THE HERACLEIDAE
Demophon
Poor girl! Of course, I never could forgive
Myself if I forgot the honors due
You, and God knows I've cause enough not to:
Your grit, your honest heart, such courage as 570
I've never known a woman show before.
Well, go ahead and speak to the old man
And children here, if you've a last request.
Mctcaria
This is goodbye. Please bring my brothers up
To be as wise as you, no more, no less, 575
In all, and I'll be satisfied, I count
On you to do your loyal best to save
Them, since we're your brood in a way, and raised
By your hands, and I'm giving up my prime
And chance for marriage just to die for them. 580
And now I wish to all my brothers here
The best of everything, and may you win
The things for which I'm staking my own life.
Be sure to pay respect to this old man
And your old grandmother inside as well, 585
And these good people. If the gods will let
You find relief and see your home again,
Remember to give the girl that saved your lives
The kind of funeral that she deserves,
Since she played fair with you and gave hers up. 590
These values will sustain me afterward
As spinster, childless. . . . Afterward: is there
An afterward? I hope not. If there's then
No end to all our troubles, where do we
Go on from there—since death itself, they say, 59]
Supplies the cure for everything that ails?
lolaus
As bravest of your sex, be sure that we
Would never think of failing to pay you
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