Humanitext Reader

Euripides · The Trojan Women §85-200

Lament of Hecuba and the Captive Trojan Women

Passage 2 of 14 · Greek

Summary

After Athena and Poseidon depart having agreed on a plot to punish the Greeks, Hecuba rises from the ground and, joined by the captive Trojan women, laments their bitter fate and impending slavery.

§85ὡς ἂν τὸ λοιπὸν τἄμʼ ἀνάκτορʼ εὐσεβεῖν §86εἰδῶσʼ Ἀχαιοί, θεούς τε τοὺς ἄλλους σέβειν.
so that for the future, to revere my temples they may know, and to respect the other gods.
§87ἔσται τάδʼ· ἡ χάρις γὰρ οὐ μακρῶν λόγων §88δεῖται· ταράξω πέλαγος Αἰγαίας ἁλός.
This shall be; for the favor needs no long words; I will stir up the deep of the Aegean sea.
§89ἀκταὶ δὲ Μυκόνου Δήλιοί τε χοιράδες §90Σκῦρός τε Λῆμνός θʼ αἱ Καφήρειοί τʼ ἄκραι §91πολλῶν θανόντων σώμαθʼ ἕξουσιν νεκρῶν.
And the shores of Myconos and the Delian reefs, and Scyros, and Lemnos, and the Capherean promontories shall hold the bodies of many dead.
§92ἀλλʼ ἕρπʼ Ὄλυμπον καὶ κεραυνίους βολὰς §93λαβοῦσα πατρὸς ἐκ χερῶν καραδόκει, §94ὅταν στράτευμʼ Ἀργεῖον ἐξιῇ κάλως.
But go to Olympus, and receiving the thunderbolt's shafts from your father's hands, watch, when the Argive army lets go the cables.
§95μῶρος δὲ θνητῶν ὅστις ἐκπορθεῖ πόλεις, §96ναούς τε τύμβους θʼ, ἱερὰ τῶν κεκμηκότων, §97ἐρημίᾳ δοὺς αὐτὸς ὤλεθʼ ὕστερον.
Foolish among mortals is he who sacks cities, and temples, and tombs, the sacred places of the dead, and giving them to desolation, perishes himself afterwards.
§98ἄνα, δύσδαιμον, πεδόθεν κεφαλή· §99ἐπάειρε δέρην· οὐκέτι Τροία §100τάδε καὶ βασιλῆς ἐσμεν Τροίας.
Rise, unhappy one, lift your head from the ground; raise your neck; no longer is there Troy here, and we are not rulers of Troy.
§101μεταβαλλομένου δαίμονος ἀνέχου.
Bear the changing fortune.
§102πλεῖ κατὰ πορθμόν, πλεῖ κατὰ δαίμονα, §103μηδὲ προσίστω πρῷραν βιότου §104πρὸς κῦμα πλέουσα τύχαισιν.
Sail with the stream, sail with fortune, nor turn the prow of life against the wave, sailing with chance.
§105αἰαῖ αἰαῖ.
Alas, alas!
§106τί γὰρ οὐ πάρα μοι μελέᾳ στενάχειν, §107ᾗ πατρὶς ἔρρει καὶ τέκνα καὶ πόσις;
For why is it not allowed for miserable me to groan, whose country is ruined, and children, and husband?
§108ὦ πολὺς ὄγκος συστελλόμενος §109προγόνων, ὡς οὐδὲν ἄρʼ ἦσθα.
Oh, great pride of ancestors now diminished, how you were nothing after all.
§110τί με χρὴ σιγᾶν;
Why should I be silent?
τί δὲ μὴ σιγᾶν;
Why should I not be silent?
§112δύστηνος ἐγὼ τῆς βαρυδαίμονος §113ἄρθρων κλίσεως, ὡς διάκειμαι, §114νῶτʼ ἐν στερροῖς λέκτροισι ταθεῖσʼ.
Unhappy me for this heavy-fated bending of my limbs, how I lie, stretched out my back upon this hard bed.
§115οἴμοι κεφαλῆς, οἴμοι κροτάφων §116πλευρῶν θʼ, ὥς μοι πόθος εἱλίξαι §117καὶ διαδοῦναι νῶτον ἄκανθάν τʼ §118εἰς ἀμφοτέρους τοίχους, μελέων §119ἐπὶ τοὺς αἰεὶ δακρύων ἐλέγους.
Alas for my head, alas for my temples and sides! How I long to turn and shift my back and spine to either side, for my limbs upon these ever-weeping laments.
§120μοῦσα δὲ χαὕτη τοῖς δυστήνοις §121ἄτας κελαδεῖν ἀχορεύτους.
And this too is a Muse for the wretched, to sing of unchoral disasters.
§122πρῷραι ναῶν, ὠκείαις §123Ἴλιον ἱερὰν αἳ κώπαις §124διʼ ἅλα πορφυροειδέα καὶ §125λιμένας Ἑλλάδος εὐόρμους §126αὐλῶν παιᾶνι στυγνῷ §127συρίγγων τʼ εὐφθόγγων φωνᾷ §128βαίνουσαι πλεκτὰν Αἰγύπτου §129παιδείαν ἐξηρτήσασθʼ, §130αἰαῖ, Τροίας ἐν κόλποις §131τὰν Μενελάου μετανισόμεναι §132στυγνὰν ἄλοχον, Κάστορι λώβαν §133τῷ τʼ Εὐρώτᾳ δυσκλείαν, §134ἃ σφάζει μὲν §135τὸν πεντήκοντʼ ἀροτῆρα τέκνων §136Πρίαμον, ἐμέ τε μελέαν Ἑκάβαν §137ἐς τάνδʼ ἐξώκειλʼ ἄταν.
Prows of the ships, which with swift oars to sacred Ilium through the purple-faced sea and the well-harbored ports of Hellas, with the hateful paean of flutes and the sound of well-voiced syrinxes, came and fastened the woven cord of Egypt, alas, in the bays of Troy, pursuing the hateful wife of Menelaus, a disgrace to Castor and dishonor to Eurotas, She who slayed Priam, the father of fifty children, and wrecked wretched me, Hecuba, upon this ruin.
§138ὤμοι, θάκους οἵους θάσσω, §139σκηναῖς ἐφέδρους Ἀγαμεμνονίαις.
Alas, what a seat I sit upon, near the tents of Agamemnon.
