Θεὸν φιλοῦσι τὴν πόλιν τ ̓ ἀπεμπολᾶν.
τρίτοι δὲ, τἀστεῖόν τε προὔχοντες πολὺ
τό τ ̓ εὐγενὲς, τόν τ ̓ ἐχθρὸν οὐ φοβούμενοι
τὸν νῦν καταστραφέντα μὴ βλάπτειν ἔτι,
ἀπηγόρευον τῇ πρόσω τιμωρίᾳ·

γενναῖον ἡγήσαντο καὶ καλὸν τόδε,

ἐφ ̓ ᾧ τε λύτρα λαμβάνειν τιν' εἰκότα.

ἔα· κραυγῇ διαῤῥαγέντ ̓ ἂν οὐρανὸν λέγοις. ΧΟΡΟΣ.

δῆλοι γὰρ ἀναβοῶντες οἱ ξυνηγμένοι, ἀνόμματον δεθέντα τὸν δεινὸν πάλαι

ὁρῶντες, ἢ σθένους τι θαυμαστὸν τέκμαρ.

ΜΑΝΩΣ.

χαίρων ἂν, εἰ καὶ πάνθ ̓ ὅσ ̓ ἐν κλήρῳ πάρα
ριψαί με δεῖ, τελοῖμ ̓ ἂν, ὥστ ̓ ἐλευθεροῦν
τὸν παῖδα· τῶν γὰρ φυλετών πενέστατος
ζῆν ἀντὶ πλούτου μᾶλλον ἂν προειλόμην,
ἢ τόνδ' ἐν ἀθλίαισι διατελεῖν πέδαις.
τάδ ̓ οὖν, ἑκὼν γὰρ πάντ ̓ ἂν ἐστερημένος
τὰ πατρόθεν τυχόντα, διασώσας γέ νιν,
στέρξαιμ', ἀνάγκης τῆσδέ μοι 'πικειμένης,
ἐμοὶ δέδοκται, μηδ' άτερθ ̓ αὐτοῦ μολεῖν.

1530

1540

And quit. Not wanting him, I shall want nothing.

CHORUS.

Fathers are wont to lay up for their sons,
Thou for thy son art bent to lay out all;
Sons wont to nurse their parents in old age,
Thou in old age car'st how to nurse thy son,
Made older than thy age through eyesight lost.
MANOAH.

It shall be my delight to tend his eyes,
And view him sitting in the house, ennobled
With all those high exploits by him achieved,
And on his shoulders waving down those locks,
That of a nation armed the strength contained.
And I persuade me, God had not permitted
His strength again to grow up with his hair,
Garrisoned round about him like a camp

Of faithful soldiery, were not his purpose

To use him further yet in some great service;
Not to sit idle, with so great a gift

Useless, and thence ridiculous, about him.

And since his strength with eyesight was not lost,
God will restore him eyesight to his strength.

CHORUS.

Thy hopes are not ill-founded, nor seem vain,

1490

1500

αὐτοῦ παρόντος, οὐδενός με δεῖ ποτε.

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

ὑπέρ γε τέκνων πατέρα δεῖ προμηθίας,

1550

σὺ δ ̓ ἀντὶ τοῦ σοῦ πάντ ̓ ἂν ἀποβαλεῖν θέλοις·
παῖδες φιλοῦσι τούς σφε θρέψαντας τρέφειν,
σοὶ δ ̓ ἡ πρόνοια πῶς τὸν υἱὸν ἂν τρέφοις,
τῶν σῶν ὑπερσχόντ', ὀμμάτων φθορᾷ, χρόνων.
ΜΑΝΩΣ.

ἐμοὶ γὰρ ὀμμάτων μὲν ἀσμένῳ μάλα
τούτων μελήσει, καὶ τρέφειν καθήμενον

οἴκοι, μεγαυχεῖ θ ̓ ὧν δέδρακ ̓ ἀγάλματι πρέποντα, κυμαίνουσαν ὤμοισιν τρίχα

θαμβοῦντι, τὴν ἐθνῶν ποθ ̓ εἵρξασαν μένος. 1560 καὶ δὴ πέπεισμαι μήποτ ̓ ἂν στέρξαι Θεὸν τόνδ' αὖθις ἰσχύοντα σὺν κομῶν τροφῇ τῶν ἀντὶ πιστῆς κρᾶτα πέρι τεταγμένων φρουρᾶς, ἐν ἄλλοις εἴ γε μὴ κλεινοῖς τέ νιν διακονεῖν ἔσωσεν· οὐδ ̓ ἀργὸν γέρας οἶμαί νιν ἐκλάζοντα καὶ νωθρὸν τρέφειν. ὡς δ ̓ οὐ ξυνεκπεσόντος ὀφθαλμοῖς σθένους, εἴη ξυναναλαβεῖν νιν ὀφθαλμοὺς σθένει. ΧΟΡΟΣ.

εὖ δῆτ ̓ ἔοικας οὔτ ̓ ἄρ ̓ ἐλπίδων μάτην

Of his delivery, and thy joy thereon
Conceived, agreeable to a father's love,
In both which we, as next, participate.

MANOAH.

I know your friendly minds, and-O, what noise!
Mercy of Heaven, what hideous noise was that!
Horribly loud, unlike the former shout.

CHORUS.

Noise call you it? or universal groan,

As if the whole inhabitation perished!

Blood, death, and deathful deeds, are in that noise.

Ruin, destruction at the utmost point.

MANOAH.

Of ruin indeed methought I heard the noise.
O it continues, they have slain my son.

CHORUS.

Thy son is rather slaying them; that outcry
From slaughter of one foe could not ascend.

MANOAH.

Some dismal accident it needs must be.

What shall we do, stay here or run and see?

CHORUS.

Best keep together here, lest, running thither

1510

1520

τούτων ἔχεσθαι, τήν θ ̓ ὁμόσπορον χαρὰν καλῶς ἔδειξας, ὡς φιλόστοργος πατήρ. τῶν δ ̓ ἡμὶν ἀμφοῖν, οἷα δευτέροις, μέτα.

ΜΑΝΩΣ.

ἀλλ ̓ εὐμενεῖς μὲν ὄντας εὖ γ ̓ ἐπίσταμαι
τί δαί; τίν ̓ εἰσήκουσα, πρὸς Θεοῦ, κτύπον;
λαμπρὸς μὲν ἦν καὶ φοβερός, οἷος οὐ τὸ πρίν.
ΧΟΡΟΣ.

κτύπον μὲν οὖν, μᾶλλον δὲ πάγκοινόν τινα
στόνον, διαφθαρέντος ὡς ὅλου γένους

ἐν αἱματωπῷ καὶ πολυκτόνῳ φόνῳ αὕτως κατ ̓ ἄκρας, αυτόπρεμν ̓ ὀλωλότων. ΜΑΝΩΣ.

ὀλωλότων γὰρ ὡς, ψόφου κατῃσθόμην.

παπαῖ· τὸν υἱὸν, οὐ λήγουσι γὰρ, κατέκτανον.

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

μᾶλλον γ ̓ ὑπ ̓ αὐτοῦ κατθανόντας ἂν λέγοις.

ἑνὸς γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἦν ποθ ̓ ἡ δεινὴ βοή.

ΜΑΝΩΣ.

οἰκτρόν τι συμβέβηκεν, εὔδηλον τόδε.

οὔκουν ἐκεῖσε, τοῦ βλέπειν, δραμεῖν χρεών;

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

οὐκ, ἀλλὰ τἀνθάδ ̓ ἀσφαλέστερ ̓, ὡς ἐκεῖ

M

1570

1580