Iphigenia in Aulis
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Original / primary: Perseus Eng2
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Agamemnon
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Leda, the daughter of Thestius, had three children, maidens,
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Phoebe, Clytemnestra my wife, and Helen; the foremost of the favored sons of Hellas came to woo Helen; but terrible threats of spilling his rival’s blood were uttered by each of them, if he should fail to win the girl.
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Now the matter filled Tyndareus, her father, with perplexity, whether to give her or not, how he might best succeed. This thought occurred to him: the suitors should swear to each other and join right hands and pour libations
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with burnt-sacrifice, binding themselves by this curse: whoever wins the child of Tyndareus for wife, they will assist that man, in case a rival takes her from his house and goes his way, robbing her husband of his rights; and march against that man in armed array and raze his city to the ground,
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Hellene no less than barbarian.
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Now when they had once pledged their word and old Tyndareus with no small cleverness had beguiled them by his shrewd device, he allowed his daughter to choose from among her suitors the one towards whomReading ὅτῳ with Boissonade and Monk. Hermann retaining ὅτου gives the sense as, whosesoever love, acceptable to her, impelled her to choose him. the sweet breezes of Aphrodite might carry her.
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Her choice fell on Menelaus; would she had never taken him! Then there came to Lacedaemon from the Phrygians the man who, Argive legend says, judged the goddesses’ dispute; in robes of gorgeous hue, ablaze with gold, in true barbaric pomp;
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and he, finding Menelaus gone from home, carried Helen off, in mutual desire, to his steading on Ida. Goaded to frenzy, Menelaus flew through Hellas, invoking the ancient oath exacted by Tyndareus and declaring the duty of helping the injured husband.
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And so the Hellenes, brandishing their spears and donning their harness, came here to the narrow straits of Aulis with armaments of ships and troops, with many horses and chariots, and they chose me to captain them allPaley reads πᾶσι for MSS κᾷτα. Others gives κάρτα. for the sake of Menelaus,
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since I was his brother. Would that some other had gained that distinction instead of me! But after the army was gathered and come together, we still remained at Aulis weatherbound. In our perplexity, we asked Calchas, the seer,
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and he answered that we should sacrifice my own child Iphigenia to Artemis, whose home is in this land, and we would sail and sack the Phrygians’ capital if we sacrificed her, but if we did not, these things would not happen.Nauck rejects l. 93. When I heard this, I commanded Talthybius
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with loud proclamation to disband the whole army, as I could never bear to slay my daughter. Whereupon my brother, bringing every argument to bear, persuaded me at last to face the crime; so I wrote in a folded scroll and sent to my wife,
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bidding her despatch our daughter to me on the pretence of wedding Achilles, at the same time magnifying his exalted rank and saying that he refused to sail with the Achaeans, unless a bride of our lineage should go to Phthia. Yes, this was the inducement I offered my wife,
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inventing, as I did, a sham marriage for the maiden. Of all the Achaeans we alone know the real truth, Calchas, Odysseus, Menelaus and myself; but that which I then decided wrongly, I now rightly countermand again in this scroll, which you, old man, have found me
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opening and resealing beneath the shade of night. Up now and away with this missive to Argos, and I will tell you by word of mouth all that is written here, the contents of the folded scroll, for you are loyal to my wife and house.
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Old man, come here and stand before my dwelling.
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Old man
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I come; what new schemes now, king Agamemnon?
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and keenly it watches over my eyes.
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Agamemnon
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What can that star be, steering its course there?
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Old man
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Sirius, still shooting over the zenith on his way near the Pleiads’ sevenfold track.
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Agamemnon
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The birds are still at any rate
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and the sea is calm, hushed are the winds, and silence broods over the Euripus.
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Old man
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Then why are you outside your tent, why so restless, my lord Agamemnon? All is yet quiet here in Aulis,
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the watch on the walls is not yet astir. Let us go in.
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Old man
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And yet it is there that we place the be-all and end-all of existence.Others join ἐνταῦθα βίου, in this position in life.
