§24.71ἀλλʼ Εὐηρείδα μάλα σε φρονέοντα διδάσκω. §24.72τόσσʼ ἔλεγεν βασίλεια· ὁ δʼ ἀνταμείβετο τοίως· §24.73θάρσει ἀριστοτόκεια γύναι, Περσήιον αἷμα.
"But, son of Eueheres, I ask you, who are very wise, to teach me." Thus spoke the queen; and he answered her in this way: "Take courage, woman who has given birth to the noblest child, offspring of Perseus.
§24.74θάρσει· μελλόντων δὲ τὸ λώιον ἐν φρεσὶ θέσθαι.
Take courage; and lay up in your mind the better of things to come.
§24.75ναὶ γὰρ ἐμὸν γλυκὺ φέγγος ἀποιχόμενον πάλαι ὄσσων, §24.76πολλαὶ Ἀχαιιάδων μαλακὸν περὶ γούνατι νῆμα §24.77χειρὶ κατατρίψοντι ἀκρέσπερον ἀείδοισαι §24.78Ἀλκμήναν ὀνομαστί, σέβας δʼ ἔσῃ Ἀργείαισι.
For indeed, by my sweet light, long since departed from my eyes, many of the Achaean women, spinning the soft thread upon their knees with their hands at eventide, shall sing of Alcmena by name, and you shall be an object of reverence to the Argive women.
§24.79τοῖος ἀνὴρ ὅδε μέλλει ἐς οὐρανὸν ἄστρα φέροντα §24.80ἀμβαίνειν τεὸς υἱός, ἀπὸ στέρνων πλατὺς ἥρως, §24.81οὗ καὶ θηρία πάντα καὶ ἀνέρες ἥσσονες ἄλλοι.
Such a man is this son of yours destined to ascend to heaven, which bears the stars, to ascend, your son, a broad-chested hero, to whom all beasts and other men shall be inferior.
§24.82δώδεκά οἱ τελέσαντι πεπρωμένον ἐν Διὸς οἰκεῖν §24.83μόχθους, θνητὰ δὲ πάντα πυρὰ Τραχίνιος ἑξεῖ.
It is fated that, when he has accomplished twelve labors, he shall dwell in the house of Zeus, and a Trachinian pyre shall hold all his mortal parts.
And he shall be called the son-in-law of the immortals, who raised up these beasts lurking in their dens to harm the babe.
§24.86ἔσται δὴ τοῦτʼ ἆμαρ, ὁπηνίκα νεβρὸν ἐν εὐνᾷ §24.87καρχαρόδων σίνεσθαι ἰδὼν λύκος οὐκ ἐθελήσει.
Indeed, that day shall come when the wolf, seeing a fawn in its bed, the sharp-toothed wolf shall not wish to harm it.
§24.88ἀλλὰ γύναι πῦρ μέν τοι ὑπὸ σποδῷ εὔτυκον ἔστω, §24.89κάγκανα δʼ ἀσπαλάθου ξύλʼ ἑτοιμάσατʼ ἢ παλιούρου §24.90ἢ βάτου ἢ ἀνέμῳ δεδονημένον αὖον ἄχερδον· §24.91καῖε δὲ τώδʼ ἀγρίαισιν ἐπὶ σχίζαισι δράκοντε §24.92νυκτὶ μέσᾳ, ὅκα παῖδα κανεῖν τεὸν ἤθελον αὐτοί.
But, woman, let fire indeed be ready for you under the ashes, and prepare dry wood of wild pear-tree or blackthorn, or bramble, or dry wild-pear shaken by the wind; and burn these two dragons upon the wild cleft wood, at midnight, when they themselves wished to kill your child.
§24.93ἦρι δὲ συλλέξασα κόνιν πυρὸς ἀμφιπόλων τις §24.94ῥιψάτω εὖ μάλα πᾶσαν ὑπὲρ ποταμοῖο φέρουσα §24.95ῥωγάδας ἐς πέτρας ὑπερούριον, ἂψ δὲ νέεσθαι §24.96ἄστρεπτος·
And in the morning, let one of the handmaidens collect the ashes of the fire, and carry and cast it all right well beyond the river, into the cleft rocks across the boundary; and let her return without turning back.
καθαρῷ δὲ πυρώσατε δῶμα θεείῳ §24.97πρᾶτον, ἔπειτα δʼ ἅλεσσι μεμιγμένον, ὡς νενόμισται, §24.98θαλλῷ ἐπιρραίνειν ἐστεμμένῳ ἀβλαβὲς ὕδωρ· §24.99Ζηνὶ δʼ ἐπιρρέξαι καθυπερτέρῳ ἄρσενα χοῖρον, §24.100δυσμενέων αἰεὶ καθυπέρτεροι ὡς τελέθοιτε. §24.101φᾶ, καὶ ἐρωήσας ἐλεφάντινον ᾤχετο δίφρον §24.102Τειρεσίας πολλοῖσι βαρύς περ ἐὼν ἐνιαυτοῖς.
And first purify the house with pure sulfur, and then, as is customary, with water mixed with salt, sprinkle harmless water from a wreathed olive branch; and sacrifice a male pig to supreme Zeus, so that you may ever be superior to your enemies." He spoke, and pushing back his ivory chair, he went away, Tiresias, though heavy with his many years.
And Heracles, like a young plant in an orchard, under his mother's care was reared, being called the son of Argive Amphitryon.
§24.105γράμματα μὲν τὸν παῖδα γέρων Λίνος ἐξεδίδαξεν, §24.106υἱὸς Ἀπόλλωνος μελεδωνεὺς ἄγρυπνος ἥρως,
Old Linus taught the boy his letters, the son of Apollo, a watchful guardian hero.
