HECUBA [4]
to move him. Here is thy plea: he to hath children, so that he can feel for thy sad fate. POLYXENA Odysseus, I see thee hiding thy right hand beneath thy robe and turning away thy face, that I may not touch thy beard. Take heart; thou art safe from the suppliant's god in my case, for I will follow thee, alike because I must and because it is my wish to die; for were I loth, a coward should I show myself, a woman faint of heart. Why should I prolong my days? I whose sire was king of all the Phrygians?-my chiefest pride in life, Then was I nursed on fair fond hopes to be a bride for kings, the centre of keen jealousy amongst suitors, to see whose home I would make my own; and o'er each dame of Ida I was queen; ah me! a maiden marked amid her fellows, equal to a goddess, save for death alone, but now slave! That name first makes me long for death, so strange it sounds; and then maybe my lot might give me to some savage master, one that would buy me for money,-me the sister of Hector and many another chief,-who would make me knead him bread within his halls, or sweep his house or set me working at the loom, leading a life of misery; while some slave, bought I know not whence, will taint my maiden charms, once deemed worthy of royalty. No, never! Here I close my eyes upon the light, free as yet, and dedicate myself to Hades. Lead me hence, Odysseus, and do thy worst, for I see naught within my reach to make me hope or expect with any confidence that I am ever again to be happy. Mother mine! seek not to hinder me by word or deed, but join in my wish for death ere I meet with shameful treatment undeserved. For whoso is not used to taste of sorrow's cup, though he bears it, yet it galls him when he puts his neck within the yoke; far happier would he be dead than alive, for life of honour reft is toil and trouble. LEADER A wondrous mark, most clearly stamped, doth noble birth imprint on men, and the name goeth still further where it is deserved. HECUBA A noble speech, my daughter! but there is sorrow linked with its noble sentiments. Odysseus, if ye must pleasure the son of Peleus, and avoid reproach, slay not this maid, but lead me to Achilles' pyre and torture me unsparingly: 'twas I that bore Paris, whose fatal shaft laid low the son of Thetis. ODYSSEUS 'Tis not thy death, old dame, Achilles' wraith hath demanded of the Achaeans, but hers. HECUBA At least then slaughter me with my child; so shall there be a double draught of blood for the earth and the dead that claims this sacrifice. ODYSSEUS The maiden's death suffices; no need to add a second to the first; would we needed not e'en this! HECUBA Die with my daughter I must and will. ODYSSEUS How so? I did not know I had a master. HECUBA I will cling to her like ivy to an oak. ODYSSEUS Not if thou wilt hearken to those who are wiser than thyself. HECUBA Be sure I will never willingly relinquish my child. ODYSSEUS Well, be equally sure I will never go away and leave her here. POLYXENA Mother, hearken to me; and thou, son of Laertes, make allowance for a parent's natural wrath. My poor mother, fight not with our masters. Wilt thou be thrown down, be roughly thrust aside and wound thy aged skin, and in unseemly wise be torn from me by youthful arms? This wilt thou suffer; do not so, for 'tis not right for thee. Nay, dear mother mine give me thy hand beloved, and let me press thy cheek to mine; for never, nevermore, but now for the last time shall I behold the dazzling sun-god's orb. My last farewells now take! O mother, mother mine! beneath the earth I pass. HECUBA O my daughter, I am still to live and be a slave. POLYXENA Unwedded I depart, never having tasted the married joys that were my due! HECUBA Thine, my daughter, is a piteous lot, and sad is mine also. POLYXENA There in Hades' courts shall I be laid apart from thee. HECUBA Ah me, what shall I do? where shall I end my life? POLYXENA Daughter of a free-born sire, a slave I am to die. HECUBA Not one of