ἐξανθοῦντα πυώδεσι φλυκταίναις πυρετοῦ, ζέσαντ' σφακέλῳ κελαίνῳ· ἃ δὲ καλχαίνω, σίνος ἐν ψυχῇ μέγα κεντρομανὲς, τὸ μάλιστ ̓ αὐτᾶς εὐαίσθητον δεινὰ διασπᾷ, καὶ καταμύσσει φρένας οἰστροδόνους, καύματ ̓ ἐγείρανθ ̓, οἷς ἂν ἐπῳδὰς οὐ πάρεχοι ποτὸν εὐμενὲς, οὐ φυτὰ τὸ πάλαι τοῦ Σεμνοῦ, οἷά τις εὐφιλόπαις ἔθρεψε τέκνον, 640 650 Promised by heavenly message twice descending. Under his special eye Abstemious I grew up, and thrived amain. He led me on to mightiest deeds, Above the nerve of mortal arm, Against the uncircumcised, our enemies. But now hath cast me off, as never known, And to those cruel enemies, Whom I by his appointment had provoked, Nor am I in the list of them that hope; Hopeless are all my evils, all remediless. 640 This one prayer yet remains, might I be heard, No long petition, speedy death, The close of all my miseries, and the balm. 650 ὡσεὶ τηλύγετος γεγώς, -γητοῦ, φρενὸς ἐγκρατὴς, θνατοῦ τ ̓ ἔργον ὑπερδραμὼν 660 ἠρίστευσ ̓ ἐπὶ βαρβάρους. ἀπεῤῥιμμένον αὖ τὰ νῦν αὐτὸς ἐμ' ὃς μάχαν κελεύσε, ὧν οὐκ ἄν τις ἄκος φέροι, σκοπὸν τοῖσδ ̓ ὕβρεώς τε κἀπασ‐ -συτέρων ὀνειδών. οὐδ ̓ ἐς ἐκείνους ἔστι τελεῖν μοι, τοὺς εὐέλπιδας, οὐ γὰρ ἔτ ̓ ἐλπίδες, 670 οὔτις ἀνιῶν, φεῦ, θεραπεία, πλὴν τόδε δῶρον Θεοῦ πάρα μέτριον, ὡς δὲ τόδ ̓ ὤφελον εὐχαῖσι λαβεῖν, τέρμ ̓ ὀδύναισιν, θάνατος, μῆχαρ ταχύπομπον. CHORUS. Many are the sayings of the wise, With studied argument, and much persuasion sought, Lenient of grief and anxious thought. But with the afflicted in his pangs their sound 660 Little prevails, or rather seems a tune Harsh, and of dissonant mood from his complaint; Unless he feel within Some source of consolation from above, Secret refreshings, that repair his strength, And fainting spirits uphold. God of our fathers, what is man? That thou toward him with hand so various Or might I say contrarious?— Temperest thy providence through his short course; 670 Not evenly, as thou rulest The angelic orders and inferior creatures mute, ΧΟΡΟΣ. ἦ μάλα πολλὰ σοφαῖς ἔνι κείμενα ῥήματα βίβλοις, νῦν ἔν τε τῷ πάλαι χρόνῳ, ἆθλον ἀριστείας τοῖς τλασιπόνοισιν ἔδωκεν· ἐστὶν δ ̓ ὅσα δεινὰ βροτοῖσιν, ὅσσ ̓ ἀμενηνὸν ἔχει μερόπων γένος ἐξαντλεῖν, ἐπὶ τοῖσδε γεγραμμέναι σαίνοντ ̓ εὔθετ ̓ ἔπη, ὀλοῶν θέλγητρα μεριμνών. ἐκ τούτων· ὁ δ ̓ ἔναυλον ἔχων θεόθεν μείλικτρον, καὶ παλίνορσον ἐνῆκε φρεσὶν μένος. κἀξυμβλήτου χειρὸς ἐπῄσθετο σᾶς γένος ἀνθρώπων ταχύποτμον οὐχ ὁμαλὸν, ὡς μακάρων χοροῦ ἢ νηπίων, ἄναξ, βοτῶν ἀλόγων, μέδεις οὐδὲ λέγοιμ ̓ ἂν τόνδ ̓ ἀδιάκριτον ὄχλον ἀλητῶν 680 690 |