Bacchae 215-262 (Theodoridis)
Anna Muh / Transphobia in Bacchae
- Created on 2023-06-16 02:08:17
- Modified on 2023-06-16 02:56:15
- Translated by George Theodoridis
- Aligned by Anna Muh
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
Πενθεύς
ἔκδημος ὢν μὲν τῆσδʼ ἐτύγχανον χθονός ,
κλύω δὲ νεοχμὰ τήνδʼ ἀνὰ πτόλιν κακά ,
γυναῖκας ἡμῖν δώματʼ ἐκλελοιπέναι
πλασταῖσι βακχείαισιν , ἐν δὲ δασκίοις
ὄρεσι θοάζειν , τὸν νεωστὶ δαίμονα
Διόνυσον , ὅστις ἔστι , τιμώσας χοροῖς ·
πλήρεις δὲ θιάσοις ἐν μέσοισιν ἑστάναι
κρατῆρας , ἄλλην δʼ ἄλλοσʼ εἰς ἐρημίαν
πτώσσουσαν εὐναῖς ἀρσένων ὑπηρετεῖν ,
πρόφασιν μὲν ὡς δὴ μαινάδας θυοσκόους ,
τὴν δʼ Ἀφροδίτην πρόσθʼ ἄγειν τοῦ Βακχίου .
ὅσας μὲν οὖν εἴληφα , δεσμίους χέρας
σῴζουσι πανδήμοισι πρόσπολοι στέγαις ·
ὅσαι δʼ ἄπεισιν , ἐξ ὄρους θηράσομαι ,
Ἰνώ τʼ Ἀγαύην θʼ , ἥ μʼ ἔτικτʼ Ἐχίονι ,
Ἀκταίονός τε μητέρʼ , Αὐτονόην λέγω .
καὶ σφᾶς σιδηραῖς ἁρμόσας ἐν ἄρκυσιν
παύσω κακούργου τῆσδε βακχείας τάχα .
λέγουσι δʼ ὥς τις εἰσελήλυθε ξένος ,
γόης ἐπῳδὸς Λυδίας ἀπὸ χθονός ,
ξανθοῖσι βοστρύχοισιν εὐοσμῶν κόμην ,
οἰνῶπας ὄσσοις χάριτας Ἀφροδίτης ἔχων ,
ὃς ἡμέρας τε κεὐφρόνας συγγίγνεται
τελετὰς προτείνων εὐίους νεάνισιν .
εἰ δʼ αὐτὸν εἴσω τῆσδε λήψομαι στέγης ,
παύσω κτυποῦντα θύρσον ἀνασείοντά τε
κόμας , τράχηλον σώματος χωρὶς τεμών .
ἐκεῖνος εἶναί φησι Διόνυσον θεόν ,
ἐκεῖνος ἐν μηρῷ ποτʼ ἐρράφθαι Διός ,
ὃς ἐκπυροῦται λαμπάσιν κεραυνίαις
σὺν μητρί , Δίους ὅτι γάμους ἐψεύσατο .
ταῦτʼ οὐχὶ δεινῆς ἀγχόνης ἔστʼ ἄξια ,
ὕβρεις ὑβρίζειν , ὅστις ἔστιν ὁ ξένος ;
ἀτὰρ τόδʼ ἄλλο θαῦμα , τὸν τερασκόπον
ἐν ποικίλαισι νεβρίσι Τειρεσίαν ὁρῶ
πατέρα τε μητρὸς τῆς ἐμῆσ — πολὺν γέλων —
νάρθηκι βακχεύοντʼ · ἀναίνομαι , πάτερ ,
τὸ γῆρας ὑμῶν εἰσορῶν νοῦν οὐκ ἔχον .
οὐκ ἀποτινάξεις κισσόν ; οὐκ ἐλευθέραν
θύρσου μεθήσεις χεῖρʼ , ἐμῆς μητρὸς πάτερ ;
σὺ ταῦτʼ ἔπεισας , Τειρεσία · τόνδʼ αὖ θέλεις
τὸν δαίμονʼ ἀνθρώποισιν ἐσφέρων νέον
σκοπεῖν πτερωτοὺς κἀμπύρων μισθοὺς φέρειν .
εἰ μή σε γῆρας πολιὸν ἐξερρύετο ,
καθῆσʼ ἂν ἐν βάκχαισι δέσμιος μέσαις ,
τελετὰς πονηρὰς εἰσάγων · γυναιξὶ γὰρ
ὅπου βότρυος ἐν δαιτὶ γίγνεται γάνος ,
οὐχ ὑγιὲς οὐδὲν ἔτι λέγω τῶν ὀργίων .
