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第7章

iphigenia in tauris-第7章

小说: iphigenia in tauris 字数: 每页4000字

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  ORESTES

    What I myself have seen I now as proofs

    Will mention。 In thy father's house; hung high

    Within thy virgin chambers; the old spear

    Of Pelops; which he brandish'd when he slew

    Oenomaus; and won his beauteous bride;

    The virgin Hippodamia; Pisa's boast。

  IPHIGENIA

    O thou most dear (for thou art he); most dear

    Acknowledged; thee; Orestes; do I hold;

    From Argos; from thy country distant far?

  ORESTES

    And hold I thee; my sister; long deem'd dead?

    Grief mix'd with joy; and tears; not taught by woe

    To rise; stand melting in thy eyes and mine。

  IPHIGENIA

    Thee yet an infant in thy nurse's arms

    I left; a babe I left thee in the house。

    Thou art more happy; O my soul; than speech

    Knows to express。 What shall I say? 'tis all

    Surpassing wonder and the power of words。

  ORESTES

    May we together from this hour be bless'd!

  IPHIGENIA

    An unexpected pleasure; O my friends;

    Have I received; yet fear I from my hands

    Lest to the air it fly。 O sacred hearths

    Raised by the Cyclops! O my country; loved

    Mycenae! Now that thou didst give me birth;

    T thank thee; now I thank thee; that my youth

    Thou trainedst; since my brother thou has train'd;

    A beam of light; the glory of his house。

  ORESTES

    We in our race are happy; but our life;

    My sister; by misfortunes is unhappy。

  IPHIGENIA

    I was; I know; unhappy; when the sword

    My father; frantic; pointed at my neck。

  ORESTES

    Ah me! methinks ev'n now I see thee there。

  IPHIGENIA

    When to Achilles; brother; not a bride;

    I to the sacrifice by guile was led;

    And tears and groans the altar compass'd round。

  ORESTES

    Alas; the lavers there!

  IPHIGENIA

    I mourn'd the deed

    My father dared; unlike a father's love;

    Cruel; unlike a father's love; to me。

  ORESTES

    Ill deeds succeed to ill: if thou hadst slain

    Thy brother; by some god impell'd; what griefs

    Must have been thine at such a dreadful deed!

  IPHIGENIA (chanting)

    Dreadful my brother; O how dreadful! scarce

    Hast thou escaped a foul; unhallow'd death;

    Slain by my hands。 But how will these things end?

    What Fortune will assist me? What safe means

    Shall I devise to send thee from this state;

    From slaughter; to thy native land; to Argos;

    Ere with thy blood the cruel sword be stain'd?

    This to devise; O my unhappy soul!

    This to devise is thine。 Wilt thou by land;

    Thy bark deserted; speed thy flight on foot?

    Perils await thee mid these barbarous tribes;

    Through pathless wilds; and 'twixt the clashing rocks;

    Narrow the passage for the flying bark;

    And long。 Unhappy; ah; unhappy me!

    What god; what mortal; what unlook'd…for chance

    Will expedite our dangerous way; and show

    Two sprung from Atreus a release from ills?

  LEADER

    What having seen and heard I shall relate;

    Is marvellous; and passes fabling tales。

  PYLADES

    When after absence long; Orestes; friend

    Meets friend; embraces will express their joy。

    Behooves us now; bidding farewell to grief;

    And heedful to obtain the glorious name

    Of safety; from this barbarous land to fly。

    The wise; of fortune not regardless; seize

    The occasion; and to happiness advance。

  ORESTES

    Well hast thou said; and Fortune here; I ween;

    Will aid us; to the firm and strenuous mind

    More potent works the influence divine。

  IPHIGENIA

    Nothing shall check; nothing restrain my speech:

    First will I question thee what fortune waits

    Electra: this to know would yield me joy。

  ORESTES

    With him (pointing to Pylades) she dwells; and happy is her life;

  IPHIGENIA

    Whence then is he? and from what father sprung?

