Euripides Bacchae 330-342
Anna Muh /
- Created on 2023-02-08 21:26:16
- Modified on 2023-02-10 18:19:17
- Translated by George Theodoridis
- 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 .
Kadmos
Come , my child . Teiresias is right . Believe as we do . Don’t try and move away from our Laws . Your mind is a bit… flighty at the moment and so , no matter what you put your mind to , you comprehend nothing . Even if by your calculation , Dionysos is no god so what ? It would be best for you to lie . Lie so that Semele believes that she gave birth to a god . That way , even we and our whole race , would receive honours .
You saw Aktaion’s gruesome death . Torn to shreds by flesh-eating hounds , the very ones he was nurturing . That’s the Fate that visited him when he boasted that he was a better hunter than Artemis . Don’t let the same happen to you . Come , let me make you an ivy crown and pay your respects to the god as we do .
Come , my child . Teiresias is right . Believe as we do . Don’t try and move away from our Laws . Your mind is a bit… flighty at the moment and so , no matter what you put your mind to , you comprehend nothing . Even if by your calculation , Dionysos is no god so what ? It would be best for you to lie . Lie so that Semele believes that she gave birth to a god . That way , even we and our whole race , would receive honours .
You saw Aktaion’s gruesome death . Torn to shreds by flesh-eating hounds , the very ones he was nurturing . That’s the Fate that visited him when he boasted that he was a better hunter than Artemis . Don’t let the same happen to you . Come , let me make you an ivy crown and pay your respects to the god as we do .