εἴληχ ̓· ἐπεὶ βάναυσον, οὐδ ̓ ἐν ἀνδράσι πρέποντα, δυσκλεᾶ τε, τὸν τὸ πρὶν χρόνον
σαφῶς ξύνοιδ ̓ ἄτιμος ἐκτρίψας βίον,
καὶ σφόδρα δοῦλος καὶ πλέον τοῦ νῦν τυφλός· γένος γὰρ ἐτίμαζον, οὐδ ̓ ἔγνων τόδε.
ὦ τέκνον, οὐδ ̓ ἔμοιγ ̓ ἐπαινετὶς δοκεῖ,
μᾶλλον δ ̓ ἀηδὴς, σῶν γάμων προαίρεσις·
σὺ δ', ὡς ἐπ ̓ ἐχθροὺς θεόθεν, εἰ τλαίης τάδε,
σχήσων ἀφορμὴν, πρόφασιν ἐσκήψω λέχη·
ἀλλ ̓ οὐ, τόδ ̓ εἰπὼν, ἔμ ̓ ἂν ἔχοις ξυμμάρτυρα.
τοσοῦτον οἶδα· καίρι ̓ ἦν αὐτοῖς τάδε,
σοί γ' αἰχμαλώτῳ γαυριᾶν· αὐτὸν δέ σε
καὶ θᾶσσον ἐκ τῶν δυσγάμων ὁμιλιῶν,
ὑπερβιασθέντ ̓ εὐθέτοις μαγεύμασι
σιγὴν προδοῦναι, σοὶ Θεοῦ πιστὸν γέρας,
ἐξὸν φυλάσσειν· οἱ δὲ τῆσδ ̓ ἁμαρτίας
πικρὸν μάλ ̓ ἐκπράσσουσί σ ̓ ἐς τὰ νῦν χρέος,
πλέον γε τοῦ δέοντος· αἰσχίω δ ̓ ἔτι
παραυτίκ ̓ ἔσται, τῶν Φιλιστίνων ὕπο
κοινὴν ἑορτὴν ἐν πόλει ποιουμένων.
τῷ γὰρ Δάγωνι, τῆσδε τῆς χώρας θεῷ,
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 idolists 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
σεμνῷ θυηπολοῦντες ὑμνοῦσιν χορῷ,
ἐπεὶ σὲ, τὸν Σάμψωνα, τον πολυκτόνον,
τυφλόν τε δέσμιόν τε τῶν ἐχθρῶν λόχοις
ἐγχειρίσας ἔδωκε, κἄσωσεν πόλιν.
ὄνομα μὲν οὖν Δάγωνος ἐξαρθήσεται·
Θεοῦ δ ̓ ἀκοινώνητον αἰσχυνεῖ σέβας,
ταῖς χειροκμήτοις παραβαλών νιν εἰκόσιν,
οἰνοπλάνητος συρφετὸς θεοστυγής.
σὺ δ ̓ αὖ τοσούτων αἴτιος γεγώς κακών,
σαὐτὸν μέγιστον ἴσθι πῆμ ̓ εἰργασμένος
ἡμᾶς τ ̓ ὄνειδος, ὧν ποτ ̓ ἂν τυχεῖν παρῆν.
ΣΑΜΨΩΝ.
πάτερ, ξυνήγορόν με τοῖς λόγοις ἔχεις,
αὐτὸν πορόντα τῷ Δάγωνι τιμίαν
δόξαν παρ ̓ ἀστοῖς, ἔν τε γείτοσιν κλέος
ἐμοῦ δ ̓ ἕκατι λοιδορούμενοι Θεῷ,
αὐτοὶ ματαίων ψευδοκήρυκες θεῶν,
γελῶσι· πρὸς δὲ τοῖσδε παγκακῶς κλύειν
καὶ τοὺς πολίτας, ὥστε διαβαλεῖν Θεὸν
τοὺς καὶ πάροιθε δειλίᾳ δεδμημένους,
ἀντ ̓ εὐσεβούντων δυσσεβοῦντας· οἷς ἐγὼ
αἰσχύνομαι μάλιστα, κἀποδύρομαι,
Mine eye to harbour sleep, or thoughts to rest.
This only hope relieves me, that the strife
With me hath end; all the contest is now
'Twixt God and Dagon. Dagon hath presumed,
Me overthrown, to enter lists with God,
His deity comparing and preferring
Before the God of Abraham: He, be sure,
Will not connive or linger, thus provoked,
But will arise, and his great name assert.
Dagon must stoop, and shall ere long receive
Such a discomfit, as shall quite despoil him
Of all these boasted trophies won on me,
And with confusion blank his worshippers.
With cause this hope relieves thee, and these words
I as a prophecy receive, for God
Nothing more certain-will not long defer
To vindicate the glory of his name
Against all competition, nor will long
Endure it doubtful whether God be Lord,
Or Dagon. But for thee what shall be done?
νύκτωρ ἀΰπνος, φρενομανὴς καθ ̓ ἡμέραν.
οὐδ ̓ ἐστὶν εἰ μὴ τοῦτο θέλγητρον κακῶν,
ἔμ ̓ ἐξαμιλληθέντα τῆς μάχης, μόνοιν
Θεῷ τε καὶ Δάγωνι παραδεδωκέναι.
τῷ Πατρίῳ γὰρ ἀνταγωνίστην Θεῷ
τλὰς οὗτος, ὡς ἔμουγε κειμένου σαφῶς,
αὑτὸν παρασχεῖν, θειότητος ἐξόχων
ὠρέξατ ̓ ἄθλων· τοῦτο δ ̓ ἔμπεδον λέγω,
τὸν Δαίμον ̓ οὔτε χρόνιον οὔτ ̓ ὤρας ἄτερ
δείξειν ἀναστάνθ ̓ οἷος ὑβρίσθη Θεός
κείνῳ δ ̓ ὑπεικτέον τε, χῶν ἀφήρπασε
πάντων τροπαίων γάνος ἀφαιρεθήσεται
φόβον δ ̓ ἀμείψουσ ̓ οἵ νιν ὕμνησαν τὸ πρίν.
ἀληθόμαντιν ἐλπίδ ̓, ἥ σ ̓ ἐκούφισεν,
ὦ παῖ, δέδεγμαι, διὰ τάχους πεπεισμένος
ἴδιον σέβας τηροῦντι καὶ κράτος Θεῷ,
ὅστις ποτ ̓ ἂν νῦν ἀνθαμιλλᾶσθαι θέλῃ·
οὐδ ̓ ἀμφιλέκτους, ὧν Δάγων ἀνθάπτεται,
θρόνους ἐάσει· σοῦ δ ̓ ἵπερ τί δεῖ ποιεῖν
ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ τῶνδ ̓, ἃ προὔγνωκας, χρόνῳ ;
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