Ajax 1093-1117 (Teucer)
Noah Kulak /
- Created on 2018-04-23 22:31:22
- Modified on 2018-04-24 00:43:29
- Translated by Ian Johnston
- Aligned by Noah Kulak
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
Ajax 1093-1117
Τεῦκρος
οὐκ ἄν ποτ᾽ , ἄνδρες , ἄνδρα θαυμάσαιμ᾽ ἔτι ,
ὃς μηδὲν ὢν γοναῖσιν εἶθ᾽ ἁμαρτάνει ,
ὅθ᾽ οἱ δοκοῦντες εὐγενεῖς πεφυκέναι 1095
τοιαῦθ᾽ ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἐν λόγοις ἔπη :
ἄγ᾽ εἴπ᾽ ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς αὖθις , ἦ σὺ φὴς ἄγειν
τόνδ᾽ ἄνδρ᾽ Ἀχαιοῖς δεῦρο σύμμαχον λαβών ;
οὐκ αὐτὸς ἐξέπλευσεν ὡς αὑτοῦ κρατῶν ;
ποῦ σὺ στρατηγεῖς τοῦδε ; ποῦ δὲ σοὶ λεῶν 1100
ἔξεστ᾽ ἀνάσσειν ὧν ὅδ᾽ ἤγαγ᾽ οἴκοθεν ;
Σπάρτης ἀνάσσων ἦλθες , οὐχ ἡμῶν κρατῶν :
οὐδ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ὅπου σοὶ τόνδε κοσμῆσαι πλέον
ἀρχῆς ἔκειτο θεσμὸς ἢ καὶ τῷδε σέ .
ὕπαρχος ἄλλων δεῦρ᾽ ἔπλευσας , οὐχ ὅλων 1105
στρατηγός , ὥστ᾽ Αἴαντος ἡγεῖσθαί ποτε .
ἀλλ᾽ ὧνπερ ἄρχεις ἄρχε καὶ τὰ σέμν᾽ ἔπη
κόλαζ᾽ ἐκείνους : τόνδε δ᾽ , εἴτε μὴ σὺ φὴς
εἴθ᾽ ἅτερος στρατηγός , εἰς ταφὰς ἐγὼ
θήσω δικαίως , οὐ τὸ σὸν δείσας στόμα . 1110
οὐ γάρ τι τῆς σῆς εἵνεκ᾽ ἐστρατεύσατο
γυναικός , ὥσπερ οἱ πόνου πολλοῦ πλέῳ ,
ἀλλ᾽ εἵνεχ᾽ ὅρκων οἷσιν ἦν ἐνώμοτος ,
σοῦ δ᾽ οὐδέν : οὐ γὰρ ἠξίου τοὺς μηδένας .
πρὸς ταῦτα πλείους δεῦρο κήρυκας λαβὼν 1115
καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν ἧκε , τοῦ δὲ σοῦ ψόφου
οὐκ ἂν στραφείην , ἕως ἂν ᾖς οἷός περ εἶ .
οὐκ ἄν ποτ᾽ , ἄνδρες , ἄνδρα θαυμάσαιμ᾽ ἔτι ,
ὃς μηδὲν ὢν γοναῖσιν εἶθ᾽ ἁμαρτάνει ,
ὅθ᾽ οἱ δοκοῦντες εὐγενεῖς πεφυκέναι 1095
τοιαῦθ᾽ ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἐν λόγοις ἔπη :
ἄγ᾽ εἴπ᾽ ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς αὖθις , ἦ σὺ φὴς ἄγειν
τόνδ᾽ ἄνδρ᾽ Ἀχαιοῖς δεῦρο σύμμαχον λαβών ;
οὐκ αὐτὸς ἐξέπλευσεν ὡς αὑτοῦ κρατῶν ;
ποῦ σὺ στρατηγεῖς τοῦδε ; ποῦ δὲ σοὶ λεῶν 1100
ἔξεστ᾽ ἀνάσσειν ὧν ὅδ᾽ ἤγαγ᾽ οἴκοθεν ;
Σπάρτης ἀνάσσων ἦλθες , οὐχ ἡμῶν κρατῶν :
οὐδ᾽ ἔσθ᾽ ὅπου σοὶ τόνδε κοσμῆσαι πλέον
ἀρχῆς ἔκειτο θεσμὸς ἢ καὶ τῷδε σέ .