  ORESTES

    From Phocis: Strophius is his father named。

  IPHIGENIA

    By Atreus' daughter to my blood allied?

  ORESTES

    Nearly allied: my only faithful friend。

  IPHIGENIA

    He was not then; me when my father slew。

  ORESTES

    Childless was Strophius for some length of time。

  IPHIGENIA

    O thou; the husband of my sister; hail

  ORESTES

    More than relation; my preserver too。

  IPHIGENIA

    But to thy mother why that dreadful deed?

  ORESTES

    Of that no more: to avenge my father's death。

  IPHIGENIA

    But for what cause did she her husband slay?

  ORESTES

    Of her inquire not: thou wouldst blush to hear。

  IPHIGENIA

    The eyes of Argos now are raised to thee。

  ORESTES

    There Menelaus is lord; I; outcast; fly。

  IPHIGENIA

    Hath he then wrong'd his brother's ruin'd house?

  ORESTES

    Not so: the Furies fright me from the land。

  IPHIGENIA

    The madness this; which seized thee on the shore?

  ORESTES

    I was not first beheld unhappy there。

  IPHIGENIA

    Stern powers! they haunt thee for thy mother's blood。

  ORESTES

    And ruthless make me champ the bloody bit。

  IPHIGENIA

    Why to this region has thou steer'd thy course?

  ORESTES

    Commanded by Apollo's voice; I come。

  IPHIGENIA

    With what intent? if that may be disclosed。

  ORESTES

    I will inform thee; though to length of speech

    This leads。 When vengeance from my hands o'ertook

    My mother's deeds…foul deeds; which let me pass

    In silence…by the Furies' fierce assaults

    To flight I was impell'd: to Athens then

    Apollo sent me; that; my cause there heard;

    I might appease the vengeful powers; whose names

    May not be utter'd: the tribunal there

    Is holy; which for Mars; when stain'd with blood;

    Jove in old times establish'd。 There arrived;

    None willingly received me; by the gods

    As one abhorr'd; and they; who felt the touch

    Of shame; the hospitable board alone

    Yielded; and though one common roof beneath;

    Their silence showing they disdain'd to hold

    Converse with me; I took from them apart

    A lone repast; to each was placed a bowl

    Of the same measure; this they filled with wine;

    And bathed their spirits in delight。 Unmeet

    I deem'd it to express offence at those

    Who entertain'd me; but in silence grieved;

    Showing a cheer as though I mark'd it not;

    And sigh'd for that I shed my mother's blood。

    A feast; I hear; at Athens is ordain'd

    From this my evil plight; ev'n yet observed;

    In which the equal…measured bowl then used

    Is by that people held in honour high。

    But when to the tribunal on the mount

    Of Mars I came; one stand I took; and one

    The eldest of the Furies opposite:

    The cause was heard touching my mother's blood;

    And Phoebus saved me by his evidence:

    Equal; by Pallas number'd; were the votes

    And I from doom of blood victorious freed

    Such of the Furies as there sat; appeased

    By the just sentence; nigh the court resolved

    To fix their seat; but others; whom the law

    Appeased not; with relentless tortures still

    Pursued me; till I reach'd the hallow'd soil

    Of Phoebus: stretch'd before his shrine; I swore

    Foodless to waste my wretched life away;

    Unless the god; by whom I was undone;

    Would save me: from the golden tripod burst

    The voice divine; and sent me to this shore;

    Commanding me to bear the image hence;

    Which fell from Jove; and in the Athenian land

    To fix it。 What the oracular voice assign'd

    My safety; do thou aid: if we obtain

    The statue of the goddess; I no more

    With madness shall be tortured; but this arm

    Shall place thee in my bark; which ploughs the waves

    With many an oar; and to Mycenae safe

    Bear thee again。 Show then a sister's love;

    O thou most dear; preserve thy father's house;

    Preserve me too; for me destruction waits;

    And all the race of Pelops; if we bear not


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