Euripides, Hecuba, ed. Gilbert Murray, 1187

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Ἑκάβη

Ἀγάμεμνον, ἀνθρώποισιν οὐκ ἐχρῆν ποτε

τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν γλῶσσαν ἰσχύειν πλέον·

ἀλλʼ, εἴτε χρήστʼ ἔδρασε, χρήστʼ ἔδει λέγειν,

εἴτʼ αὖ πονηρά, τοὺς λόγους εἶναι σαθρούς,
1190

καὶ μὴ δύνασθαι τἄδικʼ εὖ λέγειν ποτέ.

σοφοὶ μὲν οὖν εἰσʼ οἱ τάδʼ ἠκριβωκότες,

ἀλλʼ οὐ δύνανται διὰ τέλους εἶναι σοφοί,

κακῶς δʼ ἀπώλοντʼ· οὔτις ἐξήλυξέ πω.

καί μοι τὸ μὲν σὸν ὧδε φροιμίοις ἔχει·
1195

πρὸς τόνδε δʼ εἶμι καὶ λόγοις ἀμείψομαι·

ὃς φῂς Ἀχαιῶν πόνον ἀπαλλάσσων διπλοῦν

Ἀγαμέμνονός θʼ ἕκατι παῖδʼ ἐμὸν κτανεῖν.

ἀλλʼ, ὦ κάκιστε, πρῶτον οὔποτʼ ἂν φίλον

τὸ βάρβαρον γένοιτʼ ἂν Ἕλλησιν γένος
1200

οὐδʼ ἂν δύναιτο. τίνα δὲ καὶ σπεύδων χάριν

πρόθυμος ἦσθα; πότερα κηδεύσων τινὰ

ἢ συγγενὴς ὤν, ἢ τίνʼ αἰτίαν ἔχων;

ἢ σῆς ἔμελλον γῆς τεμεῖν βλαστήματα

πλεύσαντες αὖθις; τίνα δοκεῖς πείσειν τάδε;
1205

ὁ χρυσός, εἰ βούλοιο τἀληθῆ λέγειν,

ἔκτεινε τὸν ἐμὸν παῖδα, καὶ κέρδη τὰ σά.

ἐπεὶ δίδαξον τοῦτο· πῶς, ὅτʼ εὐτύχει

Τροία, πέριξ δὲ πύργος εἶχʼ ἔτι πτόλιν,

ἔζη τε Πρίαμος Ἕκτορός τʼ ἤνθει δόρυ,
1210

τί δʼ οὐ τότʼ, εἴπερ τῷδʼ ἐβουλήθης χάριν

θέσθαι, τρέφων τὸν παῖδα κἀν δόμοις ἔχων

ἔκτεινας ἢ ζῶντʼ ἦλθες Ἀργείοις ἄγων;

ἀλλʼ ἡνίχʼ ἡμεῖς οὐκέτʼ ἐσμὲν ἐν φάει —

καπνῷ δʼ ἐσήμηνʼ ἄστυ — πολεμίων ὕπο,
1215

ξένον κατέκτας σὴν μολόντʼ ἐφʼ ἑστίαν.

Hecuba. Euripides. ed. Gilbert Murray. Oxford. 1902.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Ἑκάβη (Greek) (Euripides. Euripidis Fabulae, Vol. I. Murray, Gilbert, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1902. (Reprinted 1906-1974))

Translations (3)

Hecuba Perseus (Euripides. The Plays of Euripides, Vol. II. Coleridge, Edward P., translator. London: George Bell and Sons, 1891. (Modernized by Perseus.)) — 1187 focus

Hecuba

Never ought words to have outweighed deeds in this world, Agamemnon. No! if a man’s deeds were good, so should his words have been;

if, on the other hand, evil, his words should have been unsound, instead of its being possible at times to speak injustice well. There are, it is true, clever persons, who have made a science of this, but their cleverness cannot last for ever; a miserable end awaits them; no one ever yet escaped.
1190

This part of my prelude belongs to you. Now will I turn to this fellow, and will give you your answer, you who say it was to save Achaea double toil and for Agamemnon’s sake that you killed my son. No, villain, in the first place
1195

the barbarian race would never be friends with Hellas , nor could it be. Again, what interest did you have to further by your zeal? was it to form some marriage, or on the score of kinship, or what reason? or was it likely that they would sail here again and destroy
1200

your country’s crops? Whom do you expect to persuade into believing that? If you would only speak the truth, it was the gold that slew my son, and your greedy spirit. Now tell me this: why, when Troy was victorious, when her ramparts still stood round her,
1205

when Priam was alive, and Hector’s warring prospered, why did you not then, if you were really minded to do Agamemnon a service, slay the child, for you had him in your palace beneath your care, or bring him with you alive to the Argives? But when the enemy took us from the light
1210

and our city made a signal by its smoke, you murdered the guest who had come to your hearth.
1215

Hecuba (OCR draft) Experimental (Hecuba. Robert Potter's English verse translation, first published in 1781–1783; text from the 1808 Oxford printing.)

No corresponding passage available

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1841; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (Euripides. Deutsch in den Versmaßen der Urschrift. Volume 1, Heidelberg: C. F. Winter, 1841. Harvard OCR compared with an independent BSB copy. Native Donner verse citations, Murray reference cards, explicitly located notes and page facsimiles. Unresolved OCR, verse divisions, unlocated notes and printed errata are documented in the source review.) — 1187 focus

Wohl, Agamemnon, sollte bei den Sterblichen

Die Zunge niemals mehr vermogen als die That.

Wenn Einer Gutes übte, sprech' er Gutes auch,

Und that er Boses, set die Red' unmächtig stets,
1155

Und nicht vermögend, Uebles gut zu nennen je.

Die solches gründlich lernten, nennt man weise wohl;

Doch bis zum Ende können sie nicht weise sein,

Und gehen unter; Keiner noch entfloh der Schmach.

Mit diesen Worten redet' ich bisher zu dir:
1160

Nun geh' ich wider diesen, und erwieder' ihm.

Du sagst, um Hellas nicht zu mühn in neuer Noth,

Wegen Agamemnons, habest du mein Kind entseelt.

Doch wird mit Hellas Volke, du Verruchtester,

Ein Stamm Barbaren nimmermehr befreundet sein,
1165

Und kann es niemals werden. Wem zu Gunsten denn

Bewiesest du den Eifer? Trieb ein Eidam dich,

Ein Blutsverwandter? Oder war's ein andrer Grund?

Sie möchten wiederkehrend euch der Felder Saat

Bertreten? Wo war' Einer, der das glaubte dir?
1170

Wenn du die Wahrheit sagen willst, es war das Gold,

Ja, deine Habsucht war es, die mein Kind erschlug.

Denn sonst erkläre dieses! wie, da Troja noch

Im Glücke war, noch Wall' umgaben unsre Stadt,

Mein Gatte lebte, Hektor kühn die Lanze schwang,
1175

Was hast du da nicht, war es dir um Hellas Gunst

Zu thun, den Knaben, der in deinem Hause war,

Ermordet, oder lebend zugeführt dem Heer?

Nein, als des Glückes Sonne nicht mehr lächelt' uns,

Und Rauch verkundete, daß der Feind die Stadt gewann,
1180

Erschlugst du jenen, welcher kam zu deinem Heerd?

Euripides Hecuba 1187

ed. Gilbert Murray

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