EPOPS
Oh, most cruel of all animals, why tear these two men to pieces,
why kill them? What have they done to you? They belong to the same
tribe, to the same family as my wife.[1]

f[1] Procne, the daughter of Pandion, King of Athens.

CHORUS
Are wolves to be spared? Are they not our most mortal foes? So let
us punish them.

EPOPS
If they are your foes by nature, they are your friends in heart,
and they come here to give you useful advice.

CHORUS
Advice or a useful word from their lips, from them, the enemies of
my forebears!

EPOPS
The wise can often profit by the lessons of a foe, for caution
is the mother of safety. 'Tis just such a thing as one will not learn
from a friend and which an enemy compels you to know. To begin with,
'tis the foe and not the friend that taught cities to build high
walls, to equip long vessels of war; and 'tis this knowledge that
protects our children, our slaves and our wealth.

CHORUS
Well then, I agree, let us first hear them, for 'tis best;
one can even learn something in an enemy's school.