Scaife ATLAS

Hecuba (135-175)

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg007.perseus-eng2:135-175

Refs	`{'start': {'reference': '135', 'human_reference': 'Line 135'}, 'end': {'reference': '175', 'human_reference': 'Line 175'}}`
Ancestors	`[]`
Children	`[]`

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for want of a servant-maid’s sacrifice, nor have it said by any of the dead that stand beside Persephone that the Danaids have left the plains of Troy without gratitude

for their companions who died for Hellas. Odysseus will be here in an instant, to drag the tender maiden from your breast and tear her from your aged arms. Go to the temples, go to the altars,

at Agamemnon’s knees sit as a suppliant! Invoke the gods, both those in heaven and those beneath the earth. For either your prayers will avail to spare you the loss of your unhappy child,

or you must see your daughter fall before the tomb, her crimson blood spurting in deep dark jets from her neck encircled with gold.

154

Hecuba

Woe, woe is me! What words,

or cries, or lamentations can I utter? Ah me! for the sorrows of my closing years! for slavery too cruel to endure, to bear! Woe, woe is me! What champion do I have? Family,

and city—where are they? Aged Priam is no more; no more my children now. Which way am I to go, either this or that? Where shall I turn my steps? Where is any god or divine power to come to my aid?

Ah, Trojan maids! bringers of evil tidings! Messengers of woe! you have made an end, an utter end of me; life on earth has no more charm for me. Oh! luckless steps, lead on,

guide your aged mistress here to the tent. My child, daughter of a most wretched woman, come forth; listen to your mother’s voice.

so that you may know the hideous rumor I now hear about your life, my child.

