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Aeschylus
The Suppliants
By Peter Burian PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
Copyright © 1991 Princeton University Press
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-691-06867-1
CHAPTER 1
AESCHYLUS
The Suppliants
CHARACTERS
CHORUS of the daughters of Danaos
DANAOS
PELASGOS, King of Argos
HERALD of the sons of Aigyptos
HANDMAIDENS of the daughters of Danaos
Armed attendants
SCENE
A sacred grove outside the city of Argos with an altar and images of several gods
PARODOS
The CHORUS enters from the left, led by DANAOS and carrying branches wreathed in wool as tokens of supplication. They are followed by HANDMAIDENS, who seat themselves at one side of the orchestra, where they will remain in silence until the Exodos.
CHORUS
Zeus, suppliant lord, turn your eyes kindly toward us, travelers who raised sail where the Nile slides through rippling sands to the sea. We fled your land, the sun-stunned pastures that stretch to Syria, not because our townsmen banished us for the stain of bloodshed; no, we flee by choice, escaping men and chains we detest: unholy marriage to Aigyptos' sons, our kinsmen.
Danaos, our father and the leader of our rebellion, chose to play this pawn as best among sorrows: so we skimmed the salt rolling sea and reached harbor here in Argos. We are Argive. We boast birth from the fly-maddened heifer whose womb the touch and breath of Zeus filled—Io. What land would receive us more gently, armed as we are only with suppliants' weapons, these olive branches tufted with wool?
City, earth, trembling waters,
receive us!
Gods of sky and soil-dwelling spirits
whose home and honor lie deep,
receive us!
And you, Zeus Savior, third and last,
who guard the houses of the just,
receive
this suppliant troop of women, breathe
your mercy on us. Send sweet breezes.
The men, Aigyptos' brawling swarm,
destroy them!
Hurl their proud ship back onto the breakers
before one foot fouls this marsh.
Destroy them!
Rain-heavy gales pound, hurricanes
lash with lightning, thunder shake them,
sea swell crush and drag them to death.
Destroy them
before they mount (justice forbid!)
beds they have no right to, to rape their cousins.
During the following lyrics, the CHORUS leaves its formation to dance.
Calf,
child of Zeus
beyond the sea, I call you now
to defend me,
child of our flower-browsing mother
by the breath of Zeus,
by the touch that ripened
at the hour appointed for Io
to give you birth, rightly
called Epaphos
Child
of His Touch.
Now, in meadows where she once grazed,
I remember
the mother of us all, her pain
long gone that vouches
for the story I tell.
I will show birth tokens, trusty signs
to astonish Argos
with truth in time.
If a reader of birdsongs comes near
he will hear
in my cry
the crying of Tereus' wife,
hawk-harried nightingale,
who mourns for the green-leafed streams of
home
barred to her,
and the child
killed by her hand, her own hand
in fierce unmothering rage.
I too love the dirge, and with wild song
rip cheeks smooth-ripened in Nile sun,
devour a heart
unused to tears.
I pick grief's flowers and graze on buds of fear:
are there no friends here
for my flight from the land broad as air, no kin
to care for me?
Gods of my race, you birthgods, hear me!
Look where justice lies: do not waste
my youth on what
must never be;
hate rude force and you are just to marriage.
One altar shelters
even the warworn, one refuge for exiles:
awe of the gods.
Zeus's will be done—
though his desire is hard to track
and the paths of his mind stretch shadowed,
tangled in thickets
where I cannot trace or guess.
What Zeus has decreed
by his nod stands fast, unshaken.
It blazes out everywhere, flares
even in darkness
the black flame of doom for men.
From their heaven-storming towers of hope
Zeus hurls men to ruin,
yet his strength wears no armor,
his force is all ease.
In the pure stillness where he thrones
he wills thought to deed
and the deed is done.
Let Zeus see men's insolence swell,
the stalk unfurling wild
fresh tendrils to entwine us,
flowering with wanton
wicked thoughts, frenzied with desire.
Lust goads them to ruin:
folly traps the fool.
Such suffering my keening tells, my shrieks
shrill with pity,
heavy with tears.
Ai Ai Ai
Still living I sing
my own dirge, my only prize.
Hilly grazingland of healing Apis
hear me!
Earth, you know my savage tongue.
See, I tear my softspun Sidon veil
to tatters.
But if death stands aside and all is well,
these rites of death
run stained toward god.
