lose this man



HYLLUS

Father, since thy pause permits an answer, hear me, afflicted



though thou art. I will ask thee for no more than is my due. Accept my

counsels, in a calmer mood than that to which this anger stings



thee: else thou canst not learn how vain is thy desire for

vengeance, and how causeless thy resentment.



HERACLES

Say what thou wilt, and cease; in this my pain I understand nought



of all thy riddling words.

HYLLUS



I come to tell thee of my mother,- how it is now with her, and how

she sinned unwittingly.



HERACLES

Villain! What- hast thou dared to breathe her name again in my



hearing,- the name of the mother who hath slain thy sire?

HYLLUS



Yea, such is her state that silence is unmeet.

HERACLES



Unmeet, truly, in view of her past crimes.

HYLLUS



And also of her deeds this day,- as thou wilt own.

HERACLES



Speak,- but give heed that thou be not found a traitor.

HYLLUS



These are my tidings. She is dead, lately slain.

HERACLES



By whose hand? A wondrous message, from a prophet of ill-omened

voice!



HYLLUS

By her own hand, and no stranger's.



HERACLES

Alas, ere she died by mine, as she deserved!



HYLLUS

Even thy wrath would be turned, couldst thou hear all.



HERACLES

A strange preamble; but unfold thy meaning.



HYLLUS

The sum is this;- she erred, with a good intent.



HERACLES

Is it a good deed, thou wretch, to have slain thy sire?



HYLLUS

Nay, she thought to use a love-charm for thy heart, when she saw



the new bride in the house; but missed her aim.

HERACLES



And what Trachinian deals in spells so potent?

HYLLUS



Nessus the Centaur persuaded her of old to inflame thy desire with

such a charm.



HERACLES

Alas, alas, miserable that I am! Woe is me, I am lost,- undone,



undone! No more for me the light of day! Alas, now I see in what a

plight stand! Go, my son,- for thy father's end hath come,- summon,



I pray thee, all thy brethren; summon, too, the hapless Alcmena, in

vain the bride of Zeus,- that ye may learn from my dying lips what



oracles know.

HYLLUS



Nay, thy mother is not here; as it chances, she hath her abode

at Tiryns by the sea. Some of thy children she hath taken to live with



her there, and others, thou wilt find, are dwelling in Thebe's town.

But we who are with thee, my father, will render all service that is



needed, at thy bidding.

HERACLES



Hear, then, thy task: now is the time to show what stuff is in

thee, who art called my son.



It was foreshown to me by my Sire of old that I should perish by

no creature that had the breath of life, but by one that had passed to



dwell with Hades. So I have been slain by this savage Centaur, the

living by the dead, even as the divine will had been foretold.



And I will show thee how later oracles tally therewith, confirming

the old prophecy. I wrote them down in the grove of the Selli,



dwellers on the hills, whose couch is on the ground; they were given

by my Father's oak of many tongues; which said that, at the time which



liveth and now is, my release from the toils laid upon me should be

accomplished. And I looked for prosperous days; but the meaning, it



seems, was only that should die; for toil comes no more to the dead.

• wretched [´retʃid] a.可怜的；倒霉的 (初中英语单词)


• slumber [´slʌmbə] v.&n.睡眠；沉睡状态 (初中英语单词)


• beheld [bi´held] behold的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)


• cunning [´kʌniŋ] a.&n.狡猾(诡诈)的 (初中英语单词)


• marvel [´mɑ:vəl] n.令人惊异的事；奇迹 (初中英语单词)


• greece [gri:s] n.希腊 (初中英语单词)


• fierce [fiəs] a.残忍的；强烈的 (初中英语单词)


• resource [ri´zɔ:s] n.手段；智谋 (初中英语单词)


• captive [´kæptiv] n.俘虏；捕获物 (初中英语单词)


• warrior [´wɔriə] n.勇士，战士 (初中英语单词)


• savage [´sævidʒ] a.野蛮的 n.蛮人 (初中英语单词)


• miserable [´mizərəbəl] a.悲惨的；可怜的 (初中英语单词)


• violent [´vaiələnt] a.强暴的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)


• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)


• dragon [´drægən] n.龙 (初中英语单词)


