§338τούτων ἔχω γὰρ πάντʼ ἐπιστήμην ἐγώ.
For I have complete knowledge of these things.
§339τί δʼ ἐστί;
Deianeira: What is it?
τοῦ με τήνδʼ ἐφίστασαι βάσιν;
Why do you halt my steps?
Messenger: Stand still and listen; for neither did you hear my former speech in vain, nor, I think, will you do so now.
Deianeira: Should we then call those people back here again, or do you wish to speak out to me and to these women?
§344σοὶ ταῖσδέ τʼ οὐδὲν εἴργεται, τούτους δʼ ἔα.
Messenger: To you and these women nothing is barred, but leave those others be.
§345καὶ δὴ βεβᾶσι, χὠ λόγος σημαινέτω.
Deianeira: And indeed they are gone; let the speech make its disclosure.
§346ἁνὴρ ὅδʼ οὐδὲν ὧν ἔλεξεν ἀρτίως §347φωνεῖ δίκης ἐς ὀρθόν, ἀλλʼ ἢ νῦν κακὸς §348ἢ πρόσθεν οὐ δίκαιος ἄγγελος παρῆν.
Messenger: This man speaks nothing of what he just now said in accordance with right justice, but either he is now base, or before he was a dishonest messenger.
§349τί φής;
Deianeira: What do you say?
σαφῶς μοι φράζε πᾶν ὅσον νοεῖς.
Tell me clearly everything you mean.
§350ἃ μὲν γὰρ ἐξείρηκας ἀγνοία μʼ ἔχει.
For ignorance holds me concerning what you have spoken.
§351τούτου λέγοντος τἀνδρὸς εἰσήκουσʼ ἐγώ, §352πολλῶν παρόντων μαρτύρων, ὡς τῆς κόρης §353ταύτης ἕκατι κεῖνος Εὔρυτόν θʼ ἕλοι §354τήν θʼ ὑψίπυργον Οἰχαλίαν, Ἔρως δέ νιν §355μόνος θεῶν θέλξειεν αἰχμάσαι τάδε, §356οὐ τἀπὶ Λυδοῖς οὐδʼ ὑπʼ Ὀμφάλῃ πόνων §357λατρεύματʼ οὐδʼ ὁ ῥιπτὸς Ἰφίτου μόρος· §358ὃν νῦν παρώσας οὗτος ἔμπαλιν λέγει.
Messenger: I heard this man saying, in the presence of many witnesses, that for the sake of this girl he took Eurytus and high-towered Oechalia, and that Eros alone of the gods charmed him to wage this war, not his servitude of labor among the Lydians, nor under Omphale, nor the hurled fate of Iphitus, which things this man now casts aside and says the opposite.
§359ἀλλʼ ἡνίκʼ οὐκ ἔπειθε τὸν φυτοσπόρον §360τὴν παῖδα δοῦναι, κρύφιον ὡς ἔχοι λέχος, §361ἔγκλημα μικρὸν αἰτίαν θʼ ἑτοιμάσας §362ἐπιστρατεύει πατρίδα τὴν ταύτης, ἐν ᾗ §363τὸν Εὔρυτον τόνδʼ εἶπε δεσπόζειν θρόνων, §364κτείνει τʼ ἄνακτα πατέρα τῆσδε καὶ πόλιν §365ἔπερσε.
But when he could not persuade her father to give him the girl to have as a secret mistress, devising some small grievance and accusation, he marched against her fatherland, in which he said this Eurytus ruled the throne, and he killed the king, her father, and sacked the city.
καὶ νῦν, ὡς ὁρᾷς, ἥκει δόμους §366ὡς τούσδε πέμπων οὐκ ἀφροντίστως, γύναι, §367οὐδʼ ὥστε δούλην· μηδὲ προσδόκα τόδε· §368οὐδʼ εἰκός, εἴπερ ἐντεθέρμανται πόθῳ.
And now, as you see, he comes to this house, sending her not carelessly, lady, nor as a slave; do not expect this, nor is it likely, if indeed he has been warmed with desire.
Therefore it seemed good to me to reveal the whole truth to you, mistress, which I happen to have learned from this man.
§371καὶ ταῦτα πολλοὶ πρὸς μέσῃ Τραχινίων §372ἀγορᾷ συνεξήκουον ὡσαύτως ἐμοί, §373ὥστʼ ἐξελέγχειν· εἰ δὲ μὴ λέγω φίλα, §374οὐχ ἥδομαι, τὸ δʼ ὀρθὸν ἐξείρηχʼ ὅμως.
And many of the Trachinians heard these things along with me in the middle of the marketplace, so as to convict him; and if I speak what is not pleasant, I am not glad, but I have spoken the truth nevertheless.
