§834ὃν τέκετο θάνατος, ἔτρεφε δʼ αἰόλος δράκων, §835πῶς ὅδʼ ἂν ἀέλιον ἕτερον ἢ τανῦν ἴδοι, §836δεινοτάτῳ μὲν ὕδρας προστετακὼς §837φάσματι;
Which death begot, and the shimmering serpent reared, how could he see another sun than the present one, clung to the most terrible phantom of the hydra?
μελαγχαίτα δʼ ἄμμιγά νιν αἰκίζει §840Νέσσου ὑποφόνια δολιόμυθα κέντρʼ ἐπιζέσαντα.
And at the same time, the dark-haired Nessus's murderous, treacherous-worded stings, boiling up, torture him.
§841ὧν ἅδʼ ἁ τλάμων ἄοκνος μεγάλαν προορῶσα §842δόμοισι βλάβαν νέων §843ἀΐσσουσαν γάμων τὰ μὲν αὐτὰ προσέβαλε, τὰ §844δʼ ἀπʼ ἀλλόθρου §845γνώμας μολόντʼ ὀλεθρίαισι συναλλαγαῖς §846ἦ που ὀλοὰ στένει, §847ἦ που ἀδινῶν χλωρὰν §848τέγγει δακρύων ἄχναν.
Regarding which things, this wretched, unshrinking woman, seeing ahead the great harm to her home rushing from the new marriage, some things she herself applied, while others, coming from another's mind in a ruinous encounter, surely she groans bitterly, surely she wets the fresh dew of abundant tears.
And the coming fate foretells a treacherous and great ruin.
§852ἔρρωγεν παγὰ δακρύων· κέχυται νόσος, ὦ πόποι,
A fountain of tears has burst forth; the disease is poured out, alas!
Such a suffering as never yet came from enemies upon the far-famed Heracles to excite pity.
§855ἰὼ κελαινὰ λόγχα προμάχου δορός, §856ἃ τότε θοὰν νύμφαν §857ἄγαγες ἀπʼ αἰπεινᾶς §858τάνδʼ Οἰχαλίας αἰχμᾷ· §860ἁ δʼ ἀμφίπολος Κύπρις ἄναυδος φανερὰ §861τῶνδʼ ἐφάνη πράκτωρ.
O dark spearhead of the champion's spear, which then didst bring the swift bride from lofty Oechalia by thy point; and Cypris, serving in silence, has appeared as the manifest doer of these things.
Am I deceived, or do I hear some lamentation just now rising through the house?
τί φημι;
What do I say?
Someone is uttering no indistinct, but a mournful wailing inside, and the house has some new event.
Look at this old woman, how downcast and frowning she approaches us, to signal something.
O maidens, how indeed the gift sent to Heracles has begun no small evils for us!
§873τί δʼ, ὦ γεραιά, καινοποιηθὲν λέγεις;
What new thing, O old woman, do you tell?
Deianeira has gone on the last of all journeys with motionless foot.
§876οὐ δή ποθʼ ὡς θανοῦσα;
Surely not as one dead?
§876aπάντʼ ἀκήκοας.
You have heard all.
§877τέθνηκεν ἡ τάλαινα;
Is the wretched woman dead?
§877aδεύτερον κλύεις.
You hear it a second time.
§878τάλαινʼ ὀλεθρία·
Wretched, ruined woman!
τίνι τρόπῳ θανεῖν σφε φής;
In what way do you say she died?
§879σχετλιώτατά γε πρὸς πρᾶξιν.
Most terribly indeed in the doing.
§882αὑτὴν διηΐστωσε.
She destroyed herself.
What anger or what madness took her by the point of an evil weapon?
πως ἐμήσατο §885πρὸς θανάτῳ θάνατον ἀνύσασα μόνα;
How did she plan to accomplish death upon death, all alone?
§886στονόεντος ἐν τομᾷ σιδάρου.
By the cut of the mournful iron.
§887ἐπεῖδες, ὦ ματαία, τάνδε τὴν ὕβριν;
Did you, O foolish one, witness this outrage?
§888ἐπεῖδον, ὡς δὴ πλησία παραστάτις.
I witnessed it, indeed as a bystander close at hand.
