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About Google Book Search Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at |http: //books .google .com/I O00095Q02V 103 «- • f ^- I 600085S02V M3 e. . y. t+ AESCHYLUS. AESCHYLUS. Csmbrtbge t PttlNTRD BY J. PALMRK, JESUS LANE. AESCHYLUS TRAl^'SLATED INTO ENGLISH PEOSE BY F. A. PALET, M.A. BDITOU OF THE GREEK TEXT. SECOND EDITION^ REVISED AND CORRECTED, CAMBRIDGE : DEIGHTON, BELL, AND CO. LONDON: BELL AND DALDY. 1871 / 'P . U.^4 Z . '-yf. r*C: O 3>. e. j7^. TO THE READER This Translation of Aeschylus, — an entirely new one, — is designed as an Appendix to my edition of that Poet in the Bibliotheca Cldssica} In some respects, an author's meaning and the connexion of his ideas are more satisfactorily conveyed by a translation, giving the context entire, than by notes, rendering only occasional words and phrases. I am not without hope that this book will be found acceptable to those students who are willing to use, not to abuse it ; for to turn the verses, and especially the choral verses, of a poet so figurative and obscure as Aeschylus into anything like readable prose, really is a very difficult task. In carrying- out this design, I have knowingly laid myself open to the charge of departing pretty frequently from that ^ I have made very many alterations in this (the second) edition, but nearly all in the way of simplifying and abridging the language, where that could be done without detriment to the sense. I may here cite, not inaptly, the words of Professor Max Miiller, ("Chips from a German Workshop," i. p. 137,) "If Scholars who are engaged in these researches are bent on representing their last translation as final, and as admitting of no further improvement, the public has a right to remind them that 'finality* is as dangerous a thing in scholarship as in politics." vi TO TEE READER. exact verbal rendering which is generally known as a * literal translation/ and attending at least as much to the author's meaning as to his mere words. I am no advocate, as my numerous pupils, past and present, will attest, of lax con- struing or mere paraphrasing; but I contend that, if any- thing that deserves to be called readable English is to be produced, and if anything like justice is to be done to an author who is not supposed to write nonsense, such a licence, moderately used, must be conceded to a translator who is fully conscious of the fact (not to say the law) that the idioms of an ancient inflected and compounded language are widely different from those of a modem one of auxiliary and complementary word-forms. The best translation is but a kind of compromise: as a proof of which may be mentioned the fact, that on an average fifty words of the Greek require about a hundred of the English to convey their full meaning. In cases where I have been compelled to paraphrase either quaintly-worded or involved sentences, I have generally given the exoAii sense in a foot-note ; and I have also added, in the briefest form, occasional comments in explanation of the author's meaning. Camhuiugk, 1871. CONTENTS. PAGE SUPPLICES ..... 1 PROMETHEUS BOUND ... 33 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES ... 67 THE PERSIANS . 101 AGAMEMNON ..... 133 CHOEPHOROE . . 183 EUMENIDES . . .217 V SUPPLICES. FESSOyS SSPSESSiTTSD. CsOSItB, THE S^DSHTIIBB OP Sahaob. Chorus, May Zeus the patron-god of Suppliants regard with favour this our voyage from' the finely-silted mouths of the Nile. For we left the divine land closely bordering on Syria, and are flying, not because we were sentenced by a vote of the citizens to exile from our own people for any deed of blood, but by an effort on our own parts to escape wedlock, and loathing as unholy a marriage with the sons of Aegyptua And Danaus our father, the author of our counsels and the leader of our company, arranging for us this plan, determined on the best of evils,* that we should flee with all speed through the waves of the sea, and put-to at the land of Argos, whence our race, sprung from the divine touching of the brize-driven heifer, and from the life-giving breath of Zeus, has been brought into being. What land then could we come to more kindly disposed to us than this, with these suppliant badges in our hands, the wool-tufted boughs? O city, O land and clear water, and ye, gods supreme, and powers of wrathful vengeance possessing the tombs'; thou too, Zeus, who art wont to be • laterally "our nayd eipedition • i.e. the local tiecoes, iyx^f^t tiiAt started trnta," &c. loffumt, whose power for erU wm ' The 1e»t W of two altenuitiTae. mach dreaded. HartiBl hu tptimtu malemm, zii. 36. 2 8UPPLICE8. 26^72 invoked Third as Preserver, guardian as thou art of men that reverence thee; may ye all receive as suppliants this company of women with the merciful spirit of the land ; but that lewd band of many males, the sons of Aegyptus, before they have set a foot on this low marshy coast-land, send sea- ward with their swiftly-rowed gaUey ; and there, by a pelting hurricane, by thimder and lightning and rainy winds, having met with a wild sea, may they perish, ere ever they obtain selfish possession of the daughters of their father's brother, and ascend the unwilling couch from which the law of heaven keeps them away. And now I invoke the divine offspring of the heifer to be our protector here across the sea, — ^that child of a flower- browsing ancestress, that touch that followed the amorous breath of Zeus :^ and the time allotted by fate went on to its full accomplishment in a name suited to the event, and she gave birth to Epaphus, Him then I call to my aid; and now, while on these very pasture-grounds of our mother of old I recall to mind her former woes, I will show for the present sure proofs of my descent to the settlers in this land, and other proofs, mayhap, though unlooked for, will appear. And people will know the truth of my words in due time. And perchance, if any one skilled in birds dwells near in this land, he will fancy, when he hears our piteous plaint, that he is listening to the voice of Tereus* sorrowing bride, the hawk-chased nightingale. For she too, constrained to leave her native haunts and streams, mourns with a strange wild moan for her woodland home, aud makes music of her child's sad. fate, how that he perished by her own hand, having suffered the wrath of an unnatural mother. So too do I, indulging my love of grief in these soft Ionian strains, rend my tender Nile-summered cheek, and [vex] my heart steeped in boundless tears. And I am ever gathering the flowers of sighs, in fear respecting my own relations, that some of them are interested in this my flight from yon dim ^ lltpa^ty seems here used for the touch, as conversely y4yv7ffia must offspring bom by and through the mean y4inrnfris in iVom. 869. 73—110 8UPPLICE8. hazy land.^ But, O ye gods who guard the sacred rights of Bace, hear me, favourably regarding the cause that is just, and not conceding to impetuous youth to have its desires fulfilled beyond what is right : but show a prompt hatred to outrage, and be fair to us in the matter of our marriage. Even for those who flee hard-pressed from war an altar is a protection from harm,^ an object of regard to the gods. May the god in all truth cause good to prevail P But the desire of Zeus is not easily discovered. It bums brightly everywhere, even in the dark, though attended with events unforeseen to mortal men. Nor does it fall vain and help- less, as a wrestler thrown on his back, if any matter has been solemnly ratified by the nod of Zeus. For* dark and bosky wend the ways of his mind, not to be seen into by human eye. And he hurls from their towering hopes frail mortals in utter destruction; yet to do this he arms no force: all that gods do is done without toil. He is seated aloft on his holy throne, and yet from thence he contrives means to work out his will. And now let him have in his regard the lewd- ness of these mortal men, with which the parent stem^ is shooting anew with a view to our marriage; for it hath budded and blossomed with ill-devising thoughts, and is goaded on by maddened feelings from which there is no escape : but it shall know its folly by its disappointment.® Such are the piteous strains of woe that I utter in my complaint, shrill in their tones, grievous, causing tears to fall : ah me, ah me! marked with dirges as of the dead. For, though yet living, I honour my own fate by lamentations. I invoke the favour of this Argive hill-country; and well, land! doest thou understand my barbaric accent. And ^ She appears to mean the sons of Aegyptus. But ^6^s €f ris iari, &o,f will also bear a negative sense, 'fear that none care for/ i. e. that we are left friendless. 3 Much more to us, whose cause is more pure and just. ' There seems a play on the words 9cbs and Bti-n, * This word */or* seems further to explain the preceding, " But the desire of Zeus" &c. * Aegyptus, whose SjBpts as it were breaks out afresh in his violent and headstrong sons. > It shall feel too late its folly, when it finds its wish thwarted by heaven. b2 4 8UPPLICE8, 111—176 frequently, as I speak, I fall upon my linen garments or my Tjnian head-attire with rending. But to the gods holy ofiferings are due, following upon a happy end of troubles, where death shall have been escaped. Alas! alas! these trials are hard to explain : whither will this wave carry us out of our course? Our oars indeed, and the linen-sailed water-tight house of wood, took me over the sea without a storm by the aid of favourable breezes. I have nothing to say against that ; may only the all-seeing Sire in due time accomplish a favourable result, that the august race of the awful Mother may escape the marriage-bed of these males, unwedded, unravished ! And may the holy maiden daughter of Zeus look with a willing eye on one who seeks her pro- tection, even Artemis who stands there by the sacred wall ;^ and may she a virgin, who has escaped uncaught in so many pursuits, put forth all her strength to rescue a virgin suppliant. For if she does not, we will appeal, a dark and sunburnt race,^ with suppliant boughs in our hands, to the infernal Zeus of the dead, that most ready receiver of all who come to him, having died by the noose, should we fail in gaining the ear of the gods celestial. O Zeus, 'tis through thy rancorous spite against lo that the anger of the gods still pursues us ; for I recognise in this the fury of thy heaven-subduing bride : a storm will follow after a stiff breeze. And then will Zeus be liable to a charge of unjust neglect, for slighting that child of the heifer, whom formerly he himself created, if he now keeps his face turned away at our prayers. But tnay he hear us with favour from above when invoked ! Danaus, My daughters, there is need of discretion ; and with a discreet father you have come, even this faithful old pilot of your voyage. And now also, taking forethought for you on land, I advise you to mark well my words, and to write them in the tablets of your minds. I see dust, an- nouncing without voice the approach of some host. The ' She appeals to a statue of the ^ Meaning, perhaps, like black -^oddest, possible represented as escap- shades or ghosts ; but with an allusion log from some amorous advances. to the swarthy complexion of Egyptians. 171—206 8UPPLICE8. 5 axle-driven wheels^ may plainly be heard ; and now I descry a company half-hidden behind their shields and brandishing spears, with horses and hooked chariots. Mayhap the rulers of this land may be coming towards us to inspect, having heard of our arrival from messengers. But whether they have peaceable intentions, or are making this march upon us whetted for the fray and with relentless anger, *tis better on every account, my daughters, to take your suppliant seat at the raised altar-mound of these gods of contest.^ For an altar is a better defence than a tower, — it is a shield not to be broken. Go then^ at once, and holding in solemn form with your left hands your wool-tufted suppliant boughs, the proper oflferings to Zeus the god of mercy, reply to the strangers respectful yet mournful and urgent words of request, a. befits new-comers ; and explain to thVm in clear lan^age that this exile of yours is caused by no deed of blood. And let your speech be attended above all by no bold word ; then, let no immodest glance proceed from your sober brows and your tranquil eye. Be not forward in conversation, nor prolix in your account : the people here are very jealous of long speeches. And remember to be humble : you are an indigent stranger and a suppliant, and it becomes not those who are inferior to talk confidently. Ghx), Father, you speak sensibly to a daughter not devoid of sense. I vMl take care to remember these good instructions of yours ; and may Zeus the author of our race regard us I Dan. May he do so indeed, and with a kindly eye ! Chx). I should wish under present circumstances to have a seat near to you. Dan. Then loiter not, but whatever plan you propose, cany into effect. GTw. Zeus, pity me for my troubles ere I am quite tmdone ! ^ Lit. boxes or navee of wheels. So Ag. 496. ' hy^vioi Btoi were invoked gene- ^ Perhaps Sfs rdxtcr* iLfifiartf i.e. rally as gods of trial and difficulty, ascend the stage. Compare Ar. Ach, i. e. as bringing such to a happy issue. 732. 6 8UPFLICE8. 207—231 Dan, If he will it, all shall end well. Clio Dan, Invoke now also this bird/ the symbol of Zeus. CJio. We invoke the bright rays of the sun that they may bring us safety. Dan, Apollo too, the pure god; himself an exile from heaven. CJio. Knowing this fate, he can sympathise with mortals. Dan, May he sympathise with us indeed, and stand by us with willing favour ! Clio, Whom then of these gods must I further invoke ? Dan, I see a trident here, the mark of some god. Chx). Well, as he has given us a good voyage, so may he give us a good welcome to this land. Dan, Here also is Hermes, according to the usage of the Hellenes. Cho, May he then herald us good tidings, as free guests of the land. Dan, Reverence also the common altar of all these greater gods, and taking your places on holy ground sit there, — ^like a flock of pigeons in fear of hawks, birds of their own feathered race, — to be safe from relations^ you hate, and who would pollute the sacred laws of kindred. How can bird devouring bird be free from defilement ? And how could one who takes in marriage an unwilling child from an unwilling father, become holy ?* Not even when dead in Hades shall the lewd man escape guilt, if he does that. For even there, as men say, another Zeus passes sentence on human sins by a last judgment among the dead. Be on the look out, and come here to this place, that the present affair may turn out all for the best. King, Of what country is this band — a company in naught resembling the Greeks, gorgeous as it is with barbaric robes ^ The cock seems to be meant, from apposition to ''hawks"; but this can- a fancied analogy between &\4Kroop not literally be put into intelligible and ii\4Kroop (IXic^roip), an epithet of English. the sun. 3 i, e. by what rite of expiation. In the Greek, ''relations" is in 232—264 8UPPLICE8. 7 and close wrappings — ^that we address ? For this is not the Argive female attire, nor from any of the parts of Hellas. But how you ventured fearlessly to come to this land, not even announced by heralds, and without proxeni,^ independ- ently of guides, — that is a matter of wonder to me. Boughs however, according to the general customs of suppliants, lie beside you at the statues of the god of contests. In this point alone Hellas will agree with you in conjecture. And for the rest, there are several things one might have guessed at, were there not a living voice to inform one here on the spot. Cho. You have spoken about my dress words that are true. And now whether do / address you as a citizen, or as one bearing the protecting staff of Hermes,^ or as chief ruler of the city ? King, For that matter, you may reply and speak with confidence to me ; for I am the son of earth-bom Palaechthon, lord of this Pelasgic land, and it is after me their king that the race of Pelasgi who cultivate this soil is rightfully called. Of all the land through which the clear Strymon flows, in the part fronting the setting sun, I am sovereign: and I reckon as the limits of my empire the land of the Perrhaebi, the parts beyond Pindus, near to the Paeonians, and the hills of Dodona ; and the [eastern] boundary of the watery waste cuts it off : all within those limits I hold xmder my sway. Now of the Apian land itself this plain has long ago borne a name in compliment to a man who practised the healing art. For Apis, arriving from Naupactus across the sea, a son of Apollo,^ and an adept both in healing and prophecy, cleared this land from pestilent monsters, which Earth, defiled by the pollutions of ancient murders, sent up in anger, a dragon- swarm of hostile indwellers. Of these evils Apis effectually ^ People of the country to speak in 67. Here Apis (ffirios) is but another your behalf. name for the hesding god himself; and * A herald's wand. But the in- the legend records the introduction tegrity of the text is rather doubtful. of some form of his worship from 3 Physicians genendly were called Epirus. sons of Apollo, e. g, Pindar, Tyth, iii. H 8UPPLICE8. 264—296 applififl rcmediofl, both by drugs and expiations/ to the Ar^ivii land, and so obtained of old our mention of him in prayjirM in pliwMj of a physician's fee.^ As you now have the \9TiHfh on rny part, declare to me your own race, and say on. A loiifj HpiMj(jh however this city cannot endure. 67///. Hliort and clear is our tale : we profess to be Argive woni'fn, offHpring of the heifer that was blessed in her progeny. And all thiH I will establish as true by my account. Kifuj. You speak words, strangers, that are incredible for tfiti U) h(;ar, — how that this descent of yours is from Argos. Vor you more nearly resemble the women of Lybia, and not at all ihoKo l)om in this land. And the Nile might perchance TiouriMli Huch a growth; a Cyprian stamp too, resembling youfH, is irnpniHHcd on female forms by male artists. I am told niordwr€a0ai, Uo touch.' It was a quite a distinct origin to the name supernatural hirth, — an incarnation of Epaphus, is by a later hand, and was a deity without procreation ; an ancient designed to make some kind of sense Egyptian doctrine of great mom^it and in a mutilated passage, interest, especially as connected with 10 8UPPLICE8. 817—887 Chx). Aegyptus. And now, knowing my descent of old, fail not to raise from the altar this band of Argive origin. King, Well, you do seem to me to have some ancient connexion with this land : but how did you venture to leave your father's home ? What fortune befel you ? Cho. King of the Pelasgic race, the misfortunes of man- kind are ever varying : you will nowhere see trouble assume the same appearance.^ For example, — ^who ever expected that this unlooked-for flight would bring to the shores of Argos a kindred race formerly bom there, by causing them to leave their home in haste through dislike of cohabitation in marriage? Ki/rvg. What is it that you say you ask for in the name of these gods of contest, having in your hands newly-cuUed wool-tufted boughs ? Chx), That I may not become a handmaid to the race of Aegyptus. King, On account of a family feud, or do you speak of an unlawful union ? Cho. Why, no one would purchase^ relations for their masters. King. 'Tis in this way® that family influence increases in the world. Cho, Aye, and when matters go wrong, desertion is an easy matter. King, In what way then can / act towards you* accord- ing to my duty ? Cho. Do not surrender us to the sons of Aegyptus at their demand. King, Tis a grave request you make, — ^to undertake a disastrous war. Cho, Yea, but Justice ever proves the champion of her own friends. * A metaphor from the varying families, plumage of a bird. ^ viz. if your cousins haye acted 2 viz. by a marriage-dowry. undutifully. 3 By intermarriages with kindred 338—867 S UPPLICES. 1 1 King. Perhaps so, if she took part in the business fix>m the first. Cho. Your duty is to reverence the chief altar of the city thus crowned with woollen fillets. King. I do feel awe, when I see these shrines overlaid with boughs. Cho. Heavy, be assured, is the resentment of Zeus the god of suppliants. Son of Palaechthon, hear me with willing heart, king of the Felasgi! Look at me, your suppliant, driven a wanderer from home, even as a heifer pursued by a wolf on a lone precipice, where trusting to his aid it lows, telling the herdmen of its troubles. King. I see your company here before these gods of con- tests shaded with newly-cut boughs and with heads bent low to the earth. Well ! may this affair of you claimants on our citizenship end without mischief! But we must take care lest, from unlooked-for and unforeseen events, a quarrel should arise to the state ;^ for that the government desires not. Cho, Yea truly, may our flight bring you no mischief, but be favourably regarded by the suppliant-law of all-allot- ing Zeus. But now do you, though the senior, learn a lesson from me who was bom long after you : if you show mercy to a suppliant you shall never want, [provided that there be paid]^ offerings to the temples of the god from a holy man. King. You are not seated as suppliants at my house. If the city incurs guilt in its public relations, lot the public concert together to provide remedies. But / will not con- clude any pledge beforehand, but only after I have com- municated with all the citizens about these matters. Cho. Yow surely are the city, you the public; as irre- sponsible lord you have power over the altar, the hearth' of the land, by your own sovereign decrees ; and so also, seated ^ Perhaps, iro\h vtiKos y^vrirai. dropped out of tbo text. For the next verse ends also with ' The principal, or metropolitan ir6\is. altar. * Two or three words have been 12 8UPPLICES. 368—398 on a tlirone of undisputed sway, you ratify all civil business. Beware of incurring guilt in the sight of the gods. King, May the curse of guilt indeed fall on my enemies! but you I am unable to assist without harm. Yet on the other hand this is not pleasing to my feelings, to slight these prayers. In truth I am perplexed, and fear possesses my heart both in acting and declining to act, and in taking the chances. Cho. Hold in regard Him who from high heaven regards others, — the protector of much-suffering mortals who, when appealing to others as suppliants, obtain not lawftd justice. Know that the wrath of the god of suppliants remains, with difficulty appeased by the piteous complaints^ of the guilty sufferer. King, Why, if the sons of Aegyptus have a right over you by the law of their city, on the plea that they are the nearest of kin to you, who would care to oppose such arguments? You must of course urge in your defence, in accordance with the laws of your country, that they have no authority at all over you. Cho, Never, O never may I become subject to the caprices of these males ! I prefer, in truth, a flight by the light of the stars as a means of escaping the odious marriage. Take justice as your ally, and decide on that which is righteous in the sight of the gods. King, The choice is not easily made ; do not take me for judge.^ I told you before also, not without the con- currence of the people will I act in this matter, no, not if I have authority. The people must never say, if something untoward should have occurred, 'By regarding these new- comers you ruined^ your city.* Cho, Zeus the patron-god of Eolations regards both sides in this matter, but inclines to one of them. He awards injustice to the unjust, but the lot of the righteous to those ^ Or, *' remains implacable at the ' Though you have chosen me as complaints of him who has been c^fifiaxos and wpS^tvos, wronged," viz. as a suppliant. s Perhaps Tifi&yres &\€(rav ir. 399—435 SUPPLICE8. 13 who keep the law. Why, when these two cases are fairly balanced, do you feel compunction at doing that which is right ? King, Truly now do we require some deep salutary counsel, — we want a clear-seeing eye, and one not too much confused by wine, to reach the bottom like a diver, that this afifair may turn out harmless in the first instance to the city, and also fortunately for ourselves ; and that neither war-strife may seize on you as captives, nor we, by surrendering you thus seated at the altars of the gods, bring upon ourselves the destructive god of Vengeance to become a wrathful inmate of our land, — that god who not even in Hades sets free the (guilty) dead. Seems it to you that we do Tiot require a salutary counsel V- Cho, Take heed, and become to us, as in duty bound, a god-fearing patron. Surrender not one who is an exile, — who has been driven far from home by an unnatural banish- ment ; nor suflfer me to be dragged violently away from these altars of many gods, O thou who boldest the entire sway over the land ! Take note of the lewdness of these men, and beware of the wrath of Zeus ! Do not bear to see your suppliant led away captive from the statues in despite of justice, like a horse pulled along by the head-gear, and the rude clutches of my finely-woven robe. For be well assured, in whichever way you shall have acted in this matter, it remains for your own sons and your house to pay a like justice by war. Consider well these righteous commands from Zeus. King, Well, I have considered them ; and this is what the matter comes to :^ from engaging in a terrible war either with one side or the other there is no escape : it is fixed* as fast as the hull of a ship jammed in the stocks. Without ^ This last verse seems spurious, h.&djwe. and is little more than a verbal repeti- ^ Lit. '^the ship is stranded on tion of the first. The concluding this coast." speech of the king has ten lines, as ' Lit. "it has been fastened with the preceding dialogue has uniformly wooden pegs." i 14 SUPPLICES. 486—461 gome vexation there is no concluding the business.^ Now, for wealth taken out of a plundered house, other wealth may come by favour of Zeus the god of Property, even greater tlian the loss, and sufficient to fill up a large freight. So too when a tongue has shot forth reproaches that are not season- able, but causing pain and greatly exciting passion, one speech may make amends for another; but, if we would prevent kindred blood-shedding from taking place, we must assuredly sacrifice, and many victims must fedl to many gods as a deliverance from harm. Surely by doing that I steer clear of the quarrel. But I shall be glad to prove an un- skilled prophet of evil rather than a cunning one: may it therefore turn out well, even contrary to my judgment Clu>. Hear now the summing up of these many appeals for mercy .^ King. I listen : speak on : it shall not escape me. Cfu). I have breastbands and girdles for the fastening of my robes. King, These things are befitting the condition of women. Ctu). With these then, be assured, there is a ready way Ki/rvg. Say now, what language is this that you will utter? Cho, Unless you shall give this company some good hope to rest on Kvrvg, What is the contrivance of the girdles to eflfect for you ? Oho, To adorn these statues with a strange kind of votive ofiferings. King, Your words are a puzzle. Come, speak plainly. Oho, To suspend ourselves forthwith from these gods. King, I hear a word that cuts me to the very heart. Oho. You know my meaning, for I gave it eyes to see more clearly.^ * Lit. " a Bteering to shore." The « By ^ similar figure fi\4trovra naral metaphors in this passage are So^dtrai is used in Choeph. 829. Or remarkable. perhaps, *' I made your eyesighjt more • Or perhaps, *of my respectful clear." address.' 462—494 8UPPLICE8. 16 Kvng, In many ways indeed there are troubles hard to strive with : and a flood of evils comes upon me like a river. I have entered upon a wide sea of calamity both bottomless and hard to cross ; and nowhere is there a harbour of refuge from evils. For if on the one hand I should fail to perform for you this request, you have hinted at a pollution not to be surmounted:^ but if on the other hand I should take my stand before the walls and try the issue of battle with your cousins, the sons of Aegyptus, surely the loss of lives becomes a sad one, when men for the sake of women shed their blood on the plain. Still, I am boimd to hold in awe the wrath of Zeus the god of suppliants : for the fear of him is supreme with mortals. Do you then, aged sire of these maidens, take these boughs in your arms and lay them quickly at some other altars of the gods of this country, that all the citizens may see a proof of this suppliant visit, and let not a word be thrown out about me: for the people are fond of bringing charges against those in authority. It may happen that some of them, feeling pity at seeing these tokens, will detest the lewd insolence of the male company, and so the people will be more favourably disposed to your side. For every one has kindly feelings towards the weaker. Dan, This is deserving of much gratitude from us, to have gained as a patron one who has proved himself so merciful. But send with us attendants and some of the natives to point out the way, in order that we may find the altars in front of the temples of the gods who protect the city, and their shrines, and that we may have safety as we go through the city. For the form that nature gave us is not of a kindred sort, since the Nile does not rear a race like the Inachus. Beware lest confidence should give rise to slaughter : 'ere now some have killed even their friends through not recognising them. King, Go, men;^ for the stranger speaks well. Lead ^ Or, * beyond any that can be re-appear as a body-guard to Danaus reached by conjecture.' at the end. ' He speaks to certain mutes who ]« 8UPPLICES, 495—518 ih/j WAy to the city altars, the shrines of the gods. And you irifiMt not am verse at length with those you may chance to ffM'^rt, whiKj you are conducting this seafarer to be the guest r/f th'j ^odn. (!h/f. To /lim you have spoken, and as he has his orders, rri/iy h Two lines here are hopelessly 845—885 8UPPZICJS8. 25 Cho. Ah me ! so may you perish without a hand to help you in crossing the watery waste, having lost your course oflF the sandy headland of Sarpedon by easterly breezes.^ Her, Sob and moan if you will, and call on the gods : for you shall not escape^ the Egyptian barque, even though you pour forth a still more piercing cry of woe. Cho. Oh woe for this insult! For you speak fiercely. * May the mighty Nile that nurtured you turn away your insolence, and bring the insolent to naught. Her, I bid you go to the doubly-prowed barque as quickly as possible, and let no one loiter. For the haling of captives shows no respect for fine locks. Cho, Alas ! father, the protection of the statues proves only a bane. He is carrying me oflf to the ship, with the stealthy tread of a spider. A dream, a dark dream ! Oh woe, woe! Mother Earth, mother Earth, keep away hinn whose voice inspires fear ! O king Zeus, thou son of Earth ! Her. I stand in no awe of your gods here. They did not rear me when young, nor feed me in old age. Cho. He is raging close to me, this two-footed serpent ; and like a viper that bites the foot, he has got a firm hold of me. Alas, alas ! mother Earth, mother Earth, avert him whose voice inspires fear ! O king Zeus, thou son of Earth ! Her. If somebody will not go to the ship, assenting to what I say, a rending will show little mercy to the fabric of a tunic. Cho. Ho! ye leaders of the city, ye chief men, I am being made a captive ! Her. It seems I shall have to drag you, tearing you away firom the altars by the hair, since you do not lend a quick ear to what I say.* Cho. We are undone! We are suflFering violence un- Jooked for, O king ! ^ Wrecked off the promontory of ' Lit. " leap over.** The metaphor Cilicia hy a *'• Levanter.** My emenda- is explained on Aff. 350. tion, for €bp€iais fly aifpaisy though ^ A corrupt verae. rather summarily rejected by Hermann, ^ I believe this couplet to be spuri- I venture to think a very probable one. ous. 26 8UPPLICE8. 886--909 Her, Many kings, sons of Aegyptus, ye will soon behold. Fear not, ye shall not say there are none to govern. King, You sir ! what are you doing ? with what ideas are you dishonouring this city of the Pelasgi ? Think you that you have come to a city of women ? For a stranger from without, you are taking too great liberties with Hellenes; while wrong in so many points you have conceived nothing right in your mind. Her. Why, what of these matters has been wrongly done by me in disregard of justice ? King. In the first place, you do not know how to behave as a stranger. Her. How not ? I, in finding what I had lost, — King. What proxeni of the country did you communicate with first? Her. Hermes, the greatest of proxeni, the god who as- sists search. King. If you told it to gods, you shew no reverence for those gods. Her. The deities of the Nile are those whom I reverence. King. And those here are nothing to you, as I under- stand you. Her. I shall take these girls away, unless some one rescues them. King. You shall suffer for it, if you lay a finger upon them, and that speedily. Her. The words which I hear are by no means friendly to a stranger. King. I owe no hospitality to strangers who are robbers of the gods. Her. I shall go and report all this to the sons of Aegyptus. King. That is a matter of no concern to my way of thinking. Her. But, that I may speak more plainly with know- ledge, — ^for it is the duty of a herald to report all the cir- cumstances clearly, — ^how and by whom shall I say on my 910—942 8UPPLICES. • 27 return that I have been robbed of the company of female cousins ? Be assured that Ares does not decide such disputes by the evidence of witnesses, nor does he make up a quarrel on the receipt of money ; but before that many a hero falls on the field, and there is many an agonised shuffling-oflf of life. King, Why should I tell you my name? Time will teach it, and then both you and your comrades will know it. But these maidens, provided they are willing, you may take, if you act in a kindly disposition, and if arguments consistent with religion shoidd induce them. Such an imanimous vote has been solemnly passed by the city in popular assembly, never to surrender by force a company of women. Through this a peg has been driven direct, so as to remain firmly fast- ened.^ These resolutions are not merely inscribed on tablets (nor written in the folded leaves of books^) but you hear them plainly from a free-speaking mouth. And now betake yourself as quickly as possible out of my sight. Her, This doubtless is your pleasure, to incur a disastrous war. Well ! may the victory and the success be on the side of the males.^ King, But male inhabitants of this land you will as- suredly find, who do not drink wine made of barley. And now do you, maidens, take courage, and go all of you with these friendly attendants to the well-fortified city, closed in with the device of lofty walls. And houses there are in plenty which belong to the people; but I myself have a palace built with no humble hand,* if you have a mind to dwell happily along with many others; but, if it is more agreeable, you may also occupy separate abodes. Of these alternatives choose that which seems best and which is most pleasing to the minds of the majority. I and all the citizens, — the same who pass this vote, — are your legal protectors. Why do you wait for others of more authority than these ? ' A figure from affixing tablets of ' Not to you and your women, lie laws or decrees to walls. contemptuously implies. See v. 885. ' I believe this yerse^tbe earliest * Perhaps this verse should be instance of the word $l$\os — is transposed to follow 938. spurious. A 28 8UPPZICJS8. 948—978 Cho, May you, in return for the good you have done us, abound in all that is good, noble king of the Pelasgi ! But kindly send hither our stout-hearted father (Danaus, our adviser and the author of our plan),^ for he must first be consulted as to where we may find houses to live in, and what place is agreeable to him. Every one is ready to utter slander against foreign women ; but may what is best happen for us. And do ye, dear handmaids, with good repute and with the temperate* language of the citizens, take your allotted places on the spot, according as Danaus assigned to each daughter a fair slave for her dowry. Dan. My daughters, you must offer your grateful vows to these Argives, and make sacrifices and libations as if to Olympian gods, since they have proved your preservers by their unanimous decree. And, while they heard with indig- nation against those obstinate cousins the course I had taken respecting them, they at the same time appointed these men to be my attendants and body-guard, that I might have an honourable prerogative, and might not be waylaid and secretly made away with by the spear, and so bring an undying curse on the land. When I obtain fi-om them such privileges as this, it is reasonable for me to hold in yet higher honour and regard the kindly feeling of their dispositions. And these instructions you will take down in your minds, beside many other maxims of prudence firom your father already written there, to the end that a company as yet strange may be tested by time. Every one, in the case of an alien, carries a ready tongue for slander, and the uttering in some way of a word that too easily leaves a taint. But you I exhort not to do discredit to me, possessed as you are of an age which is attractive to mortals. For tender ripeness is by no means easily guarded; the very beasts hanker after it as well as men : is it not so ? Yea, and creatures winged and walking on earth. Cypris offers for sale her dropping fruits,^ and ^ These words seem interpolated. ^ A metaphor from grapes bursting 3 Not the hasty words usually ad- with ripeness. The next verse is cor- dressed to slaves. This perhaps ex- rupt. plains iLixriviras in ^^. 1003. 980—1015 8UPPL1CE8. 29 And at the delicate beauty of virgins every passer- by discharges a winning dart from the eye, overcome by desire. Wherefore let us take care lest we suffer those very evils, to avoid which so much toil (has been incurred), and so much sea ploughed with our ship; and lest we cause disgrace to ourselves, but pleasure to my enemies. An habitation even of two kinds is before us to accept (the one Pelasgus, the other the city oflfers,)^ to live in free of rent. These are easy terms. Only remember these commands of your father, valuing chastity more than life itself. Chx). In all other matters may we be favoured by the gods of heaven : but concerning my marriageable age have no fear, my father; for unless some harm to us has been designed by the gods, I will not depart from the former course of my thoughts. Chorus. Heraich, A, Go, then,^ to pay your devotions to the blessed gods who are supreme rulers of the city, those who have in their care the safety of the state, and those who are enshrined by the ancient stream of Erasinus. Heraich. B, Take up, companions of our way, the strain ; henceforth let this city of the Pelasgi be the subject of our song, and let us no longer adore the mouths of the Nile in our hymns. Hemich. A, No; but rather those rivers which (as they flow) through the land pour their mild waters, causing increase, and satisfying the soil of this land with fertilizing streams. Hemich, B. And may virgin Artemis look with com- passion on our company, and may this marriage not be forced upon us by Cytherea : may that contest be reserved for my enemies. Hemich, A, Not that this hymn of ours, which is friendly * This verse seems interpolated, for fre fidy. The word yaydttfrts The king is nowhere by name called (yavdoyres) is corrupt. The sense Pel€t8ffU8. required is ifivovvres or rifiavrts, ^ Perhaps frc wv should be read qu. iiyaKovyres} 80 SUPPLICES. 1016—1051 to her, neglects Cypris : for she has power scarcely less than 2ieus and Hera ; and she is honoured as the goddess of crafty wiles for her influence over the nuptial mysteries. Hemich. B, And ever at their mother's side« as sharers in her honours, are Desire and winning Persuasion, to whom nothing can be refused ; Harmonia too has a share of Aphro- dite's power allotted to her, and so have the gently whisper- ing Loves.^ Hemich. A, But I have boding fears of their sailing against us as fugitives, and of sad woes to be endured ; yea, of bloody wars, now that they have had a fietvourable voyage with their swiftly-wafted ships in the pursuit. Hemich. B. Be assured that whatever is appointed by £Eite, that must happen: one cannot go contrary to the almighty absolute will of Zeus. May the end of this mar- riage turn out as many other marriages have to women of former times. Hemich. A. May the great 2jeus avert from me a mar- riage with the sons of Aegyptus. Hemich. B. What is best for us may yet come to pass. Hemich. A. But you would hia make light of that which is no light matter. Hemich. B. But you do not certainly know what is in store for us. Hem^ich. A. How am I to see into the divine will, im- penetrable to human ken ? Hemich. B. Use now moderate words.