Æschylos Tragedies and Fragments

Name: Æschylos Tragedies and Fragments
Author: Aeschylus

Aeschylus

Aeschylus -- Translations into English; Mythology, Greek -- Drama

O Zeus—whate'er He be,[282]
         If that Name please Him well,
         By that on Him I call:
 Weighing all other names I fail to guess
 Aught else but Zeus, if I would cast aside,
         Clearly, in every deed,
 From off my soul this idle weight of care.                          160


                             ANTISTROPHE I

         Nor He who erst was great,[283]
         Full of the might to war,
         *Avails now; He is gone;
 And He who next came hath departed too,
 His victor meeting; but if one to Zeus,
          High triumph-praise should sing,
 His shall be all the wisdom of the wise;


                               STROPHE II

 Yea, Zeus, who leadeth men in wisdom's way,                         170
         And fixeth fast the law,
         That pain is gain;
 And slowly dropping on the heart in sleep
         Comes woe-recording care,
 And makes the unwilling yield to wiser thoughts:
 And doubtless this too comes from grace of Gods,
 *Seated in might upon their awful thrones.


                             ANTISTROPHE II

 And then of those Achæan ships the chief,[284]
         The elder, blaming not
         Or seer or priest;
 But tempered to the fate that on him smote....                      180
         When that Achæan host
 Were vexed with adverse winds and failing stores,
 Still kept where Chalkis in the distance lies,
 And the vexed waves in Aulis ebb and flow;


                              STROPHE III

 And breezes from the Strymon sweeping down,
 Breeding delays and hunger, driving forth
         Our men in wandering course,
         On seas without a port.
 Sparing nor ships, nor rope, nor sailing gear,
 With doubled months wore down the Argive host;                      190
         And when, for that wild storm,
 Of one more charm far harder for our chiefs
 The prophet told, and spake of Artemis,[285]
         In tone so piercing shrill,
 The Atreidæ smote their staves upon the ground,
 And could not stay their tears.


                            ANTISTROPHE III

 And then the old king lifted up his voice,
 And spake, “Great woe it is to disobey;
         Great too to slay my child,                                 200
         The pride and joy of home,
 Polluting with the streams of maiden's blood
 Her father's hands upon the altar steps.
         What course is free from ill?
 How lose my ships and fail of mine allies?
 'Tis meet that they with strong desire should seek
         A rite the winds to soothe,
 E'en though it be with blood of maiden pure;
         May all end well at last!”                                  210


                              STROPHE III

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

Æschylos Tragedies and FragmentsAeschylus

General

Æschylos Tragedies and Fragments

Aeschylus

Aeschylus -- Translations into English; Mythology, Greek -- Drama

O Zeus—whate'er He be,[282]
         If that Name please Him well,
         By that on Him I call:
 Weighing all other names I fail to guess
 Aught else but Zeus, if I would cast aside,
         Clearly, in every deed,
 From off my soul this idle weight of care.                          160


                             ANTISTROPHE I

         Nor He who erst was great,[283]
         Full of the might to war,
         *Avails now; He is gone;
 And He who next came hath departed too,
 His victor meeting; but if one to Zeus,
          High triumph-praise should sing,
 His shall be all the wisdom of the wise;


                               STROPHE II

 Yea, Zeus, who leadeth men in wisdom's way,                         170
         And fixeth fast the law,
         That pain is gain;
 And slowly dropping on the heart in sleep
         Comes woe-recording care,
 And makes the unwilling yield to wiser thoughts:
 And doubtless this too comes from grace of Gods,
 *Seated in might upon their awful thrones.


                             ANTISTROPHE II

 And then of those Achæan ships the chief,[284]
         The elder, blaming not
         Or seer or priest;
 But tempered to the fate that on him smote....                      180
         When that Achæan host
 Were vexed with adverse winds and failing stores,
 Still kept where Chalkis in the distance lies,
 And the vexed waves in Aulis ebb and flow;


                              STROPHE III

 And breezes from the Strymon sweeping down,
 Breeding delays and hunger, driving forth
         Our men in wandering course,
         On seas without a port.
 Sparing nor ships, nor rope, nor sailing gear,
 With doubled months wore down the Argive host;                      190
         And when, for that wild storm,
 Of one more charm far harder for our chiefs
 The prophet told, and spake of Artemis,[285]
         In tone so piercing shrill,
 The Atreidæ smote their staves upon the ground,
 And could not stay their tears.


                            ANTISTROPHE III

 And then the old king lifted up his voice,
 And spake, “Great woe it is to disobey;
         Great too to slay my child,                                 200
         The pride and joy of home,
 Polluting with the streams of maiden's blood
 Her father's hands upon the altar steps.
         What course is free from ill?
 How lose my ships and fail of mine allies?
 'Tis meet that they with strong desire should seek
         A rite the winds to soothe,
 E'en though it be with blood of maiden pure;
         May all end well at last!”                                  210


                              STROPHE III

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Æschylos Tragedies and Fragments

Æschylos Tragedies and Fragments

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