Bacchae

Perseus Greek · Perseus Greek · 541 sections

1305
, who am bereft of my male children and see this offspring of your womb, wretched woman, most miserably and shamefully slain. He was the hope of our line—you, child, who supported the house, son of my daughter,
1310
an object of fear to the city; seeing you, no one wished to insult the old man, for you would have given a worthy punishment. But now I, great Kadmos, who sowed and reaped
1315
a most glorious crop, the Theban people, will be banished from the house without honor. Dearest of men—for though you are dead I still count you among my dearest, child—no longer will you embrace me, calling me grandfather, touching my chin with your hand, child, and
1320
saying: Who wrongs you, old man, who dishonors you? Who vexes and troubles your heart? Tell me, father, so that I can punish the one who does you wrong. But now I am miserable, while you are wretched, your mother is pitiful, and wretched too are your relatives.
1325
If anyone scorns the gods, let him look to the death of this man and acknowledge them.
1327
I grieve for you, Kadmos. Your daughter’s child has a punishment deserved indeed, but grievous to you.
1329
Father, for you see how much my situation has changed ...
1330
. . . changing your form, you will become a dragon, and your wife, Harmonia, Ares’ daughter, whom you though mortal held in marriage, will be turned into a beast, and will receive in exchange the form of a serpent. And as the oracle of Zeus says, you will drive along with your wife a chariot of heifers, ruling over barbarians.
1335
You will sack many cities with a force of countless numbers. And when they plunder the oracle of Apollo, they will have a miserable return, but Ares will protect you and Harmonia and will settle your life in the land of the blessed.
1340
That is what I, Dionysus, born not from a mortal father, but from Zeus, say. And if you had known how to be wise when you did not wish to be, you would have acquired Zeus’ son as an ally, and would now be happy.
1344
Dionysus, we beseech you, we have acted injustly.
1345
You have learned it too late; you did not know it when you should have.
1346
Now we know, but you go too far against us.
1347
Yes, for I, a god by birth, was insulted by you.
1348
Gods should not resemble mortals in their anger.
1349
My father Zeus approved this long ago.
1350
Alas! A miserable exile has been decreed for us, old man.
1351
Why then do you delay what must necessarily be?
1352
Child, what a terrible disaster we have all come to—unhappy you, your sisters, and unhappy me. I shall reach a foreign land
1355
as an aged immigrant. Still it is foretold that I shall bring into Hellas a motley barbarian army. Leading their spears, I, having the fierce nature of a serpent, will bring my wife Harmonia, daughter of Ares, to the altars and tombs of Hellas.
1360
I will neither rest from my troubles in my misery, nor will I sail over the downward flowing Acheron and be at peace.
1363
O father, I will go into exile deprived of you.
1364
Why do you embrace me with your hands, child,
1365
like a swan for its exhausted gray-haired parent?
1366
For where can I turn, banished from my father-land?
1367
I do not know, child; your father is a poor ally.
1368
Farewell, house, farewell, city of my forefathers. In misfortune I leave you,
1370
a fugitive from my chamber.
1371
Go now, child, to the land of Aristaeus . . .
1372
I grieve for you, father.
1372b
And I for you, child, and I weep for your sisters.
1374
Terribly indeed has
1375
lord Dionysus brought this misery to your home.
1377
Yes, for I suffered terrible things at your hands, with my name not honored in Thebes.
1379
Farewell, my father.
1379b
Farewell, unhappy
1380
daughter; and yet you cannot easily fare well.
1381
Lead me, escorts, where I may take my pitiful sisters as companions to my exile. May I go where accursed Kithairon may not see me,
1385
nor I see Kithairon with my eyes, nor where a memorial of a thyrsos has been dedicated; let these concern other Bacchae.
1388
Many are the forms of divine things, and the gods bring to pass many things unexpectedly;
1390
what is expected has not been accomplished, but the god has found out a means for doing things unthought of. So too has this event turned out.

Perseus Greek. CTS URN tlg0006.tlg017.perseus-eng2. Via the Perseus Digital Library / Open Greek and Latin TEI corpora. Licence: Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source.