§288παρηγόρησον, ὡς ἀποκτείνειν φθόνος §289γυναῖκας, ἃς τὸ πρῶτον οὐκ ἐκτείνατε §290βωμῶν ἀποσπάσαντες, ἀλλʼ ᾠκτίρατε.
Persuade them, since it is a cause for indignation to kill women whom you did not kill at first when you dragged them from the altars, but pitied.
And among you a law is laid down, equal for the free and for the slaves, concerning bloodshed.
§293τὸ δʼ ἀξίωμα, κἂν κακῶς λέγῃ, τὸ σὸν §294πείσει· λόγος γὰρ ἔκ τʼ ἀδοξούντων ἰὼν §295κἀκ τῶν δοκούντων αὑτὸς οὐ ταὐτὸν σθένει.
And your prestige, even if it speaks poorly, will persuade them; for the same speech coming from those of no repute and from those of high standing does not have the same power.
§296οὐκ ἔστιν οὕτω στερρὸς ἀνθρώπου φύσις, §297ἥτις γόων σῶν καὶ μακρῶν ὀδυρμάτων §298κλύουσα θρήνους οὐκ ἂν ἐκβάλοι δάκρυ.
There is no human nature so unyielding that, hearing the laments of your groans and long wailings, would not shed a tear.
Hecuba, be instructed, and do not, because of your angered heart, make him an enemy who speaks well.
§301ἐγὼ τὸ μὲν σὸν σῶμʼ ὑφʼ οὗπερ εὐτύχουν §302σῴζειν ἕτοιμός εἰμι κοὐκ ἄλλως λέγω· §303ἃ δʼ εἶπον εἰς ἅπαντας οὐκ ἀρνήσομαι, §304Τροίας ἁλούσης ἀνδρὶ τῷ πρώτῳ στρατοῦ §305σὴν παῖδα δοῦναι σφάγιον ἐξαιτουμένῳ.
I am ready to save your person, by whom indeed I fared well, and I do not say otherwise; but what I said before everyone I will not deny: that, Troy having been taken, we should give your daughter as a sacrifice to the foremost man of the army who demands her.
§306ἐν τῷδε γὰρ κάμνουσιν αἱ πολλαὶ πόλεις, §307ὅταν τις ἐσθλὸς καὶ πρόθυμος ὢν ἀνὴρ §308μηδὲν φέρηται τῶν κακιόνων πλέον.
For in this very point many cities suffer: when a man who is noble and zealous wins no more reward than those who are base.
And for us Achilles is worthy of honor, lady, a man who died most gloriously on behalf of the land of Hellas.
Is this not then shameful, if, while he lived and saw the light, we treated him as a friend, but now that he is gone, we treat him so no longer?
Very well; what then will anyone say, if there should appear again a gathering of the army and a contest with enemies?
Shall we fight, or shall we love our lives, when we see that the dead is not honored?
§317καὶ μὴν ἔμοιγε ζῶντι μέν, καθʼ ἡμέραν §318κεἰ σμίκρʼ ἔχοιμι, πάντʼ ἂν ἀρκούντως ἔχοι· §319τύμβον δὲ βουλοίμην ἂν ἀξιούμενον §320τὸν ἐμὸν ὁρᾶσθαι· διὰ μακροῦ γὰρ ἡ χάρις.
Indeed, for myself, while living, even if I should have but little day by day, everything would be sufficient; but I would wish my tomb to be seen held in honor, for such gratitude lasts for a long time.
§321εἰ δʼ οἰκτρὰ πάσχειν φῄς, τάδʼ ἀντάκουέ μου· §322εἰσὶν παρʼ ἡμῖν οὐδὲν ἧσσον ἄθλιαι §323γραῖαι γυναῖκες ἠδὲ πρεσβῦται σέθεν, §324νύμφαι τʼ ἀρίστων νυμφίων τητώμεναι, §325ὧν ἥδε κεύθει σώματʼ Ἰδαία κόνις.
And if you say you suffer pitiable things, hear this in return from me: there are among us old women and aged fathers no less wretched than you, and brides deprived of their noble bridegrooms, whose bodies this dust of Ida conceals.
§326τόλμα τάδʼ.
Endure these things.
ἡμεῖς δʼ, εἰ κακῶς νομίζομεν §327τιμᾶν τὸν ἐσθλόν, ἀμαθίαν ὀφλήσομεν· §328οἱ βάρβαροι δὲ μήτε τοὺς φίλους φίλους §329ἡγεῖσθε, μήτε τοὺς καλῶς τεθνηκότας §330θαυμάζεθʼ, ὡς ἂν ἡ μὲν Ἑλλὰς εὐτυχῇ, §331ὑμεῖς δʼ ἔχηθʼ ὅμοια τοῖς βουλεύμασιν.
