§466habituque talis, sic tulit fortes manus, §467Sic celsus umeris, fronte sic torva minax §468cervice fusam dissipans iacta comam— §469o nate sero Phrygibus, o matri cito, §470eritne tempus illud ac felix dies §471quo Troici defensor et vindex soli §472recidiva ponas Pergama et sparsos fuga §473cives reducas, nomen et patriae suum §474Phrygibusque reddas? sed mei fati memor
and such in his clothing, so he carried his brave hands, so high in his shoulders, so threatening with grim brow, shaking out and tossing his hair scattered on his neck— o son, born too late for the Phrygians, too soon for your mother, will that time and happy day ever come when you, defender of the Trojan soil and its avenger, will rebuild Pergama and bring back the citizens scattered in flight, and restore its own name to the country and to the Phrygians?
§475tam magna timeo vota— quod captis sat est, §476vivamus, heu me, quis locus fidus meo §477erit timori quave te sede occulam?
But mindful of my fate, I fear such great vows—what is enough for captives, let us live. Ah me, what safe place will there be for my fear, or in what seat shall I hide you?
§478arx illa pollens opibus et muris deum, §479gentes per omnes clara et invidiae gravis, §480nunc pulvis altus, strata sunt flamma omnia §481superestque vasta ex urbe ne tantum quidem, §482quo lateat infans, quem locum fraudi legam,1?
That citadel, powerful in resources and the walls of the gods, famous through all nations and heavy with envy, now is deep dust, and everything is laid low by flame; nor indeed does so much remain of the vast city in which an infant may hide. What place shall I choose for my deceit?
§483est tumulus ingens coniugis cari sacer, §484verendus hosti, mole quem immensa parens §485opibusque magnis struxit, in luctus suos §486rex non avarus: optime credam patri,
There is the sacred, huge tomb of my dear husband, revered by the enemy, which with immense mass and great resources his father built for his own griefs, a king not miserly: I will best trust his father.
A cold sweat falls through all my limbs; I tremble, wretched, at the omen of the deadly place.
§497Miser occupet praesidia, securus legat.
OLD MAN: Let the wretched seize defenses, let the secure choose.
§496Quid quod latere sine metu magno nequit?
ANDROMACHE: What of the fact that he cannot hide without great fear?
§492Ne prodat aliquis, amove testes doli.
OLD MAN: Lest anyone betray him, remove the witnesses of the deceit.
, §493Si quaeret hostis?
OLD MAN: What if the enemy searches?
§493bVrbe in eversa perit.
ANDROMACHE: He perished in the ruined city.
OLD MAN: This single reason has kept many from destruction: to be believed to have perished.
ANDROMACHE: Scarcely any hope is left: OLD MAN: What will it benefit to have hidden, if he is to return to their hands?
§495Victor feroces impetus primos habet.
ANDROMACHE: The victor has his first fierce impulses.
§491Grave pondus illum magna nobilitas premit;
OLD MAN: Great nobility presses him with a heavy weight.
ANDROMACHE: What place, what secluded, pathless region will restore you in safety? Who will bring aid to us in our trembling?
§500quis proteget? qui semper, etiam nunc tuos, §501Hector, tuere: coniugis furtum piae §502serva et fideli cinere victurum excipe,
Who will protect you? Hector, you who always did, even now protect your own: guard the hidden treasure of your faithful wife, and receive him into your faithful ashes to live.
§503succede tumulo, nate— quid retro fugis?
Enter the tomb, my son—why do you shrink back?
§504turpisne latebras spernis? agnosco indolem:
Do you despise a base hiding place?
I recognize your nature: you are ashamed to fear; do not lose your great pride and former courage in flight. Accept what fortune has given.
Look, see what a crowd we are who are left: a tomb, a boy, a captive woman: we must yield to misfortunes.
§509sanctas parentis conditi sedes age §510aude subire, fata si miseros iuvant, §511habes salutem; fata si vitam negant, §512habes sepulchrum.
Come, dare to enter the sacred dwelling of your buried parent; if the fates help the wretched, you have safety; if the fates deny life, you have a tomb.
§512bClaustra commissum tegunt; §513quem ne tuus producat in medium timor, §514procul hinc recede teque diversam amove.
OLD MAN: The barriers cover what has been committed to them; lest your fear bring him into the open, retire far from here and move yourself away.
ANDROMACHE: He who fears from closer at hand is wont to fear more lightly; but, if it pleases, let us turn our steps elsewhere from here.
OLD MAN: Restrain your voice for a moment and suppress your laments: the leader of the Cephallenians brings his wicked steps.
§519Dehisce tellus tuque, coniunx, ultimo §520specu revulsam scinde tellurem et Stygis §521sinu profundo conde depositum meum.
ANDROMACHE: Gape open, earth! and you, husband, from the deepest cave, tear open the rent earth and hide my charge in the deep bosom of Styx.
Ulysses is here, and indeed with hesitating step and countenance: he weaves crafts in his cunning heart.
§524Durae minister sortis hoc primum peto. §525ut, ore quamvis verba dicantur meo, §526non esse credas nostra: Graiorum omnium §527procerumque vox est, petere quos seras domos §528Hectorea suboles prohibet: hanc fata expetunt.
ULYSSES: As the minister of a harsh lot, I first ask this, that, although words are spoken by my mouth, you do not believe them to be mine: it is the voice of all the Greeks and of the chiefs, whom the offspring of Hector forbids to seek their late homes: the fates demand him.
§529sollicita Danaos pacis incertae fides §530semper tenebit, semper a tergo timor §531respicere coget arma nec poni sinet, §532dum Phrygibus animos natus eversis dabit, §533Andromacha, † vester, augur haec Calchas canit; §534et, si taceret augur haec Calchas, tamen §535dicebat Hector, cuius et stirpem horreo.
An anxious trust in an uncertain peace will always hold the Danai, and always a fear at their back will force them to look back at their arms and won't let them be laid down, as long as his son shall give spirit to the overthrown Phrygians, Andromache; the augur Calchas sings these things; and, even if the augur Calchas were silent, still Hector was saying them, of whose offspring also I am terrified.
§536generosa in ortus semina exsurgunt suos: §537sic ille magni parvus armenti comes §538primisque nondum cornibus findens cutem §539cervice subito celsus et fronte arduus §540gregem paternum ducit ac pecori imperat; §541quae tenera caeso virga de trunco stetit, §542par ipsa matri tempore exiguo subit §543umbrasque terris reddit et caelo nemus; §544sic male relictus igne de magno cinis §545vires resumit.
Noble seeds rise up to their own origins: thus that small companion of a great herd, not yet breaking the skin with his first horns, suddenly high in his neck and lofty in his brow leads his father's flock and rules the cattle; a tender twig which has stood from a cut trunk, in a short time rises equal to its mother and gives back shade to the lands and a grove to the sky; thus the ash poorly left from a great fire resumes its strength.
est quidem iniustus dolor §546rerum aestimator: si tamen tecum exigas, §547veniam dabis, quod bella post hiemes decem §548totidemque messes iam senex miles timet §549aliasque clades rursus ac numquam bene
Indeed, grief is an unjust estimator of things: yet if you consider with yourself, you will forgive that after ten winters and as many harvests, the now-aged soldier fears other wars again, and never-ending destructions.