unpunished? This must be dared. But the bringing forward words of
tenderness in my mind arises also from my cowardice. Go, my children, into
the house; and he for whom it is not lawful to be present at my sacrifice,
let him take care himself to keep away.[31] But I will not stain my hand.
Alas! alas! do not thou then, my soul, do not thou at least perpetrate
this. Let them escape, thou wretch, spare thy sons. There shall they live
with us and delight thee. No, I swear by the infernal deities who dwell
with Pluto, never shall this be, that I will give up my children to be
insulted by my enemies. [At all events they must die, and since they must,
I who brought them into the world will perpetrate the deed.] This is fully
determined by fate, and shall not pass away. And now the chaplet is on her
head, and the bride is perishing in the robes; of this I am well assured.
But, since I am now going a most dismal path, and these will I send by one
still more dismal, I desire to address my children: give, my sons, give thy
right hand for thy mother to kiss. O most dear hand, and those lips dearest
to me, and that form and noble countenance of my children, be ye blessed,
but there;[32] for every thing here your father hath taken away. O the
sweet embrace, and that soft skin, and that most fragrant breath of my
children. Go, go; no longer am I able to look upon you, but am overcome by
my ills. I know indeed the ills that I am about to dare, but my rage is
master of my counsels,[33] which is indeed the cause of the greatest
calamities to men.

CHOR. Already have I often gone through more refined reasonings, and have
come to greater arguments than suits the female mind to investigate; for we
also have a muse, which dwelleth with us, for the sake of teaching wisdom;
but not with all, for haply thou wilt find but a small number of the race
of women out of many not ungifted with the muse.[34]

And I say that those men who are entirely free from wedlock, and have not
begotten children, surpass in happiness those who have families; those
indeed who are childless, through inexperience whether children are born a
joy or anguish to men, not having them themselves, are exempt from much
misery. But those who have a sweet blooming offspring of children in their
house, I behold worn with care the whole time; first of all how they shall
bring them up honorably, and how they shall leave means of sustenance for
their children. And still after this, w