And the truth of these things coincides with the present time, showing that they must be fulfilled.
§175ὥσθʼ ἡδέως εὕδουσαν ἐκπηδᾶν ἐμὲ §176φόβῳ, φίλαι, ταρβοῦσαν, εἴ με χρὴ μένειν §177πάντων ἀρίστου φωτὸς ἐστερημένην.
So that I, sleeping sweetly, start up in fear, my friends, dreading whether I must remain bereft of the best of all men.
Keep silence now, for I see some man coming garlanded, for joy of his words.
Lady Deianeira, I, first of messengers, will release you from fear.
τὸν γὰρ Ἀλκμήνης τόκον §182καὶ ζῶντʼ ἐπίστω καὶ κρατοῦντα κἀκ μάχης §183ἄγοντʼ ἀπαρχὰς θεοῖσι τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις.
For know that Alcmene's son is both alive and victorious, and is bringing back from battle the first-fruits for the gods of this land.
§184τίνʼ εἶπας, ὦ γεραιέ, τόνδε μοι λόγον;
What word is this, old man, that you have spoken to me?
That soon your much-envied husband will come to your house, appearing with victorious power.
§187καὶ τοῦ τόδʼ ἀστῶν ἢ ξένων μαθὼν λέγεις;
And from which of the citizens or strangers did you learn this and now speak?
§188ἐν βουθερεῖ λειμῶνι πρὸς πολλοὺς θροεῖ §189Λίχας ὁ κῆρυξ ταῦτα· τοῦδʼ ἐγὼ κλύων §190ἀπῇξʼ, ὅπως τοι πρῶτος ἀγγείλας τάδε §191πρὸς σοῦ τι κερδάναιμι καὶ κτῴμην χάριν.
In the summer-pasturing meadow, Lichas the herald is proclaiming these things to many; hearing this from him, I darted away, so that by being the first to announce this to you, I might win some reward from you and gain your favor.
§192αὐτὸς δὲ πῶς ἄπεστιν, εἴπερ εὐτυχεῖ;
And how is he himself absent, if indeed he is successful?
§193οὐκ εὐμαρείᾳ χρώμενος πολλῇ, γύναι.
He does not enjoy much ease of movement, lady.
§194κύκλῳ γὰρ αὐτὸν Μηλιεὺς ἅπας λεὼς §195κρίνει παραστάς, οὐδʼ ἔχει βῆναι πρόσω· §196τὸ γὰρ ποθοῦν ἕκαστος ἐκμαθεῖν θέλων §197οὐκ ἂν μεθεῖτο, πρὶν καθʼ ἡδονὴν κλύειν.
For the whole Melian people, standing around him in a circle, is questioning him, and he has no power to move forward; for each one, wishing to learn what they long to know, will not let him go until they hear it to their satisfaction.
Thus he, unwilling, is with those who are willing; but you will see him clearly in a moment.
O Zeus, who hold the unmown meadow of Oeta, you have given us joy, though with time!
§202φωνήσατʼ, ὦ γυναῖκες, αἵ τʼ εἴσω στέγης §203αἵ τʼ ἐκτὸς αὐλῆς, ὡς ἄελπτον ὄμμʼ ἐμοὶ §204φήμης ἀνασχὸν τῆσδε νῦν καρπούμεθα.
Sing out, O women, both you within the house and you outside the court, since we now enjoy the unhoped-for beam of this rumor that has risen upon me!
§205ἀνολολυξάτω δόμοις ἐφεστίοις §206ἀλαλαγαῖς ἁ μελλόνυμφος, ἐν δὲ §207κοινὸς ἀρσένων ἴτω §208κλαγγὰ τὸν εὐφαρέτραν §209Ἀπόλλω προστάταν·
Let the bride-to-be shout aloud with cries of joy at the hearths of the house, and let a common cry of the men go up to Apollo of the lovely quiver, our protector!
