Then one of my masters will name me bitterly, shooting me with taunts: “See the concubine of Ajax, who was the mightiest man in the army. See what menial tasks she tends to, in place of such an enviable existence!” Such things will men say, and so will destiny afflict mewhile the shame of these words will stain you and your family. Show respect to your father, whom you abandon in miserable old age, and respect your mother with her share of many years, who often prays to the gods that you may come home alive.
καί τις πικρὸν πρόσφθεγμα δεσποτῶν ἐρεῖλόγοις ἰάπτων· ἴδετε τὴν ὁμευνέτινΑἴαντος, ὃς μέγιστον ἴσχυσεν στρατοῦ,οἵας λατρείας ἀνθʼ ὅσου ζήλου τρέφει.τοιαῦτʼ ἐρεῖ τις· κἀμὲ μὲν δαίμων ἐλᾷ,σοὶ δʼ αἰσχρὰ τἄπη ταῦτα καὶ τῷ σῷ γένει.ἀλλʼ αἴδεσαι μὲν πατέρα τὸν σὸν ἐν λυγρῷγήρᾳ προλείπων, αἴδεσαι δὲ μητέραπολλῶν ἐτῶν κληροῦχον, ἥ σε πολλάκιςθεοῖς ἀρᾶται ζῶντα πρὸς δόμους μολεῖν·
Pity, too, my king, your son. Pity him the great sorrow which at your death you will bequeath both to him and to me, if robbed of nurturing care he must spend his days apart from you, an orphan tended by guardians who are neither family nor friends. I have nothing left to which I can look,save you, and you are the reason. Your spear ravaged my country to nothingness, and another fate has brought down my mother and father, giving them a home in Hades in their death. What homeland, then, could I have without you? What wealth? My welfare is entirely in your hands.
οἴκτιρε δʼ, ὦναξ, παῖδα τὸν σόν, εἰ νέαςτροφῆς στερηθεὶς σοῦ διοίσεται μόνοςὑπʼ ὀρφανιστῶν μὴ φίλων, ὅσον κακὸνκείνῳ τε κἀμοὶ τοῦθʼ, ὅταν θάνῃς, νεμεῖς.ἐμοὶ γὰρ οὐκέτʼ ἔστιν εἰς ὅ τι βλέπωπλὴν σοῦ. σὺ γάρ μοι πατρίδʼ ᾔστωσας δόρει,καὶ μητέρʼ ἄλλη μοῖρα τὸν φύσαντά τεκαθεῖλεν Ἅιδου θανασίμους οἰκήτορας.τίς δῆτʼ ἐμοὶ γένοιτʼ ἂν ἀντὶ σοῦ πατρίς;τίς πλοῦτος; ἐν σοὶ πᾶσʼ ἔγωγε σῴζομαι.
So remember me, too. A true man should cherish remembrance, if anywhere he takes some pleasure. It is kindness that always begets kindness. But whoever lets the memory of benefits seep from him, he can no longer be a noble man.
ἀλλʼ ἴσχε κἀμοῦ μνῆστιν· ἀνδρί τοι χρεὼνμνήμην προσεῖναι, τερπνὸν εἴ τί που πάθοι.χάρις χάριν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τίκτουσʼ ἀεί·ὅτου δʼ ἀπορρεῖ μνῆστις εὖ πεπονθότος,οὐκ ἂν γένοιτʼ ἔθʼ οὗτος εὐγενὴς ἀνήρ.
Chorus:Ajax, I wish that pity touched your heart as it does mine. Then you would approve her words.
Χορός:Αἴας, ἔχειν σʼ ἂν οἶκτον ὡς κἀγὼ φρενὶθέλοιμʼ ἄν· αἰνοίης γὰρ ἂν τὰ τῆσδʼ ἔπη.
Ajax:She will have approval as far as I am concerned, if only she takes heart and graciously does my bidding.
Αἴας:καὶ κάρτʼ ἐπαίνου τεύξεται πρὸς γοῦν ἐμοῦ,ἐὰν μόνον τὸ ταχθὲν εὖ τολμᾷ τελεῖν.
Tecmessa:Dear Ajax, I will obey you in everything.
Τέκμησσα:ἀλλʼ ὦ φίλʼ Αἴας, πάντʼ ἔγωγε πείσομαι.
Ajax:Then bring me my son, so that I may see him.
Αἴας:κόμιζέ νύν μοι παῖδα τὸν ἐμόν, ὡς ἴδω.
Tecmessa:But in my fear I released him from my keeping.
Τέκμησσα:καὶ μὴν φόβοισί γʼ αὐτὸν ἐξελυσάμην.
Ajax:Because of these troubles of mine? Or what do you mean?
Αἴας:ἐν τοῖσδε τοῖς κακοῖσιν; ἢ τί μοι λέγεις;
Tecmessa:Yes, for fear that somehow the poor child would get in your way, and die.
Τέκμησσα:μὴ σοί γέ που δύστηνος ἀντήσας θάνοι.
Ajax:Yes, that would have been truly worthy of my destiny.
Αἴας:πρέπον γέ τἂν ἦν δαίμονος τοὐμοῦ τόδε.
Tecmessa:Well, at least I took care to avert that disaster.
Τέκμησσα:ἀλλʼ οὖν ἐγὼ ʼφύλαξα τοῦτό γʼ ἀρκέσαι.
Ajax:I approve of your action and of your foresight.
Αἴας:ἐπῄνεσʼ ἔργον καὶ πρόνοιαν ἣν ἔθου.
Tecmessa:How, then, can I serve you, as things stand now?
Τέκμησσα:τί δῆτʼ ἂν ὡς ἐκ τῶνδʼ ἂν ὠφελοῖμί σε;
Ajax:Let me speak to him and see him face to face.
Αἴας:δός μοι προσειπεῖν αὐτὸν ἐμφανῆ τʼ ἰδεῖν.
Tecmessa:Oh, yes—he is close by, watched by our servants.
Τέκμησσα:καὶ μὴν πέλας γε προσπόλοις φυλάσσεται.
Ajax:Then why is his presence delayed?
Αἴας:τί δῆτα μέλλει μὴ οὐ παρουσίαν ἔχειν;
Tecmessa:My child, your father calls you. Bring him here, servant, whichever of you is guiding his steps.
Τέκμησσα:ὦ παῖ, πατὴρ καλεῖ σε. δεῦρο προσπόλωνἄγʼ αὐτὸν ὅσπερ χερσὶν εὐθύνων κυρεῖς.
Ajax:Is the man coming? Or has he missed your call?
Αἴας:ἕρποντι φωνεῖς ἢ λελειμμένῳ λόγων;
Tecmessa:Here now one of the servants approaches with him.Enter the Servant and Eurysaces.
Τέκμησσα:καὶ δὴ κομίζει προσπόλων ὅδʼ ἐγγύθεν.
Ajax:Lift him; lift him up here. Doubtless he will not shrink to look on this newly-shed blood, if he is indeed my true-born son and heir to his father’s manners. But he must at once be broken into his father’s harsh ways and moulded to the likeness of my nature.
Αἴας:αἶρʼ αὐτόν, αἶρε δεῦρο· ταρβήσει γὰρ οὒνεοσφαγῆ που τόνδε προσλεύσσων φόνον,εἴπερ δικαίως ἔστʼ ἐμὸς τὰ πατρόθεν.ἀλλʼ αὐτίκʼ ὠμοῖς αὐτὸν ἐν νόμοις πατρὸςδεῖ πωλοδαμνεῖν κἀξομοιοῦσθαι φύσιν.
