Who have destroyed me, e'en the sons of Atreus,
E'en with Ulysses, source of all my woes?

My sufferings past I could forget; but oh!
I dread the woes to come; for well I know

When once the mind's corrupted it brings forth
Unnumbered crimes, and ills to ills succeed.

It moves my wonder much that thou, my friend,
Shouldst thus advise me, whom it ill becomes

To think of Troy. I rather had believed
Thou wouldst have sent me far, far off from those

Who have defrauded thee of thy just right,
And gave thy arms away. Are these the men

Whom thou wouldst serve? whom thou wouldst thus compel me
To save and to defend? It must not be.

Remember, O my son! the solemn oath
Thou gav'st to bear me to my native soil.

Do this, my friend, remain thyself at Scyros,
And leave these wretches to be wretched still.

Thus shalt thou merit double thanks, from me
And from thy father; nor by succour given

To vile betrayers prove thyself as vile.
NEOPTOLEMUS

Thou sayst most truly. Yet confide in heaven,
Trust to thy friend, and leave this hated place.

PHILOCTETES
Leave it! For whom? For Troy and the Atreidae?

These wounds forbid it.
NEOPTOLEMUS

They shall all be healed,
Where I will carry thee.

PHILOCTETES
An idle tale

Thou tellst me. surely; dost thou not?
NEOPTOLEMUS

I speak
What best may serve us both.

PHILOCTETES
But, speaking thus,

Dost thou not fear the' offended gods?
NEOPTOLEMUS

Why fear them?
Can I offend the gods by doing good?

PHILOCTETES
What good? To whom? To me or to the' Atreidae?

NEOPTOLEMUS
I am thy friend, and therefore would persuade thee.

PHILOCTETES
And therefore give me to my foes.

NEOPTOLEMUS
Alas!

Let not misfortunes thus transport thy soul
To rage and bitterness.

PHILOCTETES
Thou wouldst destroy me.

NEOPTOLEMUS
Thou knowst me not.

PHILOCTETES
I know th' Atreidae well,

Who left me here.
NEOPTOLEMUS

They did; yet they perhaps,
E'en they, O Philoctetes! may preserve thee.

PHILOCTETES
I never will to Troy.

NEOPTOLEMUS
What's to be done?

Since I can ne'er persuade thee, I submit;
Live on in misery.

PHILOCTETES
Then let me suffer;

Suffer I must; but, oh! perform thy promise;
Think on thy plighted faith, and guard me home

Instant, my friend, nor ever call back Troy
To my remembrance; I have felt enough

From Troy already.
NEOPTOLEMUS

Let us go; prepare!
PHILOCTETES

O glorious sound!
NEOPTOLEMUS

Bear thyself up.
PHILOCTETES

I will,
If possible.

NEOPTOLEMUS
But how shall I escape

The wrath of Greece?
PHILOCTETES

Oh! think not of it.
NEOPTOLEMUS

What
If they should waste my kingdom?

PHILOCTETES
I'll be there.

NEOPTOLEMUS
Alas! what canst thou do?

PHILOCTETES
And with these arrows

Of my Alcides-
NEOPTOLEMUS

Ha! What sayst thou?
PHILOCTETES

Drive
Thy foes before me. Not a Greek shall dare

Approach thy borders.
NEOPTOLEMUS

If thou wilt do this,
Salute the earth, and instant hence. Away!

(HERCULES appears from above,
and speaks as he moves forward.)

HERCULES
Stay, son of Poeas! Lo to thee 'tis given

Once more to see and hear thy loved Alcides,
Who for thy sake hath left yon heavenly mansions,

And comes to tell thee the decrees of Jove;
To turn thee from the paths thou meanst to tread,

And guide thy footsteps right. Therefore attend.
Thou knowst what toils, what labours I endured,

Ere I by virtue gained immortal fame;
Thou too like me by toils must rise to glory-

Thou too must suffer, ere thou canst be happy;
Hence with thy friend to Troy, where honour calls,

Where health awaits thee- where, by virtue raised
To highest rank, and leader of the war,

Paris, its hateful author, shalt thou slay,
Lay waste proud Troy, and send thy trophies home,

Thy valour's due reward, to glad thy sire
On Oeta's top. The gifts which Greece bestows

Must thou reserve to grace my funeral pile,
And be a monument to after-ages

Of these all-conquering arms. Son of Achilles
(Turning to NEOPTOLEMUS)

(For now to thee I speak), remember this,
Without his aid thou canst not conquer Troy,

Nor Philoctetes without thee succeed;
Go then, and, like two lions in the field

Roaming for prey, guard ye each other well;
My Aesculapius will I send e'en now

To heal thy wounds-Then go, and conquer Troy;
But when you lay the vanquished city waste.

