§1263Perimes parentem, §1263bFacere ne possim, occidam. §1264Genitore coram? §1264bCernere hunc docui nefas. §1265Memoranda potius omnibus facta intuens §1266unius a te criminis veniam pete. §1267Veniam dabit sibi ipse, qui nulli dedit?
"You will destroy your father," "To prevent myself from being able to do so, I will die." "In your father's presence?" "I have taught him to look upon impiety." "Rather, looking upon your deeds that should be remembered by all, ask pardon of yourself for a single crime." "Will he give pardon to himself, who gave it to none?
§1268laudanda feci iussus: hoc unum meum est.
I did praiseworthy things when ordered; this one is my own.
§1269succurre, genitor; sive te pietas movet §1270seu triste fatum sive violatum decus §1271virtutis: effer arma; vincatur mea §1272fortuna dextra, §1272bSunt quidem patriae preces §1273satis efficaces, sed tamen nostro quoque §1274movere fletu, surge et adversa impetu §1275perfringe solito, nunc tuum nulli imparem §1276animum malo resume, nune magna tibi §1277virtute agendum est: Herculem irasci veta. §1278Si vivo, feci scelera; si morior, tuli.
Help, father; whether piety moves you, or sad fate, or the violated glory of valor: bring out the weapons; let my fortune be conquered by my right hand," "Indeed, a father's prayers are effective enough, but yet be moved also by our weeping; arise, and break through adversity with your usual force; now resume your spirit unequal to no evil, now you must act with great valor: forbid Hercules to be angry." "If I live, I committed crimes; if I die, I bore them.
I hasten to cleanse the earth; already for a long time an impious monster, savage and cruel and wild, wanders before me.
Come then, right hand, attempt to undertake this huge task, greater than the twelve labors.
Cowardly one, do you hesitate, you who were just now brave against boys and terrified mothers?
§1285aut omne Pindi Thracis excidam nemus §1286Bacchique lucos et Cithaeronis iuga §1287mecum cremabo, aut tota cum domibus suis §1288dominisque tecta, cum deis templa omnibus §1289Thebana supra corpus excipiam meum §1290atque urbe versa condar, et, si fortibus §1291leve pondus umeris moenia immissa incident §1292septemque opertus non satis portis premar, §1293onus omne media parte quod mundi sedet §1294dirimitque superos, in meum vertam caput. §1295Reddo arma. §295bVox est digna genitore Herculis. §1296hoc en peremptus spiculo cecidit puer— §1297Hoc Iuno telum manibus immisit tuis. §1298Hoc nunc ego utar. §1298bEcce quam miserum metu §1299cor palpitat pectusque sollicitum ferit. §1300Aptata harundo est. §1300bEcce iam facies scelus §1301volens sciensque. §1301bPande, quid fieri iubes? §1302Nihil rogamus: noster in tuto est dolor.
Unless weapons are given to me, either I will cut down all the forest of Thracian Pindus, and burn the groves of Bacchus and the ridges of Cithaeron with me, or I will pull down all the Theban dwellings upon my body, with their homes and masters, and temples with all their gods, and be buried in the overturned city; and if the fallen walls fall as a light weight upon my strong shoulders, and covered by the seven gates I am not sufficiently crushed, the whole weight which sits in the middle part of the universe and divides the gods, I will turn upon my own head." "I return the weapons." "A voice worthy of the father of Hercules." "Look, by this arrow the slain boy fell—" "Juno put this weapon into your hands." "This I will now use." "See how my wretched heart throbs with fear and strikes my anxious breast." "The arrow is fitted." "Look, now you will commit a crime willingly and knowingly." "Reveal, what do you order to be done?" "I ask nothing; my grief is safe.
§1303natum potes servare tu solus mihi, §1304eripere nec tu; maximum evasi metum: §1305miserum haut potes me facere, felicem potes.
You alone can preserve my son for me, and not even you can snatch him away; I have escaped the greatest fear: you cannot make me miserable, you can make me happy.
§1306sic statue, quicquid statuis, ut causam tuam §1307famamque in arto stare et ancipiti scias: §1308aut vivis aut occidis, hanc animam levem
Resolve thus, whatever you resolve, that you may know your cause and fame stand in a narrow and critical place: either you live or you kill me.
I hold this light breath, tired with old age and no less tired with misfortunes, at the very edge of my lips.
§1311vitam dat aliquis? non feram ulterius moram,
Does anyone grant life to his father so slowly? I will endure delay no longer; rejoice!
§1312laetare! ferro pectus impresso induam:
I will clothe my breast with the pressed sword.
Here, here shall lie the crime of a sane Hercules." "Now spare me, father, spare me; now recall your hand.
§1315succumbe, virtus, perfer imperium patris.
Yield, my valor; endure the command of my father.
Let this labor also go among the Herculean labors: let us live.
§1318Theseu, parentis, dextra contactus pios
Raise my father's afflicted limbs from the ground, Theseus.
§1319scelerata refugit, §1319bHanc manum amplector libens, §1320hac nisus »ibo, pectori hanc aegro admovens §1321pellam dolores, §1321bQuem locum profugus petam?
My defiled right hand shrinks from the pious touch of my parent," "This hand I embrace willingly; leaning on this I will go; applying this to my sick breast, I will drive away my sorrows," "What place shall I seek as a fugitive?
§1322ubi me recondam quave tellure obruar?
Where shall I hide myself, or in what land shall I be buried?
§1323quis Tanais aut quis Nilus aut quis Persica §1324violentus unda Tigris aut Rhenus ferox §1325Tagusve Hibera turbidus gaza fluens
What Tanais, or what Nile, or what Tigris violent with Persian wave, or fierce Rhine, or Tagus turbid flowing with Iberian treasure, will be able to wash this right hand?
§1326abluere dextram poterit? Arctoum licet §1327Maeotis in me gelida transfundat mare §1328et tota Tethys per meas currat manus,
Though icy Maeotis should pour the northern sea over me, and the whole of Tethys should flow through my hands, the deep crime will stick.
§1329haerebit altum facinus, in quas impius
To what lands will you withdraw, impious one?
§1330terras recedes? ortum an occasum petes?
Will you seek the rise or the setting?
§1331ubique notus perdidi exilio locum.
Known everywhere, I have lost a place for exile.
§1332me refugit orbis, astra transversos agunt §1333obliqua cursus, ipse Titan Cerberum §1334meliore vultu vidit, o fidum caput,
The world shrinks from me, the stars guide their courses crosswise and oblique; Titan himself saw Cerberus with a better countenance.
§1335Theseu, latebram quaere longinquam abditam; §1336quoniamque semper sceleris alieni arbiter §1337amas nocentes, gratiam meritis refer §1338vicemque nostris: redde me infernis precor §1339umbris reductum, meque subiectum tuis §1340constitue vinclis: ille me abscondet locus.
O faithful friend, Theseus, seek a far-off, hidden retreat; and since, as a judge of another's crime, you always love the guilty, return gratitude for my services and a return for ours: restore me, I pray, returned to the shades of the underworld, and place me subjected to your chains: that place will hide me.
But even that place knows me." "Our land awaits you.