§1144Τρώων, ἐν ᾧπερ νῦν, ἄναξ, ἐκάμνομεν.
Polymestor:...of the Trojans, in which indeed now, lord, we were suffering.
§1145Ἑκάβη δὲ παιδὸς γνοῦσα θανάσιμον μόρον §1146λόγῳ με τοιῷδʼ ἤγαγʼ, ὡς κεκρυμμένας §1147θήκας φράσουσα Πριαμιδῶν ἐν Ἰλίῳ §1148χρυσοῦ· μόνον δὲ σὺν τέκνοισί μʼ εἰσάγει §1149δόμους, ἵνʼ ἄλλος μή τις εἰδείη τάδε.
But Hecuba, having learned the fatal fate of her son, led me out with such words, as if she were going to reveal the hidden chests of gold of the Priamidae in Ilium; and she brought me, along with my children, alone into the tents, so that no one else might know these things.
§1150ἵζω δὲ κλίνης ἐν μέσῳ κάμψας γόνυ·
And I sat in the middle of the couch, bending my knee.
§1151πολλαὶ δὲ χεῖρες, αἳ μὲν ἐξ ἀριστερᾶς, §1152αἳ δʼ ἔνθεν, ὡς δὴ παρὰ φίλῳ, Τρώων κόραι §1153θάκους ἔχουσαι, κερκίδʼ Ἠδωνῆς χερὸς §1154ᾔνουν, ὑπʼ αὐγὰς τούσδε λεύσσουσαι πέπλους· §1155ἄλλαι δὲ κάμακα Θρῃκίαν θεώμεναι §1156γυμνόν μʼ ἔθηκαν διπτύχου στολίσματος.
Then, many hands—some from the left, some from the right—Trojan women, sitting down as if indeed beside a friend, began to praise the weaving of Edonian hand, looking at these robes of mine under the light; and others, admiring my Thracian spear, stripped me of my double protection and made me bare.
§1157ὅσαι δὲ τοκάδες ἦσαν, ἐκπαγλούμεναι §1158τέκνʼ ἐν χεροῖν ἔπαλλον, ὡς πρόσω πατρὸς §1159γένοιντο, διαδοχαῖς ἀμείβουσαι χερῶν·
As many as were mothers, pretending to admire greatly, fondled my children in their hands, so that they might be far from their father, passing them on in turn from hand to hand.
§1160κᾆτʼ ἐκ γαληνῶν — πῶς δοκεῖς; — προσφθεγμάτων §1161εὐθὺς λαβοῦσαι φάσγανʼ ἐκ πέπλων ποθὲν §1162κεντοῦσι παῖδας, αἳ δὲ πολεμίων δίκην §1163ξυναρπάσασαι τὰς ἐμὰς εἶχον χέρας §1164καὶ κῶλα·
And then, from peaceful words—how do you think?— suddenly drawing daggers from somewhere under their robes, they stabbed my children; and others, like enemies, seized my hands and held them tight, and my limbs as well.
παισὶ δʼ ἀρκέσαι χρῄζων ἐμοῖς, §1165εἰ μὲν πρόσωπον ἐξανισταίην ἐμόν, §1166κόμης κατεῖχον, εἰ δὲ κινοίην χέρας, §1167πλήθει γυναικῶν οὐδὲν ἤνυον τάλας.
And when I wished to help my children, if I tried to raise my head, they held me down by my hair; and if I tried to move my hands, I achieved nothing, wretched man, because of the multitude of women.
§1168τὸ λοίσθιον δέ, πῆμα πήματος πλέον, §1169ἐξειργάσαντο δείνʼ· ἐμῶν γὰρ ὀμμάτων, §1170πόρπας λαβοῦσαι, τὰς ταλαιπώρους κόρας §1171κεντοῦσιν, αἱμάσσουσιν·
And finally, a deed worse than any disaster, they wrought a terrible thing; for taking brooches from their robes, they stabbed and bloodied the wretched pupils of my eyes.
εἶτʼ ἀνὰ στέγας §1172φυγάδες ἔβησαν·
Then throughout the tents they fled.
ἐκ δὲ πηδήσας ἐγὼ §1173θὴρ ὣς διώκω τὰς μιαιφόνους κύνας, §1174ἅπαντʼ ἐρευνῶν τοῖχον ὡς κυνηγέτης §1175βάλλων ἀράσσων.
But I, leaping up like a wild beast, pursued the bloodthirsty dogs, searching every wall like a hunter, striking and knocking.
Such things have I suffered while seeking your favor, Agamemnon, and having killed your enemy.
ὡς δὲ μὴ μακροὺς τείνω λόγους, §1178εἴ τις γυναῖκας τῶν πρὶν εἴρηκεν κακῶς §1179ἢ νῦν λέγων ἔστιν τις ἢ μέλλει λέγειν, §1180ἅπαντα ταῦτα συντεμὼν ἐγὼ φράσω· §1181γένος γὰρ οὔτε πόντος οὔτε γῆ τρέφει §1182τοιόνδʼ· ὁ δʼ αἰεὶ ξυντυχὼν ἐπίσταται.