§890τίς ἦν;
Who was it?
πῶς;
How?
φέρʼ εἰπέ.
Come, tell us.
§891αὐτὴ πρὸς αὑτῆς χειροποιεῖται τάδε.
She herself by her own hand wrought this.
§892τί φωνεῖς;
What do you say?
§892aσαφηνῆ.
The clear truth.
She has brought forth, yes, she has brought forth a great Fury for this house, this newly-arrived bride!
Too true indeed; and if you had been present nearby and seen what she did, you would have pitied her much more.
§898καὶ ταῦτʼ ἔτλη τις χεὶρ γυναικεία κτίσαι;
And did a woman's hand dare to accomplish this?
§899δεινῶς γε· πεύσει δʼ, ὥστε μαρτυρεῖν ἐμοί.
Terribly indeed; and you shall hear, so as to bear witness to me.
§900ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἦλθε δωμάτων εἴσω μόνη §901καὶ παῖδʼ ἐν αὐλαῖς εἶδε κοῖλα δέμνια §902στορνύνθʼ, ὅπως ἄψορρον ἀντῴη πατρί, §903κρύψασʼ ἑαυτὴν ἔνθα μή τις εἰσίδοι, §904βρυχᾶτο μὲν βωμοῖσι προσπίπτουσʼ ὅτι §905γένοιντʼ ἔρημοι, ʼκλαιε δʼ ὀργάνων ὅτου §906ψαύσειεν οἷς ἐχρῆτο δειλαία πάρος· §907ἄλλῃ δὲ κἄλλῃ δωμάτων στρωφωμένη, §908εἴ του φίλων βλέψειεν οἰκετῶν δέμας, §909ἔκλαιεν ἡ δύστηνος εἰσορωμένη, §910αὐτὴ τὸν αὑτῆς δαίμονʼ ἀνακαλουμένη §911καὶ τὰς ἄπαιδας ἐς τὸ λοιπὸν οὐσίας.
For when she came alone inside the house, and saw her son in the courtyard preparing a hollow couch so that he might return to meet his father, hiding herself where no one might see her, she shrieked, falling before the altars, that she was left desolate, and she wept over whatever utensils she touched, which she, wretched one, had used before; and wandering here and there through the house, if she saw the form of any of her beloved servants, the unhappy woman wept at the sight, calling upon her own fate, and her future childless existence.
But when she ceased from these things, suddenly I saw her rushing into the bedchamber of Heracles.
§914κἀγὼ λαθραῖον ὄμμʼ ἐπεσκιασμένη §915φρούρουν· ὁρῶ δὲ τὴν γυναῖκα δεμνίοις §916τοῖς Ἡρακλείοις στρωτὰ βάλλουσαν φάρη.
And I, having hidden my eye in secret, kept watch; and I saw the woman throwing spread coverings upon the couch of Heracles.
§917ὅπως δʼ ἐτέλεσε τοῦτʼ, ἐπενθοροῦσʼ ἄνω §918καθέζετʼ ἐν μέσοισιν εὐνατηρίοις, §919καὶ δακρύων ῥήξασα θερμὰ νάματα §920ἔλεξεν· ὦ λέχη τε καὶ νυμφεῖʼ ἐμά, §921τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη χαίρεθʼ, ὡς ἔμʼ οὔποτε §922δέξεσθʼ ἔτʼ ἐν κοίταισι ταῖσδʼ εὐνάτριαν. §923τοσαῦτα φωνήσασα συντόνῳ χερὶ §924λύει τὸν αὑτῆς πέπλον, ᾗ χρυσήλατος §925προύκειτο μαστῶν περονίς, ἐκ δʼ ἐλώπισεν §926πλευρὰν ἅπασαν ὠλένην τʼ εὐώνυμον.
And when she finished this, leaping up, she sat in the middle of the bed, and bursting into warm streams of tears, she spoke: "O my bed and my bridal chamber, farewell now forever, since you shall never receive me again as a wife to rest in this couch." Having spoken so much, with a swift hand she loosened her robe, where a gold-beaten brooch was fastened before her breasts, and she laid bare her whole side and her left arm.
And I, running as fast as I had strength, told her son of her who was plotting these things.