But this man, since he has come into my hands, there is no mortal who shall rescue him.
§978πρὸς ταῦτα τὴν θρασεῖαν ὅστις ἂν θέλῃ §979καὶ τὴν φρονοῦσαν μεῖζον ἢ γυναῖκα χρὴ §980λέξει· τὸ δʼ ἔργον τοῦτʼ ἐμοὶ πεπράξεται.
In response to this, whoever wishes, let them call me bold, and one who thinks more loftily than a woman should; but this deed shall be accomplished by me.
[Chorus] A terrible and yet understandable enmity, O woman, possesses you against this man, I know well.
§983γύναι, σάφʼ ἴσθι μή με θωπεύσοντά σε, §984μηδʼ ἄλλο μηδὲν τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς πέρι §985λέξονθʼ ὅθεν χρὴ δειλίαν ὀφλεῖν τινα.
[Eurystheus] Woman, know clearly that I will not flatter you, nor say anything else concerning my life from which I must incur any charge of cowardice.
§986ἐγὼ δὲ νεῖκος οὐχ ἑκὼν τόδʼ ἠράμην· §987ᾔδη γε σοὶ μὲν αὐτανέψιος γεγώς, §988τῷ σῷ δὲ παιδὶ συγγενὴς Ἡρακλέει.
I did not take up this enmity willingly; I knew indeed that I was your first cousin, and related to your son Heracles.
But whether I wished to or not—for it was a god— Hera made me suffer this disease.
§991ἐπεὶ δʼ ἐκείνῳ δυσμένειαν ἠράμην §992κἄγνων ἀγῶνα τόνδʼ ἀγωνιούμενος, §993πολλῶν σοφιστὴς πημάτων ἐγιγνόμην §994καὶ πόλλʼ ἔτικτον νυκτὶ συνθακῶν ἀεί, §995ὅπως διώσας καὶ κατακτείνας ἐμοὺς §996ἐχθροὺς τὸ λοιπὸν μὴ συνοικοίην φόβῳ, §997εἰδὼς μὲν οὐκ ἀριθμὸν ἀλλʼ ἐτητύμως §998ἄνδρʼ ὄντα τὸν σὸν παῖδα· καὶ γὰρ ἐχθρὸς ὢν §999ἀκούσεται’μοί γʼ ἐσθλὰ χρηστὸς ὢν ἀνήρ.
But once I had taken up hostility against him, and realized that I must wage this struggle, I became a deviser of many troubles, and I gave birth to many plans, sitting in counsel always at night, so that, by repelling and killing my enemies, I might not dwell with fear in the future, knowing that your son was not a mere cipher, but truly a man; for even though he is my enemy, he shall hear good words from me, being a noble man.
§1000κείνου δʼ ἀπαλλαχθέντος οὐκ ἐχρῆν μʼ ἄρα §1001μισούμενον πρὸς τῶνδε καὶ ξυνειδότα §1002ἔχθραν πατρῴαν, πάντα κινῆσαι πέτρον, §1003κτείνοντα κἀκβάλλοντα καὶ τεχνώμενον;
And when he was dead, was it not necessary for me then, since I was hated by these children and was conscious of their ancestral hatred, to leave no stone unturned, by killing, banishing, and plotting?
§1004τοιαῦτα δρῶντι τἄμʼ ἐγίγνετʼ ἀσφαλῆ.
To one doing such things, my affairs were secure.
§1005οὔκουν σύ γʼ ἀναλαβοῦσα τὰς ἐμὰς τύχας §1006ἐχθροῦ λέοντος δυσγενῆ βλαστήματα §1007ἤλαυνες ἂν κακοῖσιν, ἀλλὰ σωφρόνως §1008εἴασας οἰκεῖν Ἄργος;
Would you not, then, taking up my position, have pursued with evils the dangerous offspring of a hostile lion, or would you have prudently allowed them to dwell in Argos?
οὔτινʼ ἂν πίθοις.
You would persuade no one of this.
§1009νῦν οὖν ἐπειδή μʼ οὐ διώλεσαν τότε §1010πρόθυμον ὄντα, τοῖσιν Ἑλλήνων νόμοις §1011οὐχ ἁγνός εἰμι τῷ κτανόντι κατθανών· §1012πόλις τʼ ἀφῆκε σωφρονοῦσα, τὸν θεὸν §1013μεῖζον τίουσα τῆς ἐμῆς ἔχθρας πολύ.
Now, therefore, since they did not destroy me then, though I was ready, by the laws of the Greeks I am not pure to the one who kills me if I am killed; and the city released me, acting prudently, honoring the god much more than my enmity.
You have spoken, you have heard in return; after this, one must call me either the avenging spirit or the noble one.