* Hemich. A. What moderation are you recommending ? Hemich. B. Not to take too much to heart the dispensa- tions of the gods. Hemich A. May sovereign Zeus take frx)m us an odious marriage with men who are our enemies, — ^that Zeus who freed lo from her woes, by happily checking her course with his healing hand, and eflfecting her deliverance by his benevo- lent power.* * Read \|^€8u/kus rpifiois r* *Ep6Tuv. ' Perhaps €vfi€yri (or wpevfievri) fiioy Kriiras, " making her life favourable." 1052—1057 8UPPLICES. 31 Hemich, B. And may he award the victory to the side of us women. The better alternative of an evil lot, and one of mixed fortune,^ I accept; and (may he grant) that the coming triaP be conducted justly, in accordance with my prayers, with means of deliverance from the gods. ^ Escaping the marriage, and the removal to another land. ' The subject, probably, of the play that next followed. i PROMETHEUS BOUND. F££SOIfS BEFRESJENTED, Stkength (Kea.tos). Chobt7s op Nthphs^ daxtghters FoBCE (Bia). op Ocean. Vttlcan. Io, daxtohteb op Inachus. Pbometheits. Hebhes. Krato8, We have come at last to a remote spot of this land, the imtrodden tract of a Scythian wilderness. Tis for you, Hephaestus, to attend to the directions father Zeus enjoined upon you, to fasten this malefactor to the steep craggy rocks in sturdy shackles of adamantine bonds: for 'twas yorir prerogative, the bright fire used for every art, that he stole and gave to mortals. For such a crime as that surely it is meet that he should give satisfaction to the gods, that he may be taught to bear with patience the sovereign power of Zeus, and to cease from his disposition to befriend the human race. Hephxiestus, Kratos and Bia, you have done your parts in carrying out the order of Zeus, and no obstacle remains to its completion ; albeit I have not myself the heart to bind a brother-god perforce to a bleak rocky gorge. Still, come what may, I must summon up courage for this */ for to dis- regard the commands of father Zeus is a grave risk. Lofty- scheming son of the infallible Themis! 'tis sorely against the will of both that I shall fasten you with forged fetters, not easily unloosed, to this inhospitable rock, where neither voice nor form of any mortal man will greet you,* but broiled ^ It is difficult to express more literally in our idiom the ellipse of iKoicu, D 34 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 23—48 by tho clf;ar flarno of the sun you shall change the Uoom of your (roiiii>l('xiori ; wy will you rejoice when suny-kirtled flight Hhall \\\i\it from the world the light, and the son shall ii^aiii (liH|H'rH<{ the inoruing dews. And for ever shall the w<'{iry biinl ^iv«r you ejiHo, he is not bom yet.^ Such are the rewards you have ^ot from your friendly disposition to mankind. Vou were a ^o. Km. 1 a HephaeituB perhaps knows that ambiguous. Htroules is destined to liberate Pro- » i.e, Zeus must be blamed for m«theus. But the words are purposely them. 49—78 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 86 Kra. One may do anything but become king of the gods. No one is free except Zeus.^ Hep. I know it by the present strait, and I have nothing to say against it. Kra. Then make haste to throw fetters round this rebel, that father Zeus may not see you lazy at the work. Hep. You may see there the armlets ready to your hand. Kra. Then take and rivet them on his arms with a hanmier with a strong grasp, and nail him to the rock. Hep. The work gets on, as you see, and is not imdertaken in vain. Kra. Hammer harder, clinch the rivets, leave not a loose link anywhere ; for he is clever at finding a way even out of close straits. Hep. This arm at least is fastened in a manner hard to undo. Kra. Then clamp this one also securely, that he may learn that he is a trickster not quite so shrewd as Zeus. Hep. Excepting him, no one could fairly disparage me.* Kra. Now fasten the ruthless jaw of the adamantine wedge driven right through his breast by main force. Hep. Alas, my Prometheus, I deeply grieve for your sufferings. Kra. There you are again wasting time in hesitation, and in sighing for the enemies of Zeus! Mind that you have not yourself to pity some day. Hep. You see a spectacle painful for eyes to behold. Kra. I see here a rebel meeting with his deserts. Come, throw the girths round his sides. Hep. Do it I must: let 'Nothing in excess" be your maxim in ordering me. Kra. Be assured I will order, aye, and press you on* ^ We are all slayes to, and must iirptix^ ^ ^^'^ rendered, obey the orders of the supreme god ; ^ AU but Prometheus would say I for we cannot dethrone him, gods did the work well enough, though we be. The old reading ' Literally, * shout at you too.' C2 i 86 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 74—108 besides. (Jo below, and enring his legs with a strong constraint. Hep, See now, the work is done, and at no great cost of labour. Kra. Now hammer the galling chains with main force ; for I can tell you the judge of the work is a severe one. Hep, Your tongue utters language resembling your form. Kra, Do you turn soft, but object not to me my cruelty and sternness of temper. Hep, Let us go now, since he has got the fetters on his limbs. Kra, There show your insolent defiance, and steal the prerogatives of the gods to confer them on creatures of a day! How much of these tortures will mortals be able to remove from you ? By a false name the gods call you Fore- Seer ; for you want a foreseer yourself to inform you how you may slip out of this device of our art. ProTTietheus (solus). glorious brightness of heaven di- vine ! swift-winged breezes, sources of rivers, and countless dimpling of the ocean billows, and Earth, nourisher of all things! — ^yon all-seeing orb of the sun too I invoke. See what sufferings I endure, myself a god, from the other gods ! Behold with what tortures racked I shall have to struggle through my term of ten thousand years ! Such is the cruel bondage that this new ruler of the gods hath devised against me. Alas, alas ! not only the present, but the coming evil I deplore, when I think where (in the distant horizon of time) an end to these toils is destined to appear.^ And yet what am I saying ? I know full well beforehand all that is destined to happen, and no calamity can come upon me unexpected. Well ! I must bear my doom as easily as I can, for I know to my cost there is no struggling against the force of necessity. And yet this is a fate that I can neither brood over in silence nor speak plainly upon. Yes! it was through my giving privileges to mortals that I have got fixed, wretch that I am, ^ A metaphor firom the rising of a star. 109—152 FROMETHEUS BOUND. 37 in these bonds. I obtained by stealth the source of fire, stored away in a fennel-stalk ;^ (that little spark) which has proved to mankind the teacher of every art and their great resource. Such were my crimes, and such are the penalties that I pay for them, fastened up here in fetters imder the open sky. Bfa. ! what have we now ? What is this sound, this odour that has been wafted to my senses without any object in sight ? Is it heaven-sent, or human, or is it made up of both ? Has some one come to this remote mountain to be a spectator of my pangs, or with what purpose ? Behold me in fetters, an unhappy god, the enemy of Zeus, and who has incurred the enmity of all the gods that are allowed entrance^ into the court of Zeus, through my too great friendliness for mortals. Aha! what means this rustling of winged things that I hear near me ? The bright sky whistles with the light strokes of pinions. What- ever it be that is approaching, it fills me with fear.^ CTw, Fear not : it is a friendly band that has come to this rock with rival fleetness of wings, having gained at last the consent of our Father :* and swiftly was I borne by the breezes that wafted me in my course. For the clang of the hammering of iron penetrated to the depth of my cave, and scared away my bashful reserve; and I came off at once^ in my flying car. Pro, Alas, alas ! Offspring of prolific Tethys, and children of father Ocean who encircles with his unslumbering stream the whole earth, look at me ; behold with what cruel bonds I am fixed fast, and shall keep a miserable watch on the top- most rocks of this mountain-gorge. Chx), I see, Prometheus ; and through fear a mist came over my eyes, filling them with tears at the sight of your body bleaching against the rocks in these galling fetters of ' Used even by the modem Greeks vulture which is to prey on his vitals, for transferring fire. Here Prometheus ^ " Having talked over our father's seems to speak of the pith as tinder. mind." » He satirizes them as K6\aucts. * "Without waiting to put on san- 3 He thinks it may be the dreaded dais." 38 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 163—195 cnicl adamant. For new helmsmen hold sway in Olympus, and by new-fashioned laws, I see, Zeus capriciously governs, and the grandeur of the old empire he is now bringing to naught. Pro, that beneath the earth and lower than Hades the receiver of the dead he had hurled me into fathomless Tartiirus, savagely putting me in indissoluble chains I Then neither god nor any other being^ would have exulted in these my sufferings ! But now, a sport of the airs of heaven, wretch that I am, I sufier a fate that my enemies rejoice to behold. Cho, Wlio of the gods is so hard-hearted as to exult in these tortures ? Rather, who does not share in your indigna- tion at your ill-treatment, except perhaps Zeus ? He indeed in continued ill-temper sets his resolution inflexibly, and holds subject the heavenly host ; and he will not cease to do so, till either he has satiated his heart's desire, or by some crafty device another shall have obtained possession of his jealously-guarded dominion. Pro. Yet the day will come when this lord of the immortals will have need of me, tortured though I am in sturdy fetters, to shew him the new plot by which he is to be despoiled of his sceptre and royal prerogatives : and then not by aU the honcy-tongued enchantments of eloquence will he coax me, nor by his stem threats will / ever be intimidated, so as to give information on this head, till he has released me from these barbarous bonds, and has consented to make me amends for this cruel ill-treatment. Cho. You indeed are bold, and relax nothing of your anger for your bitter pangs ; nay, you speak your sentiments even too freely. But my mind is harassed by a penetrating fear ; for I am alarmed for your fate, what course you must pursue^ to see an end of these troubles. For the son of Kronos has ways not to be reached, and an inexorable heart. Pro. I know well that Zeus is stem, and keeps the law * «. 6. man. * ** Into what harbour you are to put your ship." 195—280 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 39 in his own hands; nevertheless, if I mistake not, he will some day be soft^ied in his resolution, when he has received a crushing Uow in the way that I have foretold. Then he will cahn this unyielding temper, and enter eagerly into unison and friendship with me, who on my part will gladly meet him. Chx), Reveal and speak out plainly the whole story, what was the charge on which 2jeus apprehended you, and now tortures you so ignominiously^ and with such bitter resent- ment. Inform us, if the relation does you no harm. Pro. Painful indeed to me is the story to tell, but pain- ful it also is to withhold it, and so in every way it is an unhappy affair. When first the powers abov5 had commenced their quarrel, and a faction of one side against the other was being got up,— the one party wishing to eject Kronos from his throne, that Zeus forsooth might reign, and the other party eager to bring about the opposite result, that Zeus might never become king of the gods, — thereupon I, though counselling for the* best, was unable to convince the Titans, children of Uranus and Earth. They accordingly, slighting the use of crafty wiles through pride in their strength, fancied they could become masters without a long contest and by main force. But I had more than once been forewarned by my oracular mother Themis, (Earth she is also called, being one person under several names), what the issue of the matter was destined to be, — that it was not by might, nor by an appeal to strength, but by cunning, that those who gained the upper hand would prevail. When I explained all this to them in words, they did not condescend even to look at me at all. Accordingly, it appeared to me the best of all the plans that then occurred to my mind, to take my mother into my confidence and voluntarily side with Zeus, who on his part would be willing to receive us. It was by my counsels that the murky abyss of Tartarus concealed the god of primeval birth, Kronos, with all his allies. Such are the benefits that this tyrant of the gods has received from me, ^ Chaifa were considered a seryile punishment. A 40 PROMETEJEUS BOUND. 231—263 and such are the ill returns he has requited me with. For, I know not how it is, there is this ^ce inherent in absolute authority, the putting no trust in friends. However, what you ask me about, for what charge he is maltreating me, — this I will make clear to you. As soon as ever Zeus had taken his seat on the throne of his father, he at once pro- ceeded to award to the gods their several prerogatives, and began to arrange the scheme of his new empire. Of poor mortals however he had no consideration at all, but wanted to annihilate the whole race, and plant on the earth another new one. To these schemes no one opposed himself except me. I made the venture: I rescued mankind from being shivered by his* thunderbolts and going to Hades. Know that it is for this that he would break my pride by such tortures, alike painful to suffer and piteous to behold. Thus having given mortals the first place in my feelings of com- passion, I was not myself deemed worthy of obtaining the same, but have been thus mercilessly taught obedience, a spectacle discreditable to Zeus. Cho, Iron-hearted must he be, and made out of rock, who does not share in your indignation at your sufferings, Prometheus. For myself, as I should never have desired to see such sights, so on seeing them I am pained in my heart. Pro, Why, truly, in .the eyes oifriervd^ I am pitiable. Chx). Did you not go somewhat even beyond this ? Pro, Yes, I stopped mortals from ever looking forward to their fate. Cho. By devising what remedy of that malady ? Pro, I caused blind hopes to dwell among them. Cho, That was a great blessing that you conferred on mortals. Pro. But beside all this, it was I that gave them fire. Cho, And do those beings of a day now possess the bright element ? Pro, Yes, from which they will learn to practise many arts. Cho. Is this then the nature of thQ charges on which 264—298 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 41 Zeus is maltreatiiig you, and relaxes nothing firom your sufferings ? and is there no limit to this trial appointed for you? Pro. No other truly, except when it may be his pleasure. Chjo, And how can that ever be ? What hope is there of it ? See you not that you did wrong ? But hjow you did wrong, as it is not agreeable to me to tell, so to you it is a pain to be told. Well! let us drop this subject: seek rather some way of getting free from this trial. Pro. 'Tis easy for one who keeps his own foot out of harm's way to advise and to lecture another who is in evil plight. I tell you, I knew full well how all this would end : — ^yes, knowingly I erred, and that I shall not deny : it was by assisting mortals that I myself incurred these sufferings. But I confess I did not expect that by such a terrible punish- ment as this I should wither away against a lofty rock, con- demned to inhabit this solitary inhospitable mountain. How- ever, weep no longer for my present ills, but alight on the ground and hear the fortunes which are in reserve for me, that you may learn the whole matter throughout. Comply with my request; comply, and act in sympathy with one who is now in trouble. Tis in this way that calamity ranges about, and lights now on one, now on another.^ Cho. Upon friends by no means unwilling you have urged this request, Prometheus. Accordingly I will leave with nimble foot my swiftly-bome car and the pure regions of upper air, the highway of the eagle,^ and will come close up to this craggy rock ; and of your exertions and sufferings I long to hear an account from beginning to end. Oceamus, I have come to the end of a long journey which I have performed in a visit to you, Prometheus, directing by my will, and without using a bit, this fleet-winged courser through the air. And with your fortunes, be assured, I condole ; for not only, I presume, am I bound by my relation- * A metaphor from a bird or a bee. they will require sympathy. He hints that the like troubles may ' Lit* " of vultures." one day come on the Chorus, when 42 PROMETHEUS BOXTNL. 298—887 ship to do this, but, apart from the ties of kin, there is no one to whom I would give greater consideration than to you. And you shall have practical proof of the truth of this, for it is not in me to utter vain compliments. Come therefore, signify to me in what you would have me cooperate with you. For you shall never say that you have a stauncher friend than Oceanus. Pro. So, now, what means this? Have you then also come to view my suflFerings ? How ever had you the courage^ to leave your own ocean-stream and its natural rock-roofed grottoes, and to come to this iron-producing land ? Or have you made a journey on purpose to take a look at my fortunes and to condole in my woes ? Behold a spectacle, — ^me, the friend of Zeus, me, who assisted in settling his sovereignty, — with what suflFerings he is bending me to his will I Ocean. I do see it, Prometheus; and I wish to advise you for the best, trickster though you are. Know yourself, and adopt for yourself new ways ; for new also is the ruler among the gods. But, if you shall go on uttering such rough and sharp words, perhaps Zeus, even though seated far aloft, may hear you ; so that what you now endure frx)m his anger will seem to you to be mere^ child's-play of sufiTerings. Come, my poor friend, dismiss the angry feelings you cherish, and seek a riddance from these troubles. Perhaps what I am going to say will seem to you to be a stale maxim: such however, Prometheus, are ever the penalties of a too pre- sumptuous tongue. But you are not yet humble, nor do you submit to your misfortunes ; but besides your present woes you wish to get others. At least, if you act on the lesson I teach, you will not stretch out your leg against the goad, seeing that a stem monarch, and one accountable to none, is in power. And now I shall go and try if I can deliver you from these troubles. Do you on your part keep quiet, and not talk too fiercely. Do you not know full well, exceeding wise as you are, that on vain talk a penalty is inflicted ?* ^ Ironically said. Prometheus fully pliant character of his new friend, appreciates the temporising and com- ^ See on Agam, 386. 338—367 PROMETKEUS BOUND. 43 Pro. I like the idea of you being free from all blame, though you shared in the whole affair, and made the venture in common with me ! And now drop the matter ; let it not be any concern to you. Do what you may, you will not prevail with him, for he is not easy to persuade. But beware, lest you should yourself receive some harm by your visit. Ocean. Truly you are by nature fer better at advising others than yourself: by facts and not by words I infer it But now that I am going, do not by any means pull me back : I am confident, quite confident, that Zeus wiU grant me this boon, so that I shall release you from these sufferings. Pro. For these offers I thank you, and I will not cease at any time to do so ; for you are not wanting in readiness to serve me. But do not trouble yourself: for you will be doing so in vain, without any benefit to me, if you still insist on taking trouble. So be quiet, and keep yourself out of the way ; for I would not, because / am in misfortune, therefore wish that to as many as possible evils should happen. No indeed 1 I am afficted enough by the fortunes of my brother Atlas, who in the regions of the west stands propping with his shoulders the pillar between heaven and earth,^ a burden not easy to hold in the arms. The earth-bom inhabitant too of the cave in Cilicia I saw and pitied, a hostile monster with a hundred heads, when they fettered him like a slave by main force, the furious Typhoeus, who rose in rebellion against aU the gods, with horrible serpent-jaws hissing out destruc- tion.^ From his eyes also he flashed a light frightful to behold, as if he would ravage by force the empire of Zeus. But there came against him the sleepless missile of Zeus, the down-rushing thunder-bolt giving forth flame, which in a ^ In the original fable, and much as Hesiod represents it, Atlas was under the earth and sea, propping up the vast metallic vault of heaven which stretched like a dome over the flat earth, and touched it, or the circum- ambient stream, in ike far limits of the world. Another account made a huge mountain, e.g. Atlas, Etna, or the Peak of Teneriffe, prop up the heaven from falling on the earth. Aeschylus combines or confuses the two accounts. ' This is a very ancient supersti- tion of pre-historic man. Typhoeus was the earthquake god, who caused the rumbling noises heard in deep caves, and who vomited forth fire and smoke from the craters of the mountains under which he was laid. Find. I)fth. i. 44 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 368—398 moment knocked out of him his lofty-worded boasts: for smitten to the very vitals he was burned black and blasted in his strength ; and now his helpless and sprawling form lies hard by the narrow strait of the sea, squeezed under the mountain-mass of Etna. And there on the topmost peak sits Hephaestus forging molten iron, whence some day rivers of fire shall burst forth, preying with savage jaws on the level plains and the fair vineyards of Sicily. Such fury will Typhoeus cause to boil up from the mountain depths, with eruptions of hot and unapproachable fiery deluge, even though^ burnt to cinder by the bolt of Zeus. Now you have had experience of his anger, and want not me for a teacher : save yourself, as you well know how.* But / will go on bearing my present fate, until the proud will of Zeus shall have ceased from its resentment. Ocean. Do you not then know this, Prometheus, that of a disordered temper argimients are the physicians ?® Pro, Yes, if at the right time one tries to soften the heart, and does not attempt to reduce au inflamed passion by violent treatment. Ocean, But in being prudent and yet making a venture, what probable harm do you see ? Let me hear. Pro, Pains spent to no purpose, and the character of a weak-minded credulity. Ocean. Let me go on suflfering with tliat disease*; since it is best for one whose views are wise, to appear not to be wise. Pro. This error of judgment will be thought to be mine. Ocean. Clearly your reply sends me back home. Pro. Yes, I fear lest your grieving for me should bring you into enmity, — Ocean. Mean you with him who has lately taken his seat on the sovereign throne ? Pro, Take good heed that hia heart be never vexed. ^ That is, he refuses to yield even ^ That arguments maj influence yet. This is a warning to Prometheus Zeus, and assuage his anger against to be wise in time. Prometheus. 2 By not adyocating the cause of ^ The metaphor from surgery is a rebel. kept up. 399—443 PROMETHZrS BOUSD. 45 Ocean, Tour own case, Promeilieas, is mj instroctor. Pro. Set off, take yoarself Lome: cherish voar presimt sentiments. Ocean, I was just going when van added those woids to hasten me. For my winged qnadraped is dapping with his pinions the wide track of air ; and glad he will no doubt be to rest his limbs in his stall at home, CJio. I weep for yon, for this is a hapless &te, Pro- metheus: and as I pour from my tender eyes a stream of teardrops, I drench my cheek with fountains of water. For these are sad times : Zeus rules by laws of his own, and is showing to the gods of the former empire an overbearing disposition. Already the whole country groans aloud and sheds tears, sighing for the glories of the grand old sovereign sway of yourself and your brother Titans : not only do the mortal races who occupy the settlements in fair Asia sym- pathise in the loud groans extorted by your sufferings ; but the maiden dwellers^ in the land of the Colchians, fearless in fights, and the Scythian hordes who occupy the further- most regions of earth near the Maeotic lake;^ the valiant youth of Arabia^ also, a people who dwell in a citadel perched on precipitous rocks near Mount Caucasus, a warlike host, uttering defiance with a serried firont of sharp spears.* The only other one of the gods I have as yet seen in trouble is Atlas the Titan, rendered tame under torturing bonds of adamant, — ^who ever sustains on his back with heavy groans the vast weight that is borne upon him, even the revolving vault of the heavens. And the ocean-surge roars in cadence, the abyss beneath moans, and the dark recess of the gloomy region of the dead rumbles under the earth ; yea, the very springs of the clear-flowing rivers wail in pity for his pain. ^ The Amazons. siimus.' » The sea of Azov, beyond which 4 On referring to a popular transla- to the east the world was unknown to tion of Aeschylus to see how this diffl- the early Greeks. cult phrase is turned, (literally, 'storm- * Either Arabia is a corrupt read- ing in sharp-pro wed ipoan,') I find ing, or (and more probably) Aeschylus nothing more satisfjEictory than '* olam- was quite wrong in his geography, curing amid sharply-barbed ipoari." See however, Plautus, Trinum, v. 934, But 4v means *' accoutred with/' ' in Pontum advecti ad Arabiam terram 44 nv SI' v.v. 74 /N fh. I?' .. 1^ hu** ^x cation or foolhardincss , by reflecting on my o\ni /^.irt, when I sec myself sub- ..; who was it but myself that V. now gods their several preroga- jhiiig about them; for indeed I ,»ni who already know. But hear •'it- . ,\isted among mortals, — how I made ,..,..< reasoning powers, to have mind and intelligence. And 1 shall tell you this, j^l, to disparage mankind, but by way of m,xh1 feeling implietl in my gifts. They in ,l,\>iigh seeing saw to no purj^ose, hearing they ,.,-st,'ind ; but, like the forms of dreams,^ during i>ni2 •""^ *'^^y ^^^ everything in a confused and and knew not brick-built houses turned to the . tho onvft of carpentry. But they used to dwell in "'■" m«»lo i» the earth, like the tiny ants, in the sunless '•'^ I _^ ^y( caves.^ And they had no sign either of winter, ^ ^f flowery spring, or of fruitful simimer to rely upon ; but \^\ "whI to do everything^ without judgment, till at length 1 shi'WiHl them the risings of the stars and their nicely lotonnined* settings. And further, numbers, the best of inventions, I devised for them, and the combining of letters, lit once the origin of literature, and the means of recording every event. And I was the first to join together under the \-oko the animals that served them for drawing and for riding,* that they might be used by mortals to relieve them in their severest toils. I brought too under the car horses, taught to love the rein, the ornament of luxurious wealth. ♦ h'Tf |ff»'' HT«> > Ab fickle, unstable, and incon- sistent as dreams. Compare Aff. 82. s Modem researches seem to show that at least some very primitive races of men really did live in caves, which they shared with the wild animals, just as Lucretius also states Y. 955, 984. These traditions therefore are by no means lightly to be set aside. 3 SoTK-ing and reaping are princi- pally meant. * The true as distinguished from the apparent risings. Some knowledge of astronomy seems to have been the earliest intellectual aohieyement of man. ^ * Submitting themselves to coUan and to (bearing) men's bodies'. rSOMBXEBUS BOUND. 47 r 'BiasideBy no other -tiian myadf found out for tbem the sea- imyersii^ canvafis-winged. eaiB to convey mariners. Such the contrivances I devised for man, and yet, unhappy h ! myself have no cunning craft hy which I may get •gi ' rid of my present misery. Cho, Your misfortune is discreditable to yourself: you . lost your senses and went wrong, and then, like a bad phy- tt sician, after falling sick you despair, and cannot find remedies to cure yourself withal. Pro. When you hear from me the rest of my story, you \^* will wonder yet more at the various arts and shifts that I - devised for man. The most important was this : if any one had fallen into an illness, there were no remedies to avert it, i either to be swallowed as food, or to be used as ointments, b or to be taken as draughts : but for want of drugs they used to pine and waste away, till I showed them mixtures of sooth- - ing remedies, by which they keep away every kind of malady. Many ways too of divination I arranged for them: I first taught them to distinguish what sort of dreams would turn out true : the obscure import of ominous sounds I made clear to them, and the meaning of objects met on the way. The flight too of crooked-taloned birds of prey I clearly defined, both those which are lucky in their nature, and the unlucky ones : and what way of life they severally have, what likings and dislikings with each other, and what habits of flocking together. I showed them too what the smoothness of the liver^ meant, and what particular colour it should have to be pleasing to the deities ; and the mottled appearance of the lobe of the gall-bladder.^ Further, by roasting the thighs enveloped in fat, and the long chine, I led mortals into the true way of an abstruse art.^ The signs too of flame* I made them see clearly, though before they were hidden as by a film from their eyes. Such then were my services on these ^ The absence or obliteration of the seams which divide the liyer into lobes, 2 The lobe of the liver nearest to which the ^sJl-bladder lies, {lobua quad- ratm in anatomy). 8 That of divination. Signs were derived from the roasting of the chine, as is clear from Ar. Foe. 1063 seq. 4 See Eur. Fhoen. 1255. A "■^'.l-i^^''-'^^ 48 PEOMETREUa BOUND. 508— IPIS matters : but those great benefits to man which lie hidden under the earth, — copper, iron, silver^ And gold, — icha mm, assert that he had found them out before I di^ ? N6 oiM^ I am very sure, that does not desire to talk vainly. In fini^ in a short statement hear the whole matter : all arts came to mortals from Prometheus. Clio. Do not now benefit mortals beyond what is right and reasonable, and yet be careless of yourself in misfortune : since I for my part am of good hope that you will yet be ■ released from these bonds, and be not less strong than Zeus himself. Pro. These things fate is not destined as yet to bring about in this way ; but after being bent to his will by count- less woes and pangs, I am thus to get away from my bonds. For Art is weaker by far than Necessity. Clio. Who then is the director of this Necessity ? Pro. The three Fates, otherwise called the Mindful Furies.^ Chx). Is Zeus then inferior in power to these ? Pro. Assuredly he cannot escape what is destined. Clio. Why, what is destined for Zeus, except to go on reigning for ever ? Pro. That further information you cannot have, and do not press for it. Clio. I suppose it is some grand secret that you keep so close to yourself. Pro. Mention any other subject : for this one it is not by any means the proper time to tell you plainly about, but it must be covered up as much as possible ; for it is by keep- ing this secret that I am to escape from my degrading bonds and bodily pains. Chx). Never may Zeus the dispenser of all things set his authority in opposition to my will : never may I be tardy in approaching the gods with holy sacrifices of slaughtered oxen by the ever-flowing stream of my father Ocean, and never may I offend in my words. Firmly may this abide in me, ^ See Eumm. 361, 920 ; supra 218. * 543—590 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 49 and may it never melt away from my mind. Tis something sweet to spend one's long life in confident hopes, nourishing the heart's desires amidst cheering joys : hut I am aflfrighted when I see you racked hy countless pains. It was hecause you feared not Zeus, hut, acting on your private judgment, shewed too much respect for mortals, Prometheus. See now, how thankless was the fevour, my friend: say, where and what assistance can he found. What help is there from the creatures of a day ? Did you not perceive the powerless and feeble estate, like to a dream, with which the blind race of mortals is hampered and bound ? By no contrivance will the eternal fitness of things established by Zeus be over- stepped by the schemes of mortals. I learnt this truth by looking on your unhappy fortunes, Prometheus. And the strain of opposite tones has now come upon me, — this, I mean, to that, when I sang the nuptial song at the bath and the bridal bed, on the occasion of your marriage, when you led our half-sister Hesione, having won her by your presents to become your bride and the sharer of your couch. lo. What land is this? what people? Whom shall I say that I see here exposed to the inclement sky chained to this rock ? In punishment for what ofience are you being tortured to death ? Inform me, to what land, poor wretch that I am ! I have wandered. Ah, ah ! See, what have we here ? A stinging gad-fly^ again pierces my poor flesh. The spectre of the earthbom Argus ! Keep him off, O Earth ! I am full of fear when I see that herdsman with his ten thousand eyes. There, there he goes, with his crafty eye ! Not even when dead can he rest in the earth, but he finds his way from the abodes of the dead and hunts me down, making me rove all hungry along the sandy sea-shore. And the wax-compacted reed accompanies with its shrill notes his drowsy strain. O me, ' lo ia dressed up as a human being former is at hand. The legend repre- with a cow's head, and is represented sents the ancient cow- worship of India, as attended by a ghostly herdsman and , and the fiouwis ^'Hpri of Homer is but tortured by a brize or gad-fly. When another form of it. Arffus is the pea- she feels, the latter, she knows the cock, also an Indian bird. K 50 PROMETEEUa BOUND. 691—632 alas ! alas ! Whither are these long and toilsome wanderings taking me ? In what, O son of Kronos, in what did you find me sinning, that you harnessed me to these woes, alas ! and that you so persecute a poor maiden to frenzy by fears of being driven by the gad-fly ? Bum me with fire, or cover me over with earth, or give me for a prey to sea-monsters ; refuse not to comply with my prayers, O king ! Too much toil already my long wanderings have caused me, and it is not in my power to discover in what way I may escape from my woes. Do you hear the voice of one who is a young girl, albeit she wears the horns of a heifer ? Pro. Surely do I hear the brize-driven daughter of Inachus, who captivates the heart of Zeus with love, and now, becoming odious to Hera, is being violently exercised in these too lengthy courses.^ Io» Whence comes it that you utter the name of my father? Tell me, the unhappy one, who you are — who, I say, O wretched man, who accost so truthfully this poor wanderer, and have named the heaven-sent malady which is wearing me out by stinging me with maddening goadings? Alas! tortured by hunger I have come bounding along at a rapid pace,^ unable to cope with the craft and the jealouqr of Hera. What wretches are there, O me ! that suffer as I do ? But signify to me clearly what is yet in store for me to suffer, what I have not to suffer; what remedy there is for this malady, show me, if you indeed know it. Speak, declare it to the poor wandering girl. Pro. I will tell you plainly all that you desire to know, not making up riddles, but in simple language, even as it is right to declare one's sentiments to friends. You see here the giver of fire to mankind, Prometheus. lo. O you who have proved yourself the common bene- factor of mortals, unhappy Prometheus, in requital for what are you suffering these pains ? ^ A metaphor firom the stadium. * rushing, tamed hy the wrathful plot- ' " "With the hungry tortures of tings of Hera." hounding steps I have come furiously 633—657 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 51 Pro, I have but lately ceased lamenting my own woes. lo. Will you not then grant this favour to me ? Pro, Say what you require; for there is nothing you may not learn from me. lo. Inform me who fastened you in the mountain-gorge. Pro. The device indeed was that of Zeus, the hand that of Hephaestus. lo. And of what crimes are you paying the penalties ? Pro. Thus much only I am content to make known to you. lo. Nay, but beside this show me the end of my wander- ing, and how long the unhappy one is to be an outcast. Pro. Not to be informed of this is better for you than to be informed. lo. Pray do not conceal from me that which I am destined to endure. Pro. Nay, 'tis not that I grudge you this boon. lo. Then why do you hesitate to tell me plainly the whole matter? Pro. Objection I have none : but I am reluctant to shock your feelings. lo. Be not concerned for me beyond what is agreeable to myself. Pro. Since you are desirous, I must tell you: hear me then. Cho. No, not yet : give me too a share in the pleasure. Let us first acquaint ourselves with this maiden's wrongs, from her own account of her long and perilous wanderings ; but the rest of what she has to undergo let her be informed of by you. Pro. Tis for you, lo, to comply with the request of these maidens, and the more so, as they are the sisters of your father. For to give free scope to tears and lamentations at misfortunes,^ in a case where one is likely to win a tear from the hearers, repays time and the trouble.^ * i,e. from relations, as in this in- over,* *to give full vent to one's sorrow.* stance. hroKKaviTM like itiroOavfidxrat ^ Lit. ^ involves a delay worth the in Aff. 309, is, *to have a good cry making.* e2 i 53 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 658—691 lo. I know not on what grounds I should refuse ypo^piov. Probably ^poiixioVf play on, or confusion between, UKo^ 'such is the introductory account/ twv and nXoOros. «. e, such are the monsters I have first * Both here and in SuppL 282, Aes- to tell you of. chylus confounded Aethiopia with the ' As83rrian sculptures of hawk- East Indies, of which the vaguest headed men and ^Tn'mn.1g give rise to accounts had reached Greece either this legend. from merchants or from information > UKoirwy, the god of wealth ; a obtained through the Persians. A 68 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 841—871 all, then do t^s in our turn the favour we ask ; and you of course remember it. Pro. She has already heard the whole extent of her journey ; but, that she may be assured she is not being told an idle tale by me, I will state clearly the toils she has under- gone before coming here, giving her this very proof that my account is true. ( The less interesting part^ then of the story I will leave out, and proceed at once quite to the end of your wanderings. For, after you had come to the plains of the Molossi and the parts about the lofty-ridged Dodona, where is the oracle and prophetic seat of Zeus the god of the Thesproti, and that portent, surpassing belief, of the talking oaks, by which you were plainly and in no ambiguous terms addressed as the damsel destined to become the renowned spouse of Zeus, — if ought of these incidents presents itseK pleasingly to your mind ; — ^from thence, I say, driven madly by the brize along the road by the sea-coast, you sped on- wards to the great gulf of Rhea,^ from which point you com- menced your trying journey in the return.^ And for all future time, be well assured, that gulf of the sea shall be called Ionian, a record of your journey to it for all mankind. Such are the proofs I give you of my intelligence, that it sees somewhat more than has been presented to view. What remains now I will explain to you and to her in common, returning to the same track of my former narrative.* There is a city called Canopus, at the furthest extremity of Egypt, close by the very mouth and alluvial bar of the Nile. There Zeus is to restore you to your human consciousness, by strok- ing you with his gentle hand and touching you, but no more.* And, to commemorate by a name the author of a race de- scended from Zeus, you shall bring forth a son, the swarthy Epaphus,^ who shall possess all the fertile plains that the * The commonplace part, tx^ov, * The point where I before left of^ namely, that which might weary rather namely, v. 834. than amuse. The phrase hardly admits ^ ^ee on Si*pph\*J, of a very close rendering. * From iirou^^ * touch.* The above ^ The Hadriatic. yersion, if rather verbose, appears to 3 Or, ' in returning from which you give the meaning of an obscure phrase. lost your way in a storm.' See however on Suppl, 45. 872—905 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 69 Nile covers by its inundations.^ And the fifth in descent from him, a family of fifty female children shall retmn again to Argos, not of their own free will, but to avoid an incestuous union with their cousins; and they, with hearts incited by desire, like falcons in close chase after doves, shall come in pursuit of a marriage they ought not to pursue : but the god shall grudge them the possession of their persons. And the land of Argos shall give them refuge, after they have slain their husbands by an act of feminine vengeance,^ emboldened by the security of midnight. For each bride shall deprive her spouse of life, by embruing a two-edged sword in his throat. So may Cypris visit all who are enemies of mine.