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The Tragedies of Euripides, Volume I. by Euripides

E >> Euripides >> The Tragedies of Euripides, Volume I.




JOCASTA, POLYNICES, CHORUS.

JOC. Hearing the Phoenician tongue, ye virgins, within this mansion, I drag
my steps trembling with age. Ah! my son, after length of time, after
numberless days, I behold thy countenance; clasp thy mother's bosom in
thine arms, throw around her[20] thy kisses, and the dark ringlets of thy
clustering hair, shading my neck. Ah! scarce possible is it that thou
appearest in thy mother's arms so unhoped for, and so unexpected. How shall
I address thee? how shall I perform all? how shall I, walking in rapture
around thee on that side and this, both with my hands and words, reap the
varied pleasure, the delight of my former joys? O my son, thou hast left
thy father's house deserted, sent away an exile by wrongful treatment from
thy brother. How longed for by thy friends! how longed for by Thebes! From
which time I am both shorn of my hoary locks, letting them fall with tears,
with wailing;[21] deprived, my child, of the white robes, I receive in
exchange around me these dark and dismal weeds. But the old man in the
palace deprived of sight, always preserving with tears regret for the
unanimity of the brothers which is separated from the family, has madly
rushed on self-destruction with the sword and with the noose above the
beams of the house, bewailing the curse imprecated on his children; and
with cries of woe he is always hidden in darkness. But thou, my child, I
hear, art both joined in marriage, and hast the joys of love in a foreign
family, and cherishest a foreign alliance; intolerable to this thy mother
and to the aged Laius, the woe of a foreign marriage brought upon us. But
neither did I light the torch of fire for you, as is customary in the
marriage rites, as befits the happy mother; nor was Ismenus careful of the
bridal rites in the luxury of the bath: and the entrance of thy bride was
made in silence through the Theban city. May these ills perish, whether the
sword, or discord, or thy father is the cause, or whether fate has rushed
with violence upon the house of Oedipus; for the weight of these sorrows
has fallen upon me.

CHOR. Parturition with the attendant throes has a wonderful effect on
women;[22] and somehow the whole race of women have strong affection toward
their children.

POL. My mother, determining wisely, and yet not determining wisely, have I
come to men my foes; but it is necessary that all must be enamored of their
country; but whoever says otherwise, pleases himself with vain words, but
has his heart there. But so far have I come to trouble and terror, lest any
treachery from my brother should slay me, so that having my hand on my
sword I proceeded through the city rolling round my eye; but one thing is
on my side, the truce and thy faith, which has brought me within my
paternal walls: but I have come with many tears, after a length of time
beholding the courts and the altars of the Gods, and the schools wherein I
was brought up, and the fount of Dirce, from which banished by injustice, I
inhabit a foreign city, having a stream of tears flowing through my eyes.
But, for from one woe springs a second, I behold thee having thy head shorn
of its locks, and these sable garments; alas me! on account of my
misfortunes. How dreadful a thing, mother, is the enmity of relations,
having means of reconciliation seldom to be brought about! For how fares
the old man my father in the palace, vainly looking upon darkness; and how
fare my two sisters? Are they indeed bewailing my wretched banishment?

JOC. Some God miserably destroys the race of Oedipus; for thus began it,
when I brought forth children in that unhallowed manner, and thy father
married me in evil hour, and thou didst spring forth. But why relate these
things? What is sent by the Gods we must bear. But how I may ask the
questions I wish, I know not, for I fear lest I wound at all thy feelings;
but I have a great desire.

POL. But inquire freely, leave nothing out. For what you wish, my mother,
this is dear to me.

JOC. I ask thee therefore, first, for the information that I wish to
obtain. What is the being deprived of one's country, is it a great ill?

POL. The greatest: and greater is it in deed than in word.

JOC. What is the reason of that? What is that so harsh to exiles?

POL. One thing, and that the greatest, not to have the liberty of speaking.

