Hippolytus, 616-638 (Johnston)
Chiara Palladino / JCLS / Hippolytus 616-638
- Created on 2022-04-18 16:34:13
- Modified on 2022-04-27 17:21:47
- Aligned by Chiara Palladino
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
ὦ Ζεῦ , τί δὴ κίβδηλον ἀνθρώποις κακὸν
γυναῖκας ἐς φῶς ἡλίου κατῴκισας ;
εἰ γὰρ βρότειον ἤθελες σπεῖραι γένος ,
οὐκ ἐκ γυναικῶν χρῆν παρασχέσθαι τόδε ,
ἀλλ᾽ ἀντιθέντας σοῖσιν ἐν ναοῖς βροτοὺς
ἢ χαλκὸν ἢ σίδηρον ἢ χρυσοῦ βάρος
παίδων πρίασθαι σπέρμα του τιμήματος ,
τῆς ἀξίας ἕκαστον , ἐν δὲ δώμασιν
ναίειν ἐλευθέροισι θηλειῶν ἄτερ .
νῦν δ᾽ ἐς δόμους μὲν πρῶτον ἄξεσθαι κακὸν
μέλλοντες ὄλβον δωμάτων ἐκτίνομεν .
τούτῳ δὲ δῆλον ὡς γυνὴ κακὸν μέγα :
προσθεὶς γὰρ ὁ σπείρας τε καὶ θρέψας πατὴρ
φερνὰς ἀπῴκισ᾽ , ὡς ἀπαλλαχθῇ κακοῦ .
ὁ δ᾽ αὖ λαβὼν ἀτηρὸν ἐς δόμους φυτὸν
γέγηθε κόσμον προστιθεὶς ἀγάλματι
καλὸν κακίστῳ καὶ πέπλοισιν ἐκπονεῖ
δύστηνος , ὄλβον δωμάτων ὑπεξελών .
ἔχει δ᾽ ἀνάγκην : ὥστε κηδεύσας καλῶς
γαμβροῖσι χαίρων σῴζεται πικρὸν λέχος ,
ἢ χρηστὰ λέκτρα πενθεροὺς δ᾽ ἀνωφελεῖς
λαβὼν πιέζει τἀγαθῷ τὸ δυστυχές .
γυναῖκας ἐς φῶς ἡλίου κατῴκισας ;
εἰ γὰρ βρότειον ἤθελες σπεῖραι γένος ,
οὐκ ἐκ γυναικῶν χρῆν παρασχέσθαι τόδε ,
ἀλλ᾽ ἀντιθέντας σοῖσιν ἐν ναοῖς βροτοὺς
ἢ χαλκὸν ἢ σίδηρον ἢ χρυσοῦ βάρος
παίδων πρίασθαι σπέρμα του τιμήματος ,
τῆς ἀξίας ἕκαστον , ἐν δὲ δώμασιν
ναίειν ἐλευθέροισι θηλειῶν ἄτερ .
νῦν δ᾽ ἐς δόμους μὲν πρῶτον ἄξεσθαι κακὸν
μέλλοντες ὄλβον δωμάτων ἐκτίνομεν .
τούτῳ δὲ δῆλον ὡς γυνὴ κακὸν μέγα :
προσθεὶς γὰρ ὁ σπείρας τε καὶ θρέψας πατὴρ
φερνὰς ἀπῴκισ᾽ , ὡς ἀπαλλαχθῇ κακοῦ .
ὁ δ᾽ αὖ λαβὼν ἀτηρὸν ἐς δόμους φυτὸν
γέγηθε κόσμον προστιθεὶς ἀγάλματι
καλὸν κακίστῳ καὶ πέπλοισιν ἐκπονεῖ
δύστηνος , ὄλβον δωμάτων ὑπεξελών .
ἔχει δ᾽ ἀνάγκην : ὥστε κηδεύσας καλῶς
γαμβροῖσι χαίρων σῴζεται πικρὸν λέχος ,
ἢ χρηστὰ λέκτρα πενθεροὺς δ᾽ ἀνωφελεῖς
λαβὼν πιέζει τἀγαθῷ τὸ δυστυχές .
O
Zeus
,
why
did
you
ever
set
women
in our sunlit world to lead men astray
with their corrupting ways ? If you wanted
to propagate a race of human beings ,
you should not have done so using women .
Instead of that , men could have carried
into your holy shrines bronze or iron
or a load of gold and purchased offspring ,
each man paying according to his means ,
and then they could have lived in their own homes
as free men — free of women ! But as it is ,
when we are planning to have this evil
live with us , first of all we must produce
a bride price from the wealth of our estate .
What’s more , there is clear evidence to show
just how big a problem woman can be ,
since the father who conceived and raised her
pays out a dowry and then ships her off ,
in order to rid himself of trouble .
But the man who takes this toxic creature
into his home can now get his delight
embellishing his idol with ornaments
and decorating her with fancy clothes ,
lovely objects for a brainless figurine .
And so the man , poor miserable wretch ,
little by little wastes his family wealth .
The would-be husband has a fatal choice :
if his wife comes from a worthy family ,
he can get some pleasure from his in-laws
and let that compensate him for the pain
of a marriage bond he finds distasteful ,
or else , if his in-laws are malicious
but his wife is good , he can use that good
to neutralize his sense of discontent .
in our sunlit world to lead men astray
with their corrupting ways ? If you wanted
to propagate a race of human beings ,
you should not have done so using women .
Instead of that , men could have carried
into your holy shrines bronze or iron
or a load of gold and purchased offspring ,
each man paying according to his means ,
and then they could have lived in their own homes
as free men — free of women ! But as it is ,
when we are planning to have this evil
live with us , first of all we must produce
a bride price from the wealth of our estate .
What’s more , there is clear evidence to show
just how big a problem woman can be ,
since the father who conceived and raised her
pays out a dowry and then ships her off ,
in order to rid himself of trouble .
But the man who takes this toxic creature
into his home can now get his delight
embellishing his idol with ornaments
and decorating her with fancy clothes ,
lovely objects for a brainless figurine .
And so the man , poor miserable wretch ,
little by little wastes his family wealth .
The would-be husband has a fatal choice :
if his wife comes from a worthy family ,
he can get some pleasure from his in-laws
and let that compensate him for the pain
of a marriage bond he finds distasteful ,
or else , if his in-laws are malicious
but his wife is good , he can use that good
to neutralize his sense of discontent .