SOPHOCLES
TRACHINIAE
(Women of Trachis)
Translated by Ian Johnston
Vancouver Island University
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Canada
2018
For an RTF text of the following translation, please
click here:
Women of Trachis [RTF]
TRANSLATOR’S NOTE
The following translation may
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may do so. However, no commercial publication of this text is allowed without
the permission of the translator, Ian Johnston.
In the following text, the line number without
brackets refer to the English translation; those in square brackets refer to the
Greek text. In the English text, short indented lines have been included with
short lines above them in computing the appropriate line number. The stage
directions and endnotes have been provided by the translator.
The translator would like to acknowledge the valuable
assistance of Richard Jebb’s commentary and translation (available online at
Perseus).
A NOTE ON THE MYTHOLOGICAL BACKGROUND
Like almost all Greek legends,
the Herakles story has many versions (especially since Herakles was a very
popular figure in Greek drama and poetry). The following brief account
summarizes some details of the traditional story (for a full discussion of the
various traditional stories about Herakles, consult Jebb’s excellent discussion
in his commentary).
Herakles was a son of Zeus, born to a mortal mother,
Alcmene. His mortal father was Amphitryon. Both parents were from Argos, but
they had to leave Argos before the birth, and thus Herakles was born in Thebes.
Goddess Hera, a constant enemy of Heracles, tried to kill him in his crib by
sending two snakes, but baby Herakles strangled them both. Later, when Herakles
was a young man, Hera drove him mad, and he killed his own children (from his
wife Megara; in some accounts he killed Megara, as well). As a result of this
crime, Herakles had to work for his cousin Eurystheus, king of Mycenae, and
perform the famous twelve labours of Herakles (killing the Nemean lion, killing
the Lernaean Hydra, capturing the Ceryneian hind, capturing the Erymanthian
boar, cleaning the Augean stables, killing the Stymphalian birds, capturing the
Cretan bull, stealing the mares of Diomedes, obtaining the belt of Hippolyta,
seizing the cattle of Geryon, stealing the golden apples of the Hesperides, and
capturing Cerberus, the three-headed hound guarding the gates of Hades). When
Herakles had completed these tasks, Hera again struck him with a fit of madness,
and he killed Iphitos, a prince of Oechalia. To atone for this murder, Herakles
had to sell himself into bondage to Omphale, a queen of Lydia (in Asia Minor).
Sophocles ignores the story of Herakles’ wife Megara
and the slaughtered children, in order to have Deianeira and Herakles marry well
before the twelve labours for Eurystheus. During these labours, Deianeira and
their children live in Tiryns. Some time after he completes those labours,
Herakles visits king Eurytus in Oechalia and asks him if he can have Iole, the
king’s daughter, as his concubine. The king refuses and mocks Herakles. Later in
Tiryns, Herakles kills Iphitos, Eurytus’ son (Sophocles makes no mention of a
fit of madness sent by Hera), and as a result Herakles and Deianeira have to
leave Tiryns and move to Trachis. Herakles also has to atone for the murder of
Iphitos by serving Omphale. He spends a year working for the Lydian queen, and
then sets off to conquer Eurytus by attacking the city of Oechalia. Once he has
killed Eurytus and sacked the city, he begins his return journey to Trachis,
sending captive Iole on ahead of him. At this point the action of the play
begins.
Other details will be provided in the endnotes.
TRACHINIAE
(WOMEN OF TRACHIS)
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
DEIANEIRA, wife of Herakles
NURSE
HYLLUS, son of Herakles and Deianeira
MESSENGER
LICHAS, a herald, one of Herakles’ servants
HERAKLES
OLD MAN
CHORUS: A group of Trachinian women.(1)
[The play takes place in Trachis
in front of the home of Herakles. Deianeira enters from the house accompanied by
the Nurse.](2)
DEIANEIRA
Men have a saying
established long ago:
no one can judge the
life of any mortal
as good or bad until
that man is dead.
But in my case, though
I have not yet reached
the land of Hades, I
know all too well
how miserable and
difficult life is.
When I was with Oeneus,
my father,
and still lived at home
with him in Pleuron,
I had the most painful
fear of marriage,
more than any young
girl in Aetolia.
10
For I had a suitor,
Achelöus,
the river god, who in
three different shapes
[10]
kept on asking for me
from my father.(3)
Once he arrived in the
body of a bull,
then as a serpent with
glittering coils,
then as a man with an
ox’s forehead
and streams of fountain
water pouring down
his bearded face. Yes,
that was my suitor.
When I expected him, I
always prayed,
in my unhappiness, that
I would die
20
before I’d ever come
into his bed.
But then, later on, to
my great delight,
the celebrated son of
Zeus arrived,
Alcmene’s child. He
fought Achelöus
[20]
and set me free. I
cannot clearly say
what happened in that
struggle. I don’t know.
No one does. Someone
who was not afraid
to watch them could
perhaps describe it.(4)
I just sat there,
overwhelmed with terror,
afraid my beauty would,
before the end,
30
bring me grief. But
finally warrior Zeus
made sure it ended
well, if it is true
that the result was
good. For even though
I am the chosen wife of
Herakles,
I still nourish fear
after fear for him,
and each night brings
me new anxiety,
which the next night’s
worries drive away.
[30]
We have children, but
he only sees them
from time to time, like
a tenant farmer
who only visits his
distant grain fields
40
when he sows the crop
and at the harvest.
He’d come home and then
leave us once again—
that’s what life was
like while he was slaving
for that man who kept
sending him away.(5)
Now he has completed
all those labours,
but at this point I am
even more afraid.
For since he killed the
mighty Iphitos,
we have been driven
into exile here,
in Trachis, living in a
stranger’s home,
[40]
and no one knows where
Herakles has gone.(6)
50
With him not here, the
only thing I know
is bitter pain. It’s
clear he must have had
a nasty accident, for
since he left
many months have
passed—fifteen already—
and still no word.
Something bad has happened.
The written tablets he
left here with me
warned me of it. How
often I have prayed
to the gods they would
not bring me sorrow!
NURSE
Mistress Deianeira—I
have seen you
shedding tears so
often, in your sadness,
60
[50]
as you grieve the
absence of great Herakles.
But this time, if it is
appropriate
for a slave’s opinions
to provide advice
to those who are born
free, then my duty
is to state what you
should do. You have sons—
many of them—and yet
you do not send
any of them off to find
your husband.
Hyllus would be
especially suitable,
if he cares about his
father and believes
we all should know that
he is doing well.
70
Here he comes now,
hurrying to the house—
he’s in a rush. So if
what I advise
seems reasonable, then
the time is right
to act on what I
urge—use Hyllus now.
[60]
[Enter Hyllus, moving
quickly towards the palace.]
DEIANEIRA
Ah my son, my child,
judicious words may fall
from humble
servants—like this woman here.
She is a slave, but
what she says is true.
HYLLUS
What does she say,
mother? If it’s something
you can speak to
me about, then tell me.
DEIANEIRA
She says that since
your father has been gone
80
for such a long time,
it is scandalous
you have not gone to
find out where he is.
HYLLUS
But I do know where he
is, if a rumour
I have heard is a story
I can trust.
DEIANEIRA
My child, what have you
heard? Where has he been?
HYLLUS
They say he has spent a
long time working—
an entire year—as a
hired servant,
in bondage to a Lydian
woman.(7)
[70]
DEIANEIRA
Well, if it’s true he
has put up with that,
then nothing will
surprise me anymore.
90
HYLLUS
But now, according to
what I have heard,
he is finished with
that task.
DEIANEIRA
Where is he then?
From those reports is
he alive or dead?
HYLLUS
They say he has set off
to fight a war—
or is about to—against
Euboea,
a territory ruled by
Eurytus.(8)
DEIANEIRA
My son, are you aware
that Herakles
left some trustworthy
oracles with me
about that very place?
HYLLUS
No, I didn’t know.
What kind of oracles?
DEIANEIRA
They prophesy
100
that in this expedition
his life will end,
[80]
or else when it is over he will live
all his remaining days
in peace and quiet.
My child, his fate is
on the balance scale.
Will you not help? If
Herakles survives,
then so do we—if not we
die with him.
HYLLUS
Mother, I will go. Had
I been informed
about oracles
proclaiming things like this,
I would have left here
a long time ago.
As things stood, my
father’s usual fortunes
110
never roused concerns
or serious worry.
But now I understand
why you’re so troubled,
I will not stop until I
have discovered
[90]
the truth about what’s
really going on.
DEIANEIRA
Leave now, my son. The
news he’s doing well—
even if it’s late—will
be a fine reward.
[Hyllus leaves. Enter the Chorus of Women of
Trachis.]
CHORUS
O Sun, offspring born
from mother Night,
as the glittering stars
are stripped away
from the one who lulls
you once again to sleep
in a blaze of fire, O
Sun, I beg you—
120
reveal to me where
Herakles has gone!
O shining god with your
fiery light,
where is Alcmene’s son?
Is he at sea,
[100]
or now on one of the
twin continents?(9)
O you, whose eye is
mightiest of all,
speak to me! For
Deianeira here—
a prize for whom men
fought—is grieving,
her spirit, like the
mourning nightingale,
always yearning. The
sadness never ends.
Her tearful eyes can
never ease their sorrow,
130
as she recalls with
fear her husband’s journey.
Worn down with torments
on a widow’s bed,
[110]
in wretched desolation
she expects
nothing but disaster.
Just as one sees
tireless winds from
north or south driving
row after row of waves
that rise and fall
across the boundless
sea, so the strains of life,
as wild as the seas of
Crete, whirl him round,
that son of Cadmus, and
raise him once again.(10)
And yet some god is
always there to help
140
[120]
and keep him far away
from Hades’ home.
[Turning towards Deianeira.]
With all respect we
must take issue with you
and counsel you against
such desperate grief.
We say it is not right
to wear away
your finer hopes. For
the son of Cronos,
the ruler who
accomplishes all things,
does not allot a
painless life to men.
Sorrow and joy revolve
for everyone,
just like the
constellation of the Bear,
[130]
whose stars keep moving
round in circles.
150
The glittering
magnificence of Night
does not remain in
place for mortal beings,
and nor do wealth and
sorrow—each of these
can in an instant
disappear, and then
great happiness or pain
return once more.
My queen, I’m urging
you to let these things
revive your hopes, for
who has ever known
Zeus to show no care
for his own children?
DEIANEIRA
What you have said
shows me you understand
that I am suffering.
But at your age
160
you are so innocent.
Ah, how I pray
you never learn the
life-destroying pain
I feel. Young growing
life is nourished
in sheltered regions of its own, undisturbed
by storms, or winds, or
Sun god’s scorching heat.
