to the darkness sent beneath the earth, where among the dead, I, wretched one, shall lie.
§211καὶ σοῦ μέν, μᾶτερ, δυστάνου §212κλαίω πανδύρτοις θρήνοις, §213τὸν ἐμὸν δὲ βίον λώβαν λύμαν τʼ §214οὐ μετακλαίομαι, ἀλλὰ θανεῖν μοι §215ξυντυχία κρείσσων ἐκύρησεν.
And for you, mother, wretched one, I weep with all-lamenting dirges, but for my own life, its outrage and ruin, I do not weep; rather, to die has met me as a better fortune.
And see, Odysseus comes in hot haste, Hecuba, to declare some new word to you.
Lady, I think indeed you know the mind of the army and the vote that was decided; but nevertheless, I will tell you.
It was resolved by the Achaeans to sacrifice your daughter Polyxena at the steep mound of Achilles' tomb.
§222ἡμᾶς δὲ πομποὺς καὶ κομιστῆρας κόρης §223τάσσουσιν εἶναι· θύματος δʼ ἐπιστάτης §224ἱερεύς τʼ ἐπέσται τοῦδε παῖς Ἀχιλλέως.
And us they appoint to be the escorts and conductors of the maiden; and the director and priest of this sacrifice will be the son of Achilles.
§225οἶσθʼ οὖν ὃ δρᾶσον;
Do you know, then, what you must do?
μήτʼ ἀποσπασθῇς βίᾳ §226μήτʼ ἐς χερῶν ἅμιλλαν ἐξέλθῃς ἐμοί· §227γίγνωσκε δʼ ἀλκὴν καὶ παρουσίαν κακῶν
Neither be dragged away by force, nor enter into a contest of hands with me; recognize your strength and the presence of your evils which are yours.
§228τῶν σῶν. σοφόν τοι κἀν κακοῖς ἃ δεῖ φρονεῖν.
It is wise indeed, even in evils, to think what is right.
§229αἰαῖ·
Alas!
παρέστηχʼ, ὡς ἔοικʼ, ἀγὼν μέγας, §230πλήρης στεναγμῶν οὐδὲ δακρύων κενός.
A great contest, as it seems, has stood before us, full of groans and not empty of tears.
§231κἄγωγʼ ἄρʼ οὐκ ἔθνῃσκον οὗ μʼ ἐχρῆν θανεῖν, §232οὐδʼ ὤλεσέν με Ζεύς, τρέφει δʼ, ὅπως ὁρῶ §233κακῶν κάκʼ ἄλλα μείζονʼ ἡ τάλαινʼ ἐγώ.
I, then, did not die where I ought to have died, nor did Zeus destroy me, but he keeps me alive, so that I may see other evils, greater than evils, wretched me.
§234εἰ δʼ ἔστι τοῖς δούλοισι τοὺς ἐλευθέρους §235μὴ λυπρὰ μηδὲ καρδίας δηκτήρια §236ἐξιστορῆσαι, σοὶ μὲν εἰρῆσθαι χρεών, §237ἡμᾶς δʼ ἀκοῦσαι τοὺς ἐρωτῶντας τάδε.
If it is permitted for slaves to question the free with words that are neither painful nor biting to the heart, you indeed ought to speak, and we who ask these things ought to hear.
§238ἔξεστʼ, ἐρώτα· τοῦ χρόνου γὰρ οὐ φθονῶ.
It is permitted, ask; for I do not grudge you time.
§239οἶσθʼ ἡνίκʼ ἦλθες Ἰλίου κατάσκοπος, §240δυσχλαινίᾳ τʼ ἄμορφος, ὀμμάτων τʼ ἄπο §241φόνου σταλαγμοὶ σὴν κατέσταζον γένυν;
Do you know when you came as a spy of Ilium, disfigured in wretched rags, and from your eyes drops of blood fell upon your chin?
§242οἶδʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἄκρας καρδίας ἔψαυσέ μου.
I know it; for it did not touch merely the surface of my heart.
§243ἔγνω δέ σʼ Ἑλένη καὶ μόνῃ κατεῖπʼ ἐμοί;
And did Helen recognize you and tell me alone?
§244μεμνήμεθʼ ἐς κίνδυνον ἐλθόντες μέγαν.
We remember, having come into great danger.
§245ἥψω δὲ γονάτων τῶν ἐμῶν ταπεινὸς ὤν;
And did you touch my knees, being humble?
