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effrontery to misfortune。

  CLYTAEMNESTRA

    Well; listen; for I will now unfold my meaning and no longer

employ dark riddles。 In the first place…to reproach thee first with

this…it was not of my own free will but by force that thou didst

take and wed me; after slaying Tantalus; my former husband; and

dashing my babe on the ground alive; when thou hadst torn him from

my breast with brutal violence。 Then; when those two sons of Zeus; who

were likewise my brothers; came flashing on horseback to war with

thee; Tyndareus; my aged sire; rescued thee because of thy suppliant

prayers; and thou in turn hadst me to wife。 Once reconciled to thee

upon this footing; thou wilt bear me witness I have been a blameless

wife to thee and thy family; chaste in love; an honour to thy house;

that so thy coming in might be with joy and thy going out with

gladness。 And 'tis seldom a man secures a wife like this; though the

getting of a worthless woman is no rarity。

  Besides three daughters; of one of whom thou art heartlessly

depriving me; I am the mother of this son of thine。 If anyone asks

thee thy reason for slaying her; tell me; what wilt thou say? or

must say it for thee? 〃It is that Menelaus may recover Helen。〃 An

honourable exchange; indeed; to pay a wicked woman's price in

children's lives! 'Tis buying what we most detest with what we hold

most dear。 Again; if thou go forth with the host; leaving me in thy

halls; and art long absent at Troy; what will my feelings be at

home; dost think? when I behold each vacant chair and her chamber

now deserted; and then sit down alone in tears; making ceaseless

lamentation for her; 〃Ah! my child; he that begat thee hath slain thee

himself; he and no one else; nor was it by another's hand。。。to thy

home; after leaving such a price to be paid; for it needs now but a

trifling pretext for me and the daughters remaining to give thee the

reception it is right thou shouldst receive。 I adjure thee by the

gods; compel me not to sin against thee; nor sin thyself。 Go to;

suppose thou sacrifice the child; what prayer wilt thou utter; when

'tis done? what will the blessing be that thou wilt invoke upon

thyself as thou art slaying our daughter? an ill returning maybe;

seeing the disgrace that speeds thy going forth。 Is it right that I

should pray for any luck to attend thee? Surely we should deem the

gods devoid of sense; if we harboured a kindly feeling towards

murderers。 Shalt thou embrace thy children on thy coming back to

Argos? Nay; thou hast no right。 Will any child of thing e'er face

thee; if thou have surrendered one of them to death? Has this ever

entered into thy calculations; or does thy one duty consist in

carrying a sceptre about and marching at the head of an army? when

thou mightest have made this fair proposal among the Argives; 〃Is it

your wish; Achaeans; to sail for Phrygia's shores? Why then; cast lots

whose daughter has to die。〃 For that would have been a fair course for

thee to pursue; instead of picking out thy own child for the victim

and presenting her to the Danai; or Menelaus; inasmuch as it was his

concern; should have slain Hermione for her mother。 As it is; I; who

still am true to thee; must lose my child; while she; who went astray;

will return with her daughter; and live in happiness at Sparta。 If I

am wrong in aught herein; answer me; but if my words have been

fairly urged; do not still slay thy child; who is mine too; and thou

wilt be wise。

  CHORUS

    Hearken to her Agamemnon; for to join in saving thy children's

lives is surely a noble deed; none would gainsay this。

  IPHIGENIA

    Had I the eloquence of Orpheus; my father; to move the rocks by

chanted spells to follow me; or to charm by speaking whom I would; I

had resorted to it。 But as it is; I'll bring my tears…the only art I

know; for that I might attempt。 And about thy knees; in suppliant

wise; I twine my limbs these limbs thy wife here bore。 Destroy me

not before my time; for sweet is to look upon the light; and force

me not to visit scenes below。 I was the first to call thee father;

thou the first to call me child; the first was I to sit upon thy

knee and give and take the fond caress。 And this was what thou then

wouldst say; 〃Shall I see thee; my child; living a happy prosperous

life in a husband's home one day; in a manner worthy of myself?〃 And I

in my turn would ask; as I hung about thy beard; whereto I now am

clinging; 〃How shall I see thee? Shall I be giving thee a glad

reception in my halls; father; in thy old age; repaying all thy

anxious care in rearing me?