§375οἴμοι τάλαινα, ποῦ ποτʼ εἰμὶ πράγματος;
Deianeira: Woe is me, wretched, where on earth am I in this matter?
What ruin have I received under my roof in secret?
ὦ δύστηνος·
O miserable me!
ἆρʼ ἀνώνυμος §378πέφυκεν, ὥσπερ οὑπάγων διώμνυτο;
Is she indeed nameless, as he who brought her swore?
§379ἦ κάρτα λαμπρὰ καὶ κατʼ ὄνομα καὶ φύσιν, §380πατρὸς μὲν οὖσα γένεσιν Εὐρύτου ποτὲ §381Ἰόλη ʼκαλεῖτο, τῆς ἐκεῖνος οὐδαμὰ §382βλάστας ἐφώνει, δῆθεν οὐδὲν ἱστορῶν.
Messenger: Indeed she is very illustrious both in name and by birth, being the offspring of her father Eurytus; she was once called Iole, of whose birth that man never spoke, forsooth, as if asking nothing.
Deianeira: May they perish—not all the wicked, but he who practices secret evils that are unbecoming to him.
§385τί χρὴ ποεῖν, γυναῖκες;
Deianeira: What must I do, women?
ὡς ἐγὼ λόγοις §386τοῖς νῦν παροῦσιν ἐκπεπληγμένη κυρῶ.
For I find myself stunned by the words now before me.
Chorus: Go and question the man, since perhaps he would speak clearly, if you should wish to question him with force.
§389ἀλλʼ εἶμι· καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἀπὸ γνώμης λέγεις.
Deianeira: Indeed I will go; for what you say is not against my judgment.
§390ἡμεῖς δὲ προσμένωμεν;
Messenger: And shall we wait?
ἢ τί χρὴ ποεῖν;
Or what must we do?
Deianeira: Stay, for this man is coming out of the house, not by my summons, but of his own accord.
§393τί χρή, γύναι, μολόντα μʼ Ἡρακλεῖ λέγειν;
Lichas: What must I, having come, lady, say to Heracles?
§394δίδαξον, ὡς ἕρποντος, ὡς ὁρᾷς, ἐμοῦ.
Teach me, since, as you see, I am on my way.
Deianeira: How quickly, after coming with slow time, you rush away, before we can even renew our conversation!
§397ἀλλʼ εἴ τι χρῄζεις ἱστορεῖν, πάρειμʼ ἐγώ.
Lichas: But if you desire to inquire anything, I am present.
§398ἦ καὶ τὸ πιστὸν τῆς ἀληθείας νέμεις;
Deianeira: Will you indeed render the pledge of truth?
§399ἴστω μέγας Ζεύς, ὧν γʼ ἂν ἐξειδὼς κυρῶ.
Lichas: Let great Zeus be witness, in whatever I happen to know fully.
§400τίς ἡ γυνὴ δῆτʼ ἐστὶν ἣν ἥκεις ἄγων;
Deianeira: Who then is the woman whom you have brought?
§401Εὐβοιίς·
Lichas: She is Euboean.
ὧν δʼ ἔβλαστεν οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν.
But of whose stock she was born, I cannot say.
§402οὗτος, βλέφʼ ὧδε·
Messenger: You, look here!
πρὸς τίνʼ ἐννέπειν δοκεῖς;
To whom do you think you are speaking?
§403σὺ δʼ εἰς τί δή με τοῦτʼ ἐρωτήσας ἔχεις;
Lichas: And you, why on earth do you ask me this?
§404τόλμησον εἰπεῖν, εἰ φρονεῖς, ὅ σʼ ἱστορῶ.
Messenger: Have the courage to speak, if you are wise, what I ask you.
§405πρὸς τὴν κρατοῦσαν Δῃάνειραν, Οἰνέως §406κόρην δάμαρτά θʼ Ἡρακλέους, εἰ μὴ κυρῶ §407λεύσσων μάταια, δεσπότιν τε τὴν ἐμήν.
Lichas: To the sovereign Deianeira, daughter of Oeneus and wife of Heracles, if I do not happen to see vainly, and my mistress.
§408τοῦτʼ αὔτʼ ἔχρῃζον, τοῦτό σου μαθεῖν·
Messenger: This is the very thing I wanted to learn from you.
λέγεις δέσποιναν εἶναι τήνδε σήν;
You say she is your mistress?
§409δίκαια γάρ.
Lichas: Yes, for it is just.
§410τί δῆτα;
Messenger: What then?
ποίαν ἀξιοῖς δοῦναι δίκην, §411ἢν εὑρεθῇς ἐς τήνδε μὴ δίκαιος ὤν;
What kind of penalty do you think you deserve to pay, if you are found being not just to her?
§412πῶς μὴ δίκαιος;
Lichas: How not just?
τί ποτε ποικίλας ἔχεις;
What on earth are you up to with these tricks?