My dear child, why indeed has this come into your wise mind?
πῶς ἄμμ’ ἐθέλεις ὀροθυνέμεν ἄμφω §64κήδἐ ἄλαστα λέγουσα;
How do you wish to rouse us both to grief by speaking of unforgettable sorrows?
τὰ δ’ οὐ νῦν πρῶτα κέκλαυται.
These things have not been wept for now for the first time.
Is it not enough, the evils by which we are held, always arising anew day after day?
μάλα μέν γε φιλοθρηνής κέ τις εἴη, §67ὅστις ἀριθμήσειεν ἐφ’ ἡμετέροις ἀχέεσσι.
Highly fond of wailing indeed would he be, who should try to count our sorrows.
§68θάρσει· οὐ τοιῆσδ’ ἐκυρήσαμεν ἐκ θεοῦ αἴσης.
Take courage; we have not received such a fate from God.
Indeed I see you yourself, dear child, struggling with endless pains.
ἐπιγνώμων δέ τοί εἰμι §71ἀσχαλάαν, ὅτε δή γε καὶ εὐφροσύνης κόρος ἐστί·
And I understand your being grieved, since indeed there is a satiety even of joy.
§72καί σε μάλ’ ἐκπάγλως ὀλοφύρομαι ἠδ’ ἐλεαίρω, §73οὕνεκεν ἡμετέροιο λυγροῦ μετὰ δαίμονος ἔσχες, §74ὅσθ’ ἡμῖν ἐφύπερθε κάρης βαρὺς αἰωρεῖται.
And I exceedingly lament and pity you, because you have shared in our grievous fate, which hangs heavy over our heads.
§75ἴστω γὰρ Κούρη τε καὶ εὐέανος Δημήτηρ, §76ἅς κε μέγα βλαφθείς τις ἑκὼν ἐπίορκον ὀμόσσαι §77δυσμενέων, μηθέν σε χερειότερον φρεσὶν ᾗσι §78στέργειν ἢ εἴπερ μοι ὑπὲκ νηδυιόφιν ἦλθες §79καί μοι τηλυγέτη ἐνὶ δώμασι παρθένος ἦσθα.
For let the Maiden and fair-robed Demeter bear witness, by whom even a hostile man, greatly blinded, might swear a false oath willingly, that I love you in my heart no less than if you had come from beneath my womb and were my own darling daughter in my halls.
§80οὐδ’ αὐτήν γέ νυ πάμπαν ἔολπά σε τοῦτό γε λήθειν.
Nor do I think that you yourself are altogether unaware of this.
Therefore never say, my blossom, that I am unmindful of you, not even if I weep more continuously than fair-haired Niobe.
§83οὐδ’ ὣς γὰρ νεμεσητὸν ὑπὲρ τέκνου γοάασθαι §84μητέρι δυσπαθέοντος· ἐπεὶ δέκα μῆνας ἔκαμνον §85πρὶν καί πέρ τ’ ἰδέειν μιν, ἐμῷ ὑπὸ ἥπατ’ ἔχουσα, §86καί με πυλάρταο σχεδὸν ἤγαγεν Αἰδωνῆος· §87ὧδέ ἑ δυστοκέουσα κακὰς ὠδῖνας ἀνέτλην.
For even so, it is not to be blamed for a mother to wail over her child who is suffering; since for ten months I labored, carrying him beneath my liver before I even saw him, and he brought me close to Hades, the gate-keeper; so hard was my labor as I endured the terrible birth-pangs.
§88νῦν δέ μοι οἴχεται οἶος ἐπ’ ἀλλοτρίης νέον ἆθλον §89ἐκτελέων· οὐδ’ οἶδα δυσάμμορος, εἴτε μιν αὖτις §90ἐνθάδε νοστήσανθ’ ὑποδέξομαι, εἴτε καὶ οὐκί.
And now he is gone, alone in a foreign land, performing a new labor; nor do I know, ill-fated that I am, whether I shall receive him back here returning, or not.
§91πρὸς δ’ ἔτι μ’ ἐπτοίησε διὰ γλυκὺν αἰνὸς ὄνειρος §92ὕπνον· δειμαίνω δὲ παλιγκοτον ὄψιν ἰδοῦσα §93ἐκπάγλως, μή μοί τι τέκνοις ἀποθύμιον ἔρδοι.
And besides, a terrible dream has frightened me through my sweet sleep; and I fear exceedingly, having seen a hostile vision, lest it should work some heart-grief for my children.
