§480τρίχας τʼ ἐτμήθην τάσδε πρὸς τύμβοις νεκρῶν, §481καὶ τὸν φυτουργὸν Πρίαμον οὐκ ἄλλων πάρα §482κλύουσʼ ἔκλαυσα, τοῖσδε δʼ εἶδον ὄμμασιν §483αὐτὴ κατασφαγέντʼ ἐφʼ ἑρκείῳ πυρᾷ, §484πόλιν θʼ ἁλοῦσαν.
I had these locks of hair shorn at the tombs of the dead, and as for my husband Priam, not from others hearing of it did I weep, but with these very eyes I myself saw him slaughtered upon the courtyard altar, and the city taken.
And the maidens whom I reared for the choice dignity of bridegrooms, rearing them for others, I was robbed of them from my hands.
And there is no hope that I shall ever be seen by them, nor shall I myself ever see them again.
And the last thing, the coping-stone of my wretched woes, I shall arrive in Greece as an old slave woman.
§491ἃ δʼ ἐστὶ γήρᾳ τῷδʼ ἀσυμφορώτατα, §492τούτοις με προσθήσουσιν, ἢ θυρῶν λάτριν §493κλῇδας φυλάσσειν, τὴν τεκοῦσαν Ἕκτορα, §494ἢ σιτοποιεῖν, κἀν πέδῳ κοίτας ἔχειν §495ῥυσοῖσι νώτοις, βασιλικῶν ἐκ δεμνίων, §496τρυχηρὰ περὶ τρυχηρὸν εἱμένην χρόα §497πέπλων λακίσματʼ, ἀδόκιμʼ ὀλβίοις ἔχειν.
And those tasks which are most unsuited to this old age, to these they will appoint me: either as a guardian of the doors keeping the keys, I who gave birth to Hector, or to make bread, and to have my bed on the ground for my wrinkled back, away from royal couches, wearing ragged shreds of robes around my ragged body, things unseemly for prosperous folk to possess.
Alas, wretched me! Because of the single marriage of one woman, what trials I have met with, and what I shall still meet.
O child, O fellow-bacchant with the gods, Cassandra, with what terrible misfortunes did you break your purity.
§502σύ τʼ, ὦ τάλαινα, ποῦ ποτʼ εἶ, Πολυξένη;
And you, O wretched one, where in the world are you, Polyxena?
Since neither my male nor my female offspring, though many were born, helps this wretched woman.
§505τί δῆτά μʼ ὀρθοῦτʼ;
Why then do you raise me up?
ἐλπίδων ποίων ὕπο;
Under what hopes?
§506ἄγετε τὸν ἁβρὸν δήποτʼ ἐν Τροίᾳ πόδα, §507νῦν δʼ ὄντα δοῦλον, στιβάδα πρὸς χαμαιπετῆ §508πέτρινά τε κρήδεμνʼ, ὡς πεσοῦσʼ ἀποφθαρῶ §509δακρύοις καταξανθεῖσα.
Lead my foot, once delicate in Troy, but now a slave, to a bed strewn on the ground and to rocky pillows, so that falling there I may die, wasted away with tears.
τῶν δʼ εὐδαιμόνων §510μηδένα νομίζετʼ εὐτυχεῖν, πρὶν ἂν θάνῃ.
And of those who are prosperous, deem no one to be happy before he dies.
§512ἀμφί μοι Ἴλιον, ὦ §513Μοῦσα, καινῶν ὕμνων §514ἄεισον ἐν δακρύοις ᾠδὰν ἐπικήδειον· §515νῦν γὰρ μέλος ἐς Τροίαν ἰαχήσω, §517τετραβάμονος ὡς ὑπʼ ἀπήνας §518Ἀργείων ὀλόμαν τάλαινα δοριάλωτος, §519ὅτʼ ἔλιπον ἵππον οὐράνια §520βρέμοντα χρυσεοφάλαρον ἔνο- §521πλον ἐν πύλαις Ἀχαιοί· §522ἀνὰ δʼ ἐβόασεν λεὼς §523Τρῳάδος ἀπὸ πέτρας σταθείς· §524Ἴτʼ, ὦ πεπαυμένοι πόνων, §525τόδʼ ἱερὸν ἀνάγετε ξόανον §526Ἰλιάδι Διογενεῖ κόρᾳ. §527τίς οὐκ ἔβα νεανίδων, §528τίς οὐ γεραιὸς ἐκ δόμων;
Sing for me of Ilium, O Muse, a song of new hymns in tears, a funeral dirge; for now I shall cry out a melody for Troy, how by a four-footed carriage I perished, a wretched captive of the spear, when the Achaeans left the horse at the gates, clattering to heaven, decorated with gold, filled with arms; and the people shouted aloud, standing on the Trojan rock: "Go, you who are ceased from labors, bring up this sacred image to the Iliad daughter born of Zeus." Who of the young maidens did not go, who of the old men from their homes?
§532πᾶσα δὲ γέννα Φρυγῶν §533πρὸς πύλας ὡρμάθη, §534πεύκᾳ ἐν οὐρεΐᾳ ξεστὸν λόχον Ἀργείων §535καὶ Δαρδανίας ἄταν θέᾳ δώσων, §537χάριν ἄζυγος ἀμβροτοπώλου·
And all the race of the Phrygians rushed to the gates, to give the polished ambush of the Argives in mountain pine and the ruin of Dardania to their sight, as a favor to the unyoked goddess of immortal steeds.