JOC. This that you have mentioned belongs to a slave, not to give utterance
to what one thinks.

POL. It is necessary to bear with the follies of those in power.

JOC. And this is painful, to be unwise with the unwise.

POL. But for interest we must bend to slavery contrary to our nature.

JOC. But hopes support exiles, as report goes.

POL. They look upon them with favorable eyes, at least, but are slow of
foot.

JOC. Hath not time shown them to be vain?

POL. They have a certain sweet delight to set against misfortunes.

JOC. But whence wert thou supported, before thou foundest means of
sustenance by thy marriage?

POL. At one time I had food for the day, at another I had not.

JOC. And did the friends and hosts of your father not assist you?

POL. Be prosperous, _and thou shalt have friends_:[23] but friends are
none, should one be in adversity.

JOC. Did not thy noble birth raise thee to great distinction?

POL. To want is wretched; high birth fed me not.

JOC. Their own country, it appears, is the dearest thing to men.

POL. You can not express by words how dear it is.

JOC. But how camest thou to Argos? What intention hadst thou?

POL. Apollo gave a certain oracle to Adrastus.

JOC. What is this thou hast mentioned? I am unable to discover.

POL. To unite his daughters in marriage with a boar and lion.

JOC. And what part of the name of beasts belongs to you, my son.

POL. I know not. The God called me to this fortune.

JOC. For the God is wise. But in what manner didst thou obtain her bed?

POL. It was night; but I came to the portals of Adrastus.

JOC. In search of a couch to rest on, as a wandering exile?

POL. This was the case, and then indeed there came a second exile.

JOC. Who was this? how unfortunate then was he also!

POL. Tydeus, who they say sprung from Oeneus his sire.

JOC. In what then did Adrastus liken you to beasts?

POL. Because we came to blows for lodging.

JOC. In this the son of Talaus understood the oracle.

POL. And gave in marriage to us two his two virgin daughters.

JOC. Art thou fortunate then in thy marriage alliance, or unfortunate?

POL. My marriage can not be found fault with up to this day.

JOC. But how didst thou persuade an army to follow you hither?

POL. Adrastus swore this oath to his two sons-in-law, that he would replace
both in their own country, but me first. And many princes of the Argives
and Mycenaeans are at hand, rendering to me a sad, but necessary favor; for
I am leading an army against this my own city; but I have called the Gods
to witness how unwillingly I have raised the spear against my dearest
parents. But the dissolution of these ills extends to thee, my mother, that
having reconciled the friendly brothers, you may free from toil me and
thyself, and the whole city. It is a proverb long ago chanted, but
nevertheless I will repeat it; wealth is honored most of all things by men,
and has the greatest influence of any thing among men. In pursuit of which
I am come, leading hither ten thousand spears: for a nobly-born man in
poverty is nothing.

CHOR. And see Eteocles here comes to this mediation; thy business it is, O
Jocasta, being their mother, to speak words, with which thou shalt
reconcile thy children.

ETEOCLES, POLYNICES, JOCASTA, CHORUS.

ETEO. Mother, I am present; giving this grace to thee, I have come; what
must I do? Let some one begin the conference. Since arranging also around
the walls the chariots of the bands, I restrained the city, that I may hear
from thee the common terms[24] of reconciliation, for which thou hast
permitted this man to come within the walls under sanction of a truce,
having persuaded me.

JOC. Stay; precipitate haste has not justice; but slow counsels perform
most deeds in wisdom. But repress that fierce eye and those blasts of rage;
for thou art not looking on the Gorgon's head cut off at the neck, but thou
art looking on thy brother who is come to thee. And do thou again,
Polynices, turn thy face toward thy brother; for looking at the same point
with thine eyes, thou wilt both speak better, and receive his words better.
But I wish to give you a wise piece of advice. When a friend is enraged
with a man his friend, having met him face to face, let him fix his eyes on
his friend's eyes, this only ought he to consider, the end for which he is
come, but to have no recollection of former grievances. Thy words then
first, my son, Polynices; for thou art come leading an army of Argives,
having suffered injustice, as thou sayest; and may some God be umpire and
the reconciler of your strife.

