ ̓ ἔμοιγ ̓ ἀπαντῆσαί ποτε,
ἀλλ ̓ οὐδ ̓ ἐφεδρεύοντες ὑπνώσσοντί μοι
θαλάμων μυχοῖσι προσβαλεῖν πυκνῷ λόγῳ,
πρὶν δὴ γύναιον μ' ἀργυρώνητον, γάμους
ψεύσασαν, ἐκτήσαντο παρακρούσαι δόλῳ,
Therefore, without feigned shifts, let be assigned
Some narrow place enclosed, where sight may give thee,
Or rather flight, no great advantage on me;
Then put on all thy gorgeous arms, thy helmet
And brigandine of brass, thy broad habergeon,
Vant-brass and greaves, and gauntlet, add thy spear,
A weaver's beam, and seven-times-folded shield;
I only with an oaken staff will meet thee,
And raise such outcries on thy clattered iron,
Which long shall not withhold me from thy head,
That in a little time, while breath remains thee,
Thou oft shalt wish thyself at Gath, to boast
Again in safety what thou wouldst have done
To Samson, but shalt never see Gath more.
Thou durst not thus disparage glorious arms,
Which greatest heroes have in battle worn,
Their ornament and safety, had not spells
And black enchantments, some magician's art,
Armed thee or charmed thee strong, which thou from heaven Feignedst at thy birth was given thee in thy hair,
Where strength can least abide, though all thy hairs
πρὸς ταῦτ ̓, ἔασον εὐπρεπῶν σκήψιν λόγων·
ἕρκος τις ἡμῖν στενόπορον χωριζέτω,
ὅπου βλέπων, μᾶλλον δ ̓ ὅπου φεύγειν ἔχων
ἥκιστα κερδάναις ἄν· εἶτα φαίδιμον
πήληκα καὶ θώρηκα καὶ χαλκήλατον
χιτῶνα κνημιδάς τε καὶ βραχιόνων
πρόβλημα χειριδάς τε καὶ πελώριον
ἔγχος τὸ θ' ἑπτάβοιον εὔπηκτον σάκος
λάβοις ἄν· αὐτὸς δρύϊνον ἀντισχὼν ξύλον
πατάγῳ σιδηροῦν σοὶ διαῤῥήξω λόφον,
κρατὸς μάταιον ἔρυμα, καὶ Γάθης πόθον,
ὅσον γ' ἂν ἐξῆ διατελεῖν πνέοντά σε,
καὶ σφόδρ ̓ ἐνήσω· τοῦτο δ ̓ οὐκ ἔσται ποτὲ,
ἃ δρᾶν ἔμελλες ἐν Γάθῃ σε γαυριάν.
οὐκ ἂν σὺ τήνδε τὴν ἀγακλειτὴν στολὴν,
τὴν καὶ φερίστους ἀσφαλεῖ παντευχία
συχνὸν κεκοσμηκυῖαν, ὑβρίζειν ἔτλης,
εἰ μή σ ̓ ἐπῳδαῖς καὶ κακοῖς μαγεύμασι
γόης ἐθώρηξ'· ὡς δὲ σοῦ μαθεῖν πάρα,
γέρας τόδ ̓ ἔσχες γενόμενος θεόσδοτον,
κόμαις ἐνοικοῦν, αἷς σθένους μέτεστι δὴ
Were bristles ranged like those that ridge the back
Of chafed wild, boars, or ruffled porcupines.
I know no spells, use no forbidden arts;
My trust is in the living God, who gave me
At my nativity this strength, diffused
No less through all my sinews, joints, and bones,
Than thine, while I preserved these locks unshorn,
The pledge of my unviolated vow.
For proof hereof, if Dagon be thy God,
Go to his temple, invocate his aid
With solemnest devotion, spread before him
How highly it concerns his glory now
To frustrate and dissolve these magic spells,
Which I to be the power of Israel's God
Avow, and challenge Dagon to the test,
Offering to combat thee his champion bold,
With the utmost of his godhead seconded:
Then thou shalt see, or rather to thy sorrow
ἥκιστα πάντων, οὐδ ̓ ἂν εἰ τριχῶν στίχας ἔχοις οἵανπερ δειράδ ̓, ὡς ἂν ἐμμανὴς ὕστριξ τις, ἢ καὶ κάπρος ἠγριωμένος. ΣΑΜΨΩΝ.
οὔ μοι μαγεύματ', οὔ τις ἄῤῥητος τέχνη
ἐγὼ τὸν ἀείζωον αἰδοῦμαι Θεὸν,
ὃς ξύμφυτόν μοι ἔδωκε τὸ σθένος τόδε,
οὐδ ̓ ἧσσον, ἢ τὸ σὸν, δι ̓ ὀστέων ῥαφὰς
ἄρθρων τε νεῦρα διαχυθὲν, ταύτην ἕως
ἔσωσ ̓ ἔθειραν, ὧνπερ ὅρκον ὤμοσα
πίστιν βεβαίαν· σοὶ μὲν οὖν πορευτέον
πρὸς τὸν Δάγωνος, εἴ γέ σοι Δάγων θεὸς,
ὅπως ἐλέγξεις τοῦτο, σεμναῖσιν λιταῖς
ἀρωγὸν ἐπικαλῶν σφε, κἀκτείνας μακρὰν
ὡς κάρτα δεῖ νιν ὃν κλέος τηρεῖν τανῦν,
λύοντ ̓ ἐπῳδὰς τάσδε κἀπωθούμενον.
αἱ δ ̓ οὐκ ἐπῳδαὶ, τοῦ δὲ πατρῴου Θεοῦ
τοὔργον· τὸ καὶ Δάγωνος ἀντειπόντος ἂν
δείξαίμι, τόν τ ̓ ἀντίπαλον, ὃν προείλετο,
σὲ, θεὸν ἔχοντα παντελῆ παραστάτην,
ἴσοις ἀγῶσιν ἀνταμιλλᾶσθαι καλώ.
ἰδεῖν γὰρ, ἢ κλαίων ἂν αἰσθέσθαι γ ̓ ἔχοις,
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