§915δάιοι δὲ τοκέων χέρες·
And hostile are the hands of parents!
ὤ.
Oh!
§916οὐκ ἄν τις εἴποι μᾶλλον ἢ πεπόνθαμεν.
No one could speak of more than we have suffered.
How do you reveal the lamentable ruin of the father upon his children?
Tell, in what way did these evils from the gods rush upon the house, and the wretched fortunes of the children?
§922ἱερὰ μὲν ἦν πάροιθεν ἐσχάρας Διὸς §923καθάρσιʼ οἴκων, γῆς ἄνακτʼ ἐπεὶ κτανὼν §924ἐξέβαλε τῶνδε δωμάτων Ἡρακλέης·
Purifying rites for the house were indeed being held before the altar of Zeus, since Heracles, having slain the king of the land, had cast him out of these dwellings.
§925χορὸς δὲ καλλίμορφος εἱστήκει τέκνων §926πατήρ τε Μεγάρα τʼ· ἐν κύκλῳ δʼ ἤδη κανοῦν §927εἵλικτο βωμοῦ, φθέγμα δʼ ὅσιον εἴχομεν.
And a beautiful band of children was standing there, with their father and Megara; and already the basket was being carried in a circle around the altar, and we were keeping a holy silence.
But when the son of Alcmene was about to carry the torch in his right hand, so that he might dip it into the lustral water, he stood in silence.
καὶ χρονίζοντος πατρὸς §931παῖδες προσέσχον ὄμμʼ· ὁ δʼ οὐκέθʼ αὑτὸς ἦν, §932ἀλλʼ ἐν στροφαῖσιν ὀμμάτων ἐφθαρμένος §933ῥίζας τʼ ἐν ὄσσοις αἱματῶπας ἐκβαλὼν §934ἀφρὸν κατέσταζʼ εὐτρίχου γενειάδος.
And as their father delayed, the children fixed their eyes upon him; but he was no longer himself, but ruined in the rollings of his eyes, and casting out bloodshot roots in his eyes, he was dripping foam down his well-haired beard.
§935ἔλεξε δʼ ἅμα γέλωτι παραπεπληγμένῳ· §936Πάτερ, τί θύω πρὶν κτανεῖν Εὐρυσθέα §937καθάρσιον πῦρ, καὶ πόνους διπλοῦς ἔχω;
And he spoke with a crazed laugh: "Father, why do I offer the purifying fire before killing Eurystheus, and have double labors?
§938ἔργον μιᾶς μοι χειρὸς εὖ θέσθαι τάδε· §939ὅταν δʼ ἐνέγκω δεῦρο κρᾶτʼ Εὐρυσθέως, §940ἐπὶ τοῖσι νῦν θανοῦσιν ἁγνιῶ χέρας.
It is the work of my single hand to settle these things well; and when I bring here the head of Eurystheus, I will purify my hands over those who have now died.
§941ἐκχεῖτε πηγάς, ῥίπτετʼ ἐκ χειρῶν κανᾶ.
Pour out the lustral water, fling the baskets from your hands!
§942τίς μοι δίδωσι τόξα;
Who gives me my bow?
τίς δʼ ὅπλον χερός;
Who gives me the weapon for my hand?
§943πρὸς τὰς Μυκήνας εἶμι· λάζυσθαι χρεὼν §944μοχλοὺς δικέλλας θʼ, ὥστε Κυκλώπων βάθρα §945φοίνικι κανόνι καὶ τύκοις ἡρμοσμένα §946στρεπτῷ σιδήρῳ συντριαινῶσαι πάλιν. §947αὐτοῦ δὲ βαίνων ἅρματʼ οὐκ ἔχων ἔχειν §948ἔφασκε, δίφρου δʼ εἰσέβαινεν ἄντυγας §949κἄθεινε, κέντρον δῆθεν ὡς ἔχων, χερί.
I am going to Mycenae; I must seize crowbars and pickaxes, so that with twisted iron I may shatter again the foundations built by the Cyclopes, which were fitted with red plumb-line and stone-cutters' hammers." And departing thence, though he had no chariot, he said he had one, and he mounted the rail of the chariot-seat, and struck with his hand, as if indeed he held a goad.
§950διπλοῦς δʼ ὀπαδοῖς ἦν γέλως φόβος θʼ ὁμοῦ.
And among the attendants there was a double feeling, both laughter and fear at once.
§951καί τις τόδʼ εἶπεν, ἄλλος εἰς ἄλλον δρακών· §952Παίζει πρὸς ἡμᾶς δεσπότης ἢ μαίνεται; §953ὁ δʼ εἷρπʼ ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω κατὰ στέγας, §954μέσον δʼ ἐς ἀνδρῶνʼ ἐσπεσὼν Νίσου πόλιν §955ἥκειν ἔφασκε· δωμάτων τʼ ἔσω βεβώς, §956κλιθεὶς ἐς οὖδας, ὡς ἔχει, σκευάζεται §957θοίνην.
And someone said this, looking at one another: "Is our master playing with us, or is he mad?" But he was pacing up and down through the house, and bursting into the middle of the men's hall, he declared that he had arrived at the city of Nisus; and going inside the rooms, reclining on the floor just as he was, he prepared a feast.
διελθὼν δʼ ὡς βραχὺν χρόνον μονῆς §958Ἰσθμοῦ ναπαίας ἔλεγε προσβαίνειν πλάκας.
