3. Euripides, Hecuba, 466-470, 792, 798-801, 805, 807-808, 824-830, 836-845, 850-853, 870-875, 902-904, 1118-1119 (5th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: • Agamemnon, presiding over case of Hecuba • Aphrodite, dialogue between Hecuba and Andromache in Troades not mentioning • Euripides, Hecuba • Euripides, Hecubas rhetoric in • Hecuba • Hecuba (Euripides) • retaliation, of Hecuba • revenge, of Hecuba • sacrifice, of Polyxena, in Hecuba
Found in books: Braund and Most (2004), Ancient Anger: Perspectives from Homer to Galen, 142; Hesk (2000), Deception and Democracy in Classical Athens, 283; Johnson (2008), Ovid before Exile: Art and Punishment in the Metamorphoses, 90; Liatsi (2021), Ethics in Ancient Greek Literature: Aspects of Ethical Reasoning from Homer to Aristotle and Beyond, 132, 133, 134; Pucci (2016), Euripides' Revolution Under Cover: An Essay, 75, 78; Steiner (2001), Images in Mind: Statues in Archaic and Classical Greek Literature and Thought, 51, 52, 53
sup> 466 ἢ Παλλάδος ἐν πόλει 467 τὰς καλλιδίφρους ̓Αθα- 468 ναίας ἐν κροκέῳ πέπλῳ 469 ζεύξομαι ἆρα πώλους ἐν' "470 δαιδαλέαισι ποικίλλους'" 792 δείσας δέδρακεν ἔργον ἀνοσιώτατον, 798 ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν δοῦλοί τε κἀσθενεῖς ἴσως:' "799 ἀλλ' οἱ θεοὶ σθένουσι χὡ κείνων κρατῶν" '800 Νόμος: νόμῳ γὰρ τοὺς θεοὺς ἡγούμεθα' "801 καὶ ζῶμεν ἄδικα καὶ δίκαι' ὡρισμένοι:" 805 οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἴσον.' " 807 οἴκτιρον ἡμᾶς, ὡς †γραφεύς† τ' ἀποσταθεὶς" "808 ἰδοῦ με κἀνάθρησον οἷ' ἔχω κακά." 824 καὶ μήν — ἴσως μὲν τοῦ λόγου κενὸν τόδε,' "825 Κύπριν προβάλλειν: ἀλλ' ὅμως εἰρήσεται:" '826 πρὸς σοῖσι πλευροῖς παῖς ἐμὴ κοιμίζεται 827 ἡ φοιβάς, ἣν καλοῦσι Κασάνδραν Φρύγες.' "828 ποῦ τὰς φίλας δῆτ' εὐφρόνας δείξεις, ἄναξ," '829 ἢ τῶν ἐν εὐνῇ φιλτάτων ἀσπασμάτων' "830 χάριν τίν' ἕξει παῖς ἐμή, κείνης δ' ἐγώ;" 836 εἴ μοι γένοιτο φθόγγος ἐν βραχίοσι 837 καὶ χερσὶ καὶ κόμαισι καὶ ποδῶν βάσει 838 ἢ Δαιδάλου τέχναισιν ἢ θεῶν τινος,' "839 ὡς πάνθ' ὁμαρτῇ σῶν ἔχοιντο γουνάτων" "840 κλαίοντ', ἐπισκήπτοντα παντοίους λόγους." "841 ὦ δέσποτ', ὦ μέγιστον ̔́Ελλησιν φάος," '842 πιθοῦ, παράσχες χεῖρα τῇ πρεσβύτιδι' "843 τιμωρόν, εἰ καὶ μηδέν ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ὅμως." "844 ἐσθλοῦ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς τῇ δίκῃ θ' ὑπηρετεῖν" '845 καὶ τοὺς κακοὺς δρᾶν πανταχοῦ κακῶς ἀεί. 850 ἐγὼ σὲ καὶ σὸν παῖδα καὶ τύχας σέθεν,' "851 ̔Εκάβη, δι' οἴκτου χεῖρά θ' ἱκεσίαν ἔχω," "852 καὶ βούλομαι θεῶν θ' οὕνεκ' ἀνόσιον ξένον" '853 καὶ τοῦ δικαίου τήνδε σοι δοῦναι δίκην, 870 σύνισθι μὲν γάρ, ἤν τι βουλεύσω κακὸν' "871 τῷ τόνδ' ἀποκτείναντι, συνδράσῃς δὲ μή." "872 ἢν δ' ἐξ ̓Αχαιῶν θόρυβος ἢ 'πικουρία" '873 πάσχοντος ἀνδρὸς Θρῃκὸς οἷα πείσεται 874 φανῇ τις, εἶργε μὴ δοκῶν ἐμὴν χάριν.' "875 τὰ δ' ἄλλα — θάρσει — πάντ' ἐγὼ θήσω καλῶς." " 902 γένοιτο δ' εὖ πως: πᾶσι γὰρ κοινὸν τόδε," "903 ἰδίᾳ θ' ἑκάστῳ καὶ πόλει, τὸν μὲν