[Chorus] From what land, old man, have you come to this co-dwelling people of the Tetrapolis?
Or from beyond, with sea-rowing oar, have you put in, leaving the Euboean shore?
[Iolaus] Strangers, I do not lead an islander's life, but from Mycenae have we arrived at your land.
[Chorus] By what name, old man, did the Mycenaean people call you?
[Iolaus] You surely know Iolaus, the companion of Heracles; for this body is not unheralded.
[Chorus] I know of you, having heard of you even before; but whose young-reared boys are these you carry in your hand?
φράσον.
Tell me.
[Iolaus] These are the children of Heracles, strangers, having arrived as suppliants of you and of the city.
§95τί χρέος;
[Chorus] What is their need?
ἢ λόγων πόλεος, ἔνεπέ μοι, §96μελόμενοι τυχεῖν;
Or are they anxious to obtain words from the city? Tell me.
[Iolaus] Neither to be surrendered nor, dragged away by force against your gods, to go to Argos.
[Copreus] But this will in no way satisfy your masters, who, having authority over you, find you here.
§101εἰκὸς θεῶν ἱκτῆρας αἰδεῖσθαι, ξένε, §102καὶ μὴ βιαίῳ χερὶ δαιμόνων §103ἀπολείπειν ἕδη· §104πότνια γὰρ Δίκα τάδʼ οὐ πείσεται.
[Chorus] It is right, stranger, to respect the suppliants of the gods, and not with violent hand to make them leave the seats of the deities; for mistress Justice will not tolerate this.
[Copreus] Send then these subjects of Eurystheus out of the land, and I shall not use a violent hand.
[Chorus] It is godless for a city to reject the supplication, the protective plea of strangers.
[Copreus] Yet it is a fine thing to keep one's foot out of trouble, having obtained the better counsel.
§111οὐκοῦν τυράννῳ τῆσδε γῆς φράσαντά σε §112χρῆν ταῦτα τολμᾶν, ἀλλὰ μὴ βίᾳ ξένους §113θεῶν ἀφέλκειν, γῆν σέβοντʼ ἐλευθέραν.
[Chorus] Surely then you ought to have dared this only after informing the ruler of this land, and not drag away strangers by force from the gods, respecting a free land.
§114τίς δʼ ἐστὶ χώρας τῆσδε καὶ πόλεως ἄναξ;
[Copreus] And who is the ruler of this land and city?
§115ἐσθλοῦ πατρὸς παῖς Δημοφῶν ὁ Θησέως.
[Chorus] Demophon, the son of Theseus, child of a noble father.
[Copreus] Then the contest of this argument would indeed be chiefly against him; the rest has been spoken in vain.
[Chorus] And indeed, here he comes himself in haste, and his brother Acamas, to be hearers of these words.
§120ἐπείπερ ἔφθης πρέσβυς ὢν νεωτέρους §121βοηδρομήσας τήνδʼ ἐπʼ ἐσχάραν Διός, §122λέξον, τίς ὄχλον τόνδʼ ἀθροίζεται τύχη;
[Demophon] Since you, though an old man, have anticipated the younger in running to help at this hearth of Zeus, tell me, what event brings this crowd together?
§123ἱκέται κάθηνται παῖδες οἵδʼ Ἡρακλέους §124βωμὸν καταστέψαντες, ὡς ὁρᾷς, ἄναξ, §125πατρός τε πιστὸς Ἰόλεως παραστάτης.
[Chorus] Suppliants, these children of Heracles sit, having crowned the altar, as you see, O king, and Iolaus, the faithful companion of their father.
§126τί δῆτʼ ἰυγμῶν ἥδʼ ἐδεῖτο συμφορά;
[Demophon] Why then did this misfortune require these shrieks?
§127βίᾳ νιν οὗτος τῆσδʼ ἀπʼ ἐσχάρας ἄγειν §128ζητῶν βοὴν ἔστησε κἄσφηλεν γόνυ §129γέροντος, ὥστε μʼ ἐκβαλεῖν οἴκτῳ δάκρυ.
[Chorus] This man, seeking to lead him by force away from this hearth, caused him to raise a cry and tripped up the knee of the old man, so that I shed a tear in pity.
