"My dear child, why has this thought fallen upon your wise mind?
πῶς ἄμμʼ ἐθέλεις ὀροθυνέμεν ἄμφω §24.64κήδεʼ ἄλαστα λέγουσα;
How do you wish to rouse grief in both of us by speaking of unforgettable sorrows?
τὰ δʼ οὐ νῦν πρῶτα κέκλαυται.
These things are not being wept for now for the first time.
Or is it not enough, those by which we are held, always coming upon us as the next day comes?
Surely someone would be very fond of lamentation, whoever should count them upon our griefs.
§24.68θάρσει. οὐ τοιῆσδʼ ἐκυρήσαμεν ἐκ θεοῦ αἴσης.
Take heart; we have not obtained such a fate from the god.
And I myself see you, dear child, laboring with ceaseless pains.
ἐπιγνώμων δέ τοί εἰμι §24.71ἀσχαλάαν, ὅτε δή γε καὶ εὐφροσύνης κόρος ἐστί.
And I forgive you for being vexed, since there is a satiety even of joy.
§24.72καί σε μάλʼ ἐκπάγλως ὀλοφύρομαι ἠδʼ ἐλεαίρω, §24.73οὕνεκεν ἡμετέροιο λυγροῦ μετὰ δαίμονος ἔσχες, §24.74ὅσθʼ ἡμῖν ἐφύπερθε κάρης βαρὺς αἰωρεῖται.
And I lament you very exceedingly and pity you, because you have shared in our wretched fate, which hangs heavy over our heads.
§24.75ἴστω γὰρ Κούρη τε καὶ εὐέανος Δημήτηρ, §24.76ἅς κε μέγα βλαφθείς τις ἑκὼν ἐπίορκον ὀμόσσῃ §24.77δυσμενέων, μηδέν δε χερειότερον φρεσὶν ᾗσι §24.78στέργειν ἢ εἴ πέρ μοι ὑπὲκ νηδυίοφιν ἦλθες §24.79καί μοι τηλυγέτη ἐνὶ δώμασι παρθένος ἦσθα.
For let the Maiden and fair-robed Demeter be witnesses, whom if any enemy should swear by falsely with great harm to himself, [I swear] that in my heart I love you no less than if you had come from my own womb, and were a beloved virgin daughter in my halls.
§24.80οὐδʼ αὐτήν γέ νυ πάμπαν ἔολπά δε τοῦτό γε λήθειν.
And I believe that you yourself are not altogether ignorant of this.
§24.81τῷ μηδʼ ἐξείπῃς πότʼ, ἐμὸν θάλος, ὥς σευ ἀκηδέω, §24.82μηδʼ εἴ κʼ ἠυκόμου Νιόβης πυκινώτερα κλαίω.
Therefore, my blossom, never say that I do not care for you, not even if I weep more frequently than lovely-haired Niobe.
For there is nothing to be blamed in a mother wailing over her suffering child.
ἐπεὶ δέκα μῆνας ἔκαμνον §24.85πρὶν ἤπερ τʼ ἰδέειν μιν, ἐμῷ ὑπὸ ἥπατʼ ἔχουσα, §24.86καί με πυλάρταο σχεδὸν ἤγαγεν Αἰδωνῆος· §24.87ὧδέ ἑ δυστοκέουσα κακὰς ὠδῖνας ἀνέτλην.
Since I labored for ten months, before seeing him, holding him under my liver, under my liver, and he brought me near to Hades, the gate-closer; so, in painful labor, I endured evil birth-pangs for him.
§24.88νῦν δέ μοι οἴχεται υἱὸς ἐπʼ ἀλλοτρίης νέον ἆθλον §24.89ἐκτελέων· οὐδʼ οἶδα δυσάμμορος, εἴτε μιν αὐτὸν §24.90ἐνθάδε νοστήσανθʼ ὑποδέξομαι, εἴτε καὶ οὐκί.
But now my son is gone to a foreign land to fulfill a new labor; nor do I know, unhappy as I am, whether I shall receive him back having returned here, or not.
§24.91πρὸς δʼ ἔτι μʼ ἐπτοίησε διὰ γλυκὺν αἰνὸς ὄνειρος §24.92ὕπνον· δειμαίνω δὲ παλίγκοτον ὄψιν ἰδοῦσα §24.93ἐκπάγλως, μή μοί τι τέκνοις ἀποθύμιον ἔρδοι.
Moreover, a dread dream has terrified me through my sweet sleep; and I fear exceedingly having seen a hostile vision, lest it should do some unwelcome thing to my children.