ἔκδημος ὢν μὲν τῆσδʼ ἐτύγχανον χθονός ,
κλύω δὲ νεοχμὰ τήνδʼ ἀνὰ πτόλιν κακά ,
γυναῖκας ἡμῖν δώματʼ ἐκλελοιπέναι
πλασταῖσι βακχείαισιν , ἐν δὲ δασκίοις
ὄρεσι θοάζειν , τὸν νεωστὶ δαίμονα
Διόνυσον , ὅστις ἔστι , τιμώσας χοροῖς ·
πλήρεις δὲ θιάσοις ἐν μέσοισιν ἑστάναι
κρατῆρας , ἄλλην δʼ ἄλλοσʼ εἰς ἐρημίαν
πτώσσουσαν εὐναῖς ἀρσένων ὑπηρετεῖν ,
πρόφασιν μὲν ὡς δὴ μαινάδας θυοσκόους ,
τὴν δʼ Ἀφροδίτην πρόσθʼ ἄγειν τοῦ Βακχίου .
ὅσας μὲν οὖν εἴληφα , δεσμίους χέρας
σῴζουσι πανδήμοισι πρόσπολοι στέγαις ·
ὅσαι δʼ ἄπεισιν , ἐξ ὄρους θηράσομαι ,
Ἰνώ τʼ Ἀγαύην θʼ , ἥ μʼ ἔτικτʼ Ἐχίονι ,
Ἀκταίονός τε μητέρʼ , Αὐτονόην λέγω .
καὶ σφᾶς σιδηραῖς ἁρμόσας ἐν ἄρκυσιν
παύσω κακούργου τῆσδε βακχείας τάχα .
λέγουσι δʼ ὥς τις εἰσελήλυθε ξένος ,
γόης ἐπῳδὸς Λυδίας ἀπὸ χθονός ,
ξανθοῖσι βοστρύχοισιν εὐοσμῶν κόμην ,
οἰνῶπας ὄσσοις χάριτας Ἀφροδίτης ἔχων ,
ὃς ἡμέρας τε κεὐφρόνας συγγίγνεται
τελετὰς προτείνων εὐίους νεάνισιν .
εἰ δʼ αὐτὸν εἴσω τῆσδε λήψομαι στέγης ,
παύσω κτυποῦντα θύρσον ἀνασείοντά τε
κόμας , τράχηλον σώματος χωρὶς τεμών .
ἐκεῖνος εἶναί φησι Διόνυσον θεόν ,
ἐκεῖνος ἐν μηρῷ ποτʼ ἐρράφθαι Διός ,
ὃς ἐκπυροῦται λαμπάσιν κεραυνίαις
σὺν μητρί , Δίους ὅτι γάμους ἐψεύσατο .
ταῦτʼ οὐχὶ δεινῆς ἀγχόνης ἔστʼ ἄξια ,
ὕβρεις ὑβρίζειν , ὅστις ἔστιν ὁ ξένος ;
ἀτὰρ τόδʼ ἄλλο θαῦμα , τὸν τερασκόπον
ἐν ποικίλαισι νεβρίσι Τειρεσίαν ὁρῶ
πατέρα τε μητρὸς τῆς ἐμῆσ — πολὺν γέλων —
νάρθηκι βακχεύοντʼ · ἀναίνομαι , πάτερ ,
τὸ γῆρας ὑμῶν εἰσορῶν νοῦν οὐκ ἔχον .
οὐκ ἀποτινάξεις κισσόν ; οὐκ ἐλευθέραν
θύρσου μεθήσεις χεῖρʼ , ἐμῆς μητρὸς πάτερ ;
σὺ ταῦτʼ ἔπεισας , Τειρεσία · τόνδʼ αὖ θέλεις
τὸν δαίμονʼ ἀνθρώποισιν ἐσφέρων νέον
σκοπεῖν πτερωτοὺς κἀμπύρων μισθοὺς φέρειν .
εἰ μή σε γῆρας πολιὸν ἐξερρύετο ,
καθῆσʼ ἂν ἐν βάκχαισι δέσμιος μέσαις ,
τελετὰς πονηρὰς εἰσάγων · γυναιξὶ γὰρ
ὅπου βότρυος ἐν δαιτὶ γίγνεται γάνος ,
οὐχ ὑγιὲς οὐδὲν ἔτι λέγω τῶν ὀργίων .
Pentheus
All I’ve done is to go away from Thebes for just a short while and what happens ? My ears are buzzing with dreadful and bizarre disasters , hitting my beloved country .
I heard that our women have left their homes and gone off to the mountains dancing the Bacchic dances ! Some new , young god ! Utter rubbish ! There they are , placing great tubs full of wine in the centre of their group , in the middle of nowhere and off they go , one here , another there , rolling around with any man they come across and giving the excuse that they are maenads ; but what are they doing ?
