§720μέλεα τοῦδε παιδὸς οὐδʼ ᾤκτισας.
and you did not even pity the limbs of this child.
Oh wretched one, how a god, whoever he is that is heavy upon you, has made you the most suffering of mortals.
But indeed, I see the form of our master Agamemnon, so from now on let us be silent, friends.
§726Ἑκάβη, τί μέλλεις παῖδα σὴν κρύπτειν τάφῳ §727ἐλθοῦσʼ, ἐφʼ οἷσπερ Ταλθύβιος ἤγγειλέ μοι §728μὴ θιγγάνειν σῆς μηδένʼ Ἀργείων κόρης;
Agamemnon: Hecuba, why do you delay to go and bury your child in a tomb, in accordance with what Talthybius reported to me, that no one of the Argives should touch your girl?
We indeed left her alone and did not touch her; but you delay, so that I wonder.
And I have come to send you away; for the matters over there are well done — if any of these things is well.
§733ἔα·
Ha!
τίνʼ ἄνδρα τόνδʼ ἐπὶ σκηναῖς ὁρῶ §734θανόντα Τρώων;
What Trojan man is this I see dead at the tents?
οὐ γὰρ Ἀργεῖον πέπλοι §735δέμας περιπτύσσοντες ἀγγέλλουσί μοι.
For the robes wrapping the body tell me it is not an Argive.
Hecuba: [aside] Wretched woman! For I mean myself when I say you, Hecuba. What shall I do?
πότερα προσπέσω γόνυ §738Ἀγαμέμνονος τοῦδʼ ἢ φέρω σιγῇ κακά;
Shall I fall at the knees of this Agamemnon here, or bear my evils in silence?
Agamemnon: Why do you turn your back on my face and lament, and do not tell what has been done? — Who is this?
Hecuba: [aside] But if, regarding me as a slave and an enemy, he should push me away from his knees, I would add pain to myself.
Agamemnon: I was certainly not born a prophet, so that without hearing I cannot trace the path of your plans.
Hecuba: [aside] Am I then calculating his mind too much toward hostility, when he is not hostile?
Agamemnon: If indeed you wish me to know nothing of these things, you have come to the same point; for I too do not wish to hear.
Hecuba: [aside] I would not be able to avenge my child without this man.
τί στρέφω τάδε;
Why do I turn these thoughts over?
§751τολμᾶν ἀνάγκη, κἂν τύχω κἂν μὴ τύχω. — §752Ἀγάμεμνον, ἱκετεύω σε τῶνδε γουνάτων §753καὶ σοῦ γενείου δεξιᾶς τʼ εὐδαίμονος
I must dare, whether I succeed or fail. — [to Agamemnon] Agamemnon, I entreat you by these knees of yours, and by your beard, and your blessed right hand.
§754τί χρῆμα μαστεύουσα;
Agamemnon: What thing are you seeking?
μῶν ἐλεύθερον §755αἰῶνα θέσθαι;
Is it to gain a free life?
ῥᾴδιον γάρ ἐστί σοι.
For that is easy for you.
Hecuba: Not at all; but if I can take vengeance on the wicked, I am willing to be a slave for all my life.
§758καὶ δὴ τίνʼ ἡμᾶς εἰς ἐπάρκεσιν καλεῖς;
Agamemnon: And indeed, for what assistance do you call upon us?
Hecuba: Nothing of those things which you suppose, lord. — Do you see this corpse, over whom I shed my tears?
§761ὁρῶ· τὸ μέντοι μέλλον οὐκ ἔχω μαθεῖν.
Agamemnon: I see him; however, I cannot understand what is to follow.
§762τοῦτόν ποτʼ ἔτεκον κἄφερον ζώνης ὕπο.
Hecuba: This boy I once bore and carried beneath my girdle.
§763ἔστιν δὲ τίς σῶν οὗτος, ὦ τλῆμον, τέκνων;
Agamemnon: But which of your children is this, oh wretched one?
§764οὐ τῶν θανόντων Πριαμιδῶν ὑπʼ Ἰλίῳ.
Hecuba: Not one of the sons of Priam who died under Ilium.
§765ἦ γάρ τινʼ ἄλλον ἔτεκες ἢ κείνους, γύναι;
Agamemnon: Did you indeed bear some other child besides those, woman?
§766ἀνόνητά γʼ, ὡς ἔοικε, τόνδʼ ὃν εἰσορᾷς.
Hecuba: In vain, as it seems, this one whom you look upon.
§767ποῦ δʼ ὢν ἐτύγχανʼ, ἡνίκʼ ὤλλυτο πτόλις;
Agamemnon: And where did he happen to be, when the city was destroying?
§768πατήρ νιν ἐξέπεμψεν ὀρρωδῶν θανεῖν.
