AM.                                          Nāte, mānantēs prius

manūs cruentā caede et hostīlī expiā.

 

HER       Utinam cruōrem capitis invīsī deīs920

lībāre possem! grātior nūllus liquor

tīnxisset ārās; victima haud ūlla amplior

potest magisque opīma mactārī Iovī,

quam rēx inīquus.

 

AM.                                       Fīniat genitor tuōs

optā labōrēs, dētur aliquandō ōtium925

quiēsque fessīs.

 

HER.                                 Ipse concipiam precēs

Iove mēque dignās. stet suō caelum locō

tellūsque et aequor; astra inoffēnsōs agant

aeterna cursūs, alta pāx gentēs alat;

ferrum omne teneat rūris innocuī labor930

ēnsēsque lateant. nūlla tempestās fretum

violenta turbet, nūllus īrātō Iove

exsiliat ignis, nūllus hībernā nive

nūtrītus agrōs amnis ēversōs trahat.

venēna cessent, nūlla nocitūrō gravis935

sūcō tumēscat herba. nōn saevī ac trucēs

rēgnent tyrannī. sī quod etiamnum est scelus

lātūra tellūs, properet, et sī quod parat

mōnstrum, meum sit.

    Amphitryon reminds his son to purify his bloodstained hands before performing the sacred ritual. Hercules replies that he wishes he could offer Lycus as a sacrifice. Amphitryon then asks Hercules to pray for an end to his Labors, but he instead asks for peace over the whole earth.

    Hercules’ desire for human sacrifice stands in tension with his more “civilized” vision of world peace and shows us that he has begun to move beyond social norms even before his episode of madness.

    918–919 mānantēs … expiā: prose word order would be expiā prius manūs mānantēs caede cruentā et hostīlīcruentā et hostīlī: hendiadys: “the bloody enemy’s.”

    920–21 utinam … lībāre possem: “if only I could pour.” The imperfect optative subjunctive denotes an unaccomplished wish (AG 442). capitis invīsī: Lycus’s “hateful head.”

    922 tinxisset: past contrary to fact: “would have stained” (AG 514C).

    922–24 Prose order would be haud ūlla victima amplior magisque opīma quam rēx inīquus potest mactārī Iovī.

    924–25 Finiat … optā … dētur: a substantive clause of purpose (AG 563) with the ut omitted: “ask that your father put an end ... and that … be given.”

    925 fessīs: dative substantive, “to tired people.”

    927 Iove mēque: ablatives of specification with the adjective dignus (AG 418)

    927–937  stet … agant … alat … teneat … lateant … turbet … exsiliat … trahat … cessent … tumescat … regnent: all jussive subjunctives (AG 439), expressing Hercules’ prayer for the world.

    927 suō locō: locative ablative (AG 421): “in their proper place.”

    930 “May the labor of the harmless countryside occupy all iron (i.e., may iron be used only to produce agricultural tools). The line expresses the “swords into plowshares” motif.

    932 irātō Iove: ablative of source (AG 403). Seneca plays on Jupiter’s multiple identities as Hercules’ father and the sky from which the lightning (ignis) originates.

    933–34 hībernā nive / nūtrītus ... amnis: the river is “fed” by the winter snow as it melts, and begins to flood.

    934 agrōs amnis eversōs: placing amnis between agros and eversos suggests the river running through the middle of the field.

    935–936 nocitūrō gravis / sūcō: “heavy with juice that will cause harm,” i.e. poison.

    937–38 quod: = aliquod. est … lātūra: > fero, “is going to produce.” properet: jussive subjunctive, like sit in the next line.

    939 meum sit: an ironic conclusion. Hercules means that the monster will be his to slay, but we know that the monster will be his because he himself will act monstrously by killing his family.

    mānō mānāre mānāvī mānātus: to drip, flow

    cruentus –a –um: bloody, blood-stained

    hostīlis hostīlis hostīle: hostile

    expiō –āre –āvī –ātus: to atone; purify

    utinam: would that, I wish that

    cruor cruōris m.: blood, bloodshed

    invīsus –a –um: hated

    lībō libāre libāvī libātus: to pour; pour a libation; taste, sip; touch

    liquor liquōris m.: a fluid, liquid

    tingō tingere tinxī tinctum: to wet, moisten; dye, color

    victima –ae f.: sacrificial animal; victim

    opīmus –a –um: rich; fat, fertile

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

    Iovis –is m.: Jupiter, Jove

    inīquus –a –um: unequal; uneven, unjust

    fīnīō fīnīre fīnīvī fīnītus: to limit, fix; finish

    genitor genitōris m.: father

    quiēs quiētis f.: rest, peace

    concipiō concipere concēpī conceptum: to hold, receive; perceive, conceive, think; become fertilized, germinate

    inoffēnsus –a –um: unhindered

    innocuus –a –um: harmless

    ēnsis ēnsis m.: sword

    fretum fretī n.: strait, channel; the sea

    violentus –a –um: violent, savage

    exsiliō –ilīre –ilui: to spring forth

    hībernus –a –um: (belonging to) winter

    nix nivis f.: snow

    nūtriō –īre –īvī or iī –ītus: to nourish

    ēvertō ēvertere ēvertī ēversus: to overturn, overthrow

    venēnum venēnī n.: poison

    cessō cessāre cessāvī cessātus: to delay; cease; be idle

    sūcus –ī m.: juice, sap

    tumēscō tumēscere tumuī: to begin to swell

    herba herbae f.: grass, herb

    trux trucis: wild, rough, savage

    rēgnō rēgnāre rēgnāvī rēgnātus: to rule

    tyrannus tyrannī m.: tyrant

    etiamnum or etiamnunc: yet, till now, even at this time

    mōnstrum mōnstrī n.: monster; omen

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