Dēioumenē

καὶ δὴ στένει Μύρινα καὶ παράκτιοι
ἵππων φριμαγμὸν ᾐόνες δεδεγμέναι,
ὅταν Πελασγὸν ἅλμα λαιψηροῦ ποδὸς
εἰς θῖν’ ἐρείσας λοισθίαν αἴθων λύκος
κρηναῖον ἐξ ἄμμοιο ῥοιβδήσῃ γάνος,
πηγὰς ἀνοίξας τὰς πάλαι κεκρυμμένας.
καὶ δὴ καταίθει γαῖαν ὀρχηστὴς Ἄρης,
στρόμβῳ τὸν αἱματηρὸν ἐξάρχων νόμον.
ἅπασα δὲ χθὼν προὐμμάτων δῃουμένη
κεῖται, πέφρικαν δ’ ὥστε ληΐου γύαι
λόγχαις ἀποστίλβοντες, οἰμωγὴ δέ μοι
ἐν ὠσὶ πύργων ἐξ ἄκρων ἰνδάλλεται,
πρὸς αἰθέρος κυροῦσα νηνέμους ἕδρας,
γόῳ γυναικῶν καὶ καταρραγαῖς πέπλων,
ἄλλην ἐπ᾽ ἄλλῃ συμφορὰν δεδεγμένων.
ἐκεῖνό σ᾽, ὦ τάλαινα καρδία, κακὸν
ἐκεῖνο δάψει πημάτων ὑπέρτατον,
εὖτ’ ἂν λαβράζων περκνὸς αἰχμητὴς χάρων,
πτεροῖσι χέρσον αἰετὸς διαγράφων
ῥαιβῷ τυπωτὴν τόρμαν ἀγκύλῃ βάσει,
κλάζων τ’ ἄμικτον στόματι ῥιγίστην βοήν,
τὸν φίλτατόν σου τῶν ἀγαστόρων τρόφιν
Πτῴου τε πατρός ἁρπάσας μετάρσιον,
ὄνυξι γαμφηλαῖσί θ’ αἱμάσσων δέμας,
ἔγχωρα τίφη καὶ πέδον χραίνῃ φόνῳ,
λευρᾶς βοώτης γατομῶν δι᾽ αὔλακος.
(Lycophron, Alexandra 243-268)

And now Myrina groans and the sea-shores awaiting the snorting of horses, when the fierce wolf shall leap the swift leap of his Pelasgian foot upon the last beach and cause the clear spring to gush from the sand, opening fountains that hitherto were hidden. And now Ares, the dancer, fires the land, with his conch leading the chant of blood. And all the land lies ravaged before my eyes and, as it were fields of corn, bristle the fields of the gleaming spears. And in my ears seems a voice of lamentation from the tower tops reaching to the windless seats of air, with groaning women and rending of robes, awaiting sorrow upon sorrow. That woe, O my poor heart, that woe shall wound thee as a crowning sorrow, when the dusky, sworded, bright-eyed eagle shall rage, with his wings marking out the land—the track traced by bandied crooked steps—and, crying with his mouth his dissonant and chilly cry, shall carry aloft the dearest nursling of all thy brothers, dearest to thee and to his sire the Lord of Ptoön, and, bloodying his body with talon and beak, shall stain with gore the land, both swamp and plain, a ploughman cleaving a smooth furrow in the earth. (tr. Alexander William Mair)