and; and thou, sister; and,
{thou} my father; in whom, if there is any affection {towards me},
protect my branches from the wounds of the sharp pruning-knife, {and}
from the bite of the cattle. And since it is not allowed me to bend down
towards you, stretch your limbs up hither, and come near for my kisses,
while they can {still} be reached, and lift up my little son. More I
cannot say. For the soft bark is now creeping along my white neck, and I
am being enveloped at the top of my head. Remove your hands from my
eyes;[39] {and}, without your help, let the bark, closing over them,
cover my dying eyes.' Her mouth ceased at once to speak, at once to
exist; and long after her body was changed, were her newly formed
branches {still} warm."

And {now}, while Iole was relating the wretched fate of her sister, and
while Alcmena was drying away the tears of the daughter of Eurytus, with
her fingers applied {to her face}, and still she herself was weeping,
a novel event hushed all their sorrow; for Iolaues[40] stood at the lofty
threshold, almost a boy {again}, and covering his cheeks with a down
almost imperceptible, having his visage changed to {that of} the first
years {of manhood}. Hebe, the daughter of Juno had granted him this
favour, overcome by the solicitations of her husband. When she was about
to swear that she would hereafter grant such favours to no one, Themis
did not allow her. "For now," said she, "Thebes is commencing civil
warfare,[41] and Capaneus will not be able to be overcome, except by
Jupiter, and the two brothers will engage in bloody combat, and the
earth dividing, the prophet {Amphiaraues} will see his {destined} shades,
while he still lives;[42] and the son avenging one parent, by {the death
of} the {other} parent, will be dutiful and wicked in the same action;
and confounded by his misfortunes, deprived both of his reason and of
his home, he will be persecuted both by the features of the Eumenides,
and by the ghost of his mother; until his wife shall call upon him for
the fatal gold, and the Phegeian sword shall stab the side of their
kinsman. Then, at last, shall Calirrhoe, the daughter of Acheloues,
suppliantly ask of mighty Jupiter these years {of youth} for her infant
sons. Jupiter, concerned {for them}, will prescribe for them the
{peculiar} gift of her who is {both} his step-daughter and his
daughter-in-law,[43] and will make them men in their years of
childhood."

When Themis, foreseeing th