Serving Dionysos ? No way ! They’re serving Aphrodite !
I’ve caught some of them , tied their hands and locked them up in various public buildings . The rest , those who escaped , I’ll catch from the mountains . Ino , for example and Agave , she who with Ehion gave birth to me , as well as Aktaion’s mother , I mean Aftonoe . I’ll shut them up behind bars as well so that I can stop this scoundrel’s bacchic rites .
I’m told that he is some young foreign smooth talker , some magician from somewhere in Lydia , with blond and scented plaits , and they say also that one can see in his wine-coloured eyes the charms of Aphrodite . And this man hangs around all the young girls and offers them entry to the " mystic rites ! "
If I get to catch this crook anywhere near this palace I’ll make sure I’ll stop his thyrsus-thrashing and his hair-waving once and for all , by separating his torso from his head .
Ha ! Apparently , this fool says that Dionysos is a true god . He says that Dionysos was sown up inside Zeus’ thigh ! How stupid ! The true fact of the matter was that Zeus burned him , along with his mother with flaming lightning .
Well , when some stranger comes and gives you all these lies and insolence , what do you do ? Isn’t all this stuff worthy of the hangman’s rope ?
Ha ! O , my God ! Now there’s a real sight to behold ! Is this some sort of madman’s apparition ? Our good old prophet , Teiresias , the seer of the guts of beasts ! There he is , dressed with delightful skins of deer and , with him , my mother’s father – what a laugh-off for his bit of bacchic revelry with his own thyrsus at the ready .
No , no , no , grandfather , seeing you like this , I just can’t believe that your old age has filled your head with wisdom .
Unwind that ivy from your thyrsus , relieve your hands of them grandfather . They do not suit you . Did you persuade him to do this , Teiresias ? Is it you who wants to bring to our city this new god only so that you can make more money with more new waffly oracles from birds and fires ?
Your grey hair saved you old man . Otherwise , I’d tie you up and place you in the very centre of these wild women . That would teach you to bring to our good city treacherous new rites . I’m telling you both , no good comes out of drunk women .
Wine wisdom and orgies are dangerous .
All I’ve done is to go away from Thebes for just a short while and what happens ? My ears are buzzing with dreadful and bizarre disasters , hitting my beloved country .
I heard that our women have left their homes and gone off to the mountains dancing the Bacchic dances ! Some new , young god ! Utter rubbish ! There they are , placing great tubs full of wine in the centre of their group , in the middle of nowhere and off they go , one here , another there , rolling around with any man they come across and giving the excuse that they are maenads ; but what are they doing ?
Serving Dionysos ? No way ! They’re serving Aphrodite !
I’ve caught some of them , tied their hands and locked them up in various public buildings . The rest , those who escaped , I’ll catch from the mountains . Ino , for example and Agave , she who with Ehion gave birth to me , as well as Aktaion’s mother , I mean Aftonoe . I’ll shut them up behind bars as well so that I can stop this scoundrel’s bacchic rites .
I’m told that he is some young foreign smooth talker , some magician from somewhere in Lydia , with blond and scented plaits , and they say also that one can see in his wine-coloured eyes the charms of Aphrodite . And this man hangs around all the young girls and offers them entry to the " mystic rites ! "
If I get to catch this crook anywhere near this palace I’ll make sure I’ll stop his thyrsus-thrashing and his hair-waving once and for all , by separating his torso from his head .
Ha ! Apparently , this fool says that Dionysos is a true god . He says that Dionysos was sown up inside Zeus’ thigh ! How stupid ! The true fact of the matter was that Zeus burned him , along with his mother with flaming lightning .
Well , when some stranger comes and gives you all these lies and insolence , what do you do ? Isn’t all this stuff worthy of the hangman’s rope ?
Ha ! O , my God ! Now there’s a real sight to behold ! Is this some sort of madman’s apparition ? Our good old prophet , Teiresias , the seer of the guts of beasts ! There he is , dressed with delightful skins of deer and , with him , my mother’s father – what a laugh-off for his bit of bacchic revelry with his own thyrsus at the ready .
No , no , no , grandfather , seeing you like this , I just can’t believe that your old age has filled your head with wisdom .
Unwind that ivy from your thyrsus , relieve your hands of them grandfather . They do not suit you . Did you persuade him to do this , Teiresias ? Is it you who wants to bring to our city this new god only so that you can make more money with more new waffly oracles from birds and fires ?
Your grey hair saved you old man . Otherwise , I’d tie you up and place you in the very centre of these wild women . That would teach you to bring to our good city treacherous new rites . I’m telling you both , no good comes out of drunk women .
Wine wisdom and orgies are dangerous .