Medea pages 6-10

ὁρῶ δὲ καὶ Κρέοντα, τῆσδ᾽ ἄνακτα γῆς,

But now I see Creon, ruler of this land,

στείχοντα, καινῶν ἄγγελον βουλευμάτων.

coming, a messenger of new decisions.

σὲ τὴν σκυθρωπὸν καὶ πόσει θυμουμένην, Μήδειαν,

You, Medea scowling and furious with your husband,

εἶπον τῆσδε γῆς ἔξω περᾶν φυγάδα,

I publicly order you to go out of this land, as an exile,

λαβοῦσαν δισσὰ σὺν σαυτῇ τέκνα· καὶ μή τι μέλλειν·

taking your two children with you and don’t delay at all:

ὡς ἐγὼ βραβεὺς λόγου τοῦδ᾽ εἰμί, κοὐκ ἄπειμι πρὸς δόμους πάλιν,

since I am judge of this decree and I will not return back to my home

πρὶν ἄν σε γαίας τερμόνων ἔξω βάλω.

until I have expelled you outside the boundaries of our lands.

αἰαῖ· πανώλης ἡ τάλαιν᾽ ἀπόλλυμαι.

Alas! I, wretched woman, am utterly destroyed:

ἐχθροὶ γὰρ ἐξιᾶσι πάντα δὴ κάλων, κοὐκ ἔστιν ἄτης εὐπρόσοιστος ἔκβασις.

for my enemies are letting out all of the rope, and there is no easy way out of this ruin.

ἐρήσομαι δὲ καὶ κακῶς πάσχουσ᾽ ὅμως·

But although suffering badly, nevertheless I ask:

τίνος μ᾽ ἕκατι γῆς ἀποστέλλεις, Κρέον;

for what reason do you send me away from this land, Creon?

δέδοικά σ’ (οὐδὲν δεῖ παραμπίσχειν λόγους)

I am afraid that you (there is no need to cloak my words)

μή μοί τι δράσῃς παῖδ᾽ ἀνήκεστον κακόν.

will do some irreparable harm to my child.

συμβάλλεται δὲ πολλὰ τοῦδε δείματος·

Many factors contribute to this:

σοφὴ πέφυκας καὶ κακῶν πολλῶν ἴδρις,

You are a wise woman and skilled in many evils,

λυπῇ δὲ λέκτρων ἀνδρὸς ἐστερημένη.

but in pain having been deprived of your husband’s bed.

κλύω δ᾽ ἀπειλεῖν σ᾽, ὡς ἀπαγγέλλουσί μοι, τὸν δόντα

I hear that you threaten, so they report to me, to do something to the man who gave her

αὶ γήμαντα καὶ γαμουμένην δράσειν τι.

and the man that married her, and the woman he married.

ταῦτ᾽ οὖν πρὶν παθεῖν φυλάξομαι.

Therefore I will take precautions before suffering this.

κρεῖσσον δέ μοι νῦν πρός σ᾽ ἀπεχθέσθαι, γύναι,

It is better for me to be hated now, woman,

ἢ μαλθακισθένθ᾽ ὕστερον μεταστένειν.

than having been soft, to regret it later.

φεῦ φεῦ, μελέα τῶν σῶν ἀχέων, δυστηνε γυναι

Alas, alas, wretched in your pain, unfortunate woman,

ποῖ ποτε τρέψῃ;

where on Earth will you turn?

τίνα πρὸς ξενίαν ἦ δόμον ἢ χθόνα σωτῆρα κακῶν ἐξευρήσεις;

What saviour in friendship, either house or country, will you find in your troubles?

ὡς εἰς ἄπορόν σε κλύδωνα θεός, Μήδεια, κακῶν ἐπόρευσε.

How a God has carried you, Medea, to an impossible storm of troubles.

κακῶς πέπρακται πανταχῇ· τίς ἀντερεῖ;

In every way, things have turned out badly: who will deny it?

ἀλλ᾽ οὔτι ταύτῃ ταῦτα, μὴ δοκεῖτέ πω.

But things will not turn out in this way at all, don’t expect it yet.

ἔτ᾽ εἴσ᾽ ἀγῶνες τοῖς νεωστὶ νυμφίοις

There are still challenges for the newly wedded pair

καὶ τοῖσι κηδεύσασιν οὐ σμικροὶ πόνοι.

and not small troubles for those who made the marriage.

δοκεῖς γὰρ ἄν με τόνδε θωπεῦσαί ποτε

Do you think that I would have ever flattered him

εἰ μή τι κερδαίνουσαν ἢ τεχνωμένην;

if I were not going to gain some profit or scheme?

οὐδ᾽ ἂν προσεῖπον οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἡψάμην χεροῖν.

Nor would I have spoken to him or touched him with my hands.

ὃ δ᾽ ἐς τοσοῦτον μωρίας ἀφίκετο ὥστ᾽

But he has reached such a level of stupidity that,

ἐξὸν αὐτῷ τἄμ᾽ ἑλεῖν βουλεύματα γῆς ἐκβαλόντι,

when it was possible for him to snatch away my plans by banishing me from the land,

τήνδ᾽ ἑφῆκεν ἡμέραν μεῖναί μ᾽,

he allowed me to remain (for) this day,

ἐν ᾗ τρεῖς τῶν ἐμῶν ἐχθρῶν νεκροὺς θήσω,

on which I will make dead bodies out of my three enemies,

πατέρα τε καὶ κόρην πόσιν τ᾽ ἐμόν.

both the father and the daughter and my husband.