Ah, son, may you prove luckier than your father, but in all else like him. Then you would not prove base. Yet even now I may well envy you on this account, that you have no perception of these evils about us. Yes, life is sweetest when one lacks sense, [for lack of sensation is a painless evil]that is, until one learns to know joy or pain. But when you come to that knowledge, then you must be sure to prove among your father’s enemies of what mettle and of what lineage you are. Meanwhile feed on light breezes, and nurse your tender life for your mother’s joy.
ὦ παῖ, γένοιο πατρὸς εὐτυχέστερος,τὰ δʼ ἄλλʼ ὅμοιος· καὶ γένοιʼ ἂν οὐ κακός.καίτοι σε καὶ νῦν τοῦτό γε ζηλοῦν ἔχω,ὁθούνεκʼ οὐδὲν τῶνδʼ ἐπαισθάνει κακῶν·ἐν τῷ φρονεῖν γὰρ μηδὲν ἥδιστος βίος,[τὸ μὴ φρονεῖν γὰρ κάρτʼ ἀνώδυνον κακόν]ἕως τὸ χαίρειν καὶ τὸ λυπεῖσθαι μάθῃς.ὅταν δʼ ἵκῃ πρὸς τοῦτο, δεῖ σʼ ὅπως πατρὸςδείξεις ἐν ἐχθροῖς, οἷος ἐξ οἵου ʼτράφης.τέως δὲ κούφοις πνεύμασιν βόσκου, νέανψυχὴν ἀτάλλων, μητρὶ τῇδε χαρμονήν.
There is no Greek—I know it for certain—who will do violence to you with hard outrages, even when you are without me. So trusty is the guard, Teucer himself, whom I will leave at your gates. He will not falter in his care for you, although now he walks a far path, busied with the hunt of enemies.
οὔτοι σʼ Ἀχαιῶν, οἶδα, μή τις ὑβρίσῃστυγναῖσι λώβαις, οὐδὲ χωρὶς ὄντʼ ἐμοῦ.τοῖον πυλωρὸν φύλακα Τεῦκρον ἀμφί σοιλείψω τροφῆ τʼ ἄοκνον ἔμπα, κεἰ τανῦντηλωπὸς οἰχνεῖ, δυσμενῶν θήραν ἔχων.
O my warriors, my seafaring comrades! On you as on him, I lay this shared task of love: give my command to Teucer! Let him take this child to my home and set him before the face of Telamon, and of my mother, Eriboea,so that he may become the comfort of their age into eternity [until they come to the deep hollows of the god below]. And order him that no commissioners of games, nor he who is my destroyer, should make my arms a prize for the Greeks. No, you take this for my sake, Son, my broad shield from which you have your name.Hold it and wield it by the sturdy thong, this sevenfold, spear-proof shield! But the rest of my arms shall be my gravemates.To Tecmessa.
ἀλλʼ, ἄνδρες ἀσπιστῆρες, ἐνάλιος λεώς,ὑμῖν τε κοινὴν τήνδʼ ἐπισκήπτω χάριν,κείνῳ τʼ ἐμὴν ἀγγείλατʼ ἐντολήν, ὅπωςτὸν παῖδα τόνδε πρὸς δόμους ἐμοὺς ἄγωνΤελαμῶνι δείξει μητρί τʼ, Ἐριβοίᾳ λέγω,ὥς σφιν γένηται γηροβοσκὸς εἰσαεί,[μέχρις οὗ μυχοὺς κίχωσι τοῦ κάτω θεοῦ],καὶ τἀμὰ τεύχη μήτʼ ἀγωνάρχαι τινὲςθήσουσʼ Ἀχαιοῖς μήθʼ ὁ λυμεὼν ἐμός.ἀλλʼ αὐτό μοι σύ, παῖ, λαβὼν ἐπώνυμον,Εὐρύσακες, ἴσχε διὰ πολυρράφου στρέφωνπόρπακος, ἑπτάβοιον ἄρρηκτον σάκος·τὰ δʼ ἄλλα τεύχη κοίνʼ ἐμοὶ τεθάψεται.
Come, take the child right away, shut tight the doors and make no laments before the house.God, what a weepy thing is woman. Quick, close the house! It is not for a skilful doctor to moan incantations over a wound that craves the knife.
ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχος τὸν παῖδα τόνδʼ ἤδη δέχουκαὶ δῶμα πάκτου, μηδʼ ἐπισκήνους γόουςδάκρυε· κάρτα τοι φιλοίκτιστον γυνή.πύκαζε θᾶσσον· οὐ πρὸς ἰατροῦ σοφοῦθρηνεῖν ἐπῳδὰς πρὸς τομῶντι πήματι.
Chorus:I am afraid when I hear this eager haste. Your tongue’s sharp edge does not please me.
Χορός:δέδοικʼ ἀκούων τήνδε τὴν προθυμίαν·οὐ γάρ μʼ ἀρέσκει γλῶσσά σου τεθηγμένη.
Tecmessa:Ajax, my lord, what can you have in mind?
Τέκμησσα:ὦ δέσποτʼ Αἴας, τί ποτε δρασείεις φρενί;
Ajax:Do not keep asking me, do not keep questioning. Self-restraint is a virtue.
Αἴας:μὴ κρῖνε, μὴ ʼξέταζε· σωφρονεῖν καλόν.
Tecmessa:Ah, how I despair! Now, by your child, by the gods, I implore you, do not betray us!
Τέκμησσα:οἴμʼ ὡς ἀθυμῶ· καί σε πρὸς τοῦ σοῦ τέκνουκαὶ θεῶν ἱκνοῦμαι, μὴ προδοὺς ἡμᾶς γένῃ.
Ajax:You annoy me too much. Do you not knowthat I no longer owe any service to the gods?
Αἴας:ἄγαν γε λυπεῖς· οὐ κάτοισθʼ ἐγὼ θεοῖςὡς οὐδὲν ἀρκεῖν εἴμʼ ὀφειλέτης ἔτι;
Tecmessa:Hush, no impiety!
Τέκμησσα:εὔφημα φώνει.
Ajax:Speak to those who hear.
Αἴας:τοῖς ἀκούουσιν λέγε.
Tecmessa:You will not listen?
Τέκμησσα:σὺ δʼ οὐχὶ πείσει;
Ajax:Already your words have been too many.
Αἴας:πόλλʼ ἄγαν ἤδη θροεῖς.
Tecmessa:Yes, because I am afraid, my king!
Τέκμησσα:ταρβῶ γάρ, ὦναξ.
Ajax: To the Attendants.Close the doors this instant!
Αἴας:οὐ ξυνέρξεθʼ ὡς τάχος;
Tecmessa:In the name of the gods, be softened!
Τέκμησσα:πρὸς θεῶν, μαλάσσου.
Ajax:You have foolish hope, I think,if you plan so late to begin schooling my temper.Ajax is shut into the tent. Exit Tecmessa with Eurysaces.
Αἴας:μῶρά μοι δοκεῖς φρονεῖν,εἰ τοὐμὸν ἦθος ἄρτι παιδεύειν νοεῖς.
Chorus:O famous Salamis, you, I know, have your happy seat among the waves that beat your shore, eternally conspicuous in the eyes of all men.
Χορός:ὦ κλεινὰ Σαλαμίς, σὺ μέν πουναίεις ἁλίπλακτος, εὐδαίμων,πᾶσιν περίφαντος ἀεί·
But I, miserable, have long been delayed here, still making my bed through countless months in the camp on the fields of Ida.I am worn by time and with anxious expectation still of a journey to Hades the abhorred, the unseen.
ἐγὼ δʼ ὁ τλάμων παλαιὸς ἀφʼ οὗ χρόνοςἸδαῖα μίμνων λειμώνιʼ ἔπαυλα μηνῶνἀνήριθμος αἰὲν εὐνῶμαιχρόνῳ τρυχόμενος,κακὰν ἐλπίδʼ ἔχωνἔτι μέ ποτʼ ἀνύσειντὸν ἀπότροπον ἀΐδηλον Ἅιδαν.