Ah Ah Ah
Wave on wave of grief,
where are you carrying me?
Hilly grazingland of healing Apis
hear me!
Earth, you know my savage tongue.
See, I tear my softspun Sidon veil
to tatters.
Oars and a rope-rigged shelter
against the sea
sped us stormless,
for the winds were kind. So far
I find no fault,
and still I pray:
all-seeing Father, grant us
gracious issue.
Help us, the brood of a mother you hallowed,
escape the beds of men,
Oh Oh Oh
flee untamed, unwed!
Pure maiden daughter of Zeus,
will as I will.
Guard of the gate
to the hallowed shrine, guard me
with all your strength.
Unbroken maid,
keep me unbroken, ward off
my pursuer.
Help us, the brood of a mother you hallowed,
escape the beds of men,
Oh Oh Oh
flee untamed, unwed!
If not, if sky gods spurn our sun-black tribe,
we must turn to the god
who dwells in earth and welcomes wanderers,
Zeus of the dead,
we must turn these sacred fillets
to nooses.
Ah Zeus, for envy of Io
oh, how gods' vengeance
still stalks us.
I know the heaven-toppling anger
of your queen:
rough winds draw storms behind them.
Then my just reproaches will catch Zeus out,
for he disowns the child
he himself once begot of the heifer,
turning his glance
away from our prayers. No, hear us
from on high!
Ah Zeus, for envy of Io
oh, how gods' vengeance
still stalks us.
I know the heaven-toppling anger
of your queen:
rough winds draw storms behind them.
EPISODE I
The CHORUS resumes its formation at one side of the orchestra. DANAOS stands near the altar.
DANAOS
Be prudent, children! A prudent captain steered you
here, your trusty old father, and my advice
will serve on land, too. Write it in your hearts.
I see dust rising, voiceless herald of a marching
army; the whine of the axle trees spinning
in their sockets breaks the silence. Now
I can make out troops with bright shields
and bristling spears, horses and curved chariots.
Likely the country's leaders, learning from scouts
that we are here, have come to see for themselves.
But will they approach in peace or whetted
to savage anger? Better in any case, daughters,
to sit near the gods assembled on this hill.
An altar is stronger than any tower, a shield
no man can penetrate. Come quickly, holding
the white-crowned branches, emblems of Zeus who
shows pity,
reverently in your left hands. You must answer the strangers
as strangers should, in piteous voices filled
with sorrow and need. Say plainly that this exile
is not stained by blood, but strike all boldness
from your words, and all immodesty
from your eyes; look downcast and gentle. Speak only
when spoken to, but then don't be slow in reply.
People here will be ready to take offence.
You are refugees and in need: remember
to be submissive. Proud speech is not for the weak.
CHORUS LEADER
Father, your prudent advice strengthens our prudence;
we have sealed it safe in memory. Now,
forefather Zeus, look down.
DANAOS
May his eye
caress you with kindness. Come, no more delay.
Turn plan into deed.
The CHORUS moves toward the altar.
CHORUS LEADER
I will take my place at your side.
O Zeus! Have pity, do not let us die.
DANAOS
With his favor, everything ends well.
Now call upon this bird, sacred to Zeus.
CHORUS LEADER
We pray that the Sun's rays show us safety.
DANAOS
And holy Apollo, a god once exiled from heaven.
CHORUS LEADER
He knows our sorrow: may he show mercy to us mortals.
DANAOS
May he show ready mercy and defend us.
CHORUS LEADER
Which of these gods shall I call to witness next?
DANAOS
Here is a trident, emblem of the god ...
CHORUS LEADER
who gave
us safe passage. May he keep us safe on land.
DANAOS
And this is Hermes, as the Greeks portray him.
CHORUS LEADER
Let him herald happy news of our freedom.
DANAOS
Honor the altar these lords all share, sheltered
in their purity like a flock of doves
huddled in fear of hawks that wear the same feathers
but defile the race, kinsmen and enemies at once.
Can bird devour bird and be pure? Can a man
marry against the will of the bride, against
her father's, and be pure? No, even in death
he would have to stand trial in Hades' house,
where they say a second Zeus judges
wrongdoing, against whose judgments there is no appeal.
Take care now to answer as I have instructed you.
Our cause will win.
PELASGOS and his attendants have entered the orchestra from the right, and now come to a halt before the CHORUS.
PELASGOS
Foreigners, where are you from?
