Euripides, Hebuca.2

04 Saturday Mar 2017

Posted by memoirandremains in Greek, Greek Translation, Uncategorized

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Euripides, Greek Translation, Hebuca, poem, Poetry

Lines 11-20

My father quietly sent a fortune

In gold with me, that should the Illian wall

Crash down, those living would not lack for life.

I was the youngest son of Priam’s house

And he sent me secretly from the land.

Of course, I did not carry any arms

Not even a lance, so young were my arms.

For as long as the boundaries stood secure,

The Towers of Troy upright and unshattered,

And Hector my brother’s spear saw good luck,

Then that man, my father’s Thracian friend,

Well cared for me, so I raised up like a tree.

πολὺν δὲ σὺν ἐμοὶ χρυσὸν ἐκπέμπει λάθρᾳ

πατήρ, ἵνʼ, εἴ ποτʼ Ἰλίου τείχη πέσοι,

τοῖς ζῶσιν εἴη παισὶ μὴ σπάνις βίου.

νεώτατος δʼ ἦ Πριαμιδῶν, ὃ καί με γῆς

ὑπεξέπεμψεν· οὔτε γὰρ φέρειν ὅπλα

[15] οὔτʼ ἔγχος οἷός τʼ ἦ νέῳ βραχίονι.

ἕως μὲν οὖν γῆς ὄρθʼ ἔκειθʼ ὁρίσματα

πύργοι τʼ ἄθραυστοι Τρωικῆς ἦσαν χθονὸς

Ἕκτωρ τʼ ἀδελφὸς οὑμὸς εὐτύχει δορί,

καλῶς παρʼ ἀνδρὶ Θρῃκὶ πατρῴῳ ξένῳ

[20] τροφαῖσιν ὥς τις πτόρθος ηὐξόμην, τάλας·

Euripides, Euripidis Fabulae, Ed. Gilbert Murray, Vol. 1, ed. Gilbert Murray (Medford, MA: Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1902).

Euripides, Hecuba.1

02 Thursday Mar 2017

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Euripides, Greek, Greek Translation, Hecuba, poem, Poetry

Here is the first lines of Polydorus’ introduction to the play Hecuba.

Polydorus

I have come, leaving the depths of the dead,

From the Dark Gates, where Hades dwells apart

From other gods. I am Polydorus

The son of Hecuba, of Cisseus;

Priam my father. After Priam feared

That danger from the Hellenes spear would fall

Upon the Phrygian City of Troy,

He secretly sent me from our land

To the home of his Thracian guest-friend

Polymenstor, who farms Chersone’s fair plain

And rules a horse-loving people by spear.

Πολυδώρου εἴδωλον

Ἥκω νεκρῶν κευθμῶνα καὶ σκότου πύλας

λιπών, ἵνʼ Ἅιδης χωρὶς ᾤκισται θεῶν,

Πολύδωρος, Ἑκάβης παῖς γεγὼς τῆς Κισσέως

Πριάμου τε πατρός, ὅς μʼ, ἐπεὶ Φρυγῶν πόλιν

[5] κίνδυνος ἔσχε δορὶ πεσεῖν Ἑλληνικῷ,

δείσας ὑπεξέπεμψε Τρωικῆς χθονὸς

Πολυμήστορος πρὸς δῶμα Θρῃκίου ξένου,

ὃς τήν<δʼ> ἀρίστην Χερσονησίαν πλάκα

σπείρει, φίλιππον λαὸν εὐθύνων δορί.

Euripides, Euripidis Fabulae, Ed. Gilbert Murray, Vol. 1, ed. Gilbert Murray (Medford, MA: Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1902).

Iphigenia in Aulis (Euripides)

25 Saturday Feb 2017

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Euripides, Greek Translation, poem, Poetry

In this scene, the slave of Agamemnon is carrying a letter which could jeopardize the progress of the Greek armed trip against Troy (it is to stop the sacrifice of Agamemnon’s daughter to satisfy Artemis). Menelaus, the husband of Helen, and thus the one who most personally desires the war against Troy, stops the slave and tries to take the letter away from him.

It is interesting how strong the slave stands against a king in this short scene. The original Greek is set forth below the translation. As the original is verse, I worked the translation out as blank verse. I have tried to maintain some of the wordplay of Euripides.

Slave:

Menelaus, dang’rously you dare

Such things as you should never dare.

Menelaus

Back off: you’re far too loyal to your lord.

Slave:

Honor for me by your spite to be despised

Menelaus:

Tears for you if you do such things as you

Should never do.

