§718φεῦ·
[Alcmene] Alas!
Zeus shall indeed not hear ill from me; but whether he is righteous towards me, he himself knows.
§720ὅπλων μὲν ἤδη τήνδʼ ὁρᾷς παντευχίαν, §721φθάνοις δʼ ἂν οὐκ ἂν τοῖσδε συγκρύπτων δέμας· §722ὡς ἐγγὺς ἁγών, καὶ μάλιστʼ Ἄρης στυγεῖ §723μέλλοντας·
[Servant] Already indeed you see here this complete suit of armor, and you could not be too quick in covering your body with these; for the contest is near, and Ares especially hates those who delay.
εἰ δὲ τευχέων φοβῇ βάρος, §724νῦν μὲν πορεύου γυμνός, ἐν δὲ τάξεσιν §725κόσμῳ πυκάζου τῷδʼ· ἐγὼ δʼ οἴσω τέως.
But if you fear the weight of the armor, go now unarmed, and in the ranks cover yourself with this equipment; and I will carry it meanwhile.
§726καλῶς ἔλεξας· ἀλλʼ ἐμοὶ πρόχειρʼ ἔχων §727τεύχη κόμιζε, χειρὶ δʼ ἔνθες ὀξύην, §728λαιόν τʼ ἔπαιρε πῆχυν, εὐθύνων πόδα.
[Iolaus] Well spoken; but bring the armor, having it ready at hand for me, and place the spear in my hand, and support my left arm, guiding my feet.
§729ἦ παιδαγωγεῖν γὰρ τὸν ὁπλίτην χρεών;
[Servant] Must I indeed act as a tutor to a hoplite?
§730ὄρνιθος οὕνεκʼ ἀσφαλῶς πορευτέον.
[Iolaus] For the sake of the omen, we must travel safely.
§731εἴθʼ ἦσθα δυνατὸς δρᾶν ὅσον πρόθυμος εἶ.
[Servant] Would that you were as able to act as you are eager.
§732ἔπειγε· λειφθεὶς δεινὰ πείσομαι μάχης.
[Iolaus] Hurry; if I am left behind, I shall suffer terrible things in the battle.
§733σύ τοι βραδύνεις, οὐκ ἐγὼ δοκῶ τι δρᾶν.
[Servant] It is you who are slow, though I seem to do nothing.
§734οὔκουν ὁρᾷς μου κῶλον ὡς ἐπείγεται;
[Iolaus] Do not see how my limb is hurrying?
§735ὁρῶ δοκοῦντα μᾶλλον ἢ σπεύδοντά σε.
[Servant] I see you seeming to hurry rather than actually doing so.
§736οὐ ταῦτα λέξεις, ἡνίκʼ ἂν λεύσσῃς μʼ ἐκεῖ.
[Iolaus] You will not say this when you see me there.
§737τί δρῶντα;
[Servant] Doing what?
βουλοίμην δʼ ἂν εὐτυχοῦντά γε.
I would indeed wish you to be successful.
§738διʼ ἀσπίδος θείνοντα πολεμίων τινά.
[Iolaus] Striking some enemy through his shield.
§739εἰ δή ποθʼ ἥξομέν γε· τοῦτο γὰρ φόβος.
[Servant] If indeed we shall ever get there; for that is the fear.
§740φεῦ·
[Iolaus] Alas!
§740aεἴθʼ, ὦ βραχίων, οἷον ἡβήσαντά σε §741μεμνήμεθʼ ἡμεῖς, ἡνίκα ξὺν Ἡρακλεῖ §742Σπάρτην ἐπόρθεις, σύμμαχος γένοιό μοι §743τοιοῦτος·
O arm, would that you, just as you were when young as we remember, when with Heracles you plundered Sparta, would become my ally, such a one!
οἵαν ἂν τροπὴν Εὐρυσθέως §744θείμην·
What a rout of Eurystheus I would make!
ἐπεί τοι καὶ κακὸς μένειν δόρυ.
For indeed he is a coward to face the spear.
§745ἔστιν δʼ ἐν ὄλβῳ καὶ τόδʼ οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἔχον, §746εὐψυχίας δόκησις· οἰόμεσθα γὰρ §747τὸν εὐτυχοῦντα πάντʼ ἐπίστασθαι καλῶς.
[Servant] And in prosperity there is also this which is not right, the appearance of courage; for we think that the successful man understands everything well.
§748Γᾶ καὶ παννύχιος σελά- §749να καὶ λαμπρόταται θεοῦ §750φαεσίμβροτοι αὐγαί, §751ἀγγελίαν μοι ἐνέγκαιτʼ·
[Chorus] O Earth, and night-long moon, and most brilliant rays of the god, bringing light to mortals, bring me the news!
Shout to heaven, and beside the sovereign throne of grey-eyed Athena.
§755μέλλω τᾶς πατριώτιδος §756γᾶς, μέλλω καὶ ὑπὲρ δόμων §757ἱκέτας ὑποδεχθεὶς §758κίνδυνον πολιῷ τεμεῖν σιδάρῳ.
