Medea 1 - Ancient Greek GCSE translation

πάντων δ᾽ ὅσ᾽ ἔστ᾽ ἔμψυχα καὶ γνώμην ἔχει

Of all who are alive and have intelligence

γυναῖκές ἐσμεν ἀθλιώτατον φυτόν:

We women are the most wretched creature

ἃς πρῶτα μὲν δεῖ χρημάτων ὑπερβολῇ πόσιν πρίασθαι

who must first buy a husband with an excess of money

δεσπότην τε σώματος λαβειν:

and take a master of our bodies

 κακοῦ γὰρ τοῦτ᾽ ἔτ᾽ ἄλγιον κακόν. 

for this evil is still more painful than the first evil

κἀν τῷδ᾽ ἀγὼν μέγιστος,

and in this the contest in the greatest

 ἢ κακὸν λαβεῖν ἢ χρηστόν:

whether to take a bad one or a good one

οὐ γὰρ εὐκλεεῖς ἀπαλλαγαὶ γυναιξὶν

for divorces are discreditable for women

οὐδ᾽ οἷόν τ᾽ ἀνήνασθαι πόσιν.

and it is not possible to refuse a husband.

ἐς καινὰ δ᾽ ἤθη καὶ νόμους ἀφιγμένην

and having arrived into new manners and customs

δεῖ μάντιν εἶναι

she must be a prophet

μὴ μαθοῦσαν οἴκοθεν,

not having learnt from home

οἵῳ μαλιστα χρήσεται ξυνευνέτῃ.        

what sort of husband in particular she will engage with.