ὁμοῦ δὲ §210παιᾶνα παιᾶνʼ ἀνάγετʼ, ὦ παρθένοι, §211βοᾶτε τὰν ὁμόσπορον §212Ἄρτεμιν Ὀρτυγίαν §213ἐλαφαβόλον ἀμφίπυρον, §214γείτονάς τε Νύμφας.
And at the same time, raise the paean, O maidens, shout to his sister Artemis of Ortygia, the huntress of stags, holding torches in both hands, and to the neighboring Nymphs.
I am uplifted, and I will not reject the flute, O ruler of my mind!
the ivy just now spinning me round in Bacchic rivalry.
ἰὼ ἰὼ Παιάν.
Io, Io, Paean!
See, dear lady, these things are here before you to look upon, face to face, clear to see.
I see, dear women, and it has not escaped my eyes' watch to see this procession.
And I bid the herald welcome, appearing after a long time, if indeed you bring any joyful news.
But we have arrived well, and we are addressed well, lady, in accordance with the achievement of our deed.
ἄνδρα γὰρ καλῶς §231πράσσοντʼ ἀνάγκη χρηστὰ κερδαίνειν ἔπη.
For when a man fares well, it is necessary that he gain good words.
O dearest of men, first teach me what I first wish to know: whether I shall receive Heracles alive.
I for my part left him both strong and alive, and flourishing, and not weighed down by disease.
§236ποῦ γῆς;
Where on earth?
πατρῴας εἴτε βαρβάρου;
In his native land, or in a foreign one?
λέγε.
Speak.
There is a Euboean headland, where he is consecrating altars and fruitful offerings to Cenaean Zeus.
§239εὐκταῖα φαίνων ἢ ἀπὸ μαντείας τινός;
Paying vows, or because of some oracle?
In consequence of vows, when he was destroying with his spear the land of these women whom you see before your eyes.
§242αὗται δέ, πρὸς θεῶν, τοῦ ποτʼ εἰσὶ καὶ τίνες;
And these women, by the gods, whose are they and who are they?
§243οἰκτραὶ γάρ, εἰ μὴ ξυμφοραὶ κλέπτουσί με.
For they are pitiable, unless my own misfortunes deceive my judgment.
These women, having sacked the city of Eurytus, he chose out as a select possession for himself and the gods.
Was it indeed at this city that he was gone for that limitless time, a countless number of days?
§248οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν πλεῖστον ἐν Λυδοῖς χρόνον §249κατείχεθʼ, ὥς φησʼ αὐτός, οὐκ ἐλεύθερος, §250ἀλλʼ ἐμποληθείς·
No, but for the greatest part of the time he was held among the Lydians, as he himself says, not free, but sold as a slave.
τοῦ λόγου δʼ οὐ χρὴ φθόνον, §251γύναι, προσεῖναι, Ζεὺς ὅτου πράκτωρ φανῇ.
And from this story one must not feel offense, lady, when Zeus appears as the doer of the deed.
And he, having been sold to the barbarian Omphale, completed a year, as he himself says.
§254χοὔτως ἐδήχθη τοῦτο τοὔνειδος λαβὼν §255ὥσθʼ ὅρκον αὑτῷ προσβαλὼν διώμοσεν, §256ἦ μὴν τὸν ἀγχιστῆρα τοῦδε τοῦ πάθους §257ξὺν παιδὶ καὶ γυναικὶ δουλώσειν ἔτι.
And he was so stung, having received this disgrace, that he bound himself by an oath and swore solemnly: that indeed he would yet enslave the one responsible for this suffering, together with his child and wife.
§258κοὐχ ἡλίωσε τοὔπος, ἀλλʼ ὅθʼ ἁγνὸς ἦν, §259στρατὸν λαβὼν ἐπακτὸν ἔρχεται πόλιν §260τὴν Εὐρυτείαν.
And he did not make his word in vain, but when he was purified, taking an allied army, he came against the city of Eurytus.
τόνδε γὰρ μεταίτιον
For this man, he said, was the co-cause...