^ One however of the maidens love shall soothe so as not to slay the partner of her couch, but her resolution shall be blunted; and of two evils she shall choose this one, to be called a coward rather than a murderess. From her in Argos shall spring a race of kings : it requires a long account to go over this matter so as to make it clear ; however, from this stock shall spring a hero bold, renowned in archery, who shall deliver me from my present toils. Such was the prophecy which my mother Themis, of ancient Titanian birth, recounted to me. But by what means and in what way, — to tell that a long account is needed ; and you by learning it aU will be no gainer. lo. Oh helas! O woe is me! Again does the racking pain and heart-piercing mad-fit make me inwardly smart, and the sharp point of the gad-fly, not forged by fire, punctures me. My heart through terror beats against my bosom; my eyes spin round as in an eddying circle, and I am being carried out of my course by a violent gust of madness,* without the power to control my tongue: but troubled words keep up a random conflict against the waves of this hateful curse. 1 'Who shall reap as much land ^ i.e. 'may my £riends he spared as Nile waters when it flows hroad.' from such a marriage.' * 0ri\vKr6ung those who are conceited of their wealth, nor among those who make much of their high birth. Never, O ye goddesses of fate, never may ye see me becoming a partner of the bed of Zeus, nor may I be wedded to any spouse of the heavenly host For I am fiill of fear when I see lo's virgin estate, that recoiled from the advances of Zeus, so grievously distressed by the laborious wanderings imposed on her by Hera. But to me marriage, when indeed it is equal, is devoid of fear, and I have no anxiety about it : but never may the love of any one of the mighty gods regard me with an eye from which there is no escape. That is a war not to be waged, oflfering nothing but diflSculties ; nor know I what in that case would become of me, for I see no means of escaping the designs of Zeus. Pro. Assuredly the day will come when Zeus, though full of obstinate pride, will be humbled ; for he is even now pre- paring to make such a marriage as shall oust him from his sovereignty and throne, and bring him to utter nothingness : and the curse of his father Kronos shall then at length have its full accomplishment, — that curse which he imprecated on him when he was being deposed from his ancient throne. From these troubles no other god than myself would be able to shew him plainly the way to escape. / know it, and how it is to be done. Let him then sit confident on his throne, trusting to the clatterings he can make in the sky, and brandishing in his hands the fire-flashing bolt ! For these will not help to save him from being hurled down in disgrace, never to rise again. Such an 'antagonist is he now arming against himself, a monster most diflBcult for him to contend with, even one who shall discover a flame superior to that of lightning, and a mighty crash surpassing that of the thunder ; yea, who shall scatter in fragments the trident, the earth- shaking disturber of the sea, the spear of Poseidon: and r 947—972 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 61 when he has struck his foot against this calamity, he will learn how widely diflferent is the being a slave from the being a king. Cho, You, of course, make your own wishes the groimds of your rash talk against Zeus. Pro, What will be accomplished, and also what I desire, do I give utterance to. Clio. And are we to expect that some one will be lord over Zeus ? Pro, Yea, he shall have troubles more diflBcult to bear even than these of mine. Clw, But how is it that you have no fear in blurting out such threats ? Pro, What should I fear, to whom it is not destined to die? Chx), But he might find for you a contest yet more pain- ful than this. Pro, Let him do it then : there is nothing I may not expect. Cho, Those who do homage to Adrastea^ are wise. Pro, Go on worshipping, praying, cringing to any one that is in power ! Why, / care less about Zeus than nothing. Let him do his worst, let him hold us in thrall for this brief time, even as he chooses ; for he shall not long remain king over the gods. But here I see this courier of Zeus, this servant of our new lord and master ! Of course he has come to tell me some news. Hermes. You, the mighty genius, you, that are too bitterly bitter, you, who sinned against the gods by giving prerogatives to ephemeral man, you, the fire-stealer, I address. The Sire orders you to declare plainly what marriage you are so loudly talking about, and by whom he is to be deposed from his authority. And to these questions, mind, reply not in ambiguous language, but speak out plainly each and everything : so do not, Prometheus, give me the trouble of ^ A goddess who impersonated ineyitable destiny. ' Those who submit to necessity are wise.' 62 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 973—1001 two journeys ; and you see that Zeus is not at all softened by such ways as these. Pro. Finely-worded, in truth, and full of pride, is the speech, for a servant of the gods ! Ye are yet young in your new empire, and ye think forsooth to dwell in the celestial citadel with nothing to rue. Have not I from that very citadel known two tyrants driven out ? And a third I shall yet see (expelled) with my own eyes, even the present ruler, more disgracefully and more quickly than they. Do I seem to you at all to fear and to be cowed by your new gods ? Far am I, nay, wholly short of such feelings. So do you go back in all haste by the road you came ; for you shall learn nothing of what you are questioning me about. Her, It was by such defiant words however that before too you brought yourself^ into these present troubles. Pro. For your slavery my own evil plight, be well as- sured, I would not exchange. Her, No : of course it is better to be a slave to this rock, than to be a trusty-minded^ messenger to Zeus. Pro, So to insult the insolent is right and proper. Her. You seem to me to wanton in^ your present suflTer- ings. Pro. Do I ? So may I see my enemies wantoning ; and you I reckon of their number. Her. Why, do you blame me at all for your misfortunes ? Pro. In plain words I hate all the gods who, having been benefited by me, ill-treat me unjustly. Her. I hear by your words that you are raving with no slight mad-fit. Pro. I would fain continue to be mad, if it is madness to hate one's enemies. Her. You would be beyond endurance, if you were in prosperity. Pro. Ah me ! Her. That word Zeus knows not. * Lit. * wafted yourself.* ^Jvtu. * fpvvai Tritrrhv, i. e. tpltriv iritrrhv ^ Or, * pique yourself upon.' 1002—1035 PR0MJETHEU8 BOUND. 63 Pro, But time that is passing away teaches all things. Her, And yet you have not yet learned to be discreet. Pro, No, or I should not have spoken to you, who are but a servant. Her, It seems that you intend to tell none of the things the Sire demands. Pro, Why truly, I owe him a favour, that I should repay him one. Her, You flout me, as if forsooth I were a boy. Pro, Why, are you not a boy, and yet more senseless than one, if you expect to learn anything from me ? There is no torture nor any contrivance by which Zeus shall induce me to tell him these secrets, until my galling fetters shall have been loosed. Wherefore let there be hurled at me the blazing fire-bolt, — ^let him with his white-winged snow-shower and his earthquake rumblings throw everything into ruin and confusion ; for none of these wiU bend me so far as to inform him by whom he is to be- driven from his sovereignty. Her. Consider weU now, whether this course seems likely to help you. Pro, Long ago, be assured, all this has been considered, and my plans have been formed. Her, Have the sense, O foolish one, do have the sense at last to take a right view of your present sufferings. Pro, You tease me to no purpose; you might as well talk over a wave. Never let it enter your mind .that /, through fear of the resolution of Zeus, will become woman- hearted, and humbly supplicate that greatly detested one, with feminine upliftings of my hands, to release me from these bonds. I am as far as possible from that. Her, It seems that, however much I may say, I shall say it in vain ; for you do not at all relent, nor are you softened in your heart by my entreaties, but, holding the bit between •your teeth like a newly-yoked colt, you plunge and fight against the rein. However, you are playing the violent by a trick that will serve you little: hardihood, to one who is ill-advised, of itself avails less than nothing. Now mark A 64 PROMETHEUS BOUND. 1035—1072 well, if you fail to comply with my words, how terrible a storm, and how huge a wave of calamity will come upon you without escape. For first, the Sire will shatter this craggy ravine with his thunder and fiery bolt, and will bury your body in the ruins, and the arm of the rock shall support you.^ And when you have completed a long period of time, you shall return back to the light ; but even then, be assured, the winged hound of Zeus, the dusky eagle, shall fiercely tear up a huge piece^ of your mangled body, coming as an un- invited banqueter for the whole day, and shall feed on your liver when gnawed black. Of such an agony as this expect not any end, until some god shall have consented to descend into the sunless Hades, and to abide in the gloomy depths of Tartarus. Wherefore take good counsel, since this bold threat is not invented, but even too truly uttered ; for the mouth of Zeus knows not how to speak falsely, but will accomplish everything it says. So do you be circumspect and take thought, and not imagine that obstinacy is ever better than good counsel. Clw, To us indeed Hermes seems to speak very much to the point ; for he bids you give up your obstinacy and seek after the good counsel which is wise. Be persuaded: for to the clever it is a discredit to be guilty of a mistake. Pro. With full knowledge on my part, be assured, hath this messenger dinned his orders into my ears. Well ! for an enemy to be ill-treated by enemies is but fair play* Wherefore let there be hurled against me the doubly-pointed zig-zag lightning; let the upper air be convulsed with the thunder and the rack of the wild winds, and may the earth, be made to quake from its foundations by the blast even to its very roots, and the wave of the sea with its ruffian foam be heaped together upon the paths of the stars ; yea, may he catch up aloft and hurl my body into murky Tartarus * * The rock shall clasp you in its * LJt^ i ^ great rag of your body.* tight embrace.' The figure is perhaps ^ ' Is nothing unbecoming.' from a nurse carrying a child. 4» 1073—1114 PROMETHEUS BOUND, 66 with irresistible fling ;^ do what he may, he can never make me die. Her, Such in truth are the counsels and the words one may. hear from the crazed. For in what respect is this rebel's conduct short of insanity ; in what does he relax at all from his fits of madness ? But at all events do you, who condole with his suflferings, retire quickly to some place away from this spot, lest the harsh bellowing of the thunder should stun and stupify your senses. Cho, Suggest and talk me over to some other course that you may succeed in persuading me to : for assuredly this pro- posal that you villainously made me is not to be tolerated. How can I, as you bid me, practise baseness ? In company with him I am willing to endure whatever I must : for I was taught to hate traitors, and there is no malady which I loathe more than this. Her, At all events remember what I forewarn you of, and do not, when overtaken by calamity, blame your fortune, nor ever say that Zeus cast you into an unforeseen calamity, — no truly, but that you cast yourselves : for with a full know- ledge, and neither suddenly nor secretly, will you be en- tangled in the endless net of Atfe through your own folly. Pro, And now truly in reality, and no longer in mere threat, the earth rocks ; the subterranean sounds of thunder rumble past me, the fiery zig-zag streaks of lightning gleam from the sky, the whirlwinds carry along the dust in eddies, and the blasts of all the winds leap wildly forth, showing a strife of conflicting gusts against each other; yea, the welkin has felt the disturbance along with the sea. Such a turmoil of the elements is now coming visibly upon me from Zeus, to cause me alarm. O venerable mother mine,^ O ether, that earnest round^ a light common to all, are ye witnesses how imjustly I am treated ? * *With the unbending turnings- ' The upper air, ether ^ or bright round of necessity.' The Ziirn is pro- fiery element, was believed to move bably the movement of the arm round round with die stars, as part of the before a tkrow is made. ^6X05 or revolution of the sky. s Themis. A Ersocija. A Mbsbbhqes. s OF Tksbax YiBenrs. Eteocles. People of the city of Cadmus ! a man ought to speak words that are to the point,^ when he has the care of affairs at the pilot's seat in the stem, and mantles the helm of the state without closing his eyelids in sleep. For should we have gained success, it is caused hy the god*; but if on the contrary (which heaven forbid !) calamity should have befallen U8, then Eteocles alone would be plentifully abused by the inhabitants all over the city in noisy songs and wailings, of which may Zeus the Averter become averter, ss his name implies, to the city of the Cadmeian people. But for the presenj. it behoves you — both him who is yet short of the full vigour of youth, and him who ie past the period of manly strength, but still keeps up a vigorous growth of body, and each one who is yet in his prime, as is proper for you all' — to bring aid to your city, and to the altars of your country's gods, that their sacrifices may never become extinct, and to your children and your common mother the Earth, your &pta- Ixnr ' OS each ia conspic hfle,' i. t. whether I, people ore sure to say so. the usual military ijAiicla, bo long aa ' '^^" — J--- '* }j^ IB jioi actually decrepit-- — Upavt a time of life more or leu near 'the prime.' It ia BO uaed by Piato, Fhatd. 68 SEVEN AGAINST TEEBE8, 16—47 most kindly nurse. For she it was who, when you walked in childhood on her friendly soil, taking upon herself the entire charge and pains of educating you, brought you up to be her colonists and trusty champions, that you might become such for an emergency like this. And thus far indeed, up to the present day, the scale of fortune turns in our favour : for though we have so long been beleaguered by the enemy, the war for the most part is going on well, by the goodness of the gods. But tww, as the seer informs me, the feeder of fowls, on considering well, by hearing and intelli- gence,^ without the use of omens by fire, the warnings of birds^ by his infallible art, — he, I say, the possessor of such means of divination, declares that the greatest attack yet made by the Argives is being discussed in midnight council, and that they are plotting against the city. So now to the battlements and the gates of the martels depart all of you, hasten in complete armour, man the breastworks, take your stand on the floors of the towers, and staying firm at the outlets through the gates, be of good courage, and fear not too much an army of invaders : the god will cause all to end well. For myself, I have sent scouts and spies of the enemy, who I am confident are not going the journey in vain : and when I have heard their report, there is no fear of my being caught by treacherous craft. Mes. Eteocles, most noble king of the Cadmeians, I have come bringing you precise news from the enemy's lines ; and I myseK am an eye-witness of their doings. For seven chief- tains, dashing captains of companies, slaughtering a bull over a dark-banded^ shield, and touching with their hands the creature's gore, swore by Ares, Enyo, and bloodthirsty Rout, that they would either bring ruin on the city and ravage the stronghold of the Cadmeians by force, or by their own death 1 Teiresias, being blind, could only scbl, ^dovs Htxc^i * without eyesight,' use ears and mindy but not eyes. Hence — an emendation rather ingenious than the poet adds wphs Slxuyos turn safe out of the fight. irrparhsi inf. 159. 3 i. e, * I have cdtne with all speed ^ The scholiast, who explains /i^ to tell you.' Others give wloris, * the ^e^e\6uv {bir€\$€7v Weil) ivyhv 9ov- proof of all this will soon appear in \tlas seems to have read ivtrx^BeTu, the action.' * to be caught in.' J 70 8ErEN A GAINST THEBES. 77—119 I think that what I say is the common interest of us both ; for a city that is in prosperity pays honours to the gods. Cho, I utter loud tones of grief through fear. The army is let loose and has left the camp. A vast host of cavalry in advance is pouring yonder in a stream upon our city. The dust in the air convinces me by its sudden appearance, — ^that voiceless but plain and true messenger. Even yet the plains of my native soil, beaten by the hoofs of the horses, bring the sound of war to my ears. It is borne on the breeze, it roars like a mountain-lashing irresistible torrent. O all ye gods and goddesses, fend from us the coming evil ! With a war-shout on the other side of the wall the white-shielded host is rushing in full array against our city. Who then will rescue, who will assist us, of gods or goddesses? To the images of which of these deities^ must I kneel ? Ye blessed beings, firmly seated on your thrones,^ 'tis full time we should cling to your statues: why do we delay through excess of grief? Hear ye, or hear ye not, the clash of shields ? When; if not now, are we to engage in the supplications of the peplus and of wool-tufted boughs ? I am conscious of a loud din — there is the clattering of more than one spear. What wilt thou do — abandon to thine own land. Ares, ancient patron of our country ? God of the golden casque, regard, favourably regard, the city which once thou didst hold well beloved! Ye gods, protectors of the land, come ye, come all, and see a suppliant band of maidens praying to escape slavery. For a wave of slant-crested warriors encircling the city roars like the surge on the beach, impelled by the blast of Ares. But do thou, O Zeus, almighty Sire, by all means avert capture by the enemy. For the Argives are environing the city of Cadmus : we are in dread of the foeman's arms. The bits strapped across the horses* jaws clink slaughter ; and seven champions, conspicuous above the rest of the host for their > Male or female. The Chorus asks invoked, what gods they are to appeal to, as ' Not disposed to abandon the city, women, ». e. whether the same or dif- Cf. 207. forent from those Eteocles has just 119—160 SEVJEN AGAINST THEBH8. 71 lancers' uniform, are standing at the seventh gate/ having had their places assigned them by lot. But do thou, war- loving power, bom from Zeus, become the deliverer of our city, Pallas ; and thou, equestrian god, ruler of the sea with thy fish-piercing trident,^ Poseidon, grant, O grant us a re- lease from our fears ! Thou too. Ares — ^alas for our fate ! — guard the city which bears the name of Cadmus,^ and show thy regard for it by visibly interfering in its behalf. Cypris too, who art the ancestress of our race, keep them away from us ; 'tis from thy blood that we are sprung ; thee therefore we approach, raising our voices in heaven-moving* prayers. Thou also, O wolf-king,^ become wolfish to a hostile army at the utterance of these sighs of ours : and thou, virgin child of Latona, hold in readiness thy bow. Ha ! ha ! the booming sound of chariots round the city strikes my ears : O queen Hera, the naves of the weighted axles creak : Artemis, god- dess dear ! And now the air hurtling with spears joins in the conamotion. What is about to happen to our city? What will become of it? How much further is the god protracting the issue of the fray ? Ha ! ha ! a shower of stones is hitting the battlements : they are pelted to their very tops. O friendly Apollo, there is the clinking of brass-bound shields at the very gates ! and from Zeus alone® can come a righteous end of the contest which this war is to decide. Thou also, blessed queen Onca,^ enthroned upon our citadel, deliver thy seven-gated sacred seat. O ye deities, all powerful to save, efl&cient guardians of the towers of this land, both gods and goddesses, surrender not to an alien host® a city hard pressed by the spear. Hear ^ Not having yet departed to their respectiye posts. 3 The stabbing and slaughter of the enemy is compared to the narpooning of the tunny. See Fera. 426. The gods here are generally invoked in uieir hostile attributes. ' Cadmus had married Harmonia, daughter of Ares. « < God-invoking.' See on Cho. 639. ^ One attribute of Apollo was that of a god of herds and wild animals (see Agam. 66), whence he was called Nj/Atos. This is the origin of the legend that ApoUo fed the flocks and herds of Admetus. He is KvkoktSvos 0ehs in Soph. EL 6. See Suppl. 668. > And there is nothing left for us, but that God may defend the right. 7 The Phenician name of Pallas. s To a host that speaks a dialect dififerent from the Theban. 72 8EVJEN AGAINST THEBE8. 160—193 from virgins, hear,, as in duty bound, their prayers oflfered with outstretched hands, ye friendly god; and by closing round our city as her deliverers prove that you love the land and people; be concerned for the public sacrifices, and through your concern assist us ; yea, and be mindful, I pray you, of the solemn rites celebrated at the altars of the city.^ Et I ask you, unbearable creatures that you are ! do you think this the best course, and one likely to save the city, or to encourage the army beleaguered within these walls, — ^to fall down at the statues of the gods who preside over the city, and bawl and blubber, ye objects of hate to all who have common sense? Never, either in trouble or in dear prosperity, may I have to dwell with the womankind. For, if they have the upper hand, their impudence is such that one cannot keep their company ; and if they are in fear, they are a yet greater nuisance to the household and the city. And so even now in the citizens, when you made these hurried flights through the streets, you caused by your noisy cries a cowardly faintheartedness. Why, you are forwarding in the best possible way the cause of the enemy without ; we are being sacked by our own doings from within. Such are the blessings one gets by living with women. And now I tell you, if any shall refuse to obey my authority, whether man or woman, or if there be aught between the two,^ a court-martial shall pass capital sentence upon them, and they need not think to escape being stoned to death by the people. For matters out-of-doors are the care of the man, — let not a woman have a voice about them: keep you at home, and so cause no further mischief. Do you hear, or do you not hear ? Can it be that I am speaking to one that is deaf? Ghx), O dear son of Oedipus, I felt afraid^ when I heard the din, the loud din of the rattling chariots, when the axle- boxes creaked as they went round with the wheels, and I 1 ^iKoO{niKo(nr6y^ov Kifihsy Cho. 284. ^ This is apologetic. 198—219 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 73 heard the steering-gear^ of the horses in their mouths, even the fire-forged bits. Et. What then ? did ever yet tlie sailor, by leaving the rudder and flying to the images of the gods in the prow,* find a means of deliverance, when the ship was in distress upon breakers ? Cho, I did but throw myself in haste upon the ancient images of the deities, trusting to the gods, when there was a roar of a deadly shower of stones falling thick and fast at the gates. Then indeed I was carried away by fear to say my prayers to the immortals, that they would extend their pro- tection over the city. Et Pray that the towers may remain proof against the hostile spear. Cho. Is it not then from the gods that this boon must come? Et. Do as you like : but there is a saying, that the gods of a captured city depart and leave it to its fate. Clio. Never in w/y time may this august assembly of gods desert us ! Never may I live to see this city overrun by plimderers, and our^ . . . being burned with hostile fire. Et. Do not, in your invocation of the gods, pursue evil counsel; for obedience to authority is the parent of good order,* an oflFspring that is powerful to save. So the say- ing is. Clio. It is so : but as yet the might of the god is above theirs ; and often in the midst of evils it raises up^ the help- less, even^ when clouds of perplexing distress hang over his eyes. Et. That is the part of men, to offer sacrifices and victims 1 The j|iiiding reins. — Afov, *I lieard,' is SllniAley's conjectural read- ing for kthrvwv. ' * By flying from stem to prow/ — jcofio^o^f , Ht. *nad foundered against a ▼aye in the sea/ Plat. Theat p. 170, vtp irphs O€ohs tx"*^^^ rohs Apxovras, ffwT^pea a^v irpocHoKcopTts. ' arpdrfvfia is corrupt. The two first letters are written in the Medicean MS. by a later hand oyer an erasure. For Battp we should probably read 9atw0hVf from $27oOir0ai. * Kead cvroe|/as, not €tnrpa^t4\ay inrcaOtT. 8 Koi for ic&ic Weil, with Marcel- linus in vit. Thueyd. 74 SEVJEN AGAINST TEEBE&. 220—245 to the gods when foemen are making attempts upon a city ; but 'tis yours, on the other hand, to be silent and to keep within the house. Chx), It is through the agency of the gods that we live in a city yet imsubdued, and that the walls keep out the hosts of the foeman. What Nemesis is justly oiBFended at this V- EL Tis not that I object to your paying honour to the gods ; but, that you may not make the citizens fainthearted, keep quiet and be not so excessively afraid. Chx), On hearing a sudden noise I came all in disorder with fear and dread into the Acropolis here, the august seat of the gods.^ EL Do not now, if you should hear of any dying or wounded, hastily carry them oflf with lamentations. For 'tis on this that Ares feeds, — the slaughter of mortals. Chx), Hark ! surely I hear the neighing of horses. Et, Do not, if you hear it, hear too plainly. Ghx), The fortress echoes from beneath,* as if the enemy were environing it. Et, Well it is enough if / take measures about that. Cho, I am in fear, and the battering at the gates in- creases. Et, Do be silent, and say nothing about it in the city. Gho. O associate powers, abandon not our fortifications. Et A plague upon you ! Bear these dangers in silence. Chjo, Ye gods of the city, grant I may not suflfer the fate of slavery. Et You yourself are making slaves both of yourself and of the whole city. Ghx), Almighty Zeus, turn against the enemy thy dart.* EL O Zeus,^ what a race is this of women thou hast given us ! ^ At our praying to them on that ' As if with the heavy tramp of an account Or perhaps, ^who is of so army without. captious a spirit as to say he dislikes ^ Or perhaps, ' their own darts.' this ?* Sophocles, Traeh, 1014, has imrpiireiy 3 Hoping the enemy would hesitate ^yxos iiri riyi, to drag away a suppliant from the ^ He probahly ironically imitates altars. their tone of voice. 246—269 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 15 Gho, Bad enough — e'en as men when their city has been taken. Et, Are you boding evil again, even while you have hold of the images ?^ Cho, For terror carries away my tongue through faint- heartedness. Et If you would but grant me a trifling favour at my request Gho. Say on, the sooner the better, and I shall quickly know. Et. Be quiet, wretched woman, and alarm not your friends. Cho. I have done: with others I will suffer what is fated. Et. This word of yours I prefer to your other words : and beside this, keeping aloof from the images,^ pray for the better fortune, that the gods may be our allies. And when you have heard my prayers, then do you chant a sacred paean of auspicious acclamation to the gods, as is the custom of the Hellenic people .to raise a shout at a sacrifice, — an encouragement to your friends, tending to remove the dread of the enemy. I on my part make this promise to the gods of the country who protect the city, and those who occupy the plains and watch over the Agora, — ^to the springs of Dirce and the waters of Ismenus, — that if all turns out well, and the city comes safely out of the war, we wiU imbrue with the blood of slaughtered sheep the altars of the gods, and make a solemn offering of the trophies ; while the gar- ments of the enemy I will hang up before the shrines, set up upon spears in their holy temples.^ This* is what you are to pray for to the gods, not with such fondness for sighs, ^ The Greeks had a great dislike to scrihers. I have omitted a yerse in the mix evil with good. See on Agam. translation, which seems interpolated, 620. roMpoKfrovovvras OfoTffiVi SS* iirf^xofiai. ■ They are to retire for a while, This verse was inserted in consequence that Eteocles may address himself more of the corruption of y. 262, hy which directly to the gods. \4ya could no longer govern the in- ' This passage has heen tampered finitives. with hy actors, grammarians, or tran- * Namely, tA Kptia-cuy above, v. 266. d 76 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 270—318 nor with vain and wild sobbings ;^ for you will not any the more escape what is fated. But I will go and post at the seven outlets in the wall, to oppose the enemy in their own grand style,^ six champions, with myself for a seventh, before messengers in hot haste and quickly spreading rumours arrive, and set all ablaze by the urgency of the need. Chx), I mind what you say; but fear does not let my heart slumber, for anxieties ever pressing round it keep alive my alarm at the host which surrounds our walls, even as a dove trembling at every sound and mindful of her callow young feels a dread of snakes, the fell invaders of her nest. For now some of them^ are advancing against the towers with all their hosts and in full battle-array. What will become of me? Others* are hurling against the citizens assailed from both sides the rugged stone. By every means in your power, ye Jove-bom gods, rescue the city of the descendants of Cadmus! And where will you get in ex- change a plain in any country better than this, if you shall once have resigned to the enemy this deep-soiled land, and the water of Dirce, most wholesome to drink of all streams that Poseidon the earth-holder sends forth, and the daughters of Tethys ? Wherefore, O gods that protect our city, cast upon our enemies without the wall a panic that shall cause them to lose their men and to throw away their own shields,^ and gain for yourselves glory from our citizens. Yea, remain firm in your seats as deliverers of our city, moved by our piercing shrieks and entreaties. For it were a pitiable thing to send before its time to Hades a city so ancient, made a slave as the prize of war, and given up by the gods to be ignominiously laid waste by an Argive leader in crumbling ashes : that the women should be led away captives in chains, alas ! both young and old, dragged like cattle by the hair, with their garments hanging in tatters about them : that the 1 Ezdamations of jriwoi.. From ^ Xhe 6ir\7rai. 9oi'^6ffff€iv or -^^^€iy, like 0c^^cv, is the reading of MS. Med. J 80 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 428—461 device a half-dressed^ man carrying a torch, and a lighted brand blazes in his hands ready for action ; and he says, in letters of gold, / mill burn the city. Against so dread a foe send, — ^who will confront him ? Who will await the vaunting soldier without trembling ? Et In respect of this (device) too* a gain accrues to the former gain : so true it is, that of men's vain conceits their tongue ever becomes a sure accuser. Now Capaneus threat- ens, with full resolve to act, in open contempt of the gods f and exercising his eloquence with vain delight, though but a mortal wight, he is sending swelling words audibly up to heaven against Zeus. But I have full belief that against him will come, with the aid of justice, the fire-bearing bolt, in no respect resembling the hot rays of the midday sun. And now to oppose him, vain-boaster as he is, I have appointed a hero fierce as fire in his courage, the sturdy Polyphontes, a guard who will prove weU able to maintain his post, by favour of Artemis the protectress and the aid of other gods. Now tell of another who has got a place at another gate. Cho. Perish the man who utters proud boasts against our city ! and may the thimderbolt stop his career, 'ere he burst in upon my chamber and carry me oflF captive from my virgin retreat with overbearing spear ! Mes. Well then, I will tell you of the man who has gained by lot his post at the next city gate. To Eteooles third in order the third ballot leapt from out of the upturned brazen casque, to bring up his company for an attack on the Neistan gates. His mares, snorting fiercely in their head- gear, he is driving round and round, ready and willing as they are to fall dead at the gates. And the nose-pipes* make a whistling noise in eastern fashion, when filled by the breath of their loud-sounding nostrils. His shield too is blazoned^ ^ yvfiv6v, lightly attired for actiTe in the nostrils of a horse to increase semoe. the snorting sound. It seems to haye ' For ic/pSei Weil reads KSfiicip, been an Asiatic ipyention. which is probably true. * fftorrifidrurrat Weil, eltrniiirurrcu, 3 Despising the thunders of Zeus. MS. Med. 4 A kind of nozzle, or pipe, inserted i> 460—492 SEVEN AGAINST TEEBES. 81 in no humble style; for a heavy-armed warrior is treading the steps of a ladder to scale ah enemy's fortress, as if eager to sack it. He also^ calls out, as one may spell in letters, that Tiot even the god of War shall force him to retire from the walls. Against this man likewise send some one com- petent to keep oflf from our city the yoke of slavery. Et I will at once send this ofl&cer, and may he go with good fortune.^ And already there has been sent one whose boasting is in his hands,^ Megareus, the offspring of Creon, of the race of Sparti,* who assuredly will not, through fear of the noise of rampant snorting horses, retire from his post at the gate : but either by his death he will repay in full the debt owed to his native land for his nurture, or, by capturing the man himself together with the warrior and city on his shield, he will adorn with the spoils his father's house. Now tell me of some other braggart, and grudge me not the account. Cho, I pray for success upon his head, O champion of my home! but failure for the foe; and as they utter too arrogant words against our city, with frenzied mind, so may Zeus the awarder of Justice regard them with feelings of wrath. Mes. Another, the fourth, holding the gate near the statue of Athena Onca, is standing by it with a war-whoop, the burly form and massive mould of Hippomedon. The ample disk, — the orb, I mean, of his shield, — made me shudder as he swung it round ; I will not deny it. And the designer, whoever he was, proved himself to be no common artist, when he furnished this device on the shield, — a Typho sending forth through his fire-breathing mouth sable smoke, the flickering sister of flame. And the convex side of the bulging hoUow shield has a groundwork laid down upon it by circling wreaths of snakes.^ And he himself raised a 1 Like Capanens before. blazoned shield. ' Some lines appear to baye been * Those mentioned in y. 407. lost, as this speech of Eteocles should ^ Those, namely, proceeding from contain fifteen yerses instead of only the head and feet of Typhon or Ty- nine. phoeus, a snaky monster [Prom. 363). ' i,e, not on his tongue, nor on a O i 82 SEVJEN AGAINST THEBES. 492—622 war-shout, and inspired by Ares is furious for the fight, like some bacchant, glaring terror from his eyes. Against such a man's attack we must be well prepared : for already defeat is being confidently talked of at the gate. Et In the first place Onca Pallas, as the patroness of our city, stationed close to her gate,^ hating the violence of a man,* will keep him oflf as (a bird does) a fell snake from her brood. Next, Hyperbius, the valiant son of Oenops, has been chosen to oppose him, man to man, ready as he is to ascertain his fate at fortime's call, and neither in form nor courage, nor in the bearing of his arms, to be disparaged." Truly, Hermes has matched them well ; for not only is the man hostile to the man with whom he will be set to fight, but they will bring into the fray hostile gods on their shields ; for the one of them bears a fire-breathing Typhoeus, while for Hyperbius father Zeus sits throned* on the shield as if holding his ground in fight, brandishing a flaming bolt in his hands ; and no one yet has seen Zeus defeated. Such is the friendship of the gods on either side; and we are on that of the victorious, they on that of the defeated.^ Nor can it be doubted that men thus matched against each other will also fare thus; since of course Zeus is mightier than Typho in the fight, while to Hyperbius, in accordance with his device, he is likely to prove a preserver, being painted so on his shield. Cho. I do trust indeed that he who bears on his buckler the adversary of Zeus, the loathed form of the earth-bom fiend, a portrait hateful to both mortals and to the overliving gods, will lay his head low before the gates. Mea, So may it prove ! But the fifth champi(m I next describe, appointed to the fiifth, the Northern gate right * Having her statue at the *OyKaiai not riuf9p6s. Ti\ai, (or *{ly^iat, if Hesychius he ' * A smart soldier,' we should say. right) . « Compare Suppl. 94, 589. 6r. * sits ^ There seems an allusion to the standing/ i,e, as if unmoyed in the Virffin goddess {Eum. 707), and Hfipiv fight. has a secondary sense, namely, that of ^ Our gods, Pallas and Zeus, are yiolence offerea to woman, as in SuppL conquerors ; their god, Tjrphoeus, is 96. Hence, probahly, i,ii^p6s is used, conquered by Zeus. 523—550 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 83 opposite to the tomb of the Jove-bom Amphion. And he swears by the lance which he holds, and which he has the assurance to pay more regard to than to the god, and to value higher than his own dear eyes, that he will sack the city of the Cadmeians by the force of \\a spear.^ So says the feir-faced offspring of a mountaineer mother, a stripling hero. And the whisker is just spreading over his cheeks, — for his youthful prime begins to make it grow, — the hair that is rising thickly upon them. But he, with savage intent, not at all bearing out his maiden name,^ and with a terrible eye, takes his post there. Nor indeed without a vaunting device does he stand by the gate ; for 'the reproach of our city (represented) on his brazen shield, the circular defence of his person, — ^the raw-feeding Sphinx fastened on to it by studs, — ^he was moving to and fro, a bright embossed form. And she is carrying off in her talons a fighting-man, one of the Cadmeians, so that most of the darts are aimed at this man.* And now that he has come, he seems likely to do no stint trade in fighting, and to bring no discredit on the long journey he has gone through, this Parthenopaeus from Ar- cadia. Such is the man, who though but a stranger in the land, still desires to repay Argos for rearing him to those fair proportions, and so he threatens these towers with a fate, which may heaven not accomplish I* Et Well, if they do but get from the gods the same fate they intend against us, then truly, with all those unhallowed boastings of theirs, they will perish miserably in utter de- struction. But against this man also, — this Arcadian you speak of, — we have a champion, not fond of empty boasting, but with a hand that has an eye* to what can be done, Actor, 1 Or/ in spite of Zeus/ (jS/? Aibs MedO. 2 FarUienopaeus from vapBivos, Weil transposes titiese two lines (531-2) to follow 523, after which he supposes a Terse to haye been lost containing the name of Parthenopaeus. But it is sufficiently implied in irapOivtov iv^ yvfiov. 3 His insulting device would pro- yoke the Thebans to aim at him, Par- thenopaeus, most. * The foregoing speech, which is extremely difficult to translate, appeal's to haye been tampered with, perhaps by actors who reproduced the play. * Similarly ^p^v &fifAarmfA4vrj, Cho. 839. g2 i 84 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 660—682 the brother of him I last mentioned.^ He will not let words without deeds run fluently inside the gates* and increase the mischief, nor will he allow the bearer of the portrait of that most odious monster on his hostile shield to pass within the walls.' No ! it shs^ stay outside, and complain of him who would fain carry it in, when it meets with many a hard knock imder the city wall. In all which, if heaven wills, I shall prove a true prophet.