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Euripides · Children of Heracles Ἡρακλεῖδαι

Euripides, Children of Heracles 748–798: Third choral song; the servant announces victory

Ancient Sources / Euripides / Children of Heracles / 748–798

The Chorus calls on the earth, the moon and the sun, and prays to Athena for the safety of the city. It says that Athens will not give up suppliants and sings of the goddess's night festival. The servant of Hyllus comes back to tell Alcmena the good news, that the Athenians have won, that the children are safe, and that Iolaus has been made young again.

Lines 748–798 · 410 words · click a number to copy its link

Chorus

748–758
748Γᾶ καὶ παννύχιος σελά- να καὶ λαμπρόταται θεοῦ 750φαεσίμβροτοι αὐγαί, ἀγγελίαν μοι ἐνέγκαιτʼ· ἰαχήσατε δʼ οὐρανῷ καὶ παρὰ θρόνον ἀρχέταν γλαυκᾶς ἐν Ἀθάνας. 755μέλλω τᾶς πατριώτιδος γᾶς, μέλλω καὶ ὑπὲρ δόμων ἱκέτας ὑποδεχθεὶς κίνδυνον πολιῷ τεμεῖν σιδάρῳ.

O earth, and moon that shines by night, and dazzling radiance of the god, that giveth light to man, bear the tidings to me, shout aloud to heaven for joy, and beside our ruler’s throne, and in the shrine of grey-eyed Athene. For my fatherland and home will I soon decide the issue of the strife with the gleaming sword, because I have taken suppliants under my protection.

Chorus

759–769
759δεινὸν μὲν πόλιν ὡς Μυκή- 760νας εὐδαίμονα καὶ δορὸς πολυαίνετον ἀλκᾷ μῆνιν ἐμᾷ χθονὶ κεύθειν· κακὸν δʼ, ὦ πόλις, εἰ ξένους ἱκτῆρας παραδώσομεν 765κελεύμασιν Ἄργους. Ζεύς μοι σύμμαχος, οὐ φοβοῦ- μαι, Ζεύς μοι χάριν ἐνδίκως ἔχει· οὔποτε θνατῶν ἥσσους δαίμονες ἔκ γʼ ἐμοῦ φανοῦνται.

’Tis a fearful thing, that a city prosperous as Mycenae is, one famed for martial prowess, should harbour wrath against my land; still, my countrymen, it were a shameful thing in us to yield up suppliant strangers at the bidding of Argos. Zeus is on my side, I am not afraid; Zeus hath a favour unto me, as is my due; never by me shall gods be thought weaker than mortal men.

Chorus

770–776
770ἀλλʼ, ὦ πότνια — σὸν γὰρ οὖ- δας , σὸν καὶ πόλις, ἇς σὺ μά- τηρ δέσποινά τε καὶ φύλαξ — πόρευσον ἄλλᾳ τὸν οὐ δικαίως τᾷδʼ ἐπάγοντα δορυσσοῦν 775στρατὸν Ἀργόθεν· οὐ γὰρ ἐμᾷ γʼ ἀρετᾷ δίκαιός εἰμʼ ἐκπεσεῖν μελάθρων.

O dread goddess, thine the soil whereon we stand, thine this city, for thou art its mother, queen, and saviour; wherefore turn some other way the impious king, who leadeth a host from Argos with brandished lance against this land; for, such my worth, I little merit exile from my home.

Chorus

777–783
777ἐπεί σοι πολύθυτος ἀεὶ τιμὰ κραίνεται, οὐδὲ λά- θει μηνῶν φθινὰς ἁμέρα, 780νέων τʼ ἀοιδαὶ χορῶν τε μολπαί. ἀνεμόεντι δʼ ἐπʼ ὄχθῳ ὀλολύγματα παννυχίοις ὑπὸ παρ- θένων ἰαχεῖ ποδῶν κρότοισιν.

For thy worship is aye performed with many a sacrifice, and never art thou forgotten as each month draweth to its close, when young voices sing and dancers’ music is heard abroad, while on our wind-swept hill goes up the cry of joy to the beat of maidens’ feet by night.

784–798
Θεράπων 784δέσποινα, μύθους σοί τε συντομωτάτους 785κλύειν ἐμοί τε τῷδε καλλίστους φέρω. νικῶμεν ἐχθροὺς καὶ τροπαῖʼ ἱδρύεται παντευχίαν ἔχοντα πολεμίων σέθεν. Ἀλκμήνη ὦ φίλταθʼ, ἥδε σʼ ἡμέρα διήλασεν ἐλευθερῶσαι τοῖσδε τοῖς ἀγγέλμασιν. 790μιᾶς δʼ ἔμʼ οὔπω συμφορᾶς ἐλευθεροῖς· φόβος γὰρ εἴ μοι ζῶσιν οὓς ἐγὼ θέλω. Θεράπων ζῶσιν μέγιστόν γʼ εὐκλεεῖς κατὰ στρατόν. Ἀλκμήνη ὁ μὲν γέρων οὐκ ἔστιν Ἰόλεως ὅδε; Θεράπων μάλιστα, πράξας δʼ ἐκ θεῶν κάλλιστα δή. Ἀλκμήνη 795τί δʼ ἔστι; μῶν τι κεδνὸν ἠγωνίζετο; Θεράπων νέος μεθέστηκʼ ἐκ γέροντος αὖθις αὖ. Ἀλκμήνη θαυμάστʼ ἔλεξας· ἀλλά σʼ εὐτυχῆ φίλων μάχης ἀγῶνα πρῶτον ἀγγεῖλαι θέλω.

Servant (of Hyllus) Mistress, the message that I bring is very short for thee to hear and fair for me, who stand before thee, to announce. O’er our foes we are victorious, and trophies are being set up, with panoplies upon them, taken from thy enemies.

Alcmena Best of friends! this day hath wrought thy liberty by reason of these tidings. But there still remains one anxious thought thou dost not free me from;—a thought of fear;—are those, whose lives I cherish, spared to me?

Servant (of Hyllus) They are, and high their fame through all the army spreads.

Alcmena The old man Iolaus,—is he yet alive?

Servant (of Hyllus) Aye, that he is, a hero whom the gods delight to honour.

Alcmena How so? Did he perform some deed of prowess?

Servant (of Hyllus) He hath passed from age to youth once more.

Alcmena Thy tale is passing strange; but first I would that thou shouldst tell me, how our friends won the day.

People and places in this passage

Passages in other works that tell of the same people and places, oldest and closest first.

  1. Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.8.1–4.10.7Heracles: birth and early deeds
  2. Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 2.4.6–12Amphitryon, Alcmene and the youth of Heracles
  3. Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.11.1–7Thebes: the house of Amphitryo, the sanctuary of Hercules and Apollo of the Ashes
  4. Theocritus, Idylls 24.1–140Idyll 24: The infant Heracles
  5. Ovid, Metamorphoses 9.273–321Alcmene and Galanthis
  6. Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.41.1–9Megara: tomb of Alcmena, the lion of Cithaeron and the tomb of Tereus

English translation by Edward P. Coleridge (1891). Original text: Greek text: Gilbert Murray (ed.), Euripidis Fabulae, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1902, as digitised by Perseus. English: Edward P. Coleridge, The Plays of Euripides, London: George Bell and Sons, first published 1891 (Bohn's Classical Library; the Perseus header records a later printing).

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.