With odours visited and annual flowers; Not less renowned than in mount Ephraim Jael, who with inhospitable guile Smote Sisera sleeping, through the temples nailed. 990 Nor shall I count it heinous to enjoy The public marks of honour and reward Conferred upon me, for the piety Which to my country I was judged to have shewn. At this whoever envies or repines, I leave him to his lot, and like my own. CHORUS. She is gone,-a manifest serpent by her sting, SAMSON. So let her go. God sent her to debase me, Of secrecy, my safety and my life. CHORUS. Yet beauty, though injurious, hath strange power, After offence returning, to regain Love once possessed, nor can be easily Repulsed, without much inward passion felt, 1000 ἀνθέων ἐτησίοισι καρποῦσθαι φοραῖς, ΧΟΡΟΣ. 1030 1039 αὐτόδηλος ὡς δράκαινα, τῶν μάλ' εὖ κεκρυμμένων ἐς τὰ νῦν κέντρων ἕκατι, φροῦδος ἐκ δόμων γυνή. ΣΑΜΨΩΝ. οὐδ ̓ ἐμοῦγ ̓ ἄκοντός ἐστιν, ὅντιν ̓ αἰκίᾳ τόσῃ κάρτα μωρον ὄντ ̓ ἐλέγξων, τήνδ' ἐπίηλεν Θεός, τὴν ἔχιδναν, ᾗ τὸ κρυπτόν μοι παρηγγυημένον ῥύσιον γέρας παρῆκα, τὸν ἐμὸν ἐκρίψας βίον. ΧΟΡΟΣ. ἀλλ ̓ ὅμως δεινὸν σθένουσαν ἴσμεν εὔμορφον χάριν, δυσμενῆ τλᾶσαν κατελθεῖν, τόν τ ̓ ἔρωτα τὸν πάλαι ἀναφέρειν, τὸ δ ̓ οὔτις ἀνδρῶν ῥᾳδίως ἂν ἐκβάλοι· And secret sting of amorous remorse. SAMSON. Love-quarrels oft in pleasing concord end, Not wedlock-treachery endangering life. CHORUS. It is not virtue, wisdom, valour, wit, ΙΟΙΟ Strength, comeliness of shape, or amplest merit, That woman's love can win or long inherit; But what it is, hard is to say, Harder to hit, (Which way soever men refer it) Much like thy riddle, Samson, in one day If any of these, or all, the Timnian bride Thy paranymph, worthless to thee compared, Nor both so loosely disallied Their nuptials, nor this last so treacherously 1020 καὶ λαθών, κέντρον ξύνοιδε δηξίθυμον ἱμέρου. 1049 ΣΑΜΨΩΝ. ζυγομαχήσασιν θαμίζουσ ̓ ἐν φίλοις ξυναλλαγαί· ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἡ προδοῦσα, καν γάμοις ἀνδροφθόρος. ΧΟΡΟΣ. ἀρετὴν οὐ φημ ̓ οὐδέ τιν ̓ ἀλκὴν, οὐδ ̓ εὐτραπέλου δῶρον γλώσσης, οὐδ ̓ εὐειδὲς σώμα μεγασθενές, οὐδ ̓ ὁπόσον κλέος, ἦτορ δαμάσαι τὸ γυναικεῖον· τί δ ̓ ἂν εἴη τοῦτ ̓ εὔστοχος ἄν τις μόγις ἐξεύροι πάντοσ ̓ ἐρευνῶν, εἴτε πανήμερον εἴθ ̓ ἑφθήμερον, ὡς οἱ τὸ πάλαι καλχαίνοντες τὰ σὰ δείν ̓ αἰνίγματα, Σάμψων. τούτων γ ̓ ἕνεκ ̓ οὐκ εὐμαρὲς οὕτω τὴν νυὸν οὐκ ἦν τὴν ἀπὸ Τίμνας σοῦ προελέσθαι τὸν πολὺ χείρω λέκτρων μετέχειν, τὸν παρανύμφιον οὐδ ̓ αὖ γαμικῶν ῥεῖ ̓ ἐλύθησαν θεσμοὶ σπονδῶν, οὐδ ̓ αὖ Δηλιλη αἱμύλ ̓ ἔδρασεν, μοιρόκραντον 1060 Had shorn the fatal harvest of thy head. Is it for that such outward ornament Was lavished on their sex, that inward gifts Were left for haste unfinished, judgment scant, Or value what is best In choice, but oftest to affect the wrong? Or was too much of self-love mixed, Of constancy no root infixed, That either they love nothing, or not long? Once joined, the contrary she proves, a thorn A cleaving mischief, in his way to virtue 1030 Adverse and turbulent; or by her charms 1040 Draws him awry enslaved With dotage, and his sense depraved To folly and shameful deeds, which ruin ends. |