beholding us as poor vagabonds; but nevertheless they did not betray us, nor drive us from their land.
§320ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ζῶν καὶ θανών, ὅταν θάνω, §321πολλῷ σʼ ἐπαίνῳ Θησέως, ὦ τᾶν, πέλας §322ὑψηλὸν ἀρῶ καὶ λέγων τάδʼ εὐφρανῶ §323ὡς εὖ τʼ ἐδέξω καὶ τέκνοισιν ἤρκεσας §324τοῖς Ἡρακλείοις, εὐγενὴς δʼ ἀνʼ Ἑλλάδα §325σῴζεις πατρῴαν δόξαν, ἐξ ἐσθλῶν δὲ φὺς §326οὐδὲν κακίων τυγχάνεις γεγὼς πατρός, §327παύρων μετʼ ἄλλων· ἕνα γὰρ ἐν πολλοῖς ἴσως §328εὕροις ἂν ὅστις ἐστὶ μὴ χείρων πατρός.
And I, both living and dead, whenever I die, shall raise you high with much praise near Theseus, my friend, and saying these things I shall delight him: how well you received us and how you aided the children of Heracles, and how as a noble man throughout Greece you preserve your father's glory, and having sprung from noble parents you turn out to be in no way inferior to your father— one among few others; for among many you might perhaps find only one who is not worse than his father.
Always indeed this land wishes to assist those in difficulty along with justice.
Therefore indeed it has borne countless toils for friends, and now I see this contest close at hand.
[Demophon] Both you have spoken well, and I boast, old man, that the affairs of these children will be such; the favor will be remembered.
§335κἀγὼ μὲν ἀστῶν σύλλογον ποήσομαι, §336τάξω δʼ, ὅπως ἂν τὸν Μυκηναίων στρατὸν §337πολλῇ δέχωμαι χειρί· πρῶτα μὲν σκοποὺς §338πέμψω πρὸς αὐτόν, μὴ λάθῃ με προσπεσών· §339ταχὺς γὰρ Ἄργει πᾶς ἀνὴρ βοηδρόμος·
And I indeed will make an assembly of the citizens, and I will arrange so that I may receive the Mycenaean army with a strong hand; first indeed I will send scouts towards them, lest they fall upon me unawares; for quick is every man in Argos to run to the battle-cry.
§340μάντεις δʼ ἀθροίσας θύσομαι.
And having gathered the seers, I will sacrifice.
σὺ δʼ ἐς δόμους §341σὺν παισὶ χώρει, Ζηνὸς ἐσχάραν λιπών.
But you, to the house, go with the children, leaving the altar of Zeus.
For there are those who, even if I am outdoors, will have care of you.
ἀλλʼ ἴθʼ ἐς δόμους, γέρον.
But go to the house, old man.
§344οὐκ ἂν λίποιμι βωμόν· ἑζώμεσθα δὴ §345ἱκέται μένοντες ἐνθάδʼ εὖ πρᾶξαι πόλιν· §346ὅταν δʼ ἀγῶνος τοῦδʼ ἀπαλλαχθῇς καλῶς, §347ἴμεν πρὸς οἴκους.
[Iolaus] I would not leave the altar; we shall indeed sit here remaining as suppliants for the city to fare well; and when you are well rid of this contest, we shall go to the house.
θεοῖσι δʼ οὐ κακίοσιν §348χρώμεσθα συμμάχοισιν Ἀργείων, ἄναξ· §349τῶν μὲν γὰρ Ἥρα προστατεῖ, Διὸς δάμαρ, §350ἡμῶν δʼ Ἀθηνᾶ.
And we have no worse allies among the gods than the Argives, O king; for Hera, the wife of Zeus, stands as their protector, while Athena is ours.
φημὶ δʼ εἰς εὐπραξίαν §351καὶ τοῦθʼ ὑπάρχειν, θεῶν ἀμεινόνων τυχεῖν· §352νικωμένη γὰρ Παλλὰς οὐκ ἀνέξεται.
And I say that for success this also is a support, to obtain better gods; for Pallas will not endure being defeated.
§353Εἰ σὺ μέγʼ αὐχεῖς, ἕτεροι §354σοῦ πλέον οὐ μέλονται, §355ὦ ξεῖν’ Ἀργόθεν ἐλθών, §356μεγαληγορίαισι δʼ ἐμὰς §357φρένας οὐ φοβήσεις.
[Chorus] If you boast greatly, others do not care for you more, O stranger coming from Argos, and with big words you will not frighten my mind.
