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                                     450 BC

                                   EUMENDIDES

                                  by Aeschylus

                        translated by E。 D。 A。 Morshead




                 CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY



    THE PYTHIAN PRIESTES

    APOLLO

    ORESTES

    THE GHOST OF CLYTEMNESTRA

    CHORUS OF FURIES

    ATHENA

    ATTENDANTS OF ATHENA

    TWELVE ATHENIAN CITIZENS

EUMENDIDES

    (SCENE:…Before the temple of APOLLO at Delphi。 The PYTHIAN

    PRIESTESS enters and approaches the doors of the temple。)



  THE PYTHIAN PRIESTES

    First; in this prayer; of all the gods I name

    The prophet…mother Earth; and Themis next;

    Second who sat…for so with truth is said…

    On this her mother's shrine oracular。

    Then by her grace; who unconstrained allowed;

    There sat thereon another child of Earth…

    Titanian Phoebe。 She; in after time;

    Gave o'er the throne; as birthgift to a god;

    Phoebus; who in his own bears Phoebe's name。

    He from the lake and ridge of Delos' isle

    Steered to the port of Pallas' Attic shores;

    The home of ships; and thence he passed and came

    Unto this land and to Pamassus' shrine。

    And at his side; with awe revering him;

    There went the children of Hephaestus' seed;

    The hewers of the sacred way; who tame

    The stubborn tract that erst was wilderness。

      And all this folk; and Delphos; chieftain…king

    Of this their land; with honour gave him home;

    And in his breast Zeus set a prophet's soul;

    And gave to him this throne; whereon he sits;

    Fourth prophet of the shrine; and; Loxias hight;

    Gives voice to that which Zeus his sire decrees。



    Such gods I name in my preluding prayer;

    And after them; I call with honour due

    On Pallas; wardress of the fane; and Nymphs

    Who dwell around the rock Corycian;

    Where in the hollow cave; the wild birds' haunt;

    Wander the feet of lesser gods; and there;

    Right well I know it; Bromian Bacchus dwells;

    Since he in godship led his Maenad host;

    Devising death for Pentheus; whom they rent

    Piecemeal; as hare among the hounds。 And last;

    I call on Pleistus' springs; Poseidon's might;

    And Zeus most high; the great Accomplisher。

    Then as a seeress to the sacred chair

    I pass and sit; and may the powers divine

    Make this mine entrance fruitful in response

    Beyond each former advent; triply blest。

    And if there stand without; from Hellas bound;

    Men seeking oracles; let each pass in

    In order of the lot; as use allows;

    For the god guides whate'er my tongue proclaims。



    (She goes into the interior of the temple; after a short

        interval; she returns in great fear。)



    Things fell to speak of; fell for eyes to see;

    Have sped me forth again from Loxias' shrine;

    With strength unstrung; moving erect no more;

    But aiding with my hands my failing feet;

    Unnerved by fear。 A beldame's force is naught…

    Is as a child's; when age and fear combine。

    For as I pace towards the inmost fane

    Bay…filleted by many a suppliant's hand;

    Lo; at the central altar I descry

    One crouching as for refuge…yea; a man

    Abhorred of heaven; and from his hands; wherein

    A sword new…drawn he holds; blood reeked and fell:

    A wand he bears; the olive's topmost bough;

    Twined as of purpose with a deep close tuft

    Of whitest wool。 This; that I plainly saw;

    Plainly I tell。 But lo; in front of him;

    Crouched on the altar…steps; a grisly band

    Of women slumbers…not like women they;

    But Gorgons rather; nay; that word is weak;

    Nor may I match the Gorgons' shape with theirs!

    Such have I seen in painted semblance erst…

    Winged Harpies; snatching food from Phineus' board;…

    But these are wingless; black; and all their shape

    The eye's abomination to behold。

    Fell is the breath…let none draw nigh to it…

    Exude the damned drops of poisonous ire:

    And such their garb as none should dare to bring

    To statues of the gods or homes of men。

    I wot not of the tribe wherefrom can come

    So fell a legion; nor in what land Earth

    Could rear; unharmed; such creatures; nor avow

    That she had travailed and had brought forth death。

    But; for the rest; be all these things a carp

    Unto the mighty Loxias; the lord

    Of this our shrine: healer and prophet he;

    Discerner he of portents; and the cleanser

    Of other homes…behold; his own to cleanse!



    (She goes out。 The central doors open; disclosing the interior of

        the temple。 ORESTES clings to the central altar; the FURIES

        lie slumbering at a little distance; APOLLO and HERMES appear

        from the innermost shrine。)



  APOLLO (to ORESTES)

    Lo; I desert thee never: to the end;

    Hard at thy side as now; or sundered far;

    I am thy guard; and to thine enemies

    Implacably oppose me: look on them;

    These greedy fiends; beneath my craft subdued I

    See; they are fallen on sleep; these beldames old;

    Unto whose grim and wizened maidenhood

    Nor god nor man nor beast can e'er draw near。

    Yea; evil were they born; for evil's doom;

    Evil the dark abyss of Tartarus

    Wherein they dwell; and they themselves the hate

    Of men on earth; and of Olympian gods。

    But thou; flee far and with unfaltering speed;

    For they shall hunt thee through the mainland wide

    Where'er throughout the tract of travelled earth

    Thy foot may roam; and o'er and o'er the seas

    And island homes of men。 Faint not nor fail;

    Too soon and timidly within thy breast

    Shepherding thoughts forlorn of this thy toil;

    But unto Pallas' city go; and there

    Crouch at her shrine; and in thine arms enfold

    Her ancient image: there we well shall find

    Meet judges for this cause and suasive pleas;

    Skilled to contrive for thee deliverance

    For by my hest thou didst thy mother slay。

  ORESTES

    O king Apollo; since right well thou know'st

    What justice bids; have heed; fulfil the same;…

    Thy strength is all…sufficient to achieve。

  APOLLO

    Have thou too heed; nor let thy fear prevail

    Above thy will。 And do thou guard him; Hermes;

    Whose blood is brother unto mine; whose sire

    The same high God。 Men call thee guide and guard;

    Guide therefore thou and guard my suppliant;

    For Zeus himself reveres the outlaw's right;

    Boon of fair escort; upon man conferred。



    (APOLLO; HERMES; and ORESTES go out。 The GHOST OF CLYTEMNESTRA

        rises。)



  GHOST OF CLYTEMNESTRA

    Sleep on! awake! what skills your sleep to me…

    Me; among all the dead by you dishonoured…

    Me from whom never; in the world of death;

    Dieth this course; 'Tis she who smote and slew;

    And shamed and scorned I roam? Awake; and hear

    My plaint of dead men's hate intolerable。

    Me; sternly slain by them that should have loved;

    Me doth no god arouse him to avenge;

    Hewn down in blood by matricidal hands。

    Mark ye these wounds from which the heart's blood ran;

    And by whose hand; bethink ye! for the sense

    When shut in sleep hath then the spirit…sight;

    But in the day the inward eye is blind。

    List; ye who drank so oft with lapping tongue

    The wineless draught by me outpoured to soothe

    Your vengeful ire! how oft on kindled shrine

    I laid the feast of darkness; at the hour

    Abhorred of every god but you alone!

    Lo; all my service trampled down and scorned!

    And he bath baulked your chase; as stag the hounds;

    Yea; lightly bounding from the circling toils;

    Hath wried his face in scorn; and flieth far。

    Awake and hear…for mine own soul I cry…

    Awake; ye powers of hell! the wandering ghost

    That once was Clytemnestra ca

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