• triumph [´traiəmf] n.胜利 vi.得胜，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• mourning [´mɔ:niŋ] n.悲伤；治丧；戴孝 (初中英语单词)


• lately [´leitli] ad.近来，不久前 (初中英语单词)


• prophet [´prɔfit] n.预言家；先知；提倡者 (初中英语单词)


• couldst [kudst] can的第二人称单数 (初中英语单词)


• dwelling [´dweliŋ] n.住所；寓所 (初中英语单词)


• perish [´periʃ] v.灭亡；消灭；(使)死去 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• divine [di´vain] a.神圣的 v.预言 (初中英语单词)


• therewith [ðɛə´wið] ad.于是，随即 (初中英语单词)


• release [ri´li:s] vt&n.释放；放松；赦免 (初中英语单词)


• prosperous [´prɔspərəs] a.繁荣的；顺利的 (初中英语单词)


• restraint [ri´streint] n.抑制；管束；克制 (高中英语单词)


• madness [´mædnis] n.疯狂；狂热 (高中英语单词)


• plague [pleig] n.瘟疫 vt.使…染疫 (高中英语单词)


• stricken [´strikən] strike的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• shudder [´ʃʌdə] n.&vi.震颤；发抖 (高中英语单词)


• shrink [ʃriŋk] v.收缩；退缩；畏缩 (高中英语单词)


• torment [´tɔ:ment] vt.(使)痛苦，折磨 (高中英语单词)


• plight [plait] n.境况；困境；苦境 (高中英语单词)


• scourge [skə:dʒ] v.&n.鞭(打)；严惩 (高中英语单词)


• confront [kən´frʌnt] vt.(使)面对；正视 (高中英语单词)


• monstrous [´mɔnstrəs] a.怪异的；庞大的 (高中英语单词)


• underground [,ʌndə´graund] ad.&a.地下(的) (高中英语单词)


• countless [´kauntlis] a.无数的 (高中英语单词)


• tidings [´taidiŋz] n.消息，音信 (高中英语单词)


• summon [´sʌmən] vt.召集；号召 (高中英语单词)


• prophecy [´prɔfisi] n.预言(能力) (高中英语单词)


• frenzy [´frenzi] n.&vt.(使)狂乱 (英语四级单词)


• touching [´tʌtʃiŋ] a.动人的 prep.提到 (英语四级单词)


• whence [wens] ad.从何处；从那里 (英语四级单词)


• afflict [ə´flikt] vt.使痛苦；折磨 (英语四级单词)


• grievous [´gri:vəs] a.痛苦的；严重的 (英语四级单词)


• righteous [´raitʃəs] a.正直的；正当的 (英语四级单词)


• wrestle [´resəl] n.&v.摔交；搏斗；角力 (英语四级单词)


• thunderbolt [´θʌndəbəult] n.雷电，霹雳 (英语四级单词)


• trusty [´trʌsti] a.可靠的 n.可信任的 (英语四级单词)


• dweller [´dwelə] n.居住者；居民 (英语四级单词)


• commune [´kɔmju:n] n.公社 (英语四级单词)


• lawless [´lɔ:ləs] a.无法无天的 (英语四级单词)


• prowess [´prauis] n.勇猛；技术；本领 (英语四级单词)


• starry [´stɑ:ri] a.星光照耀的，闪亮的 (英语四级单词)


• nought [nɔ:t] n.=naught (英语四级单词)


• wondrous [´wʌndrəs] a.极好的 ad.惊人地 (英语四级单词)


• unfold [ʌn´fəuld] v.展开；显露，表明 (英语四级单词)


• wretch [retʃ] n.不幸的人；卑鄙的人 (英语四级单词)


• inflame [in´fleim] v.(使)发炎；恼火 (英语四级单词)


• whereon [weər´ɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语六级单词)


• hapless [´hæpləs] a.不幸的；倒楣的 (英语六级单词)


• merciful [´mə:sifəl] a.仁慈的；宽大的 (英语六级单词)


• blameless [´bleimlis] a.无可责难的 (英语六级单词)


• wherewith [wɛə´wiθ] ad.用什么；用以 (英语六级单词)


• deliverer [di´livərə] n.投递者；拯救者 (英语六级单词)


• weeping [´wi:piŋ] a.&n.哭泣(的) (英语六级单词)