Togail na Tebe = The Thebiad of Statius : the Irish text

THE THEBAIDthe perverted judgment of Creon not to allow the bodies of theGreeks to be burned or harboured in his land or country.And when they had told those tales, there was a beautifulaltar for sacrifice in the middle of the town, consecrated to thegoddess of mercy, to wit, Misericordia, with a bosky sacred grovearound it.And it was not lawful for a person to go to that altarsave for noble persons who were in distress and difficulty.And the women went towards it to ask help of her ; and whenthey were urging their prayer for help at the altar, then theyheard the joy, the gladness, and the boastful cries outside onthe lawn. And he that was there was Theseus, son of Aegeus,son of Neptune, with the victory and boast of Northern Scythiaas his from mount Pharos (sic). And there came forth the inhabitantsof the town, both women and men, to see Theseusabout assistance. And with regard to him, thus was he, withthe shields of the Scythians about him, and the chariotsand the swords of the Amazons ; and as for Hippolyte, queenof the Amazons, he had near him her fine four-horsed chariotyoked to beautiful foreign pure-white steeds. Then came thetroubled, war-plaintful, plagued, and sorrowful women of theGreeks to that lad. He recognised them, and asked news ofthem. Euhadne, wife of Capaneus, answered him, and this iswhat she said to him ": strong soldier, Theseus," said she," hast thou heard that a slaughter of the Greeks has been inflictedby the Thebans in thy absence, and that their kings havebeen slain ? And from Argos have we come, to wit, from thecapital city of the Greeks, and the kings that were slain therewere our husbands.And Creon, the king of Thebes, has resolvedthat their bodies should not be permitted to be burned or buriedin his land. And I beseech thee by the gods, take pity on us,and arise and come to bury those entrailsof thine own originalkin." And what that maiden said, all the women said as well.309