Medea 1-48 Flashcards
Τροφός
Εἴθ᾽ ὤφελ᾽ Ἀργοῦς μὴ διαπτάσθαι σκάφος
Κόλχων ἐς αἶαν κυανέας Συμπληγάδας,
μηδ᾽ ἐν νάπαισι Πηλίου πεσεῖν ποτε
τμηθεῖσα πεύκη, μηδ᾽ ἐρετμῶσαι χέρας
ἀνδρῶν ἀριστέων οἳ τὸ πάγχρυσον δέρος
Πελίᾳ μετῆλθον. οὐ γὰρ ἂν δέσποιν᾽ ἐμὴ
Μήδεια πύργους γῆς ἔπλευσ᾽ Ἰωλκίας
ἔρωτι θυμὸν ἐκπλαγεῖσ᾽ Ἰάσονος:
οὐδ᾽ ἂν κτανεῖν πείσασα Πελιάδας κόρας
πατέρα κατῴκει τήνδε γῆν Κορινθίαν.
ξὺν ἀνδρὶ καὶ τέκνοισιν, ἁνδάνουσα μὲν
φυγὰς πολίταις ὧν ἀφίκετο χθόνα
αὐτῷ τε πάντα ξυμφέρουσ᾽ Ἰάσονι:
ἥπερ μεγίστη γίγνεται σωτηρία,
ὅταν γυνὴ πρὸς ἄνδρα μὴ διχοστατῇ.
Nurse
If only the keel of the Argos had not flown over the dark blue clashing rocks towards the land of Colchis,
nor when the pine tree having been cut, fall in the glens of Pelion, and would not have equipped the hands of the best men who were on a quest for the golden fleece on behalf of Pelius.
My mistress Medea would not have sailed from the towers and land of Iolcus, her heart struck by love for Jason. nor would she have persuaded Pelias’ daughters to kill their father, and settled in this land of Corinth.
she was pleasing to the citizens, having arrived to the land as an exile with husband and children, and she was useful to Jason himself in all things, the very thing which is the greatest salvation whenever a woman does not disagree against her husband.
μηδε - goes from nom + inf, to acc + infin.
θυμὸν - acc of respect
πάντα - acc of respect
Τροφός
νῦν δ᾽ ἐχθρὰ πάντα, καὶ νοσεῖ τὰ φίλτατα.
προδοὺς γὰρ αὑτοῦ τέκνα δεσπότιν τ᾽ ἐμὴν γάμοις Ἰάσων βασιλικοῖς εὐνάζεται,
γήμας Κρέοντος παῖδ᾽, ὃς αἰσυμνᾷ χθονός.
Μήδεια δ᾽ ἡ δύστηνος ἠτιμασμένη
βοᾷ μὲν ὅρκους, ἀνακαλεῖ δὲ δεξιᾶς
πίστιν μεγίστην, καὶ θεοὺς μαρτύρεται
οἵας ἀμοιβῆς ἐξ Ἰάσονος κυρεῖ.
κεῖται δ᾽ ἄσιτος, σῶμ᾽ ὑφεῖσ᾽ ἀλγηδόσιν,
τὸν πάντα συντήκουσα δακρύοις χρόνον
ἐπεὶ πρὸς ἀνδρὸς ᾔσθετ᾽ ἠδικημένη,
οὔτ᾽ ὄμμ᾽ ἐπαίρουσ᾽ οὔτ᾽ ἀπαλλάσσουσα γῆς
πρόσωπον: ὡς δὲ πέτρος ἢ θαλάσσιος
κλύδων ἀκούει νουθετουμένη φίλων,
ἢν μή ποτε στρέψασα πάλλευκον δέρην
αὐτὴ πρὸς αὑτὴν πατέρ᾽ ἀποιμώξῃ φίλον
καὶ γαῖαν οἴκους θ᾽, οὓς προδοῦσ᾽ ἀφίκετο
μετ᾽ ἀνδρὸς ὅς σφε νῦν ἀτιμάσας ἔχει.
ἔγνωκε δ᾽ ἡ τάλαινα συμφορᾶς ὕπο
οἷον πατρῴας μὴ ἀπολείπεσθαι χθονός.
now, everything is hatred and their great love is sick. For Jason abandoned his own children and my mistress and sleeps in a royal bed, having married Creon’s daughter, who rules the land. And wretched Medea, having been dishonoured, shouts to the oath, and calls upon the great truth of his right hand, and calls the gods as witnesses what sort of return she meets with from Jason. She remains lying down, without food, freely submitting her body to suffering, dissolving all time with/in tears, and percieved the dishonour from her husband, neither raising her eyes nor freeing her face from the ground. Just as stones or waves of the sea, she hears the warnings of loved ones, except when she, turning her white neck, she weeps for her dear father, country and home, which she had abandonded when she arrived with the man who has now dishonoured her. The wretched woman knows her from her misfortune what sort of thing it is to not leave one’s father land.
ἢν µή: except…; ‘if not,’ ἢν = ἐὰν (εἰ ὰν)
Τροφός
στυγεῖ δὲ παῖδας οὐδ᾽ ὁρῶσ᾽ εὐφραίνεται.
δέδοικα δ᾽ αὐτὴν μή τι βουλεύσῃ νέον:
βαρεῖα γὰρ φρήν, οὐδ᾽ ἀνέξεται κακῶς
πάσχουσ᾽ （ἐγᾦδα τήνδε） δειμαίνω τέ νιν
μὴ θηκτὸν ὤσῃ φάσγανον δι᾽ ἥπατος
[σιγῇ δόμους εἰσβᾶσ᾽, ἵν᾽ ἔστρωται λέχος,]
ἢ καὶ τυράννους τόν τε γήμαντα κτάνῃ
κἄπειτα μείζω συμφορὰν λάβῃ τινά.
δεινὴ γάρ: οὔτοι ῥᾳδίως γε συμβαλὼν
ἔχθραν τις αὐτῇ καλλίνικος ᾁσεται.
ἀλλ᾽ οἵδε παῖδες ἐκ τρόχων πεπαυμένοι
στείχουσι, μητρὸς οὐδὲν ἐννοούμενοι
κακῶν: νέα γὰρ φροντὶς οὐκ ἀλγεῖν φιλεῖ.
She hates her children nor does seeing them bring her joy. I fear that she will plan something new, for her mind is grievous, nor will she put up with suffering badly (I know this) I fear that she will thrust the sharpened blade through her organs (she will enter the house silently, where the bed is laid out) or kill the royals and bridegroom, and then snatch some greater misfortune. For it is terrible, someone engaging in enmity with her will not easily sing of victory. But the children are coming, having finished their games, knowing nothing of their mother’s troubles, for young minds do not love to suffer.
ὤσῃ, κτάνῃ and λάβῃ in subj. following μη fearing clause.
