OT Choral Ode vs. Yeats
Sayre Powell /
- Created on 2025-05-07 00:26:58
- Modified on 2025-05-07 00:30:02
- Aligned by Sayre Powell
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
Original Greek
Yeats
Χορός
εἴ μοι ξυνείη φέροντι
μοῖρα τὰν εὔσεπτον ἁγνείαν λόγων
ἔργων τε πάντων , ὧν νόμοι πρόκεινται
ὑψίποδες , οὐρανίαν
δι᾽ αἰθέρα τεκνωθέντες , ὧν Ὄλυμπος
πατὴρ μόνος , οὐδέ νιν
θνατὰ φύσις ἀνέρων
ἔτικτεν οὐδὲ μή ποτε λάθα κατακοιμάσῃ :
μέγας ἐν τούτοις θεὸς οὐδὲ γηράσκει .
ὕβρις φυτεύει τύραννον :
ὕβρις , εἰ πολλῶν ὑπερπλησθῇ μάταν ,
ἃ μὴ ' πίκαιρα μηδὲ συμφέροντα ,
ἀκρότατον εἰσαναβᾶσ᾽
αἶπος ἀπότομον ὤρουσεν εἰς ἀνάγκαν ,
ἔνθ᾽ οὐ ποδὶ χρησίμῳ
χρῆται . τὸ καλῶς δ᾽ ἔχον
πόλει πάλαισμα μήποτε λῦσαι θεὸν αἰτοῦμαι .
θεὸν οὐ λήξω ποτὲ προστάταν ἴσχων .
εἰ δέ τις ὑπέροπτα χερσὶν ἢ λόγῳ πορεύεται ,
δίκας ἀφόβητος οὐδὲ δαιμόνων ἕδη σέβων ,
κακά νιν ἕλοιτο μοῖρα ,
δυσπότμου χάριν χλιδᾶς ,
εἰ μὴ τὸ κέρδος κερδανεῖ δικαίως
καὶ τῶν ἀσέπτων ἔρξεται
ἢ τῶν ἀθίκτων θίξεται ματᾴζων .
τίς ἔτι ποτ᾽ ἐν τοῖσδ᾽ ἀνὴρ θεῶν βέλη
εὔξεται ψυχᾶς ἀμύνειν ;
εἰ γὰρ αἱ τοιαίδε πράξεις τίμιαι ,
τί δεῖ με χορεύειν
εἴ μοι ξυνείη φέροντι
μοῖρα τὰν εὔσεπτον ἁγνείαν λόγων
ἔργων τε πάντων , ὧν νόμοι πρόκεινται
ὑψίποδες , οὐρανίαν
δι᾽ αἰθέρα τεκνωθέντες , ὧν Ὄλυμπος
πατὴρ μόνος , οὐδέ νιν
θνατὰ φύσις ἀνέρων
ἔτικτεν οὐδὲ μή ποτε λάθα κατακοιμάσῃ :
μέγας ἐν τούτοις θεὸς οὐδὲ γηράσκει .
ὕβρις φυτεύει τύραννον :
ὕβρις , εἰ πολλῶν ὑπερπλησθῇ μάταν ,
ἃ μὴ ' πίκαιρα μηδὲ συμφέροντα ,
ἀκρότατον εἰσαναβᾶσ᾽
αἶπος ἀπότομον ὤρουσεν εἰς ἀνάγκαν ,
ἔνθ᾽ οὐ ποδὶ χρησίμῳ
χρῆται . τὸ καλῶς δ᾽ ἔχον
πόλει πάλαισμα μήποτε λῦσαι θεὸν αἰτοῦμαι .
θεὸν οὐ λήξω ποτὲ προστάταν ἴσχων .
εἰ δέ τις ὑπέροπτα χερσὶν ἢ λόγῳ πορεύεται ,
δίκας ἀφόβητος οὐδὲ δαιμόνων ἕδη σέβων ,
κακά νιν ἕλοιτο μοῖρα ,
δυσπότμου χάριν χλιδᾶς ,
εἰ μὴ τὸ κέρδος κερδανεῖ δικαίως
καὶ τῶν ἀσέπτων ἔρξεται
ἢ τῶν ἀθίκτων θίξεται ματᾴζων .
τίς ἔτι ποτ᾽ ἐν τοῖσδ᾽ ἀνὴρ θεῶν βέλη
εὔξεται ψυχᾶς ἀμύνειν ;
εἰ γὰρ αἱ τοιαίδε πράξεις τίμιαι ,
τί δεῖ με χορεύειν
Chorus
For this one thing above all I would be praised as a man ,
That in my words and my deeds I have kept those laws in mind
Olympian Zeus , and that high clear Empyrean ,
Fashioned , and not some man or people of mankind ,
Even those sacred laws nor age nor sleep can blind .
A man becomes a tyrant out of insolence ,
He climbs and climbs , until all people call him great ,
He seems upon the summit , and God flings him thence ;
Yet an ambitious man may lift up a whole State ,
And in his death be blessed , in his life fortunate .
And all men honour such ; but should a man forget
The holy images , the Delphian Sybil’s trance
And the world’s navel stone , and not be punished for it
And seem most fortunate , or even blessed perchance ,
Why should we honour the gods , or join the sacred dance ?
For this one thing above all I would be praised as a man ,
That in my words and my deeds I have kept those laws in mind
Olympian Zeus , and that high clear Empyrean ,
Fashioned , and not some man or people of mankind ,
Even those sacred laws nor age nor sleep can blind .
A man becomes a tyrant out of insolence ,
He climbs and climbs , until all people call him great ,
He seems upon the summit , and God flings him thence ;
Yet an ambitious man may lift up a whole State ,
And in his death be blessed , in his life fortunate .
And all men honour such ; but should a man forget
The holy images , the Delphian Sybil’s trance
And the world’s navel stone , and not be punished for it
And seem most fortunate , or even blessed perchance ,
Why should we honour the gods , or join the sacred dance ?