Bacchae 215-262 (Buckley)
Anna Muh / Transphobia in Bacchae
- Created on 2023-06-16 21:53:39
- Modified on 2023-06-30 23:16:23
- Translated by T. A. Buckley
- 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
I was away from this land when I heard of the new evils throughout this polis , that our women have left our homes in contrived Bacchic rites , and rush about in the shadowy mountains , honoring with khoroi this new daimōn Dionysus , whoever he is . I hear that mixing-bowls stand full in the midst of their assemblies , and that each woman , flying to secrecy in different directions , yields to the embraces of men , on the pretext that they are Maenads worshipping . They consider Aphrodite of greater priority than Dionysus .
Servants keep as many of them as I have caught in the public buildings with their hands chained . I will hunt from the mountains all that are missing , Ino and Agaue , who bore me to Ekhion , and Autonoe , the mother of Aktaion . And having bound them in iron fetters , I will soon make them stop this criminal Bacchic activity . They say that a certain stranger [ xenos ] has come , a sorcerer from the Lydian land , with the locks of his tawny hair smelling sweetly , having in his eyes the wine-dark graces [ kharites ] of Aphrodite . He stays with the young girls during the evenings and nights , alluring them with joyful mysteries . If I catch him within this house , by cutting his head from his body I will stop him from beating his thyrsos and shaking his hair .
That’s the man who claims that Dionysus is a god ; that’s the man who claims that Dionysus was once stitched into the thigh of Zeus , Dionysus , who was in reality burnt along with his mother by the flame of lightning , because she had falsely claimed to have married Zeus . Is this not worthy of a terrible death by hanging , that he , whoever this xenos is , commits such acts of hubris ?
But here is another wonder : I see the seer Teiresias clothed in dappled fawn-skins along with my mother’s father — a great absurdity — raging about with a thyrsos [ narthēx ] . I want to deny that I see your old age devoid of sense . Won’t you cast away the ivy ? Will you not , father of my mother , free your hand of the thyrsos ? You urged these things , Teiresias . Do you wish , introducing this new daimōn to humans , to examine birds and receive rewards of sacrifices ? If your hoary old age did not protect you , you would sit in the midst of the Bacchants for introducing wicked rites . For where women have the delight of the grape at a feast , I say that none of their rites is healthy any longer .
I was away from this land when I heard of the new evils throughout this polis , that our women have left our homes in contrived Bacchic rites , and rush about in the shadowy mountains , honoring with khoroi this new daimōn Dionysus , whoever he is . I hear that mixing-bowls stand full in the midst of their assemblies , and that each woman , flying to secrecy in different directions , yields to the embraces of men , on the pretext that they are Maenads worshipping . They consider Aphrodite of greater priority than Dionysus .
Servants keep as many of them as I have caught in the public buildings with their hands chained . I will hunt from the mountains all that are missing , Ino and Agaue , who bore me to Ekhion , and Autonoe , the mother of Aktaion . And having bound them in iron fetters , I will soon make them stop this criminal Bacchic activity . They say that a certain stranger [ xenos ] has come , a sorcerer from the Lydian land , with the locks of his tawny hair smelling sweetly , having in his eyes the wine-dark graces [ kharites ] of Aphrodite . He stays with the young girls during the evenings and nights , alluring them with joyful mysteries . If I catch him within this house , by cutting his head from his body I will stop him from beating his thyrsos and shaking his hair .
That’s the man who claims that Dionysus is a god ; that’s the man who claims that Dionysus was once stitched into the thigh of Zeus , Dionysus , who was in reality burnt along with his mother by the flame of lightning , because she had falsely claimed to have married Zeus . Is this not worthy of a terrible death by hanging , that he , whoever this xenos is , commits such acts of hubris ?
But here is another wonder : I see the seer Teiresias clothed in dappled fawn-skins along with my mother’s father — a great absurdity — raging about with a thyrsos [ narthēx ] . I want to deny that I see your old age devoid of sense . Won’t you cast away the ivy ? Will you not , father of my mother , free your hand of the thyrsos ? You urged these things , Teiresias . Do you wish , introducing this new daimōn to humans , to examine birds and receive rewards of sacrifices ? If your hoary old age did not protect you , you would sit in the midst of the Bacchants for introducing wicked rites . For where women have the delight of the grape at a feast , I say that none of their rites is healthy any longer .