th blooming flowers, and roseate flowers and hyacinths for Goddesses to
cull. Where once on a time came Pallas, and artful Venus, and Juno, and
Hermes, the messenger of Jove; Venus indeed, vaunting herself in charms,
and Pallas in the spear, and Juno in the royal nuptials of king Jove,
[these came] to a hateful judgment and strife concerning beauty; but my
death, my death, O virgins, bearing glory indeed to the Greeks, Diana hath
received as first-fruits [of the expedition] against Troy.[89] But he that
begot me wretched, O mother, O mother, has departed, leaving me deserted. O
hapless me! having +beheld+ bitter, bitter, ill-omened Helen, I am slain, I
perish, by the impious slaughter of an impious sire. Would[90] for me that
Aulis had never received the poops of the brazen-beaked ships into these
ports, the fleet destined for Troy, nor that Jove had breathed an adverse
wind over Euripus, softening one breeze so that some mortals might rejoice
in their [expanded] sails, but to others a pain, to others difficulty, to
some to set sail, to others to furl their sails, but to others to tarry. In
truth the race of mortals is full of troubles, is full of troubles, and it
necessarily befalls men to find some misfortune. Alas! alas! thou daughter
of Tyndarus, who hast brought many sufferings, and many griefs upon the
Greeks.

CHOR. I indeed pity you having met with an evil calamity, such as thou
never shouldst have met with.

IPH. O mother, to whom I owe my birth, I behold a crowd of men near.

CLY. Ay, the son of the Goddess, my child, for whom thou camest hither.

IPH. Open the house, ye servants, that I may hide myself.

CLY. But why dost thou fly hence, my child?

IPH. I am ashamed to behold this Achilles.

CLY. On what account?

IPH. The unfortunate turn-out of my nuptials shames me.

CLY. Thou art not in a state to give way to delicacy in the present
circumstances. But do thou remain, there is no use for punctilio, if we can
[but save your life.]

ACH. O hapless lady, daughter of Leda.

CLY. Thou sayest not falsely.

ACH. Terrible things are cried out among the Greeks.

CLY. What cry? tell me.

ACH. Concerning thy child.

CLY. Thou speakest a word of ill omen.

ACH. That it is necessary to slay her.

CLY. Does no one speak the contrary to this?

ACH. Ay, I myself have got into trouble.

CLY. Into what [trouble,] O friend?

ACH. Of having my body stoned with stones.

CLY. What, in trying to save my