Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound
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§ 995 None of that will bend me so as to tell him Who is fated to drive him from his tyranny! HERMES: See if that’s of any help to you! PROMETHEUS: It’s been seen and planned for a long time. HERMES: Steel yourself, you fool, steel yourself one day
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§ 1000 To think properly about your current pains! PROMETHEUS: You’re wasting your time pestering me – you might as well be persuading a wave. Let it never enter your mind that I Will fear Zeus’s character and become woman-minded, Or beg the one who is most hated,
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§ 1005 With my hands upturned like a woman’s, To free me from these chains. I am very far from that! HERMES: It seems that by speaking a lot I’ll only be wasting my time. You’re not softened or soothed by any entreaties Of mine: you’re champing on the bit like a newly-yoked
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§ 1010 Foal and being violent, and you’re fighting against the reins. But you base too much on a weak argument: For wilfulness in one who isn’t sensible In itself has less strength than anything. If you’re not persuaded by my words, see
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§ 1015 What a great storm and triple wave of evils Will come against you inescapably. First of all my father Will tear apart this jagged gorge with thunder And lightning-flame, and will bury your Body, and will hold you in its rocky arms.
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§ 1020 After completing a huge length of time You’ll come back into the light. But Zeus’s Winged hound, the murderous eagle, will furiously Dismember the huge rag of your body, An uninvited banqueter coming every day,
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§ 1025 Who’ll feast on the black meat of your liver. Don’t expect an end to your pains Until one of the gods arises to take the place Of your misery, and is willing to come to beamless Hades, and about the gloomy deeps of Tartarus.
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§ 1030 Consider this as well – that this is no made-up Boast, but has been spoken only too true. Zeus’s mouth doesn’t know how To lie, but everything he commands will happen. Look around you and reflect, and never regard
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§ 1035 Stubbornness as better than sound judgment. CHORUS: [ to Prometheus ] To us Hermes seems to be saying things That are timely. He’s asking you to drop Your stubbornness, and seek the wisdom of sound judgement. Listen to us – it’s shameful for a clever person to make a big mistake. PROMETHEUS: [ to Chorus ]
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§ 1040 I understand this message He’s shouting at me. But it’s no shame For an enemy to be treated badly by his enemy. On top of this, let the two-edged curls of fire Be hurled against me! Let the sky
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§ 1045 Be roused to fury by thunder and the spasm Of wild winds! I wish the gale would shake The earth from its foundations, roots and all, And the ocean’s wave with a harsh roaring Would heap together the pathways
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§ 1050 Of the heavenly stars! I wish he’d hurl my body Up, and then into black Tartarus, with rugged whirlings of force! But he won’t kill me, absolutely not! HERMES: These are the thoughts and words
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§ 1055 Of madmen! How does his boasting fall short Of being crazy? How will he cease from insanity? [ to Chorus ] You sympathise With his pains,
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§ 1060 But move out of here quickly, For fear the hard bellowing of thunder Upset your minds! CHORUS: [ to Hermes ] Say and exhort me to something else In which you’re likely to persuade me. This is
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§ 1065 Intolerable, this speech you’ve just swept out! How can you order me to practise bad behaviour? I’m willing to suffer whatever must happen after this. I’ve learnt to hate traitors, And there’s no disease
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§ 1070 I detest more than this! HERMES: [ to Chorus ] Then remember what I’m saying in advance, And don’t blame me for your misfortune Of being hunted by Ruin; never say That Zeus threw you
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§ 1075 Into an unforeseen pain. No, you’ve done it To yourselves. You knew, And neither suddenly nor secretly You’ll be entangled by your folly In the inescapable net of Ruin! [ Thunder and lightning ]
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Via ToposText (topostext.org), a project of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation created by Brady Kiesling. Translated by Herbert Weir Smyth (1857-1937). Composed ca. 450 BCE. Licence: public domain. Source.