§140δούλα δʼ ἄγομαι §141γραῦς ἐξ οἴκων πενθήρη §142κρᾶτʼ ἐκπορθηθεῖσʼ οἰκτρῶς.
And I am led as a slave, an old woman in mourning from her home, my head pitilessly shorn in ruin.
§143ἀλλʼ ὦ τῶν χαλκεγχέων Τρώων §144ἄλοχοι μέλεαι, §144aκαὶ κοῦραι κοῦραι δύσνυμφοι, §145τύφεται Ἴλιον, αἰάζωμεν.
But, oh, wives of bronze-speared Trojans, wretched wives, and maidens, maidens of ill-fated marriages, Ilium smoulders, let us wail.
§146μάτηρ δʼ ὡσεί τις πτανοῖς §147ὄρνισιν, ὅπως ἐξάρξω ʼγὼ §148κλαγγάν, μολπάν, οὐ τὰν αὐτὰν §149οἵαν ποτὲ δὴ §150σκήπτρῳ Πριάμου διερειδομένα §151ποδὸς ἀρχεχόρου πληγαῖς Φρυγίους §152εὐκόμποις ἐξῆρχον θεούς.
And like some mother bird over her winged chicks, so will I lead the cry, the song, not the same as once indeed leaning on the sceptre of Priam, with the beats of my dance-leading foot I led the Phrygian gods with proud songs.
§153Ἑκάβη, τί θροεῖς;
Hecuba, what are you crying?
τί δὲ θωΰσσεις;
Why do you shout?
§154ποῖ λόγος ἥκει;
Where does your speech lead?
διὰ γὰρ μελάθρων §155ἄιον οἴκτους οὓς οἰκτίζῃ.
For through the tents I heard the laments which you pitilessly wail.
§156διὰ δὲ στέρνων φόβος ἄισσεν §157Τρῳάσιν, αἳ τῶνδʼ οἴκων εἴσω §158δουλείαν αἰάζουσιν.
And through our breasts fear darted, for the Trojan women, who within these tents wail for their slavery.
§159ὦ τέκνʼ, Ἀργείων πρὸς ναῦς ἤδη §160κινεῖται κωπήρης χείρ;
Oh children, towards the ships of the Achaeans, already is the oared hand moving?
§161οἲ ἐγώ, τί θέλουσʼ, ἦ πού μʼ ἤδη
Ah me, what do they want?
§162ναυσθλώσουσιν πατρίας ἐκ γᾶς;
Will they indeed now convey me by ship from my native land?
§163οὐκ οἶδʼ, εἰκάζω δʼ ἄταν.
I do not know, but I suspect ruin.
§164ἰὼ ἰώ.
Alas, alas!
§165μέλεαι μόχθων ἐπακουσόμεναι §166Τρῳάδες, ἔξω κομίζεσθʼ οἴκων· §167στέλλουσʼ Ἀργεῖοι νόστον.
Wretched Trojan women, who will hear of your troubles, come out of the tents; the Achaeans are preparing their return.
§168αἶ, αἶ.
Alas, alas!
§169μή νύν μοι τὰν §170ἐκβακχεύουσαν Κασάνδραν, §172αἰσχύναν Ἀργείοισιν, §171πέμψητʼ ἔξω, §173μαινάδʼ, ἐπʼ ἄλγει δʼ ἀλγυνθῶ.
Do not indeed to me the raving Cassandra, a disgrace to the Achaeans, send out, the maenad, lest I be pained with more pain.
§173aἰώ.
Alas!
§174Τροία Τροία δύστανʼ, ἔρρεις, §174aδύστανοι δʼ οἵ σʼ ἐκλείποντες §175καὶ ζῶντες καὶ δμαθέντες.
Unhappy Troy, you perish, and unhappy are those who leave you, both the living and the dead.
§176οἴμοι.
Alas!
τρομερὰ σκηνὰς ἔλιπον §177τάσδʼ Ἀγαμέμνονος ἐπακουσομένα, §178βασίλεια, σέθεν· μή με κτείνειν §179δόξʼ Ἀργείων κεῖται μελέαν;
Trembling I left these tents of Agamemnon to hear, Queen, from you; does the decision of the Achaeans to kill wretched me stand?
§180ἢ κατὰ πρύμνας ἤδη ναῦται §181στέλλονται κινεῖν κώπας;
Or are the sailors already at the sterns preparing to move the oars?
§182ὦ τέκνον, ὀρθρεύου σὰν ψυχάν.
Oh child, rouse your soul at dawn.
§183ἐκπληχθεῖσʼ ἦλθον φρίκᾳ.
Smitten with dread I have come.
§184ἤδη τις ἔβα Δαναῶν κῆρυξ;
Has some messenger of the Danaans already come?
§185τῷ πρόσκειμαι δούλα τλάμων;
To whom am I assigned as a miserable slave?
§186ἐγγύς που κεῖσαι κλήρου.
You lie somewhere near the lot.
§187ἰὼ ἰώ.
Alas, alas!
§187aτίς μʼ Ἀργείων ἢ Φθιωτᾶν §188ἢ νησαίαν μʼ ἄξει χώραν §189δύστανον πόρσω Τροίας;
Who of the Argives or Phthians, or to an island land will lead me, miserable, far from Troy?
§190φεῦ φεῦ.
Alas, alas!
§190aτῷ δʼ ἁ τλάμων §191ποῦ πᾷ γαίας δουλεύσω γραῦς, §192ὡς κηφήν, ἁ δειλαία, §192aνεκροῦ μορφά, §193νεκύων ἀμενηνὸν ἄγαλμα, §194αἰαῖ §194aτὰν παρὰ προθύροις φυλακὰν κατέχουσʼ §195ἢ παίδων θρέπτειρʼ, ἃ Τροίας §196ἀρχαγοὺς εἶχον τιμάς;
And to whom shall I, a miserable old woman, serve as a slave, and where on earth, like a drone, wretched, a form of a dead person, an enfeebled image of the dead, alas, keeping watch at the outer doors, or as a nurse of children, I who held sovereign honors in Troy?
§197αἰαῖ αἰαῖ, ποίοις δʼ οἴκτοις
Alas, alas!
§198τὰν σὰν λύμαν ἐξαιάζεις;
With what wailings do you lament your own outrage?
§199οὐκ Ἰδαίοις ἱστοῖς κερκίδα §200δινεύουσʼ ἐξαλλάξω.
No longer shall I, at Idaean looms, swing the shuttle, changing thread.

