§1800laresque miseros? Argos Eurystheus tenet; §1801marita Thebas regna et Ismenon petam §1802thalamosque nostros, in quibus quondam Iovem §1803dilecta vidi? pro nimis felix, nimis,
And my wretched home? Eurystheus holds Argos; shall I seek the married realms of Thebes, and Ismenos, and our bridal chamber, in which once, beloved, I saw Jupiter?
§1804si fulminantem et ipsa sensissem Iovem!
Oh, too, too happy, if I myself had also felt Jupiter as he hurled his lightnings!
§1805utinam meis visceribus Alcides foret §1806exectus infans! nunc datum est tempus: datum est §1807videre natum laude certantem Iovi, §1808ut et hoc daretur, scire quid fatum mihi
Would that Alcides had been cut out as an infant from my womb! Now the time is given: it is given to see my son contending in praise with Jupiter, so that this also might be granted, to know what fate could snatch away from me.
§1809eripere posset, quis memor vivit tui,
What people, O son, lives mindful of you?
§1810o nate, populus? omne iam ingratum est genus.
Now the entire race is ungrateful.
§1811petam Cleonas? Arcadum populos petam
Shall I seek Cleonae? Shall I seek the peoples of Arcadia?
§1812mentisque terras nobiles quaeram tuis?
Shall I look for the lands made noble by your deeds?
§1813hic dira serpens cecidit, hic ales fera, §1814hic rex cruentus, hic tua fractus manu §1815qui te sepulto possidet caelum leo: §1816si grata terra est, populus Alcmenen tuam §1817defendat omnis.
Here the dread serpent fell, here the wild bird, here the bloody king, here, crushed by your hand, the lion who, now you are buried, possesses the heavens: if the land is grateful, let all the people defend your Alcmene.
Thracias gentes petam §1818Hebrique populos? haec quoque est meritis tuis §1819defensa tellus: stabula cum regno iacent.
Shall I seek the Thracian nations and the peoples of Hebrus? This land also, by your merits, is a defended earth: the stables lie fallen along with the kingdom.
§1820hic pax cruento rege prostrato data est: §1821ubi enim negata est? quod tibi infelix anus §1822quaeram sepulchrum? de tuis totus rogis §1823contendat orbis, reliquias magni Herculis §1824quis populus aut quae templa, quae gentes rogant?
Here peace was given when the bloody king was overthrown: for where was it denied? What tomb, unhappy old woman, shall I seek for you? Let the whole world contend about your pyre: what people, or what temples, what nations ask for the remains of great Hercules?
§1825quis, quis petit, quis poscit Alcmenes onus?
Who, who seeks, who demands the burden of Alcmene?
§1826quae tibi sepulchra, nate, quis tumulus sat est?
What sepulchres, O son, what mound is enough for you?
§1827hic totus orbis famae erit titulus tibi.
This whole world will be the inscription of your fame.
§1828quid, anime, trepidas? Herculis cineres tenes; §1829complectere ossa: reliquiae auxilium dabunt, §1830erunt satis praesidia, terrebunt tuae §1831reges vel umbrae.
Why, my soul, do you tremble? You hold the ashes of Hercules; embrace his bones: his remains will give aid, they will be sufficient defense, even your shade will terrify kings.
§1831bDebitos nato quidem §1832compesce fletus, mater Alcidae induti, §1833non est gemendus nec gravi urgendus prece, §1834virtute quisquis abstulit fatis iter: §1835aeterna virtus Herculem fieri vetat.
Indeed, restrain the tears due to your son, mother of Alcides; he is not to be lamented, nor urged with heavy prayer, whoever by virtue has snatched away his path from the fates: eternal virtue forbids Hercules to die.
§1837Sedabo questus vindice amisso parens?
Shall I, his mother, silence my complaints when my protector is lost?
The earth and the sea, and wherever the purple day beholds the Ocean on either side with its bright wheel (lament him).
§1840Quot "misera in uno condidi natos parens?
How many sons have I, a wretched mother, buried in one?