It lives with joy, free
from toil and torment,
until the virgin girl
becomes a wife
and bears her share of
troubles in the night,
fearing for her husband
and her children.
[150]
In such a situation, any woman
170
might sense the agonies
that weigh me down
by looking at her own
experience
and understand why so
many sorrows
have made me weep. But
there is one worry
greater than before
that I must speak of.
When, on his latest
journey, lord Herakles
set out from home, he
left here in the house
an ancient tablet
inscribed with symbols.
He’d never thought of
mentioning it before
when he was setting out
on some adventure,
180
one of his many
labours. He always left
full of confidence that
he would triumph,
not like a man about to
meet his death.
[160]
But this time, as if he
was going to die,
he told me what to take
as my inheritance
and what shares he had
assigned the children
of their father’s land.
And he set a date
for the division—he
insisted that,
once a year and three
months had elapsed
after his departure, he
was destined
190
either to perish then
and there, or else,
if he escaped the
danger at that time,
his life thereafter
would be trouble free.
He said that was the
fate set by the gods
to bring an end to
Herakles’ labours.
[170]
He added he had heard
the very same
from the ancient oak
tree at Dodona
which spoke out through
the two priestesses there.(11)
And now the time has
come when the truth
the oracle foretold
will be revealed
200
and what it said will
be fulfilled. That is why
my fears have roused me
from a gentle sleep.
I’m terrified, my
friends, I’ll be a widow,
forced to live without
the finest of all men.
CHORUS
You should not speak
now. Someone is coming—
I see a man wearing a
laurel crown,
a sign he brings good
news.
[Enter the MESSENGER, an old man.]
MESSENGER
Queen Deianeira,
[180]
I will be the first
messenger with news
to alleviate your
fears. I can report
that Alcmene’s son
lives—he has triumphed
210
and is now bringing
home fresh spoils of war
in honour of our native
country’s gods.
DEIANEIRA
What are you telling
me, old man?
MESSENGER
Your husband,
whom so many people
hold in high esteem,
will soon be coming
back—he will be here,
celebrating his
victorious triumph.
DEIANEIRA
Who told you this? Was
it a citizen
or some foreigner?
MESSENGER
The herald Lichas
has announced the news
to many people
in a summer pasture
where cattle graze.
220
I heard it from him,
and I rushed away,
so I could be the very
first to tell you
[190]
and benefit from doing
you a favour.
DEIANEIRA
If he has good news,
why is he not here?
MESSENGER
Lady, he can hardly
move. The Malians
have him surrounded, a
whole crowd of them,
standing in a circle
asking questions.
He cannot get away.
They’re all eager
to hear him tell them
what they wish to know
and won’t let Lichas
leave until he does.
230
So he’s being held up
there against his will,
because that’s what
those Malians demand.
But soon you will see
him arrive in person.(12)
DEIANEIRA
O Zeus, ruler of the
uncut meadows,
[200]
lands of Oeta
consecrated to you,
you bring us joy after
all these years!
Raise your voices, you
women in the house
and those outside the
hall—now we can reap
the bliss of the bright
dawn this message brings,
a happiness beyond my
fondest hopes.
240
CHORUS
Let those who are about
to be new brides
sing out with joyous
shouts for hearth and home,
and let the cries of
men arise in unison
for archer god Apollo,
our defender!
You young girls chant a
hymn of grateful praise.
[210]
Cry out to his sister,
the deer hunter,
Ortygian Artemis,
goddess holding high
a torch in either hand,
and to the nymphs,
our neighbours in this
land. I am raised up
and spurn no more the
music of the flute.
250
O tyrant of my heart!
And this ivy—
see how its leaves
excite me! Evoe!
It whirls me swiftly in
the Bacchic dance!
O Paean! Paean!(13)
[220]
[The Chorus dances in joyful celebration. They
stop suddenly as the Chorus leader sees Lichas approaching.]
CHORUS
Look there, dear lady!
You can witness the
good news as it unfolds
before your very eyes!
DEIANEIRA
My dear companions,
my eyes are keen enough
to notice things—
I see that group of
people coming here.
[Enter Lichas and some captive girls, including
Iole.]
DEIANEIRA [addressing Lichas]
Welcome, herald—a
joyful welcome home
after your long
absence—if you bring good news.
260
LICHAS
We are happy to be
home, my lady,
and delighted with
those words of welcome
appropriate to news of
noble deeds.
[230]
For when a man is truly fortunate
one’s greeting should
be kind and generous.
DEIANEIRA
Most welcome of
friends, tell me first of all
what I most need to
know. Can I expect
to see Herakles alive?
LICHAS
When I left,
he was alive and
well—in excellent health,
with no sign of any
serious illness.
270
DEIANEIRA
Where was he? In his
ancestral lands
or some barbarian
country? Tell me.
LICHAS
He was in Euboea—on a
headland,
setting up altars and
grounds of fruit trees
dedicated to the god
Cenaean Zeus.(14)
DEIANEIRA
Is he striving to
fulfil a promise
or did some oracle tell
him to do it?
LICHAS
It was a vow he made
when setting out
[240]
to ravage the country
of these women—
the prisoners you see
in front of you.
280
DEIANEIRA
These women—in the name
of the gods,
who are they? And who
do they belong to?
They deserve our pity,
unless their plight
deceives me about what
really happened.
LICHAS
They are your husband’s
captives. He chose them
as prizes for himself
and for the gods,
once he had ransacked
Eurytus’ city.
DEIANEIRA
And it was for this
city he stayed away
such an unimaginable
length of time,
all those countless
days?
LICHAS
No. Most of that time,
290
so he himself asserts,
he was not free,
but was a slave sold
into servitude
in Lydia. These words
must not upset you,
[250]
my lady, for lord Zeus arranged it all.(15)
He says he spent a year
in bondage there
toiling for Omphale, a
barbarian.
He was so stung by this
humiliation
he swore an oath that
one day he would fight
the person who had
brought about this shame
and force him, along
with wife and children,
300
to live as slaves. And
he kept that promise.
Once he had been
purified, he gathered
a mercenary army and
marched out
to overwhelm the land
of Eurytus.
[260]
Herakles claimed that of all living men
it was only Eurytus who
had caused
the shame and suffering
he had endured.(16)
He said he had once
gone to Eurytus
as an old comrade,
visiting him at home,
and Eurytus had
verbally attacked him
310
with many insults from
a spiteful mind,
alleging that in
contests with the bow
Herakles and his
unerring arrows
could never match the
skill of his own sons.
He sneered at Herakles,
saying he’d sunk
to being a free man’s
slave. Then one day
at dinner, when
Herakles was full of wine,
they threw him out.
Herakles was enraged.
Sometime later, he
noticed Iphitos
[270]
on the ridge at Tiryns following the trail
320
of some stray horses
that had wandered there—
his eyes were searching
for his animals,
but his mind was
elsewhere. So Herakles
threw Iphitos from a
towering summit.(17)
Angry at this act,
Olympian Zeus,
father of all, would
not condone it.
He sent Herakles away
to be sold
in bondage, because on
this occasion
he had used deceit to
murder someone.
If he had avenged
himself quite openly,
330
Zeus surely would have
pardoned Herakles
and said his victory
was just. Like us,
the gods do not love
reckless violence.
[280]
And so those people of Oechalia,
who took such pride in
saying evil things,
are all inhabitants of
Hades now.
Their city is enslaved.
These women you see,
who had a happy life,
have found a new one
that no one envies—and
so they come to you.
Those were your
husband’s orders, and now I,
340
his loyal servant, have
carried them out.
As for Herakles
himself, you can be sure
he will return, as soon
as he has made
a sacred offering to
his father Zeus
for conquering the
city. This last news,
after all the good
things I have told you,
will surely be the
sweetest words by far.
[290]
CHORUS
My lady, your happiness
is now complete.
Some of it is present
here before you,
and you have been
informed about the rest.
350
DEIANEIRA
Yes, how could I not be
fully justified
in feeling such delight
when I hear news
my husband’s mission
has enjoyed success.
For my own happiness
and his well being
are inseparably linked.
Nonetheless,
for anyone with a
judicious mind
there is in these
events some room for fear:
a man who has done well
may later fall.
My friends, a strange
feeling of compassion
comes over me when I
observe these girls,
360
poor, wretched exiles
in a foreign land—
[300]
homeless orphans, who
at some point perhaps
were daughters of free
men and who now
must spend their lives
as slaves. O lord Zeus,
who shifts the tides of
fortune in a war,
I pray I never see you
act like this
against a child of
mine, or if you do,
may I not be still
alive to see it.
I feel such fear when I
look at these girls.
[Deianeira singles out Iole and speaks directly to
her.]
You poor unfortunate
girl, who are you?
370
Are you unmarried? Do
you have children?
Judging by your
appearance, it would seem
you have no experience
of such things.
[Deianeira turns to Lichas.]
Lichas, this girl
here—who is her father?
[310]
Tell me. Looking at her, I feel pity,
more so than I do for
all the others—
she is the only one who
understands
the dire situation she
is facing.
LICHAS
How should I know? Why
would you ask me?
She does not appear to
be a daughter
380
of the humblest folk in
Oechalia.
DEIANEIRA
Could she come from the
ruling family?
Did Eurytus have any
children?
LICHAS
I do not know. We did
investigate,
but not in detail.
DEIANEIRA
What about her name?
Did you find that out
from her companions?
LICHAS
No. When I was carrying
out my work
I did not talk to them.
[Deianeira turns to speak to Iole.]
DEIANEIRA
Speak to me,
you poor girl, tell me
yourself in your own words.
I find it troubling not
knowing who you are.
390
LICHAS
If she keeps acting as
she has before,
she’ll hold her tongue.
She has not said a thing
in all this time, not
one word, great or small,
so heavy is the weight
of her misfortune.
Ever since she left her
windswept country,
not once has she
stopped shedding tears of grief—
for her this situation
is disastrous.
But we must make
allowances for that.
DEIANEIRA
Then leave her alone,
if that’s what she wants.
Let’s go in the palace.
There is no need
400
[330]
for me to add more pain to the distress
she feels already.
She’s been through enough.
We’ll all go in, so you
may quickly leave
wherever you desire,
and I can start
to organize
arrangements in the house.
[Lichas and the captive girls move towards the
palace. The Messenger detains Deianeira.]
MESSENGER
Before you go inside,
stay here a moment,
so you may learn,
without the others here,
just who those people
are you’re letting in.
You need to hear some
things you have not heard,
facts I know about—with
all the details.
410
DEIANEIRA
What are you saying?
Why detain me here?
MESSENGER
Stay and listen. My
earlier report—
[340]
you listened to that
and it was useful.
I think what I say now
will be the same.
DEIANEIRA
Shall I call the others
to come back here?