§24.94εἴσατο γάρ μοι ἔχων μακέλην εὐεργέα χερσὶ §24.95παῖς ἐμὸς ἀμφοτέρῃσι, βίη Ἡρακληείη· §24.96τῇ μεγάλην ἐλάχαινε δεδεγμένος ὡς ἐπὶ μισθῷ §24.97τάφρον τηλεθάοντος ἐπʼ ἐσχατιῇ τινος ἀγροῦ, §24.98γυμνὸς ἄτερ χλαίνης τε καὶ εὐμίτροιο χιτῶνος.
For my son, the mighty Heracles, seemed to me to hold a well-wrought mattock in both hands; with this he was digging a great trench, as if for hire, at the edge of some flourishing field, naked without a cloak and a well-girdled tunic.
§24.99αὐτὰρ ἐπειδὴ παντὸς ἀφίκετο πρὸς τέλος ἔργου §24.100καρτερὸν οἰνοφόροιο πονεύμενος ἕρκος ἀλωῆς, §24.101ἤτοι ὁ λίστρον ἔμελλεν ἐπὶ προύχοντος ἐρείσας §24.102ἀνδήρου καταδῦναι ἃ καὶ πάρος εἵματα ἕστο· §24.103ἐξαπίνης δʼ ἀνέλαμψεν ὑπὲρ καπέτοιο βαθείης §24.104πῦρ ἄμοτον, περὶ δʼ αὐτὸν ἀθέσφατος εἱλεῖτο φλόξ.
But when he reached the end of all his work, laboring at the strong hedge of the vineyard, indeed he was about to lean his spade against the projecting bank and put on the garments which he wore before; suddenly there blazed up over the deep trench an unquenchable fire, and a wondrous flame enveloped him.
§24.105αὐτὰρ ὅγʼ αἰὲν ὄπισθε θοοῖς ἀνεχάζετο ποσσίν, §24.106ἐκφυγέειν μεμαὼς ὀλοὸν μένος Ἡφαίστοιο· §24.107αἰεὶ δὲ προπάροιθεν ἑοῦ χροὸς ἠύτε γέρρον §24.108νώμασκεν μακέλην· περὶ δʼ ὄμμασιν ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα §24.109πάπταινεν, μὴ δή μιν ἐπιφλέξῃ δήιον πῦρ.
But he always retreated backward with swift feet, striving to escape the destructive force of Hephaestus; and always before his body, like a shield, he kept wielding his mattock; and with his eyes he looked this way and that, lest the hostile fire should burn him.
§24.110τῷ μὲν ἀοσσῆσαι λελιημένος, ὥς μοι ἔικτο, §24.111Ἰφικλέης μεγάθυμος ἐπʼ οὔδεϊ κάππεσʼ ὀλισθὼν §24.112πρὶν ἐλθεῖν, οὐδʼ ὀρθὸς ἀναστῆναι δύνατʼ αὖτις, §24.113ἀλλʼ ἀστεμφὲς ἔκειτο, γέρων ὡσείτʼ ἀμενηνός, §24.114ὅντε καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλοντα βιήσατο γῆρας ἀτερπὲς §24.115καππεσέειν, κεῖται δʼ ὅγʼ ἐπὶ χθονὸς ἔμπεδον αὐτοῦ §24.116εἰς ὅ κε τις χειρός μιν ἀνειρύσσῃ παριόντων §24.117αἰδεσθεὶς ὄπιδα τρομερὴν πολιοῖο γενείου.
Then, eager to help him, as it seemed to me, the high-souled Iphicles fell, having slipped on the ground, before reaching him; nor was he able to stand upright again, but lay there immovably, like a weak old man whom unpleasing old age has forced, even against his will, to fall down, and he lies on the earth right there, until some passer-by, respecting the trembling old age of his gray beard, raises him by the hand.
§24.118ὣς ἐν γῇ λελίαστο σακεσπάλος Ἰφικλείης.
Thus lay on the ground the shield-bearing Iphicles.
§24.119αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ κλαίεσκον ἀμηχανέοντας ὁρῶσα §24.120παῖδας ἐμούς, μέχρι δή μοι ἀπέσσυτο νήδυμος ὕπνος §24.121ὀφθαλμῶν, ἠὼς δὲ παραυτίκα φαινόλις ἦλθε.
But I kept weeping, seeing my children helpless, until sweet sleep fled from my eyes, and shining dawn came immediately.
§24.122τοῖα, φίλη, μοι ὄνειρα διὰ φρένας ἐπτοίησαν §24.123παννυχίῃ· τὰ δὲ πάντα πρὸς Εὐρυσθῆα τρέποιτο §24.124οἴκου ἀφʼ ἡμετέροιο, γένοιτο δὲ μάντις ἐκείνῳ §24.125θυμὸς ἐμός, μηδʼ ἄλλο παρὲκ τελέσειέ τι δαίμων.
Such dreams, my dear, terrified my mind through the whole night; may they all be turned against Eurystheus far from our house, and may my mind be a prophet to him, and may the deity accomplish nothing else besides!"