Eurystheus' Prophecy and Alcmene's Final Decision — Euripides, Children of Heracles, lines 976–1055, Greek & English

976

τοῦτον δʼ, ἐπείπερ χεῖρας ἦλθεν εἰς ἐμάς,

But this man, since he has come into my hands,

οὐκ ἔστι θνητῶν ὅστις ἐξαιρήσεται.

there is no mortal who shall rescue him.

πρὸς ταῦτα τὴν θρασεῖαν¹ ὅστις ἂν θέλῃ

In response to this, whoever wishes, let them call me bold,

καὶ τὴν φρονοῦσαν μεῖζον ἢ γυναῖκα χρὴ

and one who thinks more loftily than a woman should;

980

λέξει· τὸ δʼ ἔργον τοῦτʼ ἐμοὶ πεπράξεται.

but this deed shall be accomplished by me.

δεινόν τι καὶ συγγνωστόν, ὦ γύναι, σʼ ἔχει

[Chorus] A terrible and yet understandable enmity, O woman, possesses you

νεῖκος πρὸς ἄνδρα τόνδε, γιγνώσκω καλῶς.

against this man, I know well.

γύναι, σάφʼ ἴσθι μή με θωπεύσοντά σε,

[Eurystheus] Woman, know clearly that I will not flatter you,

μηδʼ ἄλλο μηδὲν τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς πέρι

nor say anything else concerning my life

985

λέξονθʼ ὅθεν χρὴ δειλίαν ὀφλεῖν τινα.

from which I must incur any charge of cowardice.

ἐγὼ δὲ νεῖκος οὐχ ἑκὼν τόδʼ ἠράμην·

I did not take up this enmity willingly;

ᾔδη γε σοὶ μὲν αὐτανέψιος γεγώς,

I knew indeed that I was your first cousin,

τῷ σῷ δὲ παιδὶ συγγενὴς Ἡρακλέει.

and related to your son Heracles.

ἀλλʼ εἴτʼ ἔχρῃζον εἴτε μή — θεὸς γὰρ ἦν —

But whether I wished to or not—for it was a god—

990

Ἥρα με κάμνειν τήνδʼ ἔθηκε τὴν νόσον.

Hera made me suffer this disease.

ἐπεὶ δʼ ἐκείνῳ δυσμένειαν ἠράμην

But once I had taken up hostility against him,

κἄγνων ἀγῶνα τόνδʼ ἀγωνιούμενος,

and realized that I must wage this struggle,

πολλῶν σοφιστὴς πημάτων ἐγιγνόμην

I became a deviser of many troubles,

καὶ πόλλʼ ἔτικτον νυκτὶ συνθακῶν ἀεί,

and I gave birth to many plans, sitting in counsel always at night,

995

ὅπως διώσας καὶ κατακτείνας ἐμοὺς

so that, by repelling and killing my

ἐχθροὺς τὸ λοιπὸν μὴ συνοικοίην φόβῳ,

enemies, I might not dwell with fear in the future,

εἰδὼς μὲν οὐκ ἀριθμὸν² ἀλλʼ ἐτητύμως

knowing that your son was not a mere cipher, but truly

ἄνδρʼ ὄντα τὸν σὸν παῖδα· καὶ γὰρ ἐχθρὸς ὢν

a man; for even though he is my enemy,

ἀκούσεται’μοί γʼ ἐσθλὰ χρηστὸς ὢν ἀνήρ.

he shall hear good words from me, being a noble man.

1000

κείνου δʼ ἀπαλλαχθέντος οὐκ ἐχρῆν μʼ ἄρα

And when he was dead, was it not necessary for me then,

μισούμενον πρὸς τῶνδε καὶ ξυνειδότα

since I was hated by these children and was conscious of

ἔχθραν πατρῴαν, πάντα κινῆσαι πέτρον,

their ancestral hatred, to leave no stone unturned,

κτείνοντα κἀκβάλλοντα καὶ τεχνώμενον;

by killing, banishing, and plotting?

τοιαῦτα δρῶντι τἄμʼ ἐγίγνετʼ ἀσφαλῆ.

To one doing such things, my affairs were secure.