Or do you wish to speak
to me alone
before these women?
MESSENGER
To you and these women
I can speak freely. Let
the others go.
DEIANEIRA
Well, they have left.
Say what you have to say.
MESSENGER
Nothing Lichas said in
his report just now
420
was true—either what he
said then was false,
or else his earlier
news was not the truth.
DEIANEIRA
What are you saying?
Explain to me clearly
everything you know.
What you just told me—
I don’t know what that
means.
[350]
MESSENGER
I heard Lichas state
in front of a whole
crowd of witnesses
that it was for this
girl that Herakles
conquered the high
towers of Oechalia
and slaughtered
Eurytus. The only god
who enticed him to that
fight was Eros.
430
It was not about Lydia
at all,
where he slaved in
bondage to Omphale,
or about killing
Iphitos by hurling him
down to his death. But
Lichas now forgets
to mention Eros and
tells you something else.
Herakles could not
convince her father,
who had conceived the
girl, to offer him
his daughter as a
secret concubine,
[360]
so Herakles came up with a complaint,
a trivial pretext, and
launched a war
440
against her native
land, where Eurytus,
as Lycus mentioned, was
the reigning king.
He killed Eurytus, the
young girl’s father,
and sacked her city.
Now, as you can see,
on his way home he’s
sent her to this house.
He has not arranged all
that, my lady,
for no reason or to
make the girl a slave.
You should not assume
that’s his intention.
It’s not likely, not if
he is burning
with a hidden passion.
I thought it right
450
to report all this to
you, my lady,
every detail I picked
up from Lichas.
[370]
Many citizens of Trachis heard him speak,
as I did, in the public
gathering place.
They can confirm this.
If what I have said
is unwelcome news, then
I am sorry,
but nonetheless my
story is the truth.
DEIANEIRA
I feel so miserable.
What do I do?
What secret grief have
I let in my home?
This is disastrous for
me! Lichas swore
460
that this girl has no
name. But is that true?
MESSENGER
No. Her name and
parentage are famous.
That girl is the
daughter of Eurytus,
[380]
and people used to call her Iole.
Lichas could not inform
you of her birth
because, as he said, he
did not enquire.
CHORUS
Let all other
treacherous men be spared,
but may death and
destruction strike
the man who forges
devious secrets
by not being what he
seems.
DEIANEIRA
O my friends,
470
what do I do? The words
I have just heard
fill me with dread.
CHORUS
Go and question Lichas.
If you are willing to
press him on this,
you might soon force
him to reveal the truth.
DEIANEIRA
All right, I’ll go.
What you advise is good.
MESSENGER
Shall I wait for you
here? What should I do?
[390]
[Lichas appears, leaving the palace on his way to
return to Herakles.]
DEIANEIRA
Stay here. Lichas is
coming from the house
all on his own, without
my summoning him.
LICHAS
I’m leaving, my lady,
as you can see.
I’m off to rejoin
Herakles. Tell me
480
what I should say to
him.
DEIANEIRA
Your visit here
came very late, and now
you hurry off
so soon, before we’ve
had a chance to talk.
LICHAS
If there is anything
you need to know,
I am here.
DEIANEIRA
Will you tell me the honest truth?
LICHAS
Yes, by great Zeus, I
will—anything I know.
DEIANEIRA
Who is the woman you
brought here with you?
[400]
LICHAS
She is from Euboea. As
for her parents,
I really cannot tell
you.
MESSENGER
Look here, you!
Do you realize who
you’re talking to?
490
LICHAS
Who are you to ask me
such a question?
MESSENGER
If you understand what
I just asked you,
then be good enough to
give us a reply.
LICHAS
I am speaking to lady
Deianeira,
daughter of Oeneus,
wife of Herakles,
and, unless my eyesight
is deceiving me,
my royal mistress.
MESSENGER
That is precisely
what I wished to hear
you say. Now, you claim
this lady is your
mistress.
LICHAS
Yes, she is.
MESSENGER
All right then. In your
view, what punishment
500
[410]
would you deserve if
people now found out
that you were being
dishonest with her?
LICHAS
How am I dishonest? And
why on earth
are you making up such
stories?
MESSENGER
I’m not—
it’s you who’s
fabricating subtle lies.
LICHAS
I’m leaving. I was a
fool to waste time
listening to you.
MESSENGER
No, you’re not going,
not before you’ve
answered one short question.
LICHAS
Speak, if you have to.
You’re hardly someone
who’s about to hold his
tongue.
MESSENGER
That captive girl—
510
the one you just
escorted to the house—
you know the one I
mean?
LICHAS
Yes, I know the one.
Why do you ask me that?
MESSENGER
Did you not claim
that this girl, whom
you now say you don’t know,
was Iole, daughter of
Eurytas?
[420]
LICHAS
Who did I tell that?
Who will step forward
and testify for you he
heard me say it?
Where is he?
MESSENGER
You told a crowd of citizens
in that place where the
Trachinians gather.
Lots of them heard you
state her parentage
520
and her name.
LICHAS
People claim they heard me say that,
but stating what one
feels is not the same
as offering an accurate
report.
MESSENGER
What do you mean by
“stating what one feels”?
When you spoke there,
did you not give your oath
that you were bringing
back this girl Iole
to be Herakles’ bride?
LICHAS
Me? His bride?
Dear lady, in the name
of the gods, speak to me!
Tell me who this
stranger is!
[430]
MESSENGER
I’m someone
who was in the audience
when you said
530
Oechalia was completely
overrun
thanks to Herakles’
passion. It was not
Lydian Omphale who
destroyed it—
but his desire for the
girl.
LICHAS
My lady,
send this man away. It
is not prudent
to chatter with a
person who’s deranged.
DEIANEIRA
In the name of Zeus,
who hurls his lightning
down on the ridge-top
forest lands of Oeta,
do not obscure the
truth in your report!
You are not talking to
an evil woman
540
or one who does not
understand that men
are not by nature born
to find delight
[440]
in the same place
forever. So anyone
who, like a boxer,
raises her two fists
in a fight with Eros is
a thoughtless fool.
For Eros rules the gods
as he desires—
and he rules me.(18)
Why not another woman,
someone just like me?
It would be madness
for me to blame my
husband or this girl
if this disease now has
him in its grip.
550
She is his partner who
shares in something
that brings no shame on
them, no wrong to me.
That’s not the point.
But if you’ve learned to lie,
if he has taught you
that, then you have learned
[450]
an evil lesson. And if
you taught yourself
to act like this, you
will appear deceitful
when what you want is
to be sympathetic.
So do not lie. Tell me
the truth—all of it.
It is a fatal sickness
for someone free
to be called a liar.
And if you hope
560
you can still lie and
get away with it,
that will not happen,
for many people
listened to your
speech, and they will tell me.
If you are afraid, your
fears are groundless,
since what would hurt
me more than anything
is not to know the
truth. What is so horrible
about learning all the
facts? Is it not true
that Herakles has had
all sorts of women—
[460]
and more of them than
any other man?
And yet I did not
criticize or shame
570
a single one of them.(19)
And I will not
be any different now
with Iole,
not even if her passion
makes her melt.
When I looked at her I
felt real pity,
because her beauty has
destroyed her life
and because against her
will the poor girl
has ruined her country
and enslaved it.
But let the wind blow
all these things away.
As for you, you can
tell your lies to others,
but to me you must
always speak the truth.
580
CHORUS
You should do what she
says. It’s good advice.
[470]
You’ll have no grounds to blame her later on,
and you will have our
thanks.
LICHAS
Well then, dear lady,
I see you think as
mortal men should think
and do not cloud your
judgment. So I’ll speak—
I’ll tell you the
entire truth, hiding nothing.
It is as this man says.
Some time ago,
a fearful passion for
that girl pierced Herakles,
and because of her he
utterly destroyed
her father’s native
country, Oechalia,
590
and put it to the
sword. But to his credit—
I must add this—he
never ordered me
to hide the fact. Nor
did he deny it.
[480]
It was me. I feared
that telling you this news
would pain your heart,
and so I am at fault,
if in your judgment I
have been mistaken.
But now you know the
truth in every detail,
so you should show
compassion to this girl,
both for his sake and
for yours, and confirm
those words you spoke
just now. For with his hands
600
Herakles may overpower
all other things,
but passion for this
girl has conquered him.
DEIANEIRA
But that is how I do
intend to act.
[490]
I do not wish to lay upon myself
the burden of a war
against the gods.
That would be futile.
Let’s go in the house,
so you can carry back
some words from me,
and since one should
acknowledge gifts received
with one’s own gifts,
you can take these as well.
You brought such fine
things with you when you came,
610
It is not right that
you return with nothing,
[Deianeira and Lichas enter the palace.]
CHORUS
The glorious power of
Aphrodite
always triumphs! I will
not now relate
stories of the gods or
speak about
how she deceived lord
Zeus, son of Cronos,
[500]
or his brothers Hades,
lord of darkness,
and lord Poseidon,
shaker of the earth.(20)
But when Deianeira was
to be a bride,
what strong-armed men
came to compete for her
to be his wife? Who was
prepared to step
620
into that brutal battle
in the dust?
One of them was mighty
Achelöus
who came to her as a
four-legged bull
with arching horns. He
was a river god
from Oeniadae. The
other came from Thebes,
[510]
home of Bacchus,
carrying a curved bow
and brandishing his
spears and cudgel.
He was a son of Zeus.
The two of them
collided, each one
eager for a bride,
while Aphrodite, god of
nuptial joy,
630
sat in their midst as
sole impartial judge.
Then all at once there
was a thud of fists,
the bow string
quivered, the bull’s horns rattled—
and two men locking
arms in grappling holds,
[520]
butting each other’s
heads with deadly blows,
each man groaning from
the strain. Meanwhile,
the fair-eyed girl sat
on a distant hill,
waiting for the one she
was to marry.
The contest rages on,
as I describe,
while the bride these
men are fighting for
640
awaits the end in
anguish. Once that came,
like a lost calf, she
had to leave her mother.
[530]
[Deianeira enters from the palace. She is carrying
a small chest]
DEIANEIRA
My friends, our visitor
inside my home
is taking his leave of
those captive girls,
so I have slipped away,
out of the house,
to tell you of a plan I
have in mind
and to share with you
the pain I suffer.
For I have taken this
young maiden in
(who is, I think, no
maiden any more)
the way a man loads
cargo on his ship,
650
a freight that sets a
load upon my heart.
Now, under a single
blanket, each of us
will wait to be
embraced in Herakles’ arms.
[540]
That will be the reward
I get from him,
whom I have called a
true and faithful man,
for keeping his home
going all these years.
I cannot be angry with
him—this illness
has infected him so
often—but then,
to live together, share
the house with her,
the marriage, too. What
woman could bear that?
