Trachiniae (265-345)

saying that, although Heracles had inevitable shafts in his hands, he fell short of his own sons in the contest of the bow. Next he shouted that Heracles was a freeman’s slave, a broken hulk, and then at a banquet, when his guest was full of wine, he tossed him from his home. Furious at this treatment,

when afterward Iphitus came to the hill of Tiryns on the track of horses that had strayed, Heracles seized a moment when the man’s eyes were one place and his thoughts another, and hurled him from a towering summit. But in anger at that deed, the king,

the father of all, Olympian Zeus, sent him away to be sold, and did not tolerate that this once, he killed a man by guile. Had he achieved his vengeance openly, Zeus would surely have pardoned him the righteous triumph.

For the gods do not love criminal behavior either. So those men, who gloried in bitter speech, are themselves residents of Hades, all of them, and their city is enslaved. And the women whom you see, fallen from happiness to misery,

are sent here to you. For that was your husband’s command, which I, his faithful servant, perform. As for the man himself, know that he will come, once he has made pure sacrifice to Zeus of his fathers for the sacking of the city. After all the good news

that has been told, this, indeed, is the sweetest word to hear.

Now, O Queen, your joy is plainly revealed; part is with you, and of the rest you have foreknowledge.

Yes, how would I not rejoice with dutiful spirit, when I hear of my husband’s successful venture?

My rejoicing is bound to keep pace with his success. And yet a prudent mind can see room for fear, lest he who prospers should one day stumble. For a strange pity came over me, friends, at the sight of these ill-fated exiles,

homeless and fatherless in a foreign land. Though they were once the daughters perhaps of freeborn men, they now live the life of slaves. O Zeus, god who turns the tide of battle, may I never see you stalking against a child of my line on any occasion;

no, if you do some such thing, let it not be while I am still alive! So great is my fear, as I look upon these girls.

Unfortunate girl, who are you? Are you without a man, or are you a mother? To judge by your appearance, you are untried in those roles, but someone of noble birth.

Lichas, whose daughter is this stranger? Who is her mother, who the father who begot her? Speak; I pity her more than all the rest, when I look at her, inasmuch as she alone knows self-control.

Why would I know? Why would you ask me? Perhaps

she is the offspring of not the lowest family in that land.

Can she be of the ruling family? Was she a child of Eurytus?

I do not know; I did not in fact make a long investigation.

And you do not know her name from one of her fellow captives?

No, indeed. In silence I completed my task.

Unhappy girl, tell it to me, anyway, from your own mouth. It is indeed distressing to me not to know who you are.

It will not, I assure you, be at all on a par with time past if she moves her lips. She has not said a word, large or small,

but has been constantly laboring with the heavy pains of her misfortune and weeping, poor girl, since she left her windswept fatherland. Her condition is indeed bad—for her, anyway—but claims our forbearance.

Then let her be left in peace, and go beneath our roof

as it pleases her. Let her not in addition to her existing troubles take fresh grief from me; she has enough already. Now let us all go in, so that you may go speedily on your journey, while I make all things ready in the house. Exit Lichas, followed by the Captives, into the house.

Do go in, but first remain here a short while, so that you may learn, apart from these others, who they are whom you take into your home, and gain necessary knowledge of the facts which you have not heard. For of these I am in full possession.

What do you mean? Why do you stay my departure?

Stop and listen. My former report was not a waste of your time, and neither, I believe, will this one be.

Shall I call those others back again? Or do you wish to speak before me and these women?

To you and the women I can speak freely. Never mind the others.

Well, they are gone. Now let your speech signal your meaning.