§246ὥστʼ ἐνθανεῖν γε σοῖς πέπλοισι χεῖρʼ ἐμήν.
So that my hand indeed died within your robes.
§247ἔσωσα δῆτά σʼ ἐξέπεμψά τε χθονός;
And did I save you and send you out of the land?
§248ὥστʼ εἰσορᾶν γε φέγγος ἡλίου τόδε.
So that indeed I look upon this light of the sun.
§249τί δῆτʼ ἔλεξας δοῦλος ὢν ἐμὸς τότε;
What indeed did you say then, being my slave?
§250πολλῶν λόγων εὑρήμαθʼ, ὥστε μὴ θανεῖν.
Many inventions of words, so as not to die.
§251οὔκουν κακύνῃ τοῖσδε τοῖς βουλεύμασιν, §252ὃς ἐξ ἐμοῦ μὲν ἔπαθες οἷα φῂς παθεῖν, §253δρᾷς δʼ οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς εὖ, κακῶς δʼ ὅσον δύνῃ;
Are you not then base in these designs, who from me indeed suffered what you say you suffered, but do no good to us, but evil as much as you can?
§254ἀχάριστον ὑμῶν σπέρμʼ, ὅσοι δημηγόρους §255ζηλοῦτε τιμάς· μηδὲ γιγνώσκοισθέ μοι, §256οἳ τοὺς φίλους βλάπτοντες οὐ φροντίζετε, §257ἢν τοῖσι πολλοῖς πρὸς χάριν λέγητέ τι.
An ungrateful seed you are, all you who zealously seek the honors of public speaking; may you not be known to me, who, harming your friends, do not care, if only you may say something to please the crowd.
But what indeed thinking this to be a clever device have they determined the vote of death against this child?
Did necessity lead them to slaughter a human at the tomb, where it is more fitting to sacrifice oxen?
Or Achilles, wishing to slay in return those who slew him, justly directs this slaughter against her?
§264ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ἥδε γʼ εἴργασται κακόν.
But she has done no evil to him.
He ought to have demanded Helen as a sacrifice for his tomb; for she destroyed him and brought him to Troy.
§267εἰ δʼ αἰχμαλώτων χρή τινʼ ἔκκριτον θανεῖν §268κάλλει θʼ ὑπερφέρουσαν, οὐχ ἡμῶν τόδε· §269ἡ Τυνδαρὶς γὰρ εἶδος ἐκπρεπεστάτη, §270ἀδικοῦσά θʼ ἡμῶν οὐδὲν ἧσσον ηὑρέθη.
And if some chosen one of the captives must die, and one excelling in beauty, this is not ours; for the daughter of Tyndareus is most outstanding in beauty, and she was found to do no less wrong than we.
In justice indeed I contest this argument; but what you must return in exchange, since I demand it, hear.
ἥψω τῆς ἐμῆς, ὡς φῄς, χερὸς §274καὶ τῆσδε γραίας προσπίτνων παρηίδος· §275ἀνθάπτομαί σου τῶνδε τῶν αὐτῶν ἐγὼ §276χάριν τʼ ἀπαιτῶ τὴν τόθʼ ἱκετεύω τέ σε, §277μή μου τὸ τέκνον ἐκ χερῶν ἀποσπάσῃς, §278μηδὲ κτάνητε· τῶν τεθνηκότων ἅλις.
You touched my hand, as you say, and falling down, this aged cheek; I in turn touch these same parts of yours, and I demand the favor of that time and beseech you, do not tear my child from my hands, nor kill her; there are enough of the dead.
§279ταύτῃ γέγηθα κἀπιλήθομαι κακῶν· §280ἥδʼ ἀντὶ πολλῶν ἐστί μοι παραψυχή, §281πόλις, τιθήνη, βάκτρον, ἡγεμὼν ὁδοῦ.
In her I rejoice and forget my evils; she is to me in place of many things a consolation, city, nurse, staff, guide of the way.
§282οὐ τοὺς κρατοῦντας χρὴ κρατεῖν ἃ μὴ χρεών, §283οὐδʼ εὐτυχοῦντας εὖ δοκεῖν πράξειν ἀεί· §284κἀγὼ γὰρ ἦ ποτʼ, ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐκ εἴμʼ ἔτι, §285τὸν πάντα δʼ ὄλβον ἦμαρ ἕν μʼ ἀφείλετο.
It is not right for those who rule to rule what they ought not, nor for those who are fortunate to think they will always fare well; for I too was once, but now I am no longer, and all my happiness one day took away from me.