§826ὅν φασιν εἶναι Ζηνὸς Ἀλκμήνης τʼ ἄπο.
whom they say is born from Zeus and Alcmene.
§827πρὶν μὲν γὰρ ἄθλους ἐκτελευτῆσαι πικρούς, §828τὸ χρή νιν ἐξέσῳζεν, οὐδʼ εἴα πατὴρ §829Ζεύς νιν κακῶς δρᾶν οὔτʼ ἔμʼ οὔθʼ Ἥραν ποτέ·
For before he finished his bitter labors, necessity was preserving him, and his father Zeus did not allow either me or Hera ever to harm him.
§830ἐπεὶ δὲ μόχθους διεπέρασʼ Εὐρυσθέως, §831Ἥρα προσάψαι καινὸν αἷμʼ αὐτῷ θέλει §832παῖδας κατακτείναντι, συνθέλω δʼ ἐγώ.
But when he completed the labors of Eurystheus, Hera wishes to attach new blood-guilt to him by having him slay his children, and I wish it with her.
§833ἀλλʼ εἶʼ, ἄτεγκτον συλλαβοῦσα καρδίαν, §834Νυκτὸς κελαινῆς ἀνυμέναιε παρθένε, §835μανίας τʼ ἐπʼ ἀνδρὶ τῷδε καὶ παιδοκτόνους §836φρενῶν ταραγμοὺς καὶ ποδῶν σκιρτήματα §837ἔλαυνε, κίνει, φόνιον ἐξίει κάλων, §838ὡς ἂν πορεύσας διʼ Ἀχερούσιον πόρον §839τὸν καλλίπαιδα στέφανον αὐθέντῃ φόνῳ §840γνῷ μὲν τὸν Ἥρας οἷός ἐστʼ αὐτῷ χόλος, §841μάθῃ δὲ τὸν ἐμόν· ἢ θεοὶ μὲν οὐδαμοῦ, §842τὰ θνητὰ δʼ ἔσται μεγάλα, μὴ δόντος δίκην.
But come, taking a relentless heart, O unwedded virgin daughter of dark Night, drive, stir up, let loose the bloody cable of madness, of child-slaying agitations of mind, and leapings of feet upon this man, so that, having sent his crown of beautiful children across the Acherontian ferry by murder with his own hand, he may know what kind of anger Hera's is against him, and learn mine; otherwise, the gods will be nowhere, and mortal things will be great, if he does not pay the penalty.
§843ἐξ εὐγενοῦς μὲν πατρὸς ἔκ τε μητέρος §844πέφυκα, Νυκτὸς Οὐρανοῦ τʼ ἀφʼ αἵματος· §845τιμάς τʼ ἔχω τάσδʼ οὐκ ἀγασθῆναι φίλοις §846οὐδʼ ἥδομαι φοιτῶσʼ ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπων φίλους,
I am born from a noble father and mother, from the blood of Night and Uranus; and I hold these offices which are not to be envied by friends, nor do I rejoice in going against the loved ones of men.
But I wish to advise Hera and you, before I see you slip, if you will listen to my words.
§849ἀνὴρ ὅδʼ οὐκ ἄσημος οὔτʼ ἐπὶ χθονὶ §850οὔτʼ ἐν θεοῖσιν, οὗ σύ μʼ ἐσπέμπεις δόμους· §851ἄβατον δὲ χώραν καὶ θάλασσαν ἀγρίαν §852ἐξημερώσας, θεῶν ἀνέστησεν μόνος §853τιμὰς πιτνούσας ἀνοσίων ἀνδρῶν ὕπο·
This man, into whose house you are sending me, is not obscure either on earth or among the gods; having civilized the trackless land and wild sea, he alone restored the falling honors of the gods under impious men.
§854σοί τʼ οὐ παραινῶ μεγάλα βούλεσθαι κακά.
And I advise you not to wish for great evils.
§855μὴ σὺ νουθέτει τά θʼ Ἥρας κἀμὰ μηχανήματα.
Do not advise us regarding Hera's and my plans.
§856ἐς τὸ λῷον ἐμβιβάζω σʼ ἴχνος ἀντὶ τοῦ κακοῦ.
I am leading you into a better path instead of the evil one.
§857οὐχὶ σωφρονεῖν γʼ ἔπεμψε δεῦρό σʼ ἡ Διὸς δάμαρ.
The wife of Zeus did not send you here to be prudent.
§858Ἥλιον μαρτυρόμεσθα δρῶσʼ ἃ δρᾶν οὐ βούλομαι.
I call Helios to witness that I am doing what I do not wish to do.
§859εἰ δὲ δή μʼ Ἥρᾳ θʼ ὑπουργεῖν σοί τʼ ἀναγκαίως ἔχει §860τάχος ἐπιρροίβδην θʼ ὁμαρτεῖν ὡς κυνηγέτῃ κύνας, §861εἶμί γʼ· οὔτε πόντος οὕτως κύμασιν στένων λάβρως §862οὔτε γῆς σεισμὸς κεραυνοῦ τʼ οἶστρος ὠδῖνας πνέων, §863οἷʼ ἐγὼ στάδια δραμοῦμαι στέρνον εἰς Ἡρακλέους·
But if indeed it is necessary for me to serve Hera and you, and to follow swiftly with a rush, like dogs after a hunter, I will go; neither the sea groaning so violently with waves, nor the earthquake of the earth, nor the sting of the thunderbolt breathing out pangs, is such as the course I shall run into the chest of Heracles.