ὕπαρχος ἄλλων δεῦρ᾽ ἔπλευσας , οὐχ ὅλων 1105
στρατηγός , ὥστ᾽ Αἴαντος ἡγεῖσθαί ποτε .
ἀλλ᾽ ὧνπερ ἄρχεις ἄρχε καὶ τὰ σέμν᾽ ἔπη
κόλαζ᾽ ἐκείνους : τόνδε δ᾽ , εἴτε μὴ σὺ φὴς
εἴθ᾽ ἅτερος στρατηγός , εἰς ταφὰς ἐγὼ
θήσω δικαίως , οὐ τὸ σὸν δείσας στόμα . 1110
οὐ γάρ τι τῆς σῆς εἵνεκ᾽ ἐστρατεύσατο
γυναικός , ὥσπερ οἱ πόνου πολλοῦ πλέῳ ,
ἀλλ᾽ εἵνεχ᾽ ὅρκων οἷσιν ἦν ἐνώμοτος ,
σοῦ δ᾽ οὐδέν : οὐ γὰρ ἠξίου τοὺς μηδένας .
πρὸς ταῦτα πλείους δεῦρο κήρυκας λαβὼν 1115
καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν ἧκε , τοῦ δὲ σοῦ ψόφου
οὐκ ἂν στραφείην , ἕως ἂν ᾖς οἷός περ εἶ .
TEUCER
Fellow soldiers ,
never again will I be much surprised
if someone born a nobody goes wrong ,
since those apparently of noble birth 1310
can make so many errors when they speak .
Come , tell me once more from the beginning—
do you really think it was you personally
who led Ajax here an Argive ally ?
Did he not sail to Troy all on his own ,
under his own command ? In what respect
are you this man’s superior ? On what ground [ 1100 ]
do you have any right to rule those men
whom he led here from home ? You came to Troy
as king of Sparta . You do not govern us . 1320
Under no circumstance did some right to rule
or give him orders lie within your power ,
just as he possessed no right to order you .
You sailed here a subordinate to others ,
not as commander of the entire force
who could at any time tell Ajax what to do .
Go , be king of those you rule by right—
use those proud words of yours to punish them .
But I will set this body in a grave ,
as justice says I should , even though you 1330
or any other general forbids it .
I am not afraid of your pronouncements .
Ajax did not join the expedition
because that woman was a wife of yours ,
as did those toiling Spartan drudges—no—
but because he’d sworn an oath to do it . ( 25 )
You were no part of it . He never valued
men worth nothing . And so when you return ,
come back here and bring more heralds with you ,
as well as the commander . Your vain chat 1340
is not something that really bothers me ,
not while you stay the kind of man you are .
Fellow soldiers ,
never again will I be much surprised
if someone born a nobody goes wrong ,
since those apparently of noble birth 1310
can make so many errors when they speak .
Come , tell me once more from the beginning—
do you really think it was you personally
who led Ajax here an Argive ally ?
Did he not sail to Troy all on his own ,
under his own command ? In what respect
are you this man’s superior ? On what ground [ 1100 ]
do you have any right to rule those men
whom he led here from home ? You came to Troy
as king of Sparta . You do not govern us . 1320
Under no circumstance did some right to rule
or give him orders lie within your power ,
just as he possessed no right to order you .
You sailed here a subordinate to others ,
not as commander of the entire force
who could at any time tell Ajax what to do .
Go , be king of those you rule by right—
use those proud words of yours to punish them .
But I will set this body in a grave ,
as justice says I should , even though you 1330
or any other general forbids it .
I am not afraid of your pronouncements .
Ajax did not join the expedition
because that woman was a wife of yours ,
as did those toiling Spartan drudges—no—
but because he’d sworn an oath to do it . ( 25 )
You were no part of it . He never valued
men worth nothing . And so when you return ,
come back here and bring more heralds with you ,
as well as the commander . Your vain chat 1340
is not something that really bothers me ,
not while you stay the kind of man you are .