This indeed is how my situation stands: to die indeed I do not desire, but leaving life I would not be at all grieved.
[Chorus] I wish to advise you a little, Alcmene, to release this man, since it seems good to the city.
§1020τί δʼ, ἢν θάνῃ τε καὶ πόλει πιθώμεθα;
[Alcmene] What if he both dies and we obey the city?
§1021τὰ λῷστ’ ἂν εἴη·
[Chorus] That would be best.
πῶς τάδʼ οὖν γενήσεται;
How then shall this be?
§1022ἐγὼ διδάξω ῥᾳδίως· κτανοῦσα γὰρ §1023τόνδʼ εἶτα νεκρὸν τοῖς μετελθοῦσιν φίλων §1024δώσω· τὸ γὰρ σῶμʼ οὐκ ἀπιστήσω χθονί, §1025οὗτος δὲ δώσει τὴν δίκην θανὼν ἐμοί.
[Alcmene] I will explain easily: for having killed this man, I will then give his corpse to those of his friends who come for it; for I will not deny his body to the earth, and he, by dying, will pay the penalty to me.
§1026κτεῖνʼ, οὐ παραιτοῦμαί σε· τήνδε δὲ πτόλιν, §1027ἐπεί μʼ ἀφῆκε καὶ κατῃδέσθη κτανεῖν, §1028χρησμῷ παλαιῷ Λοξίου δωρήσομαι, §1029ὃς ὠφελήσει μείζονʼ ἢ δοκεῖν χρόνῳ.
[Eurystheus] Kill me, I do not beg you off; and to this city, since it released me and felt shame to kill me, I will make a gift of an ancient oracle of Loxias, which in time will benefit it more than it seems.
§1030θανόντα γάρ με θάψεθʼ οὗ τὸ μόρσιμον, §1031δίας πάροιθε παρθένου Παλληνίδος· §1032καὶ σοὶ μὲν εὔνους καὶ πόλει σωτήριος §1033μέτοικος αἰεὶ κείσομαι κατὰ χθονός, §1034τοῖς τῶνδε δʼ ἐκγόνοισι πολεμιώτατος, §1035ὅταν μόλωσι δεῦρο σὺν πολλῇ χερὶ §1036χάριν προδόντες τήνδε.
For when I am dead, you shall bury me where it is destined, in front of the divine virgin of Pallene; and to you indeed well-disposed, and to the city a savior as a resident alien, I shall lie forever under the earth, but to the descendants of these children most hostile, whenever they come here with a large army, betraying this favor.
τοιούτων ξένων §1037προύστητε.
Such are the guests you stood as protectors for.
πῶς οὖν ταῦτʼ ἐγὼ πεπυσμένος §1038δεῦρʼ ἦλθον, ἀλλʼ οὐ χρησμὸν ἠρόμην θεοῦ;
How then did I, having learned this, come here, and did not fear the oracle of the god?
Because I believed Hera to be much more powerful than the oracles, and that she would not betray me.
ἀλλὰ μήτε μοι χοὰς §1041μήθʼ αἷμʼ ἐάσῃς εἰς ἐμὸν στάξαι τόπον.
But do not allow libations for me nor blood to be dripped upon my tomb.
§1042κακὸν γὰρ αὐτοῖς νόστον ἀντὶ τῶνδʼ ἐγὼ §1043δώσω· διπλοῦν δὲ κέρδος ἕξετʼ ἐξ ἐμοῦ, §1044ὑμᾶς τʼ ὀνήσω τούσδε τε βλάψω θανών.
For a hostile return in exchange for these things I will give them; and you will have a double gain from me, for I will benefit you and harm these men by my death.
§1045τί δῆτα μέλλετʼ, εἰ πόλει σωτηρίαν §1046κατεργάσασθαι τοῖσί τʼ ἐξ ἡμῶν χρεών, §1047κτείνειν τὸν ἄνδρα τόνδʼ, ἀκούοντες τάδε;
[Alcmene] Why then do you delay, if it is necessary to achieve safety for the city and for those descended from us, to kill this man, hearing these things?
[Chorus] For he points out the safest path; the man is indeed an enemy, but by dying he brings benefit.
§1050κομίζετʼ αὐτόν, δμῶες·
[Alcmene] Take him away, servants.
εἶτα χρὴ κυσὶν §1051δοῦναι κτανόντας· μὴ γὰρ ἐλπίσῃς ὅπως §1052αὖθις πατρῴας ζῶν ἔμʼ ἐκβαλεῖς χθονός.
Then, having killed him, we must give him to the dogs; for do not hope that you will ever again banish me alive from my ancestral land.
§1053ταὐτὰ δοκεῖ μοι.
[Chorus] These things seem good to me too.
στείχετʼ, ὀπαδοί.
Go, attendants.