Chorus:And now a new struggle awaits me, ah, me!—a match withAjax, hard to cure, sharing his tent with a madness of divine origin. It is he whom mighty in bold war you dispatched from you once far in the past. But now he is changed; he grazes his thoughts in isolated placesand has been found a heavy sorrow for his friends. His hands’ former achievements, deeds of prowess supreme,have fallen without friends, without friends, before the unfriendly, miserable Atreidae.
Χορός:καί μοι δυσθεράπευτος Αἴαςξύνεστιν ἔφεδρος, ὤμοι μοι,θείᾳ μανίᾳ ξύναυλος·ὃν ἐξεπέμψω πρὶν δή ποτε θουρίῳκρατοῦντʼ ἐν Ἄρει· νῦν δʼ αὖ φρενὸς οἰοβώταςφίλοις μέγα πένθος ηὕρηται.τὰ πρὶν δʼ ἔργα χεροῖνμεγίστας ἀρετᾶςἄφιλα παρʼ ἀφίλοιςἔπεσʼ ἔπεσε μελέοις Ἀτρείδαις.
Chorus:Surely his mother, companion of antiquity andgrey with age, when she hears that he has been afflicted with the ruin of his mind will raise a loud cry of wailing. It is not the nightingale’s piteous lamentthat she, unhappy, will sing. Rather in shrill-toned odes the dirge will rise, while the hollow sound of beating hands and the shredding of grey hair will fall upon her breast.
Χορός:ἦ που παλαιᾷ μὲν σύντροφος ἁμέρᾳ,λευκῷ δὲ γήρᾳ μάτηρ νιν ὅταν νοσοῦνταφρενομόρως ἀκούσῃ,αἴλινον αἴλινονοὐδʼ οἰκτρᾶς γόον ὄρνιθος ἀηδοῦςἥσει δύσμορος, ἀλλʼ ὀξυτόνους μὲν ᾠδὰςθρηνήσει, χερόπλακτοι δʼἐν στέρνοισι πεσοῦνταιδοῦποι καὶ πολιᾶς ἄμυγμα χαίτας.
Chorus:Yes, better hid in Hades is the man plagued by foolishness, who by the lineage from where he springs is noblest of the enduring Achaeans, yet now isconstant no more in his inbred temperament, but wanders outside himself. O Telamon, unhappy father, how heavy a curse upon your son awaits your hearing, a curse which never yet hasany life-portion of the heirs of Aeacus nourished but his!Enter Ajax, sword in hand, followed by Tecmessa.
Χορός:κρείσσων παρʼ Ἅιδᾳ κεύθων ὁ νοσῶν μάταν,ὃς ἐκ πατρῴας ἥκων γενεᾶς ἄριστοςπολυπόνων Ἀχαιῶν,οὐκέτι συντρόφοιςὀργαῖς ἔμπεδος, ἀλλʼ ἐκτὸς ὁμιλεῖ.ὦ τλᾶμον πάτερ, οἵαν σε μένει πυθέσθαιπαιδὸς δύσφορον ἄταν,ἃν οὔπω τις ἔθρεψεναἰὼν Αἰακιδᾶν ἄτερθε τοῦδε.
Ajax:All things the long and countless years first draw from darkness, and then bury from light; and there is nothing which man should not expect: the dread power of oath is conquered, as is unyielding will.
Αἴας:ἅπανθʼ ὁ μακρὸς κἀναρίθμητος χρόνοςφύει τʼ ἄδηλα καὶ φανέντα κρύπτεται·κοὐκ ἔστʼ ἄελπτον οὐδέν, ἀλλʼ ἁλίσκεταιχὠ δεινὸς ὅρκος χαἰ περισκελεῖς φρένες.
For even I, who used to be so tremendously strong—yes, like tempered iron—felt my tongue’s sharp edge emasculated by this woman’s words, and I feel the pity of leaving her a widow and the boy an orphan among my enemies. But I will go to the bathing-place andthe meadows by the shore so that by purging my defilements I may escape the heavy anger of the goddess. Then I will find some isolated spot, and bury this sword of mine, most hateful weapon, digging down in the earth where none can see.
κἀγὼ γάρ, ὃς τὰ δείνʼ ἐκαρτέρουν τότε,βαφῇ σίδηρος ὣς ἐθηλύνθην στόμαπρὸς τῆσδε τῆς γυναικός· οἰκτίρω δέ νινχήραν παρʼ ἐχθροῖς παῖδά τʼ ὀρφανὸν λιπεῖν.ἀλλʼ εἶμι πρός τε λουτρὰ καὶ παρακτίουςλειμῶνας, ὡς ἂν λύμαθʼ ἁγνίσας ἐμὰμῆνιν βαρεῖαν ἐξαλύξωμαι θεᾶς·μολών τε χῶρον ἔνθʼ ἂν ἀστιβῆ κίχω,κρύψω τόδʼ ἔγχος τοὐμόν, ἔχθιστον βελῶν,γαίας ὀρύξας ἔνθα μή τις ὄψεται·
Let Night and Hades keep it underground! For ever since I took into my hand this gift from Hector, my greatest enemy, I have gotten no good from the Greeks. Yes, men’s proverb is true:the gifts of enemies are no gifts and bring no good. And so hereafter I shall, first, know how to yield to the gods, and, second, learn to revere the Atreidae. They are rulers, so we must submit. How could it be otherwise? Things of awe and mightsubmit to authority. So it is that winter with its snow-covered paths gives place to fruitful summer; night’s dark orbit makes room for day with her white horses to kindle her radiance; the blast of dreadful windsallows the groaning sea to rest; and among them all, almighty Sleep releases the fettered sleeper, and does not hold him in a perpetual grasp. And we men—must we not learn self-restraint? I, at least, will learn it, since I am newly aware that an enemy is to be hated only as far assuits one who will in turn become a friend. Similarly to a friend I would wish to give only so much help and service as suits him who will not forever remain friendly. For the masses regard the haven of comradeship as treacherous. But concerning these things it will be well. You, wife,go inside and pray to the gods that the desires of my heart be completed to the very end. Exit Tecmessa. You also, my comrades, honor my wishes just as she does, and command Teucer, when he comes, to take care of us, and to be kind to you at the same time.