POL. The speech of truth is simple, and those things which are just need
not wily interpretations; for they have energy themselves; but the unjust
speech, unsound in itself, requires cunning preparations to gloze it. But I
have previously considered for my father's house, and my own advantage and
that of this man; desiring to escape the curses, which Oedipus denounced
formerly against us, I myself of my own accord departed from this land,
having given him to rule over his own country for the space of a year, so
that I myself should have the government again, having received it in turn,
and not having come into enmity and bloodshed with this man to perform some
evil deed, and to suffer what is now taking place. But he having assented
to this, and having brought the Gods to witness his oaths, has performed
nothing of what he promised, but himself holds the regal power and my share
of the palace. And now I am ready, having received my own right, to send
the army away from out of this land, and to regulate my house, having
received it in my turn, and to give it up again to this man for the same
space of time, and neither to lay my country waste, nor to apply to its
towers the means of ascent by the firmly-fixed ladders. Which, should I not
meet with justice, will I endeavor to put in execution: and I call the Gods
as witnesses of this, that acting in every thing with justice, I am without
justice deprived of my country in the most unrighteous manner. These
individual circumstances, mother, not having collected together intricacies
of argument, have I declared, but both to the wise and to the illiterate
just, as appears to me.

CHOR. To me indeed, although we have not been brought up according to the
Grecian land, nevertheless to me thou appearest to speak with judgment.

ETEO. If the same thing were judged honorable alike by all, and at the same
time wise, there would not be doubtful strife among men. But now nothing is
similar, nothing the same among mortals, except in names; but the sense is
not the same, for I, my mother, will speak having kept nothing back; I
would mount to the rising of the stars, and sink beneath the earth, were I
able to perform this, so that I might possess the greatest of the
Goddesses, kingly power.[25] This prize then, my mother, I am not willing
rather to give up to another, than to preserve for myself. For it implies
cowardice in him, whoever having lost the greater share, hath received the
less; but in addition to this I feel ashamed, that this man having come
with arms, and laying the country waste, should obtain what he wishes; for
to Thebes this would be a reproach, if through fear of the Mycenaean spear I
should give up my sceptre for this man to hold. But he ought, my mother, to
effect a reconciliation, not by arms: for speech does every thing which
even the sword of the enemy could do. But if he is desirous of inhabiting
this land in any other way, it is in his power; but the other point I will
never give up willingly. When it is in my power to rule, ever to be a slave
to him? Wherefore come fire, come sword, yoke thy steeds, fill the plains
with chariots, since I will not give up my kingly power to this man. For if
one must be unjust, it is most glorious to be unjust concerning empire, but
in every thing else one should be just.

CHOR. It is not right to speak well, where the deeds are not glorious; for
this is not honorable, but galling to justice.