§24.107τόξον δʼ ἐντανύσαι καὶ ἐπίσκοπον εἶναι ὀϊστῶν §24.108Εὔρυτος ἐκ πατέρων μεγάλαις ἀφνειὸς ἀρούραις.
And Eurytus, rich in ancestral broad fields, taught him to bend the bow and be a marksman with arrows.
Moreover, Eumolpus, the sweet-singing son of Philammon, made him a singer and formed his two hands to the boxwood lyre.
§24.111ὅσσα δʼ ἀπὸ σκελέων ἑδροστρόφοι Ἀργόθεν ἄνδρες §24.112ἀλλάλους σφάλλοντι παλαίσμασιν, ὅσσά τε πύκται §24.113δεινοὶ ἐν ἱμάντεσσιν, ἅ τʼ ἐς γαῖαν προπεσόντες §24.114πάμμαχοι ἐξεύροντο σοφίσματα σύμφορα τέχνᾳ, §24.115πάντʼ ἔμαθʼ Ἑρμείαο διδασκόμενος παρὰ παιδὶ §24.116Ἁρπαλύκῳ Φανοτῆι, τὸν οὐδʼ ἂν τηλόθι λεύσσων §24.117θαρσαλέως τις ἔμεινεν ἀεθλεύοντʼ ἐν ἀγῶνι· §24.118τοῖον ἐπισκύνιον βλοσυρῷ ἐπέκειτο προσώπῳ.
And all the tricks by which hip-twisting men of Argos trip each other in wrestling, and all that terrible boxers do in their leather thongs, and all the devices useful for their art which the pankratiasts devised when fallen to the ground, he learned all these, being taught by the son of Hermes, Harpalicus of Phanoteus, whom not even from afar looking at him could anyone confidently withstand as he competed in the contest; such an eyebrow hung over his grim face.
§24.119ἵππους δʼ ἐξελάσασθαι ὑφʼ ἅρματι, καὶ περὶ νύσσαν §24.120ἀσφαλέως κάμπτοντα τροχῷ σύριγγα φυλάξαι, §24.121Ἀμφιτρύων ὃν παῖδα φίλα φρονέων ἐδίδαξεν §24.122αὐτός, ἐπεὶ μάλα πολλὰ θοῶν ἐξήρατʼ ἀγώνων §24.123Ἄργει ἐν ἱπποβότῳ κειμήλια, καί οἱ ἀαγεῖς §24.124δίφροι, ἐφʼ ὧν ἐπέβαινε, χρόνῳ διέλυσαν ἱμάντας.
And to drive horses under a chariot, and safely round the turning-post to guard the wheel-hub, Amphitryon himself, with loving care for his boy, taught him, since he had carried away very many prizes from swift contests in horse-pasturing Argos, and his unbroken chariots, which he used to mount, loosened their thongs only by time.
§24.125δούρατι δὲ προβολαίῳ ὑπʼ ἀσπίδι ὦμον ἔχοντα §24.126ἀνδρὸς ὀρέξασθαι ξιφέων τʼ ἀνέχεσθαι ἀμυχμόν, §24.127κοσμῆσαί τε φάλαγγα λόχον τʼ ἀναμετρήσασθαι §24.128δυσμενέων ἐπιόντα καὶ ἱππήεσσι κελεῦσαι §24.129Κάστωρ Ἱππαλίδας δέδαεν, φυγὰς Ἄργεος ἐνθών, §24.130ὁππόκα κλᾶρον ἅπαντα καὶ οἰνόπεδον μέγα Τυδεὺς §24.131ναῖε παρʼ Ἀδρήστοιο λαβὼν ἱππήλατον Ἄργος.
And to hold one's shoulder under the shield with a spear held forward, to thrust at a man and withstand the slash of swords, and to draw up a phalanx and measure the company of oncoming enemies, and to command the horsemen, Castor, son of Hippalus, taught him, coming as an exile from Argos, when Tydeus received all the inheritance and the great vineyards from Adrastus and dwelt in horse-driving Argos.
§24.132Κάστορι δʼ οὔτις ὁμοῖος ἐν ἡμιθέοις πολεμιστὴς §24.133ἄλλος ἔην πρὶν γῆρας ἀποτρῖψαι νεότητα.
And there was no other warrior like Castor among the demigods until old age wore away his youth.
§24.134Ὧδε μὲν Ἡρακλῆα φίλα παιδεύσατο μάτηρ.
In this way, his dear mother educated Heracles.
§24.135εὐνὰ δʼ ἦς τῷ παιδὶ τετυγμένα ἀγχόθι πατρὸς §24.136δέρμα λεόντειον μάλα οἱ κεχαρισμένον αὐτῷ, §24.137δεῖπνον δὲ κρέα τʼ ὀπτὰ καὶ ἐν κανέῳ μέγας ἄρτος §24.138Δωρικός· ἀσφαλέως κε φυτοσκάφον ἄνδρα κορέσσαι.
And the boy's bed was made near his father's, a lion's skin, which was very pleasing to him; and his dinner was roast meat and a great loaf in a basket, Dorian bread; it could easily have satisfied a ditch-digger.
§24.139αὐτὰρ ἐπʼ ἄματι τυννὸν ἄνευ πυρὸς αἴνυτο δόρπον.
But by day he took a tiny meal without fire.
§24.140εἵματα δʼ οὐκ ἀσκητὰ μέσας ὑπὲρ ἕννυτο κνάμας.
And he wore unadorned garments above his mid-shins.