Since, then, my son, those words are clearly finding their

fulfilment, thou, on thy part, must lend me thine aid. Thou must not
delay, and so provoke me to bitter speech: thou must consent and

help with a good grace, as one who hath learned that best of laws,
obedience to a sire.

HYLLUS
Yea, father,- though I fear the issue to which our talk hath

brought me,- I will do thy good pleasure.
HERACLES

First of all, lay thy right hand in mine.
HYLLUS

For what purpose dost thou insist upon his pledge?
HERACLES

Give thy hand at once- disobey me not!
HYLLUS

Lo, there it is: thou shalt not be gainsaid.
HERACLES

Now, swear by the head of Zeus my sire!
HYLLUS

To do what deed? May this also be told?
HERACLES

To perform for me the task that I shall enjoin.
HYLLUS

I swear it, with Zeus for witness of the oath.
HERACLES

And pray that, if thou break this oath, thou mayest suffer.
HYLLUS

I shall not suffer, for I shall keep it:- yet so I pray.
HERACLES

Well, thou knowest the summit of Oeta, sacred to Zeus?
HYLLUS

Ay; I have often stood at his altar on that height.
HERACLES

Thither, then, thou must carry me up with thine own hands, aided
by what friends thou wilt; thou shalt lop many a branch from the

deep-rooted oak, and hew many a faggot also from the sturdy stock of
the wild-olive; thou shalt lay my body thereupon, and kindle it with

flaming pine-torch.
And let no tear of mourning be seen there; no, do this without

lament and without weeping, if thou art indeed my son. But if thou
do it not, even from the world below my curse and my wrath shall

wait on thee for ever.
HYLLUS

Alas, my father, what hast thou spoken? How hast thou dealt with
me!

HERACLES
I have spoken that which thou must perform; if thou wilt not, then

get thee some other sire, and be called my son no more!
HYLLUS

Woe, woe is me! What a deed dost thou require of me, my
father,-that I should become thy murderer, guilty of thy blood!

HERACLES
Not so, in truth, but healer of my sufferings, sole physician of

my pain!
HYLLUS

And how, by enkindling thy body, shall I heal it?
HERACLES

Nay, if that thought dismay thee, at least perform the rest.
HYLLUS

The service of carrying thee shall not be refused.
HERACLES

And the heaping of the pyre, as I have bidden?
HYLLUS

Yea, save that I will not touch it with mine own hand. All else
will I do, and thou shalt have no hindrance on my part.

HERACLES
Well, so much shall be enough.- But add one small boon to thy

large benefits.
HYLLUS

Be the boon never so large, it shall be granted.
HERACLES

Knowest thou, then, the girl whose sire was Eurytus?
HYLLUS

It is of Iole that thou speakest, if I mistake not.
HERACLES

Even so. This, in brief, is the charge that I give thee, my son.
When am dead, if thou wouldest show a pious remembrance of thine

oath unto thy father, disobey me not, but take this woman to be thy
wife. Let no other espouse her who hath lain at my side, but do

thou, O my son, make that marriage-bond thine own. Consent: after
loyalty in great matters, to rebel in less is to cancel the grace that

bad been won.
HYLLUS

Ah me, it is not well to be angry with a sick man: but who could
bear to see him in such a mind?

HERACLES
Thy words show no desire to do my bidding.

HYLLUS
What! When she alone is to blame for my mother's death, and for

thy present plight besides? Lives there the man who would make such
choice, unless he were maddened by avenging fiends?

Better were it, father, that I too should die, rather than live
united to the worst of our foes!

HERACLES
He will render no reverence, it seems, to my dying prayer.- Nay,

be sure that the curse of the gods will attend thee for disobedience
to my voice.

HYLLUS
Ah, thou wilt soon show, methinks, how distempered thou art!

HERACLES
Yea, for thou art breaking the slumber of my plague.

HYLLUS
Hapless that I am! What perplexities surround me!

HERACLES
Yea, since thou deignest not to hear thy sire.

HYLLUS
But must I learn, then, to be impious, my father?

HERACLES
'Tis not impiety, if thou shalt gladden my heart.

HYLLUS
Dost thou command me, then, to do this deed, as a clear duty?

HERACLES
I command thee,- the gods bear me witness!

HYLLUS
Then will I do it, and refuse not,- calling upon the gods to

witness thy deed. I can never be condemned for loyalty to thee, my
father.

