But justly; I myself have brought them on, Sole author I, sole cause. If aught seem vile, As vile hath been my folly, who have profaned The mystery of God, given me under pledge Of vow, and have betrayed it to a woman, A Canaanite, my faithless enemy. This well I knew, nor was at all surprised, But warned by oft experience. Did not she Of Timna first betray me? and reveal The secret wrested from me in her highth Of nuptial love professed, carrying it straight To them who had corrupted her, my spies And rivals? In this other was there found More faith, who also in her prime of love, Spousal embraces, vitiated with gold,
Though offered only, by the scent conceived
Her spurious first-born, treason against me?
Thrice she assayed, with flattering prayers and sighs
And amorous reproaches, to win from me
ὃ μὴ κακουργῶν μόνος ἐμηχανησάμην, αὐτόσσυτον πῆμ', ἐνδίκῳ παθήματι.
τί δ ̓ αἰσχρὸν, εἰ μὴ τοὐκ Θεοῦ δοθὲν σθένος ἐφ ̓ ᾧτε κρυπτὸν ἀσφαλῶς σώζειν ἀεὶ, ῥῖψαι διαφθείραντ ̓, ἀβελτέρῳ φρενί ; παρ ̓ οὗ προδόντος ἔμαθε βάρβαρος γυνὴ, ἐχθρόξενόν μοι κἀπατήλιον κάρα.
οὐδ ̓ ἦν ἀπροσδόκητα, προὐσήμαινε γὰρ τὰ πολλὰ πρὶν πραχθέντα· τοιοῦτον πάλαι ἔτλη τὸ Τίμνης θρέμμα, πρώταρχος δόλων. ἡ γὰρ τὰ κρυπτὰ παρατεθέντ ̓, ἔρωτ ̓ ἐπεὶ ἐψεύσατ ̓ αἰνόλεκτρος, ἐν σμικρῷ χρόνῳ τοῖς ἀνταγωνισταῖς τε καὶ σκοποῖς ἐμοῦ, αὐτὴν παρεκτρέψασιν, ἁρπάσασά μου μετέδωκεν· οὐδ ̓ ἄμεμπτος ἡτέρα δοκεῖ, ἣ κὰν ἀπαρχαῖς εὐφιλῶν νυμφευμάτων πρωτόσπορόν τι κῦμα, δυσγενὲς τέκος, αὔρας πνοαῖσι παρανόμως ἐγείνατο, φενακίσασά μ'· ἀργυρώνητος μάτην, δῶρον προτεινάντων γὰρ οὐκ ἐδέξατο. τρίς μου, λιταῖς σαίνουσα καὶ πολλῷ στίνῳ πλάσασ ̓ ἔρωτα, τὸν μάλ ̓ ἄῤῥητον λ'γον
My capital secret, in what part my strength
Lay stored, in what part summed, that she might know; Thrice I deluded her, and turned to sport
Her importunity, each time perceiving
How openly, and with what impudence,
She purposed to betray me, and-which was worse Than undissembled hate-with what contempt She sought to make me traitor to myself.
Yet the fourth time, when, mustering all her wiles, With blandished parlies, feminine assaults, Tongue-batteries, she surceased not day nor night To storm me over-watched, and wearied out, At times when men seek most repose and rest, I yielded, and unlocked her all my heart, Who, with a grain of manhood well resolved, Might easily have shook off all her snares; But foul effeminacy held me yoked Her bond-slave. O indignity! O blot To honour and religion! servile mind Rewarded well with servile punishment! The base degree to which I now am fallen, These rags, this grinding is not yet so base,
ὅπου τὸ θησαυρισθὲν ἐνναίοι σθένος, ὑπεξέκλεπτεν· ἀντιμηχανωμένου δ'
ἐμοῦ, τρὶς ὕβριν τοῦ μὲ ἐνοχλοῦντος τρόπου 410 ἀπηύρατ', ὡς καὶ δῆλος ἦν ἑκάστοτε
τόνδ ̓ ἄνδρ' ἐνεδρεύουσ', ἀναίσχυντον στόμα καὶ πρὸς, σφαλῆναι τοῖς ἐμοῖς αὐτὸν λόγοις παρῆγέ με σκώπτουσα· τοιαύτης ἐγὼ προειλόμην ἂν ἥτις ἐκ προὔπτου στυγοῖ. τέλος δ', ἐπεὶ στόμαργος ἤθροισεν δόλους, γυναικοβούλων τ' ἐμβολαῖς προσφθεγμάτων ἐπέκειτο πάννυχός τε καὶ πανήμερος ἤδη καμόντι καὶ κατ ̓ ἄνθρωπον πόνων ἄμπαυλαν ἀμφέποντι καὶ λήθην κακῶν εἴξας ἔδειξα ταν φρεσὶν κεκρυμμένα. ἀλλ ̓ εἴ γε καὶ πολλοστὸν ἀνδρείας παρῆν, ἔμοιγ ̓ ἀμοχθὶ καταγέλαστος ᾤχετ ̓ ἄν. ἀνθ' ὧν ἀεικὲς ἤνεσ', οἷα θηλύνους, ζυγὸν γυναικὸς, οὐδ ̓ ἔτ ̓ ἐκφεύγειν ἐνῆν, Θεοῦ τ ̓ ὄνειδος, τοῦ τ ̓ ἐν ἀνθρώποις κλέους. φρονῶν τὰ δούλων, δουλίαν ἐκτησάμην. προὔχει δὲ τῆς νῦν ἡ πάροιθεν αἰσχρότης, εἰ καὶ ῥακώδες εἷμα καὶ στεῤῥὸν πόνον
As was my former servitude, ignoble,
Unmanly, ignominious, infamous,
True slavery, and that blindness worse than this, That saw not how degenerately I served.
I cannot praise thy marriage choices, son, Rather approved them not; but thou didst plead Divine impulsion prompting how thou mightest Find some occasion to infest our foes.
I state not that; this I am sure, our foes Found soon occasion thereby to make thee Their captive, and their triumph; thou the sooner Temptation foundest, or over-potent charms,
To violate the sacred trust of silence
Deposited within thee; which to have kept
Tacit, was in thy power: true; and thou bearest
Enough, and more, the burden of that fault;
Bitterly hast thou paid, and still art paying,
That rigid score; a worse thing yet remains. This day the Philistines a popular feast Here celebrate in Gaza; and proclaim Great pomp, and sacrifice, and praises loud, To Dagon, as their god, who hath delivered
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