Ancient Greek – Camila Lashbrook ’23, Classical Studies & English double major

Fragment 543: ὅτε λάρνακι
by Simonides

ὅτε λάρνακι
ἐν δαιδαλέᾳ
ἄνεμος τέ μιν πνέων κινηθεῖσά τε λίμνα
δείματι ἔρειπεν, οὐκ ἀδιάντοισι παρειαῖς,
ἀμφί τε Περσέϊ βάλλε φίλαν χέρα
εῖπέν τ’, “ὦ τέκος, οἷον ἔχω πόνον·
σὺ δ’ ἀωτεῖς γαλαθηνῷ
δ’ ἤθει κνοώσσεις ἐν ἀτερπέι
δούρατι χαλκεογόμφῳ
νυκτιλαμπεῖ κυανέῳ τε δνόφῳ ταθείς·
ἅλμαν δ’ ὕπερθε τεᾶν κομᾶν βαθεῖαν
παριόντος κύματος οὐκ ἀλέγεις,
οὐδ’ ἀνέμου φθόγγον,
κείμενος ἐν πορφυρέᾳ χλανίδι, καλὸν πρόσωπον.
εἰ δέ τοι δεινὸν τό γε δεινὸν ἦν,
καί κεν ἐμῶν ῥημάτων
λεπτὸν ὑπεῖχες οὖας.
κέλομαι δ’ εὗδε βρέφος,
εὑδέτω δὲ πόντος,
εὑδέτω δ’ ἄμετρον κακόν·
μεταβουλία δέ τις φανείη,
Ζεῦ πάτερ, ἐκ σέο·
ὅττι δὲ θαρσαλέον ἔπος εὔχομαι
ἤ νόσφι δίκας,
σύγγνωθί μοι.”

Simonides 543: When in a chest cunningly wrought
Translated by Camila Lashbrook

When in a chest cunningly wrought
the blowing wind and disturbed sea
dashed Danae down in fear,
with cheeks wet with tears,
she wrapped her arms round infant Perseus
and said, “O child, what trouble I have!
But you sleep soundly, stretched out,
and in your comfort, full of milk, slumber
even in this joyless chest, bronze-bolted,
illumined by the night in this blue-black gloom.
And you do not trouble yourself
with the deep salt spray of a wave
going past above your hair,
nor the cry of the wind,
as you lie in your purple cloak—
your beautiful face.
And if this terrible thing were terrible to you,
then you would lend your tiny, delicate ear to my words.
But I urge you, my baby, sleep.
Let the sea sleep.
Let boundless evil sleep.
And let some change of mind appear,
Father Zeus, from you;
whatever bold word I pray,
or word far from just,
forgive me.”