κακὸν" '904 κακόν τι πάσχειν, τὸν δὲ χρηστὸν εὐτυχεῖν.' " 1118 τίς ὄμμ' ἔθηκε τυφλὸν αἱμάξας κόρας,"1119 παῖδάς τε τούσδ' ἔκτεινεν; ἦ μέγαν χόλον" '" None | sup> 466 Or in the city of Pallas, the home of Athena of the lovely chariot, shall I then upon her saffron robe yoke horses, 470 embroidering them on my web in brilliant varied shades, or the race of Titans, put to sleep by Zeus the son of Cronos with bolt of flashing flame? Choru 792 this most godless host, fearless alike of gods in heaven or hell, who has done a most unholy deed; who, though often he had shared my board and been counted first of all my guest-friend 798 I may be a slave and weak as well, but the gods are strong, and Custom too which prevails over them, 800 for by custom it is that we believe in them and set up boundaries of right and wrong for our lives. Now if this principle, when referred to you, is to be set at nothing, and they are to escape punishment who murder guests or dare to plunder the temples of gods, 805 then all fairness in human matters is at an end. Consider this then a disgrace and show regard for me, have pity on me, and, like an artist standing back from his picture, look on me and closely scan my piteous state. I was once a queen, but now I am your slave; 824 How shall anyone hereafter hope for prosperity? All those my sons are gone from me, and she, my daughter, is a slave and suffers shame. I am lost; I see the smoke leaping over my city. Further—though this is perhaps idly urged, 825 to plead your love, still I will put the case—at your side lies my daughter, Cassandra, the inspired maiden, as the Phrygians call her. How then, king, will you acknowledge those nights of rapture, or what return shall my daughter or I her mother have 830 for the love she has lavished on her lord? For from darkness and the endearments of the night mortals have their keenest joys. Listen, then; do you see this corpse? By doing him a service, you will do it to a kinsman of your bride’s. 836 I have only one thing yet to urge. Oh! would I had a voice in arms, in hands, in hair and feet, placed there by the arts of Daedalus or some god, that all together they might with tears embrace your knees, 840 bringing a thousand pleas to bear on you! O my lord and master, most glorious light of Hellas , listen, stretch forth a helping hand to this aged woman, for all she is a thing of nothing; still do so. For it is always a good man’s duty to help the right, 845 and to punish evil-doers wherever found. Chorus Leader 850 Hecuba, I feel compassion for you and your son and your ill-fortune, as well as for your suppliant gesture, and I would gladly see that impious host pay you this forfeit for the sake of heaven and justice, if I could only find some way to help you 870 Thus: be aware of my plot if I devise mischief against this murderer, but refrain from any share in it. And if any uproar or attempt at rescue breaks out among the Achaeans, when the Thracian is suffering his doom, check it without seeming to do so on my account. 