§455ὁμοῦ γέροντες καὶ νέοι καὶ μητέρες.
Megara: Together, old men and young, and mothers.
O my wretched fate, and that of these children, whom I now look upon with my eyes for the very last time.
I gave birth to you, but I reared you to be an outrage, a laughing-stock, and destruction for our enemies.
§460φεῦ·
(included in above) Alas.
How greatly indeed have the expectations from your father's words disappointed my hope, which I once hoped.
§462σοὶ μὲν γὰρ Ἄργος ἔνεμʼ ὁ κατθανὼν πατήρ, §463Εὐρυσθέως δʼ ἔμελλες οἰκήσειν δόμους §464τῆς καλλικάρπου κράτος ἔχων Πελασγίας, §465στολήν τε θηρὸς ἀμφέβαλλε σῷ κάρᾳ §466λέοντος, ᾗπερ αὐτὸς ἐξωπλίζετο·
For your dead father was assigning Argos to you, and you were to dwell in the halls of Eurystheus, (included in above) ruling over fertile Pelasgia, and he would place upon your head the skin of the lion, with which he himself used to arm himself.
§467σὺ δʼ ἦσθα Θηβῶν τῶν φιλαρμάτων ἄναξ, §468ἔγκληρα πεδία τἀμὰ γῆς κεκτημένος, §469ὡς ἐξέπειθες τὸν κατασπείραντά σε· §470ἐς δεξιάν τε σὴν ἀλεξητήριον §471ξύλον καθίει δαίδαλον, ψευδῆ δόσιν.
And you were to be the lord of chariot-loving Thebes, possessing my hereditary plains of land, as you used to persuade your father who begot you; (included in above) and into your right hand he would place the defensive, cunningly wrought club, a false gift.
And to you he promised to give Oechalia, which he once laid waste with his far-shooting bow.
To the three of you, with threefold kingdoms, your father sought to raise a bulwark, taking great pride in his noble sons.
§476ἐγὼ δὲ νύμφας ἠκροθινιαζόμην, §477κήδη συνάψουσʼ, ἔκ τʼ Ἀθηναίων χθονὸς §478Σπάρτης τε Θηβῶν θʼ, ὡς ἀνημμένοι κάλῳς §479πρυμνησίοισι βίον ἔχοιτʼ εὐδαίμονα.
And I was choosing the finest brides, to contract marriages, from the land of Athens, Sparta, and Thebes, so that, securely moored by stern-cables, you might have a happy life.
§480καὶ ταῦτα φροῦδα· μεταβαλοῦσα δʼ ἡ τύχη §481νύμφας μὲν ὑμῖν Κῆρας ἀντέδωκʼ ἔχειν, §482ἐμοὶ δὲ δάκρυα λουτρά — δύστηνος φρενῶν.
(included in above) But these things are gone; and fortune, shifting, has given you the Fates as brides instead, and to me, tears for bridal baths—wretched in my heart.
And the children's grandfather here is hosting the wedding, deeming Hades the father-in-law, a marriage alliance with the nether world.
Ah me, whom of you first, or whom last, shall I press to my breast?
τῷ προσαρμόσω στόμα;
To whom shall I join my lips?
§487τίνος λάβωμαι;
Whose hand shall I take?
πῶς ἂν ὡς ξουθόπτερος §488μέλισσα συνενέγκαιμʼ ἂν ἐκ πάντων γόους, §489ἐς ἓν δʼ ἐνεγκοῦσʼ ἀθρόον ἀποδοίην δάκρυ;
How, like a brown-winged bee, could I gather wailings from all, and bringing them together into one mass, shed a collective tear?
§490ὦ φίλτατʼ, εἴ τις φθόγγος εἰσακούεται §491θνητῶν παρʼ Ἅιδῃ, σοὶ τάδʼ, Ἡράκλεις, λέγω· §492θνῄσκει πατὴρ σὸς καὶ τέκνʼ, ὄλλυμαι δʼ ἐγώ, §493ἣ πρὶν μακαρία διὰ σʼ ἐκλῃζόμην βροτοῖς.
O dearest one, if any voice of mortals is heard in Hades, to you, Heracles, I say these things: your father is dying, and your children, and I am perishing, who once was called blessed among mortals because of you.
§494ἄρηξον, ἐλθέ·
Help us, come!
καὶ σκιὰ φάνηθί μοι· §495ἅλις γὰρ ἐλθὼν κἂν ὄναρ γένοιο σύ· §496κακοὶ γάρ εἰσιν οἳ τέκνα κτείνουσι σά.
