Soon feel, whose God is strongest, thine or mine.
Presume not on thy God. Whate'er he be
Thee he regards not, owns not, hath cut off
Quite from his people, and delivered up
Into thy enemies' hand; permitted them
To put out both thine eyes, and fettered send thee
Into the common prison, there to grind
Among the slaves and asses, thy comrades,
As good for nothing else, no better service,
With those thy boisterous locks; no worthy match
For valour to assail, nor by the sword
Of noble warrior, so to stain his honour,
But by the barber's razor best subdued.
All these indignities, for such they are
From thine, these evils I deserve and more,
Acknowledge them from God inflicted on me
Justly, yet despair not of his final pardon,
Whose ear is ever open, and his eye
Gracious to re-admit the suppliant ;
τὸν ἐμόν τε τὸν σόν θ', ὁπότερος κρείσσων, θεός.
οὐ σοῦ Θεοῦ γ ̓ ἕκατι σοὶ θαρσεῖν ἔδει,
ὃς σοῦ παρημέληκεν, ὧν τ ̓ ὤραν νέμει
ἐνόσφισ ̓, ἀρνεῖταί τε μὴ γνῶναι πάνυ,
κάδωκεν αἰχμάλωτον ὀφθαλμωρύχοις,
ξὺν τοῖς τυχοῦσι δέσμιον, νωμᾶν μύλην,
δούλων ὄνων θ ̓ ἑταῖρον, ὡς τούτῳ μόνῳ
τὰ νῦν ἀραρότ ̓· οὐδὲ βοστρύχοις ποτὲ
βέλτιον ἂν χρήσαιο τοῖς ὑπερκόποις·
οὐδ ̓ ἂν τοιοῦδ ̓ ἀγῶνος ἀνθάπτοιτό που,
ἀνάξιον γὰρ, ἀνδρὸς ἀλκίμου δόρυ,
τὴν εὐγένειαν ὕβρισαι· ξυροῦ δ ̓ ἀκμῇ
νίκης τις ἂν τύχοι ποτ ̓ εὐπρεπεστέρας.
ΣΑΜΨΩΝ.
εὖ μὲν ξύνοιδα τοῖσδε, καὶ τούτων ἔτι
αἰσχίοσιν, δίκαιον ὑβρισθεὶς νόμον
τῶν σῶν ὑπ ̓ ἀστῶν, τῷ Θεῷ διακόνων·
πάρεστι δ ̓ ἐλπὶς, ἐν δίκης καταστροφαῖς,
κλύων τε γὰρ βλέπων τε δέξασθαι φιλεῖ
τῶν προστροπαίων τὰς παλισσίτους λιτὰς,
μὴ δυσπροσοίστου κἀμὲ τεύξεσθαι Θεοῦ.
In confidence whereof I once again
Defy thee to the trial of mortal fight,
By combat to decide whose God is God,
Thine, or whom I with Israel's sons adore.
Fair honour that thou dost thy God, in trusting
He will accept thee to defend his cause,
A murderer, a revolter, and a robber.
Tongue-doughty giant, how dost thou prove me these?
Is not thy nation subject to our lords?
Their magistrates confessed it, when they took thee
As a league-breaker, and delivered bound
Into our hands: for hadst thou not committed
Notorious murder on those thirty men
At Ascalon, who never did thee harm,
Then like a robber strippedst them of their robes?
The Philistines, when thou hadst broke the league,
Went up with armed powers thee only seeking,
To others did no violence nor spoil.
ᾧ δὴ πεποιθὼς, δευτέροις κηρύγμασιν αὐτὸν κελεύω σ', ὁπότερός γ' ἔσται θεὸς, εἴτ ̓ οὖν σὸς, εἴτ ̓ ἐμῆς ὃς αἰσυμνᾷ χθονός,
στεῤῥᾶς ἐλέγχειν ἐσχάτῃ κρίσει μάχης.
ἦ κάρτα τιμῆς τὸν σὸν ἀξιοῖς Θεὸν,
σέ νιν δοκῶν ἂν πρόμαχον αἰνέσαι ποτὲ, λῃστήν τε παράνομόν τε καὶ μιαιφόνον,
πῶς δὴ, θρασύστομ', ὡς τὸ σῶμ ̓ ὑπερφυής;
ὑμῶν ἀνάσσουσ ̓ οἵ γε τῇδε κοίρανοι·
τούτῳ δὲ συμφωνοῦσιν οἱ 'ν ὑμῖν πάλαι
ἄρχοντες, οἳ, δήσαντες, ὥστε σοῦ κρατεῖν
ἡμῖν παρέδοσαν σ ̓, ὃς παρὰ σπονδῶν νόμους
ἄνδρας τριάκοντ' Ασκαλωνίτας, σέθεν γ
ἀζημίους, πάντη δὲ δημόθρουν τόδε,
ἔκτεινας, ὡς δὲ φὼρ ἐσύλησας σταλήν.
σὲ δ ̓ αὖ μετῆλθον οἱ Φιλιστῖνοι μόνον,
ὅπλ ̓ ἐπιφέροντες, τὸν παρεκβεβηκότα·
αὐτοὶ δὲ λείας ὕβρεως τ ̓ ἀναίτιοι.
Among the daughters of the Philistines
I chose a wife, which argued me no foe;
And in your city held my nuptial feast.
But your ill-meaning politician lords,
Under pretence of bridal friends and guests,
Appointed to await me thirty spies,
Who, threatening cruel death, constrained the bride.
To wring from me, and tell to them, my secret,
That solved the riddle which I had proposed.
When I perceived all set on enmity.
As on my enemies, wherever chanced,
I used hostility, and took their spoil,
To pay my underminers in their coin.
My nation was subjected to your lords—
It was the force of conquest; force with force
Is well ejected when the conquered can.
But I, a private person, whom my country
As a league-breaker gave up bound, presumed
Single rebellion, and did hostile acts
I was no private, but a person raised,
With strength sufficient, and command from Heaven,
To free my country; if their servile minds
|