§538στρατός τε κἀγώ·
both the host and myself.
πρευμενὴς δʼ ἡμῖν γενοῦ §539λῦσαί τε πρύμνας καὶ χαλινωτήρια §540νεῶν δὸς ἡμῖν πρευμενοῦς τʼ ἀπʼ Ἰλίου §541νόστου τυχόντας πάντας ἐς πάτραν μολεῖν.
Be favorable to us, and grant us to loose the stern-cables and moorings of our ships, and, having obtained a favorable return from Ilium, for all of us to reach our native land.
§542τοσαῦτʼ ἔλεξε, πᾶς δʼ ἐπηύξατο στρατός.
So many things he said, and the whole host prayed with him.
§543εἶτʼ ἀμφίχρυσον φάσγανον κώπης λαβὼν §544ἐξεῖλκε κολεοῦ, λογάσι δʼ Ἀργείων στρατοῦ §545νεανίαις ἔνευσε παρθένον λαβεῖν.
Then, taking his sword with its all-golden hilt, he drew it from its scabbard, and signaled to the chosen young men of the Argive host to hold the maiden.
§546ἣ δʼ, ὡς ἐφράσθη, τόνδʼ ἐσήμηνεν λόγον· §547Ὦ τὴν ἐμὴν πέρσαντες Ἀργεῖοι πόλιν, §548ἑκοῦσα θνῄσκω· μή τις ἅψηται χροὸς §549τοὐμοῦ· παρέξω γὰρ δέρην εὐκαρδίως.
But she, when she perceived this, spoke these words: "Oh Argives, who have destroyed my city, I die willingly; let no one touch my body, for I will offer my neck courageously.
§550ἐλευθέραν δέ μʼ, ὡς ἐλευθέρα θάνω, §551πρὸς θεῶν, μεθέντες κτείνατʼ· ἐν νεκροῖσι γὰρ §552δούλη κεκλῆσθαι βασιλὶς οὖσʼ αἰσχύνομαι. §553λαοὶ δʼ ἐπερρόθησαν, Ἀγαμέμνων τʼ ἄναξ §554εἶπεν μεθεῖναι παρθένον νεανίαις.
But, by the gods, release me and kill me as a free woman, so that I may die free; for among the dead I am ashamed to be called a slave, being a princess." And the people murmured approval, and King Agamemnon told the young men to release the maiden.
§557κἀπεὶ τόδʼ εἰσήκουσε δεσποτῶν ἔπος, §558λαβοῦσα πέπλους ἐξ ἄκρας ἐπωμίδος §559ἔρρηξε λαγόνας ἐς μέσας παρʼ ὀμφαλόν, §560μαστούς τʼ ἔδειξε στέρνα θʼ ὡς ἀγάλματος
And when she heard this command of her masters, she took her robe from the top of her shoulder and tore it down to the middle of her flanks, near the navel, and showed her breasts and chest, most beautiful, like a statue's.
§561κάλλιστα, καὶ καθεῖσα πρὸς γαῖαν γόνυ §562ἔλεξε πάντων τλημονέστατον λόγον· §563Ἰδού, τόδʼ, εἰ μὲν στέρνον, ὦ νεανία, §564παίειν προθυμῇ, παῖσον, εἰ δʼ ὑπʼ αὐχένα §565χρῄζεις, πάρεστι λαιμὸς εὐτρεπὴς ὅδε. §566ὃ δʼ οὐ θέλων τε καὶ θέλων οἴκτῳ κόρης, §567τέμνει σιδήρῳ πνεύματος διαρροάς·
And, dropping her knee to the ground, she spoke words most courageous of all: "Behold, young man, if you desire to strike my chest, strike; but if you wish under the neck, here is this throat ready." And he, both unwilling and willing out of pity for the maiden, cut the passages of her breath with the iron.
§568κρουνοὶ δʼ ἐχώρουν.
And the streams of blood gushed forth.
ἣ δὲ καὶ θνῄσκουσʼ ὅμως §569πολλὴν πρόνοιαν εἶχεν εὐσχήμων πεσεῖν, §570κρύπτουσʼ ἃ κρύπτειν ὄμματʼ ἀρσένων χρεών.
But she, even as she died, nonetheless took great care to fall decently, hiding what must be hidden from the eyes of men.
§571ἐπεὶ δʼ ἀφῆκε πνεῦμα θανασίμῳ σφαγῇ, §572οὐδεὶς τὸν αὐτὸν εἶχεν Ἀργείων πόνον· §573ἀλλʼ οἳ μὲν αὐτῶν τὴν θανοῦσαν ἐκ χερῶν §574φύλλοις ἔβαλλον, οἳ δὲ πληροῦσιν πυρὰν §575κορμοὺς φέροντες πευκίνους, ὁ δʼ οὐ φέρων §576πρὸς τοῦ φέροντος τοιάδʼ ἤκουεν κακά· §577Ἕστηκας, ὦ κάκιστε, τῇ νεάνιδι §578οὐ πέπλον οὐδὲ κόσμον ἐν χεροῖν ἔχων;
And when she gave up her breath by the fatal slaughter, no one of the Argives had the same task; but some of them threw leaves from their hands on the dead girl, and others filled the pyre, bringing pine logs; and he who brought nothing heard such reproaches from the one who did: "Are you standing there, most worthless of men, having neither robe nor ornament in your hands for the maiden?
