Bacchae vv. 1202-1232, my translation
Josh Kemp /
- Created on 2023-04-26 16:59:09
- Modified on 2023-05-16 21:31:07
- Aligned by Josh Kemp
Cadmus confronts Agave as she returns with the head of Pentheus.
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
ὦ καλλίπυργον ἄστυ Θηβαίας χθονὸς ναίοντες ἔλθεθʼ ὡς ἴδητε τήνδʼ ἄγραν Κάδμου θυγατέρες θηρὸς ἣν ἠγρεύσαμεν οὐκ ἀγκυλητοῖς Θεσσαλῶν στοχάσμασιν οὐ δικτύοισιν ἀλλὰ λευκοπήχεσι χειρῶν ἀκμαῖσιν κᾆτα κομπάζειν χρεὼν καὶ λογχοποιῶν ὄργανα κτᾶσθαι μάτην ἡμεῖς δέ γʼ αὐτῇ χειρὶ τόνδε θʼ εἵλομεν χωρίς τε θηρὸς ἄρθρα διεφορήσαμεν ποῦ μοι πατὴρ ὁ πρέσβυς ἐλθέτω πέλας Πενθεύς τʼ ἐμὸς παῖς ποῦ ʼστιν αἰρέσθω λαβὼν πηκτῶν πρὸς οἴκους κλιμάκων προσαμβάσεις ὡς πασσαλεύσῃ κρᾶτα τριγλύφοις τόδε λέοντος ὃν πάρειμι θηράσασʼ ἐγώ ἕπεσθέ μοι φέροντες ἄθλιον βάρος Πενθέως ἕπεσθε πρόσπολοι δόμων πάρος οὗ σῶμα μοχθῶν μυρίοις ζητήμασιν φέρω τόδʼ εὑρὼν ἐν Κιθαιρῶνος πτυχαῖς διασπαρακτόν κοὐδὲν ἐν ταὐτῷ πέδῳ λαβών ἐν ὕλῃ κείμενον δυσευρέτῳ ἤκουσα γάρ του θυγατέρων τολμήματα ἤδη κατʼ ἄστυ τειχέων ἔσω βεβὼς σὺν τῷ γέροντι Τειρεσίᾳ Βακχῶν πάρα πάλιν δὲ κάμψας εἰς ὄρος κομίζομαι τὸν κατθανόντα παῖδα Μαινάδων ὕπο καὶ τὴν μὲν Ἀκτέωνʼ Ἀρισταίῳ ποτὲ τεκοῦσαν εἶδον Αὐτονόην Ἰνώ θʼ ἅμα ἔτʼ ἀμφὶ δρυμοὺς οἰστροπλῆγας ἀθλίας τὴν δʼ εἶπέ τίς μοι δεῦρο βακχείῳ ποδὶ στείχειν Ἀγαύην οὐδʼ ἄκραντʼ ἠκούσαμεν λεύσσω γὰρ αὐτήν ὄψιν οὐκ εὐδαίμονα
Oh
you
who
are
dwelling
in
this
beautifully
towered
city
of
Theban
ground
come
so
you
can
see
this
catch
of
a
beast
which
we
the
daughters
of
Cadmus
hunted
not
with
hurled
Thessalian
javelins
not
with
nets
but
with
the
white
fingertips
of
our
hands
Then
is
it
necessary
to
boast
and
uselessly
acquire
the
tools
of
spear
makers
We
took
this
with
our
own
hands
and
ripped
the
apart
the
joints
of
the
beast
Where
is
my
father
the
old
man
Let
him
come
near
And
where
is
my
son
Pentheus
Let
him
take
up
a
ladder
taking
its
steps
up
against
the
house
so
that
he
can
pin
to
the
triglyphs
this
head
of
a
lion
which
I
captured
and
come
here
with
Follow
me
carrying
the
miserable
load
of
Pentheus
follow
me
servants
in
front
of
the
house
where
I
carry
this
body
weary
from
a
multitude
of
searches
having
found
it
torn
to
pieces
in
the
glens
of
Cithaeron
I
took
nothing
in
that
same
place
and
it
was
lying
in
the
impenetrable
forest
For
I
heard
about
the
adventures
of
my
daughter
when
I
was
already
coming
inside
the
walls
of
the
city
from
the
Bacchae
with
old
Teiresias
Having
turned
back
to
the
mountain
I
now
carry
home
the
child
killed
by
the
Maenads
And
I
saw
Autonoe
who
once
bore
Acteon
to
Aristaeus
and
Ino
at
the
same
time
wretched
and
still
driven
wild
in
the
thicket
But
someone
said
to
me
that
Agave
was
coming
here
with
Bacchic
foot
and
I
did
not
hear
in
vain
for
I
see
her
not
a
happy
appearance