Even as a shadow appear to me; for even if you came as a dream, it would be enough; for those who are slaying your children are cowards.
§497σὺ μὲν τὰ νέρθεν εὐτρεπῆ ποιοῦ, γύναι· §498ἐγὼ δὲ σέ, ὦ Ζεῦ, χεῖρʼ ἐς οὐρανὸν δικὼν §499αὐδῶ, τέκνοισιν εἴ τι τοισίδʼ ὠφελεῖν §500μέλλεις, ἀμύνειν, ὡς τάχʼ οὐδὲν ἀρκέσεις.
Amphitryon: You, wife, prepare the things below; and I, O Zeus, casting my hand to heaven, call upon you: if you intend to help these children at all, defend them; for soon you will be of no avail.
§501καίτοι κέκλησαι πολλάκις· μάτην πονῶ·
And yet you have been called upon many times; I labor in vain.
§502θανεῖν γάρ, ὡς ἔοικʼ, ἀναγκαίως ἔχει.
For to die, as it seems, is an absolute necessity.
§503ἀλλʼ, ὦ γέροντες, μικρὰ μὲν τὰ τοῦ βίου, §504τοῦτον δʼ ὅπως ἥδιστα διαπεράσετε, §505ἐξ ἡμέρας ἐς νύκτα μὴ λυπούμενοι.
But, O old men, the things of life are small; pass through this life as pleasantly as possible, not grieving from day unto night.
For time does not know how to preserve hopes, but having sped on its own business, it flies away.
§508ὁρᾶτʼ ἔμʼ ὅσπερ ἦ περίβλεπτος βροτοῖς §509ὀνομαστὰ πράσσων, καί μʼ ἀφείλεθʼ ἡ τύχη §510ὥσπερ πτερὸν πρὸς αἰθέρʼ ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ.
Look at me, who once was envied among mortals, achieving famous deeds, yet fortune has snatched it from me like a feather to the air in a single day.
Great wealth and fame, I know not to whom they are secure.
χαίρετʼ· ἄνδρα γὰρ φίλον §513πανύστατον νῦν, ἥλικες, δεδόρκατε.
Farewell; for, my contemporaries, you now look upon your dear friend for the very last time.
§514ἔα·
Megara: Oh!
§514aὦ πρέσβυ, λεύσσω τἀμὰ φίλτατʼ·
Old man, I see my dearest ones!
ἢ τί φῶ;
Or what shall I say?
§515οὐκ οἶδα, θύγατερ· ἀφασία δὲ κἄμʼ ἔχει.
Amphitryon: I know not, daughter; speechless bewilderment holds me too.
Megara: This is he whom we heard was beneath the earth, unless indeed we are seeing some dream in the daylight.
§518τί φημί;
What am I saying?
ποῖʼ ὄνειρα κηραίνουσʼ ὁρῶ;
What kind of dreams do I see in my distress?
§519οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅδʼ ἄλλος ἀντὶ σοῦ παιδός, γέρον.
This is no other than your son, old man.
§520δεῦρʼ, ὦ τέκνʼ, ἐκκρίμνασθε πατρῴων πέπλων,
Come here, children, cling to your father's garments!
Go, make haste, do not let go, since he is in no way inferior to Savior Zeus for you.
Heracles: Hail, my hall and portals of my hearth, how gladly I see you, having come into the light!
§525ἔα·
Oh!
τί χρῆμα;
What is this?
τέκνʼ ὁρῶ πρὸ δωμάτων §526στολμοῖσι νεκρῶν κρᾶτας ἐξεστεμμένα, §527ὄχλῳ τʼ ἐν ἀνδρῶν τὴν ἐμὴν ξυνάορον, §528πατέρα τε δακρύοντα — συμφορὰς τίνας;
I see my children before the house, their heads crowned with the garments of the dead, and my wife in a crowd of men, and my father weeping—what disasters are these?
Come, let me stand near and inquire of them; wife, what new trouble has come upon the house?
§531ὦ φίλτατʼ ἀνδρῶν
Megara: O dearest of men!
§531bὦ φάος μολὼν πατρί
O you who have come as light to your father, have you arrived?
§532ἥκεις, ἐσώθης εἰς ἀκμὴν ἐλθὼν φίλοις;
Have you been saved, coming in the nick of time to your loved ones?
§533τί φῄς;
Heracles: What do you say?
τίνʼ ἐς ταραγμὸν ἥκομεν, πάτερ;
Into what confusion have we come, father?
§534διολλύμεσθα· σὺ δέ, γέρον, σύγγνωθί μοι,
Megara: We are being destroyed; and you, old man, forgive me,