660
I see her youthful
beauty ripening,
while mine is in
decline, and Herakles
will turn his eye
toward those blossoms
he loves to pluck and
turn away from me.
That’s why I am afraid
that Herakles,
[550]
though he may still be
called my husband,
could well become the
younger woman’s man.
But, as I said, getting
angry makes no sense
for any woman who can
think things through.
And so, my friends, I
want to tell you this—
670
I have a way to deal
with all these fears
and bring myself
relief. Some time ago,
an age-old monster once
gave me a gift,
which I keep in a
bronze urn stashed away.
I picked it up when I
was still a girl
from the blood of
shaggy chested Nessus,
as he was dying. He was
a centaur,
who for a fee would
hold men in his arms
and take them through
the raging waters
of the Evenus, without
oars or sails
680
[560]
to help him ferry them
across the stream.(21)
He carried me, as well,
up on his shoulders,
when I was first a
bride and my father
had sent me off to
follow Herakles.
When we reached the
middle of the river,
Nessus’ carnal hands
began to grope me.
I screamed, and in an
instant Zeus’ son
turned round and shot a
feathered arrow
whistling through his
chest, deep into his lungs.
As he was dying, Nessus
said these words:
690
“Daughter of old man Oeneus, listen.
[570]
If you follow what I say, then this trip
will serve you well. You are the very last
I will ever take across this river.
With your own hands wipe up the clotted blood
around my wound, where that monstrous creature,
the Lernean Hydra, soaked the arrow
in its black bile. With that you will possess
a charm to win the heart of Herakles,
so he will never look at any woman
700
and love her more than he loves you.”(22)
My friends,
I thought about this
potion, which I kept,
after Nessus died,
locked away at home,
and I have just now
smeared this garment with it,
[580]
obeying everything that
Nessus said
while he was still
alive. Now I’ve finished.
I pray I’m never
capable of acting
in vicious ways—I hope
I never learn
such wicked things, for
I hate those women
who dare to practise
such malicious crimes.
710
But if this love potion
somehow helps me
prevail against the
girl and if its charms
do work on Herakles,
then I am ready—
unless you think my
plan is much too rash.
If that’s the case,
then I will end this.(23)
CHORUS
No, no. If there’s any
reason to believe
this charm will work,
as far as we’re concerned
what you’re proposing
is not wrong at all.
DEIANEIRA
I have faith in it—it
should be all right.
[590]
But I can’t be certain
until I try.
720
CHORUS
To find that out you
have to act. If not,
if you don’t try, you
never know for sure.
DEIANEIRA
We’ll find out soon
enough—I see the herald
already at the door. It
won’t be long
before he’s on his way.
But please make sure
this robe remains a
closely guarded secret.
For if our shameful
acts take place in darkness,
we will never fall and
be dishonoured.
[Enter Lichas from the house.]
LICHAS
Tell me your
instructions, child of Oeneus.
I have stayed here far
too long already.
730
DEIANEIRA
While you’ve been
inside talking to the women,
Lichas, I’ve been
preparing something for you.
[600]
Take this long woven
robe—a gift I made
with my own hands—to my
absent husband.
Give it to him, and
tell him not to let
any other person wear
it before he does
and not to expose it to
the sunlight
or to altar fires or a
blazing hearth,
until he stands there
visible to all,
displaying the robe in
public to the gods,
740
on a day when sacred
bulls are slaughtered.
For that is what I
vowed: if I ever saw
[610]
or heard that he was
safe and coming home,
it was my duty to dress
him in this robe
and show him to the
gods as a new man
in fresh clothes
offering them sacrifice.
You will take the token
stamped in this seal,
which he will recognize
quite easily.(24)
Now go. And, above all,
follow the rule—
messengers should never
seek to carry out
750
more than they are
told—and then, beyond that,
make sure you earn my
thanks as well as his,
and win yourself a
double gratitude.
LICHAS
If as a messenger I
have any skill
[620]
practising the art of
herald Hermes,
I will not fail to do
what you have asked.
I will take this casket
and give it to him
just as it is, and to
this gift I will add
assurances explaining
why you sent it.
DEIANEIRA
You may leave now, for
you have a good grasp
760
of how things stand
with us here in this house.
LICHAS
I understand. I’ll tell
him all is well.
DEIANEIRA
And you also know how I
received her—
that foreign
girl—because you witnessed it.
I welcomed her as if
she were a friend.
LICHAS
I did, and the sight
struck my heart with joy.
DEIANEIRA
What else is there to
tell? For I’m afraid
[630]
it is too soon to speak
of my desire,
until I know if he
desires me too.
[Lichas leaves in a direction away from the house.
Deianeira goes into the house.]
CHORUS
O you who live beside
the thermal springs
770
between the harbour and
the rocky cliffs
near Oeta’s mountain
and all those of you
along the Malian gulf’s
most inner shores
and headland rocks of
holy Artemis,
the archer goddess with
the golden bow,
there by the gateway of
Thermopylae,
the famous meeting
place of all the Greeks,
for you the lovely
music of the flute
[640]
will soon resound—not
harsh or piercing notes,
but lyric melodies and
sacred sounds.(25)
780
For Zeus’ son—the child
Alcmene bore—
is hurrying home and
bringing with him
trophies his matchless
excellence has won.
We thought he was
completely lost to us
somewhere at sea. We
waited twelve long months.
There was no news.
Meanwhile his loving wife,
[650]
her sad heart full of
grief, always in tears,
kept yearning for him.
Now angry Ares
has released her from
her days of sorrow.(26)
Let him come without
delay. O let him come!
790
May the ship with many
oars that carries him
keep sailing on until
he comes to us,
leaving far behind the
island altars,
where people say he
offers sacrifice.
And from that place, I
pray he reaches here
[660]
filled with new desire
for loving union,
won over by the charm
rubbed in his robe.
[Deianeira enters from the house.]
DEIANEIRA
My friends, all those
things I was just doing—
I’m afraid I’ve gone
too far!
CHORUS
What’s the matter,
Deianeira, daughter of
Oeneus?
800
DEIANEIRA
I’m not sure. But I’m
desperately worried.
Though I was hoping I
would make things better,
I may have made a
terrible mistake—
that’s how it will
look.
CHORUS
Is this about the gift,
that robe you sent to
Herakles?
DEIANEIRA
Yes.
We should never urge
people to act rashly
when we are not sure of
what will happen.
[670]
CHORUS
If you can, tell us why
you are afraid.
DEIANEIRA
My friends, I’ve just
witnessed an amazing sight!
You will be dumbfounded
when I tell you.
810
A white tuft of wool
from a sheep’s fleece,
the one I used just now
to smear the potion
on the ceremonial robe,
has vanished!
Nothing in the house
made it disappear—
no, it devoured
itself—it dissolved away
and crumbled into
powder on a stone!
But for you to
understand what happened,
I will have to give you
all the details.
I was careful to carry
out each step
[680]
the ferocious centaur
whispered to me
820
as he lay dying from
the arrow wound
deep in his side—they
were etched in my mind,
like words inscribed
indelibly in bronze.
I followed his
instructions to the letter.
I was to keep the
ointment stored away,
never near a fire or
the sun’s warm rays,
until the time I wished
to rub it on.
That’s what I did. A
little while ago,
when that moment came,
I smeared the ointment
on the robe. I did that
inside the house,
830
in secret. I used a
piece of soft wool
[690]
pulled from one of our
own sheep. After that,
I folded up my present
and placed it
in that empty casket,
out of the sun,
as you all saw. But
when I went back in,
I noticed something I
simply can’t explain,
a sight no human mind
can comprehend.
By chance I somehow
threw that bit of wool
I took to smear the
robe into a place
where it lay uncovered
in the sunshine.
840
As the tuft grew hot,
it shrivelled away
and crumbled into
powder on the floor.
It looked just like
those particles of wood
a saw produces as it
cuts through timber.
[700]
It’s still there, where
it fell. And from that spot,
from the earth where it
now lies, clotted foam
bubbles up, like the
rich blue juice of grapes
from vines of Bacchus
poured out on the ground.
Now I’m feeling
dreadful. I have no idea
how I sort this out.
All I know is this—
850
what I’ve done will end
in a disaster.
What reason did that
monstrous centaur have?
Why, as he lay dying,
did he show me
so much sympathy, when
I was the one
who brought about his
death? No, that’s not it.
He was tricking me—he
wanted to destroy
the one whose weapon
killed him. Now I see.
[710]
The knowledge comes too
late. It cannot help.
Unless I am quite wrong
in what I think,
then I alone—by some
ill-fated chance—
860
will be the one who
utterly destroys him.
I know the arrow that
brought down Nessus
could harm even a god,
as it did Cheiron,
and slaughter any
animal it touched.(27)
That same dark poisoned
juice was in the blood
oozing from the fatal
wound in Nessus.
How will it not kill
Herakles as well?
I think it must. But if
he is to die,
I am resolved that I
will die with him
and share the moment he
is swept away.
870
[720]
No noble woman who
respects her birth
can bear her life once
she has been disgraced.
CHORUS
When dreadful things
occur, we all must fear,
but before we know how
these events turn out,
we must not give up
hope.
DEIANEIRA
There is no hope,
not when one makes such
poorly thought-out plans.
We have no reason to
believe this will end well.
CHORUS
But men repress the
anger in their hearts
for those who make
mistakes by accident.
That’s how things stand
with you.
DEIANEIRA
No woman
880
whose actions have
ended in disaster
would say those words—a
woman who could
has never known real
sorrow in her home.
[730]
CHORUS
The best thing for you
now is to keep quiet,
unless you wish to talk
to your own son.
He left to find his
father. Now he’s back.
[Enter Hyllus.]
HYLLUS
Mother, as far as
you’re concerned, I wish
one of the following
three things was true—
that you were dead, or,
if you’re still alive,
that you were mother to
some other man,
890
or else that you could
somehow trade that heart
you now possess for
something better.
DEIANEIRA
What is it, my son?
What could I have done
to make you hate me so?
HYLLUS
You want to know?
I’ll tell you. Today
you killed your husband—
my father!
[740]
DEIANEIRA
My son, what are you saying?
HYLLUS
I’m telling you the
truth—what really happened.
No one can erase what
he has witnessed.
DEIANEIRA
What do you mean,
Hyllus? Who told you this?
Why do you charge me
with this awful crime?
900
HYLLUS
I did not hear of it
from someone else.
I saw my father’s
desperate agony
with my own eyes.
DEIANEIRA
Where did you find your father?
Where did you join him?
HYLLUS
If you have to know,
then I should tell you
everything that happened.
Once Herakles had
ravaged Oechalia,
[750]
Eurytus’ splendid city,
he left,
taking, as trophies of
his victory,
the choicest spoils of
war. In Euboea,
on Cape Cenaeum, a
promontory
910
washed on both sides by
the sea, he set up
altars and groves
sacred to father Zeus.
That’s where I first
saw him. I was overjoyed.
He was about to start a
splendid sacrifice,
when Lichas arrived,
his personal herald,
bringing with him that
gift of yours from home,
a deadly robe. My
father put it on,
as you instructed, and
began the rite
by offering up his
finest plunder,
twelve flawless bulls.
Many different victims,
920
[760]
a hundred sacrificial
beasts in all,
were led up to that
altar. At the start,
my poor ill-fated
father was relaxed,
as he prayed with a
serene heart, happy
to be wearing that
ceremonial robe.
But once the blood-red
flames began to blaze
above the sacred
offerings and sizzling wood,
his skin began to
sweat, and the garment
stuck against his
sides, as if some craftsman
had plastered it with
glue to every joint.
930
Spasms of biting pain
attacked his bones,
and then the poison,
like lethal venom
[770]
from
some vile snake, started to
consume him.
At that point he called
for wretched Lichas,
who was not in any way
at all to blame
for this evil act of
yours, asking him
what treasonous plot he
was engaged in
when he brought the
robe. Poor hapless Lichas,
quite ignorant of what
was happening,
told Herakles he had
delivered your gift
940
exactly as it was when
he received it.
When Herakles heard
this, a piercing spasm
attacked his lungs. He
seized hold of Lichas
by the ankle and threw
him out to sea,
[780]
onto a surf-washed
rock, smashing his skull
to fragments, and the
white stuff in his brain
oozed out through his
hair. When the gathered crowd
saw my father in such a
frantic state
and Lichas lying dead,
they howled with grief.
No one wanted to get
close to Herakles,
950
for he was having a
convulsive fit,
rolling on the ground,
leaping in the air,
yelling and screaming,
and all around him
the cries re-echoed
from high mountain cliffs
in Locris and the
headlands in Euboea.
When he grew weary from
hurling himself
down
on the earth over and over again
[790]
in agony and from his
howls of pain
he started cursing his
ill-suited marriage
to a woman like you, a
worthless wife,
960
a union encouraged by
Oeneus,
where, by winning you,
he ruined his life.
Then in the middle of
the altar smoke
enveloping him, he
raised his maddened eyes
and saw me in the
crowd. I was weeping.
He stared at me and
then cried out:
“My son,
come over here. Don’t run away from me
when I’m in trouble, even if that means
you have to die with me. Come, lift me up.
What matters now is to get me away
970
to a place no mortal man can see me.
[800]
If you feel any sympathy at all,
at least take me as quickly as you can
to somewhere else, so I don’t die here.”
One he had given me
these instructions,
we placed him on board
ship and carried him
to Trachis, convulsed
with pain and groaning.
It was an agonizing
trip.(28)
You’ll see him
soon enough—though I
have no idea
if he is still alive or
has just died.
980
And that, mother, is
what makes you guilty—
the plans you made and
later carried out
against my father. May
avenging Justice
and the Furies see that
you are punished!
I pray for that, if
such a prayer is just.
It must be, for to me
you have thrown aside
[810]
all sense of what is
right by murdering
the finest man of all
those on this earth,
whose equal you will
never see again.
[Deianeira moves silently towards the palace
door.]
CHORUS [to Deianeira as she is about to enter the
house]
You are leaving without
saying a word?
990
Surely you know that by
staying silent
you will be pleading
your accuser’s case?
[Deianeira goes into the palace.]
HYLLUS
Let her go. And let the
fair winds blow her
somewhere far away,
where I no longer
have to look at her.
Why dignify her
with the name of
“mother”? What she has done
reveals that she is
nothing like a mother.
Let her go. Good
riddance! I hope she finds
the happiness she has
given my father.
[820]
[Hyllus exits away from the palace.]
CHORUS
My friends, see how
suddenly the words
1000
uttered by that oracle
so long ago
reveal themselves to
us—for they foretold
that after all the
months had passed that fill
the time it takes to
have twelve harvest seasons,
the labours of the son
of Zeus would end.
And now those words are
surely being fulfilled.
For once a man no
longer sees the light,
how can he ever toil in
slavery again?
[830]
And if the centaur’s
murderous deceit
infects his sides and
he is now held tight
1010
in a venomous net that
sticks to him,
whose poison Death
itself engendered
and a glittering
serpent nursed, then how,
when the fearful hydra
has him in its grip,
will he survive to see
another sunrise?
The treacherous words
of black-haired Nessus
prepared the fatal
whips tormenting him,
leaving him confused,
writhing in pain,
and his body blistering
from poison.
[840]
His poor wife did not
foresee such evil.
1020
She only had a sense
that his new marriage
would quickly cause
distress inside her home.
And so she acted,
following advice
a stranger at that
fatal meeting gave.
Because of that she now
groans in despair
and sheds thick tears
like softly falling dew.
The coming doom brought
on by that deceit
[850]
is heralding a
catastrophic fall.
A river of our tears
has broken out,
as the poison spreads.
Alas, this sickness
1030
rouses our pity for
splendid Herakles,
more so than any other
hardship
his enemies have ever
made him suffer.
O you, the dark head of
the battle spear
fighting in the
foremost ranks, how swiftly
in earlier days your
warlike spirit
led your bride from
Oechalia’s heights!
But Cyprian goddess
Aphrodite,
working in silence, has
clearly been
[860]
the one who brought
this to fruition.
1040
[There is a cry from within the palace.]
CHORUS MEMBER 1
Is my imagination
tricking me,
or did I just hear
someone shouting out
inside the house?
What’s going on in there?
CHORUS MEMBER 2
The sound was clear
enough—a cry of grief.
Some new calamity has
struck this house.
[The Nurse comes through the doors of the palace.]
CHORUS MEMBER 3
The old woman is coming
out to us.
Look at that frown on
her. She seems strange.
She has some news for
us.(29)
[870]
NURSE
O my children,
that gift has brought
us nothing but disaster—
the one she sent to
Herakles.
CHORUS
Tell us,
1050
old woman. What’s
happened now?
NURSE
She’s gone.
Deianeira has left on
her last journey,
without a single step
away from home.
CHORUS
You mean to tell us she
is dead?
NURSE
Yes.
That’s what I said.
CHORUS
What? The lady’s dead?
NURSE
I’ve already told you
twice.
CHORUS
Poor doomed lady!
Can you tell us how she
died?
NURSE
It was cruel—
the most pathetic way
to die.
CHORUS
Tell us, woman.
Describe what happened.
NURSE
She took her life.
CHORUS
What passionate madness
drove her to it,
1060
like the sharp point on
a murderous spear?
One death after
another—how could she
plan and carry this out
all by herself?
NURSE
With a grim blow from
an iron sword.
CHORUS
You poor fool! Did you
see what happened?
NURSE
Yes, I saw. I was
standing close to her.
CHORUS
What happened? How did
she do it? Tell me.
[890]
NURSE
She chose to kill
herself by her own hand.
CHORUS
What are you saying?
NURSE
I’m telling you the truth.
CHORUS
The new bride Iole has
given birth—
1070
she has delivered her
first-born child,
a mighty spirit of
vengeance in the house.
NURSE
That’s true. If you’d
been there and witnessed
how she did it, you’d
pity her much more.
CHORUS
And could a woman’s
hand dare such an act?
NURSE
Indeed it could—and it
was horrible.
I’ll describe it, and
then you can confirm
if what I say is true.
She was alone
when she came in the
house and saw her son
[900]
getting a stretcher
ready in the courtyard,
1080
so he could go back and
rejoin his father.
She hid where no one
else could see her,
and lying down before
the family altars,
she moaned that they
were being abandoned.
When poor Deianeira
touched anything
familiar to her from
habitual use,
she wept, and, as she
wandered aimlessly
here and there
throughout the house, if she glimpsed
one of her cherished
personal attendants,
she cried aloud with
sorrow at the sight,
1090
lamenting her own fate
and the future
[910]
of her children in a
shattered household.(30)
Then she stopped, and I
saw her suddenly
rush in the bedroom
where her husband sleeps.
I hid where I could
secretly observe her.
I watched the woman
spreading coverlets
on Herakles’ bed. Once
she had finished,
she climbed up on the
bed and sat there,
in the middle, burst
into tears, and cried,
“Ah, my marriage bed and bridal chamber,
1100
[920]
farewell—now and forever. Never again
will you welcome me as Herakles’ wife
beneath these covers.”
After she said this, her hand
with an urgent motion
unpinned her dress
where the brooch of
beaten gold was fastened
just above her breast.
Then she uncovered
her entire left side
and arm. I ran off
with all the strength I
had and warned her son
of what his mother was
about to do.
But by the time the two
of us returned,
1110
we found her dead. We
saw that she had forced
[930]
a two-edged sword into
her side and heart.
Her son screamed out
when he caught sight of her,
for the poor lad
realized his anger
had driven her to it.
He’d learned too late
from servants in the
house that what she did
in carrying out what
Nessus told her
was done in ignorance.
Hyllus collapsed,
stunned with grief. He
could not stop weeping,
moaning over her,
covering her with kisses.
1120
He lay down right
beside her, whimpering
he was the one who’d
falsely charged her
[940]
with horrendous crimes.
He was crying,
because he would now
become an orphan
and have to live
without her and his father.
That’s how this has
ended. So any man
who reckons on tomorrow
or on days to come
is foolish. For there
is no tomorrow,
until today has safely
come and gone.
[Nurse exits into the house.]
CHORUS
Which calamity do I
weep for first?
1130
For which one do I feel
more pity?
I do not know, for all
I feel is grief.
The one death we have
seen here in our home,
[950]
the other we are
waiting for with dread.
To see it and to wait
feel much the same.
O how I wish some
strong and favouring wind
might rise up in my
home and carry me
far from this place.
Let me not die from fear
[960]
at the mere sight of
Zeus’ mighty son.
For people say that he
is coming home
1140
in agony for which
there is no cure—
a fearful wonder no
words can describe.
[A group carrying Herakles appears, moving slowly
towards the house. The group is led by an Old Man.]
The man I was lamenting
earlier,
like a shrill
nightingale, is drawing near
in a strange looking
group of foreigners.
How are they carrying
great Herakles?
They are moving slowly
and in silence,
as if they are in
mourning for a friend.
They bear him here, and
no one says a word.
What should I think? Is
he asleep or dead?
1150
[970]
[Hyllus enters from the house and moves up to meet
the group carrying Herakles.]
HYLLUS
Alas, father, I feel so
sad for you.
And what is to become
of me?
What should I do?
OLD MAN [pulling Hyllus aside]
My child, do not talk to him,
in case you reawake the
savage pain
that makes him furious.
