CHO.     Quō tē ipse, senior, obvium mortī ingeris?

quō pergis āmēns? Profuge et obtēctus latē

ūnumque manibus aufer Herculeīs scelus.

 

HER.      Bene habet, pudendī rēgis excīsa est domus.1035

tibi hunc dicātum, maximī coniūnx Iovis,

gregem cecīdī; vōta persolvī libēns

tē digna, et Argōs victimās aliās dabit.

 

AM.        Nōndum litāstī, nāte; cōnsummā sacrum.

stat ecce ad ārās hostia, exspectat manum1040

cervīce prōnā; praebeō, occurrō, īnsequor:

mactā. — quid hoc est? errat aciēs lūminum

vīsūsque maeror hebetat, an videō Herculis

manūs trementēs? vultus in somnum cadit

et fessa cervīx capite summissō labat;1045

flexō genū iam tōtus ad terram ruit,

ut caesa silvīs ornus aut portum marī

datūra mōlēs. vīvis, an lētō dēdit

īdem tuōs quī mīsit ad mortem furor?

sopor est: reciprocōs spīritus mōtūs agit.1050

dētur quiētī tempus, ut somnō gravī

vīs victa morbī pectus oppressum levet.

removēte, famulī, tēla, nē repetat furēns.

    The Chorus leader urges Amphitryon to save himself by hiding. Hercules returns to the stage from the palace and celebrates what he thinks (still in the grip of his hallucination) is the defeat of his enemies. Then Amphitryon urges Hercules to slaughter him, like a human sacrifice, but Hercules collapses. Amphitryon orders slaves to remove Hercules’ weapons so he cannot cause further harm.

    1032 quō: “why?” tē … obvium … ingeris: “throw yourself in the way of,” “rush into,” + dat., a more violent version of the common idiom dare sē obvium alicui, “to meet someone.”

    1033 quō: “where?” obtēctus latē: “lie hidden under cover.” latē is imperative > lateō -ēre, not to be confused with the adverb > lātus -a -um.

    1034 manibus: ablative of separation (AG 400). Note this line’s carefully arranged word order.

    1035 bene habet: a Latin idiom meaning “it is well.” Hercules uses it to sum up how well things are going, in his opinion: “OK, so far so good.”

    1036 tibi: Juno. hunc dicātum: modifies gregem in the next line.

    1037 libēns: predicative adjective; translate as an adverb.

    1038 tē: ablative with digna (AG 418). Argos: Hercules intends to travel to Argos/Mycenae and kill Eurystheus (996–98n.). He sarcastically imagines that Juno will be pleased by all these “sacrifices.”

    1039 nondum litāstī: “you have not yet made a sacrificial offering,” i.e. a full or complete one.

    1041 cervīce prōnā: ablative of manner (AG 412). Amphitryon bends his head forward, mimicking the pose of an animal about to be sacrificed. praebeō, occurrō, insequor: the string of first-person verbs that follows suggests the speed of the stage action. Supply  with praebeō.

    1042 aciēs luminum: “my eyesight,” literally “the gaze of my eyes.”

    1043 visūs: accusative plural.

    1045–46 capite summissō … flexō genū: ablative absolute phrases (AG 419).

    1046 totus: a pridicative adjective: “entirely/completely.”

    1047 ut: “just as,” introducing a simile. caesa: “felled,” nominative perfect passive participle > caedo, modifying the feminine noun ornus.

    1047–48 portum marī / datūra mōlēs: “a mass of stone about to provide the sea with a harbor.” Roman engineers sunk massive concrete piers into the sea to provide shelter to ships in port.

    1048–49 Prose order: vīvis? an īdem furor, quī mīsit tuōs ad mortem, lētō [tē] dedit? tuōs: Romans regularly referred to a person’s family members this way, as in the English expression “you and yours.”

    1050 reciprocōs spīritus mōtūs agit: “his breath comes and goes regularly” (Fitch 2018).

    1051–52 Amphitryon orders that Hercules be left to sleep, in the hope that this might drive away his madness. dētur: jussive subjunctive (AG 439). somnō gravī: ablative of means (AG 408), with victa.

    1053 nē repetat: negative purpose clause (AG 563).

    obvius obvia obvium: in the way, so as to meet, meeting (+ dat.)

    ingerō –ere –gessī –gestus: to carry, bear, heap in/on

    āmēns āmentis: mad, insane

    profugiō profugere profūgī: to flee

    obtegō –ere –tēxī –tēctus: to cover up or over

    lateō latēre latuī: to hide

    Herculeus –a –um: of Hercules; Herculean

    pudet pudēre puduit/puditum est: to makes ashamed

    excīdō –ere –cīdī –cīsus: to cut off/out/down, destroy, raze

    coniūnx coniugis f.: spouse, wife

    grex gregis m.: herd, flock

    persolvō –ere –solvī –solūtus: to loosen completely; set free; free one's self from obligation; pay

    libēns –entis: willing

    Argos (only in nom./acc.) n.: Argos

    victima –ae f.: sacrificial animal; victim

    litō litāre litāvī litātus: to sacrifice auspiciously; atone

    cōnsummō –āre: to accomplish, complete, finish, perfect; unite

    hostia –ae f.: a sacrificial animal; victim

    cervīx cervīcis f.: neck

    prōnus –a –um: sloping; prone to

    īnsequor īnsequī īnsecūtus sum: to follow after, pursue

    mactõ mactāre mactāvī mactātus: to sacrifice, offer; punish, reward

    vīsus vīsūs m.: sight

    maeror maerōris m.: mourning, grief

    hebetō hebetāre hebetāvī hebetātus: to make blunt; to make dull; to impair

    Herculēs –is m.: Hercules

    tremō tremere tremuī: to shake, quiver

    submittō submittere submīsī submissum: to place under, set down, lower

    labō labāre labāvī labātus: to give way

    genū genūs n.: knee

    ruō ruere ruī rūtum: to rush; collapse

    ornus –ī f.: mountain-ash

    portus portūs m.: entrance; harbor, refuge

    mōlēs mōlis f.: large/shapeless mass; rock

    lētum letī n.: death

    sopor –ōris m.: deep sleep

    reciprocus -a -um: alternating; turning back the same way; to and fro

    mōtus mōtūs m.: motion, movement

    quiēs quiētis f.: rest, peace

    opprimō opprimere oppressī oppressus: to press on or down; overwhelm

    levō levāre levāvī levātus: to raise; make light; free from

    removeō removēre removī remōtus: to move back, put away, remove

    famulus –ī m.: (an enslaved) servant, attendant 

    furō furere: to rage, be mad

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