§538κλωστοῦ δʼ ἀμφιβόλοις λίνοιο ναὸς ὡσεὶ §539σκάφος κελαινόν, εἰς ἕδρανα §540λάινα δάπεδά τε φόνια πατρί- §541δι Παλλάδος θέσαν θεᾶς.
With twisted coils of flax, like the dark hull of a ship, they placed it in the stone seats and bloody floors of their fatherland, for the goddess Pallas.
§542ἐπὶ δὲ πόνῳ καὶ χαρᾷ §543νύχιον ἐπεὶ κνέφας παρῆν, §544Λίβυς τε λωτὸς ἐκτύπει §545Φρύγιά τε μέλεα, παρθένοι δʼ §546ἀέριον ἀνὰ κρότον ποδῶν §547βοὰν ἔμελπον εὔφρονʼ, ἐν §548δόμοις δὲ παμφαὲς σέλας §549πυρὸς μέλαιναν αἴγλαν §550ἄκος ἔδωκεν ὕπνῳ.
Upon labor and joy, when nightly darkness was present, the Libyan pipe clanged, and Phrygian melodies, and the maidens to the airy beating of feet sung a joyful shout, and in the houses the all-shining beam of fire gave a dark glare, as a cure for sleep.
§552ἐγὼ δὲ τὰν ὀρεστέραν §553τότʼ ἀμφὶ μέλαθρα παρθένον §554Διὸς κόραν ἐμελπόμαν §555χοροῖσι· φοινία δʼ ἀνὰ §556πτόλιν βοὰ κατεῖχε Περ- §557γάμων ἕδρας· βρέφη δὲ φίλι- §558α περὶ πέπλους ἔβαλλε μα- §559τρὶ χεῖρας ἐπτοημένας· §560λόχου δʼ ἐξέβαινʼ Ἄρης, §561κόρας ἔργα Παλλάδος.
And I, to the mountain maiden, then around the halls, the daughter of Zeus, was singing in dances; but a bloody cry through the city held the seats of Pergamus; and dear infants threw their terrified hands around their mother's robes; and Ares came forth from the ambush, the deeds of the maiden Pallas.
§562σφαγαὶ δʼ ἀμφιβώμιοι §563Φρυγῶν, ἔν τε δεμνίοις §564καράτομος ἐρημία §565νεανίδων στέφανον ἔφερεν §566Ἑλλάδι κουροτρόφον, §567Φρυγῶν πατρίδι πένθη.
And the slaughter around the altars of the Phrygians, and in the beds a beheaded desolation of youth brought a crown of rearing children to Greece, and griefs to the fatherland of the Phrygians.
Hecuba, do you see this Andromache being carried on a foreign chariot?
And clinging to her breast follows beloved Astyanax, the son of Hector.
§572ποῖ ποτʼ ἀπήνης νώτοισι φέρῃ, §573δύστανε γύναι, πάρεδρος χαλκέοις §574Ἕκτορος ὅπλοις σκύλοις τε Φρυγῶν §574aδοριθηράτοις, §575οἷσιν Ἀχιλλέως παῖς Φθιώτας §576στέψει ναοὺς ἀπὸ Τροίας;
Where in the world are you being carried on the back of the carriage, wretched woman, sitting beside the bronze armor of Hector and the spoils of the Phrygians captured by the spear, with which the son of Achilles from Phthia will crown the temples far from Troy?
§577Ἀχαιοὶ δεσπόται μʼ ἄγουσιν.
My Achaean masters lead me away.
§578οἴμοι.
Alas!
§578bτί παιᾶνʼ ἐμὸν στενάζεις;
Why do you groan for my pain?
§579αἰαῖ —
Ah me!
§579bτῶνδʼ ἀλγέων —
For these sufferings.
§580ὦ Ζεῦ —
O Zeus!
§580bκαὶ συμφορᾶς.
And for the disaster.
§581τέκεα,
My children!
§581bπρίν ποτʼ ἦμεν.
Once we were.
§583bἐμῶν τʼ εὐγένεια παίδων.
And the noble birth of my children.
§584φεῦ φεῦ.
Alas, alas!
Pitiable fortune of the city, which is turned to smoke.
§587μόλοις, ὦ πόσις, μοι —
Would that you might come, my husband, to me!
§590σᾶς δάμαρτος ἄλκαρ.
As a defense for your wife.
§591σύ τʼ, ὦ λῦμʼ Ἀχαιῶν, §592τέκνων δέσποθʼ ἁμῶν, §593πρεσβυγενὲς Πρίαμε, §594κοίμισαί μʼ ἐς Ἅιδου.
And you, O outrage of the Achaeans, lord of our children, aged Priam, lull me to sleep in Hades.
§595οἵδε πόθοι μεγάλοι
These are great longings.
§595bσχετλία, τάδε πάσχομεν ἄλγη.
Wretched woman, we suffer these pains.
§596οἰχομένας πόλεως
For the ruined city.
§596bἐπὶ δʼ ἄλγεσιν ἄλγεα κεῖται.
And upon pains, pains are piled.
§597δυσφροσύναισι θεῶν, ὅτε σὸς γόνος ἔκφυγεν Ἅιδαν,
By the ill-will of the gods, when your offspring escaped death, the destruction of Troy has turned our house into a house of slavery. Thus, we are in the midst of a miserable fate.