I am about to, on behalf of my native land, I am about to, and on behalf of the house, having received suppliants, cut through danger with grey iron.
§759δεινὸν μὲν πόλιν ὡς Μυκή- §760νας εὐδαίμονα καὶ δορὸς §761πολυαίνετον ἀλκᾷ §762μῆνιν ἐμᾷ χθονὶ κεύθειν· §763κακὸν δʼ, ὦ πόλις, εἰ ξένους §764ἱκτῆρας παραδώσομεν §765κελεύμασιν Ἄργους.
It is a terrible thing indeed that a city like Mycenae, prosperous and highly praised for its strength in war, should harbor anger against my land; but it is an evil thing, O city, if we shall betray the stranger suppliants at the commands of Argos.
Zeus is my ally, I do not fear; Zeus holds favor justly for me.
οὔποτε θνατῶν §769ἥσσους δαίμονες ἔκ γʼ ἐμοῦ φανοῦνται.
Never shall gods appear inferior to mortals, at least through me.
§770ἀλλʼ, ὦ πότνια — σὸν γὰρ οὖ- §771δας, σὸν καὶ πόλις, ἇς σὺ μά- §772τηρ δέσποινά τε καὶ φύλαξ — §773πόρευσον ἄλλᾳ τὸν οὐ δικαίως §774τᾷδʼ ἐπάγοντα δορυσσοῦν §775στρατὸν Ἀργόθεν· οὐ γὰρ ἐμᾷ γʼ ἀρετᾷ §776δίκαιός εἰμʼ ἐκπεσεῖν μελάθρων.
But, O mistress — for yours is the soil, yours is also the city, of which you are mother, mistress, and guardian — turn elsewhere the army unjustly leading the spear-brandishing army from Argos; for by my merit at least, I do not deserve to be cast out from my home.
§777ἐπεί σοι πολύθυτος ἀεὶ §778τιμὰ κραίνεται, οὐδὲ λά- §779θει μηνῶν φθινὰς ἁμέρα, §780νέων τʼ ἀοιδαὶ χορῶν τε μολπαί.
Since for you sacrifice-rich honor is always accomplished, nor does the waning day of the month escape notice, nor the songs of the youth and the music of choruses.
And on the windy hill, ritual cries ring out from maidens in night-long dances with the stamping of feet.
[Messenger] Mistress, I bring words most brief for you to hear, and most beautiful for me to speak.
We are victorious over the enemy, and trophies are being set up, holding the full armor of your foes.
[Alcmene] O dearest one, this day has caused you to be set free by these tidings.
But you do not yet free me from one anxiety; for there is fear for me whether those live whom I wish to live.
§792ζῶσιν μέγιστόν γʼ εὐκλεεῖς κατὰ στρατόν.
[Messenger] They live, and indeed with the greatest glory in the army.
§793ὁ μὲν γέρων οὐκ ἔστιν Ἰόλεως ὅδε;
[Alcmene] Is not this old man Iolaus there?
§794μάλιστα, πράξας δʼ ἐκ θεῶν κάλλιστα δή.
[Messenger] Indeed, having fared most beautifully by the gods' doing.
§795τί δʼ ἔστι;
[Alcmene] What is it?
μῶν τι κεδνὸν ἠγωνίζετο;
Did he perform some noble deed in the struggle?
§796νέος μεθέστηκʼ ἐκ γέροντος αὖθις αὖ.
[Messenger] He has changed from an old man to a young man once again.
§797θαυμάστʼ ἔλεξας·
[Alcmene] You tell of wonders!
ἀλλά σʼ εὐτυχῆ φίλων §798μάχης ἀγῶνα πρῶτον ἀγγεῖλαι θέλω.
But first I want you to report the successful struggle of our friends in the battle.
§799εἷς μου λόγος σοι πάντα σημανεῖ τάδε.
[Messenger] My single speech shall make all these things clear to you.
§800ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἀλλήλοισιν ὁπλίτην στρατὸν §801κατὰ στόμʼ ἐκτείνοντες ἀντετάξαμεν, §802ἐκβὰς τεθρίππων Ὕλλος ἁρμάτων πόδα §803ἔστη μέσοισιν ἐν μεταιχμίοις δορός.
For when we had drawn up and opposed our hoplite army face to face to one another, Hyllus, stepping down with his foot from his four-horse chariot, stood in the middle space between the spears.
§804κἄπειτ’ ἔλεξεν· Ὦ στρατήγʼ ὃς Ἀργόθεν §805ἥκεις, τί τήνδε γαῖαν οὐκ εἰάσαμεν §806καὶ τὰς Μυκήνας οὐδὲν ἐργάσῃ κακὸν §807ἀνδρὸς στερήσας· ἀλλʼ ἐμοὶ μόνος μόνῳ
And then he said: "O general who has come from Argos, why do we not leave this land alone, and you will do no harm to Mycenae by depriving it of a man; but let me alone in single combat..."