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Agamemnon
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Yes, but that is where the danger comes; and ambition,τὸ φιλότιμον of the MSS., but the verse is probably corrupt, being regarded by Hermann and Dindorf as a gloss on τὸ καλόν. sweet though it seems, brings sorrow with its near approach. At one time the unsatisfied claims of the gods
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upset our life, at another the numerous peevish fancies of our subjects shatter it.
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Old man
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I do not like these sentiments in one who is a chief. It was not to enjoy all blessings that
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Atreus begot you, Agamemnon; but you must experience joy and sorrow alike, mortal as you are. Even though you like it not, this is what the gods decree. But you, after letting your taper spread its light abroad,
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write the letter which is still in your hands and then erase the same words again, sealing and reopening the tablet, then flinging it to the ground with floods
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of tears, and leaving nothing undone in your aimless behavior to stamp you mad. What is it that troubles you? what news is there affecting you,περί σοι, but Monk’s πάρα σοι, what news has reached thee? is a plausible emendation. king? Come, share with me your story;
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you will be telling it to a loyal and trusty heart; for Tyndareus sent me that day to form part of your wife’s dowry and to wait upon the bride with loyalty.
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Agamemnon
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Daughter of Leda, in addition to my first letter, I am sending you word —.
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Old man
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Say on and make it plain, that what my tongue utters may accord with what you have written.
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Agamemnon
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Not to despatch your daughter to
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Euboea’s deep-gulfed wing, to the waveless bay of Aulis, for after all we will celebrate our child’s wedding at another time.
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Old man
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And how will Achilles, cheated of his bride,
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curb the fury of his indignation against you and your wife? Here also is a danger.Paley follows Musgrave in assigning these words to Agamemnon, assuming that the king passes over the servant’s last remark and adds a new cause of alarm, viz., the fraud that is being practiced on Achilles. Make clear what you are saying.
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Agamemnon
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It is his name, not himself that Achilles is lending, knowing nothing of the marriage or of my scheming
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or my professed readiness to betroth my daughter to him for a husband’s embrace.Lines 124-32 are rejected by some editors. Hennig supposes them to be the work of the younger Euripides.
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Old man
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A dreadful venture yours, king Agamemnon, you that, by promise of your daughter’s hand to the son of the goddess,
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were bringing the maid here to be sacrificed for the Danaids.
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Agamemnon
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Ah me! I am utterly distraught; alas! bewilderment comes over me. Away! hurry your steps,
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yielding nothing to old age.
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Agamemnon
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Do not sit down by woodland fountains; scorn the witcheries of sleep.
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Old man
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Hush!The old man cuts short Agamemnon’s warnings, as being an un-called-for reflection on his own loyalty.
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Agamemnon
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And when you pass any place where roads diverge,
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cast your eyes all round, taking heed that no mule-wagon eacape you, passing by on rolling wheels, bearing my child to the ships of the Danaids.
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Old man
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It shall be so.
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and if you meet the escort, start them back again, and drive at full speed to the abodes of the Cyclopes.
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Old man
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But tell me, how shall my message find credit with your wife or child?
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Agamemnon
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Preserve the seal which you bear on this tablet. Away! Already the dawn is growing grey, lighting the lamp of day and the fire of the sun’s four steeds;
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help me in my trouble. Exit Old man. No mortal is prosperous or happy to the last, for no one was ever born to a painless life. Exit Agamemnon.
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Chorus
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To the sandy beach
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of sea-coast Aulis I have come after a voyage through the tides of narrow Euripus, leaving Chalcis, my city which feeds the waters
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of far-famed Arethusa near the sea, so that I might behold the army of the Achaeans and the ships rowed by those godlike heroes; for our husbands tell us
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that fair-haired Menelaus and high-born Agamemnon are leading them to Troy on a thousand ships in quest of Helen, whom Paris the herdsman
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carried off from the banks of reedy Eurotas, his gift from Aphrodite, when that queen of Cyprus entered beauty’s contest with Hera and Pallas at the gushing fountain.Dindorf, with whom Paley agrees, regards 11. 171-84 as the work of a later hand, and gives good reasons for his opinion.