ἀλλʼ αὐτὸ νὺξ Ἅιδης τε σῳζόντων κάτω.ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐξ οὗ χειρὶ τοῦτʼ ἐδεξάμηνπαρʼ Ἕκτορος δώρημα δυσμενεστάτου,οὔπω τι κεδνὸν ἔσχον Ἀργείων πάρα.ἀλλʼ ἔστʼ ἀληθὴς ἡ βροτῶν παροιμία,ἐχθρῶν ἄδωρα δῶρα κοὐκ ὀνήσιμα.τοιγὰρ τὸ λοιπὸν εἰσόμεσθα μὲν θεοῖςεἴκειν, μαθησόμεσθα δʼ Ἀτρείδας σέβειν.ἄρχοντές εἰσιν, ὥσθʼ ὑπεικτέον. τί μήν;καὶ γὰρ τὰ δεινὰ καὶ τὰ καρτερώτατατιμαῖς ὑπείκει· τοῦτο μὲν νιφοστιβεῖςχειμῶνες ἐκχωροῦσιν εὐκάρπῳ θέρει·ἐξίσταται δὲ νυκτὸς αἰανὴς κύκλοςτῇ λευκοπώλῳ φέγγος ἡμέρᾳ φλέγειν·δεινῶν τʼ ἄημα πνευμάτων ἐκοίμισεστένοντα πόντον· ἐν δʼ ὁ παγκρατὴς ὕπνοςλύει πεδήσας, οὐδʼ ἀεὶ λαβὼν ἔχει.ἡμεῖς δὲ πῶς οὐ γνωσόμεσθα σωφρονεῖν;ἔγωγʼ· ἐπίσταμαι γὰρ ἀρτίως ὅτιὅ τʼ ἐχθρὸς ἡμῖν ἐς τοσόνδʼ ἐχθαρτέος,ὡς καὶ φιλήσων αὖθις, ἔς τε τὸν φίλοντοσαῦθʼ ὑπουργῶν ὠφελεῖν βουλήσομαι,ὡς αἰὲν οὐ μενοῦντα· τοῖς πολλοῖσι γὰρβροτῶν ἄπιστός ἐσθʼ ἑταιρείας λιμήν.ἀλλʼ ἀμφὶ μὲν τούτοισιν εὖ σχήσει· σὺ δὲἔσω θεοῖς ἐλθοῦσα διὰ τάχους, γύναι,εὔχου τελεῖσθαι τοὐμὸν ὧν ἐρᾷ κέαρ.ὑμεῖς δʼ, ἑταῖροι, ταὐτὰ τῇδέ μοι τάδετιμᾶτε, Τεύκρῳ τʼ, ἢν μόλῃ, σημήνατεμέλειν μὲν ἡμῶν, εὐνοεῖν δʼ ὑμῖν ἅμα.
I am going to where my journey inexorably leads. But you do as I say, and before long, perhaps, though I now suffer, you will hear that I have found rest and peace.Exit Ajax.
ἐγὼ γὰρ εἶμʼ ἐκεῖσʼ ὅποι πορευτέον·ὑμεῖς δʼ ἃ φράζω δρᾶτε, καὶ τάχʼ ἄν μʼ ἴσωςπύθοισθε, κεἰ νῦν δυστυχῶ, σεσωσμένον.
Chorus:I shiver with rapture; I soar on the wings of sudden joy!O Pan, O Pan, appear to us, sea-rover, from the stony ridge of snow-beaten Cyllene. King, dancemaker for the gods, come, so that joining with us you may set on the Nysian and the Cnosian steps,your self-taught dances. Now I want to dance. And may Apollo, lord of Delos, step over the Icarian seaand join me in his divine form, in eternal benevolence!
Χορός:ἔφριξʼ ἔρωτι, περιχαρὴς δʼ ἀνεπτόμαν.ἰὼ ἰὼ Πὰν Πάν,ὦ Πὰν Πὰν ἁλίπλαγκτε, Κυλλανίας χιονοκτύπουπετραίας ἀπὸ δειράδος φάνηθʼ, ὦθεῶν χοροποίʼ ἄναξ, ὅπως μοιΝύσια Κνώσιʼ ὀρχήματʼ αὐτοδαῆ ξυνὼν ἰάψῃς·νῦν γὰρ ἐμοὶ μέλει χορεῦσαι.Ἰκαρίων δʼ ὑπὲρ πελαγέων μολὼν ἄναξ Ἀπόλλωνὁ Δάλιος εὔγνωστοςἐμοὶ ξυνείη διὰ παντὸς εὔφρων.
Chorus:Ares has dispelled the cloud of fierce trouble from our eyes. Joy, joy! Now, Zeus, now can the white radiance of prosperous days approachour swift, sea-speeding ships, since Ajax forgets his pain anew, and has instead fully performed all prescribed sacrifices to the gods with worship and strict observance. The strong years make all things fade.And so I would not say that anything was beyond belief, when beyond our hopes, Ajax has been converted from his fury and mighty struggles against the Atreidae.Enter the Messenger, from the Greek camp.
Χορός:ἔλυσεν αἰνὸν ἄχος ἀπʼ ὀμμάτων Ἄρης.ἰὼ ἰώ, νῦν αὖ,νῦν, ὦ Ζεῦ, πάρα λευκὸν εὐάμερον πελάσαι φάοςθοᾶν ὠκυάλων νεῶν, ὅτʼ Αἴαςλαθίπονος πάλιν, θεῶν δʼ αὖπάνθυτα θέσμιʼ ἐξήνυσʼ εὐνομίᾳ σέβων μεγίστᾳ.πάνθʼ ὁ μέγας χρόνος μαραίνει,κοὐδὲν ἀναύδατον φατίσαιμʼ ἄν, εὖτέ γʼ ἐξ ἀέλπτωνΑἴας μετανεγνώσθηθυμοῦ τʼ Ἀτρείδαις μεγάλων τε νεικέων.
Messenger:Friends, my first news is this:
Ἄγγελος:ἄνδρες φίλοι, τὸ πρῶτον ἀγγεῖλαι θέλω·
Teucer has just now returned from the Mysian heights. He has come to the generals’ quarters mid-camp, and is being shouted at by all the Greeks at once. Recognizing him from a distance as he approached, they gathered around himand then pelted him with jeers from every side—no one held back—calling him “the brother of the maniac, of the plotter against the army,” and saying that he would not be able to avoid entirely losing flesh and life before their flying stones. In this way they had come to the point where swordshad been plucked from sheaths and were drawn in their hands. But then the conflict, when it had nearly run its full course, was halted by the conciliatory words of the elders. But where shall I find Ajax, to tell him this? To our lord I must tell all.
Τεῦκρος πάρεστιν ἄρτι Μυσίων ἀπὸκρημνῶν· μέσον δὲ προσμολὼν στρατήγιονκυδάζεται τοῖς πᾶσιν Ἀργείοις ὁμοῦ.στείχοντα γὰρ πρόσωθεν αὐτὸν ἐν κύκλῳμαθόντες ἀμφέστησαν, εἶτʼ ὀνείδεσινἤρασσον ἔνθεν κἄνθεν οὔτις ἔσθʼ ὃς οὔ,τὸν τοῦ μανέντος κἀπιβουλευτοῦ στρατοῦξύναιμον ἀποκαλοῦντες, ὡς οὐκ ἀρκέσοιτὸ μὴ οὐ πέτροισι πᾶς καταξανθεὶς θανεῖν·ὥστʼ εἰς τοσοῦτον ἦλθον ὥστε καὶ χεροῖνκολεῶν ἐρυστὰ διεπεραιώθη ξίφη.λήγει δʼ ἔρις δραμοῦσα τοῦ προσωτάτωἀνδρῶν γερόντων ἐν ξυναλλαγῇ λόγου.ἀλλʼ ἡμὶν Αἴας ποῦ ʼστιν, ὡς φράσω τάδε;τοῖς κυρίοις γὰρ πάντα χρὴ δηλοῦν λόγον.
Chorus:He is not inside, but is recently departed. He has yoked a new purpose to his new mood.
Χορός:οὐκ ἔνδον, ἀλλὰ φροῦδος ἀρτίως, νέαςβουλὰς νέοισιν ἐγκαταζεύξας τρόποις.
Messenger:No! Oh, no! Too late, then, was he who sent me on this errand, or I myself came too slowly.
Ἄγγελος:ἰοὺ ἰού·βραδεῖαν ἡμᾶς ἆρʼ ὁ τήνδε τὴν ὁδὸνπέμπων ἔπεμψεν ἢ ʼφάνην ἐγὼ βραδύς.
Chorus:What is this urgent matter? What part of it has been neglected?
Χορός:τί δʼ ἐστὶ χρείας τῆσδʼ ὑπεσπανισμένον;
Messenger:Teucer declared that Ajax should not slip out of the house, until he himself arrives.
Ἄγγελος:τὸν ἄνδρʼ ἀπηύδα Τεῦκρος ἔνδοθεν στέγηςμὴ ʼξω παρήκειν, πρὶν παρὼν αὐτὸς τύχῃ.