* Chx). Your words go through my breast, and the locks of my hair stand on end at hearing the loud threats of these loud-boasting impious men. O that the gods may destroy them 'ere they leave this land ! Mes, I proceed to describe the sixth chief, — a most discreet man, and at the same time most brave in fight, the seer Amphiaraus. He, posted at the Homoloian gates, abuses much with reproachful words the headstrong Tydeus, as ' the homicide', 'the disturber of the city', 'the chief teacher to Argos of all this harm', a ' summoner of the Fury', a ' minister of slaughter', and 'the adviser of these evils to Adrastus'. Then again he calls on your brother, the valiant Polynices, uplifting his eyes in reference to his father's death,^ and twice reproachfully dwelling on the words of his name at the end of his address.® And this is the language he gives utterance to : ' Truly such a deed is well-pleasing even to the gods, — glorious too for posterity to hear of and talk about, — that you sacked your native city and the temples of your coimtry's gods, by throwing in an army of alien race ! As no plea of justice will staunch the fountain of a mother's blood,^ so your native land, if once captured by the spear through your zeal, will never again fight on your side. I know then ^ Hyperbius. stnunental to the death of his father ' ' Me will not let this talker add to Oedipus, the talking already there, namely, by * Ending his speech with 2 IIoX^ the women.' vuKts iroXi^ — ytiKfS, ' Weil reads rttxos for enp6s. "^ Or perhaps * tears.* Weil adopts * This verse does not seem genuine. vAiry^v from Seidler. But no poet ^ Shewing that he was shocked at could use such a phrase as * extingmsh- the impiety of Polynices in being in- ing a blow': it is simply nonsense. 583—614 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 85 that for my own part, I shall enrich^ this land, when I lie buried as a seer under a hostile soil. So let us fight : I look for no inglorious fate.' So spoke the prophet, as he wielded the well-turned circle of his shield all covered with brass : but there was no device on its orb. For he wishes not merely to ae&m best and bravest, but to he so, for he gathers his harvest from a deep-soil furrow through a mind, out of which those honest coimsels grow. Against Mm I advise you to send both wise and brave antagonists: he is a for- midable foe, who reveres the gods. Et Alas for the omen among mortals that brings the just man to share the same fate as the impious ! In every aflfair of life there is nothing worse than fellowship with the bad ; the crop is never worth the reaping ; the field of folly^ produces no fruits from it but death. For if a religious man embarks in a ship with hot-headed sailors and a set of evil- doers, he perishes together with the heaven-detested crew : or if he acts in any matter with citizens who are treacherous to strangers and unmindful of the gods, himself being honest, he falls, by the decree of justice, into the same snare with them, and dies stricken with that scourge of the god from which none can escape. Now this seer, — this son of Oecleus I mean, a discreet, honest, brave, and religious man, a great prophet too, — ^by joining with impious and bold-speaking men, who are making a long march in defiance of their own reason, will, if Zeus so chooses, be dragged down with them to reach that far-off city.^ I expect then that he will not attack the gates at all ; — not that he has no spirit, or through any cowardice of disposition, but he knows it is destined for him to perish in the course of the fight,* if the oracles of Apollo 1 Lit. * fatten,* namely, by his corpse; but aUuding principally, perhaps, to the offerings which would be brought to his tonu), since he was destined to be worshipped as a hero-prophet. ' Contrasted with the field of good sense, in y. 589. ' Namely, from whose bourn no traTeller returns. The fate of Amphi- araus, who was swallowed up alive with his chariot, is alluded to ; other- wise the poet merely means |wj/o- iroX6?Tai. ^ Schol. oIk cis Kiv^ivvov iaur^iv Ka&4iff€i, He was not, however, to perish in the fight itself. Is the true reading &\\* oTScv &s XP^ A*^ tcXcw- TTJcat fidxv ^ 86 SEVEN A GAINST THEBES. 614—647 do not prove fruitless : and Apollo is wont to be silent, or to say what is to the point.^ Nevertheless, we will post against him as a champion the mighty Lasthenes, a warder of the gate who is no friend to strangers, old indeed in wisdom, though he still has a growing youthful frame, a nimble eye, and a hand that is not slow to snatch the naked spear from the side of his shield. But it is the special gift of the god for mortals to succeed. Cho, Hear, ye gods, our just prayers, and accomplish them, that our city may be successful, averting the horrors of war from us upon the invaders of the land; and may Zeus strike and slay them with his bolt from without the walls ! Mes. The seventh and last chieftain, — ^him at the seventh gate, — I will describe, even your own brother, (that you may know) what fortunes he imprecates with curses on the city. He prays that he may stand on the walls, and after being proclaimed king to the whole land, and having shouted over it a paean of joy for its capture, he may meet you in the fight, and slay you, if he falls dead by your side f or that, if you survive, he may in turn banish you as the author of his disgrace, and requite you with exile,* in the very same way. Such are his words ; and he calls upon the gods of his father- land, the protectors of his race, to regard with favour his prayers.* And he carries a newly-made well-fitting buckler, and a twofold device affixed upon it : for the figure of a man, wrought in gold, represented to the eye as in full armour,^ is being conducted by a female form, modestly leading him. My name is JvMice (so the inscription says), and I shall restore this man to his rights, and he shall regain his city and the range of his paternal hmne. Such are the devices of the hostile chiefs. Tis for yourself now to decide whom 1 Weil transposes this verse to follow ikrifiaffrripos &5 iipHpriKdrris, K.r,\, 618. ^ 4 The MSS. add a verse which I * KTavtTv Bav^v is restored from the omit, as prohahly spurious, rStv Stv Schol. Med. y^vMai irdyxv UoKw^Uovs fiia, 3 This passage is very ohscure, and ^ A hoplite, the reading uncertain. Perhaps, ^ duv. 647—679 SEVEN AGAINST TEEBES. 87 you propose to send ; for you shall never have reason to find £Eiult with me for my messages. Do you, I say, decide how the state is to be steered Et. O house of ours, infatuated by the gods, and the object of their deep detestation ! O family of (Edipus, all steeped in tears !^ — ^Alas, now indeed my father's curse is having its accomplishment.^ However this is not the fitting time to cry or to lament, lest a yet more grievous' wail should be produced from it. But to him who so well sustains the import of his name, Polynices, I say it, — wo shall soon know how the device on his shield will end ; whether ho will be restored to his throne by golden letters that babble on his shield, but have no sound sense in them.* Now if the virgin daughter of Zeus, Justice, had attended his actions and intentions, perhaps that might have been so ; but never yet, either when he first came into light from his mother's womb, or whUe he was growing up, or after he had como to manhood, or in the thick tufting of the hair on his chin, did Justice have a word to say to him, or claim him for her own. Nor do I believe that, in the ill-treatment of his patijmal land, she is now standing close by his side. In truth, Justice would be quite falsely named, if she consorted with a man all-daring in disposition. Trusting to these reasonings I will go and fight him myself; who else is fitter to meet him ? I shall take my stand as chief against xhiof, brotlior against brother, enemy against enemy. Bring me at once my groavos, my safeguard against the spear and the throwing of stones. Cho, Be not you, dearest of men, son of Oedipus, like in temper to that brother of yours who is called by the most ill-omened name ; but be content that Cadmean should como to close fight with Argive men ; for their blood may be ex- piated. But the death of men and brothers thus suicidally slain, — of that guilt there is no growing old. 1 Qrj'ineTeiyTeipect to be bewailed/ fight Teaxi were omem ot coining ' He sajs uiis in reference to his eriL resolve to meet his brother in person * Lit. ' combined with delusion ot at the seventh ^ate. senses.' ' For the disastrous issue of the 88 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 680—708 Et If a man should take some harm, at least let it be without disgrace ; for that is the only advantage he can have in the grave. But from what is both harmftd and disgraceful, you cannot say that any glory accrues.^ Cho, What is it that you are so eager for, my son ? Let not a mad rage for war, filling you with fury, carry you away; but cast out the first impulse of a bad desire. Et Since this object is so earnestly forwarded by the god, let the whole family of Laius, under the ban of Phoebus, float away with the breeze, and be its portion the waves of the infernal River of Woe. Chx). Too savage^ a passion is impelling you to commit a manslaughter that will bear bitter fruits, — the shedding of unlawful blood. Et Even so ; the imloving curse of a loved father coming to its fulfilment^ sits upon my dry and tearless eyes,* telling me that the gain which comes first is to be preferred to the death which comes after. Cho, But do not yov, be thus violently set against him : you will not be called a coward, when you have passed your life so well ; the Erinys with her sable aegis will leave^ the house, when once the gods begin to receive sacrifices from your hands. Et Methinks the gods have already resigned all concern for us : the only offering they care for is that of our deaths. Why then should wo^any longer be cowed by the prospect of our fate ? Cho. Now is your time,® when death stands close by you; for it may be that fortune will come with a milder breeze on your change of disposition, though it be a late one ; but at present it boils.^ Et Yes, for the curses of Oedipus made it boil up. O too true were the visions of nightly dreams, portending the sharing of our patemaJ property! 1 This yerse is corrupt. that no tears can flow. ' Lit. *' biting to the raw.' ^ t^€i.(n SSfiooy isWeil*s admirable and > Weil proposes fi4\ait^ &p^ as inf. certain emendation for ovjc cTdrt 96ficoy, 828. Eur. Hipp, 1236. • Namely, to repent. i Compare fiovs M y\di There is a play on 'Zpivhs and '^tSf as the SchoL Med. perceived. Med. has airoKTSyotiriy. A 90 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 744—786 delivered from his central shrine at Pytho, by djdng without offspring to prove the preserver of the state, — when he, never- theless, overcome by the evil counsel of those dear to him,^ begat a doom for himself, the parricide Oedipus, — one who dared to plant on an unhallowed field, where he was reared, a stock that should be steeped in blood.^ It was a fatal blindness that brought together the infatuated man and wife. And now as it were a sea of troubles is bringing on a billow, one falling, while another with triple crest it is raising, — a wave that babbles and chafes at the city's stem. And between us a defence extends but a short way, even the thickness of a wall : I fear lest, together with its rulers, the city should be crushed. For now is being accomplished the sad reconciliation of the curse long ago uttered f and a fatal crisis, when it arises, does not pass away.* The wealth of merchant-traders, too closely stowed, causes the loss of goods by throwing them out astern.^ For what man e¥er was there that the gods held in such regard, or the worshippers at the conmion altar of the city, or the much-frequented meeting- place of the people,® as they then paid honour to Oedipus, after he had removed from the land that man-snatching pest [the Sphinx] ? But when he became conscious, unhappy wretch, of his unfortunate marriage, impatient in his grief, with madness of heart, he perpetrated a twofold deed of horror ; — with the hand that had before slain his own father he deprived himself of his . . . eyes,^ and he launched against his sons curses, through rage at his scanty keep,® — curses, aJas, of an angry tongue, even that they should some day divide their possessions with sword-wielding hand : and now ^ Probably meaning his wife. — k^ovKiav Weil, Dind. ; ifiovKlw Med. ' Who, by marrying his mother, had as an o&pring two sons destined to slay each other. 3 Namely, that by the sword. ^ A general sentmient, founded on Greek Fatalism. ^ Too much prosperity begets ad- versity. Compare Agam, 980. • Weil's ico\{t$aros ky^v (vulg. aiitv) i,e. the agora, is worthy of fdl praise. His happy illustration from Pindar, frag. 45. 3, rcoKxifiarov turrtos 6fjL^>aX.hyf added to the requirements of the metre, leaves little room for doubt. ^ The epithet Kptia-fforeKPuy seems corrupt. 8 See the Schol. on Oed. Col. 1375. 787—810 SEVEN AGAINST TEEBES. 91 I fear lest the nimble-footed Erinys should bring tliom to an aooomplishment Mes. CJourage, maidens, mother's children^ that yo arol Our city has escaped the yoke of slavery ; the boasts of tho fierce men have come to nought; the stiite is in a tranquil cahn, and buffeted though it has been by many a blow i^ the waves, it has not let in the water. Tho walla an> yot proof, and the single-handed champions whom wo sot a£i guards at our gates have redeemed their pledges. Our affiiirs generally are prosperous at the six gates; but the sovouth gate the awful Seventh^ chose for himself as the leailor, king Apollo, bringing to pass for the sons of Oedipus the oiui- sequences of his ill-advised disobedience of old. Cho, Why, what new circumstance has now oeourrod to the city ? Mes. The men have died by self-slaying hands. Cho, Who have died ? What is it that you say ? I am beside myself through fear at your words. Mes, Hear me now in your sober senses, — 'tis tho race of Oedipus. Cho. Alas, unhappy that I am! I am a true prophet then of these evils.* Mes, But you must not suppose that tho ono only was slaughtered by the other.* Cho, And did they come even to that? Grievous aro the tidings, yet tell me all plainly. Mes, Even so as you say: by hands but too kindred were they slain. Cho, Was their fate then thus common to both to- gether ? 1 Without tlie courage of males. sup. 731. ^ There is an aUusion to tho title of < &/t^/AcwTOf probably meant * picked Apollo, ifi^ofjMyty^s, ^ bom on the out and set apart on each side'; thence seyenth day.' The numeral contains ^ chosen as an alternative/ which sense an omen, precisely as rptros vmr^py well suits Agam, 854. Hence also SuppL 26. * one thing placed apart from another,' 8 The Chorus had foreboded them, * at variance,' Agam. 1663. 92 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 811—844 Me8, Yes, and [the father]^ himself sacrifices the Kves of his ill-fated offspring. Cho, At such events one may fairly both feel joy and give vent to tears,* — that the city in the first place is prosperous, while its governors, the two generals-in-chief, have divided with the forged Scythian steel the entire property of their wealth. And they shall possess such a share of land as they have received in their burial, being carried along with^ the wretched curse of their father. [Mea,^ The city is safe ; but the blood of the two brother- kings the earth has drunk up by a mutually inflicted slaugh- ter.] Cho. Great Zeus, and ye gods that protect the city, who now, as we see, are the deliverers of these towers of Cadmus, ought I to rejoice, and raise a shout of joy at the lucky escape of our city without hurt, or should I rather weep for those wretched and ill-fated authors of the war who have left no issue? — ^who rightly indeed and according to their names,, men of Tnvxih strife,^ perished by their own unnatural devices. O dark and fully accomplished curse inherent in the family and uttered through Oedipus,^ a chill settles on my heart at these evils. I composed a verse for the tomb like some Thjdad, when I heard of the gory corpses that had miserably perished ; — ill-omened indeed was this conxiert of the spear.^ The curse uttered by the father has worked out its purpose and not failed ; the disobedient resolves of Laius have lasted till now. There is anxiety in the city, for the oracles are not losing their edge. much lamented pair, this deed of yours surpasses belief; the lamentable woes arrived not merely in hearsay; here they are self-evident; what the ^ Perhaps for ^rira we should read war^Pf — airhs 5* &va\oi Ji&ciroTfjLoy war^p yivos, namely, by his curse. As the text now stands, ahrhs should naturally refer to 9alfiwy. « See on Agam. 620. Lit. *be suf- fused with tears.' 3 Irresistibly suffering the conse- quences of. Compare 687, and 849. * These two verses of the Messenger seem spurious. * See aboye, 574. * He seems to speak of ancient family curse reviyed and repeated, as it were, by Oedipus against his sons. ^ Evil was the omen which matehed the brothers against each other at the same gate. These words seem the burden of the r^/ifiov fi4\o5. 844—879 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 93 messenger reported in words is before our sight. A twofold woe, a twain evil of manly courage, self-slaying, bringing a double fate, fully accomplished are these sufferings. What can I call them ? What, but troubles that haunt the very hearth of our homes ? But do you, friends, as you follow in the mournful train^ ply about your heads the quick oar-stroke of your hands in the funeral procession, for such ever attends in its passage through Acheron^ that unchartered dark-sailed mission-ship, that is not trodden for Apollo,^ that knows not the sun, into the all-receiving and unseen landing-place. But stay, — here come Antigone and Ismene for a sad office, to sing a dirge over their brothers. With no difference of sentiment I ex- pect that they will give utterance from their lovely deep- folded bosoms to a fitting grief. 'Tis our part, before the sounds of woe reach us, to sing the inharmonious strain of the Erinys, and to chant a dismal paean to the god of the dead. Alas, most unhappy in your brothers, of all who wear female attire,* I weep, I sigh, and there is no deception in the shrieks that proceed in truth from my very heart. Heifn, A,^ Oh, oh ! ill-advised, disobedient to their friends, and unsubdued by troubles,® — wretched brothers, who have got possession of their father's home by the aid of the spear. Hem, B, Wretched indeed, in that they met with wretched deaths to the desolation of their family. HeTn. A. Oh, oh ! you who have pulled down the walls of your own house, and seen monarchy but to your own destruction, now at length you have been reconciled, but by the help of the sword. ^ Lit. ' down the gale of sighs.' > Such lamentations escort the soul of the dead to Hades. The language here is so highly figurative as harmy to admit of being literally rendered. ' Not like the ship annually sent ^m Athens to Delos, — Apollo being the god of ioy, Agam. 1042. * 'who have the sash (Suppl. 451) thrown round their clothes.' ^ It is unnecessary to remind the reader, whether of the English or the Greek, that for the next 150 lines there is little or nothing in the aenae to interest. It was purely a apeetaele, a recitative funeral strain, in which tone and impassioned action produced the entire effect ^ &Tp6fjL(oif is that which has an edge not easily to be worn down. Compare > 94 SEVEN A GAINST rmmFS. 880—921 Hem. B. And but too truly has the awful Erinys of their iather Oedipus accomplished his curse. Hem. A. Stricken through their left sides/ yea, stricken in those sides that sprang from one common womb. Alas, fiend-possessed pair! and alas for their accursed deaths by mutual slaughter ! Hem. B. Smitten they were, as you say, but in their family as well as in their bodies, by a home-thrust blow, with a fury that siu-passed words to describe, and through an unlucky quarrel resulting from a father's curse. Hem. A. And sounds of mourning have been heard throughout the city: the very towers mourn, the earth mourns for love of her departed heroes : but the possessions will be reserved for their descendants, through which the quarrel first came to the ill-£Etted pair, aud ended in their death. Hem. B. It was in a spirit of anger that they divided be- tween them the property, so as to get equal shares. Therefore is the instrument of their reconciliation not unblamed by their friends, as the victory is no cause for delight. Hem. A. Stricken by the sword so they lie ; and by the stroke of the sword they have gained — one might well ask what ? — shares in their ancestral tombs. Hem. B. From the house a loud wailing^ escorts them, a piercing groan spontaneously uttered, self-afflicting, harassing one's thoughts, no friend to joy, making tears to gush from true sorrow of heart, which as I weep seems to shrink within me, for the fate of these two princes. Hem. A. And one may say over^ the imhappy men that — they did much (evil) to the citizens, and to the ranks of all the foreigners who fell in numbers in the fight. HeTTi. B, Ill-fated was she who gave them birth, yea, before all women who bear the name of mother. She took her own son for a husband, and these were the fruits of the * Through the very heart. ' By way of funeral oration over ' The text is here corrupt. the bodies. 922—959 iMfliHHHnMMfWR- 95 marriage; aad such was their death by mutually-slayiug brotherly hands. Hem. A, Brothers they were indeed, even brothers in their death/-m the unfriendly sharing, and in the mad contest which ended the dispute. Hem, B, But now their enmity has ceased ; and on the gory earth their life^ has been mixed, so that they are now truly of one blood. A fatal reconciler of their strifes was that strange from over the sea, that came forth from the fire, the whetted steel ; fatal too and ill-starred was the distributer of their wealth. Ares, who caused the ban of their father to become true. Hem, A, They have got their portions by sharing, O unhappy men for their heaven-sent woes! Under their bodies they shall have riches in land that will be bottomless. Hem.B. O men who have made their own family to blossom with many woes ! Over their fate now the Furies have shrieked their shrill death-strain, the whole race having been put to flight with utter rout. The trophy of their mad act stands at the gate at which they received the blow : and after overcoming the two, the evil genius of the house ceased from the contest.^ Antigone and Ismene. Ant You struck and were stricken. /sm. And you died after killing your foe. Ant By the spear you slew. Ism, By the spear you died. Ant, Unhappy in your toil. 7«m. Unhappy in your fate. Ant Let sighs be uttered. Ism, Let the tear be shed. Ant There you lie dead, — Ism, After slaying your foe. ^ ffvvdiXfdpoi and Ziavoiiah are Weil's Plat. Fhad. p. 96, B. ezceUent emendations. ^ The metaphor is from the wrest- ^ Some of the Greeks, like the Jews, ling-school. See Cho, 852. deiveiv is thonght the hlood was the life. See used in this sense, Ar. Aeh. 564. A 96 SEVEN A 9A^itSmmMlfE8. 960^998 Ant, Alas, alas ! my soul is frantic with these ^oans. /«m. And my heart sighs within me. Ant. Oh brother that deserves the city's tears ! lani. And oh you who are on every account wretched. Ant. By a dear one you were slain.' Ism. And a dear one you slew. Ant. A twofold horror to describe. Ism. And twofold also to behold. Ant. Double woes these, and from nearest kyi. /«m. Sisters are we, and by the side of brothers we stand. Ant. Deeds of death to describe. Ism. Deeds of death to behold. Cho. O Destiny, dealer of affictions and cause of misery, and thou, awful shade of Oedipus, black fiend from hell, thy power we acknowledge. Ant. Alas, woes sad to behold — /«m. Did you bring to my sight, on returning from exile. Ant. But he did not come to the throne after he had killed his brother. Ism. No, for after safely returning, he lost his life. Ant. Lose it he did indeed. Ism. And him too he slew. Ant. Wretched family. Ism. Wretched event. Ant. Grievous cares for the dear objects of care.^ Ism. Soaked through (with tears for) the immensity of our loss.^ Ant. You indeed know it by going through it — Ism. And you having learnt it not later — Ant. As soon as you got back to your city. Ism. Aye, to stand in arms against your own brother. Ant troubles — Ism. woes — Ant. To family and land. ^ Lit * concern (mouming) bearing sense of KrjUos as in Agam. 681. the same name as objects of concern.' > 'Triple' merely means 'very great.' There is the same play on the double 1000—1027 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. HT J«iik Yes, and for me too to look forward to. ArU. Alas for the ruler of disastrous fortune I /«iik O most 'deeply lamented of all men I A'nt. O brothers possessed by infatuation I lafrou Oh where shall we lay them in the earth ? Ant. Wherever is the most honoured grave. /«m. Alas for the wretched woman who marrioti our &ther!^ Herald. I have to report to you the measures which woro ))muiod, and are now in force, by the chief magiHtratoa of thi» city of Cadmus. Eteocles here, in conHidoration of hiH ri^ht feelings towards the state, it was resolved to bury in a gravt> dug in jfriendly earth : for in keeping off her ononiiim \\\> mot his death in the city, and without sin against his iH)\intry*H religion or guilt of sacrilege,^ he has died at that i)OHt wht^ro honour calls the young soldier to die. This is what I havo been ordered to say about him. But as for his broth(^r — tho corpse of Polynices here — they have agreed to cast him out unburied, a prey to dogs, as one who was the destroyer of the land of the Cadmeians, had not some god made a stand against his spear : but not death itself shall release him from the guilt he has incurred from the gods of his fathers, in open contempt of whom, by throwing in a foreign host, ho desired to take the city. And so it hath been decreed that this man, finding an ignominious grave in the winged vulture's maw, shall receive his reward; that no hand- raised barrow shall form part of his obsequies, and that no one shall pay honour to the place where he lies by shrill notes of woe ; but he is to be refused the last office of burial 1 Or, ' calamity caused by the mar- form of passionate lamentation at a riage of my fEither.' — ^The above dia- funeral, that has come down to us. logae— which it is obyiously hopeless ' * Without blame on account of the to make readable in Englidi — has at religion of his fathers, being a holy least this interest, that it is the most man.' perfect specimen of a Greek Komihs^ or H A 98 SEVEN AGAmST THEBES. 1028—1051 by the hands of friends. Such are the decrees issaed by the authorities of these Cadmeians. A nt Yea, but / say to the magistrates of the Cadmeians, that if no one else is willing to join me in burying this body, I will bury it alone ; and I will play the dangerous stake by interring my own brother, nor do I feel shame at refusing to obey the city's rulers in this matter. Tis a strong tie, that common womb from which we are bom, even though from an unhappy mother and a wretched father. Therefore, O my soul, do thou cheerfally share these woes with him who took part in them against his will, the living with the dead, with a sisterly feeling. But hia flesh think not that any belly- pinched wolves shall rend ; — let not any one suppose it ; for a tomb and a grave I myself, woman as I am, will contrive for him, by bringing (earth) in the folds of my linen robe. And with my own hand I will cover him : let no one make a decree to the contrary. Courage, my soul ! Means will not be wanting for carrying out thy design. Her. I warn you not to act in defiance of the state in this matter. Ant, I warn you not to give useless orders to 7ne. Her. Stem however is a people when it has escaped from evils. A7d. Make it as stem as you please,^ yet he shall not be imburied. Her. What one whom the state abhors will you honour with a tomb ? Ant. Yes, for A^ is no longer held in honour by the gods. Her. It was not so before he put this country in danger. AtU. It was because he had suffered a wrong that he thought to requite it by wrong. Her. But this deed was directed against all instead of against one. Ant. Contention is the last goddess to finish a dispute. I tell you, I shall bury this corpse : waste no more words. ^ Weil reads, after L. Schmidt, 'And will not he become item (in rpax^s V ABaiTTos oZros oh y^viiirtTai : Hades) if he is unburied ?- 1052—1083 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 99 Her, Well, be headstrong if you will : I can only forbid you to do it. Cho. O proudly-vaunting and family-destrojdng Fates, ye Erinyes, who thus root-and-branch have exterminated the family of Oedipus ; what is to become of me ? What shall I do ? What plan devise ? How shall I be so base as neither to bewail you nor to escort you (my brother) to the tomb ? But yet I fear, and shrink from the feeling of terror^ at my own citizens. T(m however will find many mourners; but he, the unhappy one, will go (to Hades) without a sigh, having none to sing a dirge over him but his sister. Who would care to obey the city in that ?^ Hefm, A. Let the city act or decline to act against those who lament for Polynices. We will go and join her in bury- ing him ; and thus do we head the procession. For this grief is common to the whole race f and the city at different times takes different views of what is just. Heinfi, B, Then we will go with this corpse, as the orders of the city and our duty to it conjointly require. For, next after the blessed gods and the might of Zeus, it was he who in an especial manner rescued the city of the Cadmeians from being overturned, and from being deluged by a wave of foreigners. . 1 Or, 'the object of tlie citizens' honour that I can pay him. fear,' namely, the decree. 'Or, * to us also as well as to his > So as to refuse him the small family.' h2 i THE PERSIANS. FBBSOIfS RSFRE8SNTED, Chobus op aged Persians. The Ghost ojp Dabixts. Atossa, the QuEEir-MoTHEB. Xebxes. A Messengeb. We indeed, here present, bear the titles of Trusty Coun- cillors of the Persians^ who have gone ofif to the land of Hellas, and Guardians of the rich golden palace, whom king Xerxes himself, the royal oflfspring of Darius, chose according to seniority to be deputy-governors^ of the country. But about the expedition of our sovereign lord and his army all glittering with gold, my mind with a strong presentment of evil begins now to feel disturbed from within, — for the whole* military strength of the Asiatic race is gone, — ^and to fret after our youthful hero ; and no messenger, no horseman, arrives at the capital of the Persians. But they,* leaving the walled cities of Susa and Ecbatana and the old fortress of Cissa, went away, some on chariots, some on ships, and infantry with their measured step presenting a close rank of war. Thus did Amistres, Axtaphemes, Megabazes, Astaspes, all generals of Persians, kings themselves, but subjects of the great king, set out on their march, inspectors of a vast army, — archers ^ The genitiye may depend rather They were probably eunuchs in high on Hyra implied, than directly on Yliarky trust. since they were properly councillors ' All of the ^Xiic/a, or military age, of the king ; who howeyer is included are gone, and none but the elder left in r&v olxoti4vo9v. Compare also y. to protect the land. 967 — 60. ^ Ol 5i, (as suggested in my note)^ ' To be $^potf or superintendents, not otrc. 102 THE PERSIANS. 26—76 also and mounted horsemen, formidable to behold and terrible in fight for the courageous resolve of their souls : Artembares too, rejoicing in his steeds, Masistres, and the skilled archer, Imaeus, Pharandaces, and the driver of horses, Sosthanes. Others the mighty Nile, that supplies nourishment to many, sent out ; (such were) Susiscanes, Pegastagon, an Aegyptian by birth, and the ruler of the sacred Memphis, the mighty Arsames, and Ariomardus, governor of the ancient Thebes : inhabitants of the marshes too, skilful rowers of ships, and in numbers countless. They are attended also by a multitude of luxurious Lydians, who are largely mixed up with^ the entire native population of the continent, — ^forces which Mithragathes and the brave Arcteus, king-commanders, (conduct) and Sardis abounding in gold sends forth, mounted on many chariots, ranks with three and four horses yoked abreast, a sight formidable to behold. And the dwellers by sacred Tmolus are bent on throwing the yoke of slavery round Hellas, — Mardo, Tharybis, anvils of the spear, and the Mysian javelin-men : Babylon the golden also sends a mixed host in a long sweeping train, both those borne on ships and those who rely on their courage in drawing the bow. The sabre-bearing race likewise follows from every part of Asia, under the dread mandates of the king. Such a flower of the fighting-men of Persia is gone ; and about them all the land of Asia that reared them is sighing with ardent longings, while parents and wives, as they count the days, tremble at the still protracted delay. By this time hath the royal army, the destroyer of cities, passed over the straits into the neighbouring continent beyond, by cable-tied boats having got across the channel of Athamas' daughter Helle, and having thrown a peg-fastened pathway as a yoke on the neck of the sea. And the spirited commander of populous Asia is driving his flock divine^ over the whole land in two main divisions, both with land-forces 1 Schol. ol 9i6\ov r^v Ijirtipoy ol" represent the relation of subjectB to Kovyrts. the Persian king, according to the ^ These words are carefully used to Greek yiew. 77—181 THE PERSIANS. 103 and by sea, confident in the stem discipline of his officers,^ the godlike hero of the race that sprung from the golden seed.^ And grimly* glaring in his eyes with the looks of a sanguinary dragon, with many hands and many ships, and speeding onward Syrian war-chariots, he is bringing against men renowned with the spear a force that is to conquer them by the bow * And 'tis not expected that any one, by with- standing the mighty stream of men, will keep out by strong embankments the irresistible wave of that (living) sea. For dangerous to engage with is the army of Persians, and brave- hearted is its people. But the craftUy-plotting deceits of the god what mortal man shall escape ? Who that by nim- bleness of step commands the art of leaping so as to alight on his feet? For Delusion, at first all smiles and flattery, coaxes men into her stake-nets;^ but out of them 'tis not possible for a mere mortal to escape by surmounting the enclosure. For of old fate went against the Persians by the decrees of heaven, and put it into their minds to engage in wars for the storming of fortresses, in the turmoil of cavalry- actions, and in the overthrow of cities. They learnt too to look fearlessly on the briny waste of the broad sea, when whitened over by the strong blast, trusting to the tackle of slightly-buUt craft, — ^the plan for the transport of their hosts. 'Tis for these reasons that my heart, clothed in gloom, is rent with fear, Wah ! for this Persian army of ours, lest the state should hear that this mighty city of Susa's land is bereft of its men, and the citadel of the Cissians should respond by heavy beatings of the breast, as the company of the women utters aloud this word, Wah! and rending should fall on their robes of fine linen. For the entire host both of cavalry and infantry, like a swarm of bees, have left their homes with the commander of the army, and have passed the bridge® ^ ' Trusting in strong stem com- ^ This is said rather from the Ghreek manders/ than the Persian view of the matter, ' Danae, visited by Zeus in a shower and not without irony, of gold, by which she became pregnant ^ See the note on Agam. 350. of Perseus, the mythical ancestor of * The bridge of boats, that juts out the Persians. like a headland from either shore, till > Lit. * dark blue/ it joins in the middle. ^ 104 TEE PERSIANS. 131—168 projected from both shores and common to both continents alike. And the beds (of the forlorn wives) through longing desire for their husbands are filled with tears; the Persian ladies, luxurious even in their grief, each stricken with passionate regret for her lord, having sent out to the wars the valiant spear-armed partner of her couch, are left widowed at home. But come, ye Persians, let us take our seats in this ancient hall, and devise some sage and well-considered plan, — for need has come upon us, — (that we may know) how Xerxes our king, oflfspring of Darius, one of our race that bears the name of its ancestor,^ really fares: whether it is the drawing of the bow that is getting the advantage, or the strength of the shaft-heading spear-point that has already prevailed. But here comes, — a light like that of the eyes of the gods, — ^the mother of the king, my queen. Let us do her obeisance. And it is further the duty of all of us to address her with words of greeting. O queen, highest in rank of all the deep-waisted Persian ladies, aged mother of Xerxes, all hail, wife of Darius ! The consort wert thou of one that was a god to the Persians, and the mother of a god thou art likewise, unless in some respect the ancient fortune has now changed for the nation.^ Atossa, It is for this that I am come leaving the gold- bedizened palace, and the common marriage-chamber of Darius and myself. / too* have a care that is rending me at the heart ; and I will address to you, my friends, my remarks, though by no means without fears for myself, lest too great wealth in its hurried step* should kick against and over- turn the fabric of prosperity which Darius raised, not without the favour of some god. On these grounds there is a twofold anxiety, too great for words, within my breast, — (a feeling) that as on the one hand we ought not to worship and honour a quantity of wealth without men, so on the other hand * Persians, from PereeuB. * Lit. *liaving covered the plain * If unsuccessful in the war, Xerxes with dust,' a figure fit)m the invasion would forfeit his title of $§hs n4pffais, of a hostile army, as in Suppl, 176, 3 KkfjL^ (as suggested in the note). Theb. 81. 169—197 TEE PERSIANS. 105 on men who have not money the light of success does not shine in proportion to their military strength.^ Now our wealth indeed is not to be disparaged ; but about him who is the light of our eyes^ there is some fear ; for the eye of the house I consider to be the master's presence in it. Where- fore, such being the state of affairs, become for me advisers in this matter, ye Persians, aged councillors of trust. For all (my hopes of) good advice depend on you. Gho. Be well assured, queen of this land, that you will not have to mention twice either word or deed, whatever matter authority may please to originate.* For devoted to your service are we whom you summon as your advisers in these matters. At For a long time past I have been haunted continually by nightly dreams, ever since my son got his army in marching order and went ofif to the land of .the Athenians with the in- tention of ravaging it. Yet never saw I any vision so plainly as last night, — ^but I will tell it you. I thought that two female forms in fair attire, — ^the one dressed in Persian, the other in Dorian robes, — ^presented themselves to view, in size far more striking than women now are, and unexceptionable in beauty, sisters also of the same descent. As for the country they lived in, — one had obtained by lot the land of Hellas, the other the Persian.* These two, as I fancied I saw, were getting up a quarrel with each other. When my son was aware of it, he tried to restrain and soothe them, and putting them to his car he harnessed them to the yoke and put the collar- straps on their necks. One of them carried herself proudly in this guise, and had a mouth tractable under the reins ; but the other was restive, and with her hands tried to tear in pieces the harness of the car, and then ran away with it by 1 The meaning is, that if those who, like the Greeks, have men but not money, sometimes fail for want of the latter ; yet mere wealth, which is the chief boast of the Persians, may equally prove inefficient, unless supported by yalorous troops. ' i. e. Xerxes. 3 In whateyer matter royal com- mand 'takes the initiatiye,' as the modem phrase is. ^ To uie Greek mind fidpfiapoi meant ^easterns' generally. The word con- veyed so little reproach, that Aeschylus does not scruple to put it into the mouth of the Persian queen. 106 TKE PERSIANS. 198—225 force, without the bit, and snapped the yoke in the middle. And my son was thrown out, and his father Darius stood by pitjring him : but when Xerxes saw him, he rent his clothes on his body. Well then, this was, as I say, my dream last night. So when I had risen, and duly dipped my hands in running spring water,^ I took incense-oflferings in my hands and stood at the altar, intending to pour sacrificial libations to the gods who avert evil, and to whom these rights belong. But suddenly I saw an eagle flying for refuge to the altar of Phoebus; and through fear I stood speechless, my friends. A moment afterwards I perceived a kite rushing at it with the full speed of its wings, and pulling out the feathers from its head with its talons. Nor did the eagle oflfer any resist- ance, but, as if completely cowed, it surrendered itself to the attack.