Slave:

It’s not for you to pry

Into this message which here I bear.

Menelaus:

Nor you to bear this evil for the Greeks.

Slave:

Others will contend about these things

But you, release this scroll to me.

Menelaus:

I will never move.

Slave:

I will never go.

Menelaus:

Well then, my scepter soon will bleed your crown.

Slave:

What fame to die in service of my lord.

Menelaus:

Such big words for such a slave to spout –move!

Slave:

O Master, we shall be defamed — the letter!

By violence torn, without the will of right,

From out my very hand, Agamemnon.

Πρεσβύτης

Μενέλαε, τολμᾷς δείνʼ, ἅ σʼ ουʼ τολμᾶν χρεών.

Μενέλαος

ἄπελθε· λίαν δεσπόταισι πιστὸς εἶ.

Πρεσβύτης

[305] καλόν γέ μοι τοὔνειδος ἐξωνείδισας.

Μενέλαος

κλαίοις ἄν, ειʼ πράσσοις ἃ μὴ πράσσειν σε δεῖ.

Πρεσβύτης

ουʼ χρῆν σε λῦσαι δέλτον, ἣν ἐγὼ ʼφερον.

Μενέλαος

οὐδέ γε φέρειν σὲ πᾶσιν Ἕλλησιν κακά.

Πρεσβύτης

ἄλλοις ἁμιλλῶ ταῦτʼ· ἄφες δὲ τήνδʼ ἐμοί.

Μενέλαος

[310] οὐκ ἂν μεθείμην.

Πρεσβύτης

οὐδʼ ἔγωγʼ ἀφήσομαι.

Μενέλαος

σκήπτρῳ τάχʼ ἆρα σὸν καθαιμάξω κάρα.

Πρεσβύτης

ἀλλʼ εὐκλεές τοι δεσποτῶν θνῄσκειν ὕπερ.

Μενέλαος

μέθες· μακροὺς δὲ δοῦλος ὢν λέγεις λόγους.

Πρεσβύτης

ὦ δέσποτʼ, ἀδικούμεσθα. σὰς δʼ ἐπιστολὰς

[315] ἐξαρπάσας ὅδʼ ἐκ χερῶν ἐμῶν βίᾳ,

Ἀγάμεμνον, οὐδὲν τῇ δίκῃ χρῆσθαι θέλει.

Euripides, Euripidis Fabulae, Ed. Gilbert Murray, Vol. 3, ed. Gilbert Murray (Medford, MA: Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1913).

Plutarch’s Marriage Advice, Section 40: Do Not Listen to Slanderers

13 Tuesday May 2014

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Andromache, conjugalia praecepta, Euripides, Granville Sharp Rule, Greek Grammar, Philip, Plutarch, Plutarch Moralia, Plutarch translation, Plutarch's Marriage Advice, Slander, Whisperers

The previous post in this series may be found here: https://memoirandremains.wordpress.com/2014/05/10/plutarchs-marriage-advice-section-39-protecting-the-bed/

Hermione seems to speak the truth when she says,

My destruction came through evil women

Yet, it does not come about quite this simply. It happens when fights and jealousies with her husband opens her door – and not only her door, but her ears to such women. It is then – especially when things are difficult – that the wife must close up her ears and guard against these whisperers; otherwise, fire will be heaped upon fire. Before this happens, she needs to remember a saying of Philip: For when his friends were provoking him against the Greeks on the ground that he was good them but they were speaking evil of him, he said, “What would happen if I were to do them evil?”

Thus, when the slanderers say to a wife, “Your husband is hurting such a loving and virtuous wife!” she should return, “What would happen if I were to begin to hate and mistreat him?”

Greek Text and Notes:

Continue reading →

Plutarch’s Marriage Advice, Section 38: Passions and Quarrels

10 Saturday May 2014

Posted by memoirandremains in Greek, New Testament Background, Plutarch

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Affections, Conj, Emotion, emotions, Euripides, Passions, Plutarch, Plutarch Moralia, Plutarch translation, Plutarch's Marriage Advice

The previous post in this series may be found here: http://wp.me/p1S7fR-241

Euripides was right to correct those who add the lyre to wine. It’s best to call for music when someone is a passion or depression, not merely as an added pleasure to pleasures.

You should consider it a fault for two to lie down together solely for pleasure and then live apart just because one of them is angry.

Especially at such times they shall call upon Aphrodite; she is the best the physician for their trouble. Doesn’t even the Poet write of Hera

I will free them from their angry quarrel

And lead them in love to their marriage bed.

Greek Text and Notes: Continue reading →