section 49-73

Question 1

Παιδαγωγός
παλαιὸν οἴκων κτῆμα δεσποίνης ἐμῆς,
50 τί πρὸς πύλαισι τήνδ᾽ ἄγουσ᾽ ἐρημίαν
ἕστηκας, αὐτὴ θρεομένη σαυτῇ κακά;
πῶς σοῦ μόνη Μήδεια λείπεσθαι θέλει;

Τροφός
τέκνων ὀπαδὲ πρέσβυ τῶν Ἰάσονος,
χρηστοῖσι δούλοις ξυμφορὰ τὰ δεσποτῶν
55 κακῶς πίτνοντα, καὶ φρενῶν ἀνθάπτεται.
ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐς τοῦτ᾽ ἐκβέβηκ᾽ ἀλγηδόνος
ὥσθ᾽ ἵμερός μ᾽ ὑπῆλθε γῇ τε κοὐρανῷ
λέξαι μολούσῃ δεῦρο δεσποίνης τύχας.

Answer 1

Tutor
old possession of my mistress’s house, why are you standing before these gates, crying to yourself about your misfortunes? How is Medea willing to be left alone without you?

Nurse
old attendant to the children of Jason, is goes badly for useful slaves when their master’s chance falls, it touches their hearts. I have come out, in so much pain that I have come out so that I am overwhelmed by a longing to come out and to speak of my mistress’ fate to the earth and sky.

σοῦ μόνη - gen of sep.
ἐς τοῦτ᾽ … ἀλγηδόνος - lit. to this of pain
μ᾽ - με, as μοι is never elided in trag.

Question 2

Παιδαγωγός
οὔπω γὰρ ἡ τάλαινα παύεται γόων;

Τροφός
60 ζηλῶ σ᾽: ἐν ἀρχῇ πῆμα κοὐδέπω μεσοῖ.

Παιδαγωγός
ὦ μῶρος, εἰ χρὴ δεσπότας εἰπεῖν τόδε:
ὡς οὐδὲν οἶδε τῶν νεωτέρων κακῶν.

Τροφός
τί δ᾽ ἔστιν, ὦ γεραιέ; μὴ φθόνει φράσαι.

Παιδαγωγός
οὐδέν: μετέγνων καὶ τὰ πρόσθ᾽ εἰρημένα.

Answer 2

Tutor
Has the miserable not yet ceased crying?

Nurse
I envy you, her misery is in its beginning, we are not yet in the middle.

Tutor
Oh foolish woman, if one must say this word of mistresses, how does she know nothing of the new misfortunes.

Nurse
What is this, old man? Do not refuse to make it known.

Tutor
it is nothing, I have changed my mind about the before words.

Question 3

Τροφός
65 μή, πρὸς γενείου, κρύπτε σύνδουλον σέθεν:
σιγὴν γάρ, εἰ χρή, τῶνδε θήσομαι πέρι.

Παιδαγωγός
ἤκουσά του λέγοντος, οὐ δοκῶν κλύειν,
πεσσοὺς προσελθών, ἔνθα δὴ παλαίτεροι
θάσσουσι, σεμνὸν ἀμφὶ Πειρήνης ὕδωρ,
70 ὡς τούσδε παῖδας γῆς ἐλᾶν Κορινθίας
σὺν μητρὶ μέλλοι τῆσδε κοίρανος χθονὸς
Κρέων. ὁ μέντοι μῦθος εἰ σαφὴς ὅδε
οὐκ οἶδα: βουλοίμην δ᾽ ἂν οὐκ εἶναι τόδε.

Answer 3

Nurse
by your beard, don’t hide from your fellow slave. For, if it is nec, I will be silent about these things.

Tutor
I was going towards the gambling house, where the old men sit ideally around the sacred waters of Peirene, and I heard, while appearing to not listen, some words