He is alive,
but only just. Bite
your tongue in silence.
HYLLUS
What are you saying,
old man? Is he alive?
OLD MAN
Do not wake him up when
he is sleeping!
My boy, you’ll just
provoke his brutal illness,
which comes and goes.
Do not bring it back!
1160
[980]
HYLLUS
But I find this
suffering unbearable!
My heart’s on fire!
HERAKLES [waking up]
O Zeus, what land is this?
Who are these people
standing round me,
as I lie here in
never-ending pain?
Aaaaiii, that hurts!
The monster bites again!
OLD MAN
Did I not tell you it
would be better
to stay silent? You’ve
chased his sleep away!
His eyes and mind have
woken up.
[990]
HYLLUS
I cannot stand it
when I see him tortured
in this way.
HERAKLES
O Cenaea, where I built
my altars,
1170
have the offerings I
made there earned
this harsh reward? O
Zeus! In what torments
you have placed me,
such agonizing pain.
In this miserable
state, how I wish
these eyes of mine had
never seen you,
had never sensed this
flowering madness
which no spell can
relieve. What magician,
[1000]
what skillful healer,
other than lord Zeus,
can charm away this
lethal pestilence?
If only I could see
someone like that,
1180
and he could work some
far-fetched miracle!
[Hyllus and the Old Man try to ease Herakles’ pain
by adjusting his position on the stretcher.]
O let me be! Leave me
to my death pains!
My final sleep! Why are
you touching me?
Where are you moving
me? You’re killing me!
Just killing me! The
pain was slumbering,
and now you’ve woken it
once more! Aaaaiiii!
It’s seizing me and
creeping up again!
[1010]
You men, you most
unrighteous of all Greeks,
where are you from? I
spent a weary life
in forests and at sea
helping the Greeks
1190
by ridding them of
monsters, and now,
when I’m in agony from
this disease,
will no one help me
with his sword or fire?
Aaaaaiiii! Is no one
willing to come here
and, with a single
blow, slice off the head
from this accursed
body? Alas! Alas!
OLD MAN [giving up trying to reposition Herakles]
Son of Herakles, I
cannot manage this.
I am not strong enough.
You must shift him.
You have more strength
to help him than I do.
HYLLUS
I’m holding him, but
nothing I can do,
1200
[1020]
with or without other
people’s help,
will give me what I
need to free his life
from dreadful pain.
Zeus has so decreed.
HERAKLES
My boy, where are you?
Come, grab hold of me
and lift me up.
Aaaaiii! Aaaaiii! O god!
This savage illness is
flaring up again—
nothing anyone can do
will stop it.
It’s leaping up and
ripping me to pieces!
[1030]
O Pallas, Pallas—I’m
being tortured!(31)
My boy, show your
father some compassion.
1210
Pull out that sword of
yours and strike me here,
under my collar bone.
No one will blame you.
Heal this pain, which
your perfidious mother
has used to drive me
mad. I only hope
I see her die like
this—in the same way
she’s murdered me. O
gentle Hades,
[1040]
brother of Zeus, let me
rest and sleep.
Let swift-winged death
do away with me
and bring my life of
suffering to an end.
CHORUS
My friends, it makes me
shudder when I hear
1220
how much our lord is
suffering. A man like him
faced with such
misfortune!
HERAKLES
My hands and shoulders
have had to cope with
many dangerous tasks,
where pain was real,
not some made-up story,
but Zeus’ wife and
vicious Eurystheus
never placed a grievous
burden on me
worse than the one now
fastened to my back
by that false-eyed
girl, Oeneus’ daughter,
[1050]
this clinging net woven
by the Furies
in which I’m dying.
Pasted to my ribs,
1230
it eats away my flesh,
and settling down
deep in my lungs it
chokes my windpipe.
It has already sucked
my warm fresh blood
and wasted my whole
body, binding me
in chains so harsh they
cannot be described.
No battle spearman, no
armed companies
of earth-born Giants,
no savage creatures,
no part of Greece or
any foreign place,
[1060]
nor any of those lands
I came to cleanse
could ever do a thing
like this to me.(32)
1240
But now a woman, a
feeble woman,
whose nature is not
masculine at all,
has overpowered me all
by herself.
She did not even use a
sword! My boy,
it’s time you showed
you are my true-born son,
a child who does not
hold your mother’s name
in greater honour than
your father’s. Bring her
from the house—escort
her personally—
and hand her to me, so
I can clearly see
whether you grieve more
to view my body
1250
tortured in this way or
to look at hers
when she receives the
punishment she’s earned.
Go now, my son. Be
firm. And pity me.
[1070]
To many I’ve become an
abject thing,
moaning and weeping
like a virgin girl,
a sight no man has ever
seen before.
In earlier days, when I
was in distress,
I never cried, but in
this wretched state
I find I’ve now become
a whining woman.
Come here and stand
beside your father.
1260
See how much this
poison makes me suffer.
I’ll take this covering
off and show you.
Look! Inspect this
mutilated body—
all of you! See how
wretched I am now,
[1080]
how pitiful. Aaaaiiii!
I can’t endure it!
Another crippling spasm
is scalding me,
slicing through my
ribs, and I must grapple
with this ravenous
pestilence once more,
as it consumes me. O
lord Hades, take me!
O thunderbolt of Zeus,
strike me! My lord,
1270
my father, hurl down
your fire on my head!
Let lightning strike!
This plague devours me.
Its scorching flame has
broken out again!
O you hands of mine,
you hands and shoulders,
chest, and lovely arms.
These are the same arms
[1090]
whose power overwhelmed
that creature
that terrorized all
herdsmen in Nemea,
a savage lion no man
would approach
or dare confront. You
triumphed in that fight
with the Lernaean Hydra
and held off
1280
that vicious, insolent,
and lawless horde
of wild beasts with a
double form, who move
like horses and whose
strength is unsurpassed.
You overcame the
Erymanthian boar,
captured the
three-headed whelp of Hades,
fierce Echidna’s child,
a monstrous hound
no man could defeat,
and killed that serpent
in the remotest corner
of the world
[1100]
guarding the golden
fruit.(33)
I have endured
these hardships and a
thousand other trials.
1290
No one has ever been
declared the winner
in any fight against
these hands of mine.
But now in this
miserable condition,
my arms and legs have
lost their strength,
and my body has been
torn to pieces,
ravaged by destruction
no one can see!
I, who, according to
what people say,
was born from the very
noblest mother.
I, who am called a son
of starry Zeus.
But there is one thing
you can be sure of—
1300
although I cannot move
and may be nothing,
the woman who has
brought all this about
will feel the strength
I still have in my hands.
Just let her come out
here. She’ll soon learn
[1110]
and let all people know
that that in my death,
as in my life, I made
the guilty pay.
CHORUS
Ah, poor Greece! I see
so much misfortune
looming up for you, if
you lose this man.
HYLLUS
Father, your pause now
prompts me to speak up.
Please listen to me,
even though you’re ill,
1310
for I’m appealing to
your sense of justice.
Hear what I have to
say. Do not react
with that quick rage
which gnaws upon your heart.
If you grow too
enraged, you’ll never see
that in this situation
your resentment
and the joy you seek
taking your revenge
are out of place.
HERAKLES
Say what it is you want
[1120]
and then be quiet. I am
far too sick
to grasp what you are
chattering about.
HYLLUS
I’m here to talk to you
about my mother—
1320
where she is now and
how by accident
she made a terrible
mistake.
HERAKLES
You traitor!
You mentioned her again
and in my presence—
that mother of yours
wh0 killed your father!
HYLLUS
Yes. What’s happened
makes it unacceptable
for me to hold my
tongue.
HERAKLES
To hold your tongue
would be completely
unacceptable,
considering the evil
she has done.
HYLLUS
Once you have learned
what she has done today,
you will not talk like
that.
HERAKLES
Then speak up.
1330
But be careful you do
not betray me.
HYLLUS
I will speak. She is
dead. She has just been killed.
[1130]
HERAKLES
Who killed her? That is
astounding! But still,
it is not right that
she was slain by someone else.
HYLLUS
She killed herself.
There was no ‘someone else.’
HERAKLES
Ah no! Before my hands
could slaughter her,
as she deserves.
HYLLUS
If you heard her story,
that overwhelming rage
you feel would change.
HERAKLES
A strange thing to say
as you begin to speak!
Tell me what you mean.
HYLLUS
The truth is this—
1340
she made a great
mistake, but she meant well.
HERAKLES
Traitor! She killed
your father! Was that good?
HYLLUS
When she saw your new
wife in her home,
she thought she ought
to try to win you back
by applying a love
charm. But she failed.
HERAKLES
And who in Trachis
deals in charms like that?
[1140]
HYLLUS
The centaur Nessus told
her long ago
the potion would
rekindle your desire.
HERAKLES
Ah, then this is the
end. Alas for me,
a miserable wretch now
at death’s door.
1350
I can no longer see the
light of day.
It is my time to die.
At last I see
how matters stand with
me. My son, go now—
for your father is no
longer with you.
Go summon your entire
family here,
including my poor
mother, Alcmene,
whose love affair with
Zeus was all in vain,
so all of you can hear
before I die
what I have learned
from holy oracles.
[1150]
HYLLUS
Your mother is not
here. She moved away
1360
to Tiryns by the sea.
Some of your children
have been taken there
for her to raise,
and others, you will
learn, now live in Thebes.
But those of us still
here with you, father,
will do what must be
done, at your command.
HERAKLES
Then listen to the work
you have to do.
You are called my son,
and the time has come
for you to show the
kind of man you are.
Years ago my father
made this prophecy—
no creature still alive
and breathing air
1370
would ever kill me. No.
My death would come
[1160]
from someone dead,
already down in Hades.
And now this savage
centaur, although dead,
has robbed me of my
life, as Zeus foretold.
I will explain to you
how later oracles
support the earlier one
and thus confirm
the ancient utterance.
I wrote them down
in the sacred precincts
of the Selli,
hill-dwellers who still
sleep upon the ground.
There my father’s oak
tree, which prophesies
1380
through many different
tongues, revealed to me
that when the day
arrived which has now come
I would be released
from all the labours
[1170]
life had laid upon me,
and I believed
this meant I would
enjoy a peaceful life.(34)
But I can see it only
meant that I would die,
for the dead no longer
face a life of toil.
Now, my boy, since
these words are coming true,
you must be my ally and
stand with me.
Don’t hesitate—you’ll
just provoke my rage.
1390
Agree to work with me,
like a good child
who has discovered the
most important rule—
when fathers speak,
their sons must all obey.
HYLLUS
Yes, father. At this
point in our discussion
I have some serious
concerns, but still,
I will be guided by
what you think best.
