Ajax 485-515, Close Translation (Final Exam)
Henry Hintermeister / Sophocles, Ajax
- Created on 2018-05-08 21:15:53
- Modified on 2018-05-09 17:05:47
- Translated by Henry Hintermeister
- Aligned by Henry Hintermeister
A close translation of Ajax 485-515.
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
ὦ δέσποτ’ Αἴας , τῆς ἀναγκαίας τύχης
οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν μεῖζον ἀνθρώποις κακόν .
ἐγὼ δ’ ἐλευθέρου μὲν ἐξέφυν πατρός ,
εἴπερ τινὸς σθένοντος ἐν πλούτῳ Φρυγῶν ·
νῦν δ’ εἰμὶ δούλη · θεοῖς γὰρ ὧδ’ ἔδοξέ που
καὶ σῇ μάλιστα χειρί . τοιγαροῦν , ἐπεὶ
τὸ σὸν λέχος ξυνῆλθον , εὖ φρονῶ τὰ σά ,
καί σ’ ἀντιάζω πρός τ’ ἐφεστίου Διὸς
εὐνῆς τε τῆς σῆς , ᾗ συνηλλάχθης ἐμοί ,
μή μ’ ἀξιώσῃς βάξιν ἀλγεινὴν λαβεῖν
τῶν σῶν ὑπ’ ἐχθρῶν , χειρίαν ἐφείς τινι .
ᾗ γὰρ θάνῃς σὺ καὶ τελευτήσας ἀφῇς ,
ταύτῃ νόμιζε κἀμὲ τῇ τόθ’ ἡμέρᾳ
βίᾳ ξυναρπασθεῖσαν Ἀργείων ὕπο
ξὺν παιδὶ τῷ σῷ δουλίαν ἕξειν τροφήν .
καί τις πικρὸν πρόσφθεγμα δεσποτῶν ἐρεῖ
λόγοις ἰάπτων · ἴδετε τὴν ὁμευνέτιν
Αἴαντος , ὃς μέγιστον ἴσχυσεν στρατοῦ ,
οἵας λατρείας ἀνθ’ ὅσου ζήλου τρέφει .
τοιαῦτ’ ἐρεῖ τις · κἀμὲ μὲν δαίμων ἐλᾷ ,
σοὶ δ’ αἰσχρὰ τἄπη ταῦτα καὶ τῷ σῷ γένει .
ἀλλ’ αἴδεσαι μὲν πατέρα τὸν σὸν ἐν λυγρῷ
γήρᾳ προλείπων , αἴδεσαι δὲ μητέρα
πολλῶν ἐτῶν κληροῦχον , ἥ σε πολλάκις
θεοῖς ἀρᾶται ζῶντα πρὸς δόμους μολεῖν ·
οἴκτιρε δ’ , ὦναξ , παῖδα τὸν σόν , εἰ νέας
τροφῆς στερηθεὶς σοῦ διοίσεται μόνος
ὑπ’ ὀρφανιστῶν μὴ φίλων , ὅσον κακὸν
κείνῳ τε κἀμοὶ τοῦθ’ , ὅταν θάνῃς , νεμεῖς .
ἐμοὶ γὰρ οὐκέτ’ ἔστιν εἰς ὅ τι βλέπω
πλὴν σοῦ .
οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν μεῖζον ἀνθρώποις κακόν .
ἐγὼ δ’ ἐλευθέρου μὲν ἐξέφυν πατρός ,
εἴπερ τινὸς σθένοντος ἐν πλούτῳ Φρυγῶν ·
νῦν δ’ εἰμὶ δούλη · θεοῖς γὰρ ὧδ’ ἔδοξέ που
καὶ σῇ μάλιστα χειρί . τοιγαροῦν , ἐπεὶ
τὸ σὸν λέχος ξυνῆλθον , εὖ φρονῶ τὰ σά ,
καί σ’ ἀντιάζω πρός τ’ ἐφεστίου Διὸς
εὐνῆς τε τῆς σῆς , ᾗ συνηλλάχθης ἐμοί ,
μή μ’ ἀξιώσῃς βάξιν ἀλγεινὴν λαβεῖν
τῶν σῶν ὑπ’ ἐχθρῶν , χειρίαν ἐφείς τινι .
