Euripides Bacchae 330-342
Anna Muh /
- Created on 2023-02-06 20:33:26
- Modified on 2023-06-15 22:34:31
- Translated by Ian Johnston
- Aligned by Anna Muh
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
Κάδμος
ὦ παῖ , καλῶς σοι Τειρεσίας παρῄνεσεν .
οἴκει μεθʼ ἡμῶν , μὴ θύραζε τῶν νόμων .
νῦν γὰρ πέτῃ τε καὶ φρονῶν οὐδὲν φρονεῖς .
κεἰ μὴ γὰρ ἔστιν ὁ θεὸς οὗτος , ὡς σὺ φῄς ,
παρὰ σοὶ λεγέσθω · καὶ καταψεύδου καλῶς
ὡς ἔστι , Σεμέλη θʼ ἵνα δοκῇ θεὸν τεκεῖν ,
ἡμῖν τε τιμὴ παντὶ τῷ γένει προσῇ .
ὁρᾷς τὸν Ἀκτέωνος ἄθλιον μόρον ,
ὃν ὠμόσιτοι σκύλακες ἃς ἐθρέψατο
διεσπάσαντο , κρείσσονʼ ἐν κυναγίαις
Ἀρτέμιδος εἶναι κομπάσαντʼ , ἐν ὀργάσιν .
ὃ μὴ πάθῃς σύ · δεῦρό σου στέψω κάρα
κισσῷ · μεθʼ ἡμῶν τῷ θεῷ τιμὴν δίδου .
ὦ παῖ , καλῶς σοι Τειρεσίας παρῄνεσεν .
οἴκει μεθʼ ἡμῶν , μὴ θύραζε τῶν νόμων .
νῦν γὰρ πέτῃ τε καὶ φρονῶν οὐδὲν φρονεῖς .
κεἰ μὴ γὰρ ἔστιν ὁ θεὸς οὗτος , ὡς σὺ φῄς ,
παρὰ σοὶ λεγέσθω · καὶ καταψεύδου καλῶς
ὡς ἔστι , Σεμέλη θʼ ἵνα δοκῇ θεὸν τεκεῖν ,
ἡμῖν τε τιμὴ παντὶ τῷ γένει προσῇ .
ὁρᾷς τὸν Ἀκτέωνος ἄθλιον μόρον ,
ὃν ὠμόσιτοι σκύλακες ἃς ἐθρέψατο
διεσπάσαντο , κρείσσονʼ ἐν κυναγίαις
Ἀρτέμιδος εἶναι κομπάσαντʼ , ἐν ὀργάσιν .
ὃ μὴ πάθῃς σύ · δεῦρό σου στέψω κάρα
κισσῷ · μεθʼ ἡμῶν τῷ θεῷ τιμὴν δίδου .
CADMUS
My child , Tiresias has given you
some good advice . You should live among us ,
not outside traditions . At this point ,
you’re flying around — thinking , but not clearly .
For if , as you claim , this man is not a god ,
why not call him one ? Why not tell a lie ,
a really good one ? Then it will seem
that some god has been born to Semele .
We — and all our family — will win honour .
Remember the dismal fate of Actaeon —
torn to pieces in some mountain forest
by blood-thirsty dogs he’d raised himself .
He’d boasted he was better in the hunt
than Artemis . Don’t suffer the same fate .
Come here . Let me crown your head with ivy .
Join us in giving honour to this god .
My child , Tiresias has given you
some good advice . You should live among us ,
not outside traditions . At this point ,
you’re flying around — thinking , but not clearly .
For if , as you claim , this man is not a god ,
why not call him one ? Why not tell a lie ,
a really good one ? Then it will seem
that some god has been born to Semele .
We — and all our family — will win honour .
Remember the dismal fate of Actaeon —
torn to pieces in some mountain forest
by blood-thirsty dogs he’d raised himself .
He’d boasted he was better in the hunt
than Artemis . Don’t suffer the same fate .
Come here . Let me crown your head with ivy .
Join us in giving honour to this god .