Euripides, Bacchae, Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator), 519

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Acheloos' erhabenes Kind, Dirka, du holdlächelnde Jungfrau!

Denn du nahmst einst in dein Flutbett

Den Sohn Kronions auf,

Da der Gott ihn aus der Glut,
455

Der unsterblichen, raffend,

In die Huft' ihn mit der Goldspange sich einschloß:

,,Dithyrambos,

rief er

auf, gehe hinein in diesen

Mannleib!

So dich, o Bacchios, nennend, stell' ich dem Volk Thebe's

Und du, glückselige Dirka,
460

dich dar."

Du verstoßest mich von dir

Mit den kranzgeschmückten Festreihn?

Was verabscheust du, was fliehst du mich?

O gewiß! einst, bei des Weingottes beseligenden Pokalen!

Einst wird Bromios dir noch werth sein!
465
Gegenstrophe.

Bacchae. Euripides. Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator). . .

Current edition Experimental

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1845; OCR review) (OCR draft) (German) (Euripides. Deutsch in den Versmaßen der Urschrift. Volume 2, Heidelberg: C. F. Winter, 1845. Harvard OCR compared with an independent BSB copy. Native Donner verse citations, Murray reference cards, explicitly located notes and page facsimiles. Unresolved OCR, verse divisions, unlocated notes and printed errata are documented in the source review.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)

Βάκχαι Perseus (Euripides. Euripidis Fabulae, Vol. III. Murray, Gilbert, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913. (Reprinted 1920-1978)) — 519-575 focus

Χορός

Ἀχελῴου θύγατερ,

πότνιʼ εὐπάρθενε Δίρκα,
520

σὺ γὰρ ἐν σαῖς ποτε παγαῖς

τὸ Διὸς βρέφος ἔλαβες,

ὅτε μηρῷ πυρὸς ἐξ ἀ-

θανάτου Ζεὺς ὁ τεκὼν ἥρ-

πασέ νιν, τάδʼ ἀναβοάσας·
525

Ἴθι, Διθύραμβʼ, ἐμὰν ἄρ-

σενα τάνδε βᾶθι νηδύν·

ἀναφαίνω σε τόδʼ, ὦ Βάκ-

χιε, Θήβαις ὀνομάζειν.

σὺ δέ μʼ, ὦ μάκαιρα Δίρκα,
530

στεφανηφόρους ἀπωθῇ

θιάσους ἔχουσαν ἐν σοί.

τί μʼ ἀναίνῃ; τί με φεύγεις;

ἔτι ναὶ τὰν βοτρυώδη

Διονύσου χάριν οἴνας,
535

ἔτι σοι τοῦ Βρομίου μελήσει.

537

Χορός

οἵαν οἵαν ὀργὰν

ἀναφαίνει χθόνιον

γένος ἐκφύς τε δράκοντός

ποτε Πενθεύς, ὃν Ἐχίων
540

ἐφύτευσε χθόνιος,

ἀγριωπὸν τέρας, οὐ φῶ-

τα βρότειον, φόνιον δʼ ὥσ-

τε γίγαντʼ ἀντίπαλον θεοῖς·

ὃς ἔμʼ ἐν βρόχοισι τὰν τοῦ
545

Βρομίου τάχα ξυνάψει,

τὸν ἐμὸν δʼ ἐντὸς ἔχει δώ-

ματος ἤδη θιασώταν

σκοτίαις κρυπτὸν ἐν εἱρκταῖς.

ἐσορᾷς τάδʼ, ὦ Διὸς παῖ
550

Διόνυσε, σοὺς προφήτας

ἐν ἁμίλλαισιν ἀνάγκας;

μόλε, χρυσῶπα τινάσσων,

ἄνα, θύρσον κατʼ Ὄλυμπον,

φονίου δʼ ἀνδρὸς ὕβριν κατάσχες.
555

556

Χορός

πόθι Νύσας ἄρα τᾶς θη-

ροτρόφου θυρσοφορεῖς

θιάσους, ὦ Διόνυσʼ, ἢ

κορυφαῖς Κωρυκίαις;

τάχα δʼ ἐν ταῖς πολυδένδρεσ-
560

σιν Ὀλύμπου θαλάμαις, ἔν-

θα ποτʼ Ὀρφεὺς κιθαρίζων

σύναγεν δένδρεα μούσαις,

σύναγεν θῆρας ἀγρώτας.

μάκαρ ὦ Πιερία,
565

σέβεταί σʼ Εὔιος, ἥξει

τε χορεύσων ἅμα βακχεύ-

μασι, τόν τʼ ὠκυρόαν

διαβὰς Ἀξιὸν εἱλισ-

σομένας Μαινάδας ἄξει,
570

Λυδίαν πατέρα τε, τὸν

τᾶς εὐδαιμονίας βροτοῖς

ὀλβοδόταν, τὸν ἔκλυον

εὔιππον χώραν ὕδασιν

καλλίστοισι λιπαίνειν.
575

576

Translations (2)

The Bacchae Perseus (Euripides. The Tragedies of Euripides. Vol. I. Buckley, Theodore Alois, translator. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1850. (Modernized by Perseus.)) — 519-575 focus

Chorus

Daughter of Acheloüs,

venerable Dirce, happy virgin, you once received the child of Zeus in your streams, when Zeus his father snatched him up from the immortal fire and saved him in his thigh,
520

crying out: Go, Dithyrambus, enter this my male womb. I will make you illustrious, Bacchus, in Thebes , so that they will call you by this name.
525

But you, blessed Dirce, reject me with my garland-bearing company about you. Why do you refuse me, why do you flee me? I swear by the cluster-bearing
530

delight of Dionysus’ vine that you will have a care for Bromius.
535

537

Chorus

What rage, what rage does the earth-born race show, and Pentheus,

once descended from a serpent—Pentheus, whom earth-born Echion bore, a fierce monster, not a mortal man, but like a bloody giant, hostile to the gods.
540

He will soon bind me, the hand-maid of Bromius, in chains, and he already holds my fellow-reveler within the house, hidden in a dark prison.
545

Do you see this, O Dionysus, son of Zeus, your priests in the dangers of restraint? Come, lord, down from Olympus , brandishing your golden thyrsos,
550

and restrain the insolence of the blood-thirsty man.
555

556

Chorus

Where on Nysa , which nourishes wild beasts, or on Corycian heights, do you lead with your thyrsos the bands of revelers?

Perhaps in the deep-wooded lairs of Olympus , where Orpheus once playing the lyre drew together trees by his songs, drew together the beasts of the fields.
560

Blessed Pieria , the Joyful one reveres you and will come to lead the dance in revelry; having crossed the swiftly flowing Axius he will bring the
565

whirling Maenads, leaving Lydias, giver of wealth to mortals, the father who they say fertilizes the land of beautiful horses with
570

fairest streams.
575

The Bacchae (OCR draft) Experimental (The Bacchae. Robert Potter's English verse translation, first published in 1781–1783; text from the 1808 Oxford printing.)

No corresponding passage available

Euripides Bacchae 519

Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator)

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