    I remember all we said; 'tis thou who hast forgotten and now

wouldst take my life。 By Pelops; I entreat thee spare me; by thy

father Atreus and my mother here; who suffers now a second time the

pangs she felt before when bearing me! What have I to do with the

marriage of Paris and Helen? why is his coming to prove my ruin;

father? Look upon me; one glance; one kiss bestow; that this at

least I may carry to my death as a memorial of thee; though thou

heed not my pleading。

    (Holding up the babe to ORESTES) Feeble ally though thou art;

brother; to thy loved ones; yet add thy tears to mine and entreat

our father for thy sister's life; even in babes there is a natural

sense of ill。 O father; see this speechless supplication made to thee;

pity me; have mercy on my tender years! Yea; by thy beard we two

fond hearts implore thy pity; the one a babe; a full…grown maid the

other。 By summing all my pleas in one; I will prevail in what I say。

To gaze upon yon light is man's most cherished gift; that life below

is nothingness; and whoso longs for death is mad。 Better live a life

of woe than die a death of glory!

  CHORUS

    Ah; wretched Helen! Awful the struggle that has come to the sons

of Atreus and their children; thanks to thee and those marriages of

thine。

  AGAMEMNON

    While loving my own children; I yet understand what should move my

pity and what should not; I were a madman else。 'Tis terrible for me

to bring myself to this; nor less terrible is it to refuse;

daughter; for I must fare the same。 Ye see the vastness of von naval

host; and the numbers of bronze clad warriors from Hellas; who can

neither make their way to Ilium's towers nor raze the far…famed

citadel of Troy; unless I offer thee according to the word of

Calchas the seer。 Some mad desire possesses the host of Hellas to sail

forthwith to the land of the barbarians; and put a stop to the rape of

wives from Hellas; and they will slay my daughters in Argos as well as

you and me; if I disregard the goddess's behests。 It is not Menelaus

who hath enslaved me to him; child; nor have I followed wish of his;

nay; 'tis Hellas; for whom I must sacrifice thee whether I will or no;

to this necessity I bow my head; for her freedom must be preserved; as

far as any help of thine; daughter; or mine can go; nor must they; who

are the sons Hellas; be pillaged of their wives by barbarian robbery。



                                     AGAMEMNON rushes from the stage;



  CLYTAEMNESTRA

    My child Ye stranger ladies!

    Woe is me for this thy death! Thy father flies; surrendering

thee to Hades。

  IPHIGENIA

    Woe is me; O mother mine! for the same strain hath fallen to

both of us in our fortune。 No more for me the light of day! no more

the beams of yonder sun! Woe for that snow…beat glen in Phrygia and

the hills of Ida; where Priam once exposed a tender babe; torn from

his mother's arms to meet a deadly doom; e'en Paris; called the

child of Ida in the Phrygians' town。 Would Priam ne'er had settled

him; the herdsman reared amid the herds; beside that water

crystal…clear; where are fountains of the Nymphs and their meadow rich

with blooming flowers; where hyacinths and rose…buds blow for

goddesses to gather! Hither one day came Pallas and Cypris of the

subtle heart; Hera too and Hermes messenger of Zeus…Cypris; proud of

the longing she causes; Pallas of her prowess; and Hera of her royal

marriage with king Zeus…to decide a hateful strife about their beauty;

but it is my death; maidens…fraught; 'tis true; with glory to the

Danai…that Artemis has received as an offering; before they begin

the voyage to Ilium。

    O mother; mother! he that begat me to this life of sorrow has gone

and left me all alone。 Ah! woe is me! a bitter; bitter sight for me

was Helen; evil Helen! to me now doomed to bleed and die;

slaughtered by an impious sire。

    I would this Aulis had never received in its havens here the

sterns of their bronze…beaked ships; the fleet which was speeding them

to Troy; and would that Zeus had never breathed on the Euripus a

wind to stop the expedition; tempering; as he doth; a different breeze

to different men; so that some have joy in setting sail; and sorrow

some; and others hard constraint; to make some start and others stay

and others furl their sails! Full of trouble then; it seems; is the

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