Euripides' HECUBA Complete

Translated by E. Coleridge.

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Leader: Human nature is not so stony-hearted as to hear thy plaintive
tale and catalogue of sorrows, without shedding a tear.

Odysseus: O Hecuba! be schooled by me, nor in thy passion count him
a foe who speaketh wisely. Thy life I am prepared to save, for the
service I received; I say no otherwise. But what I said to all, I
will not now deny, that after Troy's capture I would give thy daughter
to the chiefest of our host because he asked a victim. For herein
is a source of weakness to most states, whene'er a man of brave and
generous soul receives no greater honour than his inferiors. Now Achilles,
lady, deserves honour at our hands, since for Hellas he died as nobly
as a mortal can. Is not this a foul reproach to treat a man as a friend
in life, but, when he is gone from us, to treat him so no more? How
now? what will they say, if once more there comes gathering of the
host and a contest with the foe? "Shall we fight or nurse our lives,
seeing the dead have no honours?" For myself, indeed, though in life
my daily store were scant, yet would it be all-sufficient, but as
touching a tomb I should wish mine to be an object of respect, for
this gratitude has long to run. Thou speakest of cruel sufferings;
hear my answer. Amongst us are aged dames and grey old men no less
miserable than thou, and brides of gallant husbands reft, o'er whom
this Trojan dust has closed. Endure these sorrows; for us, if we are
wrong in resolving to honour the brave, we shall bring upon ourselves
a charge of ignorance; but as for you barbarians, regard not your
friends as such and pay no homage to your gallant dead, that Hellas
may prosper and ye may reap the fruits of such policy.

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