Hecuba: His father sent him away, fearing he might die.
§769ποῖ τῶν τότʼ ὄντων χωρίσας τέκνων μόνον;
Agamemnon: Separating him alone of the children then existing, to where?
§770ἐς τήνδε χώραν, οὗπερ ηὑρέθη θανών.
Hecuba: To this land, where he was found dead.
§771πρὸς ἄνδρʼ ὃς ἄρχει τῆσδε Πολυμήστωρ χθονός;
Agamemnon: To the man who rules this land, Polymestor?
§772ἐνταῦθʼ ἐπέμφθη πικροτάτου χρυσοῦ φύλαξ.
Hecuba: Here he was sent, as guardian of most bitter gold.
§773θνῄσκει δὲ πρὸς τοῦ καὶ τίνος πότμου τυχών;
Agamemnon: And by whom does he die, and meeting what fate?
§774τίνος γʼ ὑπʼ ἄλλου;
Hecuba: By what other indeed?
Θρῄξ νιν ὤλεσε ξένος.
The Thracian guest-friend destroyed him.
§775ὦ τλῆμον·
Agamemnon: Oh wretched one!
ἦ που χρυσὸν ἠράσθη λαβεῖν;
Did he indeed desire to take the gold?
§776τοιαῦτʼ, ἐπειδὴ συμφορὰν ἔγνω Φρυγῶν.
Hecuba: Even so, when he knew the calamity of the Phrygians.
§777ηὗρες δὲ ποῦ νιν;
Agamemnon: And where did you find him?
ἢ τίς ἤνεγκεν νεκρόν;
Or who brought the corpse?
§778ἥδʼ, ἐντυχοῦσα ποντίας ἀκτῆς ἔπι.
Hecuba: This woman, meeting him upon the sea shore.
§779τοῦτον ματεύουσʼ ἢ πονοῦσʼ ἄλλον πόνον;
Agamemnon: Was she searching for him, or laboring at some other task?
§780λούτρʼ ᾤχετʼ οἴσουσʼ ἐξ ἁλὸς Πολυξένῃ.
Hecuba: She went to bring bath-water from the sea for Polyxena.
§781κτανών νιν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἐκβάλλει ξένος.
Agamemnon: The guest-friend, as it seems, killed him and cast him out.
§782θαλασσόπλαγκτόν γʼ, ὧδε διατεμὼν χρόα.
Hecuba: Yes, to wander on the sea, having mangled his flesh thus.
§783ὦ σχετλία σὺ τῶν ἀμετρήτων πόνων.
Agamemnon: Oh wretched woman you are, of immeasurable labors!
§784ὄλωλα κοὐδὲν λοιπόν, Ἀγάμεμνον, κακῶν.
Hecuba: I am ruined, Agamemnon, and no evil is left.
§785φεῦ φεῦ·
Agamemnon: Alas, alas!
τίς οὕτω δυστυχὴς ἔφυ γυνή;
What woman was ever born so unfortunate?
§786οὐκ ἔστιν, εἰ μὴ τὴν Τύχην αὐτὴν λέγοις.
Hecuba: There is none, unless you should speak of Fortune herself.
But listen to those things for the sake of which I fall around your knee.
εἰ μὲν ὅσιά σοι παθεῖν δοκῶ, §789στέργοιμʼ ἄν· εἰ δὲ τοὔμπαλιν, σύ μοι γενοῦ §790τιμωρὸς ἀνδρός, ἀνοσιωτάτου ξένου, §791ὃς οὔτε τοὺς γῆς νέρθεν οὔτε τοὺς ἄνω §792δείσας δέδρακεν ἔργον ἀνοσιώτατον, §793κοινῆς τραπέζης πολλάκις τυχὼν ἐμοί, §794ξενίας τʼ ἀριθμῷ πρῶτʼ ἔχων ἐμῶν φίλων, §795τυχὼν δʼ ὅσων δεῖ —.
If indeed I seem to you to suffer holy things, I would endure; but if the contrary, do you become for me an avenger of the man, the most unholy guest-friend, who, fearing neither those beneath the earth nor those above, has done a most unholy deed, having often met with me at a common table, and being held first among my friends in the number of guest-friendships, and having obtained all things which were necessary —.
καὶ λαβὼν προμηθίαν §796ἔκτεινε· τύμβου δʼ, εἰ κτανεῖν ἐβούλετο, §797οὐκ ἠξίωσεν, ἀλλʼ ἀφῆκε πόντιον.
And having taken precaution, he killed him; and of a tomb, if he wished to kill, he did not deem him worthy, but cast him into the sea.
§798ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν δοῦλοί τε κἀσθενεῖς ἴσως·
We indeed are slaves and perhaps weak;