875 For what remains—take heart—I will arrange everything well. Agamemnon 902 but as it is, for the god sends forth no favoring breeze, the army must wait and look for a calm voyage. Good luck to you, for this is the interest alike of individual and state, that the wrong-doer be punished and the good man prosper. Agamemnon departs as Hecuba withdraws into the tent. Choru 1118 What! hapless Polymestor, who has stricken you? who has blinded your eyes, staining the pupils with blood? who has slain these children? whoever he was, fierce must have been his wrath against you and your children. Polymestor'1119 What! hapless Polymestor, who has stricken you? who has blinded your eyes, staining the pupils with blood? who has slain these children? whoever he was, fierce must have been his wrath against you and your children. Polymestor ' None |
|
5. Euripides, Trojan Women, 105-110, 348-352, 361-364, 427-437, 441, 914-966, 969-1032, 1242-1245, 1322-1324 (5th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: • Hecuba • Troades debate between Hecuba and Helen • Troades destruction of city, response of Hecuba and Chorus to • Trojan Women (Euripides), Hecubas anticipation of fame • anthropomorphism, debate between Helen and Hecuba in Troades and • characters, tragic/mythical, Hecuba • eros, debate between Hecuba and Helen in Troades on • prophecies of Cassandra, on Hecuba • sacrifice, of Polyxena, in Hecuba • sophia, wisdom in debate between Helen and Hecuba in Troades
Found in books: Fabre-Serris et al. (2021), Identities, Ethnicities and Gender in Antiquity, 158; Liapis and Petrides (2019), Greek Tragedy After the Fifth Century: A Survey from ca, 115; Maciver (2012), Quintus Smyrnaeus' Posthomerica: Engaging Homer in Late Antiquity, 170; Pillinger (2019), Cassandra and the Poetics of Prophecy in Greek and Latin Literature, 78, 79, 89, 92, 103, 105, 106, 236; Pucci (2016), Euripides' Revolution Under Cover: An Essay, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 47, 48, 49, 78, 79, 198; de Bakker, van den Berg, and Klooster (2022), Emotions and Narrative in Ancient Literature and Beyond, 218, 331, 333
sup>108 ὦ πολὺς ὄγκος συστελλόμενος' " 348 γάμους γαμεῖσθαι τούσδ' ἐδόξαζόν ποτε." '349 παράδος ἐμοὶ φῶς: οὐ γὰρ ὀρθὰ πυρφορεῖς' "350 μαινὰς θοάζους', οὐδέ ς' αἱ τύχαι, τέκνον," "350 † ἐσωφρονήκας' †, ἀλλ' ἔτ' ἐν ταὐτῷ μένεις." "351 ἐσφέρετε πεύκας, δάκρυά τ' ἀνταλλάξατε" '352 τοῖς τῆσδε μέλεσι, Τρῳάδες, γαμηλίοις.' " 361 ἀλλ' ἄττ' ἐάσω: πέλεκυν οὐχ ὑμνήσομεν," '362 ὃς ἐς τράχηλον τὸν ἐμὸν εἶσι χἁτέρων:' "363 μητροκτόνους τ' ἀγῶνας, οὓς οὑμοὶ γάμοι" "364 θήσουσιν, οἴκων τ' ̓Ατρέως ἀνάστασιν." " 427 σὺ τὴν ἐμὴν φῂς μητέρ' εἰς ̓Οδυσσέως" "428 ἥξειν μέλαθρα; ποῦ δ' ̓Απόλλωνος λόγοι," "429 οἵ φασιν αὐτὴν εἰς ἔμ' ἡρμηνευμένοι" "430 αὐτοῦ θανεῖσθαι; τἄλλα δ' οὐκ ὀνειδιῶ." "431 δύστηνος, οὐκ οἶδ' οἷά νιν μένει παθεῖν:" '432 ὡς χρυσὸς αὐτῷ τἀμὰ καὶ Φρυγῶν κακὰ' "433 δόξει ποτ' εἶναι. δέκα γὰρ ἐκπλήσας ἔτη" "434 πρὸς τοῖσιν ἐνθάδ', ἵξεται μόνος πάτραν" '435 οὗ δὴ στενὸν δίαυλον ᾤκισται πέτρας' "436 δεινὴ Χάρυβδις, ὠμοβρώς τ' ὀρειβάτης" "437 Κύκλωψ, Λιγυστίς θ' ἡ συῶν μορφώτρια" 441 πικρὰν ̓Οδυσσεῖ γῆρυν. ὡς δὲ συντέμω, 914 ἴσως με, κἂν εὖ κἂν κακῶς δόξω λέγειν, 915 οὐκ ἀνταμείψῃ πολεμίαν ἡγούμενος. 919 πρῶτον μὲν ἀρχὰς ἔτεκεν ἥδε τῶν κακῶν,' "920 Πάριν τεκοῦσα: δεύτερον δ' ἀπώλεσε" "921 Τροίαν τε κἄμ' ὁ πρέσβυς οὐ κτανὼν βρέφος," "922 δαλοῦ πικρὸν μίμημ', ̓Αλέξανδρόν ποτε." '924 ἔκρινε τρισσὸν ζεῦγος ὅδε τριῶν θεῶν: 925 καὶ Παλλάδος μὲν ἦν ̓Αλεξάνδρῳ δόσις' "926 Φρυξὶ στρατηγοῦνθ' ̔Ελλάδ' ἐξανιστάναι," "927 ̔́Ηρα δ' ὑπέσχετ' ̓Ασιάδ' Εὐρώπης θ' ὅρους" "928 τυραννίδ' ἕξειν, εἴ σφε κρίνειεν Πάρις:" '929 Κύπρις δὲ τοὐμὸν εἶδος ἐκπαγλουμένη' "930 δώσειν ὑπέσχετ', εἰ θεὰς ὑπερδράμοι" "931 κάλλει. τὸν ἔνθεν δ' ὡς ἔχει σκέψαι λόγον:" "932 νικᾷ Κύπρις θεάς, καὶ τοσόνδ' οὑμοὶ γάμοι" "933 ὤνησαν ̔Ελλάδ': οὐ κρατεῖσθ' ἐκ βαρβάρων," "934 οὔτ' ἐς δόρυ σταθέντες, οὐ τυραννίδι." "935 ἃ δ' εὐτύχησεν ̔Ελλάς, ὠλόμην ἐγὼ" '936 εὐμορφίᾳ πραθεῖσα, κὠνειδίζομαι 937 ἐξ ὧν ἐχρῆν με στέφανον ἐπὶ κάρᾳ λαβεῖν. 938 οὔπω με φήσεις αὐτὰ τἀν ποσὶν λέγειν,' "939 ὅπως ἀφώρμης' ἐκ δόμων τῶν σῶν λάθρα." "940 ἦλθ' οὐχὶ μικρὰν θεὸν ἔχων αὑτοῦ μέτα" "941 ὁ τῆσδ' ἀλάστωρ, εἴτ' ̓Αλέξανδρον θέλεις" '942 ὀνόματι προσφωνεῖν νιν εἴτε καὶ Πάριν: 943 ὅν, ὦ κάκιστε, σοῖσιν ἐν δόμοις λιπὼν 944 Σπάρτης ἀπῆρας νηὶ Κρησίαν χθόνα. 945 εἶἑν.' "946 οὐ σέ, ἀλλ' ἐμαυτὴν τοὐπὶ τῷδ' ἐρήσομαι:" "947 τί δὴ φρονοῦσά γ' ἐκ δόμων ἅμ' ἑσπόμην" '948 ξένῳ, προδοῦσα πατρίδα καὶ δόμους ἐμούς; 949 τὴν θεὸν κόλαζε καὶ Διὸς κρείσσων γενοῦ, 950 κείνης δὲ δοῦλός ἐστι: συγγνώμη δ' ἐμοί." "950 ὃς τῶν μὲν ἄλλων δαιμόνων ἔχει κράτος,' "951 ἔνθεν δ' ἔχοις ἂν εἰς ἔμ' εὐπρεπῆ λόγον:" "952 ἐπεὶ θανὼν γῆς ἦλθ' ̓Αλέξανδρος μυχούς," "953 χρῆν μ', ἡνίκ' οὐκ ἦν θεοπόνητά μου λέχη," "954 λιποῦσαν οἴκους ναῦς ἐπ' ̓Αργείων μολεῖν." '955 ἔσπευδον αὐτὸ τοῦτο: μάρτυρες δέ μοι' '963 πρὸς σοῦ δικαίως, ἣν ὁ μὲν βίᾳ γαμεῖ,' "964 τὰ δ' οἴκοθεν κεῖν' ἀντὶ νικητηρίων" 969 ταῖς θεαῖσι πρῶτα σύμμαχος γενήσομαι 970 καὶ τήνδε δείξω μὴ λέγουσαν ἔνδικα. 971 ἐγὼ γὰρ ̔́Ηραν παρθένον τε Παλλάδα 972 οὐκ ἐς τοσοῦτον ἀμαθίας ἐλθεῖν δοκῶ,' "973 ὥσθ' ἣ μὲν ̓́Αργος βαρβάροις ἀπημπόλα," "974 Παλλὰς δ' ̓Αθήνας Φρυξὶ δουλεύειν ποτέ," '975 εἰ παιδιαῖσι καὶ χλιδῇ μορφῆς πέρι' "976 ἦλθον πρὸς ̓́Ιδην. τοῦ γὰρ οὕνεκ' ἂν θεὰ" "977 ̔́Ηρα τοσοῦτον ἔσχ' ἔρωτα καλλονῆς;" "978 πότερον ἀμείνον' ὡς λάβῃ Διὸς πόσιν;" '979 ἢ γάμον ̓Αθηνᾶ θεῶν τίνος θηρωμένη — 980 ἣ παρθενείαν πατρὸς ἐξῃτήσατο, 981 φεύγουσα λέκτρα; μὴ ἀμαθεῖς ποίει θεὰς 982 τὸ σὸν κακὸν κοσμοῦσα, μὴ οὐ πείσῃς σοφούς.' "983 Κύπριν δ' ἔλεξας — ταῦτα γὰρ γέλως πολύς —" '984 ἐλθεῖν ἐμῷ ξὺν παιδὶ Μενέλεω δόμους.' "985 οὐκ ἂν μένους' ἂν ἥσυχός ς' ἐν οὐρανῷ" '986 αὐταῖς ̓Αμύκλαις ἤγαγεν πρὸς ̓́Ιλιον; 