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Chorus
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Through the grove of Artemis, rich with sacrifice, I sped my course, my cheek stained with red from maiden modesty, in my eagerness to see the soldiers’ camp,
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the tents of the mail-clad Danaids, and their crowd of horses. The whole of the following long passage from l.192-302 is inclosed in brackets by Paley. Dindorf and Hermann condemn the greater part, retaining a few lines here and there.I saw two met together in council; one was Aias, son of Oileus; the other Aias, son of Telamon, crown of glory to the men of Salamis;
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and I saw Protesilaus and Palamedes, sprung from the son of Poseidon, sitting there amusing themselves with intricate figures at checkers; Diomedes too
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at his favorite sport of hurling quoits; and Meriones, Ares’ son, a marvel to mankind, stood at his side; likewise I beheld the son of Laertes, who came from his island hills, and with him Nireus,
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handsomest of the Achaeans.
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Chorus
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Achilles next, that nimble runner, swift on his feet as the wind, whom Thetis bore and Chiron trained, I saw
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upon the beach, racing in full armor along the shingle, and straining every nerve to beat a team of four horses,
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as he sped round the track on foot; and Eumelus, the grandson of Pheres, their driver, was shouting when I saw him, goading on his lovely steeds,
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with their bits of chased gold-work; the center pair, that bore the yoke, had dappled coats picked out with white, while the tracehorses, on the outside, facing the turning-post in the course,To turn the post without losing ground would require the driver to rein in his near trace-horse and let the outer one come round on a curve, facing the turning-post.
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were bays with spotted fetlocks. Close beside them Peleus’ son leapt on his way, in all his harness, keeping abreast
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the rail by the axle-box.
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Old man
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Strange daring yours, Menelaus, where you have no right.
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Menelaus
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Stand back! You carry loyalty to your master too far.
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Old man
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The very reproach you have for me is to my credit.
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Menelaus
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You shall rue it, if you meddle in matters that do not concern you.
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Old man
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You had no right to open a letter, which I was carrying.
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Menelaus
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No, nor you to be carrying sorrow to all Hellas.
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Old man
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Argue that point with others, but surrender that letter to me.
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Menelaus
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I shall not let go.
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Menelaus
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Why then, this staff of mine will be dabbling your head with blood before long.
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Old man
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To die in my master’s cause would be a noble death.
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Menelaus
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Let go! you are too wordy for a slave.
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Old man
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Master, he is wronging me; he snatched
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your letter violently from my grasp, Agamemnon, and will not heed the claims of right.
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Agamemnon
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Ah! what is this uproar at the gates, this indecent brawling?
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Menelaus
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My tale, not his, has the better right to be spoken.
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Agamemnon
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You, Menelaus! what quarrel do you have with this man, why are you dragging him here? Exit ATTENDANT.
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Menelaus
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Look me in the face! May that be the prelude to my story.
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Agamemnon
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Shall I, the son of Atreus, close my eyes from fear?The point lies in the play on the name Ἀτρεύς, i.e., the fearless, shall I the son of fearlessness, fear, etc.?
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Menelaus
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Do you see this tablet, the bearer of a shameful message?
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Agamemnon
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I see it, yes; now, you first of all surrender it.
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Menelaus
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No, not till I have shown its contents to all the army.
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Agamemnon
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What! have you broken the seal and know already what you should never have known?
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Menelaus
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Yes, I opened it and know to your sorrow the secret machinations of your heart.
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Agamemnon
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Where did you get it? O gods! what shameless heart you have!
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Menelaus
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I was awaiting your daughter’s arrival at the camp in Argos.
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Agamemnon
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What right have you to watch my doings? is not this a proof of shamelessness?
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Menelaus
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My wish to do it gave the spur, for I am no slave to you.
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Agamemnon
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Infamous! Am I not to be allowed the management of my own house?
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Menelaus
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No, for you think crooked thoughts, one thing now, another formerly, and something different presently.
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Agamemnon
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Most exquisite refining on evil themes!Reading εὖ κεκόμψευσαι πονηρά with Ruhnken and Monk. A hateful thing the tongue of cleverness!
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Menelaus
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Yes, but a mind unstable is an unjust possession, disloyal to friends.