[1180]
HERAKLES
Then to begin with, set
your right hand in mine.
HYLLUS
Why? What promise do
you want from me?
What are you urging me
to do?
HERAKLES
Give me your hand,
and do not disobey.
HYLLUS
Here is my hand.
1400
I will not deny you
anything you ask.
HERAKLES
Now swear by the head
of Zeus, my father.
HYLLUS
To do what? Can you
tell me what it is?
HERAKLES
To carry out the task I
will assign you.
HYLLUS
I swear it—may lord
Zeus be my witness.
HERAKLES
Now pray that if you
fail to keep this oath
then you may suffer
some calamity.
HYLLUS
That will not happen,
since I’ll keep my oath.
[1190]
But I will make that
prayer.
HERAKLES
All right then.
You know the highest
point on Oeta,
1410
Zeus’ sacred mountain?
HYLLUS
I know it well.
I’ve often stood up
there to sacrifice.
HERAKLES
With your own hands you
must raise my body
and carry it up there,
helped by your friends,
as many as you want.
Once in that place,
chop down several
trees—deep rooted oaks
and tough wild
olives—for a funeral pyre.
Place my body there,
and with a pine torch
set the pyre alight. Do
not mourn or weep.
If you are indeed my
son, do not lament.
1420
Shed no tears. If you
do cry, my anger
[1200]
and my curse will weigh
you down forever,
even though I will be
dead.
HYLLUS
But father,
think about what you
are asking of me!
Is this the kind of
task you’d have me do?
HERAKLES
I’ve told you what you
need to carry out.
If you refuse, then
find another father,
and no longer call
yourself my son.
HYLLUS
No, no, father. This is
too much to ask—
to murder you and thus
pollute myself
1430
by killing my own
blood.
HERAKLES
That’s not the issue.
You will be curing my
disease—you alone
will be the healer
dealing with my pain.
HYLLUS
If I burn your body,
will that cure it?
[1210]
HERAKLES
If that’s what you
fear, at least do all the rest.
HYLLUS
I won’t refuse to carry
you up there.
HERAKLES
Will you make the pyre,
as I requested?
HYLLUS
I’ll construct the
pyre. But these hands of mine
will not light the
fire. I won’t let you down.
I’ll do all the other
tasks you mention.
1440
HERAKLES
All right. That will be
sufficient. And now,
as a favour to me, one
small request,
to add to these
important ones.
HYLLUS
I’ll do it—
no matter how difficult
the task may be.
HERAKLES
You know the daughter
of king Eurytus?
HYLLUS
The girl Iole? Is that
the one you mean?
[1220]
HERAKLES
Yes, she’s the one. I’m
asking you, my son,
if you desire to treat
me as you should
once I am dead,
remember what you swore,
the oath you made your
father, and marry her—
1450
make her your wife. Do
not deny your father.
No other man but you
must ever have her,
this woman who has lain
in bed beside me.
No. You, my son, must
undertake this marriage.
Do as I command. The
gratitude I feel
for the great favours
you have done for me
will disappear, if in
minor matters
you do not later treat
me with respect.
HYLLUS
It would be wrong for
me to lose my temper
[1230]
when you’re so ill, but
how could anyone
1460
endure to hear you
saying things like that?
HERAKLES
You do not mean to do
what I have asked?
That’s what your words
suggest.
HYLLUS
How on earth could I?
She alone is guilty of
my mother’s death!
And she’s to blame for
what’s going on with you!
What man would ever
choose to marry her,
unless some demon
spirits of revenge
infected him? O father,
I would prefer
to perish rather than
to share my life
with those I most
detest.
HERAKLES
It seems to me
1470
you are unwilling to
respect my wishes,
even when I’m dying. If
you disobey,
the curses of the gods
will lie in wait.
[1240]
HYLLUS
I think you are about
to show me
how suffering is
driving you insane.
HERAKLES
Yes, for you are now
provoking the disease
that sleeps inside me.
HYLLUS
This is all too much!
I feel so torn! I don’t
know what to do!
HERAKLES
That’s because you
don’t believe it’s right
to obey the father who
produced you.
1480
HYLLUS
But father, are you not
instructing me
to disrespect the gods?
HERAKLES
There’s no disrespect,
if what you do brings
pleasure to my heart.
HYLLUS
When you order me to
marry Iole
do you consider such an
action just?
HERAKLES
I do—and I call the
gods as witnesses.
HYLLUS
Then I will not
refuse—but I pray the gods
will witness what
you’re telling me to do,
[1250]
so I can never be
condemned as evil
for doing what my
father asked of me.
1490
HERAKLES
You’ve reached the
right conclusion. Now hurry,
my boy, to perform that
favour—place me
on my funeral pyre
before the pain returns
to contort my body and
torment me.
Come on all of you—lift
me now. Hurry!
This is indeed a rest
from all my troubles—
the final end of mortal
Herakles.
[The group of people around Herakles approach his
bed and prepare to lift him.]
HYLLUS
Nothing will interrupt
this task, father.
Our duty is to follow
your commands.
HERAKLES
Come on then, before
you wake my sickness.
1500
O my unyielding soul,
give me a steel clamp
[1260]
to force my lips
together like two stones
and stifle any cries,
for your task delights me,
though you are doing it
against your will.
HYLLUS
You who are coming with
me, raise him up,
and grant me your
forgiveness for what I do,
acknowledging in these
events how gods
can be so cruel. They
bring forth children
and are called their
fathers, yet they can watch
those children suffer
in this way. No one
1510
can see the future.
What’s happening now
[1270]
for us is full of
sorrow and for gods above
a source of shame, but
for the mortal man
who has to bear this
dreadful suffering
these moments are the
harshest fate of all.
[Hyllus addresses the Chorus.]
You young girls of
Trachis, do not stay here
beside the palace. You
all have witnessed
strange and calamitous
death, much sorrow,
and suffering no one
has known before—
but in this there is
nothing that is not Zeus.(35)
1520
[The Chorus moves away, followed by the procession
carrying Herakles]
POSTSCRIPT
Herakles died on the funeral pyre, as he had demanded. The fire was lit by Philoctetes, a warrior leader. For this service Philoctetes was awarded Herakles’ bow and poisoned arrows. Hyllus married Iole and they had two children. In some traditional accounts, Hyllus later avenged his father by killing Eurystheus.
ENDNOTES
(1) Note that
the speeches assigned to the Chorus include those spoken by the Chorus Leader,
by part of the Chorus, by a single member of the Chorus, and by all of the
Chorus, as a director of a production will determine.
[Back to Text]
(2) Trachis is a town just north of
Delphi, near Thermopylae. It was renamed Heraklea Trachinia in 426 BC.
[Back to Text]
(3) Achelöus is pronounced as four
syllables: Ach-el-o-us, hence the dieresis over the o.
[Back to Text]
(4) The Chorus offers some details of
the fight between Achelöus and Herakles below at 622 ff. The Roman poet Ovid
provides a long account of the struggle (as described by Achelöus) in
Metamorphoses (Book 9, lines 1 ff.). [Back
to Text]
(5) The phrase “that man” is a
reference to Eurystheus, for whom Herakles had to perform the twelve labours.
[Back to Text]
(6) The stranger who has provided a
home for Herakles and his family is, according to the traditional stories, Ceÿx,
the king of Trachis (Jebb). [Back
to Text]
(7) The Lydian woman is Omphale,
queen of Lydia (in Asia Minor). To atone for the murder of Iphitos, the Delphic
Oracle decreed that Herakles had to work for her as hired help for a period of
one year, a doubly shameful task for Herakles, because Omphale was a woman and
because she was a barbarian (i.e., not Greek).
[Back to Text]
(8) Euboea is a long and narrow
island very close to the east coast of the Greek mainland.
[Back to Text]
(9) Jebb notes that the phrase “twin
continents” refers to Europe and Asia (with Africa included in the latter) and
that expression means, in effect, “in the habitable world.”
[Back to Text]
(10) Herakles was not literally a
“son of Cadmus” or linked to the founder of Thebes in any blood relationship.
Herakles’ family came from Argos. However, as a result of a family quarrel
between Herakles’ mortal father, Amphitryon, and his uncle Electryon, in which
the latter was killed, the family moved to Thebes, where Herakles was born.
Also, as Jebb notes, youthful Herakles “had been adopted into the ‘Cadmean’
nobility of Thebes.” [Back
to Text]
(11) At Zeus’ Oracle at Dodoma,
prophetic signs were taken from the rustling leaves in an ancient oak tree.
These were then interpreted by two priestesses called the Peleiades.
[Back to Text]
(12) The Malian Gulf was about six
miles from Trachis. [Back
to Text]
(13) Ortygia was an island where
Apollo and Artemis were born to their mother Leto (their father was Zeus). The
music of the flute (the “tyrant of my heart”) was associated with ecstatic
religious worship, especially in the rituals of the god Dionysus (as was ivy,
his sacred plant). “Evoe” is an ecstatic cry associated with the worship of
Dionysus. The ivy is probably worn by members of the chorus in their hair.
Bacchus is another name for Dionysus. Paean was the name of the Greek god of
healing and is sometimes used (as here) in celebrations invoking Apollo.
[Back to Text]
(14) Cenaeum was a headland in
Euboea where there was a temple to Zeus. [Back
to Text]
(15) Zeus had ordered Hermes to take
Herakles to Lydia and sell him to Omphale. This was a punishment for the murder
of Iphitos. The humiliation of Herakles is obviously a potential source of shame
for him and his family, but Lichas excuses his public recitation of the “shame”
by informing Deianeira that Zeus is responsible for these events.