987 ἦν οὑμὸς υἱὸς κάλλος ἐκπρεπέστατος,' "988 ὁ σὸς δ' ἰδών νιν νοῦς ἐποιήθη Κύπρις:" "989 τὰ μῶρα γὰρ πάντ' ἐστὶν ̓Αφροδίτη βροτοῖς," "990 καὶ τοὔνομ' ὀρθῶς ἀφροσύνης ἄρχει θεᾶς." '991 ὃν εἰσιδοῦσα βαρβάροις ἐσθήμασι 992 χρυσῷ τε λαμπρὸν ἐξεμαργώθης φρένας.' "993 ἐν μὲν γὰρ ̓́Αργει μίκρ' ἔχους' ἀνεστρέφου," "994 Σπάρτης δ' ἀπαλλαχθεῖσα τὴν Φρυγῶν πόλιν" '995 χρυσῷ ῥέουσαν ἤλπισας κατακλύσειν' "996 δαπάναισιν: οὐδ' ἦν ἱκανά σοι τὰ Μενέλεω" '997 μέλαθρα ταῖς σαῖς ἐγκαθυβρίζειν τρυφαῖς.' "998 εἶἑν: βίᾳ γὰρ παῖδα φῄς ς' ἄγειν ἐμόν:" "999 τίς Σπαρτιατῶν ᾔσθετ'; ἢ ποίαν βοὴν" '1000 ἀνωλόλυξας — Κάστορος νεανίου'1001 τοῦ συζύγου τ' ἔτ' ὄντος, οὐ κατ' ἄστρα πω;" '1002 ἐπεὶ δὲ Τροίαν ἦλθες ̓Αργεῖοί τέ σου' "1003 κατ' ἴχνος, ἦν δὲ δοριπετὴς ἀγωνία," "1004 εἰ μὲν τὰ τοῦδε κρείσσον' ἀγγέλλοιτό σοι," "1005 Μενέλαον ᾔνεις, παῖς ὅπως λυποῖτ' ἐμὸς" '1006 ἔχων ἔρωτος ἀνταγωνιστὴν μέγαν:' "1007 εἰ δ' εὐτυχοῖεν Τρῶες, οὐδὲν ἦν ὅδε." "1008 ἐς τὴν τύχην δ' ὁρῶσα τοῦτ' ἤσκεις, ὅπως" "1009 ἕποι' ἅμ' αὐτῇ, τῇ ἀρετῇ δ' οὐκ ἤθελες." '1010 κἄπειτα πλεκταῖς σῶμα σὸν κλέπτειν λέγεις' "1011 πύργων καθιεῖς', ὡς μένους' ἀκουσίως;" "1012 ποῦ δῆτ' ἐλήφθης ἢ βρόχους ἀρτωμένη" "1013 ἢ φάσγανον θήγους', ἃ γενναία γυνὴ" '1014 δράσειεν ἂν ποθοῦσα τὸν πάρος πόσιν;' "1015 καίτοι ς' ἐνουθέτουν γε πολλὰ πολλάκις:" "1016 ̓͂Ω θύγατερ, ἔξελθ': οἱ δ' ἐμοὶ παῖδες γάμους" "1017 ἄλλους γαμοῦσι, σὲ δ' ἐπὶ ναῦς ̓Αχαιϊκὰς" '1018 πέμψω συνεκκλέψασα: καὶ παῦσον μάχης' "1019 ̔́Ελληνας ἡμᾶς τε. ἀλλὰ σοὶ τόδ' ἦν πικρόν." '1020 ἐν τοῖς ̓Αλεξάνδρου γὰρ ὕβριζες δόμοις' "1021 καὶ προσκυνεῖσθαι βαρβάρων ὕπ' ἤθελες:" '1022 μεγάλα γὰρ ἦν σοι. — κἀπὶ τοῖσδε σὸν δέμας 1023 ἐξῆλθες ἀσκήσασα κἄβλεψας πόσει' "1024 τὸν αὐτὸν αἰθέρ', ὦ κατάπτυστον κάρα:" '1025 ἣν χρῆν ταπεινὴν ἐν πέπλων ἐρειπίοις,' "1026 φρίκῃ τρέμουσαν, κρᾶτ' ἀπεσκυθισμένην" '1027 ἐλθεῖν, τὸ σῶφρον τῆς ἀναιδείας πλέον 1028 ἔχουσαν ἐπὶ τοῖς πρόσθεν ἡμαρτημένοις.' "1029 Μενέλα', ἵν' εἰδῇς οἷ τελευτήσω λόγον," "1030 στεφάνωσον ̔Ελλάδ' ἀξίως τήνδε κτανὼν" '1031 σαυτοῦ, νόμον δὲ τόνδε ταῖς ἄλλαισι θὲς 1032 γυναιξί, θνῄσκειν ἥτις ἂν προδῷ πόσιν. 1242 μάτην δ' ἐβουθυτοῦμεν. εἰ δὲ μὴ θεὸς" '1243 ἔστρεψε τἄνω περιβαλὼν κάτω χθονός, 1244 ἀφανεῖς ἂν ὄντες οὐκ ἂν ὑμνήθημεν ἂν 1245 μούσαις ἀοιδὰς δόντες ὑστέρων βροτῶν.' " 1322 ὄνομα δὲ γᾶς ἀφανὲς εἶσιν: ἄλλᾳ δ'" "1323 ἄλλο φροῦδον, οὐδ' ἔτ' ἔστιν" '1324 ἁ τάλαινα Τροία.' "" None | sup>108 Ah me! ah me! What else but tears is now my hapless lot, whose country, children, husband, all are lost? Ah! the high-blown pride of ancestors, humbled! how brought to nothing after all! 348 beyond my blackest expectation. Ah, my child! how little did I ever dream that such would be your marriage, a captive, and of Argos too! Give up the torch to me; you do not bear its blaze aright in your wild frantic course, nor have your afflictions left you in your sober senses, 350 but still you are as frantic as before. Take in those torches, Trojan friends, and for her wedding madrigals weep your tears instead. Cassandra 361 to avenge my father’s and my brothers’ death. But let that go; I will not tell of that axe which shall sever my neck and the necks of others, or of the conflict ending in a mother’s death, which my marriage shall cause, nor of the overthrow of Atreus’ house. 