Beneath thy feet imploring? Base betrayer!

To rob me of my bow, the means of life,
The only means- give 'em, restore 'em to me!

Do not take all Alas Alas! he hears me not,
Nor deigns to speak, but casts an angry look

That says I never shall be free again.
O mountains, rivers, rocks, and savage herds!

To you I speak- to you alone I now
Must breathe my sorrows; you are wont to hear

My sad complaints, and I will tell you all
That I have suffered from Achilles' son,

Who, bound by solemn oath to bear me hence
To my dear native soil, now sails for Troy.

The perjured wretch first gave his plighted hand,
Then stole the sacred arrows of my friend,

The son of Jove, the great Alcides; those
He means to show the Greeks, to snatch me hence

And boast his prize, as if poor Philoctetes,
This empty shade, were worthy of his arm.

Had I been what I was, he ne'er had thus
Subdued me, and e'en now to fraud alone

He owes the conquest. I have been betrayed!
Give me my arms again, and be thyself

Once more. Oh, speak! Thou wilt not? Then I'm lost.
O my poor hut! again I come to thee

Naked and destitute of food; once more
Receive me, here to die; for now, no longer

Shall my swift arrow reach the flying prey,
Or on the mountains pierce the wandering herd:

I shall myself afford a banquet now
To those I used to feed on- they the hunters,

And I their easy prey; so shall the blood
Which I so oft have shed be paid by mine;

And all this too from him whom once I deemed
Stranger to fraud nor capable of ill;

And yet I will not curse thee till I know
Whether thou still retainst thy horrid purpose,

Or dost repent thee of it; if thou dost not,
Destruction wait thee!

LEADER OF THE CHORUS
We attend your pleasure,

My royal lord, we must be gone; determine
To leave, or take him with us.

NEOPTOLEMUS
His distress

Doth move me much. Trust me, I long have felt
Compassion for him.

PHILOCTETES
Oh then by the gods

Pity me now, my son, nor let mankind
Reproach thee for a fraud so base.

NEOPTOLEMUS
Alas!

What shall I do? Would I were still at Scyros!
For I am most unhappy.

PHILOCTETES
O my son!

Thou art not base by nature, but misguided
By those who are, to deeds unworthy of thee.

Turn then thy fraud on them who best deserve it;
Restore my arms, and leave me.

NEOPTOLEMUS
Speak, my friends,

What's to be done?
(ULYSSES enters suddenly.)

ULYSSES
Ah! dost thou hesitate?

Traitor, be gone! Give me the arms.
PHILOCTETES

Ah me!
Ulysses here?

ULYSSES
Aye! 'tis Ulysses' self

That stands before thee.
PHILOCTETES

Then I'm lost, betrayed!
This was the cruel spoiler.

ULYSSES
Doubt it not.

'Twas I; I do confess it.
PHILOCTETES (to NEOPTOLEMUS)

O my son!
Give me them back.

ULYSSES
It must not be; with them

Thyself must go, or we shall drag thee hence.
PHILOCTETES

And will they force me? O thou daring villain!
ULYSSES

They will, unless thou dost consent to go.
PHILOCTETES

Wilt thou, O Lemnos! wilt thou, mighty Vulcan!
With thy all-conquering fire, permit me thus

To be torn from thee?
ULYSSES

Know, great Jove himself
Doth here preside. He hath decreed thy fate;

I but perform his will.
PHILOCTETES

Detested wretch,
Mak'st thou the gods a cover for thy crime?

Do they teach falsehood?
ULYSSES

No, they taught me truth,
And therefore, hence- that way thy journey lies.

(Pointing to the sea)
PHILOCTETES

It doth not.
ULYSSES

But I say it must be so.
PHILOCTETES

And Philoctetes then was born a slave!
I did not know it,

ULYSSES
No; I mean to place thee

E'en with the noblest, e'en with those by whom
Proud Troy must perish.

PHILOCTETES
Never will I go,

Befall what may, whilst this deep cave is open
To bury all my sorrows.

ULYSSES
What wouldst do?

PHILOCTETES
Here throw me down, dash out my desperate brains

Against this rock, and sprinkle it with my blood.
ULYSSES (to the CHORUS)

Seize, and prevent him!
(They seize him.)

PHILOCTETES
Manacled! O hands!

How helpless are you now! those arms, which once
Protected, thus torn from you! (To ULYSSES)

Thou abandoned,
Thou shameless wretch! from whom nor truth nor justice,

Naught that becomes the generous mind, can flow,
How hast thou used me! how betrayed! Suborned

This stranger, this poor youth, who, worthier far
To be my friend than thine, was only here

Thy instrument; he knew not what he did,
And now, thou seest, repents him of the crime

Which brought such guilt on him, such woes on me.
But thy foul soul, which from its dark recess

Trembling looks forth, beheld him void of art,
Unwilling as he was, instructed him,

And made him soon a master in deceit.
I am thy prisoner now; e'en now thou meanst

To drag me hence, from this unhappy shore,
Where first thy malice left me, a poor exile,

Deserted, friendless, and though living, dead
To all mankind. Perish the vile betrayer!