§94εἴσατο γάρ μοι ἔχων μακέλην εὐεργέα χερσὶ §95παῖς ἐμὸς ἀμφοτέρῃσι, βίη Ἡρακληείη· §96τῇ μεγάλην ἐλάχαινε δεδεγμένος ὡς ἐπὶ μισθῷ §97τάφρον τηλεθάοντος ἐπ’ ἐσχατιῇ τινος ἀγροῦ, §98γυμνὸς ἄτερ χλαίνης τε καὶ εὐμίτροιο χιτῶνος.
For there appeared to me, holding a well-made spade in both hands, my son, the mighty Heracles; with it he was digging a deep ditch, as if for wages, at the edge of a flourishing field, naked without a cloak or a well-girdled tunic.
§99αὐτὰρ ἐπειδὴ παντὸς ἀφίκετο πρὸς τέλος ἔργου §100καρτερὸν οἰνοφόροιο πονεύμενος ἕρκος ἀλωῆς, §101ἤτοι ὃ λίστρον ἔμελλεν ἐπὶ προύχοντος ἐρείσας §102ἀνδήρου καταδῦναι, ἃ καὶ πάρος εἵματα ἕστο· §103ἐξαπίνης δ’ ἀνελάμψεν ὑπὲρ καπέτοιο βαθείης §104πῦρ ἄμοτον, περὶ δ’ αὐτὸν ἀθέσφατος εἰλεῖτο φλόξ.
But when he had come to the end of all his work, laboring at the strong fence of a wine-bearing vineyard, he was about to lean his spade against the projecting bank and put on the garments which he wore before; but suddenly above the deep ditch there blazed up an unquenchable fire, and a monstrous flame enveloped him.
§105αὐτὰρ ὅγ’ αἰὲν ὄπισθε θοοῖς ἀνεχάζετο ποσσίν, §106ἐκφυγέειν μεμαὼς ὀλοὸν μένος Ἡφαίστοιο· §107αἰεὶ δὲ προπάροιθεν ἑοῦ χροὸς ἠΰτε γέρρον §108νώμασκεν μακέλην· περὶ δ’ ὄμμασιν ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα §109πάπταινεν, μὴ δή μιν ἐπιφλέξει δήιον πῦρ.
But he kept retreating backward with swift feet, eager to escape the deadly wrath of Hephaestus; and always in front of his body he wielded his spade like a shield; and he kept looking this way and that with his eyes, lest the hostile fire should burn him up.
§110τῷ μὲν ἀοσσῆσαι λελιημένος, ὥς μοι ἔϊκτο, §111Ἰφικλέης μεγάθυμος ἐπ’ οὔδεϊ κάππεσ’ ὀλισθὼν §112πρὶν ἐλθεῖν, οὐδ’ ὀρθὸς ἀναστῆναι δύνατ’ αὖτις, §113ἀλλ’ ἀστεμφὲς ἔκειτο, γέρων ὡσείτ’ ἀμενηνός, §114ὅντε καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλοντα βιήσατο γῆρας ἀτερπὲς §115καππεσέειν· κεῖται δ’ ὅγ’ ἐπὶ χθονὸς ἔμπεδον αὔτως, §116εἰσόκε τις χειρός μιν ἀνειρύσσῃ παριόντων §117αἰδεσθεὶς ὄπιδα προτέρην πολιοῖο γενείου.
Eager to help him, as it seemed to me, high-souled Iphicles slipped and fell upon the ground before he could reach him, nor was he able to stand upright again, but lay helpless like a weak old man whom unpleasant old age has forced to fall against his will; and he lies on the earth just so, until some passer-by, respecting the ancient reverence of his gray beard, raises him up by the hand.
§118ὣς ἐν γῇ λελίαστο σακεσπάλος Ἰφικλείης· §119αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ κλαίεσκον ἀμηχανέοντας ὁρῶσα §120παῖδας ἐμούς, μέχρι δή μοι ἀπέσσυτο νήδυμος ὕπνος §121ὀφθαλμῶν, ἠὼς δὲ παραυτίκα φαινόλις ἦλθε.
Thus on the ground lay Iphicles, shaker of the shield; but I kept weeping, seeing my children helpless, until indeed sweet sleep fled from my eyes, and immediately the light-bringing dawn arrived.
§122τοῖα, φίλη, μοι ὄνειρα διὰ φρένας ἐπτοίησαν §123παννυχίῃ· τὰ δὲ πάντα πρὸς Εὐρυσθῆα τρέποιτο §124οἴκου ἄφ’ ἡμετέροιο, γένοιτο δὲ μάντις ἐκείνῳ §125θυμὸς ἐμός, μηδ’ ἄλλο παρὲκ τελέσειέ τι δαίμων.
Such dreams, my dear, frightened my mind all through the night; may they all be turned away from our house upon Eurystheus, and may my heart be a prophet of evil to him, and may the deity accomplish nothing otherwise.