JOC. My son, Eteocles, not every ill is added to age, but experience has it
in its power to evince more wisdom than youth.[26] Why, my child, dost thou
so desirously court ambition, the most baneful of the deities? do not thou;
the Goddess is unjust. But she hath entered into many families and happy
states and hath come forth again, to the destruction of those who have to
do with her. Of whom thou art madly enamored. This is more noble, my son,
to honor equality, which ever links friends with friends, and states with
states, and allies with allies: for equality is sanctioned by law among
men. But the lesser share is ever at enmity with the greater, and straight
begins the day of hatred. For equality arranged also among mortals
measures, and the divisions of weights, and defined numbers. And the dark
eye of night, and the light of the sun, equally walk their annual round,
and neither of them being overcome hath envy of the other. Thus the sun and
the night are subservient to men, but wilt not thou brook having an equal
share of government, and give his share to him? Then where is justice? Why
dost thou honor so unboundedly that prosperous injustice, royalty, and
think so highly of her? Is the being conspicuous honorable? At least, it is
empty honor. Or dost thou desire to labor much, possessing much in thy
house? but what is superfluity? It possesses but a name; since a
sufficiency indeed to the temperate is abundance. Neither do men enjoy
riches as their own, but having the property of the Gods do we cherish
them. And when they list, again do they take them away. Come, if I ask
thee, having proposed together two measures, whether it is thy wish to
reign, or save the city? Wilt thou say, to reign? But should he conquer
thee, and the Argive spears overcome the Cadmaeanforces, thou wilt behold
this city of the Thebans vanquished, thou wilt behold many captive maidens
with violence ravished by men your foes. Bitter then to Thebes will be the
power which thou seekest to hold; but yet thou art ambitious of it. To thee
I say this: but to thee, Polynices, say I, that Adrastus hath conferred an
unwise favor on thee; and foolishly hast thou also come to destroy this
city. Come, if thou wilt subdue this land (may which never happen), by the
Gods, how wilt thou erect trophies of thy spear? And how again wilt thou
sacrifice the first-fruits, having conquered thy country? and how wilt thou
engrave upon the spoils by the waters of Inachus, "Having laid Thebes in
ashes, Polynices consecrated these shields to the Gods?" Never, my son, may
it come to thee to receive such glory from the Greeks. But again, shouldest
thou be conquered, and should the arms of the other prevail, how wilt thou
return to Argos having left behind ten thousand dead? Surely some one will
say, O! unfortunate marriage alliance! O Adrastus, who placed them on us,
through the nuptials of one bride we are lost! Thou art hastening two ills,
my son, to be deprived of those, and to fail in this. Give up your too
great ardor, give it up; the follies of two when they clash together in the
same point, are the most hateful ill.

CHOR. O ye Gods, may ye be averters of these ills, and grant to the
children of Oedipus some means of agreement.

ETEO. My mother, this is not a contest of words, but intervening time is
fruitlessly wasted; and thy earnestness avails nothing; for we shall not
agree in any other way, than on the terms proposed, that I holding the
sceptre be monarch of this land. Forbearing then tedious admonitions, let
me have my way; and do thou begone from out these walls, or thou shalt die.

POL. By whose hand? Who is there so invulnerable, who having pointed the
murderous sword against me, shall not bear the same fate?

ETEO. He is near, not far removed from thee: dost thou look on these my
hands?

POL. I see them. But wealth is cowardly, and feeble, loving life.

ETEO. And therefore hast thou come, with such a host against one who is
nothing in arms?

POL. For a cautious general is better than one daring.

ETEO. Thou art insolent, having trusted in the truce, which preserves you
from death.

POL. A second time again I demand of you the sceptre and my share of the
land.

ETEO. I will admit no demand, for I will regulate my own family.

POL. Holding more than your share?

ETEO. I own it; but quit this land.

POL. O ye altars of my paternal Gods.

ETEO. Which thou art come to destroy?

POL. Do ye hear me?

ETEO. Who will hear thee, who art marching against thy country?

POL. And ye shrines of the Gods[27] delighting in the milk-white steeds;

ETEO. Who hate thee.

POL. I am driven out of my own country.

ETEO. For thou hast come to destroy it.

POL. With injustice indeed, O ye Gods!

ETEO. At Mycenae call upon the Gods, not here.

POL. Thou art impious.

ETEO. But not my country's enemy, as thou art.

POL. Who drives me out without my share.

ETEO. And I will put thee to death in addition.

POL. My father, hearest thou what I suffer?

ETEO. For he hears what wrongs thou doest.

POL. And thou, my mother?

ETEO. It is not lawful for thee to mention thy mother.

POL. O my city!

ETEO. To Argos go, and call on Lerna's stream.

POL. I will go, do not distress thyself; but thee, my mother, I mention
with honor.

ETEO. Depart from out of the country.

POL. I will go out; but grant me to see my father.

ETEO. You will not obtain your request.

POL. But my virgin sisters then.