427 the name they do? All men unite in hating with one common hate the attendants of kings or governments. You say my mother shall come to the halls of Odysseus? Where then are Apollo’s words, so clear to me in their interpretation, which declare 430 that she shall die here? What else remains, I will not taunt her with. Unhappy Odysseus, he does not know the sufferings that await him; or how these ills I and my Phrygians endure shall one day seem to him precious as gold. For beyond the ten long years spent at Troy he shall drag out other ten and then come to his country all alone . . . 435 where dreadful Charybdis lurks in a narrow channel between the rocks; past Cyclops the savage shepherd, and Ligurian Circe who turns men to swine; shipwrecked often upon the salt sea-wave; longing to eat the lotus, and the sacred cattle of the sun, 441 whose flesh shall utter in the days to come a human voice, bitter to Odysseus. In brief, he shall descend alive to Hades, and, though he shall escape the waters’ flood, yet shall he find a thousand troubles in his country when he arrives. Cassandra 914 Perhaps you will not answer me, from counting me a foe, 915 whether my words seem good or ill. Yet I will put my charges and yours over against each other, and then reply to the accusations I suppose you will advance against me. First, then, that woman was the author of these trouble 920 by giving birth to Paris ; next, old Priam ruined Troy and me, because he did not slay his child Alexander, baleful semblance of a fire-brand, Hecuba had dreamed she would hear a son who would cause the ruin of Troy ; on the birth of Paris an oracle confirmed her fears. long ago. Hear what followed. This man was to judge the claims of three rival goddesses; 925 o Pallas offered him command of all the Phrygians, and the destruction of Hellas ; Hera promised he should spread his dominion over Asia , and the utmost bounds of Europe , if he would decide for her; but Cypris spoke in rapture of my loveliness, 930 and promised him this gift, if she should have the preference over those two for beauty. Now mark the inference I deduce from this; Cypris won the day over the goddesses, and thus far has my marriage proved of benefit to Hellas , that you are not subject to barbarian rule, neither vanquished in the strife, nor yet by tyrants crushed. 935 What Hellas gained, was ruin to me, sold for my beauty, and now I am reproached for that which should have set a crown upon my head. But you will say I am silent on the real matter at hand, how it was I started forth and left your house by stealth. 