And after spending a short time there, he said he was ascending the wooded plains of the Isthmus.
§959κἀνταῦθα γυμνὸν σῶμα θεὶς πορπαμάτων, §960πρὸς οὐδένʼ ἡμιλλᾶτο κἀκηρύσσετο §961αὐτὸς πρὸς αὑτοῦ καλλίνικος οὐδενός, §962ἀκοὴν ὑπειπών.
And there, stripping his body of his garments, he wrestled against no one and proclaimed himself the victor over no one, bidding an imaginary audience to listen.
δεινὰ δʼ Εὐρυσθεῖ βρέμων §963ἦν ἐν Μυκήναις τῷ λόγῳ.
And roaring terribly against Eurystheus, he was in Mycenae in his speech.
And his father, touching him with his strong hand, said these words: "O child, what is happening to you?
τίς ὁ τρόπος ξενώσεως §966τῆσδʼ;
What is this strange behavior?
οὔ τί που φόνος σʼ ἐβάκχευσεν νεκρῶν, §967οὓς ἄρτι καίνεις; ὁ δέ νιν Εὐρυσθέως δοκῶν §968πατέρα προταρβοῦνθʼ ἱκέσιον ψαύειν χερός, §969ὠθεῖ, φαρέτραν δʼ εὐτρεπῆ σκευάζεται §970καὶ τόξʼ ἑαυτοῦ παισί, τοὺς Εὐρυσθέως §971δοκῶν φονεύειν.
Has not the blood of the dead whom you have just slain driven you to Bacchic madness?" But he, thinking that it was the father of Eurystheus who in fear was touching his hand as a suppliant, pushed him away, and prepared his quiver and bow against his own children, thinking he was slaying those of Eurystheus.
οἳ δὲ ταρβοῦντες φόβῳ §972ὤρουον ἄλλος ἄλλοσʼ, ἐς πέπλους ὁ μὲν §973μητρὸς ταλαίνης, ὁ δʼ ὑπὸ κίονος σκιάν, §974ἄλλος δὲ βωμὸν ὄρνις ὣς ἔπτηξʼ ὕπο.
And they, terrified with fear, rushed this way and that: one into the robes of his wretched mother, another under the shadow of a pillar, and another cowered beneath the altar like a bird.
§975βοᾷ δὲ μήτηρ· Ὦ τεκών, τί δρᾷς;
And their mother cried out: "O father, what are you doing?
τέκνα §976κτείνεις; βοᾷ δὲ πρέσβυς οἰκετῶν τʼ ὄχλος.
Are you killing your children?" And the old man cried out, and the crowd of servants.
§977ὁ δʼ ἐξελίσσων παῖδα κίονος κύκλῳ, §978τόρνευμα δεινὸν ποδός, ἐναντίον σταθεὶς §979βάλλει πρὸς ἧπαρ· ὕπτιος δὲ λαΐνους §980ὀρθοστάτας ἔδευσεν ἐκπνέων βίον.
But he, chasing his child round and round the pillar, with a terrible turning of his feet, stood face to face and shot him through the liver; and he fell backward, wetting the stone pillars as he breathed out his life.
§981ὁ δʼ ἠλάλαξε κἀπεκόμπασεν τάδε· §982Εἷς μὲν νεοσσὸς ὅδε θανὼν Εὐρυσθέως §983ἔχθραν πατρῴαν ἐκτίνων πέπτωκέ μοι. §984ἄλλῳ δʼ ἐπεῖχε τόξʼ, ὃς ἀμφὶ βωμίαν §985ἔπτηξε κρηπῖδʼ ὡς λεληθέναι δοκῶν.
And he shouted in triumph and boasted thus: "This one fledgling of Eurystheus has fallen for me in death, paying for his father's hatred." And he aimed his bow at another, who was cowering around the altar's base, thinking to remain hidden.
§986φθάνει δʼ ὁ τλήμων γόνασι προσπεσὼν πατρός, §987καὶ πρὸς γένειον χεῖρα καὶ δέρην βαλών, §988Ὦ φίλτατʼ, αὐδᾷ, μή μʼ ἀποκτείνῃς, πάτερ· §989σός εἰμι, σὸς παῖς· οὐ τὸν Εὐρυσθέως ὀλεῖς.
But the wretched boy anticipated him by falling at his father's knees, and reaching his hand to his chin and neck, he cried: "O dearest father, do not kill me!
§990ὁ δʼ ἀγριωπὸν ὄμμα Γοργόνος στρέφων, §991ὡς ἐντὸς ἔστη παῖς λυγροῦ τοξεύματος, §992μυδροκτύπον μίμημʼ, ὑπὲρ κάρα βαλὼν §993ξύλον καθῆκε παιδὸς ἐς ξανθὸν κάρα, §994ἔρρηξε δʼ ὀστᾶ.
I am yours, your own child; you are not destroying the son of Eurystheus!" But he, rolling the wild eye of a Gorgon, since the boy stood too close within the range of a deadly arrow-shot, like a smith striking hot iron, raised a club over his head and brought it down on the boy's blond head, and shattered the bones.
δεύτερον δὲ παῖδʼ ἑλών, §995χωρεῖ τρίτον θῦμʼ ὡς ἐπισφάξων δυοῖν.
And having taken the second child, he went to slaughter the third victim in addition to the two.
§996ἀλλὰ φθάνει νιν ἡ τάλαινʼ ἔσω δόμων
But the wretched mother anticipated him by fleeing inside the house...