Antigone 450-470 (Antigone)
Noah Kulak /
- Created on 2018-05-11 23:50:47
- Modified on 2018-05-11 23:51:14
- Aligned by Noah Kulak
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
Greek (Antigone 450-470)
English (Johnston Translation)
οὐ γάρ τί μοι Ζεὺς ἦν ὁ κηρύξας τάδε , 450
οὐδ᾽ ἡ ξύνοικος τῶν κάτω θεῶν Δίκη
τοιούσδ᾽ ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ὥρισεν νόμους .
οὐδὲ σθένειν τοσοῦτον ᾠόμην τὰ σὰ
κηρύγμαθ᾽ , ὥστ᾽ ἄγραπτα κἀσφαλῆ θεῶν
νόμιμα δύνασθαι θνητὸν ὄνθ᾽ ὑπερδραμεῖν . 455
οὐ γάρ τι νῦν γε κἀχθές , ἀλλ᾽ ἀεί ποτε
ζῇ ταῦτα , κοὐδεὶς οἶδεν ἐξ ὅτου ' φάνη .
τούτων ἐγὼ οὐκ ἔμελλον , ἀνδρὸς οὐδενὸς
φρόνημα δείσασ᾽ , ἐν θεοῖσι τὴν δίκην
δώσειν : θανουμένη γὰρ ἐξῄδη , τί δ᾽ οὔ ; 460
κεἰ μὴ σὺ προὐκήρυξας . εἰ δὲ τοῦ χρόνου
πρόσθεν θανοῦμαι , κέρδος αὔτ᾽ ἐγὼ λέγω .
ὅστις γὰρ ἐν πολλοῖσιν ὡς ἐγὼ κακοῖς
ζῇ , πῶς ὅδ᾽ Οὐχὶ κατθανὼν κέρδος φέρει ;
οὕτως ἔμοιγε τοῦδε τοῦ μόρου τυχεῖν 465
παρ᾽ οὐδὲν ἄλγος : ἀλλ᾽ ἄν , εἰ τὸν ἐξ ἐμῆς
μητρὸς θανόντ᾽ ἄθαπτον ἠνσχόμην νέκυν ,
κείνοις ἂν ἤλγουν : τοῖσδε δ᾽ οὐκ ἀλγύνομαι .
σοὶ δ᾽ εἰ δοκῶ νῦν μῶρα δρῶσα τυγχάνειν ,
σχεδόν τι μώρῳ μωρίαν ὀφλισκάνω . 470
οὐδ᾽ ἡ ξύνοικος τῶν κάτω θεῶν Δίκη
τοιούσδ᾽ ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ὥρισεν νόμους .
οὐδὲ σθένειν τοσοῦτον ᾠόμην τὰ σὰ
κηρύγμαθ᾽ , ὥστ᾽ ἄγραπτα κἀσφαλῆ θεῶν
νόμιμα δύνασθαι θνητὸν ὄνθ᾽ ὑπερδραμεῖν . 455
οὐ γάρ τι νῦν γε κἀχθές , ἀλλ᾽ ἀεί ποτε
ζῇ ταῦτα , κοὐδεὶς οἶδεν ἐξ ὅτου ' φάνη .
τούτων ἐγὼ οὐκ ἔμελλον , ἀνδρὸς οὐδενὸς
φρόνημα δείσασ᾽ , ἐν θεοῖσι τὴν δίκην
δώσειν : θανουμένη γὰρ ἐξῄδη , τί δ᾽ οὔ ; 460
κεἰ μὴ σὺ προὐκήρυξας . εἰ δὲ τοῦ χρόνου
πρόσθεν θανοῦμαι , κέρδος αὔτ᾽ ἐγὼ λέγω .
ὅστις γὰρ ἐν πολλοῖσιν ὡς ἐγὼ κακοῖς
ζῇ , πῶς ὅδ᾽ Οὐχὶ κατθανὼν κέρδος φέρει ;
οὕτως ἔμοιγε τοῦδε τοῦ μόρου τυχεῖν 465
παρ᾽ οὐδὲν ἄλγος : ἀλλ᾽ ἄν , εἰ τὸν ἐξ ἐμῆς
μητρὸς θανόντ᾽ ἄθαπτον ἠνσχόμην νέκυν ,
κείνοις ἂν ἤλγουν : τοῖσδε δ᾽ οὐκ ἀλγύνομαι .
σοὶ δ᾽ εἰ δοκῶ νῦν μῶρα δρῶσα τυγχάνειν ,
σχεδόν τι μώρῳ μωρίαν ὀφλισκάνω . 470
Yes
.
Zeus
did
not
announce
those
laws
to
me
.
[
450
]
And Justice living with the gods below
sent no such laws for men . I did not think
anything which you proclaimed strong enough
to let a mortal override the gods
and their unwritten and unchanging laws .
They’re not just for today or yesterday ,
but exist forever , and no one knows
where they first appeared . So I did not mean
to let a fear of any human will
lead to my punishment among the gods .
I know all too well I’m going to die— [ 460 ]
how could I not ? —it makes no difference 520
what you decree . And if I have to die
before my time , well , I count that a gain .
When someone has to live the way I do ,
surrounded by so many evil things ,
how can she fail to find a benefit
in death ? And so for me meeting this fate
won’t bring any pain . But if I’d allowed
my own mother’s dead son to just lie there ,
an unburied corpse , then I’d feel distress .
What’s going on here does not hurt me at all .
If you think what I’m doing now is stupid ,
perhaps I’m being charged with foolishness [ 470 ]
by someone who’s a fool .
And Justice living with the gods below
sent no such laws for men . I did not think
anything which you proclaimed strong enough
to let a mortal override the gods
and their unwritten and unchanging laws .
They’re not just for today or yesterday ,
but exist forever , and no one knows
where they first appeared . So I did not mean
to let a fear of any human will
lead to my punishment among the gods .
I know all too well I’m going to die— [ 460 ]
how could I not ? —it makes no difference 520
what you decree . And if I have to die
before my time , well , I count that a gain .
When someone has to live the way I do ,
surrounded by so many evil things ,
how can she fail to find a benefit
in death ? And so for me meeting this fate
won’t bring any pain . But if I’d allowed
my own mother’s dead son to just lie there ,
an unburied corpse , then I’d feel distress .
What’s going on here does not hurt me at all .
If you think what I’m doing now is stupid ,
perhaps I’m being charged with foolishness [ 470 ]
by someone who’s a fool .