1005

οὔκουν σύ γʼ ἀναλαβοῦσα τὰς ἐμὰς τύχας

Would you not, then, taking up my position,

ἐχθροῦ λέοντος δυσγενῆ βλαστήματα

have pursued with evils the dangerous offspring

ἤλαυνες ἂν³ κακοῖσιν, ἀλλὰ σωφρόνως

of a hostile lion, or would you have prudently

εἴασας οἰκεῖν Ἄργος; οὔτινʼ ἂν πίθοις.

allowed them to dwell in Argos? You would persuade no one of this.

νῦν οὖν ἐπειδή μʼ οὐ διώλεσαν τότε

Now, therefore, since they did not destroy me then,

1010

πρόθυμον ὄντα, τοῖσιν Ἑλλήνων νόμοις

though I was ready, by the laws of the Greeks

οὐχ ἁγνός εἰμι τῷ κτανόντι κατθανών·⁴

I am not pure to the one who kills me if I am killed;

πόλις τʼ ἀφῆκε σωφρονοῦσα, τὸν θεὸν

and the city released me, acting prudently, honoring the god

μεῖζον τίουσα τῆς ἐμῆς ἔχθρας πολύ.

much more than my enmity.

προσεῖπας, ἀντήκουσας· ἐντεῦθεν δὲ χρὴ

You have spoken, you have heard in return; after this, one must

1015

τὸν προστρόπαιον τόν τε γενναῖον καλεῖν.

call me either the avenging spirit or the noble one.

οὕτω γε μέντοι τἄμ’ ἔχεις· θανεῖν μὲν οὐ

This indeed is how my situation stands: to die indeed I do not

χρῄζω, λιπὼν δʼ ἂν οὐδὲν ἀχθοίμην βίον.

desire, but leaving life I would not be at all grieved.

παραινέσαι σοι σμικρόν, Ἀλκμήνη, θέλω,

[Chorus] I wish to advise you a little, Alcmene,

τὸν ἄνδρʼ ἀφεῖναι τόνδʼ, ἐπεὶ δοκεῖ πόλει.

to release this man, since it seems good to the city.

1020

τί δʼ, ἢν θάνῃ τε καὶ πόλει πιθώμεθα;

[Alcmene] What if he both dies and we obey the city?

τὰ λῷστ’ ἂν εἴη· πῶς τάδʼ οὖν γενήσεται;

[Chorus] That would be best. How then shall this be?

ἐγὼ διδάξω ῥᾳδίως· κτανοῦσα γὰρ

[Alcmene] I will explain easily: for having killed

τόνδʼ εἶτα νεκρὸν τοῖς μετελθοῦσιν φίλων

this man, I will then give his corpse to those of his friends

δώσω· τὸ γὰρ σῶμʼ οὐκ ἀπιστήσω χθονί,

who come for it; for I will not deny his body to the earth,

1025

οὗτος δὲ δώσει τὴν δίκην θανὼν ἐμοί.

and he, by dying, will pay the penalty to me.

κτεῖνʼ, οὐ παραιτοῦμαί σε· τήνδε δὲ πτόλιν,

[Eurystheus] Kill me, I do not beg you off; and to this city,

ἐπεί μʼ ἀφῆκε καὶ κατῃδέσθη κτανεῖν,

since it released me and felt shame to kill me,

χρησμῷ παλαιῷ Λοξίου δωρήσομαι,

I will make a gift of an ancient oracle of Loxias,

ὃς ὠφελήσει μείζονʼ ἢ δοκεῖν χρόνῳ.

which in time will benefit it more than it seems.

1030

θανόντα γάρ με θάψεθʼ οὗ τὸ μόρσιμον,

For when I am dead, you shall bury me where it is destined,

δίας πάροιθε παρθένου Παλληνίδος·

in front of the divine virgin of Pallene;

καὶ σοὶ μὲν εὔνους καὶ πόλει σωτήριος

and to you indeed well-disposed, and to the city a savior

μέτοικος αἰεὶ κείσομαι κατὰ χθονός,

as a resident alien, I shall lie forever under the earth,

τοῖς τῶνδε δʼ ἐκγόνοισι πολεμιώτατος,

but to the descendants of these children most hostile,

1035

ὅταν μόλωσι δεῦρο σὺν πολλῇ χερὶ

whenever they come here with a large army,

χάριν προδόντες τήνδε. τοιούτων ξένων

betraying this favor. Such are the guests

προύστητε. πῶς οὖν ταῦτʼ ἐγὼ πεπυσμένος

you stood as protectors for. How then did I, having learned this,

δεῦρʼ ἦλθον, ἀλλʼ οὐ χρησμὸν ἠρόμην θεοῦ;⁵

come here, and did not fear the oracle of the god?