940 With no small goddess at his side he came, my evil genius, call him Alexander or Paris , as you will; and you, villain, left him behind in your house, and sailed away from Sparta to the land of Crete . 945 Enough of this! For all that followed I must question myself, not you; what thought led me to follow the stranger from your house, traitress to my country and my home? Punish the goddess, show yourself more mighty even than Zeus, who, though he lords it over the other gods, 950 is her slave; therefore I may well be pardoned. Still, from this you might draw a specious argument against me; when Paris died, and earth concealed his corpse, I should have left his house and sought the Argive fleet, since my marriage was no longer in the hands of gods. 955 That was what I was eager to do; and the warders on the towers and watchmen on the walls can bear me witness, for often they found me seeking to let myself down stealthily by cords from the battlements but there was that new husband, Deiphobus, that carried me off 962 by force to be his wife against the will of Troy . How then, my lord, could I be justly put to death . . . by you, with any show of right, seeing that he wedded me against my will, and those my other natural gifts have served a bitter slavery, instead of leading on to triumph? If it is your will indeed 969 First I will take up the cause of those goddesses, 970 and prove how she perverts the truth. For I can never believe that Hera or the maiden Pallas would have been guilty of such folly, the one to sell her Argos to barbarians, or that Pallas ever would make her Athens subject to the Phrygians, 975 coming as they did in mere wanton sport to Ida to contest the palm of beauty. For why should goddess Hera set her heart so much on such a prize? Was it to win a nobler lord than Zeus? or was Athena hunting down among the gods a husband, 980 he who in her dislike of marriage won from her father the gift of remaining unwed? Do not seek to impute folly to the goddesses, in the attempt to adorn your own sin; never will you persuade the wise. Next you have said—what well may make men jeer—that Cypris came with my son to the house of Menelaus. 985 Could she not have stayed quietly in heaven and brought you and Amyclae as well to Ilium ? 987 No! my son was exceedingly handsome, and when you saw him your mind straight became your Aphrodite; for every folly that men commit, they lay upon this goddess, 990 and rightly does her name It is almost impossible to reproduce the play on words in Ἀφροδίτη and ἀφροσύνη ; perhaps the nearest approach would be sensuality and senseless. begin the word for senselessness ; so when you caught sight of him in gorgeous foreign clothes, ablaze with gold, your senses utterly forsook you. Yes, for in Argos you had moved in simple state, but, once free of Sparta , 995 it was your hope to deluge by your lavish outlay Phrygia ’s town, that