Oh! I have cursed thee often, but the gods
Will never bear the prayers of Philoctetes.

Life and its joys are thine, whilst I, unhappy,
Am but the scorn of thee, and the Atreidae,

Thy haughty masters. Fraud and force compelled thee,
Or thou hadst never sailed with them to Troy.

I lent my willing aid; with seven brave ships
I ploughed the main to serve them. In return

They cast me forth, disgraced me, left me here.
Thou sayst they did it; they impute the crime

To thee. And what will you do with me now?
And whither must I go? What end, what purpose

Could urge thee to it? I am nothing, lost
And dead already. Wherefore- tell me, wherefore?-

Am I not still the same detested burthen,
Loathsome and lame? Again must Philoctetes

Disturb your holy rites? If I am with you
How can you make libations? That was once

Your vile pretence for inhumanity.
Oh! may you perish for the deed! The gods

Will grant it sure, if justice be their care
And that it is I know. You had not left

Your native soil to seek a wretch like me
Had not some impulse from the powers above,

Spite of yourselves, ordained it. O my country!
And you, O gods! who look upon this deed,

Punish, in pity to me, punish all
The guilty band! Could I behold them perish,

My wounds were nothing; that would heal them all.
LEADER (to ULYSSES)

Observe, my lord, what bitterness of soul
His words express; he bends not to misfortune,

But seems to brave it.
ULYSSES

I could answer him,
Were this a time for words; but now, no more

Than this- I act as best befits our purpose.
Where virtue, truth, and justice are required

Ulysses yields to none; I was not born
To be o'ercome, and yet submit to thee.

Let him remain. Thy arrows shall suffice;
We want thee not! Teucer can draw thy bow

As well as thou; myself with equal strength
Can aim the deadly shaft, with equal skill.

What could thy presence do? Let Lemnos keep thee.
Farewell! perhaps the honours once designed

For thee may be reserved to grace Ulysses.
PHILOCTETES

Alas! shall Greece then see my deadliest foe
Adorned with arms which I alone should bear?

• restore [ri´stɔ:] vt.(使)恢复；修复 (初中英语单词)
• savage [´sævidʒ] a.野蛮的 n.蛮人 (初中英语单词)
• solemn [´sɔləm] a.严肃的；隆重的 (初中英语单词)
• sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)
• snatch [snætʃ] v.&n.抢，夺取，抓住 (初中英语单词)
• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)
• conquest [´kɔŋkwest] n.赢得；获得；占领地 (初中英语单词)
• pierce [piəs] v.刺穿；突破；洞察 (初中英语单词)
• capable [´keipəbəl] a.有能力；能干的 (初中英语单词)
• deserve [di´zə:v] v.应受；值得 (初中英语单词)
• confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
• desperate [´despərit] a.拼死的；绝望的 (初中英语单词)
• sprinkle [´spriŋkəl] v.撒，洒 n.细雨；微量 (初中英语单词)
• helpless [´helpləs] a.无助的，无依靠的 (初中英语单词)
• generous [´dʒenərəs] a.慷慨的；丰盛的 (初中英语单词)
• instrument [´instrumənt] n.仪器；手段；乐器 (初中英语单词)
• beheld [bi´held] behold的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)
• unhappy [ʌn´hæpi] a.不幸的；不快乐的 (初中英语单词)
• perish [´periʃ] v.灭亡；消灭；(使)死去 (初中英语单词)
• willing [´wiliŋ] a.情愿的，乐意的 (初中英语单词)
• impulse [´impʌls] n.推动(力)；冲动；刺激 (初中英语单词)
• punish [´pʌniʃ] vt.(惩)罚；痛击；折磨 (初中英语单词)
• guilty [´gilti] a.有罪的；心虚的 (初中英语单词)
• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)
• submit [səb´mit] vt.使服从；使忍受 (初中英语单词)
• deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)
• greece [gri:s] n.希腊 (初中英语单词)
• banquet [´bæŋkwit] n.宴会，盛宴 (高中英语单词)
• horrid [´hɔrid] a.令人讨厌的；极糟的 (高中英语单词)
• repent [ri´pent] v.后悔；悔改；悔悟 (高中英语单词)
• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
• preside [pri´zaid] vi.主持(会议)；主管 (高中英语单词)
• whilst [wailst] conj.当...时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)
• malice [´mælis] n.恶意；怨恨；预谋 (高中英语单词)
• haughty [´hɔ:ti] a.傲慢的，高傲的 (高中英语单词)
• pretence [pri´tens] n.假装；托词；无理要求 (高中英语单词)
• bitterness [´bitənis] n.苦味；辛酸；苦难 (高中英语单词)
• wretch [retʃ] n.不幸的人；卑鄙的人 (英语四级单词)
• unworthy [ʌn´wə:ði] a.不值得的；不足道的 (英语四级单词)
• daring [´deəriŋ] a.&n.勇敢(的) (英语四级单词)
• destitute [´destitju:t] a.贫穷的；缺乏...的 (英语六级单词)
• impute [im´pju:t] v.推诿，归(罪) (英语六级单词)