[Demophon] Indeed, he has a Greek dress and style of robes, but these deeds are of a barbarian hand.
Now it is indeed your part to tell me, and not to delay, leaving the boundaries of what land have you come here?
§134Ἀργεῖός εἰμι· τοῦτο γὰρ θέλεις μαθεῖν·
[Copreus] I am an Argive; for this is what you wish to learn.
§135ἐφʼ οἷσι δʼ ἥκω καὶ παρʼ οὗ λέγειν θέλω.
But as to what purpose I have come for, and from whom, I wish to tell.
§136πέμπει Μυκηνῶν δεῦρό μʼ Εὐρυσθεὺς ἄναξ §137ἄξοντα τούσδε· πολλὰ δʼ ἦλθον, ὦ ξένε, §138δίκαιʼ ὁμαρτῇ δρᾶν τε καὶ λέγειν ἔχων.
Eurystheus, the king of Mycenae, sends me here to lead these people away; and I have come, stranger, having many just things at once to do and to say.
§139Ἀργεῖος ὢν γὰρ αὐτὸς Ἀργείους ἄγω §140ἐκ τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ τούσδε δραπέτας ἔχων, §141νόμοισι τοῖς ἐκεῖθεν ἐψηφισμένους §142θανεῖν·
For being an Argive myself, I am leading away Argives, having these men as runaways from my own land, who have been sentenced to death by the laws of that place.
δίκαιοι δʼ ἐσμὲν οἰκοῦντες πόλιν §143αὐτοὶ καθʼ αὑτῶν κυρίους κραίνειν δίκας.
And it is just for us, who inhabit our own city, to ratify authoritative judgments ourselves against our own people.
§144πολλῶν δὲ κἄλλων ἑστίας ἀφιγμένοι §145ἐν τοῖσιν αὐτοῖς τοισίδʼ ἕσταμεν λόγοις, §146κοὐδεὶς ἐτόλμησʼ ἴδια προσθέσθαι κακά.
And though they have come to the hearths of many others, we have stood upon these very same arguments, and no one has dared to take upon themselves private evils.
§147ἀλλʼ ἤ τινʼ ἐς σὲ μωρίαν ἐσκεμμένοι §148δεῦρʼ ἦλθον ἢ κίνδυνον ἐξ ἀμηχάνων §149ῥίπτοντες, εἴτʼ οὖν εἴτε μὴ γενήσεται·
But either they have come here having observed some folly in you, or they are risking a hazard out of helpless circumstances, whether, then, it will turn out well or not.
§150οὐ γὰρ φρενήρη γʼ ὄντα σʼ ἐλπίζουσί που §151μόνον τοσαύτης ἣν ἐπῆλθον Ἑλλάδος §152τὰς τῶνδʼ ἀβούλους συμφορὰς κατοικτιεῖν.
For they surely do not expect that you, being of sound mind, alone out of all this great Greece which they have traversed, will pity the foolish misfortunes of these people.
Come, weigh it in contrast: if you let these men go and allow us to lead them away, what will you gain?
§155τὰ μὲν παρʼ ἡμῶν τοιάδʼ ἔστι σοι λαβεῖν, §156Ἄργους τοσήνδε χεῖρα τήν τʼ Εὐρυσθέως §157ἰσχὺν ἅπασαν τῇδε προσθέσθαι πόλει.
On our part, there are such benefits for you to receive: to add to this city the great power of Argos and all the strength of Eurystheus.
§158ἢν δʼ ἐς λόγους τε καὶ τὰ τῶνδʼ οἰκτίσματα §159βλέψας πεπανθῇς, ἐς πάλην καθίσταται §160δορὸς τὸ πρᾶγμα· μὴ γὰρ ὡς μεθήσομεν §161δόξῃς ἀγῶνα τόνδʼ ἄτερ χαλυβδικοῦ.
But if, looking to their words and their lamentations, you are softened, the matter will come to a trial of the spear; for do not think that we shall let go of this struggle without the use of steel.
§162τί δῆτα φήσεις, ποῖα πεδίʼ ἀφαιρεθείς,
What then will you say? Having been deprived of what plains,