Humanitext Reader

Euripides · Rhesus §820-908

Dispute with Hector and the Descent of the Muse

Passage 10 of 11 · Greek

Summary

The night guards assert their innocence while the Thracian charioteer fiercely accuses Hector of treachery, but Hector attributes the crime to Odysseus and attempts to pacify him. Then, the Muse descends carrying the corpse of her slain son Rhesus, lamenting his tragic death and accusing his true killers.

§820ἰὼ ἰώ,
Ah, ah!
§821μετὰ σέ, ναί, μετὰ σέ, ὦ πολίοχον κράτος, §822τότʼ ἄρʼ ἔμολον, ὅτε σοι §824ἄγγελος ἦλθον ἀμφὶ ναῦς πύρʼ αἴθειν· §825ἐπεὶ ἄγρυπνον ὄμμʼ ἐν εὐφρόνῃ §826οὔτʼ ἐκοίμισʼ οὔτʼ ἔβριξʼ, §827οὐ τὰς Σιμοεντιάδας πηγάς·
Following you, yes, following you, O guardian power of the city, at that very time I came, to you as a messenger I went to tell you to burn fires around the ships; since during the night, neither sleeping nor slumbering, I kept my eyes awake, by the springs of Simois.
μή μοι §828κότον, ὦ ἄνα, θῇς· ἀναίτιος γὰρ §829ἔγωγε πάντων.
O king, do not place your anger upon me; for guiltless am I indeed of all.
§830εἰ δὲ χρόνῳ παράκαιρον ἔργον ἢ λόγον §831πύθῃ, κατά με γᾶς §832ζῶντα πόρευσον· οὐ παραιτοῦμαι.
And if in time you learn that I did or said anything out of season, send me beneath the earth alive; I do not beg off.
§833τί τοῖσδʼ ἀπειλεῖς βάρβαρός τε βαρβάρου §834γνώμην ὑφαιρῇ τὴν ἐμήν, πλέκων λόγους;
Why do you threaten these men, and being yourself a barbarian, do you try to steal my mind, a fellow barbarian's, weaving words?
§835σὺ ταῦτʼ ἔδρασας· οὐδένʼ ἂν δεξαίμεθα §836οὔθʼ οἱ θανόντες οὔτʼ ἂν οἱ τετρωμένοι §837ἄλλον· μακροῦ γε δεῖ σε καὶ σοφοῦ λόγου, §838ὅτῳ με πείσεις μὴ φίλους κατακτανεῖν, §839ἵππων ἐρασθείς, ὧν ἕκατι συμμάχους §840τοὺς σοὺς φονεύεις, πόλλʼ ἐπισκήπτων μολεῖν.
You did these things; we would accept no other either among the dead or among the wounded as the doer; indeed you need a long and clever speech to persuade me that you did not kill your friends, being in love with the horses, for whose sake you slaughter your allies, having repeatedly urged them to come.
§841ἦλθον, τεθνᾶσιν· εὐπρεπέστερον Πάρις §842ξενίαν κατῄσχυνʼ ἢ σὺ συμμάχους κτανών.
They came, and they are dead; Paris more decorously outraged guest-friendship than you did, killing your allies.
§843μὴ γάρ τι λέξῃς ὥς τις Ἀργείων μολὼν §844διώλεσʼ ἡμᾶς· τίς δʼ ὑπερβαλὼν λόχους §845Τρώων ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς ἦλθεν, ὥστε καὶ λαθεῖν;
For do not say that some of the Argives came and destroyed us; who could have passed the ranks of the Trojans and come upon us, so as even to escape notice?
§846σὺ πρόσθεν ἡμῶν ἧσο καὶ Φρυγῶν στρατός.
You and the army of the Phrygians were stationed in front of us.
§847τίς οὖν τέτρωται, τίς τέθνηκε συμμάχων §848τῶν σῶν, μολόντων ὧν σὺ πολεμίων λέγεις;
Who then of your allies has been wounded, who has died, when the enemies came, whom you speak of?
§849ἡμεῖς δʼ ἑκὰς τετρώμεθʼ, οἳ δὲ μειζόνως §850παθόντες οὐχ ὁρῶσιν ἡλίου φάος.
But we have been grievously wounded, and those who suffered more severely do not see the light of the sun.
§851ἁπλῶς δʼ Ἀχαιῶν οὐδένʼ αἰτιώμεθα.
In short, we blame none of the Achaians.
§852τίς δʼ ἂν χαμεύνας πολεμίων κατʼ εὐφρόνην §853Ῥήσου μολὼν ἐξηῦρεν, εἰ μή τις θεῶν §854ἔφραζε τοῖς κτανοῦσιν;
And who of the enemies could have found by night the bed of Rhesus, unless some of the gods told the killers?
οὐδʼ ἀφιγμένον §855τὸ πάμπαν ᾖσαν· ἀλλὰ μηχανᾷ τάδε.
They did not even know of his arrival at all; but you devised these things.
§856χρόνον μὲν ἤδη συμμάχοισι χρώμεθα §857ὅσονπερ ἐν γῇ τῇδʼ Ἀχαιικὸς λεώς, §858κοὐδὲν πρὸς αὐτῶν οἶδα πλημμελὲς κλύων· §859ἐν σοὶ δʼ ἂν ἀρχοίμεσθα.
Already for as long a time we have been allies as the Achaian host has been in this land, and I know of nothing wrong heard from them; but under you we have begun to perish.