Notes

  1. 85ὡς ἂν ... εἰδῶσʼ — ὡς ἂν with subjunctive (εἰδῶσʼ) introduces a purpose clause. While rare in Attic prose, ὡς ἂν is frequently found in tragedy, introducing a slight conditional nuance to the purpose ('in order that they may somehow know').
  2. 110τί με χρὴ σιγᾶν; τί δὲ μὴ σιγᾶν; — This is an impersonal construction with χρή and the infinitive (σιγᾶν). The negative μή is used in the second question because it expresses a deliberative inquiry about what should or should not be done, rather than a statement of fact.
  3. 121ἄτας κελαδεῖν ἀχορεύτους — The adjective ἀχορεύτους ('without choruses', 'uncelebrated') modifies the accusative plural noun ἄτας ('disasters'), which serves as the object of the infinitive κελαδεῖν ('to sing of'). In tragedy, the epithet 'un-choral' is frequently used to describe dismal, cheerless events that contrast with joyful sacred celebrations.
  4. 135τὸ τὸν πεντήκοντʼ ἀροτῆρα τέκνων — A phrase in apposition to Πρίαμον (in §136). The noun ἀροτήρ ('plowman', 'sower'), usually an agricultural term, is used metaphorically here as a 'begetter' or 'father' who has produced fifty children.
  5. 154ποῖ λόγος ἥκει; — Literally 'To what point has your word arrived?', which idiomatically expresses 'What does your cry mean?' or 'What is happening?'. The directional adverb ποῖ ('whither', 'to what place') is used to suggest both the physical projection of the cry through space and the progression of the crisis.

Cite this passage

Euripides, The Trojan Women §85-200. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg011.humanitext-grc2:85-200

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.