§579οὐκ εἶ τι δώσων τῇ περίσσʼ εὐκαρδίῳ §580ψυχήν τʼ ἀρίστῃ; τοιάδʼ ἀμφὶ σῆς λέγων §581παιδὸς θανούσης, εὐτεκνωτάτην τέ σε §582πασῶν γυναικῶν δυστυχεστάτην θʼ ὁρῶ.
Will you not go to give something to her who was exceedingly courageous and noblest in soul?" Speaking such things about your dead child, I see that you are the most blessed in children and yet the most unfortunate of all women.
A terrible calamity has boiled up for the descendants of Priam and for my city by the necessities of the gods.
Oh daughter, I do not know whither of my woes I shall look, since so many are present.
ἢν γὰρ ἅψωμαί τινος, §587τόδʼ οὐκ ἐᾷ με, παρακαλεῖ δʼ ἐκεῖθεν αὖ §588λύπη τις ἄλλη διάδοχος κακῶν κακοῖς.
For if I touch upon any one, this other does not allow me, and from another side again some other grief calls me away, succeeding evils with evils.
And now, so as not to groan for your suffering, I would not be able to erase it from my mind.
But you have taken away the excess of it, being reported to me noble.
οὔκουν δεινόν, εἰ γῆ μὲν κακὴ §593τυχοῦσα καιροῦ θεόθεν εὖ στάχυν φέρει, §594χρηστὴ δʼ ἁμαρτοῦσʼ ὧν χρεὼν αὐτὴν τυχεῖν §595κακὸν δίδωσι καρπόν, ἀνθρώποις δʼ ἀεὶ §596ὁ μὲν πονηρὸς οὐδὲν ἄλλο πλὴν κακός, §597ὁ δʼ ἐσθλὸς ἐσθλός, οὐδὲ συμφορᾶς ὕπο §598φύσιν διέφθειρʼ, ἀλλὰ χρηστός ἐστʼ ἀεί;
Is it not then strange, if bad land, having met with a favorable season from god, bears grain well, while good land, failing of those things which it ought to obtain, gives bad fruit, yet among men, always the bad man is nothing else but bad, and the noble man is noble, nor under the influence of calamity does he corrupt his nature, but is always excellent?
§599ἆρʼ οἱ τεκόντες διαφέρουσιν ἢ τροφαί;
Is it because of parents or upbringing that they differ?
§600ἔχει γε μέντοι καὶ τὸ θρεφθῆναι καλῶς §601δίδαξιν ἐσθλοῦ· τοῦτο δʼ ἤν τις εὖ μάθῃ, §602οἶδεν τό γʼ αἰσχρόν, κανόνι τοῦ καλοῦ μαθών.
Yet surely, to be brought up well holds the teaching of nobility; and if someone learns this well, he knows what is shameful, having learned it by the rule of the beautiful.
§603καὶ ταῦτα μὲν δὴ νοῦς ἐτόξευσεν μάτην·
Indeed, my mind has shot these arrows in vain.
§604σὺ δʼ ἐλθὲ καὶ σήμηνον Ἀργείοις τάδε, §605μὴ θιγγάνειν μοι μηδένʼ, ἀλλʼ εἴργειν ὄχλον, §606τῆς παιδός.
But you go and announce these things to the Argives: let no one touch my daughter, but keep back the crowd, of the girl.
ἔν τοι μυρίῳ στρατεύματι §607ἀκόλαστος ὄχλος ναυτική τʼ ἀναρχία §608κρείσσων πυρός, κακὸς δʼ ὁ μή τι δρῶν κακόν.
Indeed, in an immense army an undisciplined crowd and sailors' lawlessness are more violent than fire, and he who does no evil is considered bad.
§609σὺ δʼ αὖ λαβοῦσα τεῦχος, ἀρχαία λάτρι, §610βάψασʼ ἔνεγκε δεῦρο ποντίας ἁλός, §611ὡς παῖδα λουτροῖς τοῖς πανυστάτοις ἐμήν, §612νύμφην τʼ ἄνυμφον παρθένον τʼ ἀπάρθενον, §613λούσω προθῶμαί θʼ — ὡς μὲν ἀξία, πόθεν;
And you, old servant, take a vessel and dip and bring here some seawater, so that I may wash my daughter in her very last bath, a bride unwedded and a maiden no longer a maiden, and lay her out—as she deserves?
§614οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην·
How could I?
ὡς δʼ ἔχω — τί γὰρ πάθω; —
I would not be able to; but as I am able—for what can I do?—