μή μʼ ἔρως ἕλοι §860τοιοῦτος ἵππων ὥστʼ ἀποκτείνειν φίλους.
May no such love of horses seize me as to kill friends.
§861καὶ ταῦτʼ Ὀδυσσεύς· τίς γὰρ ἄλλος ἄν ποτε §862ἔδρασεν ἢ ʼβούλευσεν Ἀργείων ἀνήρ;
And these things Odysseus did; for who else would ever have done or plotted them among the Argive men?
§863δέδοικα δʼ αὐτὸν καί τί μου θράσσει φρένας, §864μὴ καὶ Δόλωνα συντυχὼν κατακτάνῃ· §865χρόνον γὰρ ἤδη φροῦδος ὢν οὐ φαίνεται.
But I fear him and something troubles my mind, lest having met Dolon he has also killed him; for already having gone, he does not appear.
§866οὐκ οἶδα τοὺς σοὺς οὓς λέγεις Ὀδυσσέας· §867ἡμεῖς δʼ ὑπʼ ἐχθρῶν οὐδενὸς πεπλήγμεθα.
I do not know your Odysseuses whom you speak of; we have been struck by none of our enemies.
§868σὺ δʼ οὖν νόμιζε ταῦτʼ, ἐπείπερ σοι δοκεῖ.
Well, believe these things, since it seems good to you.
§869ὦ γαῖα πατρίς, πῶς ἂν ἐνθάνοιμί σοι;
O fatherland, how I wish I could die in you!
§870μὴ θνῇσχʼ· ἅλις γὰρ τῶν τεθνηκότων ὄχλος.
Do not die; for the crowd of the dead is enough.
§871ποῖ δὴ τράπωμαι δεσποτῶν μονούμενος;
Whither indeed shall I turn, being bereaved of my masters?
§872οἶκός σε κεύθων οὑμὸς ἐξιάσεται.
My house sheltering you shall heal you.
§873καὶ πῶς με κηδεύσουσιν αὐθεντῶν χέρες;
And how shall the hands of murderers care for me?
§874ὅδʼ αὖ τὸν αὐτὸν μῦθον οὐ λήξει λέγων.
This man again will not cease speaking the same word.
§875ὄλοιθʼ ὁ δράσας.
May the doer perish!
οὐ γὰρ ἐς σὲ τείνεται §876γλῶσσʼ, ὡς σὺ κομπεῖς· ἡ Δίκη δʼ ἐπίσταται.
For my tongue is not stretched against you, as you boast; but Justice knows.
§877λάζυσθʼ· ἄγοντες δʼ αὐτὸν ἐς δόμους ἐμούς, §878οὕτως ὅπως ἂν μὴ ʼγκαλῇ πορσύνετε· §879ὑμᾶς δʼ ἰόντας τοῖσιν ἐν τείχει χρεὼν §880Πριάμῳ τε καὶ γέρουσι σημῆναι νεκροὺς §881θάπτειν κελεύθου λεωφόρου πρὸς ἐκτροπάς.
Take him; and leading him to my house, care for him in such a way that he may not complain; and you, going to those on the wall, must signal to Priam and the elders to bury the dead near the turnings of the highway.
§882τί ποτʼ εὐτυχίας ἐκ τῆς μεγάλης §883Τροίαν ἀνάγει πάλιν ἐς πένθη §884δαίμων ἄλλος, τί φυτεύων;
What on earth is leading Troy back from its great good fortune again into grief, another god, what is he planting?
§885ἔα ἔα.
Ah, ah!
§886τίς ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς θεός, ὦ βασιλεῦ, §887τὸν νεόκμητον νεκρὸν ἐν χειροῖν §888φοράδην πέμπει;
What god above our heads, O king, sends the newly slain corpse in hands, carried along?
§889ταρβῶ, λεύσσων τόδε, πῆμα.
I am terrified, looking upon this, a misfortune.
§890ὁρᾶν πάρεστι, Τρῶες· ἡ γὰρ ἐν σοφοῖς §891τιμὰς ἔχουσα Μοῦσα συγγόνων μία §892πάρειμι, παῖδα τόνδʼ ὁρῶσʼ οἰκτρῶς φίλον §893θανόνθʼ ὑπʼ ἐχθρῶν· ὅν ποθʼ ὁ κτείνας χρόνῳ §894δόλιος Ὀδυσσεὺς ἀξίαν τείσει δίκην.
It is open to see, Trojans; for I, one of the sisterhood of Muse who holds honors among the wise, am present, seeing this dear child miserably dead by enemies; whom the one who killed, cunning Odysseus, in time shall pay worthy penalty.
§895ἰαλέμῳ αὐθιγενεῖ, §896τέκνον, σʼ ὀλοφύρομαι, ὦ §897ματρὸς ἄλγος, οἵαν §898ἔκελσας ὁδὸν ποτὶ Τροίαν· §899ἦ δυσδαίμονα καὶ μελέαν, §900ἀπομεμφομένας ἐμοῦ πορευθείς, §901ἀπὸ δʼ ἀντομένου πατρὸς βιαίως.
With a native dirge, my child, I lament you, O grief of your mother, what a path you steered towards Troy; indeed ill-fated and wretched, having journeyed though I opposed, and against your pleading father violently.
§902ὤμοι ἐγὼ σέθεν, ὦ φιλία §903φιλία κεφαλά, τέκνον, ὤμοι.
Ah me for you, O dear, dear head, my child, ah me.
§904ὅσον προσήκει μὴ γένους κοινωνίαν §905ἔχοντι λύπῃ τὸν σὸν οἰκτίρω γόνον.
As much as is fitting for one who has no share in your race, in grief I pity your son.
§906ὄλοιτο μὲν Οἰνεΐδας, §907ὄλοιτο δὲ Λαρτιάδας, §908ὅς μʼ ἄπαιδα γέννας
May the son of Oeneus perish, and may the son of Laertes perish, who made me childless of my offspring.