Chorus:Well, he is departed, I repeat, bent on the purpose that is best for him—to be rid of his anger at the gods.
Χορός:ἀλλʼ οἴχεταί τοι, πρὸς τὸ κέρδιστον τραπεὶςγνώμης, θεοῖσιν ὡς καταλλαχθῇ χόλου.
Messenger:These words betray great foolishness, if there is any wisdom in the prophecies of Calchas.
Ἄγγελος:ταῦτʼ ἐστὶ τἄπη μωρίας πολλῆς πλέα,εἴπερ τι Κάλχας εὖ φρονῶν μαντεύεται.
Chorus:What does he prophesy? What knowledge of this affair do you bring?
Χορός:ποῖον; τί δʼ εἰδὼς τοῦδε πράγματος πάρει;
Messenger:This much I know and witnessed on the spot. Leaving the royal circle of the chiefs who sat in council,Calchas separated himself from the Atreidae and put his right hand with all kindness into the hand of Teucer. The prophet then addressed him and strictly commanded him to use every possible resource to keep Ajax inside his tent for the duration of this day that now shines on us, and to prevent him from moving aboutif he wished ever to look on him alive. For this day alone will the anger of divine Athena lash at him. That was the prophet’s warning. “Yes,” the seer went on to explain, “lives that have grown too proud and no longer yield good fall on grave difficulties sent from the gods,”“especially when someone born to man’s estate forgets that fact by thinking thoughts too high for man. And Ajax, even at the time he first set out from home, showed himself foolish, when his father advised him well. For Telamon told him, ‘My son, seek victory in arms, but always seek it with the help of god.’ Then with a tall boast and foolishly he replied, ‘Father, with the help of the gods even a worthless man might achieve victory; but I, even without that help, fully trust to bring that glory within my grasp.’”
Ἄγγελος:τοσοῦτον οἶδα καὶ παρὼν ἐτύγχανον.ἐκ γὰρ συνέδρου καὶ τυραννικοῦ κύκλουΚάλχας μεταστὰς οἶος Ἀτρειδῶν δίχα,εἰς χεῖρα Τεύκρου δεξιὰν φιλοφρόνωςθεὶς εἶπε κἀπέσκηψε, παντοίᾳ τέχνῃεἶρξαι κατʼ ἦμαρ τοὐμφανὲς τὸ νῦν τόδεΑἴανθʼ ὑπὸ σκηναῖσι μηδʼ ἀφέντʼ ἐᾶν,εἰ ζῶντʼ ἐκεῖνον εἰσιδεῖν θέλοι ποτέ.ἐλᾷ γὰρ αὐτὸν τῇδε θἠμέρᾳ μόνῃδίας Ἀθάνας μῆνις, ὡς ἔφη λέγων.τὰ γὰρ περισσὰ κἀνόνητα σώματαπίπτειν βαρείαις πρὸς θεῶν δυσπραξίαιςἔφασχʼ ὁ μάντις, ὅστις ἀνθρώπου φύσινβλαστὼν ἔπειτα μὴ κατʼ ἄνθρωπον φρονῇ.κεῖνος δʼ ἀπʼ οἴκων εὐθὺς ἐξορμώμενοςἄνους καλῶς λέγοντος ηὑρέθη πατρός.ὁ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐννέπει· τέκνον, δόρειβούλου κρατεῖν μέν, σὺν θεῷ δʼ ἀεὶ κρατεῖν.ὁ δʼ ὑψικόμπως κἀφρόνως ἠμείψατο·πάτερ, θεοῖς μὲν κἂν ὁ μηδὲν ὢν ὁμοῦκράτος κατακτήσαιτʼ· ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ δίχακείνων πέποιθα τοῦτʼ ἐπισπάσειν κλέος.
“So much he boasted. Then once again in answer to divine Athena—at a time when she was urging him forward and telling him to turn a deadly hand against the enemy—he answered her with words terrible and blasphemous, ‘Queen, stand beside the other Greeks; where Ajax stands, battle will never break our line.’ It was by such words, you must know, that he won for himself the intolerable anger of the goddess since his thoughts were too high for man. But if he survives this day, perhaps with the god’s help we may find means to save him.”
τοσόνδʼ ἐκόμπει μῦθον. εἶτα δεύτερονδίας Ἀθάνας, ἡνίκʼ ὀτρύνουσά νινηὐδᾶτʼ ἐπʼ ἐχθροῖς χεῖρα φοινίαν τρέπειν,τότʼ ἀντιφωνεῖ δεινὸν ἄρρητόν τʼ ἔπος·ἄνασσα, τοῖς ἄλλοισιν Ἀργείων πέλαςἵστω, καθʼ ἡμᾶς δʼ οὔποτʼ ἐκρήξει μάχη.τοιοῖσδέ τοι λόγοισιν ἀστεργῆ θεᾶςἐκτήσατʼ ὀργήν, οὐ κατʼ ἄνθρωπον φρονῶν.ἀλλʼ εἴπερ ἔστι τῇδε θἠμέρᾳ, τάχʼ ἂνγενοίμεθʼ αὐτοῦ σὺν θεῷ σωτήριοι.
With those words the seer finished, and at once Teucer rose from his seat and sent me with these orders for you to follow. But if I have been cheated of success, Ajax does not live. Otherwise Calchas has no skill.
τοσαῦθʼ ὁ μάντις εἶφʼ· ὁ δʼ εὐθὺς ἐξ ἕδραςπέμπει με σοὶ φέροντα τάσδʼ ἐπιστολὰςΤεῦκρος φυλάσσειν. εἰ δʼ ἀπεστερήμεθα,οὐκ ἔστιν ἁνὴρ κεῖνος, εἰ Κάλχας σοφός.
Chorus:Poor Tecmessa, born to misery,come out and see this man and his news. The razor lies close at our throat, poised to cut off all joy.Enter Tecmessa, with Eurysaces.
Χορός:ὦ δαΐα Τέκμησσα, δύσμορον γένος,ὅρα μολοῦσα τόνδʼ ὁποῖʼ ἔπη θροεῖ·ξυρεῖ γὰρ ἐν χρῷ τοῦτο μὴ χαίρειν τινά.
Tecmessa:Why do you stir me from my place of rest, when I have just found peace from those relentless troubles?
Τέκμησσα:τί μʼ αὖ τάλαιναν, ἀρτίως πεπαυμένηνκακῶν ἀτρύτων, ἐξ ἕδρας ἀνίστατε;
Chorus:Listen to this man, andhear the news of Ajax that he has brought us—news at which I felt sudden grief.
Χορός:τοῦδʼ εἰσάκουε τἀνδρός, ὡς ἥκει φέρωνΑἴαντος ἡμῖν πρᾶξιν ἣν ἤλγησʼ ἐγώ.
Tecmessa:Oh, no, what is your news, man? Surely we are not ruined?
Τέκμησσα:οἴμοι, τί φής, ἄνθρωπε; μῶν ὀλώλαμεν;
Messenger:I have no clue of your condition, but know only that, if Ajax is away, I have little hope for him.
Ἄγγελος:οὐκ οἶδα τὴν σὴν πρᾶξιν, Αἴαντος δʼ ὅτι,θυραῖος εἴπερ ἐστίν, οὐ θαρσῶ πέρι.
Tecmessa:But he is away, so I am in agony to know what you mean.
Τέκμησσα:καὶ μὴν θυραῖος, ὥστε μʼ ὠδίνειν τί φής.
Messenger:Teucer strictly commands that you keep Ajax under shelter of his tent and not allow him to go out alone.
Ἄγγελος:ἐκεῖνον εἴργειν Τεῦκρος ἐξεφίεταισκηνῆς ὕπαυλον μηδʼ ἀφιέναι μόνον.