Ἥραν νομίζων θεσφάτων κρείσσω πολὺ

Because I believed Hera to be much more powerful than the oracles,

1040

κοὐκ ἂν προδοῦναί μʼ. ἀλλὰ μήτε μοι χοὰς

and that she would not betray me. But do not allow libations for me

μήθʼ αἷμʼ ἐάσῃς εἰς ἐμὸν στάξαι τόπον.

nor blood to be dripped upon my tomb.

κακὸν γὰρ αὐτοῖς νόστον ἀντὶ τῶνδʼ ἐγὼ

For a hostile return in exchange for these things I

δώσω· διπλοῦν δὲ κέρδος ἕξετʼ ἐξ ἐμοῦ,

will give them; and you will have a double gain from me,

ὑμᾶς τʼ ὀνήσω τούσδε τε βλάψω θανών.

for I will benefit you and harm these men by my death.

1045

τί δῆτα μέλλετʼ, εἰ πόλει σωτηρίαν

[Alcmene] Why then do you delay, if it is necessary to achieve safety for the city

κατεργάσασθαι τοῖσί τʼ ἐξ ἡμῶν χρεών,

and for those descended from us,

κτείνειν τὸν ἄνδρα τόνδʼ, ἀκούοντες τάδε;

to kill this man, hearing these things?

δείκνυσι γὰρ κέλευθον ἀσφαλεστάτην·

[Chorus] For he points out the safest path;

ἐχθρὸς μὲν ἁνήρ, ὠφελεῖ δὲ κατθανών.

the man is indeed an enemy, but by dying he brings benefit.

1050

κομίζετʼ αὐτόν, δμῶες· εἶτα χρὴ κυσὶν

[Alcmene] Take him away, servants. Then, having killed him, we must give him

δοῦναι κτανόντας· μὴ γὰρ ἐλπίσῃς ὅπως

to the dogs; for do not hope that

αὖθις πατρῴας ζῶν ἔμʼ ἐκβαλεῖς χθονός.

you will ever again banish me alive from my ancestral land.

ταὐτὰ δοκεῖ μοι. στείχετʼ, ὀπαδοί.

[Chorus] These things seem good to me too. Go, attendants.

τὰ γὰρ ἐξ ἡμῶν

For as far as we are concerned,

1055

καθαρῶς ἔσται βασιλεῦσιν.

our duties to the rulers shall be guiltless.

Syntax notes5 items

978τὴν θρασεῖαν
Predicative accusative modifying Alcmene herself, serving as the object of the verb λέξει (which has the relative clause ὅστις ἂν θέλῃ as its subject). Both τὴν θρασεῖαν and τὴν φρονοῦσαν... are feminine accusative singulars.
997οὐκ ἀριθμὸν
The noun ἀριθμός here refers to 'a mere number' or 'an insignificant entity', which is contrasted with the participle phrase ἄνδρʼ ὄντα τὸν σὸν παῖδα ('that your son was truly a man') to emphasize Heracles' exceptional worth.
1005οὔκουν σύ γʼ ... ἤλαυνες ἂν
A past counterfactual construction employing the past indicative (imperfect) with the particle ἂν, posing the rhetorical question: 'Would you not have hounded the enemy if you had been in my position?' The subsequent aorist εἴασας is likewise governed by this ἂν.
1011οὐχ ἁγνός εἰμι τῷ κτανόντι κατθανών
Accompanied by the conditional participle κατθανών ('if I am killed'). The dative τῷ κτανόντι functions as a dative of relation or agent. This points to the religious pollution (miasma) that would fall upon the killer for violating the sacred law against killing a captive taken alive.
1038ἀλλʼ οὐ χρησμὸν ἠρόμην θεοῦ
Some manuscripts offer the variant ἐφοβήθην ('feared') instead of ἠρόμην (from ἔρομαι 'to ask/consult'). If ἠρόμην is retained, it means 'did I not even consult (or respect) the god's oracle?', indicating Eurystheus' hubris in disregarding Apollo's prophecy because of his faith in Hera.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg004.humanitext-grc2:976-1055