Medea 1001–39

Question 1

ΠΑΙΔΑΓΩΓΟΣ
δέσποιν᾿, ἀφεῖνται παῖδες οἵδε σοι φυγῆς,
καὶ δῶρα νύμφη βασιλὶς ἀσμένη χεροῖν
ἐδέξατ᾿· εἰρήνη δὲ τἀκεῖθεν τέκνοις.
ἔα·
1005τί συγχυθεῖσ᾿ ἕστηκας ἡνίκ᾿ εὐτυχεῖς;
[τί σὴν ἔστρεψας ἔμπαλιν παρηίδα
κοὐκ ἀσμένη τόνδ᾿ ἐξ ἐμοῦ δέχῃ λόγον;]
ΜΗΔΕΙΑ
αἰαῖ.
ΠΑΙΔΑΓΩΓΟΣ
τάδ᾿ οὐ ξυνῳδὰ τοῖσιν ἐξηγγελμένοις.
ΜΗΔΕΙΑ
αἰαῖ μάλ᾿ αὖθις.
ΠΑΙΔΑΓΩΓΟΣ
μῶν τιν᾿ ἀγγέλλων τύχην
1010οὐκ οἶδα, δόξης δ᾿ ἐσφάλην εὐαγγέλου;
ΜΗΔΕΙΑ
ἤγγειλας οἷ᾿ ἤγγειλας· οὐ σὲ μέμφομαι.
ΠΑΙΔΑΓΩΓΟΣ
τί δαὶ κατηφὲς ὄμμα καὶ δακρυρροεῖς;

Answer 1

Tutor
Mistress, your children have been released from exile, and the new bride has happily accepted the gifts into her hands. from there, there is peace to the children. Ah!
why are you standing in distress when you are fortunate (why do you turn you face away and why are you not happily receiving this news from me?)

Medea
Alas

Tutor
this is not in tune with my announcing.

Medea
alas very much again.

Tutor
surely I do not know some fate of this announcement and surely I have been lead astray from my expectations of this good news?

Medea
you announced what you have announced, I don’t blame you.

Tutor
what precisely are you weeping with downcast eyes?

Question 2

ΜΗΔΕΙΑ
πολλή μ᾿ ἀνάγκη, πρέσβυ· ταῦτα γὰρ θεοὶ
κἀγὼ κακῶς φρονοῦσ᾿ ἐμηχανησάμην.
ΠΑΙΔΑΓΩΓΟΣ
1015θάρσει· κάτει τοι καὶ σὺ πρὸς τέκνων ἔτι.
ΜΗΔΕΙΑ
ἄλλους κατάξω πρόσθεν ἡ τάλαιν᾿ ἐγώ.
ΠΑΙΔΑΓΩΓΟΣ
οὔτοι μόνη σὺ σῶν ἀπεζύγης τέκνων·
κούφως φέρειν χρὴ θνητὸν ὄντα συμφοράς.

Answer 2

Medea
I need to do at lot, old man, for the gods and I have contrived these things, thinking wickedly.

Tutor
Have heart! you return towards your children yet.

Medea
I, being wretched, will lead back them before.

Tutor
not you alone indeed!! you were separated from your children, it is nec for mortals to lightly bear misfortunes.

Question 3

ΜΗΔΕΙΑ
δράσω τάδ᾿· ἀλλὰ βαῖνε δωμάτων ἔσω
1020καὶ παισὶ πόρσυν᾿ οἷα χρὴ καθ᾿ ἡμέραν.
ὦ τέκνα τέκνα, σφῷν μὲν ἔστι δὴ πόλις
καὶ δῶμ᾿, ἐν ᾧ λιπόντες ἀθλίαν ἐμὲ
οἰκήσετ᾿ αἰεὶ μητρὸς ἐστερημένοι·
ἐγὼ δ᾿ ἐς ἄλλην γαῖαν εἶμι δὴ φυγάς,
1025πρὶν σφῷν ὀνάσθαι κἀπιδεῖν εὐδαίμονας,
πρὶν λουτρὰ καὶ γυναῖκα καὶ γαμηλίους
εὐνὰς ἀγῆλαι λαμπάδας τ᾿ ἀνασχεθεῖν.
ὦ δυστάλαινα τῆς ἐμῆς αὐθαδίας.
ἄλλως ἄρ᾿ ὑμᾶς, ὦ τέκν᾿, ἐξεθρεψάμην,
ἄλλως δ᾿ ἐμόχθουν καὶ κατεξάνθην πόνοις,
στερρὰς ἐνεγκοῦσ᾿ ἐν τόκοις ἀλγηδόνας.
ἦ μήν ποθ᾿ ἡ δύστηνος εἶχον ἐλπίδας
πολλὰς ἐν ὑμῖν, γηροβοσκήσειν τ᾿ ἐμὲ
καὶ κατθανοῦσαν χερσὶν εὖ περιστελεῖν,
1035ζηλωτὸν ἀνθρώποισι· νῦν δ᾿ ὄλωλε δὴ
γλυκεῖα φροντίς. σφῷν γὰρ ἐστερημένη
λυπρὸν διάξω βίοτον ἀλγεινόν τ᾿ ἐμόν.
ὑμεῖς δὲ μητέρ᾿ οὐκέτ᾿ ὄμμασιν φίλοις
ὄψεσθ᾿, ἐς ἄλλο σχῆμ᾿ ἀποστάντες βίου.

Answer 3

Medea
I will do so. but go into the house and prepare the children for the things which are nec throughout the day.
Oh kids, kids, there is a city and home for you, in which leaving wretched me you will live always deprived from your mother. I will go into another land as an exile, before enjoy you and see you happy, before I celebrate your baths and wives and wedding beds and hold up torches. Oh most miserable from my stubbornness. in vain, children, I raised you, in vain I laboured and was torn by my work, bearing hard pains in childbirth. truly I used to have much hope that you would take care of me and having died cover me well with your hands, enviable to mortals, now indeed sweet thoughts are destroyed. for robbed of you, I will live a wretched and pained life. you will see no longer see your mother with loving eyes, having gone into another form of life.