ETEO. Never shalt thou behold these.

POL. O my sisters!

ETEO. Why callest thou on these--being their greatest enemy?

POL. My mother, but thou farewell.

JOC. Do I experience any thing that is well, my son?

POL. I am no longer thy child.

JOC. To many troubles was I born.

POL. For he throws insults on us.

ETEO. For I am insulted in turn.

POL. Where wilt thou stand before the towers?

ETEO. Why dost thou ask me this question?

POL. I will oppose myself to thee, to slay thee.

ETEO. Desire of this seizes me also.

JOC. Wretched me! what will ye do, my children?

POL. The deed itself will show.

JOC. Will ye not escape your father's curses?

ETEO. Let the whole house perish!

POL. Since soon my blood-stained sword will not remain any longer in
inactivity. But I call to witness the land that nurtured me, and the Gods,
how dishonored I am driven from this land, suffering such foul treatment,
as a slave and not born of the same father Oedipus. And if any thing
befalls thee, my city, blame not me, but him; for against my will have I
come, and against my will am I driven from this land. And thou, king
Apollo, God of our streets, and ye shrines, farewell, and ye my equals, and
ye altars of the Gods receiving the victims; for I know not if it is
allowed me ever again to address you. But hope does not yet slumber, in
which I have trusted with the favor of the Gods, that having slain this
man, I shall be master of this Theban land.

ETEO. Depart from out of the country; with truth indeed did your father
give you the name of Polynices by some divine foreknowledge, a name
corresponding with strife.

CHORUS.

Cadmus came from Tyre to this land, before whom the quadrupede heifer bent
with willing fall,[28] showing the accomplishment of the oracle, where the
divine word ordered him to colonize the plains of the Aonians productive of
wheat, where indeed the fair-flowing stream of the water of Dirce passes
over the verdant and deep-furrowed fields, where the * * * * mother
produced Bacchus, by her marriage with Jove, whom the wreathed ivy twining
around him instantly, while yet a babe, blest and covered with its verdant
shady branches, an event to be celebrated with Bacchic revel by the Theban
virgins and inspired women. There was the bloodstained dragon of Mars, the
savage guard, watching with far-rolling eyeballs over the flowing fountains
and grassy streams; whom Cadmus, having come for water for purification,
slew with a fragment of rock, the destroyer of the monster having thrown
his arms with blows on his blood-stained head, by the counsel of the divine
Pallas born without mother, having thrown the teeth fallen to the earth
upon the deep-furrowed plains. Whence the earth sent forth a spectacle, an
armed [host] above the extreme limits of the ground; but iron-hearted
slaughter again united them with their beloved earth; and sprinkled with
blood the ground which showed them to the serene gales of the air. And
thee, sprung of old from our ancestor Io, Epaphus, O progeny of Jove, on
thee have I called, have I called in a foreign tongue, with prayers in
foreign accent, come, come to this land (thy descendants have founded it),
where the two Goddesses Proserpine and the dear Goddess Ceres, queen of all
(since earth nurtures all things), have held their possessions, send the
fire-bearing Goddesses to defend this land: since every thing is easy to
the Gods.

ETEOCLES, CHORUS, MESSENGER.

ETEO. Go thou, and bring hither Creon son of Menoeceus, the brother of my
mother Jocasta, saying this, that I wish to communicate with him counsels
of a private nature and those which concern the common welfare of the
country, before we go into battle and the ranks of war. And see, he spares
the trouble of your steps, by his presence; for I see him coming toward my
palace.

CREON, ETEOCLES, CHORUS.

CRE. Surely have I visited many places, desiring to see you, O king
Eteocles! and I have gone round to the gates and the guards of the Thebans,
seeking you.

ETEO. And indeed I have wished to see you, Creon, for I found attempts at
reconciliation altogether fail when I came and entered into conference with
Polynices.