Tecmessa:But where is Teucer? And why these orders?
Τέκμησσα:ποῦ δʼ ἐστὶ Τεῦκρος, κἀπὶ τῷ λέγει τάδε;
Messenger:He has just now returned, and he suspects that such a departure carries death for Ajax.
Ἄγγελος:πάρεστʼ ἐκεῖνος ἄρτι· τήνδε δʼ ἔξοδονὀλεθρίαν Αἴαντος ἐλπίζει φέρειν.
Tecmessa:Oh, misery! From whom can he have learned this?
Τέκμησσα:οἴμοι τάλαινα, τοῦ ποτʼ ἀνθρώπων μαθών;
Messenger:From Thestor’s son, the prophet. His prophecy applies to today, when the issue is one of life or death for Ajax.
Ἄγγελος:τοῦ Θεστορείου μάντεως, καθʼ ἡμέραντὴν νῦν, ὅτʼ αὐτῷ θάνατον ἢ βίον φέρει.
Tecmessa:Ah, me! My friends, protect me from the doom threatened by fate! Hurry, some of you, to speed Teucer’s coming;let others go to the westward bays, and others to the eastward, and there seek the man’s disastrous path. I see now that I have been deceived by my husband and cast out of the favor that I once had with him. Ah, my child, what shall I do? I must not sit idle.
Τέκμησσα:οἲ ʼγώ, φίλοι, πρόστητʼ ἀναγκαίας τύχης,καὶ σπεύσαθʼ, οἱ μὲν Τεῦκρον ἐν τάχει μολεῖν,οἱ δʼ ἑσπέρους ἀγκῶνας, οἱ δʼ ἀντηλίουςζητεῖτʼ ἰόντες τἀνδρὸς ἔξοδον κακήν.ἔγνωκα γὰρ δὴ φωτὸς ἠπατημένηκαὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς χάριτος ἐκβεβλημένη.οἴμοι, τί δράσω, τέκνον; οὐχ ἱδρυτέον·
I too will go as far as my strength will carry me. Move, let us be quick, this is no time to sit still, if we wish to save a man who is eager for death.
ἀλλʼ εἶμι κἀγὼ κεῖσʼ ὅποιπερ ἂν σθένω.χωρῶμεν, ἐγκονῶμεν, οὐχ ἕδρας ἀκμὴσῴζειν θέλοντας ἄνδρα γʼ ὃς σπεύδῃ θανεῖν.
Chorus:I am ready to help, and I will show it in more than word. Speed of action and speed of foot will follow together.Exeunt Tecmessa and the Chorus. A Servant takes Eurysaces into the tent. The scene changes to a lonely place on the shore. Enter Ajax, still with sword.
Χορός:χωρεῖν ἕτοιμος, κοὐ λόγῳ δείξω μόνον·τάχος γὰρ ἔργου καὶ ποδῶν ἅμʼ ἕψεται,
Ajax:The sacrificial killer stands planted in the way that will cut most deeply—if I have the leisure for even this much reflection. First, it is the gift of Hector, that enemy-friend who was most hateful to me and most hostile to my sight; next, it is fixed in enemy soil, the land of Troy,newly-whetted on the iron-devouring stone; and finally I have planted it with scrupulous care, so that it should prove most kind to me by a speedy death. Yes, we are well equipped. And so, O Zeus, be the first to aid me, as is proper.
Αἴας:ὁ μὲν σφαγεὺς ἕστηκεν ᾗ τομώτατοςγένοιτʼ ἄν, εἴ τῳ καὶ λογίζεσθαι σχολή·δῶρον μὲν ἀνδρὸς Ἕκτορος ξένων ἐμοὶμάλιστα μισηθέντος ἐχθίστου θʼ ὁρᾶν·πέπηγε δʼ ἐν γῇ πολεμίᾳ τῇ Τρῳάδι,σιδηροβρῶτι θηγάνῃ νεηκονής·ἔπηξα δʼ αὐτὸν εὖ περιστείλας ἐγώ,εὐνούστατον τῷδʼ ἀνδρὶ διὰ τάχους θανεῖν.οὕτω μὲν εὐσκευοῦμεν· ἐκ δὲ τῶνδέ μοισὺ πρῶτος, ὦ Ζεῦ, καὶ γὰρ εἰκός, ἄρκεσον.
It is no large prize that I ask you to award me. Send on my behalf some messenger with news of my downfall to Teucer, so that he may be the first to raise me once I have fallen on this sword and made it newly-wet, and so that I am not first spotted by some enemyand cast out and exposed as prey to the dogs and birds. For this much, Zeus, I appeal to you. I call also on Hermes, guide to the underworld, to lay me softly to sleep with one quick, struggle-free leap, when I have broken open my side on this sword.
αἰτήσομαι δέ σʼ οὐ μακρὸν γέρας λαχεῖν.πέμψον τινʼ ἡμῖν ἄγγελον, κακὴν φάτινΤεύκρῳ φέροντα, πρῶτος ὥς με βαστάσῃπεπτῶτα τῷδε περὶ νεορράντῳ ξίφει,καὶ μὴ πρὸς ἐχθρῶν του κατοπτευθεὶς πάροςῥιφθῶ κυσὶν πρόβλητος οἰωνοῖς θʼ ἕλωρ.τοσαῦτά σʼ, ὦ Ζεῦ, προστρέπω, καλῶ δʼ ἅμαπομπαῖον Ἑρμῆν χθόνιον εὖ με κοιμίσαι,ξὺν ἀσφαδάστῳ καὶ ταχεῖ πηδήματιπλευρὰν διαρρήξαντα τῷδε φασγάνῳ.
And I call for help to the eternal maidens who eternally attend to all sufferings among mortals, the dread, far-striding Erinyes, asking them to learn how my miserable life is destroyed by the Atreidae.And may they seize those wicked men with most wicked destruction, just as they see me [fall slain by my own hand, so slain by their own kin may they perish at the hand of their best-loved offspring]. Come, you swift and punishing Erinyes, devour all the assembled army and spare nothing!
καλῶ δʼ ἀρωγοὺς τὰς ἀεί τε παρθένουςἀεί θʼ ὁρώσας πάντα τἀν βροτοῖς πάθη,σεμνὰς Ἐρινῦς τανύποδας, μαθεῖν ἐμὲπρὸς τῶν Ἀτρειδῶν ὡς διόλλυμαι τάλας,καί σφας κακοὺς κάκιστα καὶ πανωλέθρουςξυναρπάσειαν, ὥσπερ εἰσορῶσʼ ἐμὲ[αὐτοσφαγῆ πίπτοντα, τὼς αὐτοσφαγεῖς][πρὸς τῶν φιλίστων ἐκγόνων ὀλοίατο.]ἴτʼ, ὦ ταχεῖαι ποίνιμοί τʼ Ἐρινύες,γεύεσθε, μὴ φείδεσθε πανδήμου στρατοῦ·
And you, Helios, whose chariot-wheels climb the steep sky, when you see the land of my fathers, draw in your rein spread with gold and tell my disasters and my fate to my aged father and to the unhappy woman who nursed me.
σὺ δʼ, ὦ τὸν αἰπὺν οὐρανὸν διφρηλατῶνἭλιε, πατρῴαν τὴν ἐμὴν ὅταν χθόναἴδῃς, ἐπισχὼν χρυσόνωτον ἡνίανἄγγειλον ἄτας τὰς ἐμὰς μόρον τʼ ἐμὸνγέροντι πατρὶ τῇ τε δυστήνῳ τροφῷ.
Poor mother! Indeed, I think, when she hears this news, she will sing a song of loud wailing throughout the entire city. But it is not for me to weep in vain like this. No, the deed must quickly have its beginning. O Death, Death, come now and lay your eyes on me!