[Back to Text]
(16) Jebb notes that this notion of
purification may simply refer to the year Herakles spent serving Omphale (the
punishment imposed by Zeus for the killing of Iphitos) or it may also include a
formal ritual purification at an appropriate place. Eurytus was king of Oechalia
and the father of Iphitos. In some stories about Herakles, he was ordered as
part of his purification to pay compensation to Eurytus for the death of
Iphitos, but Herakles’ offer was refused (another reason for his anger at
Eurytus). [Back to Text]
(17) Traditional stories indicate
that Herakles threw Iphitos from the top of the walls of Tiryns. Many
commentators prefer the notion that he threw his victim from a cliff up on the
ridge. The Greek supports either notion. Jebb (in his commentary on this line)
has a useful discussion of the options. [Back
to Text]
(18) In Greek mythology Eros—the god
of erotic passion—was one of the original gods, a son of Chaos. Later stories
make him the son of Aphrodite, goddess of sexual love (in Roman mythology he
becomes Cupid). [Back to
Text]
(19) The various women with whom
Herakles had sons are listed by Apollodorus (2.7.8), as follows: “And he had
sons by the daughters of Thespius, to wit: by Procris he had Antileon and
Hippeus (for the eldest daughter bore twins); by Panope he had Threpsippas; by
Lyse he had Eumedes; . . . he had Creon; by Epilais he had Astyanax; by Certhe
he had Iobes; by Eurybia he had Polylaus; by Patro he had Archemachus; by Meline
he had Laomedon; by Clytippe he had Eurycapys; by Eubote he had Eurypylus; by
Aglaia he had Antiades; by Chryseis he had Onesippus; by Oriahe [he] had
Leomenes; by Lysidice he had Teles; by Menippis he had Entelides; by Anthippe he
had Hippodromus; by Eury . . . he had Teleutagoras; by Hippo he had Capylus; by
Euboea he had Olympus; by Nice he had Nicodromus; by Argele he had Cleolaus; by
Exole he had Erythras; by Xanthis he had Homolippus; by Stratonice he had
Atromus; by Iphis he had Celeustanor; by Leothoe he had Antiphus; by Antiope he
had Alopius; by Calmetis he had Astybies; by Phyleis he had Tigasis, by
Aeschreis he had Leuconies; by Anthea . . . ; by Eurypyle he had Archedicus; by
Erato he had Dynastes; by Asopis he had Mentor; by Eone he had Smestrius; by
Tiphyse he had Lyncaeus; by Olympeusa he had Halocrates; by Heliconis he had
Phalias; by Hesychia he had Oestrobles; by Terpsicrate he had Euryopes; by
Elachia he had Buleus; by Nicippe he had Antimachus; by Pyrippehe [he] had
Patroclus; by Praxithea he had Nephus; by Lysippe he had Erasippus; by Toxicrate
he had Lycurgus; by Marse he had Bucolus; by Eurytele he had Leucippus; by
Hippocrate he had Hippozygus. These he had by the daughters of Thespius. And he
had sons of other women: by Deianira, daughter of Oeneus, he had Hyllus,
Ctesippus, Glenus and Onites; by Megara, daughter of Creon, he had Terimachus,
Deicoon, and Creontiades; by Omphale he had Agelalus, from whom the family of
Croesus was descended, by Chalciope, daughter of Eurypyus, he had Thettalus; by
Epicaste, daughter of Augeas, he had Thestalus; by Parthenope, daughter of
Stymphalus, he had Everes; by Auge, daughter of Aleus, he had Telephus; by
Astyoche, daughter of Phylas, he had Tlepolemus; by Astydamia, daughter of
Amyntor, he had Ctesippus; by Autonoe, daughter of
Pireus, he had Palaemon.” (Translated by J. G. Frazier at
http://www.theoi.com/Text/
Apollodorus2.html). [Back
to Text]
(20) Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon were
all sons of Cronos (and thus brothers). They drew lots to determine which parts
of the earth each should rule. Zeus won the sky, Hades the underworld (hence, he
is “lord of darkness”), and Poseidon the sea. Poseidon is called “shaker of the
earth” because he is also god of earthquakes. Each of these major deities was at
some point tricked by Aphrodite into one or more erotic entanglements.
[Back to Text]
(21) A centaur was a legendary
creature that was part man, part horse. This combination was usually imagined in
one of two different ways: (1) a human torso (with arms) and head attached to
the horse at the base of the horse’s neck; (2) a human body (with legs) attached
to the back two-thirds of a horse. Nessus appears here to be in the second group
(according to Jebb, who calls the first group hippo-centaurs and the second
group andro-centaurs). The Evenus was a river in western Greece, well-known for
it dangerous current. [Back
to Text]
(22) The Hydra was terrifying
monster with nine heads, living in Lerna. In his second labour, Herakles had to
kill the beast. He attacked the heads, but every time he smashed one, two more
would grow in its place, a process which Herakles dealt with by burning the
creature’s flesh as soon as he had demolished a head, thus preventing the
emergence of more heads in that place. After he had killed the Hydra, Herakles
dipped his arrows in its blood, in order to make them lethal. Nessus is urging
Deianeira to collect the Hydra’s venom which was on Herakles’ arrow and which
has now seeped into his blood around the wound.
[Back to Text]
(23) Jebb points out (in his
commentary on line 582) that the use of love potions was regarded suspiciously,
since the results were often disastrous. Hence Deianeira’s wish to reassure the
Chorus of her intentions and to secure their approval.
[Back to the Text]
(24) The “token” Deianeira mentions
is probably a wax seal on the box containing the robe Lichas is to take to
Herakles. The imprint from her ring would be in the seal.
[Back to Text]
(25) Jebb points out that meetings
of the Amphictyonic Council (a religious council made up of delegates from a
number of independent Greek states) were held near Thermopylae.
[Back to Text]
(26) This reference to Ares
presumably means that by driving Herakles to war and victory, the god of war has
freed him to come home and thus relieve Deianeira’s worries.
[Back to Text]
(27) Cheiron (or Chiron), a son of
Cronos (father of Zeus), was the most famous and respected of all centaurs. He
was a friend of Herakles, but the latter shot him accidentally with a poisoned
arrow. Cheiron was divine and could not die, but he could not be cured of the
excessive pain caused by the wound. Eventually, in a bargain with Zeus, Cheiron
gave up his immortality in exchange for the release of Prometheus (whom Zeus had
chained a rock). [Back
to Text]
(28) Jebb notes that this journey
would involve rowing the ship from Cape Cenaeum to a harbour near Thermopylae (a
distance of about 18 miles) and then a land trip (with the sailors carrying
Herakles) of about six miles to Trachis. [Back
to Text]
(29) The three short speeches by
Chorus Members 1, 2, and 3 are sometimes combined into a single speech spoken by
the Chorus Leader. [Back
to Text]
(30) The meaning of this line is
obscure. The general sense is that the death of Herakles and the disgrace and
death of Deianeira would destroy their family household, and all their property,
including their servants, would be taken over by others.
[Back to Text]
(31) Pallas is a common name for the
goddess Pallas Athena. Herakles was her half-brother. As Jebb notes, Athena is
frequently depicted in art and story as a guardian and comforter of Herakles.
[Back to Text]
(32) The Giants were monsters born
from goddess Earth. When they sought to overthrow the Olympian gods in battle,
Herakles fought on the side of the Olympians. [Back
to Text]
(33) In the first of his famous
twelve labours (set by Eurystheus) Herakles was sent to deal with a monstrous
lion that was terrorizing a city in the Peloponnese. The animal’s fur made it
invulnerable to any weapon. Herakles knocked the animal out with his club and
strangled it. Then he skinned the lion and from then on wore the lion’s pelt as
a garment (the skin retained its invulnerable qualities). Killing the Hydra, a
water monster living in lake Lerna, was the second of Herakles’ labours. The
creature had numerous heads and, if one head was chopped off, two more would
grow back in its place (see endnote 22 above). The wild beasts with a double
form are centaurs (see endnote 21 above). Herakles had to fight a crowd of them
when, while travelling to confront the Erymanthian boar, he visited the centaur
Pholos. The centaurs were aroused by the smell of wine and attacked Herakles and
Pholos. Herakles killed most of them. Herakles set out to capture the
Erymanthian boar in his fourth labour; he tied the creature up and brought it
back to Eurystheus. The “three-headed whelp of Hades” is Cerberus, a huge dog
guarding the gates of the underworld, a child of the monster Echidna. In his
final labour Herakles captured Cerberus and brought him back to Eurystheus, who
was so terrified of the beast that he ordered Herakles to return it. In his
eleventh labour, Herakles was charged with bringing back the famed golden apples
in the Garden of the Hesperides located where the sun sets in the evening (i.e.,
in the far west). The apples were a divine gift and conferred immortality. To
protect the fruit, Zeus’ wife Hera had placed a serpent with a hundred heads
(named Ladon) in the grove where the apples grew. Herakles killed the serpent.
[Back to Text]
(34) At Zeus’ temple in Dodona, the
rustling sounds in a sacred oak tree were interpreted by priestesses (see Note
11 above). The Selli were a tribe living around Dodona. The comment about their
sleeping on the ground is (according to Jebb) an indication that the Selli were
a very old tribe with primitive customs. [Back
to Text]
(35) Jebb notes that the final lines
of the play (1275-1278 in the Greek; 1526-1530 in the English) have sometimes
been assigned to the Chorus (or Chorus Leader) but that “a majority of modern
editors” assigns them to Hyllus. [Back
to Text]
A NOTE ON THE TRANSLATOR
Ian Johnston is an Emeritus
Professor at Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, British Columbia. He is the
author of The Ironies of War: An Introduction to Homer’s Iliad and of Essays and
Arguments: A Handbook for Writing Student Essays. He also translated a number of
works, including the following:
Aeschylus, Oresteia (Agamemnon,
Libation Bearers, Eumenides)
Aeschylus, Persians
Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound
Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes
Aeschylus, Suppliant Women
Aristophanes, Birds
Aristophanes, Clouds
Aristophanes, Frogs
Aristophanes, Knights
Aristophanes, Lysistrata
Aristophanes, Peace
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (Abridged)
Cuvier, Discourse on the Revolutionary Upheavals
on the Surface of the Earth
Descartes, Discourse on Method
Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy
Diderot, A Conversation Between D’Alembert and
Diderot
Diderot, D’Alembert’s Dream
Diderot, Rameau’s Nephew
Euripides, Bacchae
Euripides, Electra
Euripides, Hippolytus
Euripides, Medea
Euripides, Orestes
Homer, Iliad (Complete and Abridged)
Homer, Odyssey (Complete and Abridged)
Kafka, Metamorphosis
Kafka, Selected Shorter Writings
Kant, Universal History of Nature and Theory of
Heaven
Kant, On Perpetual Peace
Lamarck, Zoological Philosophy, Volume I
Lucretius, On the Nature of Things
Nietzsche, Birth of Tragedy
Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil
Nietzsche, Genealogy of Morals
Nietzsche, On the Uses and Abuses of History for
Life
Ovid, Metamorphoses
Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin and Foundations
of Inequality Among Men [Second Discourse]
Rousseau, Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts
[First Discourse]
Rousseau, Social Contract
Sophocles, Antigone
Sophocles, Ajax
Sophocles, Electra
Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus
Sophocles, Oedipus the King
Sophocles, Philoctetes
Wedekind, Castle Wetterstein
Wedekind, Marquis of Keith.
Most of these translations have been published as
books or audiobooks (or both)—by Richer Resources Publications, Broadview Press,
Naxos, Audible, and others.
Ian Johnston maintains a web site where texts of these
translations are freely available to students, teachers, artists, and the
general public. The site includes a number of Ian Johnston’s lectures on these
(and other) works, handbooks, curricular materials, and essays, all freely
available.
The addresses where these texts are available is as
follows:
http://johnstoniatexts.x10host.com/