^ Now all these portents are, to me at least, alarming to behold, as they must be to you to hear. For be well assured, my son, should he succeed, would become a hero admired by all; at the same time, should he prove un- successful, he is not accountable to the city ; and if he only gets back safe, he is not less than before the sovereign of the land.^ Cho. We do not wish, royal mother, either to alarm you too much by our suggestions, or to give you undue confidence ; but make a visit to the gods with humble supplications, and implore them, if what you saw has any evil import, to cause that to be averted, but that the good may become fully realized both for yourself and your children, for the state too and all who are your friends. In the next place, you should pour libations to Earth and the departed Spirits; and supplicate your husband Darius, whom you say you saw in la«t night's dream, in kindly feelings towards you to send blessings upon yourself and your son from beneath the earth to the light of day ; but that the contrary to these may be kept in durance 1 *■ And had touched with my hands his body.' a fair-flowing spring, with sacrificial ' Though he would be a great man hand, &c. if he succeeds, he cannot be deposed if 3 * But he (the eagle, did) nothing he fEuls. else than crouch down and suirender 225—242 THE PERSIANS, 107 under the earth^ and obscured by the gloom. This course I recommend to you in friendly feeling, guided only by the dictates of sense ;^ and our judgment about the matter is, that it will bring about a favourable result, however the case may be.* At Well, certainly, as the first interpreter of these dreams, you have given the right meaning of them to my son and my family, with good feeling towards myself.* May then the good be fulfilled ! As for these ofiferings, even as you enjoin us, we will make them all to the gods and to those friendly to us below the earth, so soon as we return to our palace. But with respect to the enemy,^ I am desirous to be informed clearly, where in the world they say Athens is situated. Ghx). Far oflf towards the west, where sets the royal sun.^ At Well, was this the land that my son felt such a desire to take ? CJio, Aye ! for so all Hellas would become subject to the great king. At Have they so full a number of men in their army ? Cho, Yes, and an army of such a sort, — one that did mischief enough to the Medes. At And what else beside that? Have they wealth enough to last at their own homes ? Chx), They have a natural supply of silver, a treasure stored in the earth. At And is it the bow-drawing arrow that is the chief weapon in their hands ? CJio, By no means; lances used in close fight, and the accoutrements of shield-bearers.^ ^ Earth was regarded by the Greek realized. Pantheists as a kind of sentient and * The meaning is, *my first inter- active power, which could send up or preter is favourable to me, and I will detain at will the sentiments of the accept his view of the matter as final dead in Hades for good or for evil. and valid.' ^ 2 Not being a regular or professional ^ For this use of ^Ketva compare inf. seer. 397. 8 That the course we advise will • The sun was worshipped by the bring success, whether there are evils Persians, to be deprecated or blessings to be "^ 6irXirai, not i^iKoL 108 THE PERSIANS. 243—270 At And who is set over them as shepherd of the flock, and is the master to the army ? Cho, They call themselves the slaves* of no man, nor subjects either. At How then could they withstand an invading enemy ? Clio. (They have done so), so as to cut up a large and fine army.* At Truly, you speak grave words for the parents of those who have gone to think of. CJio. But, if I am not mistaken, you will soon know the whole matter as it really is : for the rapid step of this man one may be sure is Persian from its appearance ; and he (doubtless) brings the plain news of some success or disaster to hear of. Mea, O stronghold* of all the land of Asia, O Persia, and O ample repositorjr* of wealth ! How by a single blow your great prosperity has been destroyed, and the flower of the Persians is fallen and gone ! Woe is me ! 'tis an evil to have to bring the first tidings of evil; but still it is necessary to unfold the whole disaster : I tell you, Persians, the entire army of the east has perished. CJio, Grievous, O grievous calamity, startling strange, and dreadful, alas ! Let not an eye remain dry, ye Persians, when ye hear of this disaster. Mea, Be assured that all the hopes of the army are done for : indeed I myself had not looked for a safe return. Chx), Too protracted for old men does this life of ours now appear, for to hear of this unexpected woe. Mes. But as having been myself present, and not hearing the reports of others, I can give a clear account to you, my lords, of the evils that were sent us (by the god).^ Chx), In vain then, alas ! all those hosts of light-armed ^ Compare jdffom, 1196. this may be only a various reading in s At Marathon. place of the next verse. ' By wokitrfjutra Susa appears to be * The palace itself, called woX^xp^' meant. It seems impossible that more tros and -xfivtriotrroKiMSt sup. 3 and 161. than one city can be addressed. But ^ See (D%o. 1029. 271— JOO THE FERSIAK8, 109 troops of mixed noes went from Asia agminst a keaTen* protected oountiy, the land of HeUas. Mes. Full of unbaried bodies of the slain^ are the shores of Salamifi and all the adjoining coast Cho. Alas ! they are the bodies of our own fiiends, sea* tost and dyed many oolours,^ that you describe as being earned in death by the waves on the two restless shores of the straits.' Mea. For of no avail were their bows, but the whole army perished overcome by the impact^ of the ships' beaks. Cho, Baise a doleful cry of woe for those that have been unhappily slain ; for (the gods) have caused a disastrous end of the whole affidr in the destruction of the army. Mea. O name of Salamis, most odious to hear ! Oh how I groan when I think of that Athens ! Cho, Aye! Athens has good cause to be hated by her enemies. Truly, we cannot forget how many of the Persian ladies, who had done her no harm,^ she made widows and husbandless. At I have kept silence all this time, unhappy that I am, being astounded at our disasters : for this calamity is of such surpassing horror that I can neither speak of nor ask about our sufferings. Nevertheless, mortals must bear misfortunes when the gods send them. Reveal therefore the whole extent of our loss, and tell me composedly, however much you are distressed at the sad events, who is not dead, and whom of the leaders of the host we shall have to mourn for, that was appointed to a post of authority, and by his death loft desolate the ranks deprived of their leader. ' Compare oIk thrvxjSts in y. 327. i0ap/i4vo5 includes, if it does not prunarily mean, death by drowning. Of. 453. < As by blood, bruises, decomposi- tion, &c. Cf. Y. 319. 3 Donaldson, Neta CratyUtif § 280: — "The irXayieroi 8(irXaxct appear to describe the ArrtirAmrcs &irral of the straits of Salamis. The epithet trAoy- mhs is explained by a reference to the appearance of motion asiumed by a coast, when the line of broakors keeps oscillating backwards and forwards." This nearly coincides with the ScboL hirovoffrti. Some retet 8/irAa«tfft to ships^lanks, others to folded garments. ^ There seems a play on fUkhtiP and fiixiii which is untrandat«abl«. * The Schol. rightly explains i/J^m^ by iMi^iht Bkw^ifftit, i 110 TEE PERSIANS. 301—333 Mes, Xerxes himself yet lives and sees the light. At To my house yon have indeed described a great light, yea, a clear bright day after a night of gloom. Mes. But Artembares, commander of ten thousand horse, is being dashed about by the surf along the ragged shores of Sileniae.^ Dadaces also, the leader of a thousand men, by the stroke of a spear, spirang with a light bonnd from off the deck of his ship. Tenago, the l^avest of the Bactrians, and of the true old stock, is ranging (in death) the sea-lashed island of Salamis.^ Lilaeus, Arsames, and Argestes besides, meeting with defeat by the dove-breed- ing island,* were butting with their heads against the iron- bound shore. Arcteus also, a neighbour of the sources of Aegjrptian Nile,* Adeues, Pheresseues beside those two, and Phamuchus, these all fell dead out of one ship. Matallus of Chrysa, commander of ten thousand men, and the leader of thrice ten thousand black-horsed cavalry, killed in the fight, dabbled his thick shaggy auburn^ beard (in blood), and changed its hue by a deep purple stain. Arabus likewise, the Magian, and Artames the Bactrian^ perished there, to take up a new abode in, a rugged land. Amistris, Amphis- treus, the wielder of no inactive spear, and the good knight Ariomard, causing grief to Sardis for his death, — Sesames the Mysian, Tharybis, the admiral of five times fifty ships, from Lyma by descent, a comely man, lies a hapless corpse, un- blest by the rites of sepulture : Syennesis likewise, foremost in courage, set as commander over the Cilicians, after giving more trouble than any one man to the enemy, died gloriously. Such are the leaders of whom I now make mention : but out of many evils that are before us I report only a few. At Alas I what I now hear is the crowning point of all ' tiKtlvuX aXyioKht taKofuvos, pigeons. Schol. ^ It was thought to rise in the far ' Schol. iroXff? c&^/i»5* Kcirat 4v east, not in the far south. But the taXauHvi, (A gloss that Dindorf has verses 310 — 315 can hardly be con- utt, O sovereign Zeus, now hast thou destroyed the army of Persians boastful in their words and mighty in their hosts, and hast buried in gloomy mourning the city of Susa [and Ecbatana].^ And many a maid, with tender hands tearing to tatters her head-tire, drenches with soaking tears the folds of her dress, sharing in the general grief ; while the Persian matrons, daintily sighing,^ longing to see again their newly-wedded lords, and having given up the finely-draped marriage-couches, the joy of their delicate girlhood, mourn with insatiable sighs. And I too take up dolefully as my theme the fate of the departed in the approved strain.* For now the whole land of Asia mourns for being emptied of its men. 'Twas Xerxes that led them, alas, and Xerxes that caused their^eath, and Xerxes that managed the whole affair imprudently by his sea-traversing barques. Why did Darius preside over the army as captain of the bowmen, once so harmlessly to the citizens, a leader loved by the people of Susa ; while the land and sea-forces were taken out by these dark-prowed equally-rowed ships, and by (other) ships, alas ! were destroyed, — the ships, I say, with the murderous impact of their beaks, — and by the hands of Athenian men ? And the king himself, as we hear, has barely escaped by a route across the wintry stepped of Thrace. And they who perished first, left (unburied) of necessity, are besprent with brine on the Cychrean^ strand, Wah ! Lament and be stung with grief ; raise a deep-toned cry of woe to the very heavens for our sorrows ; strain your ill-boding voice to a loud shout of dire distress.^ And cruelly bruised by the eddying currents, ^ I. e. commit suicide. ^ Kvxp*ict was an ancient name of ' ^$* *EKfiaTdyvv seems interpolated. Salamis. ' afipoTcveeTsf sup. 139. • Passages like this can only bo * doxifucsf namely, like public or rendered by paraphrasing, and even professional mourners. It may be then they are with difficulty made questioned if these two lines (548 — 9) readable, are not interpolated. 118 THE PERSIANS, 579—620 ah, sad ! they are gnawed by the voiceless brood of the pure element, Wah! And each house, bereaved of its head, is in mourning; childless parents, aged men bewailing their heaven-sent sufferings, now learn the full extent of their loss. And they in the land of Asia, forsooth, are no longer under the Persian rule;^ no longer pay tribute at the stem com- mand of a sovereign master ; no longer will they prostrate themselves to the earth in humble submission to his authority; for the kingly influence is gone. Nor will mortals any longer keep their tongues in check; for the people are at liberty to speak their thoughts freely, since (say they) the yoke of constraint is removed. All blood- stained in its fields the sea-washed isle of Ajax has for its own all that once was Persia's. At My friends, whoever has had experience in sorrows knows that when once a tide of evils comes upon mortals, a man is wont to view everything with alarm; but, when fortune flows on in a tranquil stream, he is wont to feel confident that that same fortune will ever wg^ him on his course. (I say this now), for to me indeed at present all the adversities sent us by heaven seem in my eyes to be full of alarm; and there rings ever in my ears a dread note very different from the paean of Apollo.^ Such harrowing tidings of misfortune affright my mind. For this reason I set forth on my return from the palace, as ye see, without carriages or my accustomed splendour, bringing for the father of my son, as propitiatory libations, such offerings as have power to appease the dead. There is sweet white milk from the pure cow, and the drop of the flower-working bee, the bright honey, with water drawn from the virgin spring: the un- adulterated drink too from the wild vine that produced it, the sparkling liquor of old wine, is here : and the fiugrant fruit^ of the pale-green olive, which ever while it lives flourishes clothed with leaves, is before you, with chaplets of ^ What adds to the bitterness of rule, defeat is, that the Ionian peoples will ' The waiiiu *Epiy6uv ^iAgam, 628. begin to despise and disown Persian ' c6£8cs tXawvy Od. ii. 339. ^ 620—659 TEE PERSIANS, 119 flowers, the children of all-producing earth. But do you, my friends, sing loud strains of good omen over these libations for the dead, and call repeatedly on Darius, who is now a spirit of power (in Hades). I on my part will head the procession to carry these earth-poured offerings in honour of the infernal gods.^ Chx). Royal lady, revered by the Persians, do you accom- pany these libations to the abodes beneath the earth, and we with hymns will beseech the conductors of the dead to be favourable to us in the world below. Do ye therefore, holy powers. Earth and Hermes, and thou, king of the dead, send up from below a soul to the light ; for if he knows any remedy that is good for our woes, he alone of mortals will tell us the way to get over them. Does our dear departed king, holding equal rank with the daemon-powers below, hear me uttering these varied dismal broken^ appeals, so as to understand clearly my barbaric voice,* to convey to him through Earth the sounds of our all-doleful griefs? Does he hear me from below ? But do thou, O Earth, and ye also who are rulers of the dead, suffer to depart from your abodes a mighty prince of the Shades, the Susa-bom king of the Persians, and send up to us such an one as never yet the Persian land covered with the sod. Dear indeed was the man, and dear is his tomb ; for dear was the character it hath hid from us. Aidoneus, conductor of the dead to the world above, mayst thou send up the spirit of Darius! O what a king was he,* alas! For not only was he no destroyer of his people by foolish devastating wars, but he was called Divine Councillor to the Persians; and divine truly he was, since he governed his people prosperously. king, ancient king, come visit us! come, I say, to the ^ Lit. 'will conduct in front the constitute the natural and essential earth-drunk honours.' It is difficult food of man. to deny, that the primitive notion of ' BiaOpoa, the utterance of which' is propitiatory sacrifices was simply that impeded hy sohs. ot feeding the hungry spirit in Hades. ^ (rtKfniini, sc. Scrrc ttyai. Compare Hence, as here, the offerings, whether Suppl. 110. of flesh or fruit, are always such as * Corrupt. ) 120 THE PERSIANS, 660—698 topmost peak of the barrow, raising to earth the safron-dyed shoe of your foot, showing to our sight the crest of your royal tiara. Come forth, Darius, unharming father of thy people, come, ho P Appear, O master, that you may hear the new and disastrous calamities of our master. For now a Stygian mist flits over us, since all the youth of the land has perished. Come, unharming father Darius, come, ho! O woe, woe ! O much deplored by thy friends in thy death, why, O lord of lords, by a twofold error^ through thought- lessness has all this land suffered the utter destruction of her three-banked galleys, now no galleys, alas! Ghost of Darius, Ye trustiest of councillors, companions of my youth, aged Persians, with what distress is the city afflicted? The level earth groans, is cut up, and seamed (with wheels) ; and seeing my wife standing near the tomb I felt fear, and accepted the libations in a kindly spirit. But you are wailing as you stand by my tomb, and uttering loud cries and groans to summon my spirit from below you are calling on me in piteous strains. But to get out is no easy matter; especially as the gods below are better at receiving than at letting loose. Still, as I have held a post of dignity among them,^ I have come : but be quick, that I may not be blamed for (exceeding) my time. What is this new disaster that has fallen heavily on the Persians? Chx), I feel awe at the sight of thy countenance, and I feel awe to say what is unwelcome, through my ancient fear of you. Dar, But, since I have come from below in compliance with your wailings, tell me by no means a lengthy but a concise tale, and describe the whole affair, laying aside this bashfulness of me. Chx), I shrink from complying with your request, and I also shrink from speaking the truth,* by describing events painful for friends to communicate. 1 /^dp€i\ lavoT, Blomfield's corroc- * ipria, which I have suggested tion, seems very plausible. from the gloss of Schol. Med. &Ai}0cv- ' The text here is corrupt. craf, seems more probable than iLyria. » See Cho. 362. 699—720 THE PERSIANS. 121 Bar, Well then, since a long-familiar awe of mind i? an obstacle to you, — come therefore, aged partner of my couch, well-bom dame, cease from these tears and groans, and tell me something that I can understand ; and of course human woes may befal human beings. For many mishaps by sea and many by land occur to mortal men, if their length of life should extend very far. At O thou who didst surpass all mankind in prosperous fortune, — who while you saw the beams of the sun were an object of envy to all, and passed a life of continued happiness, adored as a god by the Persians, now indeed^ I hold you fortunate in having died before you witnessed the depth of our misfortunes. For the whole tale you shall hear, Darius, in a brief space: — the affairs of the Persians are utterly ruined, to say it in a word. Dar, In what way ? Did a sudden stroke of pestilence come, or a sedition to the state ? At Not at all ; but the whole army has been destroyed near Athens. Bar, And which of my sons conducted an expedition thither ? Inform me. At The impetuous Xerxes, taking out all the men from the level parts of the continent. Dar. And was it with land forces or navy that the unhappy man made so mad an attempt as that ? At In both ways: there was a double front of two armies. Bar, And how did so vast a host contrive to pass on foot? At He bridged over the Hellespont by a device that enabled him to cross. Bar, What, did he effect even this — the closing of the mighty Bosphorus ? At So it was: and doubtless some malignant power affected his judgment.^ 1 VVV 7€, not VVV T€. 3 Or (as the Schol.) ^ assisted him in his intention.' So inf. 738. 122 TEE PERSIANS. 721—742 Dar, Alas ! it was some mighty power of evil that came to make him act so foolishly. At (True) : for we may see by the result what a mischief he brought to pass. Dar, And pray how did they fare, that you so lament over them ? At, The naval host being discomfited caused the destruc- tion of the land-army. Dar, And has the whole host so utterly been annihilated by the spear ? At Yea, so that in respect of the calamity the city of Susa in the first place bewails its lack of men Dar, Alas for so goodly a support and military succour ! At And besides, the whole population of the Bactrians has perished in utter destruction, and not merely a few old men. Dar. O foolish youth, what fine young allies he has lost ! At And the army of Xerxes left all alone and deprived of assistance, they say, with no great number Dar, Comes to what end, and in what way ? Is there any safety for them ? At Arrived joyfully at the bridge which united the two continents. Dar, And got safe to the mainland of Asia? Is that true? At Yes, a clear report of it prevails : in tJiat there is no dispute. Dar, Alas! quickly indeed has the fulfilment of the oracles come ; it was upon my son that Zeus made the issue of the predictions to fall : but I somehow or other expected that the gods would accomplish these evils after a long time. But, when a man himself uses his best efforts, the god also lends a hand. Now does a fountain of evils appear to have been discovered for all my friends. But my son in ignorance brought all this to pass through the recklessness of youth, in that he expected to stop by chains, as if it were a slave, the sacred Hellespont from flowing, the Bosphorus, that stream 743—773 TEE PERSIANS. 123 of the gods; and he thought to alter for the better^ its navigable strait, when he surrounded it with forged chains and made a spacious way for a mighty host. And though but a mortal, he fancied, by no means wisely, that he should get the mastery over all the gods, and even Poseidon. Must not this have been some malady of mind that possessed my son ? I am in fear lest the vast wealth won by my labours should become for men the plunder of the first comer. At, Such are the lessons that impetuous Xerxes learns by associating with those bad men ; for they tell him, that y(yvb acquired by the spear great wealth for your children, while he, through want of manly spirit, fights his battles at home, and in no degree increases the fortune he inherited firom his father. It was from hearing such reproaches oft uttered by worthless men, that he designed this expedition and this army against Hellas. Dar, And therefore a deed has been done by them that is most terrible, never to be forgotten, such as never yet befel this city of Susa to drain it of its hosts, from the time that sovereign Zeus ordained this high prerogative, that one man should be ruler over all the pasture plains of Asia, holding the sceptre of government. A Mode was he^ who first was head of the army ; then another, his son,^ completed his designs, for good sense directed the helm of his mind.* Third after him, Cyrus, a fortunate man, came to the throne and established peace for all his friends. The people of the Lydians and the Phrygians he acquired as his subjects, and the whole of Ionia he reduced by force : for the god was not hostile to him, such was his prudence. A son of Cyrus fourth in succession ruled the host, and Mardus fifth held sway, a disgrace to his country and the ancient throne; but him by the aid of craft Artaphemes the brave slew in his palace, with friendly conspirators to whom that duty had been * To make a dry road out of a play on the name *ApTap4yris or watery way. *Apra(f>4ppri5f d hprias p4pas Ix^^* 3 Astyages. If so, this line is out of place; and ^ Cvazares. indeed it gives no logical sense here. * The Schol. Med. says there is a 124 THE PERSIANS, 774— 804 assigned. [The sixth was Maraphis, and the seventh Arta- phrenes.] And I too obtained the lot I desired, and made many expeditions with a numerous army: yet never did I bring so much mischief on the city. But Xerxes my son is young, and thinks like a youth, and does not bear in mind my orders. For be right well assured of this, my coequals in age; all of us together, who before severally held this sovereignty, shall be shown never to have caused by our actions so many calamities. Chx). What then, king Darius? With what purpose do you bring your remarks to a close ? How in this state of things may we Persian people yet fare for the best ? Bar, ff you make not any expedition into the country of the Hellenes, — not even if the Median army should be greater than theirs. For the land itself is an ally to them. Chx), What mean you by that ? In what way, pray, is it their ally ? Bar. By killing with famine those whose numbers are greatly in excess. Cho. But we shall send out a more manageable and select expedition. Bar, But not even the army which has now staid behind in the regions of Hellas shall obtain a safe return. Chx). How say you ? Does not all the army of the east cross the Hellespont from Europe ? Bar. Few indeed out of many, if one may trust the oracles of the god, looking at what has now been done : for it is not that only some of the things predicted are coming true, but others not. And if this is really so, he is leaving behind^ a chosen body of troops trusting to vain hopes. For they are staying where the Asopus waters the plain vrith his streams, a friendly fertilizer of the land of the Boeotians. There it yet awaits them to suffer the crowning miseries of all their misfortunes, in atonement for their insolence and * *• To what port are you steering ' Namely, those under the command the end of your words ?' See on Suppl. of Mardonius. 436. 805—838 THE PERSIANS. 125 godless designs. For when they arrived at the land of Hellas they felt no awe at plundering the sacred images of the gods, nor in setting fire to their shrines. But the altars have been levelled with the dust, and the images of the gods have been uprooted and overthrown from their bases, and lie heaped together on the ground. So it is that, having done evil, they are suffering not less,^ and others they have still to endure, for not yet is the bottom of the evils reached, but they are still coming forth in greater abundance.^ So thick will lie the gouts of gore from men slaughtered in the land of the Plataeans by the Doric lance. And heaps of corpses even to the third generation shall tell a silent tale to the eyes of men, that one who is a mortal must not hold too proud thoughts. For presumption blossoms and matures a corn-crop of delusion,^ from which it reaps a harvest of tears. When then you see such penalties of these deeds, remember Athens and Hellas, and let no one, thinking disparagingly of his present fortunes, and enamoured of something else, waste like water his great prosperity. Be assured that Zeus is a punisher of overweening pride, and is ever by to exact a heavy reckoning. Wherefore do you instruct him, warned as he has been by the god to be wise in time, with lessons of prudence, to leave off sinning against the gods by a too boastful presumption. But do you, aged lady, the loved mother of Xerxes, go' into the palace, and taking such attire as is becoming to him, go forth to meet your son : for all the clothes upon his body, through deep grief at his woes, have been torn* into tattered shreds of embroidered robes. Do you then discreetly soothe him by your words ; for you alone, I am well assured, he will bear to hear. But I must depart into the darkness of earth below: farewell then to you, Elders, not the less though you are in troubles, and allow your souls such pleasure as the day affords ; for to the dead there is no advantage in riches. 1 See Agam. 516. KaK^, ' iKTr\rie6frai, suggested in my ^ See on Agam. 745. note, satisfies the sense, and the ex- < Lit. ' are warp-hroken.* planation of Schol. Med. ai^lcrat t& 126 THE PERSIANS. 839—877 CJvo, Many truly are the misfortunes, both present and in store^ for the Persians, which I have heard with deep grief of heart. At. God of heaven, what a host of painful evils crowd into my mind ! Yet especially does this calamity afflict my heart, — when I hear of the woeful plight^ of the garments on the body of my son, — that, I mean, which now invests him. I will go therefore, and taking a fitting attire from the palace, I will essay to meet my son ; for those dearest to us we will not abandon in their misfortunes. Chx). O heavens ! 'twas a glorious and happy citizen-life that we then enjoyed, when the godlike old king Darius, all- sufficient in himself, unharming, not to be fought with, ruled the country. In the first place, we used to shew to the world that we had armies of good repute, and secure laws directed all things : safe returns too from wars brought the men back to their homes unworn by toil, without having suffered hardships, and successful. And what a nimiber of cities he captured without passing the ford of the river Halys, or leaving his own hearth.* Such were the lake- cities* in the wide lagoon of the Strymon, close bordering on the Thracian settlements; and those without the mere on the mainland with fortified walls thrown round them, obeyed him for their king, both those which boasted of a site^ by the broad stream of Helle, and the deeply-recessed Propontis, and the entrance into the Pontus. The islands likewise that lie off the headland of the sea, washed round by the waves but close bordering on this continent, such as Lesbos and olive-planted Samos, Chios, and Paros, Naxos, Myconos, and adjoining Tenos its close neighbour Andros. And the islands nearer the open sea, midway between the shores, he ruled 1 Perhaps Koh fi4\\oirr* in, great king. ' This may be a satire on the Persian * ^Acheloids.' Schol. 'AxcX^^ov grandeur and love of dress : but it is 7&p icav Sdoop \4yov(riv. The lake- to be feared the speech is spurious, and habitations described in Herod, y. 16, the Schol. Med. seems to ignore it. appear to be meant. 3 He seems to mean, without going ^ Perhaps from the natural beauty into any other country than Asia, and advantage of the situation, which was as it were the iffrla of the 878—921 TEE PERSIANS. 127 over, Lemnos, and the settlement of Icarus ; also Rhodes and Cnidos, and the cities of Cyprus, Paphos, Soli, and Salamis, the mother-city of which is the cause of these sighs. The cities too, rich in possessions, in the Ionian district, populously inhabited by Hellenes, he ruled by his prudence ; and he had at his command an unfailing supply of heavy-armed men and of mixed allies from every nation. But now all these things have been plainly turned against us by the gods, and we have to bear them, having received a terrible defeat in the wars by disasters at sea. Xer, Alas ! unhappy am I, having met with this dreadful fate when least expected ! With what cruel intent has fortune set her foot on the race of the Persians 1 What will become of me wretched ? For the strength of my limbs is relaxed when I see these aged citizens before me. Would that I too, O Zeus, along with the men who are dead and gone, had been shrouded in the darkness of death !^ Cho, Alas, O king, for our brave army, and alae for the high honour of the Persian rule, and the proud ornament of her heroes, whom now fortune has cut oflf! For the land- bewails the youth bom on her soil, but slain by Xerxes, who has crammed Hades with dead Persians ; for travellers to Hades are many men, the flower of the country, fighters with the bow ; for a vast multitude^ has perished out of the land. Alas, alas, for the brave forces ; for the land of Asia, O king of our country, has had a terrible throw.^ Xer, You see me here, alas, an object of compassion, who have unhappily proved a curse to my family and my fatherland. CJw, And such a strain* of doleful import will I send forth to greet your return, a voice practised in words of woe, even that of a Mariandynian mourner, a loud cry with many tears. ** That the fate of death had coyered knee.' See ^^am. 64. me over.' * Namely, not a song of joy, hut a * Corrupt. Oprjyos, — roiau for rhy is conjectural. 3 'Has heen made to lean on the 128 TEE PERSIANS. 922—964 Xer, Aye, weep and spare not the strains of grief in- terrupted by sobs^; for fortune hath thus changed and gone against me. Cho, I too^ will cry all dolefully, doing honour to the memories of those lately lost to the city by their defeat at sea, as one who mourns the loss of children; I in my turn will raise my voice in loud tearful wailings. . Xer, For the god of war, with all his array of ships, has ceded the victory to the other side, and met with discomfiture from^ the lonians; that fatal bay he has cleared of every living soul,* and that luckless shore. Cho, Cry Oh ! oh ! and fear not to know the worst. Where are the rest of your many friends ? Where those of your own staff, such as was Pharandaces, Susas, Pelago, Psammis, Dotamas, Agdabatas, and Susiscanes, who left Ecbatana ? Xer, I left them dead on the shores of Salamis thrown from a Tyrian ship,' beating on a rocky shore. CJio, And where, oh ! where is your Phamuchus and the brave Ariomard? Where king Seualces, or the high-bom Lilaeus, Memphis, Tharybis, and Masistras, Artembares and Hystaechmas ? These questions too I would have answered. Xer, Oh me ! they saw the ancient, the fatal Athens, and they all with one convulsive struggle, unhappy wretches, were laid gasping on the land.^ Chx), And did you leave also that all-trusty councillor of the Persians, your own Eye of state, — ^him who counted his troops by tens upon tens of thousands, Alpistus, son of Batanochus, the descendant of Sesamas and Megabatas? 1 The literal meaning appears to be, * Send forth a dismal aJI-grieying bro- ken-voiced utterance.* Such phrases are most difficult to render. I find the following in one published transla- tion: "Pour ye forth a grievous all- lamentable sad-resounding voice; for this daemon hath made a turn back upon me." ' Khyiof conjecture. Lit. * Honour- ing the lately-endured sea-stricken heavy burdens of the city.* Another Xop€vri}s is supposed to speak. » * Suffered evil from,* or *felt the consequence of attacking,' &c. * * Having reaped the gloomy sea- level.' So $€pl(€iv fiporobs, Suppl. 628. ^ Lit. *gone dead out of a Tyrian ship.* * Like fishes drawn alive out of the sea on to the beach. 965—998 THE PERSIANS. 129 The great Parthus too, and Oebares? Alas for the poor unhappy men ! You describe evil succeeding evil^ for the best of Persia's nobles. Xer, You recal indeed to my mind the deep regrets I feel for my noble comrades and friends, when you speak of these dreadful ne'er-to-be-forgotten woes upon woes. My heart cries out in grief within my very breast.^ CJio. But there is yet another whom we miss : the Mardian general of ten thousand men Xanthus, and Anchares the Arian, Diaexis and Arsaces the commanders of cavalry, Kigdagates and Lythimnas, and Tolmus insatiate in fighting. I am astounded (by their loss) : no longer on canopied cars* foUowing in the royal train— Xer, No, for they are gone who were the leaders of the host.* Cho, Gone they are, alas ! and their names are not heard. Xer, Woe, woe ! Chx), Woe, indeed ! for the gods have caused us an unexpected evil, conspicuous before all others, — such a one as Atfe has watched^ to its accomplishment. Xer, We have received a blow, by such chances as seldom come.^ Cho, A blow indeed, that is plain to all, — Xer, New griefs, yea, new griefs, — Cho. By encountering Ionian sailors with ill-success. Unlucky then in its wars is the race of Persians. Xer. Assuredly; in so vast an army have I, unhappy king, been smitten. 1 Compare yriv irph y^j, Prom. 700. ' "Thou dost in sooUi call to my mind a lament for mj excellent friends, while thou speakest of baleful, hateful, exceeding hateful horrors. My heart within me moans aloud, moans aloud for them unhappy." (Translation, Bohn's Classical Lihrary.) This may serve to show the bitpelessness of at- tempting word-for-word renderings in such passages. 3 Carriages with umbrellas over them, as is frequently seen in the Assyrian sculptures. * For hypirai (MSS. hypirai or Aie- p^ai) I would read ayirai. Photius, riy4ri\s* rtyeiidov. The interpolation of ftv&B, frequent source of corruption. ^ Schoi. otov Kakhv ^ "Pirm 4^op^, But the meaning of this clause is very obscure. ? Corrupt. K A 130 THE PERSIANS. 998—1026 Chx). You have indeed; terrible is the blow the Persian power has received. Xer, See you this remnant of my dress ? Clw. I see, I see it. Xer, And this arrow-holding, — CJw. What is this you say has been saved ? Xer, Store-place for weapons ? Cho, Small remains out of so much. Xer, We have none left to aid us now. Cho. The Ionian people fly not before the spear. Xer, They are but too brave, and I have seen a disaster I had not looked for. Cho, Mean you to speak of the route of the naval host ? Xer, And I rent my robes^ at the sad mishap. Chx>, Alas, alas ! Xer, And more than alas, Cho, For two-fold and even three-fold — Xer. Are our sorrows; but causes of joy to our enemies. Cho, And our strength has been maimed. Xer, I have none left to precede me as an escort. Cho, Through the losses of your friends by sea. Xer, Weep for the disaster, weep, and go forward to the palace.^ Cho, Alas, alas ! Woe, woe ! Xer, Cry out now with responsive beatings of the breast. Cho, An ill return of ills for ills.^ Xer, Wail on in measured notes.* Cho. Oh ! oh ! oh ! Xer, Heavy in truth was the calamity. Cho, Ah ! greatly do I grieve at it too. Xer. Ply, ply the quick stroke, and lament now for 7ny sake. Cho. I am drenched in tears, being full of sighs. 1 See V. 470. 3 Tears in return for misfortunes. 3 Be my trpoirofivhs in default of (Schol.) • others. (Here they form a procession * Schol. ^hpiQfuos. off the stage). 1027—1054 THE PHRSIANS. 131 Xer, Cry out now with responsive beatings of the breast. Chx), I have sorrow enough to think about, my liege lord. Xer. Now raise your voice aloud in groans. Cho. Oh ! oh ! oh ! Xer, And there shall be mixed with them a dismal — Cho. And a deep-sounding blow. Xer. Beat hard the breast, and utter the loud Mysian strain. Cho. Grievous, grievous woes. Xer. And rend and tear the white hair of your beard. Cho. Yea, with clenched hands, and with many a sigh. Xer. And utter a shrill shriek. Cho. That too will I do. Xer. And tear to pieces your robe across your breast with all the strength of your hands. Cho. Grievous, grievous. Xer. And pull the long locks of your hair, and bewail the lost army. Cho. Yea, with clenched hands and with many a sigh. Xer. And let not your eyes be dry. Cho. I am all wet with tears. Xer. Cry out now with responsive beatings of the breast. Cho. Oh ! oh ! Xer. With cries of ah ! ah ! go into the palace. Cho. Alas ! the Persian land is full of sad sounds of grief. Xer. There is a cry of woe in the city. Cho. Of woe indeed, yes, yes. Xer. Utter groans as you pace with solemn step. Cho. Alas, the Persian land is full of sad sounds of grief. Xer. Alas for those who perished in the three-banked^ galleys. Cho. I will escort you with broken sighs.^ * "With three rowlocks, i. e. hanks or are merely vehicles for the music of tiers of oars, each ahove the other, — the adAbs, accompanied with the most triremes. violent gestures. One difficulty in 2 The conclusion of this play, like translating arises from the fact that that of the * Seven against Thehes,* there are nearly twenty words in can hardly be rendered into readable Greek to express our comi English. In both cases a procession of ' alas !' mourners is described j and the words K 2 \f • •> ■ J AGAMEMNON. J'SSSOJfS BEPSESENTED. A Watchiur. Aqaiieiikoh. Chobits of Ols Hen of Aboos. Cabsansha. CLYI.X1INEHTBA. ^eiSTHUB. Teb Hesald Talthtbius. Watch. Of the gods I am ever asking a riddaDce trom these toils during the long time of my year's watch/ in which, restiDg by night on the roofs of the Atridee like a watch-dog, with head on hand, I have become ^miliar with the host of the nightly constellations, and those bright powers that bring winter and summer to mortals, shining in upper air, (the stars, when they set, and their risings). And now I am looking out for the signal of a torch, a blaze of fire, bringing tidings from Troy, and the news of its capture: for thus firm in its resolve* is a woman's manly-coimaelling hopeful heart. And whenever I have my rest disturbed by night-walking and the MLing dew, — a rest unvisited by dreams, for fear is ever at hand to prevent sleep, so that I cannot close my eyelids soundly in repose; — and when, in such case, I have a mind to sing or whistle, throw- ing in' this remedy of song against sleep, — then straightway I fall to tears, bewailing the condition of this house, not now, as once, managed for the best But now may there come a hap^y release from our troubles by the beacon of good ' Or 't.lj of B vatch limited to menla, andiiopingagaiiiat hope. & j«ar in duration' {Od. iv. 626.) ' irriitrtir ii properlj 'to ihred > upaTf?, issuperioTtoalldiBappoiut- hsrbs into n potion.' See v. 1232. 134 AGAMEMNON, 21—61 tidings appearing through this gloom.^ O hail, illuminator of the night, that showest a light even as of day, and the signal for setting up many a dance at Argos through joy at this event. Hurrah, hurrah ! So do I give loud warning to Agamemnon's queen to rise forthwith from her bed, and utter right heartily a joyful strain of thanksgiving in the house for this torch, now that^ the city of Troy has been captured, as the beacon-light announces to my sight ; and I myself will have a dance by way of a beginning, for I shall score a good throw on my masters* afifairs, now that this beacon has turned up a sice on the three dice.