Notes

  1. §827οὐ τὰς Σιμοεντιάδας πηγάς — An elliptical expression with the verb of swearing (e.g., ὄμνυμι) omitted. It functions as a strong oath of innocence sworn by the sacred springs of the Simois river in Troy.
  2. §833βάρβαρός τε βαρβάρου — By juxtapositing 'a barbarian... of a barbarian', this phrase emphasizes the charioteer's distrust toward Hector, assuming a shared non-Greek ('barbarian') identity yet accusing Hector of trying to deceive a fellow countryman with clever words.
  3. §837μακροῦ γε δεῖ σε καὶ σοφοῦ λόγου — The construction of the impersonal verb δεῖ with the genitive. The core meaning is 'you have need of a long and clever speech'. The subsequent ὅτῳ clause (§838) is a relative clause qualifying λόγου, expressing the purpose or result of the persuasion.
  4. §840ἐπισκήπτων μολεῖν — The participle ἐπισκήπτων ('bidding', 'urging') takes the infinitive μολεῖν ('to come') as its complement. It highlights Hector's alleged treachery, pointing out that he repeatedly urged the allies to join only to slaughter them.
  5. §843μὴ γάρ τι λέξῃς ὥς — A strong prohibition expressed by μὴ with the second-person aorist subjunctive ('do not say'). The following ὡς clause introduces a noun clause acting as the direct object of λέξῃς.
  6. §859ἐν σοὶ δʼ ἂν ἀρχοίμεσθα — The prepositional phrase ἐν σοί expresses the starting point or agency ('under you' or 'by your hand'). The optative with ἄν (ἀρχοίμεσθα ἄν) represents a potential or a present inference with a tone of accusation: 'we are likely beginning to perish under you'.
  7. §873αὐθεντῶν — The genitive plural of αὐθέντης, meaning 'one who slays with his own hand' or 'a murderer of kin'. Used here as a poetic plural referring specifically to Hector, emphasizing the charioteer's intense aversion to being treated by his master's suspected murderer.
  8. §876οὐ γὰρ ἐς σὲ τείνεται / γλῶσσʼ — A euphemistic phrasing meaning 'for my tongue is not directed against you'. While formally avoiding a direct accusation of Hector to prevent immediate punishment, it subtly points out the true culprit through the contrastive clause 'but Justice knows' (δὲ).
  9. §878οὕτως ὅπως ἂν μὴ ʼγκαλῇ πορσύνετε — An adverbial clause of purpose introduced by ὅπως ἄν with the subjunctive (ἐγκαλῇ from ἐγκαλέω, meaning 'complain' or 'accuse'). The clause means 'care for him in such a way that he may not complain'.
  10. §904ὅσον προσήκει μὴ γένους κοινωνίαν — The word ὅσον acts as a relative adverb ('as much as'). It qualifies μὴ γένους κοινωνίαν ἔχοντι ('one who has no share in your race', where ἔχοντι is a dative participle). It establishes the emotional appropriateness of the Chorus's grief despite lacking any blood relation.

Cite this passage

Euripides, Rhesus §820-908. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg019.humanitext-grc2:820-908

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