Euripides, Bacchae, Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator), 977

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Hinauf, schnelle Hunde der Wuth, auf zum Berg,¹

Wo sich im Tanze Kadmos' Jungfraun ergehn!

Hinauf, stachelt sie

Wider den Wahnsinntrunkenen, der Bacchos' Fest

Auszuspåhn, im Fraungewand hinauszog!
880

Zuerst wird die Mutter ihn von dem glatten Fels

Oder vom Baume schaun,

Wenn er umherspåht; dann ruft sie den Frauen zu:

,,Welcher Kadmeier kommt hier in so raschem Lauf,

Spåhend, zum Berg, zum Berg? Sagt, o Bacchantinnen,
885

Wer war seine Mutter? Nicht von Frauenblut

Stammt er; ihn gebar

Eine Löwin, oder ist er

Libyscher Gorgonen Geschlecht."

Erschein', o Recht, erscheine, schwertbewehrtes Recht!
890

Ermord' ihn, durchstoß' ihm die Kehle, dem

Gottlos, gesezlos, rechtlos frevelnden,

Echions erdentsproßnem Sohn,

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)) — 977-1023 focus

Χορός

ἴτε θοαὶ Λύσσας κύνες ἴτʼ εἰς ὄρος,

θίασον ἔνθʼ ἔχουσι Κάδμου κόραι,

ἀνοιστρήσατέ νιν

ἐπὶ τὸν ἐν γυναικομίμῳ στολᾷ
980

λυσσώδη κατάσκοπον μαινάδων.

μάτηρ πρῶτά νιν λευρᾶς ἀπὸ πέτρας

ἢ σκόλοπος ὄψεται

δοκεύοντα, μαινάσιν δʼ ἀπύσει·

Τίς ὅδʼ ὀρειδρόμων
985

μαστὴρ Καδμείων ἐς ὄρος ἐς ὄρος ἔμολʼ

ἔμολεν, ὦ βάκχαι; τίς ἄρα νιν ἔτεκεν;

οὐ γὰρ ἐξ αἵματος

γυναικῶν ἔφυ, λεαίνας δέ τινος

ὅδʼ ἢ Γοργόνων Λιβυσσᾶν γένος.
990

ἴτω δίκα φανερός, ἴτω ξιφηφόρος

φονεύουσα λαιμῶν διαμπὰξ

τὸν ἄθεον ἄνομον ἄδικον Ἐχίονος
995

γόνον γηγενῆ.

997

Χορός

ὃς ἀδίκῳ γνώμᾳ παρανόμῳ τʼ ὀργᾷ

περὶ σὰ Βάκχιʼ, ὄργια ματρός τε σᾶς

μανείσᾳ πραπίδι

παρακόπῳ τε λήματι στέλλεται,
1000

τἀνίκατον ὡς κρατήσων βίᾳ,

γνωμᾶν σωφρόνα θάνατος ἀπροφάσι-

στος ἐς τὰ θεῶν ἔφυ·

βροτείως τʼ ἔχειν ἄλυπος βίος.

τὸ σοφὸν οὐ φθονῶ·
1005

χαίρω θηρεύουσα· τὰ δʼ ἕτερα μεγάλα

φανερά τʼ· ὤ, νάει ν ἐπὶ τὰ καλὰ βίον,

ἦμαρ ἐς νύκτα τʼ εὐ-

αγοῦντʼ εὐσεβεῖν, τὰ δʼ ἔξω νόμιμα

δίκας ἐκβαλόντα τιμᾶν θεούς.
1010

ἴτω δίκα φανερός, ἴτω ξιφηφόρος

φονεύουσα λαιμῶν διαμπὰξ

τὸν ἄθεον ἄνομον ἄδικον Ἐχίονος
1015

τόκον γηγενῆ.

1017

Χορός

φάνηθι ταῦρος ἢ πολύκρανος ἰδεῖν

δράκων ἢ πυριφλέγων ὁρᾶσθαι λέων.

ἴθʼ, ὦ Βάκχε, θηραγρευτᾷ βακχᾶν
1020

γελῶντι προσώπῳ περίβαλε βρόχον

θανάσιμον ὑπʼ ἀγέλαν πεσόν-

τι τὰν μαινάδων.

1024

Translations (2)

The Bacchae Perseus (Euripides. The Tragedies of Euripides. Vol. I. Buckley, Theodore Alois, translator. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1850. (Modernized by Perseus.)) — 977-1020 focus

Chorus

Go to the mountain, go, fleet hounds of Madness, where the daughters of Kadmos hold their company, and drive them raving

against the mad spy on the Maenads, the one dressed in women’s attire. His mother will be the first to see him from a smooth rock or crag, as he lies in ambush, and she will cry out to the maenads:
980

Who is this seeker of the mountain-going Kadmeans who has come to the mountain, to the mountain, Bacchae? Who bore him? For he was not born from a woman’s blood, but is the offspring of some lioness
985

or of Libyan Gorgons. Let manifest justice go forth, let it go with sword in hand, slaying through the throat
990

this godless, lawless, unjust, earth-born offspring of Echion.
995

997

Chorus

Whoever with wicked mind and unjust rage regarding your rites, Bacchus, and those of your mother, comes with raving heart

and mad disposition violently to overcome by force what is invincible—death is the discipline for his purposes, accepting no excuses when the affairs of the gods are concerned; to act like a mortal—this is a life that is free from pain. ¹
1000

I do not envy wisdom, but rejoice in hunting it. But other things are great and manifest. Oh, for life to flow towards the good, to be pure and pious day and night, and to honor the gods,
1005

banishing customs that are outside of justice. Let manifest justice go forth, let it go with sword in hand, slaying through the throat
1010

this godless, lawless, unjust, earth-born offspring of Echion.
1015

1017

Chorus

Appear as a bull or many-headed serpent or raging lion to see.

Go, Bacchus, with smiling face throw a deadly noose around the hunter of the Bacchae as he falls beneath the flock of Maenads.
1020

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

Notes on the current edition

Bacchae

1. [OCR note; compare the printed page.] Die Hunde ter Wuth sind die Erinnyen, die auch von anderen Dichtern so genannt werden.

Euripides Bacchae 977

Johann Jakob Christian Donner (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Experimental

Chorus

Appear as a bull or many-headed serpent or raging lion to see.

Go, Bacchus, with smiling face throw a deadly noose around the hunter of the Bacchae as he falls beneath the flock of Maenads.
1020

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Experimental

Chorus Appear as a bull or many-headed serpent or raging lion to see. Go, Bacchus, with smiling face throw a deadly noose around the hunter of the Bacchae as he falls beneath the flock of Maenads. 1020

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Chorus

Appear as a bull or many-headed serpent or raging lion to see.

Go, Bacchus, with smiling face throw a deadly noose around the hunter of the Bacchae as he falls beneath the flock of Maenads.
1020