Not worse than by his shield and spear,
Defended Israel from the Ammonite-
Had not his prowess quelled their pride
In that sore battle, when so many died,
Without reprieve adjudged to death,
For want of well pronouncing Shibboleth.
Of such examples add me to the roll.
Me easily indeed mine may neglect,
But God's proposed deliverance not so.
Just are the ways of God,
And justifiable to men;
Unless there be who think not God at all.
If any be, they walk obscure;
For of such doctrine never was there school,
But the heart of the fool,
And no man therein doctor but himself.
Yet more there be who doubt his ways not just,
As to his own edicts found contradicting;
Then give the reins to wandering thought,
̓Αμμονῆτας εἴτ ̓ ἐλέγξας εἴτε νικήσας δορὶ,
κακὰ ποιεῖν ἔμελλον· οἱ δὲ τοὔμπαλιν δεδμημένοι
ἀθρίοις κλόνοις ἀφύκτου τ ̓ ἔθανον ἐν στάσει δορὸς,
Σιββόλητον ἀποτυχόντες ὥστε μὴ σκεθρώς φράσαι.
κἀμὲ δὴ τούτοισι πρόσθες, τοῖς μὲν οἰκείοις ξένον, 200 τῆς δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας οὔποτε σφαλήσομαι.
τὰ Δαίμονος θέσφατ ̓ αἰὲν
ἔνδικ ̓ ἦν, τοῦτ ̓ ἔστι καὶ γνῶναι βροτοῖς,
πλὴν εἴ τις ἦν τὸ θεῖον ἐς τὸ πᾶν ἀρ-
-νούμενος μηδὲ γενέσθαι.
τῷ δὲ κατεσβήκασιν οἱ φρενῶν ὀφ
-θαλμοὶ, διάγειν τυφλόν·
τὰ δ ̓ οὐκ ἐδιδάξατ ̓ οὐτ
-δεὶς, μὴ οὐ καθ ̓ αὑτὸν αὐτοδίδακτος φρενόπληκτος τ ̓ ὤν,
κοὐ ξυμμέτοχον λάβε τᾶσδε παιδείας.
πλείους δ ̓ ἔτλησαν παρανόμων
Δαίμον ̓ ὧν ἔδρασεν, ὡς αὑτοῦ παρὲκ
θεσμοὺς, γράφεσθαι, νοῦν ἀδέσποτον πλα
-νώμενοι, έλασσωθέντος
My vessel, trusted to me from above,
Gloriously rigged; and for a word, a tear,
Fool, have divulged the secret gift of God
To a deceitful woman. Tell me, friends,
Am I not sung and proverbed for a fool
In every street? do they not say, How well
Are come upon him his deserts? Yet why?
Immeasurable strength they might behold.
In me, of wisdom nothing more than mean;
This with the other should at least have paired,
These two, proportioned ill, drove me transverse.
Tax not divine disposal; wisest men
Have erred, and by bad women been deceived;
And shall again, pretend they ne'er so wise.
Deject not then so overmuch thyself,
Who hast of sorrow thy full load besides.
Yet truth to say, I oft have heard men wonder
Why thou should'st wed Philistian women rather
Than of thine own tribe, fairer or as fair,
At least of thine own nation, and as noble.
τὸ καλλίπρωρον θεόδοτον σκάφος τόδε
βύθοις ἐπόντισ ̓, αἰόλων ἥσσων λόγων
οἰμωγμάτων τε, κρυπτὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ γέρας
γυναικοβούλοις ἀποβαλεῖν σοφίσμασιν.
ἆρ ̓ οὐ γελαστὸς τῶνδ ̓ ἀκούσομαι, φίλοι,
ᾠδὰς παρασχὼν πᾶσι καὶ παροιμίαν ;
“ δράσας ὅδ', ἀντίποινα καὶ πάσχει, καλῶς.”
τί γάρ; σθένος με κάρθ ̓ ὑπερβαλόντ' ἰδεῖν
ὑπῆρχε, σοφίαν δ ̓ οὐδαμῶς ἰσόῤῥοπον.
ἔδει γε ταύτην ἀντισηκώσαντ ̓ ἔχειν,
ἀξυμμέτρω δὲ τώδ ̓ ὁδοῦ μ ̓ ἐξήλασαν.
μὴ δὴ Θεῷ πρέπει σε μέμψασθαι νόμων.
πταίσαντας ἴσμεν πρὸς γυναικείοις δόλοις
σοφίαν γε τοὺς μάλιστα προσποιουμένους,
μέλλουσι δ ̓ αὖθις· τὴν δ ̓ ἄγαν αλγηδόνα
μὴ προστίθεσθαι τῶν ἐνεστώτων βάρει.
ὅμως δὲ, ποίαν σκῆψιν οὐδ ̓ Ἑβραϊκὴν
γάμοις προῃροῦ, μὴ τυχὼν ἐμφυλίας,
τό γ' εὐγενές τε τήν τε πρώθηβον χάριν
οὐκ ἐλλιποῦσαν τῶν Φιλιστίνων, κόρην,
θαῦμ ̓ ἐστὶ κοινὸν, οὐδ ̓ ἂν ἀντείποιμ' ἐγώ.
The first I saw at Timna, and she pleased
Me, not my parents, that I sought to wed
The daughter of an infidel. They knew not
That what I motioned was of God; I knew
From intimate impulse, and therefore urged
The marriage on; that by occasion hence
I might begin Israel's deliverance,
The work to which I was divinely called.
She proving false, the next I took to wife
O that I never had-fond wish too late!—
Was in the vale of Sorec, Dalila,
That specious monster, my accomplished snare.
I thought it lawful from my former act,
And the same end; still watching to oppress
Israel's oppressors. Of what now I suffer
She was not the prime cause, but I myself,
Who, vanquished with a peal of words-O weakness!— Gave up my fort of silence to a woman.
In seeking just occasion to provoke
The Philistine, thy country's enemy,
|