^ Well ! at least may it be my lot to take in this hand the friendly hand of the lord of the house on his return. As for the rest, I say nothing. A great ox has set his foot upon my tongue. The house itself, if it had but a voice, would tell the tale most clearly ; — ^for myself, I speak willingly to such as understand, but I choose to forget to such as do not. Glw, This is the tenth year since the powerful adversary of Priam, king Menelaus and Agamemnon,* that sturdy yoke- pair of Atreus* sons, holding joint thrones and sceptres from Zeus, sent out an Argive army of a thousand ships from this land, a military aid, yelping loud war with all their hearts, like vultures that in solitary grief for their young wheel in eddying circles over their eyries, plying their way with the oarage of their wings, for that they have lost their callow brood, the objects of their toil. But some god on high, — Apollo, it may be, or Pan, or Zeus, — hearing the shrill plaintive cry of these denizens in air,^ sends to the trans- gressors a fury, bringing after-vengeance on the deed. And thus it is that the mighty Zeus, the god of hospitality, sends ^ The scene is at early dawn. After * These two brothers are viewed as this verse there is a momentary pause, partners in a joint sovereignty, and and the Watch resumes his position of therefore spoken of as one. So in v. rest, suddenly to start up again at sight 602 Menelaus is called king of the of the beacon. Argive land. Compare also v. 112, 116. ' Lit. * if really.* . 5 xhe parent-birds are compared to 3 * Having thrown three times a Athenian fi^roiKoif who could obtain six*' redress only through irpoa'TdTai. 61—99 AGAMEMNON. 185 the sons of Atreus for the punishment of Paris, intending to cause^ Greeks and Trojans alike, in behalf of a woman of several suitors, many a struggle bearing down men's limbs in the fight, when the knee cannot rise from the dust, and the spear-shaft is snapped at the onset of the fight. How- ever, matters are as they now are ; and they will be carried out to their destined end. Not by secret tears nor secret libations will Agameijnnon soothe the intense rage of a mother for the unholy sacrifice of her child.^ But we, who have taken no part in the service with our aged bodies, but were left behind in the aid that then went forth, are staying at home, supporting on staves a strength like that of a child. For, as the boyish vigour that holds sway within the breast is equal to that of an old man, and Ares is- not at his post,*^ so he that is very old, when the green leaf is getting sered, goes his way on three feet,* and with no more of Ares in him than a boy, he flits to and fro like a vision of the daylight. But tell me, thou daughter of Tyndareus, queen Clytemnestra, what is this business ? what has happened now ? What fresh news have you heard, and by the tidings of what message are you sending round orders to sacrifice ? For of all the gods who govern the city, — gods supreme and gods infernal, those who are denizens of the field and those who dwell in the agora,* — the altars are blazing with oflferings. And now here, now there, a torch raises its light to the very sky, fed® with the soothing and genuine cordials of pure incense-oil, the goodly essence brought out of the inmost stores of the palace. Tell me of these matters as much as you are able, and as it is lawful for you to impart, and become a healer of this anxiety. ^ The passage resembles Jl. ii. 39 ; but I doubt if e4\tr(av is good Greek, and propose to read ^cofoois itciBii- aovras, * Gr. * will he soothe stubborn rage for sacrifices without fire.' I have slightly expanded this into what ap- pears to be the more probable meaning of the poet. 3 t. e, the military iiKiKia has not yet arrived. 4 Namely, with the aid of a stick : an allusion to the riddle solved by Oedipus. — Those who were too old to fight ten years ago, are now ^4pyripqf. * Where they were represented by statues. * Literally, 'drugged.' The xP^/m (our chrism) yfos perfumed oD, rcOvw- lt.4vovj II. ziv. 172. 186 AGAMEMNON. 100—138 which under present circumstances at one time brings gloomy thoughts, while at another you hold out a flattering hope from your sacrifices,^ to keep away from my mind insatiate care, the grief that preys upon it. I yet have power to describe,^ by declaring the full purport of the lucky wayside omens which gave the heroes assurance of success, — for even yet my age retains some of its natural strength, and sheds over n\p through divine inspi- ration a strong impulse to sing, — how the twain sovereigns of the Achaeans, leaders with one mind of Hellas* youth, were sent against the Trojan land with spear and avenging hand by the warlike bird, the king of birds, the black one and that with the white tail-feathers, when they appeared to the kings of the fleet near to the palace, on the right hand, on perches that could be seen by the- whole army, preying on a hare big with young, which they had stopped from running its courses any more. Sing a strain of woe,^ but let the good prevail. But the good seer of the host, seeing the two warlike sons of Atreus diflfering in their tempers, knew the meaning of these banqueters on the hare, that they signified the leaders of the expedition: and thus he spake interpreting the prodigy: "In time indeed this expedition captures the city of Priam: but all the public flocks and herds before the walls the fortune of war shall violently ravage.* Let them only beware lest some jealousy from the gods^ should tarnish the great curb of Troy, smitten all too soon in its way on the expedition: for against the house of the Atridae the virgin Artemis bears a grudge because of those winged hounds of her father, which sacri- ficed the poor hare, young and all, before she had given them birth;® and she loathes the banquet of the eagles. Sing a strain of woe, but let the good prevail ! So kindly ^ I read Ayai^c^v ^tdvtis iKiriS* hfi^- daily subsistence, and so be reduced V€iVy for hytwh (palyeis i\irls ifi^P€i to great straits. (MedJ. * Provoked by the impious sacri- 2 Namely, if too old to fight. fice of Iphigenia. The * curb * is the 5 As an iircvKrhv irrjua, inf. 621. coercing army. < The Geeeks shall consume all the ^ An allusion to the virgin Iphi- 7rp6yofia fiorh. {Stqtpl. 67*2) for their genia, perhaps. 138—171 AGAMEMNON. 137 disposed is the fair goddess to the tender whelps of the fierce lions, and to the teat-loving young of all the wild creatures living in the woodlands, that she requires of Zeus that he should give effect to the omens foreshowing these things, the appearing of the eagles both for weal and for woe. But I invoke the healing god (to interfere)^ that she may not bring on the Greeks unfavourable weather, so as to detain their fleet a long time through adverse winds, in her desire to gain for herself another sacrifice, a lawless one, not to be feasted on,-^ the natural causer of jealousies, holding not in awe a husband ; for there abides in that family a mindful wrath, ever rising up in fearful retribution, a crafty housewife claiming vengeance for slaughtered children."^ Such were the dread tidings which, with the promise of great glories, Calchas declared that fate had in store for the royal house by the eagles seen on the way. And in harmony with those words sing a strain of woe, but let the good prevail ! Zeus, whoever he be, — if by such a title it is pleasing to him to be invoked, by that do I address him. For I cannot, balancing the whole matter in my mind, refer it to any, save only Zeus, if I am really to throw off this groundless* weight of care. Neither could he, who to those of old was a god of power, abounding in confidence to fight with any one, now render any aid, since he is gone by ; and he who suc<;eeded him has passed away, having found his conqueror.^ But if one heartily sings loud songs of victory in honour of Zeus, he will be altogether right in his judgment. A god is he who leads mortals on the way to wisdom, and who has ordained that sufferings, by their own right, should convey instruction. ^ As &TaTp({ira(os, and the El&^ter of Artemis. * The sacrifice of Iphigenia, whose flesh could not he eaten like that of ordinary victims. The hloody worship of Artemis, as anciently that of the Italian Diana, was originally a kind of she-devil-worship reqidring human victims. 3 Those of Thyestes as well as Iphigenia. 4 This boding of which I know not definitely the cause. ^ Uranus and Cronus, Titan-gods of the old world, are passed and gone, supplanted by Zeu^ whose attribute of iinviKios is also best adapted to the hope of victory at Troy. '■r r A f ,!./■ 138 AGAMEMNON. 172—222 For anxiety that is ever recalling past woes, presenting itself to the heart in sleep, instils obedience, and so it comes even io the unwilling : and it may be that this is a mercy of the »*gods, who sit on their awful thrones with power to compel. So then the senior general of the Achaean fleet, not "putting a slight on any seer, but submitting to the fortunes /•//« • f which befel him; — when the Achaean host began to be sore ^ / ^ pressed by the delay in sailing that was exhausting their ^. / ' stores, while they held the coast over against Chalcis in the /#< / f ever-restless cliannel of Aulis; and when winds coming from /#V//rn^ the Strymon, bringing wearisome delay and famine, causing mortals to wander in harbourless seas, unsparing of ships and cables, and doubling the time of their stay, were wearing out by slow waste the flower of the Argives ; — when too the seer had plainly told the chiefs that there was another and more painful remedy for the vexatious storm, referring to Artemis, so that the Atridae impatiently struck the ground with their staves, and restrained not a tear; — then, I say, the elder general spoke thus, addressing the men : — '' Grievous indeed is the fate, not to comply ; but grievous also is it, if I shall have to slay my child, the darling of my home, defiling a father's hands at the altar's side with gore trickling from a virgin neck. Which of these courses is without evil? How am I to become a deserter of the fleet, and lose my allies'? For 'tis natural for them to desire with an eager longing some sacrifice to lull the winds, even if it be the blood of a maiden. May it be for the best!" So when he had put on the harness of necessity, breathing an impious change of feeling, unblest, unholy, from which he conceived a new resolve to dare anjrthing in his heart, — ^for in mortals 'tis usually a wretched infatuation, counselling evil deeds and the first cause of woe, that emboldens them, — ^then at last did he dare to become the slayer of his daughter, in aid of a war for avenging a woman's wrongs, and as a sacrifice in behalf of the ships. And her prayers and V appeals to the name of father, and even her unmarried life, the chiefs held as nothing, in their passion for war. So 223—256 AGAMEMNON. 139 the father ordered the ministers after the prayer to summon all their courage and hold her aloft, as one would a kid, over the altar, wrapped round in her robes, in reclining posture ;^ and that a guard over her fair mouth should restrain the utterance of a curse against the house by the forcibly im- posed silence of a gag. And as she let fall her long saflfron- dyed robes to the earth, she smote each of the sacrificing priests with a pitiful glance from her eye, expressing by her looks, as in a picture, a desire to speak ; for ofttimes in the festive halls of her sire she had sung to them, and virgin as she was, with her chaste voice she had been wont affection- ately to do honour to the paean sung in happy times at the triple libation of her dear father. But what followed I saw not, and cannot declare : yet the prophetic skill of Calchas is never vain. The descending scale of Justice brings know- ledge to those who have suffered ; but let that which is yet pending, since we cannot undo it, bring no concern to us beforehand ; for that is as good as grieving before it comes.^ We shall know our fate clearly with the morning dawn. Well ! may a happy success result after these horrors, as is the wish of this sole guardian of the Argive land, standing next in authority to the king.^ I have come with respectful reverence for your majesty, queen Cljrtemnestra : for *tis right to hold in honour the wife of the man who holds rule over the state, when the throne of the husband has been left vacant. But now, whether you have really heard some good news, or whether you have not, and are sacrificing on the hope of happy tidings, I would gladly learn ; albeit, if you decline to answer, I have no right to complain. Cly, Happy tidings, indeed, may Morning, as the saying is, become the bearer of from its mother Night ! — But you ^ That so the life-blood might strike of Justice overtaking Agamemnon for the altar, — an essential part of the cruel consenting to slay his daughter, rite. ** ' Or, *mo8t nearly related to it.' ' It is best to be indifiPerent about The Chorus consists of elders, who the future, since we cannot alter it. consider the safety of the country de- These remarks refer to the probability pends on their counsels. 140 AGAMEMNON. 257—283 shall be informed of a joy which surpasses the mere hxype of hearing. The Argives have captured the city of Priam ! Chx), How say you ? The word has escaped me through incredulity. Cly, I say that Troy is in the hands of the Argives. Do I speak plainly ? Clw, Joy steals over me, calling forth a tear. Cly, Yes, your eye proves that you are pleased. ^Chx), Well, but what is your sure proof of these events ? Cly, I have one, — of course I have, — if the god has not deceived us.^ Cho. But are you paying regard to persuasive visions of dreams ? Cly. I would not accept the mere fancy of a slumbering mind. Cho. Can it be then that some omen not derived from birds inflated you with hope ? Cly. As if I were a young girl, you greatly underrate my intelligence. Cho. And pray how long has the city been captured ? Cly. I tell you, in the night that has just given birth to this light of day. Cho. Why, what messenger could possibly arrive with such speed? Cly. Hephaestus, sending forth a bright flashing light from Ida. And beacon sent on beacon hither from the messenger fire ; Ida first to the hill of Hermes at Lemnos ; then a huge blaze from the island was taken up in the third place by the peak of Mount Athos sacred to Zeus ; and when, rising high so as to cross the back of the sea, the force of this onward-sped torch with its welcome message, — ^when the pine-fire, I say, had forwarded its golden light, as a sun, to the heights of Macistus; then did he, without delay or thoughtlessly yielding to repose, pass onward his share of the message. And the light of the b«^on, taking a long stretch 1 By a false blaze, or accidental Sse in the woods, &o. The 0€7ov ^69os of V. 462. 283—320 AGAMEMNON. 141 to the streams of Euripus, gave notice to the watch on Messapius; while they lighted up in turn and passed it further on, setting fire to a stack of withered heath. And the strong flar^, not as yet becoming dim, bounding over the plain of the Asopus like a glorious moon, to the ridge of Cithaeron, waked up a fresh relay of the messenger fire. Nor did the guard stationed there disown the light that reached him from far, but set a-blaze a yet greater pile than those described. And now the flame darted across the lake Gorgopis, reached Mount. Aegiplanctus, and urged on the succession of the fire not to linger in. its course. So they light up anew and speed on its way a huge fire-flake of ample strength even to pass with its distant blaze the head- land that looks down on the Saronic gulf. Then at length it alighted, when it had reached the peak of Mount Arach- naeus, the watch-post nearest to the city : and so it flashed to this palace of the Atridae, this beacon-light in long succes- sion from the first signal on Ida. Such was the order of the torch-bearers I had prepared, and so were they passed on in order one from another. And the first in has the prize, even though he started last on the race. Such is the proof and the token I give you, my own husband having forwarded the news to me from Troy. Ghx). To the gods, O queen, I will on a more fitting occasion address my prayers: at present I would fain hear again at length and have my wonder at these tidings, even as you tell them. Cly. The Argives have gotten their hold of Troy this very day. Methinks sounds that will not blend are heard in the city. For as, if you pour oil and vinegar into the same vessel, you would say that they kept apart in an unfriendly manner; so one may hear the voices of the captured and the conquerors in diverse tones for their different fortunes. For these, throwing themselves on the bodies of the slain, — wives on those of husbands, sisters on brothers, children on those of their aged sires, no longer with a free neck^ are bewailing the fate of their beloved ' Chained as captiyes. 142 AGAMEMNOX. 321—352 ones; while the ollrers a hungry and restless toil following the fight is setting down to a meal on whatever the city aflFords, according to no rule of turn : but just as each drew the lot of chance, they are lodging in the captured Trojan houses, rid at length from the frosts and dews of the open sky, now that the poor fellows will sleep the whole night without having to keep guard. And if they do but treat with religious respect the patron-gods of the captured land, and their statues, the captors are little likely to be captured in tum.^ But let them beware lest, ere they leave, the lust of plunder should fall, on the army so as to harry what they ought not, overcome by love of ga^fn. For as yet they need a safe return home, and to trace back again the other limb of the double stadium. But if the army should return guilty of sacrilege against the gods, the curse of those who have perished^ may yet wake up against them, even if no sudden reverses should befal them. Such warnings you hear from me, who am but a woman. May the good prevail, so that we see it in no wavering scale ! For many are the blessings of which I have received the benefit. Cho. Lady, you speak with the wisdom of a man in kind compliance with my request. And I, now that I have heard fix)m you trusty proofs, am making ready for a solemn address to the gods.^ For a success has been achieved that demands our gratitude in return. O Zeus our king, O thou welcome night, that hast put us in possession of great honours, by having thrown over the towers of Troy a strong covering net, so that no one full- grown nor any of the young could overleap the mighty ring-net of slavery, the curse of a general capture.* \ Truly ^ i\^v alputrBai was said of any person who experienced a reverse, or whose good fortune turned against him. 3 Iphigenia. * See V. 308. The movement was probably some change of place in the Chorus, introduced by me opening anapeestics, for singing the following ataaimon. Probably they walk up in front of the stage and back again. * The metaphor is from a stake-net {ipK^araroy) set round a herd of ani- mals young and old, and too high to be leapt over. See Theb, 336. There seems some confusion between this and a fisher's trawl-net, {everriculum), Cf. \lvov waydypoVf II, v. 487. 353—391 AGAMEMNON. 143 the great Zeus, the god of hospitality, do I hold in awe, even him who has been the author of all this, and who has this long time been stretching his bow against Paris so that the arrow might not light in vain by either falling short of the mark or flying higher than the stars. Tis from this Zeus that they have received the blow, we may say: this at all events one may trace out. They have fared as he decreed it. Somebody once said, that the gods did not condescend to care about mortal men, by whom the sanctity of the marriage-bed was trampled on ;^ but he was impious : for it is made plain to the posterity of those who presumptuously cherish a spirit of rebellion against the gods more than is right, when their houses teem with excessive wealth, beyond what is best for them.^ But let your lot be such as not to provoke harm, but such as that a man possessed of sound sense may be proof in himself against it.^ For there is no protection in wealth for a man when once in insolence he has kicked at the mighty altar of justice, intending to get rid of it altogether : but that wretched persuasion forces him on, the irresistible oflfspring of Atfe (infatuation) suggestive of evil.* Then all remedy is in vain: the mischief is not concealed^ but balefully gleams as a terrible bright light; and he is like base gold that by rubbing and the use of the touchstone becomes dark-grained when tested ; for he is aa a foolish boy chasing a winged bird, (little caring that) he has brought into his city an intolerable afl&iction.^ To his prayers no god lends an ear, but he destroys the imjust man who engages in these things.® Such was Paris, who entered the house of the Atridae, and brought shame on a hospitable ^ i.e. adulterersi like Paris. Cf. inf. 1164. * irapA rh fiiXritrroVy Plat. Fha- drusy p. 233, A. The sense is, that the posterity of the impious find to their cost that the gods do regard crime, when too great prosperity and conse- quent pride provoke the punishment of ancestral guilt. Compare y. 732. ' i.e. avert it by a sober use of wealth, p6on of such afflictions.' But KoBcupuv seems to refer to the tugging doum of wrest- lers. rSv^t is perhaps corrupt. 144 AGAMEMNON, 392—437 table by the stealing of a wife. And she on her part, leaving to her fellow-citizens the turmoil of shielded hosts and the arming of marines with the spear, and bringing to Troy destruction in place of a dowry, steps lightly through the doors, having dared an unholy deed : and many a sigh was heaved by the seers of the household as they spoke thus : "O house, O house, and O rulers! O marriage-bed, and the impress^ of her that once loved her lord!" He stands by in silence, dishonoured but not reproaching, perceiving with deepest pain that she has left him. And through a fond longing for one far beyond seas, a vision of her will seem to rule the house : the grace of the well-formed statues becomes odious to the husband, for through the want of living eyes all the marriage-charm is gone. And mournful fancies come to him in dreams, bringing an unreal delight; for unreal is the vision which, when a man sees in fancy pleasing things, passes through his hands and glides away forthwith on wings that attfnd the ways of sfeep.^ The griefs in the palace are these, and others surpassing these at the very hearth : and in general, in regard of those who have made a common voyage from Hellas' land, a heartfelt sorrow prevails in every one's home; much at least there is that touches closely the inmost feelings. For people remember well whom they sent out : but in place of the men themselves urns and ashes arrive to each man's home. For Ares that barters bodies for gold, and the holder of the scales in the conflict of the spear, keeps sending from Troy to the friends a little^ scorched bone-dust bitterly bewailed,* freighting the urns with well-stored ashes instead of the living men. And they sigh as they praise this man for being well-skilled in the fight, that man for falling gloriously in heaps of the slain on account of another's wife. Other complaints are secretly muttered, and an invidious regret stealthily spreads ^ ». e. no longer the living reality. intelligibly the reading fiap^. But 2 The dream vanishes when the perhaps the metaphor is kept up from sleep is over. weighing gold dust in scales. 3 /Spax^* It is difficult to render < See Cho, 674. 438—478 AGAMEMNON. 145 against the Atridae, as the principals in the suit.^ But others there round the walls lie in tombs of Trojan earth in the freshness of their beauty ;^ and a hostile land conceals the holders of them. And there is talk among the citizens with an angry feeling : and it performs the part of a ban solemnly ratified by the people. And now an anxiety abides on me, to hear of something as yet wrapped in the gloom of night : for the gods are not unobservant of those who have caused much slaughter, but the sable Erinyes in the course of time, when a man has been prosperous without honesty, by a reverse course of life bring him down to obscurity ; and when he is among the lost there is no help for him. To be excessively well spoken of is a dangerous fate ; for the venge- ful bolt is hurled from the eye of Zeus. But I prefer such prosperity as incurs not divine envy : may I neither be a destroyer of cities, nor as a captive myself see my life subject to others.^ But now from the messenger-fire a quick report has gone through the city: whether tinily, who knows, or whether it be not a deception from the gods? Who is so childish or so distraught in his senses ? That any one should have his hopes warmed by a new message of a beacon, and then be distressed by a change in the news! It is natural to the temper of a woman to assent to what is pleasing rather than to what is certainly known. Too credulous, the boundaries of a woman's mind are encroached on by quick inroads ; but a report spread by a woman perishes by a quick fate. We shall shortly know respecting the passing on of the light-bearing torches and of the beacons and bonfires, whether they are real, or whether like dreams this welcome light has come but to deceive our minds. I see here a herald from the shore well-nigh hid under boughs of olive ; and the thirsty dust closely joining to the kindred mud* upon him attests, 1 Like hvrihiKoSj the rivals, in v. 41. mud, thirsty dust.' The poet does not 2 Not burned on the pyre. speak of a distant cloud of dust, as in ' Or, ' captured by others see life,* Suppl. 176, and Tkeb, 81, but of the «. e. live. marks of a long journey seen on the * Literally, * the twin-brother of traveller's dress. 146 AGAMEMNON. 479—513 that we shall not have a speechless messenger, nor one who, by kindling the blaze of mountain wood, T^-ill send us tidings by the smoke : but either he will more clearly express to us the joyful news by his words, or — but I deprecate an account which shall be the opposite to this : may an addition happily be made to what has already been happily achieved ! If any one prays otherwise in this matter for the city, may he himself reap the consequences of the error of his mind. Her. Hail, paternal soil of this Argive land ! To thee once more I have come in the light of this tenth year ; and of many hopes that have been broken I have realized this one. For little did I think that I should die in mine own Argive land, and obtain a share in a tomb dearest to my heart. But now I say. Hail O Earth, hail O light of the Sun, and Zeus supreme over the country, and thou, Pythian king, no longer shooting arrows at lis with thy bow. All too hostile didst thou come by Scamander's stream! But now e'en be to us a preserver and a healing god, Apollo our king : and all the gods of contest I hereby address, and my own special patron, Hermes, that friendly herald, the worship of heralds, and the heroes who sent us forth, that they may receive back again in kindness^ the army that has survived the war. Ye palaces of our kings, abodes dear to my heart; ye august seats, and statues of gods that face the sun; if ever before, now with cheerful eyes receive with honour a sovereign after a long absence : for he has returned bring- ing a light in the night-time to you alike and to all the citizens here present, Agamemnon the king. Greet him therefore well, for indeed 'tis fitting, since he has razed to the ground Troy with the mattock of Retributive Zeus, with which the soil has been dug over. And the very altars are desolated, and the statues of the gods, and the rising genera- tion is utterly perishing from out of the whole land. Such is the yoke which the elder sovereign son of Atreus has thrown round the neck of Troy; and now he has returned, ^ The heroes were regarded as infernal and hostile powers, unless duly propitiated. 514—534 AGAMEMNON, 147 a fortunate man, and most worthy to be honoured of all living men. For neither Paris nor the city leagued with him in guilt can now say that the deed has exceeded the suffering.^ He has been cast in an action both for rapine and theft; he has lost the prize he had carried off, and he has laid low in utter destruction his paternal land and home. And thus the family of Priam have paid a double penalty for their crimes. Clio. Hail, herald who has arrived from the Grecian host. -Her. I accept your greeting, and will no longer oppose the gods' decree for me to die. Clio, Did the love of this your fatherland make you anxious ? Her, Aye, so that a tear now stands in my eye through joy. Ghx>, Then it was a pleasing disease, this, that you had upon you. Her, How so ? If informed, I shall master the meaning of what you say. Gho, I mean that you were smitten with a desire for those who returned the feeling. Her, You state that this land longed for the army, while the army longed for it. Cho, So much so, that I oft groaned from a darkly-boding heiart. Her, Whence came this uneasy feeling over you, so distasteful to the army?* Chx), I have long ago learned to regard silence as the best remedy against harm. Her, You do not mean to say that in the absence of the rulers you had any to fear ? Chjo, As you said just now, it were a great joy to me even to die. Her, Indeed, we Imve succeeded well. But in respect ^ i.e, 'can boast fhat thej have of exact retribution, been punished inadequately for their ' So unsuitable to its present joyful crimes/ according to tne Groek notion return. See the note on y. 620. L2 1 46 A OAMEMNON. 534—564 of events that occurred in a long time, one might rightly say there were some which turned out favourably, some too which were to be complained of: yet who, except the gods, is free from harm for the whole time of existence? For were I to speak of our toils and our comfortless bivouacks, the scant room for passing on deck,^ and the hard lying, — in a word, what was there we had not to complain about, or that we did not get for our daily share? Then again, for our fare on land, there was a yet greater discomfort ; for, as our quarters were close by the enemy's walls, the meadow damps kept drizzling on us from air and earth, a lasting damage to our clothes, and making our hair shaggy as that of beasts. And if one were to speak of the bird-killing cold, such as the snows of Ida produced, too great to be borne, — or of the heat, whenever the sea slept tranquilly reclining on its midday couch^ unstirred by a wind, — ^yet why should we mourn for this? Our toil is past; it is past, to those who are dead, so that they will never hereafter care even to rise to life again. What need, I say, to count up closely the lives lost in the war, and for the living to grieve about spiteful fortune ? I reckon that we ought even greatly to rejoice' for what we have got. To us who are the survivors of the Argive army the gain prevails, and loss does not outweigh it; so that our people may fairly boast to this light of the sun, while they are soaring over sea and land. Tile Argive expedition at last, after taking Troy, hun^f up these spoils to the gods in the temples of Hellas,^ a glory of olden times. Tis now your duty, on hearing such news, to praise the city and her generals ; the favour of Zeus shall ^ Some render irap4|c, Was he talked of as alive or as dead by the rest of the sailors ? Her, No one knows, so as to give a clear report, save the Sun who nurtures all life on the earth. Ghx), In what manner do you say that a storm came to the naval host, and in what manner that it ended, by the anger of the gods? Her, A day of jojrful tidings one ought not to sully by the utterance of evil reports. The honour due to the gods is distinct.* Now when a messenger announces to a city with ^ She says this ambiguously, both in reference to her conscious intention to imbrue the sword in Agamemnon's blood, and as a proverb meaning a secret trade or art of staining, enamel- ling, or perhaps tempering bronze. * The insincerity of which you have no idea of, unless I were to explain it to you. They evade any other com- ment or remark. s Perhaps tiiis tacitly indicates their resolve never to subnut to the tyrant Aegisthus. * t. e. deprecations and thanksgiv- ings. The Gfreeks had a superstitious horror of combining joy and grief. See below, v. 1046. For trw h\ we should have expected 5ray /a/v. 621—655 AGAMEMNON. 151 doleful countenance the misfortunes of a defeated army that are to be deprecated by the people, — to the state one general wound for the public to feel, and that many men have fallen victims out of many private homes, by a twofold scourge such as Ares loves, a double curse of war, a bloody union ; — ^when he brings such a load of woe a^ that, well may he chant a paean of the furies.^ But when one comes with the joyful tidings that all is safe and well to a city already rejoicing in its prosperity,— how can I combine the good news with the bad, by describing the storm caused by the anger of the gods against the Achaean hosts? For fire and water, hitherto most hostile, conspired together, and gave proofs of their alliance in destroying the unhappy Argive army. It was in the night that our troubles from the boisterous weather arose ; for the ships were crushed and ground against each other by the blasts from Thrace; and they, violently struck in the bows by the storm, with^ the furious wind and the splashing surf, sank out of sight through the unsteady guidance of the unskilled helmsman : and when the bright light of the sun had risen, we beheld the -^gean sea studded with corpses of Achaean men and fragments of broken ships. Ourselves however and our ship, uninjured in its hull, some one either secretly rescued or successfully interceded for, — some god, not a mortal by his managing of the helm.^ And fortune our preserver alighted, a willing helper, on our bark, so that it neither felt when moored the force of the breakers, nor stranded upon the craggy shore. And afterwards, having escaped a watery grave, in the clear bright day, hardly trust- ing our fortune, we brooded in anxious thought over the late disaster of the army that had been destroyed and miserably beaten to pieces. And now, if any of them is yet alive, they speak of us as having perished, why should they not ? while 1 rStv *Epip6(uy MSS. Tay in v. trhy AlaK^, Pind. JPyth, viii. 99. 963. * The sort of paean (joyful song) * Some superior being begged us off he should sing is a paean of woe.' from destruction ; not that any human 2 Perhaps riifxp, the dative, should skill saved us by clever piloting, be read. Compare crhy vlytf x^P^"^^ ^* 152 AGAMEMNON. 656—701 we suppose that they have suffered the same fate. Well, may it end for the best ! To Menelaus' arrival at least first and especially look forward. For if any ray of the sun does know that he yet lives and sees, by the designs of Zeus not yet willing to annihilate the race, — there is good hope that he will return home again. Having heard thus much be assured that you know the truth. Cho, Who was it that named with such entire truth — was it some one whom we see not, directing his tongue with a happy skill by foreglimpses of destiny, — the spear-wooed and jealously-contested^ Helen ? For, suitably to her name,^ a hell of ships, hell of men, hell of cities, she sailed, coming forth from the dainty precious curtains,^ with the breeze of the earth-sprung zephyr. And many shield-bearing heroes, hunters on their track, (though already they had put-to at the umbrageous banks of Simois the bark that was never once sighted in the chase,) sailed to win back one who was to prove a cause of bloody strife. But to Troy a wrath that works out its end* brought a /c^So? rightly so named, exact- ing late vengeance for the dishonour done to the hospilpble table and its presiding god, from those who with reckless shouts were celebrating the strain in honour o|lthe bride, the marriage song which then set the bridegroom's family a^singing.^ But the city of Priam, wiser in its age, is unlearning that song, and now methinks loudly groans in much mourning, calling Paris the man of the fatal marriage, having all that long time before endured a life of much woe for the wretched slaughter of her own citizens. So did a man once rear in his house the cub of a lion,^ not fed on milk, still fond of the teat, at the outset of its life tame, a favourite with the children, and the delight of the old * The object of contention between has the double sense of *care* and two, as Deianira was ikfKpivelKrjToSf ^alliance by marriage.' Soph. Track. 627. * Lit * came (or fell) upon them to *-* Perhaps iireiirep J^vrus. sing.' 3 Namely, that concealed her from ^ \4oiptos hiv Oonington, for K4oirra sight in the women's apartment. trlviy, — an admirable emendation, and, ^ The wrath of Zeus Xenius. Krjios I think, metrically necessary. 702—749 AGAMEMNON. 163 men. And many a time it rested in their arms like a young infant, looking brightly to the hand that fed it, and sporting playfully^ through the cravings of its appetite. But in time it showed the temper it had inherited from its parents : for, by way of returning thanks for its keep, by a surfeit on slaughtered sheep it prepared a banquet unbidden. And the house was soaked with blood, a calamity in vain resisted by the servants, a great mischief causing much slaughter: and by the decree of some god it was reared in the house as a priest of Atfe. So at first I should say that there came to the city of Troy a spirit of unruffled calm,^ a gentle ornament of wealth,^ a darter of soft glances, a soul-wounding flower of love.* But swerving jfrom her course she brought to pass a sorry end of her marriage, having sped as an evil settler and an evil associate to the sons of Priam, sent by Zeus the god of hospitality, a fury bringing sorrow to brides.* Now an old saying exists which was of yore current in the world, that a man's prosperity, when it ha^ grown big, becomes a parent, and does not die childless; and that out of good fortune there springs a woe that allows the family no rest.* But I hold an opinion of my own apart from others ; 'tis the impious deed^ that gives birth to more such deeds after it, and like to its own race: for it is the fete of righteous fiamilies ever to rejoice in a good progeny. But old Insolence is wont to bring forth a young Insolence that wantons in the misfortunes of men, sooner or later, when the appointed time has come; and this young Insolence gives birth to Pride of satiety, and that fiend not to be fought against nor waged war with, unblessed Recklessness,^ — ^two black she- devils to a femily, resembling their parents. But Justice shines brightiy in smoke-dimmed houses, and holds in regard * Wafsgmg its taiL of flie Trojaiu when tbej bad began * A gentl^ndnded cresCine. to feel fbe nueeries of tbe war, ' A bandioine biide iat a ridi bna- * Coaqtare hd^ert y4p4i r, 10S6, band. ^ i. e, cfnntimtA wkb too great * Tbeae were tbe eomp lm ient ai y weahb; aa befote, y, 36$, epidieUwitbidikb tbe Tiojana greet- •"At^ u tbe citild of ^Y^f in cd tbe adrcnt of Helen. Fen. %VI, TTBfff ^raa tne cnainEen lancmMBe 154 AGAMEMNON, 730—787 the life that is righteous; she leaves with averted eyes the gold-bespangled palace associated with uncleanness of hands, and goes to the abode that is holy, not worshipping the influence of wealth that is stamped with the spurious mark of praise. And she directs everything to the destined end. Come now, my king,^ captor of Troy, offspring of Atreus ; how must I address you? How can I pay my obeisance, neither overshooting nor coming short of the due mean of compliment ? Many mortals prefer the seeming to be when they have passed the bounds of justice. Any one is ready to sigh over him who fares amiss ; but the sting of grief in no wise reaches to his heart. Men take part too in other's joys, putting on a like appearance by doing violence to unsmiling faces. Yet if any one is a good judge of character, he cannot be deceived by the looks of a man who, under the pretence of a kindly intention, is flattering with a weak and watery friendship.* Now you on that occasion, when you were send- ing out the army on account of Helen, — I will not deceive you, — were depicted to my mind in a very unpleasing way, and as not managing well the steerage of your heart, in that you sought to inspire courage in your dying soldiers by sacri- fices.^ But now not from the mere surface of my mind nor with unfriendly feelings do I say it, toil is cheering to those ' . who have brought it to a good end.* And you will know in time, duly distinguishing them, who of the citizens has disinterestedly, and who has unduly, managed state affairs in your absence. Ag, It is right in the first instance to address Argos and the gods of the country, whom in part I have to thank for my return, and for the retributive justice which I have exacted from the city of Priam. For after hearing the cause not from the verbal pleading of orators, they threw their ^ With these anapsestics the Chorus Iphigenia to appease the damours of go to meet their returning king. your soldiers who were dying at Anlis ^ A metaphor from wine mixed for want. See Sup. 101, 190, and 210. with too much water. The (nrovSoi ^ Or, * hrings to us a kindly feeling Xxpirrot of Homer seem alluded to. towards,' &c. A purposely qualified ^ When you slew your daughter praise. 788—819 AGAMEMNON. 155 ballots with one consent into the urn of blood, for man- slaying ravages on Troy: whUe in the other urn, which did not receive their votes, Hope came near to the brim.