And we, if we are wrong to think we must honor the noble, shall incur the charge of folly; but as for you barbarians, neither consider your friends as friends, nor admire those who have died nobly, so that Hellas indeed may prosper, while you fare in a manner suited to your counsels.
§332αἰαῖ·
Alas!
τὸ δοῦλον ὡς κακὸν πέφυκʼ ἀεὶ §333τολμᾷ θʼ ἃ μὴ χρή, τῇ βίᾳ νικώμενον.
How wretched a thing slavery is by nature, and how it must endure what it should not, overcome by force!
§334ὦ θύγατερ, οὑμοὶ μὲν λόγοι πρὸς αἰθέρα §335φροῦδοι μάτην ῥιφέντες ἀμφὶ σοῦ φόνου· §336σὺ δʼ, εἴ τι μείζω δύναμιν ἢ μήτηρ ἔχεις, §337σπούδαζε πάσας ὥστʼ ἀηδόνος στόμα §338φθογγὰς ἱεῖσα, μὴ στερηθῆναι βίου.
Oh daughter, my words indeed are vanished, cast in vain into the air concerning your slaughter; but you, if you have any greater power than your mother, exert yourself, uttering every sound like the mouth of a nightingale, so as not to be deprived of life.
§339πρόσπιπτε δʼ οἰκτρῶς τοῦδʼ Ὀδυσσέως γόνυ §340καὶ πεῖθʼ — ἔχεις δὲ πρόφασιν· ἔστι γὰρ τέκνα §341καὶ τῷδε — τὴν σὴν ὥστʼ ἐποικτῖραι τύχην.
And fall down pitiably at the knee of this Odysseus and persuade him—and you have a plea, for he too has children —so that he may pity your fortune.
§342ὁρῶ σʼ, Ὀδυσσεῦ, δεξιὰν ὑφʼ εἵματος §343κρύπτοντα χεῖρα καὶ πρόσωπον ἔμπαλιν §344στρέφοντα, μή σου προσθίγω γενειάδος.
I see you, Odysseus, hiding your right hand beneath your garment and turning your face away, lest I should touch your chin.
§345θάρσει· πέφευγας τὸν ἐμὸν Ἱκέσιον Δία·
Be of good courage; you have escaped my Zeus of Suppliants.
§346ὡς ἕψομαί γε τοῦ τʼ ἀναγκαίου χάριν §347θανεῖν τε χρῄζουσʼ· εἰ δὲ μὴ βουλήσομαι, §348κακὴ φανοῦμαι καὶ φιλόψυχος γυνή.
For I will follow you, both because of necessity and because I wish to die; and if I should not be willing, I shall appear a base and life-loving woman.
§349τί γάρ με δεῖ ζῆν;
For why should I live?
ᾗ πατὴρ μὲν ἦν ἄναξ §350Φρυγῶν ἁπάντων· τοῦτό μοι πρῶτον βίου·
I whose father was king of all the Phrygians; this was the first of my life.
§351ἔπειτʼ ἐθρέφθην ἐλπίδων καλῶν ὕπο §352βασιλεῦσι νύμφη, ζῆλον οὐ σμικρὸν γάμων §353ἔχουσʼ, ὅτου δῶμʼ ἑστίαν τʼ ἀφίξομαι·
Then, I was reared under fair hopes, to be a bride for kings, having no small rivalry of marriage as to whose home and hearth I should reach.
§354δέσποινα δʼ ἡ δύστηνος Ἰδαίαισιν ἦ §355γυναιξὶ παρθένοις τʼ ἀπόβλεπτος μέτα, §356ἴση θεοῖσι πλὴν τὸ κατθανεῖν μόνον·
And I, wretched now, was a mistress among the women of Ida and looked up to among the maidens, equal to the gods except for being mortal only.
§357νῦν δʼ εἰμὶ δούλη.
But now I am a slave.
πρῶτα μέν με τοὔνομα §358θανεῖν ἐρᾶν τίθησιν οὐκ εἰωθὸς ὄν·
First, indeed, the very name, being unfamiliar, makes me desire to die.
§359ἔπειτʼ ἴσως ἂν δεσποτῶν ὠμῶν φρένας §360τύχοιμʼ ἄν, ὅστις ἀργύρου μʼ ὠνήσεται, §361τὴν Ἕκτορός τε χἁτέρων πολλῶν κάσιν, §362προσθεὶς δʼ ἀνάγκην σιτοποιὸν ἐν δόμοις, §363σαίρειν τε δῶμα κερκίσιν τʼ ἐφεστάναι §364λυπρὰν ἄγουσαν ἡμέραν μʼ ἀναγκάσει· §365λέχη δὲ τἀμὰ δοῦλος ὠνητός ποθεν
Then, perhaps, I might light upon the mind of cruel masters, whoever will buy me for silver— me, the sister of Hector and of many others— and imposing the necessity of bread-making in his house, he will force me to sweep the house and stand at the loom, forcing me to lead a painful day; and my bed some slave bought from somewhere...