ἦ που τάλαινα, τήνδʼ ὅταν κλύῃ φάτιν,ἥσει μέγαν κωκυτὸν ἐν πάσῃ πόλει.ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν ἔργον ταῦτα θρηνεῖσθαι μάτην,ἀλλʼ ἀρκτέον τὸ πρᾶγμα σὺν τάχει τινί.ὦ Θάνατε Θάνατε, νῦν μʼ ἐπίσκεψαι μολών.
And yet I will meet you also in that other world and there address you. But you, beam of the present bright day, I salute you and the Sun in his chariot for the last time and never again. O light! O sacred soilof my own Salamis, firm seat of my father’s hearth! O famous Athens, and your race kindred to mine! And you, springs and rivers of this land—and you plains of Troy I salute you also—farewell, you who have nurtured me! This is the last word that Ajax speaks to you.The rest he will tell to the shades in Hades.Ajax falls upon his sword. The Chorus reenters in two bands.
καίτοι σὲ μὲν κἀκεῖ προσαυδήσω ξυνών.σὲ δʼ, ὦ φαεννῆς ἡμέρας τὸ νῦν σέλας,καὶ τὸν διφρευτὴν Ἥλιον προσεννέπω,πανύστατον δὴ κοὔποτʼ αὖθις ὕστερον.ὦ φέγγος, ὦ γῆς ἱερὸν οἰκείας πέδονΣαλαμῖνος, ὦ πατρῷον ἑστίας βάθρονκλειναί τʼ Ἀθῆναι καὶ τὸ σύντροφον γένοςκρῆναί τε ποταμοί θʼ οἵδε, καὶ τὰ Τρωϊκὰπεδία προσαυδῶ, χαίρετʼ, ὦ τροφῆς ἐμοί·τοῦθʼ ὑμὶν Αἴας τοὔπος ὕστατον θροεῖ,τὰ δʼ ἄλλʼ ἐν Ἅιδου τοῖς κάτω μυθήσομαι.
First Semichorus:Toil follows toil yielding toil! Where, where have I not trudged? And still no place can say that I have shared its secret.
Ἡμιχόριον 1:πόνος πόνῳ πόνον φέρει.πᾷ πᾷπᾷ γὰρ οὐκ ἔβαν ἐγώ;κοὐδεὶς ἐπίσταταί με συμμαθεῖν τόπος.
Listen! A sudden thud!
ἰδού.δοῦπον αὖ κλύω τινά.
Second Semichorus:We made it, we shipmates of your voyage.
Ἡμιχόριον 2:ἡμῶν γε ναὸς κοινόπλουν ὁμιλίαν.
Semichorus 1:What news, then?
Ἡμιχόριον 1:τί οὖν δή;
Semichorus 2:All the westward flank of the ships has been scoured for tracks.Semichorus 1:And did you find anything?
Ἡμιχόριον 2:πᾶν ἐστίβηται πλευρὸν ἕσπερον νεῶνἩμιχόριον 1:ἔχεις οὖν;
Semichorus 2:Only an abundance of toil. There was nothing more to see.
Ἡμιχόριον 2:πόνου γε πλῆθος, κοὐδὲν εἰς ὄψιν πλέον.
Semichorus 1:Neither, as a matter of fact, has the man been seen along the path that faces the shafts of the morning sun.
Ἡμιχόριον 1:ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ μὲν δὴ τὴν ἀφʼ ἡλίου βολῶνκέλευθον ἁνὴρ οὐδαμοῦ δηλοῖ φανείς.
Chorus:Who, then, can guide me? What toilingfisherman, busy about his sleepless hunt, what nymph of the Olympian heights or of the streams that flow towardBosporus, can say whether she has anywhere seen the wanderings of fierce-hearted Ajax? It is cruel that I, who have roamed with such great toil, cannot come near him with a fair course,but fail to see where the enfeebled man is.Enter Tecmessa near the corpse of Ajax.
Χορός:τίς ἂν δῆτά μοι, τίς ἂν φιλοπόνωνἁλιαδᾶν ἔχων ἀΰπνους ἄγρας,ἢ τίς Ὀλυμπιάδων θεᾶν ἢ ῥυτῶνΒοσπορίων ποταμῶν, τὸν ὠμόθυμονεἴ ποθι πλαζόμενον λεύσσωνἀπύοι; σχέτλια γὰρἐμέ γε τὸν μακρῶν ἀλάταν πόνωνοὐρίῳ μὴ πελάσαι δρόμῳ,ἀλλʼ ἀμενηνὸν ἄνδρα μὴ λεύσσειν ὅπου.
Tecmessa:Ah, me, ah, me!
Τέκμησσα:ἰώ μοί μοι.
Chorus:Whose cry broke from that nearby grove?
Χορός:τίνος βοὴ πάραυλος ἐξέβη νάπους;
Tecmessa:Ah, misery!
Τέκμησσα:ἰὼ τλήμων.
Chorus:There, I see his unfortunate young bride, who was the prize of his spear,Tecmessa, dissolved in that pitiful wailing.
Χορός:τὴν δουρίληπτον δύσμορον νύμφην ὁρῶΤέκμησσαν, οἴκτῳ, τῷδε συγκεκραμένην.
Tecmessa:I am lost, destroyed, razed to the ground, my friends!
Τέκμησσα:ᾤχωκʼ, ὄλωλα, διαπεπόρθημαι, φίλοι.
Chorus:What is it?
Χορός:τί δʼ ἔστιν;
Tecmessa:Here is our Ajax—his blood newly shed, he lies folded around the sword, burying it.
Τέκμησσα:Αἴας ὅδʼ ἡμῖν ἀρτίως νεοσφαγὴςκεῖται, κρυφαίῳ φασγάνῳ περιπτυχής.
Chorus:Ah, no! Our homecoming is lost! Ah, my king, you have killed me, the comrade of your voyage! Unhappy man—broken-hearted woman!
Χορός:ὤμοι ἐμῶν νόστων·ὤμοι, κατέπεφνες, ἄναξ,τόνδε συνναύταν, τάλαςὦ ταλαίφρων γύναι·
Tecmessa:His condition demands that we cry “aiai.”
Τέκμησσα:ὡς ὧδε τοῦδʼ ἔχοντος αἰάζειν πάρα.
Chorus:But by whose hand can the ill-fated man have contrived this end?
Χορός:τίνος ποτʼ ἆρʼ ἔπραξε χειρὶ δύσμορος;
Tecmessa:He did it with his own hand; it is obvious. This sword which he planted in the ground and on which he fell convicts him.
Τέκμησσα:αὐτὸς πρὸς αὑτοῦ, δῆλον· ἐν γάρ οἱ χθονὶπηκτὸν τόδʼ ἔγχος περιπετὲς κατηγορεῖ.
Chorus:Ah, what blind folly I have displayed! All alone, then, you bled, unguarded by your friends! And I took no care, so entirely dull was I, so totally stupid. Where, where lies inflexible Ajax, whose name means anguish?
Χορός:ὤμοι ἐμᾶς ἄτας, οἶος ἄρʼ αἱμάχθης, ἄφαρκτος φίλων·ἐγὼ δʼ ὁ πάντα κωφός, ὁ πάντʼ ἄϊδρις,κατημέλησα. πᾷ πᾷκεῖται ὁ δυστράπελος, δυσώνυμος Αἴας;
Tecmessa:No, he is not to be looked at! I will cover him over entirely with this enfolding shroud, since no one—no one, that is, who loves him—could bear to see him spurt the darkened gore of his self-inflicted slaughter up his nostrils and out of the bloody gash.Ah, what shall I do? What loved one is there to lift you in his arms? Where is Teucer? How timely would be his arrival, if he would but come to compose the corpse of his brother here! Ah, unlucky Ajax, from so great a height you are fallen so low!