^ And even now the city gives signs of its capture by the smoke. The sacrifices to Atfe are yet living;^ and the ashes as they die out send forth pufis of costly perfumes.^ For these events we are bound to pay to the gods an ever-mindful gratitude, ^ now that we have thrown round Troy the stake-nets of our vengeance, and in the cause of a woman the Argive beast* has razed a city to the dust, — the colt of a horse, a shield- bearing host, having sprung with a bound about the setting of the Pleiades. And the ravening lion, overleaping the rampart, has licked its fill of royal blood. To the gods then I have spoken at length this my opening address. But, in reference to your late sentiments, — for I have not forgotten that I heard them, — I say the same as you, and you have in me an advocate of your views. For to few men does it come naturally to reverence as a friend him who is prosperous ; since the venom of malevolence, besetting the heart, doubles the load to him who has the malady ; he is not only weighed down by his own misfortunes, but he sighs when he gazes on the prosperity of a neighbour. I can speak with knowledge, — for well am I acquainted with it, — ^that persons who pre- tended to be very well disposed to me were but the mirror of friendship, the shadow of a shade. Indeed, Ulysses alojie, — the very one who sailed against his will,^ — was a ready trace-horse to me when working in harness : and I say this of him whether he be now dead or alive. But for other matters that concern the gods and the state, we will hold a general assembly of the citizens^ and take counsel with them in full meeting ; and we must consider how afiairs which are ^ The allusion is to Pandora's box, scents, which the poet probably here Hesiod, 0pp. 96. The Trojans had had in view. only hope left, and that not in full ^ There is a double allusion to the measure. lion, as the symbol of the Atridae, and * The fires are not yet wholly ex- to the wooden horse, tinguished. * See Soph. Fhil. 1025. 3 Compare v. 715. The east gener- * As distinct from the iSouXi^, or ally was regarded as the land of costly war-council of the chief. 156 AGAMEMNON. 819—852 now prosperous may happily remain so for long. And if in any matter there is need of healing remedies, by applying either the knife or the cautery with friendly hand, we^ will endeavour to avert the mischief of the disease. At present I will go into the palace and to the central altars of the house,^ and oflfer my greetings first to those gods, who aftisr sending me safely out have brought me back. And now that victory has attended our efforts, may it abide with us securely ! Cly. Men and citizens, reverend Argive elders here present! I shall not be ashamed to avow to you my affectionate feelings for my husband; by time people lose something of their bashfulness.' Not relying on information jfrom others, (but speaking about) my own self, I will describe the distressful life that I passed during all the time my lord was at Troy. In the first place, that the woman should sit at home all alone without the man, in the constant receipt of many adverse reports, is a tremendous evil : and that one herald should arrive, and another come in after him with some jfresh bad tidings worse than the first, delivering their messages at the house. And if my husband here really kept receiving as many wounds as it was currently reported at home, he is pierced, one might say, with more holes than a net. But if he had been really dead as often as the reports represented him, truly like a second triple-bodied Geryon he might have boasted of receiving above him — for I speak not now of that below him — an ample threefold mantle of earth, having been slain once under each form. And as a consequence of such adverse reports, many a noose had to be untied by others from a beam above, when suicidal violence had been applied to my neck. These are the reasons, be assured of it, why our son is not present here, — that dear representative of our plighted faith, — ^as he should have been, Orestes ; and be not surprised at this. A Mendly ^ Myself cooperatingwith the people, to speak in public, especially on such ' Lit. * rooms (halls) by the itar.' a subject. ' It was not usual for 6reek women 853-- 885 AGAMEMNON. 157 ally of ours is taking care of him, Strophius the Phocian, who forewarned me of woes that he spoke of in two ways/ — your own personal danger at Troy, and the chance that anarchy arising from popular discontents might overthrow the royal council, — as it is natural in men to kick one who is down all the more. Such a reason, be assured, carries with it no deceit. For myself now, the gushing fountains of my tears are dried up, nor is there a drop left in them. For through the late hours of taking rest I have suffered harm in my eyes, ever tearfully watching for the beacon-lights which were to give tidings of you,^ but which were ever unheeded.^ And in my dreams I used to be roused by the faint humming sounds of the buzzing mosquito, fancying I saw more evils happening to you than could have passed in the time while I was asleep. Now at length, after enduring all these woes, with a mind free from care I would address my dear husband here as watch-dog of the fold, the saving forestay of a ship, the ground-pillar of a lofty roof, an only son to a father; yea, land appearing to sailors beyond their hope, a daylight most beautiful to behold after a storm, a running fountain to a thirsty wayfarer. For it is delightful to have escaped from all constraint. Such are the terms in which I claim to address him, and let no cavil be made ; for many are the evils we have been enduring.* But now, dear husband, dismount from this mule-car, without setting on the bare ground that foot of thine, O king ! that has ravaged Troy. Ye maidens, why do ye delay, when the office has been enjoined on you to strew the bare ground of his path with tapestries? Let there be made on the instant a pathway spread with purple robes^ in order that Justice may conduct him into an unlooked-for home®. For the rest, care not 1 See the note on Theb. 805. ^ So as to justify now such ezagge- 3 Or, < lamenting that the torches rated terms of praise, were never now lighted, as they used ^ If the tapestry or carpets be not to be, in your house. See Cho. 528. ^^^Z* extemporize with Tyrian robes, s Seemed to my anxious mind un- ^ These concluding words have a heeded, and neglected by careless double meaning, and refer to her in- watches. tention to kill mm. 158 AGAMEMNON. 885—912 overcome by sleep shall arrange everything as Justice and the gods have ordained it. Ag. Daughter of Leda, guardian of my house ! you have spoken indeed proportionally to my absence; for you have made your address a long one. But, to praise me properly, the compliment should proceed from some other than ja wife. For the rest, treat not 7ny foot tenderly as that of a woman, and do not, as if I were some Eastern king, open your mouth to address me in terms of abject obeisance ; nor, by strewing my path with vestments, render it liable to envy : the gods alone we ought to honour with theTri. For one who is but mortal to walk on purples of varying hues is, in my judgment, by no means free from fear. I teU you that / would be honoured as a man, not as a god. Without your foot-mats and your purple vests fame finds a voice : and not to cherish a foolish pride is the greatest gift of heaven. Him alone one ought to call happy, who has ended his life in wished-for prosperity. And, if in all things I act with the like moderation, / have no reason to fear. Cly. Nay, but do answer me in this not contrary to my resolve. Ag, My resolve indeed be assured that / shall not alter for the worse. Cly. Was this a vow you made to the gods, that in a time of alarm you would act thus? Ag, K any one ever did, I have given this final decision with full knowledge (of consequences). Cly, And what do you suppose Priam would have done, if he had achieved such a victory ? Ag, I think he certainly would have walked on purple robes. Cly, Then do not hold in regard what "men may say to disparage you. Ag, Nevertheless, what the people say about us has great weight. Cly, Yea, but he who is unenvied is not an object of emulation. 913—941 AGAMEMNON. 169 Ag. 'Tis by no means the part of a woman to be fond of contests. Cly, But surely even defeat is becoming to the pros- perous.^ Ag, Do you also like that sort of victory in a strife P Cly, Do comply, allowing me to have my way in this matter.' Ag, Well, if you will have it so, let some one unloose the buskins underneath,* that serve my foot to tread in ; and as I walk on these purple vestments may no envy from the eyes of the gods strike me from afar! For I feel great shame in spoiling these robes like mere carpets, injuring with my feet costly property and textures purchased for silver. So much for these matters. But this stranger lady introduce with kindness to the house: one who makes a gentle use of victory is regarded by the god jfrom afar with a kindly eye. For no one, if he can help it, takes on himself the yoke of slavery. Now this girl, a flower chosen out of much prize-wealth, was the present of the army, and has accompanied me home. So now, since I have been brought to obey you in this matter, I will enter the hall of my palace treading on purple robes. Cly, There is a sea, — and who shall drain it? — that breeds the dye of abundant purple, weighed against silver, renewable in all its splendours, imparting its hues to gar- ments. To our house, O king, by the favour of the gods, it belongs to have good store of these, and the palace knows not poverty. Nay, I would have vowed the trampling upon many robes, had it been prescribed to the house by the oracles, when I was devising means for getting thy dear life safely back a^n. Truly, while the root remains, the foliage returns to the house, stretching over it a shelter against the dog-star's heat. So, by your arrival at the hearth of your \ They can afford to give way in 'I propose Kpdros fihy r6^€ vaptls, mmor things. which I luiye rendered in the text. ' Namely, which consiflts in having * An Eastern custom to this day on to give way. entering a sacred phioe. 1 60 A OAMEMNOK 941—989 home, you show the coming of warmth in winter ; and when Zeus is maturing the crude vine-juice into wine, then at once there is coolness in a house, when the male who holds the sway is resident at home. Zeus, even Zeus the consummator, accomplish my prayers ; and may you keep in regard what- ever end you intend to bring about. Gho. Why so enduringly does this vision, keeping its place in front of my boding heart, hover before it ; why does an unbidden and unhired strain come as a prophet of evil ; and why does no confident assurance to reject it, like vague dreams, occupy its wonted throne in my heart? Yet the crisis of the fated time is past, since the fastening of the stem-cables from the bark on the strand, after the naval host had reached Troy; and now from my own eyes I know of their return, being myself a witness of it: and yet my soul, self-instructed from within, keeps chaunting this joyless strain of the fury, not at all feeling the wonted confidence of hope. And my inward parts do not vainly bode, — the heart that whirls in eddies against the midriff,^ while it justly looks for a fulfilment of its fears. But I pray that, contrary to my expectations, they may prove false alarms, and end in nonfulfilment. Very insatiable in truth is the limit of great prosperity f for calamity ever thrusts against it, like one close leaning on a party-wall; and the fortune of a man suddenly while fair on its way strikes against a sunken reef. Then, if the owner's alarm sacrifices a part to save the rest of his merchandise by a well-calculated. throw, the whole ship does not sink, though overloaded with calamity,^ nor submerge its hull in the sea. Doubtless too a good supply jfrom Zeus, ample in quantity and from a. crop sufficient for the year, puts an end to a famine : but if a man's dark life-blood shall first have fallen on the groimd by a murder, who shall charm it into life again? Nor would ^ The pericardium. The passage a limit to prosperity, and to believe can only be paraphrased. Literally, they have had enough of it. Some ' my he{urt that whirls in rounds which ellipse should be supplied, as, (^ full of bring an end fulfilled.' (Davies.) danger as it is) for' &c. ' Difficult it is for people to put ^ i. e. when all but lost. 992—1023 AGAMEMNON. 161 Zeus have put a stop, by way of caution, to him who knew the right way how to raise men from the dead. Now if heaven-appointed fate did not prevent my own fate from receiving assistance from the gods, my heart, outstripping my tongue, would pour out these feelings ; but as it is, it frets impatiently in the dark,^ grieved in the inmost soul, and not expecting ever to unravel anything to the purpose^ from a mind that is bursting into a flame. Cly, Go in, you also, Cassandra I mean ; since Zeus has allowed you in his. mercy to take a part with the household in the lustral water, and to stand among many other slaves close by his altar, as the god of family possessions. Get down from this mule-car, and do not be haughty. Why, they say that even Alcmena's son bore to be sold as a slave, and put his neck to the yoke though sorely against his will. And, if the necessity of such a fate does befal one, there is great advantage in having masters of ancestral wealth. Those who, without expecting it, have reaped a good harvest, are cruel to their slaves in all things, and beyond measure. You have from U8 just what is the average treatment.^ Cho, 'Tis to you that the lady has just spoken in plain terms : and now that you are within the toils of fate, you will obey her, if disposed to obedience; though perhaps you will disobey. Cly. Why surely, if she be not, like a swallow, possessed of a strange foreign jargon, I speak within her comprehen- sion, and should move her by my words. Chx). Go with her: she says what is best for you under present circumstances. Obey, and leave your seat here in the carriage. Cly, I have no time in truth to stay here by her out of doors ; for, so far as concerns the ceremonies at the central ' At^avrov 0p4fi€i, Pind. Fyth. zi. 30. treatment. The queen puts promi- ' To guess successfully die reason nently forward Cassandra's condition of this boding of evil. — (wrvpovfi4ifris, strictly as a slave. But perhaps wop* * kindled with the fire of prophecy.* vfiiv, * at our house/ is the true read- 3 Neither cruel nor (as Agamemnon ing. would wish it) specially favourable M 162 AGAMEMNON. 1024—1054 altar, the victims are standing ready to be sacrificed for the fire, since we had hardly hoped ever to attain such a success as this. So, if you intend to take any part in these doings, do not cause us delay. But if, fi-om being unable to under- stand me, you do not take in my words, in place of voice let us know by a sign with your barbaric hand. Chx), The stranger appears to require a clear interpreter. Her manner is that of a wild creature just caught. Cly, Rather, methinks, she is mad, or is under the influence of a bad spirit, — ^as one who has arrived from a city just taken, and has not learned how to bear the bit, before she foams away her fretfulness in blood. I shall not however subject myself to insult by wasting more words on her. CJiO. But I, for I pity her, will not be angry: — Cbme, poor maid, leave your seat on this car; yield to present necessity, and try on a yoke which is strange to you. Cassandra. Woe, woe, woe! alas!^ earth! O Apollo, Apollo !« Cho. Why do you utter these words of grief about Apollo? He is not the god to require a mourner. Cos. Woe, woe, woe ! alas ! earth ! O Apollo, Apollo ! Cho, Here again she is invoking with ill-omened sounds the god, though he has no right to be present at words of woe. Cas, Apollo, Apollo, god of the highways, my ruin! For thou hast ruined me in no scant measure this second time. Cho. She seems about to utter some bodings about her own misfortunes. The spirit of prophecy remains ; her mind retains it even in captivity. Cos. Apollo, Apollo, god of the highways, my ruin! Ah, whither hast thou brought me ? To what house ? ^ Greek exolamations, the same in on the stage before the palace door, sound as our tut tut and pooh pooh. It was call^ iiyvtehs from standing in 3 She recognises the *AyviMhs, or the streets, stone pillar of 'AirtJAAwv wpoorrar'ffpios I 1055—1087 AGAMEMNON. 163 Chjo, To that of the Atridae. If you do not understand this, / tell it to you; and that you will have no reason to call false. Cos, Ah ! ah ! Rather to a house hated by the gods ; many a murder of kindred and many a suicidal noose are my witnesses! A human slaughter-house, and one that sprinkles its own floor with blood.^ CAo. The stranger seems to be keen-scented as a hound, and to be seeking whose murders she shall discover. Gas, Ah yes! — for I have evidences of it here that I trust ! these infants bewailing their own murder, and their flesh that was eaten by their own father ! Gh), Of a truth we had heard of your renown as a seer : but we are looking for no prophets now. Gas, Alack ! "What is it she is about ! What this great and dreadful crime ? A terrible evil she is planning in this house, intolerable to her own friends, impossible to heal! And did stands far aloof. GKo, Of these prophecies I am wholly ignorant: but those other horrors I understood; for the whole city talks about them. Gas, Ah ! wretched woman ! What ! will you really do this ; will you, after washing and anointing in the bath the husband of your bed, — O how shall I tell the end ? Yea, soon shall this be accomplished : hand after hand is stretched forth to reach him by repeated blows.^ Glio, As yet I understand you not: for now I am per- plexed by misty oracles following close after enigmas. Gas, Ah ! ah ! me ! What is this that presents itself to view ? A net of Hades ? Tis the wife of his bed who is the stake-net — ^who is the accomplice with another in the murder.^ Now let the company of furies, not yet tired of persecuting the family, raise an exulting shout over a victim* to be immolated by stoning. 1 Enger ingeniously proposes , That you are blameless of this murder who fehall attest ? How can that be ? But the demon-spirit of ancestral crime may have had a hand in the deed. For sable Ares is forced onwards by fresh showers of kindred blood to that final point, on reaching which he will afford full satisfaction for the congealed^ blood of the devoured children of Thyestes. O my king, my king, how shall I bewail you? What shall I say of you from a loving heart ? That you lie there in this finely-woven web, having breathed out your life by an unhallowed murder. O me ! a death-slumber it is unworthy of a king, to have been slain by a treacherous fate, with a two-edged weapon from the hand ! Cly, Why, did not lie too cause a treacherous murder in the house? My own dear sapling that I had reared from him, my ever to be lamented Iphigenia, he dealt with un- worthily,^ and now, when he is himself treated as he deserves, let him not boast in BMes,^ since he has paid by his own death for crimes of which he set the example. Clfio. I am at a loss, and am destitute of any ready expedient of thought, which way I should turn, now that the house is falling. I fear the loud pattering of the blood- shower that is undermining its foundations; for the first drops are past. Fate is now whetting Justice* on a fresh whetstone for another deed of harm. O earth, earth, would thou hadst received me, e'er ever I lived to see this my king laid low in the death-bed of the silver-sided ewer! Who shall bury him, who shall sing his dirge ? Will you dare to do this, — after slaying your own husband to perform over him the rites of woe, and unrighteously to do a thankless favour to his shade in requital for your daring deeds ? And who, in uttering the funeral oration with tears over the god- like man, will grieve witli sincerity of heart ? Cly, It is not for you to speak of that care : by our hands he died, and we will bury him, not with wailings of the ^ Not yet washed out of the family. ^ gg^ the note on v. 516, ^(c^x^>< ' Perhaps dirciS^ 9f)e(o'as, for kvoJiioi, rb Upafia rod irdBovs 'K\4oy. tpdcas, * Compare Cho. 636. 1532—1569 AGAMEMNON. 177 inmates of the house, but Iphigenia his child, — lovingly as she ought,^ — shall meet her father at the ford of swift-flowing Acheron, and fling her arms round him to kiss him. Clio, Here is a case wherein ' taunt has come for taunt,'^ — albeit my words are hard to interpret,^ — 'plunderer is .plundered,' 'murderer pays for his crime/ For the law abides, while time lasts and Zeus is king, for tlie doer to suffer: 'tis the fixed decree of heaven. Who then can cast out of the house its accursed brood ? The whole race is fixed fast to misfortune, Cly, You have rightly touched upon that divine law of retribution. However, my wish is to make a compact with this evil demon of the Plisthenidae, and to bear what has been done, though hard to endure. And, for the other part, that he shall leave this house, and wear out some other family with unnatural murders. I am content to keep even a small part out of all my possessions, if I shall have taken away from the palace this mania for mutual murder. Aegisthua. O welcome light of a day of retribution! Now at length can I say that the gods, avengers of mortals, regard from above the crimes of earth, since I have seen this man lying dead in the woven robes of the furies, joyfully for me, since he is paying for the crafty deeds of his father's bands ! For Atreus, when lord of this land, this man's sire, banished from his city and his home my father Thyestes, — to give a clear account of the whole matter, — even his own brother, having had a dispute with him about the sovereignty.* And the unhappy Thyestes, returning home as a suppliant at the hearth-stone, himself obtained a promise of safety, that he should not die and stain with his blood the soil of his fatherland. But by way of a hospitable banquet,^ this man's impious father Atreus, with officious zeal rather than ^ This is said in the bitterest irony. to judge between the crimes of Aga- ' Proverbs expressing the just law memnon and Clytemnestra." of retaliation, which (they obscurely ^ See the note on Theh. 806. hint) will fall on Clytemnestra. ' Given by Atreus to Thyestes under 3 Though you may pretend not to pretence of ratifying his promise and see the application. Or, "it is hard of forgiving and forgetting the past. N 178 AGAMEMNON. 1570—1601 with friendly design, did sersre up to my father, under pretence of observing mirthfully a day of sacrifice, a banquet on his own children*s flesh. The bones of the feet and the top joints of the hands he kept concealed, as he sate apart from the guests at the head of the table: and Thyestes, at once taking without suspicion portions of the flesh that could not be recognised, partook of a repast which thus, as you see, proved fatal to the family. But directly afterwards, when he was made aware of the unhallowed deed, he shrieked out, and fell back vomiting from the cannibal feast. And he imprecated an intolerable fate on the descendants of Pelops, making the overturning the table a symbolical form of curse,^ that so the entire race of Pleisthenes might perish. *Tis for these reasons that you may now see this man dead at your feet. And I was the fit person to plot the murder ; for he drove me, the thirteenth child, into exile along with my poor father, while I was yet an infant in swathing bands : but I am grown up now, and Justice has brought me back again to my home. And I got this man into my grasp though I was an exile, by combining every device of subtle cimning. Thus even death is honourable for me now, since I have seen this man caught in the snares of Justice. Chjo, Aegisthus, I approve not of insolence in misfortunes. Now you assert that you deliberately slew this man, and that you alone plotted this lamentable murder. I tell you that in the hour of justice ycywr head will not escape,— do not flatter yourself, — ^the fate of being stoned amid the execrations of the people. Aeg, What ! do yovij talk thus, seated at the lower oar, while those on the upper benches of the ship hold rule? You shall find to your cost, old as you are, that it is no light lesson for one of your age to be taught discretion, after it has been recommended to him in words. But imprisonment and the pangs of hunger are the best magic charmers for teaching even old age. See you not this, when you have ^ Hesyoh. a/tvUiKos' (rifi(avos. I cannot assert the correctness of the above rendering. t 1602—1628 AGAMEMNON. 179 eyes to see ? Kick not back against the goad, lest by striking it you should suflFer pain. Clio. Lady, you, as guardian of your husband's house when he had recently returned from the war, not only dis- honoured his bed, but did also plot this murder against one who was general of the expedition.^ Aeg, This speech of yours also shall be to you a source of tears. Why, you have a tongue the very opposite to that of Orpheus : lie led everything through deUght at his voice, while ycm think to draw others to yourself by exasperating them with childish barkings. But when put down by force you will show a tamer spirit. Gho, As if forsooth I would ever have you as lord over the Argive people ! A poltroon who, not even after plotting this man's death, had the courage to do the deed with your own hand. Aeg. No, for crafty action was clearly the part of a woman; whereas / was suspected by him as an enemy of long standing. However, by the resources of this man's wealth I will see if I cannot rule the citizens; and if any one is disobedient, I will yoke him in a heavy collar, not at all as a barley-fed colt put to run in the side traces : but the much-detested short-fare, with the dwelling in darkness, will soon see him gentle. Cko. Why then did you not, in the cowardice of your heart, yourself slay this man, but call in the aid of a woman, — ^the defiler of the country and the country's gods,— to kill him? Is Orestes anywhere yet living, that he may be brought back from exile by kindly fortune, and become the slayer of them both with victory complete ? Aeg. Well, since you are resolved to act, and not merely to talk in this matter, you shall soon know the result. Come on now, my attached body-guards; the time for action is at hand. * Tours was 'a dwMe crime, social as well as political. This sentiment is enlarged upon JEwnen. 600 seq. n2 1 80 A OAMEMNOK 1 629— 1 648 Cho, Yes, come on, let every one get ready his sword with hand on hilt. Aeg. But I too, be assured, do not object to die with my hand on my sword. Clio. You say you will die: we take you at your word, and we appeal to fortune.^ Cly. Pray let us not, dearest of husbands, do further mischief: to have reaped even these evils, so many in number, is an unhappy harvest. Of calamity there is surely enough already; let us have no more bloodshedding. Go you, and these old men also, to your allotted homes, before you do something that you will suffer for. We ought to have been content with these deeds, as we committed them. And if there ever can be a sufficiency^ of these evils, we should make the best we can of it, having been miserably stricken by the wrathful onset^ of the demon of the family. This is what a woman has to say, if any one thinks it worth hearing. Aeg, But to think that these varlets should thus gather the flowers of a vain eloquence against me, and should utter such words, tempting their fate, and should so fail in discreet judgment, and insult one who is in authority ! Cho. Never can this be the part of Argives, to crouch to a bad man. Aeg, But I in after days will yet make you suffer for this. Clio, Not so, if fortune should guide Orestes to return home. Aeg, I know of my own experience that exiled men feed on hopes. {7Ao. Go on acting as you do, and fatten by defiling justice: for you have the power. Aeg, Be sure that you shall be punished by me for this folly of yours. ^ We choose (or take) the fortune 2 ^^^^^ perhaps A/cos, a remedy, that is in store for ns. Compare ^ j(ri\^ is probahly a metaphor from r{/xnv kXuv iSuppl. 374. the fighting-cock's spur. AGAMEMNON. 181 CKo. Boast and fear not, — like a cock strutting near his dame. Cly. Care not for their senseless barkings : you and I, who have the command of this house, will set these matters right. CHOEPHOROE, F£ItSONS REPRESENTED. Orestes. A Nttese. Elegtsa. a Domestic. Clytemnestka. Choetts op Captive Women. -^GISTHTJS. * [PtLADES]. Orestes. Hermes, god of the nether world, that dost here survey the royal residence of my father,^ become to me a preserver and an ally at my request: for I am come into this land, and am returning after a long absence as an exile from my home. And now, summoning^ my father at this mound of his tomb to hear and attend to my prayers, (Ajid I bring as an offering) a lock due to the Inachus for my nurture, and this second lock for a tribute of my grief: for I was not present to bewail thy fate, my father, nor did I raise my hand over the bier at the burial of thy corpse. What is this that I see here? What company of women comes this way dressed in garbs of woe ? To what disaster can •! refer it by conjecture ? Is it that another death has befallen the house, or shall I be right in guessing that these maidens are carrying libations to my father (such as are used) for propitiating the powers below ? It can be nothing else : for I fancy this is Electra, even my own sister, advanc- ing, conspicuous above the rest for the sadness of her grief. ^ «. «. as a statue in front of it. Or ' KripicffwPf not Ktipiffcv. His perhaps, * who dost execute the com- office of herald is invoked, as well as mands of thy father Zeus.' I now in- that of o'cor-fip. See y. 117. cline to the former interpretation. i I / ' I • I / .'/ »F / ' / / •*^ V '^ / K-- -, .>• 51—83 CHOEPHOROE. 185 than a god.-^ But the swiftly-falling scale of justice drops heavily^ upon some while yet in the light; the penalty of other crimes awaits those who linger on in the mid space between light and darkness; while others night overtakes without bringing retribution. The life-blood that was drimk up by the earth which nourished it has left a clot of vengeful gore that festers on the surface and will not run through. A lasting woe is in reserve for^ the criminal, that he may break out with all-consuming disease. For as to him who has tampered with the bridal-chamber there is no remedy, so all the rivers flowing^ in one course to cleanse the hand- polluting stain of blood wash it in vain. But for me, — for a hard fate by investing my city was sent me by the gods, who took me from my father*s house and brought me into the condition of a slave, — the just and the unjust acts alike of violent masters have appeared, since I began this life of thraldrom, proper to be borne without opposition,* and by suppressing the bitter detestation of my mind. But yet I weep under the cover of my garments at the forlorn fortunes of my rightful owners,^ chilled in heart by secret griefs. Electra, Ye captive handmaidens who have the care of the house, since ye are present as my attendants in conduct- ing this procession, be my advisers also in these my doubts : what ought I to say as I pour these funeral libations ? How can I speak words agreeable to him, how address a prayer to my father ? Should I do so by saying that I am bringing them from a dear vnfe to a dear husbaTid, — ^when they come from my owii mother? For that I have not the present confidence ; and yet I know not what I should utter as I pour ^ They worship Aegisthus for his wealth, and fear him when they cannot respect him. See Aff. 1616. * Bead iwnnefiirrct for hriCKOirtt, The metaphor is perhaps from the game of the Cottahns. If the sense he general, the meaning is that some are punished in youth, some in age, some in the other world. If it he particular, then Aegisthus, Orestes, and Agamem- non are respectively meant. Others interpret these words of crimes known, suspected, and undiscovered. 3 i>M^W»Yin seramcommissapiacula mortem, Yirg. Aen. vi. 569. * She alludes to the carrying of the lihations against her own feelmgs and convictions. ^ Orestes and Electra. 186 CHOEPHOROE. 84—109 this mixture on my father's grave. Or should I make this petition, as is the usual custom with mortals, — that he may requite with good those who send these offerings, — ^with a gift, forsooth, which their evil deeds have deserved ? Or in silence, without paying him honour, as indeed my father perished, should I pour these offerings,^ a libation to be drunk by the earth, and then go back, like one who has carried out offscourings, after tossing away the vessel without looking behind me? Take part, my friends, in consulting about this ; for we entertain a common hatred in the house. Do not conceal it within your hearts for fear of somebody. What must be awaits alike the free, and him who is under the thrall of another's hand. Say on, if you know ought that is superior to these proposals. Cho. With all the reverence due to the tomb of your father, as a real altar, I will speak, since you urge me, the sentiments of my heart. EL Speak then, conformably with the respect you profess for my father's tomb. Cho, Say, as you pour, a devout prayer to such as may be friendly.* El. And who are those of my relations whom I must so address ? Cho. In the first instance yourself, and whoever detests Aegisthus. El. Then I shall say this prayer for myself and for you. Cho. Do you yourself consider that, now that you see my meaning. EL Whom else then should I add to this company ? Cho. Make mention of Orestes, even though he is away from home. EL Of this also you have reminded me very properly. Cho. On the guilty authors of the murder now, duly mindful — * Perhaps iKx^atrcif after * pouring.* bi^ty will be noticed throughout ' An intentional caution and am- this dMogue. 110—139 CHOJEFHOROE, 187 EL I am to pray what? Inform me, who have little experience, and tell -me the proper form of words. Cho, That some daemon may come to them, or some mortal, — EL Do you mean as a judge or as an avenger? Cho. Say simply, to slay them in return. EL And are these demands from the gods consistent with my duty as a daughter? Cho. Of course you may pray to requite an enem/y with eml} EL Then hear, thou mighty herald of the gods both above and below, Hermes of the nether world ; and summon for me the daemons beneath the earth to listen to my petitions, relating as they do to my paternal home, yea, even Earth herself, who produces all things from her womb, and when she has reared them, receives again the increase from them. And so I, as I pour these libations to departed mortals,^ say, as I invoke my father, looh with pity on me, and (shew) how we may bring hack our dear Orestes to his home. For now we are as it were sold as slaves by our mother and wander as exiles; and she has received in pay- ment Aegisthus for a husband, the very man who took part with her in slaying you. And I indeed am performing the part of a slave, while Orestes is an outcast from his property f and they are revelling extravagantly in riches acquired by your toil. But that Orestes may return hither with good fortune I pray to thee, — and do thou hear me, my father! And for myself, grant that I may be far more discreet than my mother was, and more righteous in my actions. For ourselves then we offer these prayers : but on my enemies I imprecate that Justice may shew herself an avenger of your death, so that the murderers may also be murdered in their turn. These petitions I insert in the midst of a prayer for good, uttering against them this prayer for evil.* But to ^ Namely, in merely general terms. * This is added from the usual 2 Perhaps here == fioprois. Greek dislike of mixing good with bad, 3 He is an exile, I am a slave. This and as if by way of precaution to in illustration of the above remark. specify distinctly the parties meant. 188 CHOEPHOROE, 140—167 ourselves be the sender-up of all these blessings from the world below, with the aid of the god& and of earth and of victorious Justice. Such are the prayers with which I pour on the tomb these libations. [But do you, as is the custom, make the paean of the dead bloom with lamentations as you utter it].^ Cho. Shed a tear, pattering as it falls for our fallen master, now that the libations have been poured at this (tomb which is a) barrier against evil and good, to avert a curse we were sent to deprecate.^ And do thou hear me, object of my veneration, hear, my lord, (the prayers uttered) from a gloomy heart. Oh, woe is me, woe ! What valiant man is there to prove the deliverer of the house? What god of war to launch arrows in action from his doubly- curved Scythian bow, and wield his hilted weapon in close conflict? El. My father has now indeed received the earth-drunk libations : but here is a new subject to communicate to you. CJio, Say on : but my heart palpitates with alarm.' El. I saw on the tomb a lock that had been cut off: here it Is. Cho. From what man, or what deeply-waisted girl ? El. That is easily guessed, so that any one may have an opinion about it. Chx). Then let me who am old learn from one who is my junior.* El. There is no one but myself who would clip that lock. Chx). True : they are enemies whose duty it would have been to mourn by cutting their hair. El. But further, — this lock is, to look at, very closely akin — Clio. To whose hair ? for that is the point I should like to hear. ^ This last distich is probahly spuri- y. 142. ous. Compare Pers. 621. The lines ^ Compare dircvicrcbir^fiara,^^. 621. will neither scan nor construe like ^ They perceive that she is anxious ordinary verses, which is some objec- and excited, tion ; and the sense properly ends at -* Old age is generally slow to learn. 168—198 CHOEPEOROK 189 EL It is very much like my own hair to look at. Cho, Could this then have been an offering secretly sent by Orestes ? El, It most nearly resembles his clustering locks. Cho. But surely he did not venture to come hither ? EL Perhaps he sent a clipped lock in compliment to his father. Cho, This that you say is not less a fit subject for tears, if he is never more to touch this land with his foot. EL I too had bitter feelings surging up at my heart, and I felt a sudden blow as from a penetrating dart. And now from my eyes there fall draining tear-drops freely flowing from a flood of grief, when I look on this lock : for how can I expect^ that any other of the citizens is the owner of this hair? Yet neither surely did his murderess clip it from her head, — ^that mother of mine who entertains against her children an unnatural feeling, anything but motherly. Then how I am to give my full assent to this idea, that thie offering comes froia that dearest of men Orestes, — ^but I keep the flattering hope. Ah ! had it but the voice of a friend, like a messenger ! then I should not thus be swayed to and fro by conflicting thoughts ; but it would either have clearly warned me to reject with loathing this lock, if it had been cut from the head of an enemy : or, if really related,^ it woidd have been able to share in my grief, both as a graceful tribute to this tomb and as an honour to my father. Cho, We call on the gods to help us, for indeed they well know in what storms, like sailors, we are being tossed : but if we are to obtain safety, a great stem may arise from a tiny seed. EL And see, there are imprints of feet here, — o, second proof, — like in shape^ and closely resembling mine. For 1 She means, that no citizen would Col, 1262, andthe words, written in un- have dared to send it. cials, are as nearly as possible tlie same. 2 i, e, taken from the head of my If this be not the meaning, the follow- brother. ing Ka\ yhp seems hardly logical, unless 3 MSS. voScay $' dfiotoi, qu. voB&y we supply some ellipse to make it so. &$€A^oP It is an adjective in Oetf* \ 190 CHOEPEOROE. 192—223 look, — ^there are here two outlines of feet, — ^both of himself and of a fellow-traveller. The heels and the flat markings of the soles when measured coincide exactly with my foot- prints. And an anxiety is present to my mind, and a sinking of my heart within me.^ Or, Frs.y that what yet remains, acknowledging to the gods the fulfilment of your prayers so far, may turn out weU. EL Why, what do I now obtain by the favour of the gods? Or. You have come to a sight of the very objects you have long been praying for. EL What mortal man can you know that I have been in the habit of calling upon ? Or, I know in my heart that you have often said how much you admired your Orestes. EL You do not mean then that I am obtaining the object of my prayers ? Or. I am he: seek not for one more friendly than myself, EL But can it be, stranger, that you are contriving some snare for me ? Or. If I am, I am plotting against myself. El. But perhaps you axe making sport at misfortunes which are mine alone. Or. At my own then also, if at yours. EL Do I address these words to you as being Orestes indeed P Or. Nay rather you see in me Orestes himself, though you are slow to recognise him. Yet when first you saw this clipped lock of mourning hair, and were tracking on my footsteps, — those of your own brother, as of the same size with your own foot, — ^you were fluttered with hope, and fancied that you saw me.