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Euripides · Rhesus Ῥῆσος

Euripides, Rhesus 950–996: Exodos: the Muse's prophecy and Hector's orders

Ancient Sources / Euripides / Rhesus / 950–996

Hector says that it needed no seer to tell him that Rhesus had perished by the arts of Odysseus, and that he is ready to raise a tomb for him. The Muse says that her son will lie hidden in a cavern of the silver-veined land, restored to life as a deified man, and foretells that Achilles will also die. Hector orders the allies to arm and wait for the trumpet at dawn.

Lines 950–996 · 443 words · click a number to copy its link

Chorus Leader

950–951
950μάτην ἄρʼ ἡμᾶς Θρῄκιος τροχηλάτης ἐδέννασʼ, Ἕκτορ, τῷδε βουλεῦσαι φόνον.

Vainly it seems the Thracian charioteer reviled us with plotting this man’s murder, Hector.

952–992
Ἕκτωρ 952ᾔδη τάδʼ· οὐδὲν μάντεων ἔδει φράσαι Ὀδυσσέως τέχναισι τόνδʼ ὀλωλότα. ἐγὼ δὲ γῆς ἔφεδρον Ἑλλήνων στρατὸν 955λεύσσων, τί μὴν ἔμελλον οὐ πέμψειν φίλοις κήρυκας, ἐλθεῖν κἀπικουρῆσαι χθονί; ἔπεμψʼ· ὀφείλων δʼ ἦλθε συμπονεῖν ἐμοί. οὐ μὴν θανόντι γʼ οὐδαμῶς συνήδομαι. καὶ νῦν ἕτοιμος τῷδε καὶ τεῦξαι τάφον 960καὶ ξυμπυρῶσαι μυρίων πέπλων χλιδήν· φίλος γὰρ ἐλθὼν δυστυχῶς ἀπέρχεται. Μοῦσα οὐκ εἶσι γαίας ἐς μελάγχιμον πέδον· τοσόνδε Νύμφην τὴν ἔνερθʼ αἰτήσομαι, τῆς καρποποιοῦ παῖδα Δήμητρος θεᾶς, 965ψυχὴν ἀνεῖναι τοῦδʼ· ὀφειλέτις δέ μοι τοὺς Ὀρφέως τιμῶσα φαίνεσθαι φίλους. κἀμοὶ μὲν ὡς θανών τε κοὐ λεύσσων φάος ἔσται τὸ λοιπόν· οὐ γὰρ ἐς ταὐτόν ποτε οὔτʼ εἶσιν οὔτε μητρὸς ὄψεται δέμας· 970κρυπτὸς δʼ ἐν ἄντροις τῆς ὑπαργύρου χθονὸς ἀνθρωποδαίμων κείσεται βλέπων φάος, Βάκχου προφήτης ὥστε Παγγαίου πέτραν ᾤκησε, σεμνὸς τοῖσιν εἰδόσιν θεός. ῥᾷον δὲ πένθος τῆς θαλασσίας θεοῦ 975οἴσω· θανεῖν γὰρ καὶ τὸν ἐκ κείνης χρεών. θρήνοις δʼ ἀδελφαὶ πρῶτα μὲν σὲ ὑμνήσομεν, ἔπειτʼ Ἀχιλλέα Θέτιδος ἐν πένθει ποτέ. οὐ ῥύσεταί νιν Παλλάς, ἥ σʼ ἀπέκτανεν· τοῖον φαρέτρα Λοξίου σῴζει βέλος. 980ὦ παιδοποιοὶ συμφοραί, πόνοι βροτῶν· ὡς ὅστις ὑμᾶς μὴ κακῶς λογίζεται, ἄπαις διοίσει κοὐ τεκὼν θάψει τέκνα. Χορός οὗτος μὲν ἤδη μητρὶ κηδεύειν μέλει· σὺ δʼ εἴ τι πράσσειν τῶν προκειμένων θέλεις, 985Ἕκτορ, πάρεστι· φῶς γὰρ ἡμέρας τόδε. Ἕκτωρ χωρεῖτε, συμμάχους δʼ ὁπλίζεσθαι τάχος ἄνωχθε πληροῦν τʼ αὐχένας ξυνωρίδων. πανοὺς δʼ ἔχοντας χρὴ μένειν Τυρσηνικῆς σάλπιγγος αὐδήν· ὡς ὑπερβαλὼν στρατὸν 990τείχη τʼ Ἀχαιῶν ναυσὶν αἶθον ἐμβαλεῖν πέποιθα Τρωσί θʼ ἡμέραν ἐλευθέραν ἀκτῖνα τὴν στείχουσαν ἡλίου φέρειν.

Hector I knew it; it needed no seer to say that he had perished by the arts of Odysseus. Now I, when I saw the Hellene army camped in my land, of course would not hesitate to send heralds to my friends, bidding them come and help my country; and so I sent, and he as in duty bound came to share my toils. I do not at all rejoice to see him dead. And now I am ready to raise a tomb for him and burn at his pyre great store of fine raiment; for he came as a friend and in sorrow he is going away.

Muse He shall not go into earth’s dark soil; so earnest a prayer will I address to the bride of the nether world, the daughter of the goddess Demeter, giver of increase, to release his soul; and, debtor as she is to me, show that she honors the friends of Orpheus. And to me for the rest of time he will be as one who is dead and does not see the light; for never again will he meet me or see his mother; but he will lie hidden in a cavern of the land with veins of silver, restored to life, a deified man, just as the prophet of Bacchus dwelt in a grotto beneath Pangaeus, a god whom his votaries honored. Lightly now shall I feel the grief of the sea-goddess, for her son too must die. First then for you we sisters must chant our dirge, and then for Achilles when Thetis mourns some day. Pallas, your slayer, shall not save him; so true the shaft Loxias keeps in his quiver for him. Oh, the sorrows that a mother feels! the troubles of mortals! whoever fairly reckons you up will live and die childless and will have no children to bury.

Chorus Leader His mother now must see to this man’s burial; but for you, Hector, if you will carry out any scheme, now is the time, for day is dawning.

Hector Go, bid our allies arm at once and yoke the horses; torch in hand you must await the blast of the Etrurian trumpet; for I hope to pass beyond their army and walls and fire the ships of the Achaeans, bringing to the Trojans this approaching beam of the sun as the day of freedom.

Chorus

993–996
993πείθου βασιλεῖ· στείχωμεν ὅπλοις κοσμησάμενοι καὶ ξυμμαχίᾳ 995τάδε φράζωμεν· τάχα δʼ ἂν νίκην δοίη δαίμων ὁ μεθʼ ἡμῶν.

Obedience to our prince! let us go to array ourselves in armor and tell these orders to our allies; perhaps the god who is on our side may grant us victory.

People and places in this passage

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

  1. Ovid, Metamorphoses 13.121–254The contest for the arms of Achilles: Odysseus replies
  2. Bacchylides, Epinicians (Odes of Victory) 12.1–14.23Odes 12–14: Pytheas of Aegina and the Aeacidae; Cleoptolemus of Thessaly
  3. Homer, Odyssey 8.1–92The assembly; Demodocus sings
  4. Epic Cycle, Summaries and Fragments 7.1–26Little Iliad
  5. Epic Cycle, Summaries and Fragments 6.1–5Aethiopis
  6. Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 5.237–332Odysseus wins the arms of Achilles

English translation by Edward P. Coleridge (1891). Original text: Greek text: Gilbert Murray (ed.), Euripidis Fabulae, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913, 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.