§864καὶ καταρρήξω μέλαθρα καὶ δόμους ἐπεμβαλῶ, §865τέκνʼ ἀποκτείνασα πρῶτον· ὁ δὲ κανὼν οὐκ εἴσεται §866παῖδας οὓς ἔτικτʼ ἐναίρων, πρὶν ἂν ἐμὰς λύσσας ἀφῇ.
And I will tear down the roof and throw down the house, killing his children first; and he, the killer, will not know that he is slaying the children whom he begot, until he is released from my madness.
§867ἢν ἰδού·
Look!
καὶ δὴ τινάσσει κρᾶτα βαλβίδων ἄπο §868καὶ διαστρόφους ἑλίσσει σῖγα γοργωποὺς κόρας.
Already indeed he shakes his head at the starting lines, and silently rolls his distorted, fierce-looking eyes.
§869ἀμπνοὰς δʼ οὐ σωφρονίζει, ταῦρος ὣς ἐς ἐμβολὴν §870δεινός· μυκᾶται δὲ Κῆρας ἀνακαλῶν τὰς Ταρτάρου.
And he does not control his breathing, like a bull terrible for the charge; he bellows, calling upon the Keres of Tartarus.
§871τάχα σʼ ἐγὼ μᾶλλον χορεύσω καὶ καταυλήσω φόβῳ.
Soon I will make you dance even more and play the flute to you with fear.
§872στεῖχʼ ἐς Οὔλυμπον πεδαίρουσʼ, Ἶρι, γενναῖον πόδα· §873ἐς δόμους δʼ ἡμεῖς ἄφαντοι δυσόμεσθʼ Ἡρακλέους.
Go to Olympus, Iris, raising your noble foot; and we will plunge unseen into the house of Heracles.
§875—ὀτοτοτοτοτοῖ, στέναξον·
Otototoi, groan!
ἀποκείρεται §876σὸν ἄνθος πόλεος, ὁ Διὸς ἔκγονος· §877μέλεος Ἑλλάς, ἃ τὸν εὐεργέταν §878ἀποβαλεῖς, ὀλεῖς μανίαισιν Λύσσας §879χορευθέντʼ ἐναύλοις.
There is cut down your flower of the city, the offspring of Zeus; wretched Greece, who will lose your benefactor, and will destroy him, driven to dance by the flutes of Lyssa's madness, to the accompaniment of flutes.
§880—βέβακεν ἐν δίφροισιν ἁ πολύστονος, §881ἅρμασι δʼ ἐνδίδωσι §882κέντρον ὡς ἐπὶ λώβᾳ §883Νυκτὸς Γοργὼν ἑκατογκεφάλοις §884ὄφεων ἰαχήμασι, Λύσσα μαρμαρωπός.
She has gone in her chariot, she who causes many groans, and she applies the goad to her chariot, as if for destruction, the Gorgon of Night, with a hundred heads of hissing snakes, Lyssa of the flashing eyes.
Swiftly has the divinity changed the fortunate man, and swiftly will the children breathe out their lives by their father.
§887ἰώ μοι μέλεος.
Alas, wretched me.
§888—ἰὼ Ζεῦ, τὸ σὸν γένος ἄγονον αὐτίκα §889λυσσάδες ὠμοβρῶτες ἄδικοι Ποιναὶ §890κακοῖσιν ἐκπετάσουσιν.
O Zeus, your offspring childless immediately, the raving, raw-flesh-eating, unjust Avenging Furies will lay low in ruins with evils.
§890aἰὼ στέγαι.
O house!
A dance begins without tambourines, not pleasing to the Bromian thyrsus, O house!
toward blood, not for the pourings of the Dionysian libation of the grapes.
§896φυγῇ, τέκνʼ, ἐξορμᾶτε.
In flight, children, rush out!
She hunts down the pursuit of children; never in vain upon the house will Lyssa rave in Bacchic frenzy.
§900αἰαῖ κακῶν.
Alas for the evils.
Alas indeed, how I groan for the aged father, and for the mother who reared the children, for whom in vain children are born.
§904—ἰδοὺ ἰδού,
Look, look!
§905θύελλα σείει δῶμα, συμπίπτει στέγη.
A storm shakes the house, the roof falls in.
§906ἢ ἤ·
Ah, ah!
τί δρᾷς, ὦ Διὸς παῖ, μελάθρῳ;
What are you doing, O son of Zeus, to the house?
A hellish ruin, as once upon Enceladus, Pallas, you send into the house.
§910ὦ λευκὰ γήρᾳ σώματʼ
O bodies white with old age...
§911bἄλαστα τἀν δόμοισι.
Unforgettable are the things in the house.
§913τεθνᾶσι παῖδες.
The children are dead.
§913bαἰαῖ.
Alas.
§914στενάζεθʼ, ὡς στενακτά.
Groan, for these are things to be groaned for.
§914bδάιοι φόνοι,
Hostile slaughters.