Ajax 116-126
Josh Ginzberg / Greek 102 (T.H.E.)
- Created on 2018-05-06 02:17:08
- Modified on 2018-05-06 04:36:00
- Aligned by Josh Ginzberg
Ἑλληνική
English
English
χωρῶ πρὸς ἔργον · σοὶ δὲ τοῦτ᾽ ἐφίεμαι ,
τοιάνδ᾽ ἀεί μοι σύμμαχον παρεστάναι .
ὁρᾷς , Ὀδυσσεῦ , τὴν θεῶν ἰσχὺν ὅση ;
τούτου τίς ἄν σοι τἀνδρὸς ἢ προνούστερος
ἢ δρᾶν ἀμείνων ηὑρέθη τὰ καίρια ;
ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδέν᾽ οἶδ᾽ · ἐποικτίρω δέ νιν
δύστηνον ἔμπας , καίπερ ὄντα δυσμενῆ ,
ὁθούνεκ᾽ ἄτῃ συγκατέζευκται κακῇ ,
οὐδὲν τὸ τούτου μᾶλλον ἢ τοὐμὸν σκοπῶν ·
ὁρῶ γὰρ ἡμᾶς οὐδὲν ὄντας ἄλλο πλὴν
εἴδωλ᾽ ὅσοιπερ ζῶμεν ἢ κούφην σκιάν .
τοιάνδ᾽ ἀεί μοι σύμμαχον παρεστάναι .
ὁρᾷς , Ὀδυσσεῦ , τὴν θεῶν ἰσχὺν ὅση ;
τούτου τίς ἄν σοι τἀνδρὸς ἢ προνούστερος
ἢ δρᾶν ἀμείνων ηὑρέθη τὰ καίρια ;
ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδέν᾽ οἶδ᾽ · ἐποικτίρω δέ νιν
δύστηνον ἔμπας , καίπερ ὄντα δυσμενῆ ,
ὁθούνεκ᾽ ἄτῃ συγκατέζευκται κακῇ ,
οὐδὲν τὸ τούτου μᾶλλον ἢ τοὐμὸν σκοπῶν ·
ὁρῶ γὰρ ἡμᾶς οὐδὲν ὄντας ἄλλο πλὴν
εἴδωλ᾽ ὅσοιπερ ζῶμεν ἢ κούφην σκιάν .
Then I ' ll get back to work .
And I ' ll leave you with this request from me—
always stand beside me as my ally
the way you did today .
Do you see ,
Odysseus , how powerful the gods can be ?
Could you find anyone more sensible
than Ajax , a man with more ability
to carry out in every situation
the most appropriate action ?
No one I know .
All the same , although he despises me ,
I pity his misfortune under that yoke
of catastrophic madness . It makes me think
not just of his fate but my own as well .
I see that in our lives we are no more
than phantoms , insubstantial shadows .
And I ' ll leave you with this request from me—
always stand beside me as my ally
the way you did today .
Do you see ,
Odysseus , how powerful the gods can be ?
Could you find anyone more sensible
than Ajax , a man with more ability
to carry out in every situation
the most appropriate action ?
No one I know .
All the same , although he despises me ,
I pity his misfortune under that yoke
of catastrophic madness . It makes me think
not just of his fate but my own as well .
I see that in our lives we are no more
than phantoms , insubstantial shadows .
I go to my work . And I give you this commission : be always for me the close-standing ally that you have been for me today !
Do you see , Odysseus , how great is the strength of the gods ? Whom could you have found more prudent than this man , or better able to do what the situation demanded ?
I know of no one , but in his misery I pity him all the same , even though he hates me , because he is yoked beneath a ruinous delusion—I think of my own lot no less than his . For I see that all we who live are nothing more than phantoms or fleeting shadow .
Do you see , Odysseus , how great is the strength of the gods ? Whom could you have found more prudent than this man , or better able to do what the situation demanded ?
I know of no one , but in his misery I pity him all the same , even though he hates me , because he is yoked beneath a ruinous delusion—I think of my own lot no less than his . For I see that all we who live are nothing more than phantoms or fleeting shadow .