Euripides' HERACLES Complete

Translated by E. Coleridge.

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63 pages - You are on Page 8

These arguments are completely opposite to thine with regard to the
point at issue. Next, why art thou desirous of slaying these children?
What have they done to thee? One piece of wisdom credit thee with,
thy coward terror of a brave man's descendants. Still it is hard on
us, if for thy cowardice we must die; a fate that ought to have overtaken
thee at our braver hands, if Zeus had been fairly disposed towards
us. But, if thou art so anxious to make thyself supreme in the land,
let us at least go into exile; abstain from all violence, else thou
wilt suffer by it whenso the deity causes fortune's breeze to veer
round.

Ah! thou land of Cadmus,-for to thee too will I turn, upbraiding thee
with words of reproach,-is this your succour of Heracles and his children?
the man who faced alone the Minyan host in battle and allowed Thebes
to see the light with freemen's eyes. I cannot praise Hellas, nor
will I ever keep silence, finding her so craven as regards my son;
she should have come with fire and sword and warrior's arms to help
these tender babes, to requite him for all his labours in purging
land and sea. Such help, my children, neither Hellas nor the city
of Thebes affords you; to me a feeble friend ye look, that am but
empty sound and nothing more. For the vigour which once I had, is
gone from me; my limbs are palsied with age, and my strength is decayed.
Were I but young and still a man of my hands, I would have seized
my spear and dabbled those flaxen locks of his with blood, so that
the coward would now be flying from my prowes beyond the bounds of
Atlas.

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