Τέκμησσα:οὔτοι θεατός· ἀλλά νιν περιπτυχεῖφάρει καλύψω τῷδε παμπήδην, ἐπεὶοὐδεὶς ἄν, ὅστις καὶ φίλος, τλαίη βλέπεινφυσῶντʼ ἄνω πρὸς ῥῖνας ἔκ τε φοινίαςπληγῆς μελανθὲν αἷμʼ ἀπʼ οἰκείας σφαγῆς.οἴμοι, τί δράσω; τίς σε βαστάσει φίλων;ποῦ Τεῦκρος; ὡς ἀκμαῖʼ ἄν, εἰ βαίη, μόλοι,πεπτῶτʼ ἀδελφὸν τόνδε συγκαθαρμόσαι.
Even among your enemies you are worthy of mourning!Chorus:You were bound, poor man, with that unbending heart you were bound, it seems, to fulfill a harsh destiny of limitless toils! So wild to my earswere the words of hatred which in your fierce mood you moaned against the Atreidae with such deadly passion. True it is that that moment was a potent source of sorrows,when the arms were made the prize for a contest in the skills of warfare!
ὦ δύσμορʼ Αἴας, οἷος ὢν οἵως ἔχεις,ὡς καὶ παρʼ ἐχθροῖς ἄξιος θρήνων τυχεῖν.Χορός:ἔμελλες, τάλας, ἔμελλες χρόνῳστερεόφρων ἄρʼ ἐξανύσσειν κακὰνμοῖραν ἀπειρεσίων πόνων. τοῖά μοιπάννυχα καὶ φαέθοντʼ ἀνεστέναζεςὠμόφρων ἐχθοδόπʼ Ἀτρείδαιςοὐλίῳ σὺν πάθει.μέγας ἄρʼ ἦν ἐκεῖνος ἄρχων χρόνοςπημάτων, ἦμος ἀριστόχειρ… ὅπλων ἔκειτʼ ἀγὼν πέρι.
Tecmessa:Ah! Ah!
Τέκμησσα:ἰώ μοί μοι.
Chorus:True anguish, I know, pierces your heart.
Χορός:χωρεῖ πρὸς ἧπαρ, οἶδα, γενναία δύη.
Tecmessa:Ah! Ah, me!
Τέκμησσα:ἰώ μοί μοι.
Chorus:I do not wonder, lady, that you wail and wail again, when you have just lost one so loved.
Χορός:οὐδέν σʼ ἀπιστῶ καὶ δὶς οἰμῶξαι, γύναι,τοιοῦδʼ ἀποβλαφθεῖσαν ἀρτίως φίλου.
Tecmessa:It is for you to analyze my troubles, but for me to feel them too fully.
Τέκμησσα:σοὶ μὲν δοκεῖν ταῦτʼ ἔστʼ, ἐμοὶ δʼ ἄγαν φρονεῖν.
Chorus:I must agree.
Χορός:ξυναυδῶ.
Tecmessa:Oh, my son, to what a heavy yoke of slaverywe advance! What cruel task-masters stand over us!
Τέκμησσα:οἴμοι, τέκνον, πρὸς οἷα δουλείας ζυγὰχωροῦμεν, οἷοι νῷν ἐφεστᾶσιν σκοποί.
Chorus:Ah, the deeds of the two ruthless Atreidae which you name in our present grief would be unthinkable! May the gods hold them back!
Χορός:ὤμοι, ἀναλγήτωνδισσῶν ἐθρόησας ἄναυδʼἔργʼ Ἀτρειδᾶν τῷδʼ ἄχει.ἀλλʼ ἀπείργοι θεός.
Tecmessa:These events that you see would not have happened as they have without the will of the gods.
Τέκμησσα:οὐκ ἂν τάδʼ ἔστη τῇδε μὴ θεῶν μέτα.
Chorus:Yes, they have brought upon us a burden too heavy to bear.
Χορός:ἄγαν ὑπερβριθὲς γὰρ ἄχθος ἤνυσαν.
Tecmessa:Yet what suffering the divine daughter of Zeus, fierce Pallas, engenders for Odysseus’ sake!
Τέκμησσα:τοιόνδε μέντοι Ζηνὸς ἡ δεινὴ θεὸςΠαλλὰς φυτεύει πῆμʼ Ὀδυσσέως χάριν.
Chorus:No doubt the much-enduring hero exults in his dark soul and mocks in loud laughter at these frenzied sorrows—what shame!—and with him, when they hear the news, will laugh the royal brothers, the Atreidae.
Χορός:ἦ ῥα κελαινώπαν θυμὸν ἐφυβρίζει πολύτλας ἀνήρ,γελᾷ δὲ τοῖσδε μαινομένοις ἄχεσινπολὺν γέλωτα, φεῦ φεῦ,ξύν τε διπλοῖ βασιλῆς κλύοντες Ἀτρεῖδαι.
Tecmessa:Then let them mock and rejoice at this man’s misery. Perhaps, even though they did not cherish him while he lived, they will lament his death, when they meet with the difficulties of war. Men of crooked judgment do not know what goodthey have in their hands until they have thrown it away. His death is more bitter to me than it is sweet to the Greeks; but in any case to Ajax himself it is a joy, since he has accomplished all that he desired to get—his longed-for death. So why should they exult over him?
Τέκμησσα:οἱ δʼ οὖν γελώντων κἀπιχαιρόντων κακοῖςτοῖς τοῦδʼ· ἴσως τοι, κεἰ βλέποντα μὴ ʼπόθουν,θανόντʼ ἂν οἰμώξειαν ἐν χρείᾳ δορός.οἱ γὰρ κακοὶ γνώμαισι τἀγαθὸν χεροῖνἔχοντες οὐκ ἴσασι, πρίν τις ἐκβάλῃ.ἐμοὶ πικρὸς τέθνηκεν ἢ κείνοις γλυκύς,αὑτῷ δὲ τερπνός· ὧν γὰρ ἠράσθη τυχεῖνἐκτήσαθʼ αὑτῷ, θάνατον ὅνπερ ἤθελεν.τί δῆτα τοῦδʼ ἐπεγγελῷεν ἂν κάτα;
He died before the gods, not at all before them—no! And so let Odysseus toss his insults in empty glee. For them Ajax is no more; for me he is gone, abandoning me to anguish and mourning.Teucer: Approaching.
θεοῖς τέθνηκεν οὗτος, οὐ κείνοισιν, οὔ.πρὸς ταῦτʼ Ὀδυσσεὺς ἐν κενοῖς ὑβριζέτω.Αἴας γὰρ αὐτοῖς οὐκέτʼ ἐστίν, ἀλλʼ ἐμοὶλιπὼν ἀνίας καὶ γόους διοίχεται.
Ah! Ah, no!Chorus:Quiet—I think I hear the voice of Teucer striking a note that points to this disaster.Enter Teucer.
Τεῦκρος:ἰώ μοί μοι.Χορός:σίγησον· αὐδὴν γὰρ δοκῶ Τεύκρου κλύεινβοῶντος ἄτης τῆσδʼ ἐπίσκοπον μέλος.
Teucer:Beloved Ajax, brother whose face was so dear to me, have you truly fared as the mighty rumor says?
Τεῦκρος:ὦ φίλτατʼ Αἴας, ὦ ξύναιμον ὄμμʼ ἐμοί,ἆρʼ ἠμπόληκας, ὥσπερ ἡ φάτις κρατεῖ;
Chorus:He is dead, Teucer. Take it as fact.
Χορός:ὄλωλεν ἁνήρ, Τεῦκρε, τοῦτʼ ἐπίστασο.