Herakles Α - The Suffering of Herakles

One of the things I find most absent in many modern retellings of Herakles*' story is the tragic nature of his path to apotheosis. From his infancy, Hera saw him as nothing more than a fruit of Zeus’ infidelity. Being unable to punish Zeus ( or arguably unwilling,) she took it out on our Theban friend. From the snakes in his cradle to the fugue state making him mistake Megara and his children for monsters and far beyond, the queen of the gods had it out for him for most of his life. This suffering served as a catalyst for Herakles and while he ascended to greatness in spite of it, it ought never be forgotten.

Α - The Suffering of Heracles

Tears roll down my face in fury

Spasms of painful divinity

I died many deaths so far

But there are many more in store for me

Always watched, always plagued

a hero's greatness is defined by his quarry

Take me, take mine, take from me

That which ails me will not be cured by glory

Oh father behold

What, in your absence, your wife has wrought

My love and my children, lifeless ashes

Is this befitting a god?

But mine is not to ask nor complain

Mine is not to think nor ascertain

Mine is not to point fingers and blame

No, mine is to bear, and stay silent in pain

Mine is not the hand but the sword

Mine is not the man but the implement of war

What they will remember- of my glory they'll sing,

But they will try to forget my suffering

*I personally always preferred the spelling of Herakles with the K. This spelling is both closest to the Greek "Ἡρακλῆς" (Iraklis) and is typically how you see it on translations of "Herakles Mainomenos" by Euripedes. Fun fact, the name of Herakles was, according to myth, changed from Alkaios (which means "the powerful one") to Herakles (literally "Hera's Glory/Fame") in order to placate the angry goddess. It didn't work