§1841regno carebam, regna sed poteram dare.
I lacked a kingdom, but I was able to give kingdoms.
§1842una inter omnes terra quas matres gerit §1843votis peperci, nil ego a superis peti §1844incolume nato: quid dare Herculeus mihi
Alone among all the mothers whom the earth bears, I spared my prayers; I asked nothing from the gods above while my son was safe: what was the ardor of Hercules unable to give me?
§1845non poterat ardor? quis deus quicquam mihi
What god was able to deny anything to me?
My prayers were in this hand: whatever Jupiter denied, Hercules would grant.
§1848quid tale genetrix ulla mortalis tulit?
What mortal mother ever bore such things?
§1849deriguit aliqua mater, ut toto stetit §1850succisa fetu, bisque septenos gregem §1851deplanxit una: gregibus aequari meus §1852quot ille poterat? matribus miseris adhuc §1853exemplar ingens derat: Alcmene dabo.
Some mother turned to stone, when she stood cut down with her entire offspring, and twice seven, a flock, she alone lamented: to how many flocks could my son be equated? To wretched mothers, hitherto, a great exemplar was lacking: I, Alcmene, will give it.
§1854cessate, matres, pertinax si quas dolor §1855adhuc iubet lugere, quas luctus gravis §1856in saxa vertit; cedite his cunctae malis.
Cease, O mothers, if any persistent grief still commands you to mourn, whom heavy sorrow has turned to stone; yield all of you to these ills.
Come now, my aged breast, O wretched hands, strike!
§1859grandaeva anus defecta, quod totus brevi §1860† iam quaeret orbis? expedi in planctus tamen §1861defessa quamquam bracchia: invidiam ut deis §1862lugendo facias, advoca in planctus genus.
But is one aged woman, worn out, sufficient for so great a funeral, which soon the whole world †will now seek?† Yet prepare, though tired, your arms for beating: so that you may make the gods jealous by your mourning, call the whole human race to the lamentation.
§1863Ite Alcmenae §1864magnique Iovis plangite natum, §1865cui concepto lux una perit §1866noctesque duas contulit Eos: §1867ipsa quiddam plus luce perit,
Go, bewail the son of Alcmene and of great Jupiter, for whose conception one day perished and Dawn joined two nights together: something greater than light itself has perished.
§1868totae pariter plangite gentes, §1869quarum saevos ille tyrannos §1870iussit Stygias penetrare domos §1871populisque madens ponere ferrum.
Mourn together, all nations, whose cruel tyrants he ordered to enter the Stygian homes, and bad the peoples lay down the blood-stained sword.
§1872fletum meritis reddite tantis, §1873totus, totus personet orbis: §1874fleat Alciden caerula Crete, §1875magno tellus cara Tonanti: §1876centum populi bracchia pulsent; §1877nunc Curetes, nunc Corybantes §1878arma Idaea quassate manu: §1879armis illum lugere decet; §1880nunc, nunc funus plangite verum: §1881iacet Alcides §1882non minor ipso, Creta, Tonante.
Render tears to such great merits, let the whole, the whole world resound: let blue Crete mourn Alcides, the land dear to the great Thunderer: let her hundred peoples strike their arms; now Curetes, now Corybantes, clash the Idaean weapons with your hand: it is fitting to mourn him with arms; now, now mourn the true funeral: Alcides lies low, no less, Crete, than the Thunderer himself.
§1883flete Herculeos, Arcades, obitus, §1884nondum Phoebe nascente genus: §1885iuga Parthenii Pheneique sonent §1886feriatque gravis Maenala planctus §1887magno Alcidae poscit gemitum §1888stratus vestris saetiger agris §1889alesque sequi iussa sagittas §1890totum pinna velante diem.
Mourn the death of Hercules, Arcadians, a race born before the moon was created: let the ridges of Parthenius and Pheneus resound, and let heavy Maenala strike the lament; for great Alcides demands a groan from the bristly boar stretched out in your fields, and the birds ordered to follow the arrows with their feathers veiling the whole day.