Be careful that you venerate the gods;
For far above all other gifts doth Jove,

Th' almighty father, hold true piety:
Whether we live or die, that still survives

Beyond the reach of fate, and is immortal.
PHILOCTETES (chanting)

Once more to let me hear that wished-for voice,
To see thee after so long time, was bliss

I could not hope for. Oh! I will obey
Thy great commands most willingly.

NEOPTOLEMUS (chanting)
And I.

HERCULES (chanting)
Delay not then. For lo! a prosperous wind

Swells in thy sail. The time invites. Adieu!
(HERCULES disappears above.)

PHILOCTETES (chanting)
I will but pay my salutations here,

And instantly depart. To thee, my cave,
Where I so long have dwelt, I bid farewell!

And you, ye nymphs, who on the watery plains
Deign to reside, farewell! Farewell the noise

Of beating waves, which I so oft have heard
From the rough sea, which by the black winds driven

O'erwhelmed me, shivering. Oft th' Hermaean mount
Echoed my plaintive voice, by wintry storms

Afflicted, and returned me groan for groan.
Now, ye fresh fountains, each Lycaean spring,

I leave you now. Alas! I little thought
To leave you ever. And thou sea-girt isle,

Lemnos, farewell! Permit me to depart
By thee unblamed, and with a prosperous gale

To go where fate demands, where kindest friends
By counsel urge me, where all-powerful Jove

In his unerring wisdom hath decreed.
CHORUS (chanting)

Let us be gone, and to the ocean nymphs
Our humble prayers prefer, that they would all

Propitious smile, and grant us safe return.
-THE END-

.

• advise [əd´vaiz] vt.忠告；建议；通知 (初中英语单词)
• solemn [´sɔləm] a.严肃的；隆重的 (初中英语单词)
• wretched [´retʃid] a.可怜的；倒霉的 (初中英语单词)
• forbid [fə´bid] vt.禁止，不许，阻止 (初中英语单词)
• offend [ə´fend] v.犯错误；违犯；犯罪 (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
• persuade [pə´sweid] v.(被)说服；使相信 (初中英语单词)
• transport [træn´spɔ:t] n.运输；流放 (初中英语单词)
• preserve [pri´zə:v] v.保藏 n.保藏物 (初中英语单词)
• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)
• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)
• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)
• immortal [i´mɔ:təl] a.不死的n.不朽的人物 (初中英语单词)
• reward [ri´wɔ:d] n.&v.报答；报酬；奖赏 (初中英语单词)
• greece [gri:s] n.希腊 (初中英语单词)
• funeral [´fju:nərəl] n.葬礼，丧葬；困难 (初中英语单词)
• monument [´mɔnjumənt] n.纪念碑；古迹 (初中英语单词)
• conquer [´kɔŋkə] v.征服；克服；抑制 (初中英语单词)
• prosperous [´prɔspərəs] a.繁荣的；顺利的 (初中英语单词)
• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)
• farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)
• counsel [´kaunsəl] n.商议；劝告；律师 (初中英语单词)
• wisdom [´wizdəm] n.智慧，聪明，才智 (初中英语单词)
• humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)
• confide [kən´faid] v.委托；吐露；信任 (高中英语单词)
• remembrance [ri´membrəns] n.记忆(力)；回忆 (高中英语单词)
• heavenly [´hevənli] a.天的，天空的 (高中英语单词)
• reside [ri´zaid] vi.居住；(权利等)属于 (高中英语单词)
• hateful [´heitfəl] a.可恨的，可憎的 (英语四级单词)
• almighty [ɔ:l´maiti] a.万能的；全能的 (英语四级单词)
• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)
• watery [´wɔ:təri] a.水的；像水的 (英语六级单词)
• beating [´bi:tiŋ] n.敲；搅打；失败 (英语六级单词)
• plaintive [´pleintiv] a.表示哀怨(悲痛) (英语六级单词)
• wintry [´wintri] a.冬天的；荒凉的 (英语六级单词)