Bacchae
Shawn Geison /
- Created on 2021-02-23 19:38:00
- Modified on 2021-02-23 20:17:15
- Aligned by Shawn Geison
Bacchae
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
ἥκω Διὸς παῖς τήνδε Θηβαίων χθόνα
Διόνυσος , ὃν τίκτει ποθ᾽ ἡ Κάδμου κόρη
Σεμέλη λοχευθεῖσ᾽ ἀστραπηφόρῳ πυρί :
μορφὴν δ᾽ ἀμείψας ἐκ θεοῦ βροτησίαν
πάρειμι Δίρκης νάματ᾽ Ἰσμηνοῦ θ᾽ ὕδωρ . 5
ὁρῶ δὲ μητρὸς μνῆμα τῆς κεραυνίας
τόδ᾽ ἐγγὺς οἴκων καὶ δόμων ἐρείπια
τυφόμενα Δίου πυρὸς ἔτι ζῶσαν φλόγα ,
ἀθάνατον Ἥρας μητέρ᾽ εἰς ἐμὴν ὕβριν .
Διόνυσος , ὃν τίκτει ποθ᾽ ἡ Κάδμου κόρη
Σεμέλη λοχευθεῖσ᾽ ἀστραπηφόρῳ πυρί :
μορφὴν δ᾽ ἀμείψας ἐκ θεοῦ βροτησίαν
πάρειμι Δίρκης νάματ᾽ Ἰσμηνοῦ θ᾽ ὕδωρ . 5
ὁρῶ δὲ μητρὸς μνῆμα τῆς κεραυνίας
τόδ᾽ ἐγγὺς οἴκων καὶ δόμων ἐρείπια
τυφόμενα Δίου πυρὸς ἔτι ζῶσαν φλόγα ,
ἀθάνατον Ἥρας μητέρ᾽ εἰς ἐμὴν ὕβριν .
I’ve
arrived
here
in
the
land
of
Thebes
,
I , Dionysus , son of Zeus , born to him
from Semele , Cadmus’ daughter , delivered
by a fiery midwife — Zeus’s lightning flash .
Yes , I’ve changed my form from god to human ,
appearing here at these streams of Dirce ,
the waters of Ismarus . I see my mother’s tomb —
for she was wiped out by that lightning bolt .
It’s there , by the palace , with that rubble ,
the remnants of her house , still smoldering
from Zeus’s living fire — Hera’s undying outrage
against my mother .
I , Dionysus , son of Zeus , born to him
from Semele , Cadmus’ daughter , delivered
by a fiery midwife — Zeus’s lightning flash .
Yes , I’ve changed my form from god to human ,
appearing here at these streams of Dirce ,
the waters of Ismarus . I see my mother’s tomb —
for she was wiped out by that lightning bolt .
It’s there , by the palace , with that rubble ,
the remnants of her house , still smoldering
from Zeus’s living fire — Hera’s undying outrage
against my mother .