But so that I may not spin out long speeches, if anyone of those in the past has spoken ill of women, or if anyone is saying so now, or is about to say so in the future, I will say it all in brief: for neither the sea nor the earth nurtures such a race; and he who always encounters them knows it.
Chorus: Do not be too bold, nor because of your own evils blame the entire female race, putting them all together.
§1187Ἀγάμεμνον, ἀνθρώποισιν οὐκ ἐχρῆν ποτε §1188τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν γλῶσσαν ἰσχύειν πλέον· §1189ἀλλʼ, εἴτε χρήστʼ ἔδρασε, χρήστʼ ἔδει λέγειν, §1190εἴτʼ αὖ πονηρά, τοὺς λόγους εἶναι σαθρούς, §1191καὶ μὴ δύνασθαι τἄδικʼ εὖ λέγειν ποτέ.
Hecuba: Agamemnon, never among men should the tongue have more power than the deeds; but if someone has done good things, they should speak good things, and if, on the other hand, evil things, their words should be unsound, and they should never be able to speak unjust things well.
§1192σοφοὶ μὲν οὖν εἰσʼ οἱ τάδʼ ἠκριβωκότες, §1193ἀλλʼ οὐ δύνανται διὰ τέλους εἶναι σοφοί, §1194κακῶς δʼ ἀπώλοντʼ· οὔτις ἐξήλυξέ πω.
Wise indeed are those who have mastered these arts, yet they cannot be wise to the end, but perish miserably; no one has ever escaped.
§1195καί μοι τὸ μὲν σὸν ὧδε φροιμίοις ἔχει·
And my prelude to you stands thus.
§1196πρὸς τόνδε δʼ εἶμι καὶ λόγοις ἀμείψομαι·
But I will turn to this man and answer his words.
You say that you killed my son to rid the Achaeans of a double toil, and for the sake of Agamemnon.
§1199ἀλλʼ, ὦ κάκιστε, πρῶτον οὔποτʼ ἂν φίλον §1200τὸ βάρβαρον γένοιτʼ ἂν Ἕλλησιν γένος §1201οὐδʼ ἂν δύναιτο.
But, O basest of men, first of all, never could the barbarian race become a friend to the Greeks, nor could it ever.
τίνα δὲ καὶ σπεύδων χάριν §1202πρόθυμος ἦσθα;
And what favor were you so eagerly seeking?
πότερα κηδεύσων τινὰ §1203ἢ συγγενὴς ὤν, ἢ τίνʼ αἰτίαν ἔχων;
Was it to make some marriage alliance, or because you were a kinsman, or what reason did you have?
Or were they going to sail back and cut down the crops of your land?
τίνα δοκεῖς πείσειν τάδε;
Whom do you think you will persuade of this?
It was gold, if you wish to speak the truth, that killed my son, and your own greed.
§1208ἐπεὶ δίδαξον τοῦτο· πῶς, ὅτʼ εὐτύχει §1209Τροία, πέριξ δὲ πύργος εἶχʼ ἔτι πτόλιν, §1210ἔζη τε Πρίαμος Ἕκτορός τʼ ἤνθει δόρυ, §1211τί δʼ οὐ τότʼ, εἴπερ τῷδʼ ἐβουλήθης χάριν §1212θέσθαι, τρέφων τὸν παῖδα κἀν δόμοις ἔχων §1213ἔκτεινας ἢ ζῶντʼ ἦλθες Ἀργείοις ἄγων;
For explain this: how is it that when Troy was prosperous, and towers still surrounded the city, and Priam lived, and Hector's spear flourished— why did you not then, if you truly wished to lay up favor with this man, by rearing the child and keeping him in your house, kill him, or bring him alive to the Argives?
§1214ἀλλʼ ἡνίχʼ ἡμεῖς οὐκέτʼ ἐσμὲν ἐν φάει — §1215καπνῷ δʼ ἐσήμηνʼ ἄστυ — πολεμίων ὕπο, §1216ξένον κατέκτας σὴν μολόντʼ ἐφʼ ἑστίαν.
But when we were no longer in the light, and the city was signaled by smoke under the enemy, you killed the guest who had come to your hearth.
§1217πρὸς τοῖσδε νῦν ἄκουσον, ὡς φανῇς κακός.
In addition to this, hear now, so that you may appear wicked.
§1218χρῆν σʼ, εἴπερ ἦσθα τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖσιν φίλος, §1219τὸν χρυσὸν ὃν φῂς οὐ σὸν ἀλλὰ τοῦδʼ ἔχειν §1220δοῦναι φέροντα πενομένοις τε καὶ χρόνον
You ought, if indeed you were a friend to the Achaeans, to bring the gold, which you say was not yours but his, and give it to those who were in need and had been away for a long time.