^ Look now, applying the lock of hair to the stump ; see too this bit of embroidery, the work ' Or, * bewildenneiit of sense.* rris ravrd fwi wpocrcw^ireij ; ' Perhaps we should read, as better s That it might possibly be my suited to me next verse, &s &v *Op4a- footsteps you saw. 224—255 CHOEPHOROK 191 of your own hand, and the ridges made by the weaving- blade; and (examining)i the pattern of animals woven therein, be self-possessed, and lose not your senses through excessive joy. El, dearest object of regard to our father's house, — O long-lamented hope of a stock that should prove its de- liverer,^ trust to your own prowess and you fihall regain your paternal home. delightful name of brother, which to me -contains the parts of four, — for I am bound to address you as a father,^ and my love for a mother falls wholly on you, (for she is most justly detested,) and for that sister who was so ruthlessly sacrificed. And you were ever a brother in whom I had confidence, and who won my respect.* Only may Victory and Justice, with him who is third,^ but the most powerful ally of all, Zeus, assist you in the contest.® Or, Zeus, Zeus, become a spectator of these things; and look with pity on the orphan brood of an eagle sire that has perished in the folds and coilings of a fell viper, while the bereaved yoimg are pinched by himgry famine, for they are not yet of full size to bring up to the nest the prey of the parent bird. In the same way you may behold me and my sister here, Electra, two children bereaved of their father, and both equally exiled from their home. El, And if you shoidd have abandoned to destruction these young ones of a sire who sacrificed to you and honoured you greatly, whence will you obtain the festive honours of a like hand ? As, if you should have destroyed the young of an eagle, you would not have the means of sending again trustworthy tokens to mortals; so this imperial stem, if wholly withered up, will be of no service to your altars on sacrificial days. Take care of it, and you may yet raise up to greatness from its low estate a house which seems now to have quite fallen. ^ A Terse here has dropped out. I was bom to inherit, but which my 2 Or, which should perpetuate the mother refused me. family. At this speech Electra em- ^ •'. $, Z^hs liun^p, braces her brother. * This sentence refers back to y. 3 My reid father being dead. 229, * you shall regain' &c. * Or, who brought me the dignity 192 CHOEFHOROE. 256—284 (jhx)t My children, on whom depends the safety of your father's hearth, keep silence, lest some one shoidd learn what has occurred, and for the love of gossip report everything to those in power, — ^whom I hope some day to see lying dead amid the spurting pitch of the kindled pyre. Or. Assuredly^ I shall not be betrayed by an oracle of Loxias that carries such weight with it, — which commanded me to go through with this adventure, adding many loud and rousing words of exhortation, and plainly threatening chill horrors in my warm heart, if I should faU to exact vengeance from the authors of my father's death. For he bade me slay them in return in the very same way, exasperated by losses which should deprive me of my property. And he declared that I should myself with my own life pay for (the neglect of) these commands, by suffering many disagreeable maladies. For in shewing to mortals generally^ the means for assuaging distempers, he foretold to me and my sister these diseases, — a tetter that should spread on the surface of the body and eat out with savage jaws the old constitution; and that white hair should grow upon us as a consequence of the malady.^ Further, that other* assaidts of the Furies, to be brought to pass by the murder of a father, were being sum- moned against me by one who saw clearly though he moved his brow in darkness ^ (for the dark weapon of the powers below, proceeding from dead suppliants^ of kindred race, and madness, and groundless fears by night, rouse and allow no rest ;) and that my body, tortured by the brazen whip (of the Furies) should be driven from out the city. And that to such there was no portion in the wine-bowl to partake of, nor in the liquor that is wont to be poured in libations ; that I ' This very difficult speech of Ores- tes appears to he rather a soliloquy than an address to the Chorus. ^ As larpSfixamSf and as Ilaiiii/j or god of me^cine. 3 Even when the disease was cured it should leave permanent marks he- hind it. Or perhaps, ' that the disease should last till old age.' ^ Beside the v6 The duty to a mother with the arrives. Such expressions only admit duty to a father. 198 CEOEPHOROE. 472—499 El. I also, my father, have the like request to make of you ; that I may escape after inflicting a terrible vengeance on Aegisthus.^ Or, For thus^ the sacrifices that men are wont to offer to heroes would be founded for you : but otherwise, you will be unhonoured at the savoury burnt funeral-offerings of the country. El. I too will bring libations at my marriage from my father's home, as a tithe of my entire fortune ; and the very first object of my worship shall be this tomb. Or. O Earth, send up my father's spirit to direct the contest. M. O Persephassa, grant moreover a seemly^ victory. Or. Remember the bath in which you were slain, father. El. Remember too the strange use you made of the robe she threw around you.* Or. When you were caught, my father, in shackles not forged in brass. El. Yea, in a coverlet devised for your dishonour. Or. Are you not roused by these reproaches, my father ? El. Raise you not your head erect to your dearest ones ? Or. Either send Justice to assist your friends, or allow them in turn to get the like grasp of your adversaries, if you desire, after being conquered, to conquer them again. El. Hear also this final appeal, O father. Behold this brood of yours sitting at your tomb, and pity the daughter and with her the direct descendant of the sire f and do not utterly annihilate® this race of the Pelopidae. For thus you are not dead even in death: for children are as voices to a man that keep his memory alive when he is dead ; they are as corks that bear up the net, keeping the twisted flaxen line from sinking in the deep water. Hear us : 'tis on your own ^ Tins verse is perhaps corrupt. ^ iKcdvuras for ^Ktdvurav. (Coning- ' By our recoyering the family pro- ton.) In the next line read ye . , Oriptv perty. ^ Oels. ' An obscure expression, MUfjutp^ov * Males were believed to represent Kpdros, perhaps containing a wish to physically the male parent. regain her rights without the horrors • Lit. expunge as a picture. Cf. of a mother's murder. Theb. 16. 499—525 CEOEPHOROE. 199 behalf that such lamentations are made ; for you are yourself saved by giving due heed to this petition. Clio, Your address is long, but you are not to be blamed for it, if it is a recompense for the unhonoured condition of his tomb. For the rest, now that you have made up your mind to the right course of action, act at once, and try if fortune wiU help you. Or. It shall be so: but it is not out of course to be told from what motives she sent the libations, and on what account she shewed all too late regard to a malady admitting of no cure. For after he was dead, and when he heeded it not,^ the sorry offering was sent. I cannot account for this : surely the gifts are too small for the offence. For if one poured out all the libations in the world in requital for a single life taken, the labour would be vain. That is what men say. But tell me this matter clearly, if you know it, since I wish to learn. Cho, I do know it, child, for I was present : alarmed by dreams and terrors that disturbed her nightly rest, the impious woman sent these libations. Or, And have you been told the dream, so as to describe it rightly ? Chx), She fancied she had given birth to a serpent, as she herself says. Or, And what is the end and upshot of the story ? Chx), That she laid it quietly down in its swathing-bands, as one would a child. Or, What food did it crave, this newly-born monster ? Cho, She herself gave it the breast in the dream. Or. Surely the teat was not unwounded by the loath- some thing ? Cho, (It was so hurt) that the creature drew a clot of blood in the milk. Or, 'Twas a dream sent by her husband, and not a vain one. ^ ^Top (I>p4u€s ovK %vi Trdforcafy says Homer of the state of the dead, //. zxiii. 104. 200 CEOEPHOROE. 526—558 Cho. And she in her sleep cries out in sudden alarm. And many lights that had been extinguished in darkness were rekindled in the chambers on our mistresses' account. And then she sent these funeral-libations, hoping they might prove an effective remedy of the wrongs she had done. Or, Then I hereby pray to Earth and to my father's tomb, that this dream may be brought to a full accomplish- ment in me} And certainly I interpret it so, that all the parts hang well together. For if the snake left the same womb as I did, — was wrapped in swathing-bands,^ and opened its mouth to take in the teat that suckled me, and mixed with a gout of blood the mother's milk, and she in alarm shrieked out through the pain of it, — why, it surely follows, that, as she nursed with violence to herself the ugly monster, so by violence she must die : and I must become a snake, and kill her, as this dream informs me. And I choose you as an interpreter of portents in this matter. Chx), Then be it so: but now assign your firiends their parts in what remains, telling these* to do this, those not to do that. Or, My orders are simple — that my sister should go within; and I charge you to conceal these my concerted plans, that, as they slew by craft a man of royal dignity, they may be caught also in the same snare and die by craft, even as Loxias declared in his oracle, king Apollo, a prophet who has never yet been proved false. For, in the guise of a stranger with complete equipment, I will come with Pylades here to the outer gate of the palace, — ^I as a stranger, he as a friend and ally of the family.* And we will both speak in the dialect of Parnassus, imitating the accent of the Phocian tongue. Perhaps then none of the porters will admit us with a cheerful welcome, on the plea that the house is possessed with evils f we will so linger by it, that persons in passing * Though sent to Glytemnestra. alarm. ' A corrupt verse. * See Agam, 853. • Prohahly Electra and Pylades. * Guests were not admitted in a The chorus are ordered not to raise an time of family trouble, Eur. Alcett. 751. 559—696 CHOEPHOROK 201 the house may make conjectures, and speak thus : — Why does Aegisthus let one who is a suppliant stand excluded at the gates,^ if he is at home and is aware of it? But if I cJo pass the threshold of the gate into the court, and find him sitting on my father's throne ; or if afterwards coming and meeting me face to face he shall raise his eyes and again drop them ; before^ he has asked. Of what country is this stranger ? be assured I will make him a corpse, catching him suddenly with a nimble weapon.^ And the Fury, already satiated with gore, shall drink pure life-blood for a third draught.* Now therefore do you, my sister, keep a careful eye on matters within the house, that these plans of ours may fit well together in the result. But you, ladies, I warn to keep a wary tongue, — to be silent where it is needful, and to speak only what is to the point. For the rest, I bid Pylades come this way to watch the issue, and direct for me aright the coming conflict of the sword. Cho. There are many great and terrible woes^ that the earth produces ; and the all-embracing sea teems with hostile monsters: there approach us also bright meteors® between earth and upper ether ; and things winged and walking on the plain can tell of the devastating might of windy hurri- canes.7 But the too-daring spirit of man who may describe, or the all-daring loves — so closely bordering on the woes of men — of bold-minded women ? For the inordinate love which sways the female both in brutes and among mankind perversely prevails over wedded fellowships. If there is any one not flighty in thought, let him remember the contrivance of the lighted brand which the unhappy daughter of Thestius, that destroyer of her own chUd, cunningly devised,^ when she burnt up the glowing faggot coequal in age with her son ^ Lit. * haye him shut out by alluded to. (dosing the gates.' ^ Poisons, monsters, &c. ' Before he has time to recognize * Comets and meteors, seen in me in spite of my disguise, and so call upper ether, for aid. '' Atmospheric commotions. 3 A hold metaphor from a net ; but ^ She knew that her son was Xa\K€6fMTi really means l^^ci. destined to die when a certain faggot * The libation to Zeus Xtor^p is was consumed. 202 CHOEPHOROE. 597—641 from the time that he uttered his first cry when he came from his mother^ and keeping pace with him through life to the day appointed for his fate. There is another person in story whom we are bound to detest, — ^the murderous Scylla, who at the instance of his enemies^ caused the death of a dear father, bribed by the gold necklace of Cretan workman- ship, the present from Minos, when she robbed Nisus of his immortal hair as he was breathing unsuspectingly in sleep, audacious that she was : but Hermes overtook her. And now that I have mentioned relentless family troubles,^ -but this is not the time (to describe) an unloving marriagi to be deprecated by the house, and the daring plots conceived in a woman's mind against a warrior husband, even a husband who was with reason venerated by his people. (I will only say) I hold in honour the unembroiled hearth of a home, the disposition of a woman that is free from daring. But of all evil deeds the Lemnian takes the first place in story ; and it is universally bewailed as an execrable calamity, and every new horror people compare to the LeTn/nian cri/me. Through guilt which incurs the hatred of the gods, the race of mortals falls into dishonour and is lost; for no one respects that which is under the ban of heaven.^ Which of these in- ferences is imfairly drawn? The sword's point is at the heart, and Justice thrusts it right in with a sharply-piercing wound ; for the irreligious daring of him who impiously sins against the absolute majesty of Zeus is not passed over in neglect. The stem of justice is firmly planted. Destiny is the armourer that forges the sword in readiness, and causes one murder to bring forth another in families. And in due time the deep-minded Fury when invoked* pays to the uttermost the guilt of former murders. Or, Slave, I say ! hear the knocking at the door of the court. Who is within there in the house, slave ? I repeat. 1 Not directly, nor by her own as that in Ap, 448 — 52. hand, but by betraying him. ^ K\vrh, seems capable of this mean- 3 She should have said, ^ I will ing. Compare dcoxAvrcty in Fers, 502. refer to the case of Clytemnestra.' But it may be equivalent to TrSryut, 8 The sentiment is much the same 642—673 CHOEPHOROE. 203 (a pause). This the third time I call for some one to come out of the house, if Aegisthus keeps a hospitable one.^ Slave, Well, I hear. Of what country is the stranger ? Whence comes he ? Or, Go and say to the owners of the house, to whom I am come and for whom I bring news, — ^and be quick, for the dark car of night is speeding on, and it is time for way- farers to drop their anchor in the hall for the common enter- tainment of guests, — ^' Come forth somebody from the house who can acquit a messenger of his charge, — some lady who holds rule in the place,— or for a man to come might be more proper;^ for then no bashfulness in the conversation makes words obscure. A man speaks with confidence to a man, and makes known without reserve the object of his mission." Cly, Speak, strangers, if there is ought you require : for there is everything here which is suitable to this house, — warm baths, beds to give rest after toils, and the presence of honest eyes to greet you. But if you have to transact some business that calls for more deliberation, that is the duty of men, to whom we will impart it. Or. I am a stranger of Daulis from the Phocians. As I was journeying, attended by my own equipage, to Argos, just as I left home to come hither,^ a strange man met me and said to me, who was not less a stranger to himself, after learning my route and explaining to me his own, — Strophius the Phocian, for I found out his name in the conversation, — " Since in any case, stranger, you are going to Argos, report to the parents, duly mindful of the charge, that Orestes is dead ; do not on any account forget it. Whether then the opinion of his friends shall prevail to bring him home, or they prefer to bury him abroad, entirely and for ever a stranger, convey these instructions to us on your return. For at present the sides of a brazen urn contain within them ^ An ironical taunt, yery galling to he really wants Aegisthus to come a Greek. first. ' He disarms suspicion hy pretend- ^ In accordance with my original ing indifference as to which comes intention of going to Argos, to which out, Clytemnestra or Aegisthus ; but place I haye now arriyed. 204 CEOEPHOROE. 674—697 the ashes of the man who has been duly bewailed.^ Thus much I heard and now tell you : but whether I am speaking to the proper parties and to his relations, I know not ; but it is right that the father should be informed of it. Cly. Alas, your words tell me how utterly we are coming to ruin. O curse of this family, hard to grapple with, at how many things, even lying out of harm's way, do you take sight, bringing them down with well-aimed arrows from afar ! And now I am indeed utterly wretched, stripped by you of all my friends. Thus it is then that Orestes,^ — for he was about making a lucky throw, and just getting his feet out of a deadly slough, — ^but now the healing hope that there was of goodly merriment in the house you set down as present before us (in this urn). Or, My own wish now would have been to make acquaint- ance with and receive hospitality from hosts so fortunate* on business of a happy nature : for what feelings can be kinder than those of a guest towards a host ? But it seemed to my mind a breach of honour not to carry out a matter of this kind for friends, after I had promised it and been solemnly charged to perform it.^ Cly, Be assured you shall not meet with less than your deserts, nor will you become less a friend to the family on that account. Another would have come all the same to bring this news. But it is high time that strangers who have been spending the day in a long journey should have * For whom all the proper rites have been duly and respectfully per- formed. > She should have said, ^has de- ceived all raj hopes by his death.' Of course she is speaking hypocritically, as in the double meaning of the follow- ing couplet, where iSeucxe^a Kt»X^ means both the joy of the house at Orestes' safety, and also Electra's ironical ac- count of the present revellings, which she eyer hoped that Orestes would re- turn to stop. There is also an am- biguity between *■ a hope of merriment* (on Orestes' return), and 'a hope of cure for the merriment' (at Electra's degraded position.) 8 I propose iyypdtptis («*. e. 'Api) for iyypd^ktif which can only refer to the messenger, i,e, to Orestes, possibly with a tacit allusion to Electra — * She now sees her hopes disappointed. * Ironically said. B Compare hri^tyovtreat in Agam, 1291. l^voviJMi in Suppl 904. There is irony in the words of Orestes. He really means, that it would be impiety to Apollo not to accomplish the murder of his mother. 698—737 CHOEPHOROE, 205 all that is suitable to their case. Take him into the ban- queting-hall for the men, and these attendants and com- panions in the journey ; and there let them receive all that is proper for the credit of the house. And I order you (slave) to perform this, as being responsible to me. But we will communicate with the lord of the house on this matter, and having no lack of friends^ will take counsel with them about this sad event. Cho, Come then, handmaids of the house friendly to the cause, when shall we shew the strength of our voices for the success of Orestes ? O holy earth, and holy mound of the tomb, that now liest over the body of our loved captain and king, now listen, now bring us aid ! For now is the time for crafty persuasion to enter the lists with him, and foi* Hermes the god of the dead to direct this murderous conflict of the sword. This man who calls himself a stranger seems to be causing some harm to the house.^ Why, I see the nurse of Orestes here all in tears ! Whither now, Cilissa, are you going past the threshold of the house ? Truly grief goes with you as an unhired attendant. Nurse, My lady bids me summon Aegisthus for the strangers with all speed, that he may come and learn more clearly, as man from man, the newly-brought tidings. To us servants indeed she shewed a smile lurking under scowling looks, trying to hide it at deeds that have been done happily for her — though for the house things are in a very bad way from this news the strangers so plainly report. No doubt he on hearing it will cheer up his spirits, when he knows the story. Unhappy wretch that I am ! how those sad woes of old, which happened in this house when Atreus had it, combined together to grieve my heart within my breast ! Yet never before suffered I a grief like this. For the other misfortunes I endured with patience ; but the dear Orestes, the darling of my soul, whom I took and nursed ^ She intimates that Aegisthus sur- ' They now speak for the ears of vives, if Orestes is dead. the nurse, who does not know the plot. 206 CEOEPHOROE. 738—765 from his mother's womb, — and all those troubles from his cries that kept me restless by nights, — that they should have proved useless to me who had to endure them ! — for a thing that has no intelligence one must rear like a brute creature, —of course one must, — according to its humour. For your infant can express nothing while yet in swathing-bands, if hunger or thirst or other want of nature overtakes him ; then the young stomachs of children are wont to help themselves. Used as I was to foretel such mishaps, yet I dare say I was often deceived about them ; and so, as having to wash the child's swathing-bands, I performed the joint duties of fuller and feeder. I then, exercising these two sorts of handicrafts, took Orestes to be brought up for his father ;^ and now, alack! I hear the news of his death. — So I am going to summon the man who has been the bane of this family. I troW he will be glad to hear of this report. Chx>. How then does she bid him come equipped ? Nur, Do you ask how ? Tell me again, that I may know your meaning more clearly. Cho. Whether with body-guards, or walking alone ? Nur. She says he is to bring spear-bearing attendants. Cho, Then don't you tell that with any show of dislike towards your master: but, that he may receive the news without fear, tell him with a cheerful mind* to come directly himself; for it depends on the messenger rightly to com- municate a private matter? Nur, Can it be then that you are glad at the news that has lately been brought ? Cho. Well, now, what if Zeus intends some day to give a favourable turn to our troubles ? Nur, How can that be, pray ? Orestes, the hope of the house, is dead and gone. Cho, Not yet : methinks a bad prophet might know that. Nur. What do you mean ? Have you something to tell beside what you have said ? ^ The male son, as before observed, ful mind, was considered peculiarly the father's. ' That a peisonal interview with ^ i. e, looks which indicate a cheer- the messenger himself is necessary. 766—804 CHOEPEOROE. 207 Chx), Go and give the message: do what you were told. The gods have in their care whatever they may care about.^ Nur. Well, I will go and obey your orders in this : and may all things turn out for the best with the aid of the gods ! Clw, Now, O Zeus, father of the Olympian gods, grant to me at my request that their fortunes may turn out well for those who have a proper desire to see sobriety prevail. I have spoken justly all that I have said : O Zeus, mayst thou g^uard him ! And set above his enemies our hero within the palace; since by raising him to be great you will receive with gladness twice and thrice as much in return. And take note of the orphan son of one that was dear to thee, that he is harnessed to the car of calamity, and moderate his speed in the race. Would that one could see the strained pace of his steps keeping regular time as they go ov6r this course ! You gods also, who within the house are seated in richly-bedizened shrines, hear and be all of one mind. Come now, make atonement for the blood of those formerly slain by new acts of retribution. And oh ! when they have been righteously executed, may old murder cease to breed new murders in the house ! Do thou also, Apollo who inhabitest the well-built temple at the prophetic adytum, grant that the house of the hero may look up once more in happiness^ and see brightly with friendly eyes from out of the dark veil that conceals it. And may the son of Maia rightfully lend his aid with full favour to our cause, and wishing us a happy fulfil- ment. But what is shrouded in darkness he will bring to light if he pleases; for now, speaking an obscure word, he brings night and darkness over the eyes, and in the daytime he is in no degree clearer.* And then we will establish in the city, for the delivery of the house, a continuous^ beating * The gods liaye their own schemes But the poet seems to haye in view to work out. See Ag, 947. partly the obscure oracles of Apollo. 3 Though the result of Orestes' con- ' ovpioardrris seems a figure derived flict is still obscure and uncertain, Her- from a wind 'fixed at a fayourable mes can and will, if he pleases, bring point of the compass.' it to a definite and successful issue. I 208 CEOEPHOROE. 805—843 of female hands/ and with it the mournful strain sung to the fingering of the pipe ; for success in this matter brings greater gain to me, and harm is kept aloof from my friends. But do you with good courage, when your share in the action has come, invoking the name oi father as she utters the word son, accomplish a deed of woe for which none will reproach you : and keeping within your breast the resolution of a Perseus, go and perform first for your friends below, and then also for those on earth, the sad duties of a just resentment, by per- petrating a horrid deed of blood within the house, and utterly ridding it of the guilty cause of Agamemnon's death. Aeg,, I have come not unsimimoned but at the voice of a messenger : for I am informed that certain strangers have arrived with strange tidings by no means welcome to me. Now as to the death of Orestes, — ^to attribute that also to the house would become a fear-instilling burden to one bitten and still sore from a former murder.^ How is this ? should I consider it as true and real ? Or are they but alarming reports spread by women,^ that spring aloft in air, but die and come to nothing ? Which of these alternatives can you allege, so as to make it certain to my mind ? Cho, We heard it indeed ; but go in and enquire of the strangers. There is no weight in the reports of mere mes- sengers — nothing like a man's personally hearing the tale from the parties themselves. Aeg, I wish to see, and as a further precaution to ques- tion, the messenger, whether he was himself near Orestes when he died, or whether he speaks of him from some obscure report he has heard. Assuredly they will not deceive a clear-seeing mind. Cho, Zeus, Zeus, what must I say ? At what point must I begin to make my prayers and invocations about these things? And how without saying too much, through my ^ Perhaps Kr{nrov. The passage is to avert the guilt of the murders, corrupt, but reference was probably * That people should say tiiat I made to the professional female mourn- killed Orestes as well as Agamemnon, era spoken of at y. 416. This would would be an alarming prospect to me. be done for the dead king and queen, ^ The Nurse and &e Chorus. 842—877 CHOEPEOROE. 209 well-wishing to the cause, can I secure their fulfilment ? For now the blood-stained edges of slaughterous cleavers are on the point of causing the ruin of Agamemnon's house for all time, or else he will kindle a fire and a bright light in honour of freedom, and regain the constitutional government of the state and the great wealth of his ancestors. Such is the struggle in which the heroic Orestes is about to engage with two adversaries, being the sole reserve-combatant with both : but may it end in victory ! Aeg, Alas, heaven ! help ! Cho, Hark! Hark again! How does the matter go? How have the gods decided the issue for the house? Let us stand aloof while the deed is being done, that we may seem to be guiltless of these evils ; for indeed the issue of the fight has been determined by the gods.^ Slave, Woe is me, utter woe ! my master has been slaiu ! Woe is me again ! I call to you a third time. Aegisthus is dead : open directly, and unbar the door of the ladies' apart- ment; and we want a strong young arm to do it:^ not however that he can assist one already done for ; for how is that possible ? Hollo, there ! I am calling to the deaf, and talking vainly bootless words to the sleeping. Whither has Clytemnestra gone ? What is she doing ? It seems to me now that het^ neck is on the razor's edge, and will fall close to his by the blow of justice. Cly, Well, what is the matter? What means this cry for help that you are setting up in the house ? Slave, I say that the dead is killing the living. Cly, Ah me ! I understand your words though expressed in riddles. We shall perish by craft, as in deed we slew him. Let some one hand me a heavy axe* with all speed : let us know at once whether we are to conquer or to be conquered ; for to such a crisis have we come^ in this sad business. ^ We cannot alter it by interfering, ^ gee Soph. Philoet, 1369. and therefore we are not morally bound * Lit. * man- tiring,* as in Eum. 239. to interfere. * That a mother i&ould haye to slay * The Slaye seems to be an old man. her own son. (Dayies). 310 CnOEPHOROE. 878—901 Or. You I have even been looking for : he there has had enough. Cly, O me I thou art dead then, dearest A^isthtus. Or, So he is dear to you, is he ? Then you shall lie in the same tomb with him, and so you will never forsake him even in death. Cly, Stay your hand, my son, and shew mercy to this breast at which you so often slumbered as you drew with toothless gums the nourishing milk. Or. Pylades, what must I do ? Must feelings of mercy prevent me from slaying my mother ? Pylades, Where then is the rest of the oracle delivered by Loxias at Pytho, and our solemn pledges of vengeance ? Believe all the world your enemies rather than the gods.^ Or, I conclude that you are right, and you advise me well. Follow me ; I would take you to the very spot where he lies and slay you there: for even while he lived, you thought him better than my father. With him then sleep in death, since you love this man, but hate him whom it was your duty to love. Cly, I niursed you ; and with you I wish to pass my old age. Or, What, being the murderess of my father shall you dwell in my house ? Cly, Fate, my son, was in part the cause of these woes. Or, Then 'twas fate that brought this death also. dy. Have you no fear of a parent's (dying) curse, my son? Or, If you are my mother, you made me a wretched outcast.^ Cly. I did not make you an outcast by sending you into the house of a friendly ally. Or. I was sold in more ways than one, though the son of a free father. ^ Believe that \mder no ciroum- ' And therefore I am the less bound stances the gods can be your enemies. to respect you as a mother. 902—921 CHOEPHOROE. 211 Cly, Where then is the price, whatever it was, that I received for you ? Or, I am ashamed to reproach you in plain words with that. CHy, But mention equally the frailties of your father. Or, Do not find fault with one who toiled (abroad) while you sat idle in the house. Cly, Tis grievous for women to be shut out from the converse of man, my son. Or, Perhaps so : but the man has to toil to support them in indolence at home. Cly, It seems you are resolved, my son, to slay your mother. Or, Nay, 'tis you who will slay yourself, not I who shall slay. you. Cly, See to it: beware of the vengeful hell-hounds of a mother. Or, But those of my father how am I to escape, if I neglect this duty? Cly, It seems that I am wailing in vain, as one living to the dead in a tomb. Or, Yes, for my father's fate determines for you this death.^ Cly, Ah me ! this is the snake I bare and nursed (in my dream). Or. Assuredly the fear you had from that dream was prophetic. You slew^ him whom you should not have slain, and now suffer what you ought never to have suffered. Cho, I do lament indeed the twofold fate even^ of these ; but since the unhappy Orestes has reached the topmost height* of many murders, we still prefer this, rather than^ that the hope of the house should fall in utter destruction. Cho. As Justice came to the sons of Priam in the course ^ i. e, it is not in my power to grant ^ Climbed to the top of many mur- your appeals for mercy. ders. 3 Read KTayov Lawfully using craft in executing fore they were unfayourable. 963—993 CHOEPEOROK 213 are to each other, as we may infer from their deaths: and their oath abides by its engagements. They swore they would together compass the death of my unhappy father, and that they would die together : this too they have faith- fully observed. But behold, ye that have heard the tale of these woes, the contrivance she used, the tie for my poor father, — ^the shackles of his hands and the couples of his feet. Lay out the body, and then stand close round and shew a hero's funeral pall,^ that the father may see, — ^not "my father, but the Sun, who regards all these woes, — ^the un- hallowed deeds of my mother, that some day he may give testimony in my favour^ at my trial, that / was the right person to execute this murder, that, I mean, of my mother : for I speak not of Aegisthus' fate, since he has (at my hands) the same punishment he would have received from the law.* But a wife who contrived this detestable device against the husband by whom she bore beneath her waist the burden of children, — a burden once dear, but now, as it shews,* a hostile evil, — ^what do you think of her? Why, that if she had been a sea-serpent^ or a viper, she would have caused a gangrene by her mere touch even in one who had not been bitten — such is her daring and her impious spirit. What name shall I give the thing, even if I use the mildest terms ? A snare for a wild beast, or rather the pall of a bier covering the feet of the corpse ? Nay, a drag-net or a stake-net you might call it, or a garment made on purpose to shackle the feet. Such a device a highwayman might have for his own, who practised the duping of strangers and the life of a robber: and while he destroyed many by such a craft, he might conceive many daring schemes in his heart. May such a wife as that never become an inmate in my house : sooner may I perish childless by the hands of the gods ! • ^ Ironically. ^ As Orestes has proyed himself by ' He seems to identify the Sun the result, with Apollo, who giyes evidence for ^ A partly fabulous, and supposed Orestes in the Eumenidea, venomous, sea-snake or eel, — perhaps ' &$ v6/JLov is used as the genitive is of the torpedo kind. There is an allu- in Sum, 398 ; Aj^. 1353. sion to the snake in the dream. 214 CHOEPHOROE. 994—1024 Cho, Alas, alas, these unhappy doings ! By a shocking death thou wert slain, woe is me! and to the survivor the calamity is yet only in the blossom.^ Or, Did she do the deed, or did she not ? Why, this garment is my witness, that she imbrued in his blood the sword of Aegisthus.* For the stain of the gore contributes with time to obliterate the many dies of the coloured pattern. Now I speak of it, now I bewail it, as present at the scene f and while I address this garment in which my father was slain, I grieve at the deeds done and the sufferings endured, and the entire race,* having upon me the curse of a guilty victory. (7Ao. No mortal man will ever pass through an unharmed life in all things.^ Alas ! one toil comes at once, and another will shortly arrive. Or, But, that you may be aware of it, — for I know not what the end wiU be,— as a charioteer with his horses I am driving out of the course ;« for I am overcome and carried away by feelings that are hard to control; and fear at my heart is ready to sing and dance with excitement.^ But while I am still in my senses I make this avowal to my friends, and declare that I slew my mother with all justice, as a guilty thing, the murderess of my father and the detest- ation of the gods. And among the chief inducements to tms deed I reckon the oracle of the Pythian prophet Loxias, who told me that if I did this I should be exempt from evil imputation, but if I omitted it, — ^well, I will not mention the penalty ; for® by guessing no one will come up to the mark of the woes. And now you see how I am prepared to go as a suppliant with this olive bough and wooUen-tufb to the 1 t. e, it will yet bear its fruits. victory.' Tbe tpya ical vtCtfq refer to * Or, ' (all stained as it is,) just as the maxim Spdirayri iraBup, the sword of Aegisthus dyed it (in my ^ There is some corruption in the father's blood).' text. s After my long exile. If ahrhv ' He warns them of his coming refers to ^6voVy it must mean Aga- madness. memnon*s murder. "^ The allusion is to the inspiring ^ The fikv suggests that we should music of the av\6s. read yivos Z\ nay .... ^x<<> ' ^^^ ^^^ " * (And it is useless to guess) for,' whole family incurs the gmlt of this &c. 1025—1057 CEOEPHOROE. 215 central temple of the earth, the holy ground of Loxias, and to the light of the fire reputed to be eternal, that I may be rid of the guilt of this kindred blood : and it was at no other altar that Loxias ordered me to take refuge. And I call on all the Argives to witness, how that these unhappy evils were forced on me [by the god] after a long time.^ But I [shall be] a wanderer and outcast from this land, both in life and in death leaving such reports about me Cho, But you have succeeded in your designs : pray let not your mouth be committed to any ill-omened expressions, nor bode evils against yourself. You have set free the whole Argive state by cutting off by a lucky stroke^ the heads of two dragons. Or. Ha, ha! ye captive women, here they come, like Gorgons, — all clad in sable garb, and their hair knotted with clustering snakes ! I can stand it no longer. Cho, What fancies, dearest of mortals to your father,^ are crazing you? Restrain yourself, fear not, since the victory is greatly in' your favour. Or, They are not mere fancies of these horrors to me ; for here are visibly the wrathful hell-hounds of my mother. Cho. As yet the blood is fresh on your hands : from that cause without doubt confused ideas rush into your mind. Or. King Apollo ! see they come in swarms ; and from their eyes they dribble loathsome gore. Cho. There is one way to be purified that is open to you ; if you cling a suppliant at the statue of Loxias, he will set you free from these horrors. Or. You do not see these Furies, but I see them ; I am driven away by them, and can no longer stay. Cho. Then fare thee well ! May the god watch thee with kindly eye, and keep thee safe with favourable fortune. This then is the third family-storm that has raged and come to an end in the house of the king. First came the sad 1 There is some corruption of the ' i. e, if you are persecuted by your text, as also in what follows. mother. ' The usual metaphor from dice. 216 CEOEPHOEOE. 1057 events of Thyestes' children being eaten by their {ia.ther: next, the tragic fate of the hero-king, when the general of the Achaean army perished, slain in the bath : and now again a third has suddenly come, — we hardly know whence, — a deliverer, or should I rather say, a doom ? How far then will the fury of this family curse go in accomplishing its end, -—where will it cease, lulled to r§st after the storm ? EUMENIDES. PERSOirS JREFRESENTED. pTTHiAjr Fbophetess. Ghost op Clttemnestba. Apollo. Okestes. Athena. Chokus op Furies. Prophetess, In the first place, I address before all other gods, in this my prayer, the primeval prophetess Earth ; and after her Themis, who next in succession occupied this ora- cular seat of her mother's, as is the common story : and in the third turn, with the full consent of Themis, and doing despite to no one, another Titanian goddess, child of Earth, took her seat there, Phoebe ; she presents it as a birthday- gift to Phoebus, and he retains Phoebe's name adapted to himself as the grandson.^ He, leaving the lake and low rocky isle of Delos, put-to at the shores of Pallas, where there was way for a ship, and so came to this (Delphian) land and the settlements near Parnassus. Thence he is escorted with • solemn worship by road-makers descended from Hephaestus,^ who caused the uncleared land to be opened for him by a highway.^ And on his arrival he is greatly honoured by the people, and by Delphus the ruling sovereign of this land. Him then, inspired in mind with the prophetic art, Zeus appoints, fourth in order, to be the present occupant of the oracular seat ; and Loxias acts as the 1 Changed from