Sunday, July 03, 2016
A Fate Worse Than Death
Euripides, Medea 645-653 (tr. David Kovacs):
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O fatherland, O house, may I neverScholia:
be bereft of my city,
never have a life of helplessness,
a cruel life,
most pitiable of woes!
In death, O in death may I be brought low ere that, 650
bringing my life's daylight to an end!
Of troubles none is greater than
to be robbed of one's native land.
ὦ πατρίς, ὦ δώματα, μὴ
δῆτ᾿ ἄπολις γενοίμαν
τὸν ἀμηχανίας ἔχουσα
δυσπέρατον αἰῶ,
οἰκτρότατόν <γ᾿> ἀχέων.
θανάτῳ θανάτῳ πάρος δαμείην 650
ἁμέραν τάνδ᾿ ἐξανύσασα· μό-
χθων δ᾿ οὐκ ἄλλος ὕπερθεν ἢ
γᾶς πατρίας στέρεσθαι.
648 αἰῶ Stinton: αἰῶν᾿ C