Tokens

for	1	w	3
want	1	w	7
of	1	w	9
a	2	w	10
servant-maid	1	w	22
s	2	w	24
sacrifice	1	w	33
nor	1	w	37
have	1	w	41
it	1	w	43
said	1	w	47
by	1	w	49
any	1	w	52
of	2	w	54
the	1	w	57
dead	1	w	61
that	1	w	65
stand	1	w	70
beside	1	w	76
Persephone	1	w	86
that	2	w	90
the	2	w	93
Danaids	1	w	100
have	2	w	104
left	1	w	108
the	3	w	111
plains	1	w	117
of	3	w	119
Troy	1	w	123
without	1	w	130
gratitude	1	w	139
for	2	w	142
their	1	w	147
companions	1	w	157
who	1	w	160
died	1	w	164
for	3	w	167
Hellas	1	w	173
Odysseus	1	w	182
will	1	w	186
be	2	w	188
here	1	w	192
in	2	w	194
an	7	w	196
instant	1	w	203
to	1	w	206
drag	1	w	210
the	5	w	213
tender	1	w	219
maiden	1	w	225
from	1	w	229
your	1	w	233
breast	1	w	239
and	2	w	242
tear	1	w	246
her	2	w	249
from	2	w	253
your	2	w	257
aged	1	w	261
arms	1	w	265
Go	1	w	268
to	2	w	270
the	6	w	273
temples	1	w	280
go	1	w	283
to	3	w	285
the	7	w	288
altars	1	w	294
at	4	w	297
Agamemnon	1	w	306
s	20	w	308
knees	1	w	313
sit	1	w	316
as	3	w	318
a	34	w	319
suppliant	1	w	328
Invoke	1	w	335
the	8	w	338
gods	1	w	342
both	1	w	347
those	1	w	352
in	4	w	354
heaven	1	w	360
and	3	w	363
those	2	w	368
beneath	1	w	375
the	9	w	378
earth	1	w	383
For	1	w	387
either	1	w	393
your	3	w	397
prayers	1	w	404
will	2	w	408
avail	1	w	413
to	4	w	415
spare	1	w	420
you	4	w	423
the	11	w	426
loss	1	w	430
of	4	w	432
your	4	w	436
unhappy	1	w	443
child	1	w	448
or	6	w	451
you	6	w	454
must	1	w	458
see	1	w	461
your	5	w	465
daughter	1	w	473
fall	1	w	477
before	1	w	483
the	12	w	486
tomb	1	w	490
her	4	w	494
crimson	1	w	501
blood	1	w	506
spurting	1	w	514
in	6	w	516
deep	1	w	520
dark	1	w	524
jets	1	w	528
from	3	w	532
her	5	w	535
neck	1	w	539
encircled	1	w	548
with	2	w	552
gold	1	w	556
Hecuba	1	w	563
Woe	1	w	566
woe	1	w	570
is	1	w	572
me	2	w	574
What	1	w	579
words	1	w	584
or	9	w	587
cries	1	w	592
or	10	w	595
lamentations	1	w	607
can	1	w	610
I	2	w	611
utter	1	w	616
Ah	1	w	619
me	4	w	621
for	5	w	625
the	13	w	628
sorrows	1	w	635
of	5	w	637
my	1	w	639
closing	1	w	646
years	1	w	651
for	6	w	655
slavery	1	w	662
too	1	w	665
cruel	1	w	670
to	7	w	672
endure	1	w	678
to	8	w	681
bear	1	w	685
Woe	2	w	689
woe	2	w	693
is	2	w	695
me	5	w	697
What	2	w	702
champion	1	w	710
do	1	w	712
I	3	w	713
have	3	w	717
Family	1	w	724
and	4	w	728
city	1	w	732
where	1	w	738
are	2	w	741
they	1	w	745
Aged	1	w	750
Priam	1	w	755
is	3	w	757
no	3	w	759
more	1	w	763
no	4	w	766
more	2	w	770
my	2	w	772
children	1	w	780
now	1	w	783
Which	1	w	789
way	1	w	792
am	6	w	794
I	4	w	795
to	9	w	797
go	4	w	799
either	2	w	806
this	1	w	810
or	16	w	812
that	3	w	816
Where	1	w	822
shall	1	w	827
I	5	w	828
turn	1	w	832
my	3	w	834
steps	1	w	839
Where	2	w	845
is	5	w	847
any	2	w	850
god	2	w	853
or	17	w	855
divine	1	w	861
power	1	w	866
to	10	w	868
come	1	w	872
to	11	w	874
my	4	w	876
aid	5	w	879
Ah	2	w	882
Trojan	1	w	889
maids	1	w	894
bringers	1	w	903
of	6	w	905
evil	1	w	909
tidings	1	w	916
Messengers	1	w	927
of	7	w	929
woe	3	w	932
you	8	w	936
have	4	w	940
made	1	w	944
an	16	w	946
end	3	w	949
an	17	w	952
utter	2	w	957
end	4	w	960
of	8	w	962
me	7	w	964
life	1	w	969
on	7	w	971
earth	2	w	976
has	1	w	979
no	6	w	981
more	3	w	985
charm	1	w	990
for	7	w	993
me	8	w	995
Oh	1	w	998
luckless	1	w	1007
steps	2	w	1012
lead	1	w	1017
on	8	w	1019
guide	1	w	1025
your	6	w	1029
aged	2	w	1033
mistress	1	w	1041
here	5	w	1045
to	12	w	1047
the	16	w	1050
tent	1	w	1054
My	1	w	1057
child	3	w	1062
daughter	2	w	1071
of	9	w	1073
a	81	w	1074
most	1	w	1078
wretched	1	w	1086
woman	1	w	1091
come	2	w	1096
forth	1	w	1101
listen	1	w	1108
to	13	w	1110
your	7	w	1114
mother	1	w	1120
s	69	w	1122
voice	1	w	1127
so	3	w	1130
that	4	w	1134
you	11	w	1137
may	1	w	1140
know	1	w	1144
the	18	w	1147
hideous	1	w	1154
rumor	1	w	1159
I	6	w	1160
now	3	w	1163
hear	1	w	1167
about	1	w	1172
your	8	w	1176
life	2	w	1180
my	5	w	1183
child	4	w	1188