HERACLES
Thou endest well; and to these words, my son, quickly add the

gracious deed, that thou mayest lay me on the pyre before any pain
returns to rend or sting me.

Come, make haste and lift me! This, in truth, is rest from
troubles; this is the end, the last end, of Heracles!

HYLLUS
Nothing, indeed, hinders the fulfilment of thy wish, since thy

command constrains us, my father.
HERACLES (chanting)

Come, then, ere thou arouse this plague, O my stubborn soul,
give me a curb as of steel on lips set like stone to stone, and let no

cry escape them; seeing that the deed which thou art to do, though
done perforce, is yet worthy of thy joy!

HYLLUS (chanting)
Lift him, followers! And grant me full forgiveness for this; but

mark the great cruelty of the gods in the deeds that are being done.
They beget children, they are hailed as fathers, and yet they can look

upon such sufferings.
(The attendants raise HERACLES

on the litter and move slowly off, as HYLLUS chants
to the CHORUS in the closing lines.)

No man foresees the future; but the present is fraught with
mourning for us, and with shame for the powers above, and verily

with anguish beyond compare for him who endures this doom.
Maidens, come ye also, nor linger at the house; ye who have lately

seen a dread death, with sorrows manifold and strange: and in all this
there is nought but Zeus.

-THE END-
.

• witness [´witnis] n.见证人 vt.目击 (初中英语单词)
• sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)
• thereupon [,ðeərə´pɔn] ad.因此；于是 (初中英语单词)
• mourning [´mɔ:niŋ] n.悲伤；治丧；戴孝 (初中英语单词)
• spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• guilty [´gilti] a.有罪的；心虚的 (初中英语单词)
• physician [fi´ziʃən] n.(内科)医生 (初中英语单词)
• dismay [dis´mei] n.惊慌 vt.使惊慌 (初中英语单词)
• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)
• cancel [´kænsəl] vt.删去；勾销；放弃 (初中英语单词)
• slumber [´slʌmbə] v.&n.睡眠；沉睡状态 (初中英语单词)
• arouse [ə´rauz] vt.唤醒，唤起；激起 (初中英语单词)
• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)
• chorus [´kɔ:rəs] n.合唱；齐声 v.合唱 (初中英语单词)
• linger [´liŋgə] v.逗留；留恋；拖延 (初中英语单词)
• finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)
• provoke [prə´vəuk] vt.挑拨；煽动；引起 (高中英语单词)
• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)
• summit [´sʌmit] n.顶(点)；绝顶 (高中英语单词)
• sturdy [´stə:di] a.坚强的；坚定的 (高中英语单词)
• kindle [´kindl] v.点燃；(使)激动 (高中英语单词)
• murderer [´mə:dərə] n.杀人犯，凶手 (高中英语单词)
• remembrance [ri´membrəns] n.记忆(力)；回忆 (高中英语单词)
• plight [plait] n.境况；困境；苦境 (高中英语单词)
• reverence [´revərəns] n.尊敬；敬畏；尊严 (高中英语单词)
• methinks [mi´θiŋks] vi.据我看来 (高中英语单词)
• loyalty [´lɔiəlti] n.忠诚；忠心；忠实 (高中英语单词)
• plague [pleig] n.瘟疫 vt.使...染疫 (高中英语单词)
• stubborn [´stʌbən] a.顽固的；坚持的 (高中英语单词)
• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)
• forgiveness [fə´givnis] n.原谅，饶恕；宽仁 (高中英语单词)
• cruelty [´kru:əlti] n.残忍；残酷行为 (高中英语单词)
• litter [´litə] n.杂乱 v.乱丢 (高中英语单词)
• anguish [´æŋgwiʃ] n.(极度的)痛苦；苦恼 (高中英语单词)
• disobey [,disə´bei] v.不服从；不听命令 (英语四级单词)
• manifold [´mænifəuld] a.多样的；多种特征的 (英语四级单词)
• nought [nɔ:t] n.=naught (英语四级单词)
• weeping [´wi:piŋ] a.&n.哭泣(的) (英语六级单词)
• hindrance [´hindrəns] n.障碍，妨碍 (英语六级单词)
• espouse [i´spauz] vt.拥护，支持；娶 (英语六级单词)
• impious [´impiəs] a.不敬的；不孝的 (英语六级单词)
• calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)
• fulfilment [ful´filmənt] n.完成，成就 (英语六级单词)
• fraught [frɔ:t] a.充满...的 (英语六级单词)