CRE. I have heard that he aspires to higher thoughts than Thebes, having
trusted in his alliance with Adrastus and his army. But it becomes us to
hold these things in dependence on the Gods. But what is most immediately
before us, this am I come to acquaint you with.

ETEO. What is this? for I understand not your speech.

CRE. A prisoner is arrived from the Argives.

ETEO. Does he bring us any news of those stationed there?

CRE. The Argive army is preparing quickly to surround the city of the
Thebans with thickly-ranged arms.(Note [B].)

ETEO. Therefore must we draw our forces out of the Theban city.

CRE. Whither? Dost thou not in the impetuosity of youth see what it
behooves thee to see?

ETEO. Without these trenches, as we are quickly about to fight.

CRE. Small are the forces of this land; but theirs innumerable.

ETEO. I know that they are bold in words.

CRE. Argos of the Greeks has some renown.

ETEO. Be confident; quickly will I fill the plain with their slaughter.

CRE. I would it were so: but this I see is a work of much labor.

ETEO. Know that I will not restrain my forces within the walls.

CRE. And yet the whole of victory is prudence.

ETEO. Dost thou wish then that I have recourse to other measures?

CRE. To every measure indeed, rather than hazard all on one battle.

ETEO. What if we were to attack them by night from ambush?

CRE. If, having failed, at least you can have a safe retreat hither.

ETEO. Night brings the same advantage to all, but more to the daring.

CRE. Dreadful is it to fail in the darkness of night.

ETEO. But shall I lead my force against them while at their meal?

CRE. That would cause terror; but we must conquer.

ETEO. The ford of Dirce is indeed deep to pass.

CRE. Every thing is inferior to a good guard.

ETEO. What then, shall I charge the Argive army with my cavalry?

CRE. And there the army is fenced round with chariots.

ETEO. What then shall I do? give up the city to the enemy?

CRE. By no means; but deliberate if thou art wise.

ETEO. What more prudent forethought is there?

CRE. They say that they have seven men, as I have heard.

ETEO. What have they been commanded to do? for their strength is small.

CRE. To head their bands, to besiege the seven gates.

ETEO. What then shall we do? I will not wait this indecision.

CRE. Do thou thyself also choose seven men for the gates.

ETEO. To head divisions, or for single combat?

CRE. To head divisions, having selected the bravest.

ETEO. I understand you; to guard the approach to the walls.

CRE. And with them other generals; one man sees not every thing?

ETEO. Having chosen them for boldness, or prudence in judgment?

CRE. For both; for one without the other availeth nothing.

ETEO. It shall be so: and having gone to the city of the seven towers, I
will appoint chiefs at the gates, as you advise, having opposed equal
champions against equal foes. But to mention the name of each would be a
great delay, the enemy encamped under our very walls. But I will go, that I
may not be idle with my hand. And may it befall me to find my brother
opposed to me, and being joined with me in battle, to take him with my
spear, [and to slay him, who came to desolate my country.] But it is thy
duty to attend to the marriage of my sister Antigone and thy son Haemon, if
I fail aught of success; but the firm vow made before I now confirm at my
going out. Thou art my mother's brother, why need I use more words? Treat
her worthily, both for thine own and my sake. But my father incurs the
punishment of the rashness he brought upon himself, having quenched his
sight; I praise him not; even us will he put to death with his execrations,
should he gain his point. But one thing is left undone by us, if the
soothsayer Tiresias have any oracle to deliver, to enquire this of him; but
I will send thy son, Creon, Menoeceus, of the same name with thy father, to
bring Tiresias hither. With pleasure will he enter into conversation with
you; but I lately reviled him with his divining art, so that he is offended
with me. But this charge I give the city with thee, Creon; if my arms
should conquer, that the body of Polynices be never buried in this Theban
land; but that the man who buries him shall die, although he be a friend.
This I have told you: but my attendants I tell, bring out my arms, and my
panoply which covers me, that we may go this appointed contest of the spear
with victorious justice. But to Caution, the most valued of the Goddesses,
will we address our prayers to preserve this city.

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