ᾗ γὰρ θάνῃς σὺ καὶ τελευτήσας ἀφῇς ,
ταύτῃ νόμιζε κἀμὲ τῇ τόθ’ ἡμέρᾳ
βίᾳ ξυναρπασθεῖσαν Ἀργείων ὕπο
ξὺν παιδὶ τῷ σῷ δουλίαν ἕξειν τροφήν .
καί τις πικρὸν πρόσφθεγμα δεσποτῶν ἐρεῖ
λόγοις ἰάπτων · ἴδετε τὴν ὁμευνέτιν
Αἴαντος , ὃς μέγιστον ἴσχυσεν στρατοῦ ,
οἵας λατρείας ἀνθ’ ὅσου ζήλου τρέφει .
τοιαῦτ’ ἐρεῖ τις · κἀμὲ μὲν δαίμων ἐλᾷ ,
σοὶ δ’ αἰσχρὰ τἄπη ταῦτα καὶ τῷ σῷ γένει .
ἀλλ’ αἴδεσαι μὲν πατέρα τὸν σὸν ἐν λυγρῷ
γήρᾳ προλείπων , αἴδεσαι δὲ μητέρα
πολλῶν ἐτῶν κληροῦχον , ἥ σε πολλάκις
θεοῖς ἀρᾶται ζῶντα πρὸς δόμους μολεῖν ·
οἴκτιρε δ’ , ὦναξ , παῖδα τὸν σόν , εἰ νέας
τροφῆς στερηθεὶς σοῦ διοίσεται μόνος
ὑπ’ ὀρφανιστῶν μὴ φίλων , ὅσον κακὸν
κείνῳ τε κἀμοὶ τοῦθ’ , ὅταν θάνῃς , νεμεῖς .
ἐμοὶ γὰρ οὐκέτ’ ἔστιν εἰς ὅ τι βλέπω
πλὴν σοῦ .
Oh
,
master
Ajax
,
than
inevitable
fortune
There is not any greater evil to men .
I , on the one hand , was born of a free father ,
If indeed any man from Phrygia is being strong in wealth .
But now , I am a slave . For to the gods , I suppose , like this it seemed best ,
And mostly to your hand . So then , therefore , since
To your marriage bed I have come , well I think on you ,
And you I entreat before both the hearth of Zeus
And your bed , where you had sex with me ,
Do not think me worthy to receive evil talk
From your enemies , abandoning the one under your power to some other .
For whither you die and neglect me , having reached your end ,
Think on that day about when even I ,
being snatched through force by the Argives
Together with your child will suffer slavery’s mode of living .
And some man will speak the piercing address of slave-owners ,
Wounding me with the words , " see the consort
Of Ajax , who had the greatest strength of the army ,
Such service for the sake of such admiration does she rear up . "
Some man will say these things . And fate will drive me on ,
But these words are shameful for you and your kin .
But respect your father , abandoning him in miserable
Old age , and respect your colonist mother of many years , who
Prays often to the gods for you to return to the houses being alive .
And pity , Lord , your child , if from the early
Nourishment of you he is deprived he will live forsaken
Beneath unfriendly guardians , evil as great as this
Both to him and to me , when you die , do you allot .
For to me , there is no longer anything into which I see
Except for you .
There is not any greater evil to men .
I , on the one hand , was born of a free father ,
If indeed any man from Phrygia is being strong in wealth .
But now , I am a slave . For to the gods , I suppose , like this it seemed best ,
And mostly to your hand . So then , therefore , since
To your marriage bed I have come , well I think on you ,
And you I entreat before both the hearth of Zeus
And your bed , where you had sex with me ,
Do not think me worthy to receive evil talk
From your enemies , abandoning the one under your power to some other .
For whither you die and neglect me , having reached your end ,
Think on that day about when even I ,
being snatched through force by the Argives
Together with your child will suffer slavery’s mode of living .
And some man will speak the piercing address of slave-owners ,
Wounding me with the words , " see the consort
Of Ajax , who had the greatest strength of the army ,
Such service for the sake of such admiration does she rear up . "
Some man will say these things . And fate will drive me on ,
But these words are shameful for you and your kin .
But respect your father , abandoning him in miserable
Old age , and respect your colonist mother of many years , who
Prays often to the gods for you to return to the houses being alive .
And pity , Lord , your child , if from the early
Nourishment of you he is deprived he will live forsaken
Beneath unfriendly guardians , evil as great as this
Both to him and to me , when you die , do you allot .
For to me , there is no longer anything into which I see
Except for you .