Ajax 394-408/9 Strophic Pair, Free Translation (Final Exam)
Henry Hintermeister / Sophocles, Ajax
- Created on 2018-05-09 05:25:02
- Modified on 2018-05-09 17:06:01
- Translated by Henry Hintermeister
- Aligned by Henry Hintermeister
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
ἰὼ
σκότος , ἐμὸν φάος ,
ἔρεβος ὦ φαεννότατον , ὡς ἐμοί ,
ἕλεσθ’ ἕλεσθέ μ’ οἰκήτορα ,
ἕλεσθέ μ’ · οὔτε γὰρ θεῶν γένος οὔθ’ ἁμερίων
ἔτ’ ἄξιος βλέπειν τιν’ εἰς ὄνασιν ἀνθρώπων .
ἀλλά μ’ ἁ Διὸς
ἀλκίμα θεὸς
αἰκίζει .
ποῖ τις οὖν φύγῃ ;
ποῖ μολὼν μενῶ ;
εἰ τὰ μὲν . . .
. . . φθίνει , φίλοι , τοιοῖσδ’
ὁμοῦ , μώραις δ’ ἄγραις προσκείμεθα ,
πᾶς δὲ στρατὸς δίπαλτος ἄν με
χειρὶ φονεύοι .
σκότος , ἐμὸν φάος ,
ἔρεβος ὦ φαεννότατον , ὡς ἐμοί ,
ἕλεσθ’ ἕλεσθέ μ’ οἰκήτορα ,
ἕλεσθέ μ’ · οὔτε γὰρ θεῶν γένος οὔθ’ ἁμερίων
ἔτ’ ἄξιος βλέπειν τιν’ εἰς ὄνασιν ἀνθρώπων .
ἀλλά μ’ ἁ Διὸς
ἀλκίμα θεὸς
αἰκίζει .
ποῖ τις οὖν φύγῃ ;
ποῖ μολὼν μενῶ ;
εἰ τὰ μὲν . . .
. . . φθίνει , φίλοι , τοιοῖσδ’
ὁμοῦ , μώραις δ’ ἄγραις προσκείμεθα ,
πᾶς δὲ στρατὸς δίπαλτος ἄν με
χειρὶ φονεύοι .
Oh…
Darkness , my only light ,
Oh Erebus , the brightest thing I see ,
Take me ! Take me to lie at last in your fields ,
Take me ! A disgraced man such as I must not ever
Lay eyes on the race of gods ,
nor peer ever again into the bliss of mortal life .
But , the bloodthirsty Athena ,
That conniving daughter of Zeus ,
Would not let me rest even there . . .
When the gods hate him , where can a man run to ?
With what walls can he defend himself ?
Friends , if my hard
Fought-honor decays ,
Together with these carcasses strewn about ,
Then indeed we have sailed out on a foolish hunt .
When Rumor spreads word of my bloody work ,
The whole sword-wielding army might rip me
To pieces , just like these animals .
Darkness , my only light ,
Oh Erebus , the brightest thing I see ,
Take me ! Take me to lie at last in your fields ,
Take me ! A disgraced man such as I must not ever
Lay eyes on the race of gods ,
nor peer ever again into the bliss of mortal life .
But , the bloodthirsty Athena ,
That conniving daughter of Zeus ,
Would not let me rest even there . . .
When the gods hate him , where can a man run to ?
With what walls can he defend himself ?
Friends , if my hard
Fought-honor decays ,
Together with these carcasses strewn about ,
Then indeed we have sailed out on a foolish hunt .
When Rumor spreads word of my bloody work ,
The whole sword-wielding army might rip me
To pieces , just like these animals .