§358μήπω ταῖς μεγάλαισιν οὕ- §359τω καὶ καλλιχόροις Ἀθή- §360ναις εἴη· σὺ δʼ ἄφρων, ὅ τʼ Ἄρ- §361γει Σθενέλου τύραννος. §362ὃς πόλιν ἐλθὼν ἑτέραν §363οὐδὲν ἐλάσσονʼ Ἄργους, §364θεῶν ἱκτῆρας ἀλάτας §365καὶ ἐμᾶς χθονὸς ἀντομένους §366ξένος ὢν βιαίως §367ἕλκεις, οὐ βασιλεῦσιν εἴ- §368ξας, οὐκ ἄλλο δίκαιον εἰ- §369πών·
May this never be so for great and beautiful-dancing Athens; but you are foolish, and so is the tyrant in Argos, the son of Sthenelus, who, having come to another city, in no way inferior to Argos, drags by force the suppliant wanderers of the gods, who are entreating my land, though you are a stranger, yielding not to its kings, nor having spoken any other just thing.
ποῦ ταῦτα καλῶς ἂν εἴ- §370η παρά γʼ εὖ φρονοῦσιν;
How could these things be well among the wise?
§371Εἰρήνα μὲν ἐμοί γʼ ἀρέ- §372σκει· σὺ δʼ, ὦ κακόφρων ἄναξ, §373λέγω, εἰ πόλιν ἥξεις, §374οὐχ οὕτως ἃ δοκεῖς κυρή- §375σεις· οὐ σοὶ μόνῳ ἔγχος οὐδʼ §376ἰτέα κατάχαλκός §377ἀλλʼ οὐ, πολέμων ἐραστάς, §378μή μοι δορὶ συνταράξεις §379τὰν εὖ χαρίτων ἔχουσαν §380πόλιν, ἀλλʼ ἀνάσχου.
Peace indeed pleases me; but you, O evil-minded king, I tell you, if you come to this city, you will not obtain what you expect in this way; spear is not for you alone, nor the bronze-clad shield of willow, but do not, lover of wars, disturb with your spear this city which is full of graces, but restrain yourself.
[Iolaus] O child, why have you come with anxiety in your eyes?
νέον τι πολεμίων λέξεις πέρι;
Will you tell something new about the enemy?
§383μέλλουσιν ἢ πάρεισιν ἢ τί πυνθάνῃ;
Are they waiting, or are they present, or what have you learned?
§384οὐ γάρ τι μὴ ψεύσῃς γε κήρυκος λόγους· §385ὁ γὰρ στρατηγὸς εὐτυχὴς τὰ πρὸς θεῶν §386εἶσιν, σάφʼ οἶδα, καὶ μάλʼ οὐ σμικρὸν φρονῶν, §387ἐς τὰς Ἀθήνας.
For you will certainly not prove the herald's words to be false; for that general, prosperous in the things from the gods, will come, I know well, thinking not a little of himself, against Athens.
ἀλλὰ τῶν φρονημάτων §388ὁ Ζεὺς κολαστὴς τῶν ἄγαν ὑπερφρόνων.
But of such thoughts Zeus is the punisher, of those that are excessively proud.
[Demophon] The Argive army has come, and king Eurystheus; I myself saw them.
For it behooves a man who claims to know well how to command an army, to see the enemy himself, not through messengers.
§393πεδία μὲν οὖν γῆς ἐς τάδʼ οὐκ ἐφῆκέ πω §394στρατόν, λεπαίαν δʼ ὀφρύην καθήμενος §395σκοπεῖ — δόκησιν δὴ τόδʼ ἂν λέγοιμί σοι — §396ποίᾳ προσάξει στρατόπεδον τὰ νῦν δορὸς §397ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ τε τῆσδʼ ἱδρύσεται χθονός.
Therefore he has not yet let his army down into the plains of this land, but sitting on a rocky ridge he watches—and this I might tell you as my conjecture— by what way he will now lead his army of spears and establish it in safety within this land.
§398καὶ τἀμὰ μέντοι πάντʼ ἄραρʼ ἤδη καλῶς· §399πόλις τʼ ἐν ὅπλοις, σφάγιά θʼ ἡτοιμασμένα §400ἕστηκεν οἷς χρὴ ταῦτα τέμνεσθαι θεῶν, §402τροπαῖά τʼ ἐχθρῶν καὶ πόλει σωτήρια,
And indeed my affairs are already perfectly arranged; the city is in arms, and the sacrificial victims stand ready, which must be slaughtered for those of the gods, as trophies over the enemy and as salvation for the city.