flowed with gold; nor was the palace of Menelaus rich enough for your luxury to riot in. 998 Enough of this! My son carried you off by force, so you say; what Spartan saw this? what cry for help 1000 did you ever raise, though Castor was still alive, a vigorous youth, and his brother also, not yet among the stars? Then when you had come to Troy , and the Argives were on your track, and the mortal combat had begun, whenever tidings came to you of' 1001 did you ever raise, though Castor was still alive, a vigorous youth, and his brother also, not yet among the stars? Then when you had come to Troy , and the Argives were on your track, and the mortal combat had begun, whenever tidings came to you of 1005 Menelaus’ prowess, you would praise him, to grieve my son, because he had so powerful a rival in his love; but if the Trojans prospered, Menelaus was nothing to you. Your eye was fixed on Fortune, and by such practice you were careful to follow in her steps, careless of virtue’s cause. 1010 And then you assert that you tried to let yourself down from the towers by stealth with twisted cords, as if unwilling to stay? Where were you ever found fastening the noose about your neck, or whetting the knife, as a noble wife would have done in regret for her former husband? 1015 And yet often I advised you saying, Get away, daughter; my sons will take other brides, and I will belp you to steal away, and convey you to the Achaean fleet; oh, end the strife between us and Hellas ! But this was bitter to you. 1020 For you were wantoning in Alexander’s house, wishing to have obeisance done you by barbarians. Yes, it was a proud time for you; and now after all this you have adorned yourself, and come forth and have dared to appear under the same sky as your husband, revolting wretch! 1025 Better if you had come in tattered raiment, cowering humbly in terror, with hair cut short, and if your feeling for your past sins were one of shame rather than effrontery. Menelaus, hear the conclusion of my argument; 1030 crown Hellas by slaying her as she deserves, and establish this law for all other women: death to every one who betrays her husband. Chorus Leader 1242 It seems the only things that heaven concerns itself about are my troubles and Troy hateful in their eyes above all other cities. In vain did we sacrifice to them. But if the god had not caught us in his grip and plunged us headlong beneath the earth, we should have been unheard of, and not ever sung in Muses’ songs, 1245 furnishing to bards of after-days a subject for their minstrelsy. Go, bury now in his poor tomb the dead, wreathed all duly as befits a corpse. And yet I think it makes little difference to the dead, if they get a gorgeous funeral; 1322 The name of my country wiII pass into obscurity; all is scattered far and wide, and hapless Troy has ceased to be. Hecuba ' None |
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