I greet a gathering splendid in robes and headdresses
such as no Argive wears, or any woman
of Greece. And your daring astounds me, seeing
you have come without criers to announce you
or patrons to prepare your way. Still, you have set
branches before the gods assembled here
in the manner of suppliants seeking refuge.
That is all a Greek can be sure of; for the rest,
though I might guess, your own voices will answer.
CHORUS LEADER
What you say about our appearance is true.
But how should I address you? Simply Sir,
or Reverend Priest of this shrine, or Royal Highness?
PELASGOS
Address me with trust and assurance: I am Pelasgos
son of Palaichthon, child of Earth, and I rule
this land. My people, called Pelasgoi after
their king, work the soil here and reap
its bounty. All the lands that stretch along
the sacred river Strymon toward sunset
belong to me. I rule the north beyond
what eye can see, past Mount Pindos to the land
of the wild Paionians and as far as Perrhaibia
and Dodona's ridge, where the oaks of Zeus
quiver out their oracles. Then the sea holds me back.
I rule whatever lies within these bounds.
Time out of mind the plain here has been named
for Apis, the healer, Apollo's son. From Naupaktos
across the gulf he came long ago
to prophesy and cure when bloodshed defiled
Earth's womb and made her spawn a deadly brood
of serpents to share our homes. Apis purged
the land of these monsters, cut out the sore
with perfect art, worked healing to save us,
and earned as wages a monument in grateful prayer.
You have heard my land and lineage; now tell me yours.
Be brief. We are not fond of idle talk.
CHORUS LEADER
Briefly, then, and clearly: we are Argive.
We claim to descend from the Cow blessed with child—
a proud claim, and our story will prove it true.
PELASGOS
Strangers, your tale beggars belief. How can
you be Argive? To me, you look like Libyan
women, not our native stock, or maybe
spawn of the fertile Nile. Cypriot craftsmen
stamp their coins with images like yours.
You might be nomads such as I have heard
saddle the ungainly camel and cavalcade
across some African landscape. If you had bows,
I'd take you for that tribe of husbandless hunters,
the flesh-eating Amazons. But tell me your story; I want
to learn how you claim the descent from an Argive line.
CHORUS LEADER
You know that here in Argos long ago
Io kept the keys of Hera's house?
PELASGOS
Indeed she did; everyone knows the story.
CHORUS LEADER
Do they also tell that Zeus made love to her?
PELASGOS
Yes; but could not hide his embraces from Hera.
CHORUS LEADER
So there was strife in heaven. How did it end?
PELASGOS
Our goddess transformed woman into cow.
CHORUS LEADER
And Zeus still pursued this horned creature?
PELASGOS
They say he took the form of a bull in rut.
CHORUS LEADER
How did his strong-willed queen answer that?
PELASGOS
She set a watchman, all eyes, upon the cow.
CHORUS LEADER
Who was this all-seeing herder of one heifer?
PELASGOS
Argos, son of Earth. Hermes killed him.
CHORUS LEADER
How else did Hera harass the poor cow?
PELASGOS
She sent a tormenting, cow-driving gadfly.
CHORUS LEADER
The Goad—that is the name Nile's people give him.
PELASGOS
And he drove Io from home on a zigzag trek
CHORUS LEADER
Everything you say confirms my story.
PELASGOS
to Kanopos arid as far as Memphis ...
CHORUS LEADER
where the touch of Zeus's hand planted the seed.
PELASGOS
Who then claims to be the calf of Zeus's cow?
CHORUS LEADER
Epaphos, named for the prize Zeus seized.
PELASGOS
(And Epaphos' child?)
CHORUS LEADER
Is called Libye, because
she harvested the bounty of Earth's greatest river.
PELASGOS
What offshoot of hers do you still have to name?
CHORUS LEADER
Belos. He had two sons. One is my father here.
PELASGOS
This honored gentleman? Tell me his name.
CHORUS LEADER
Danaos. He has a brother with fifty sons.
PELASGOS
The brother's name? Surely you won't withhold that.
CHORUS LEADER
Aigyptos. Now you know your suppliants' lineage
from ancient times. We are Argives. You owe us protection.
PELASGOS
It seems you do have an ancient claim on Argos. 310
But what drove you to flee the house of your fathers?
What storms of fortune carried you away?
CHORUS LEADER
Lord of the Pelasgoi, trouble changes its colors
ceaselessly; misfortunes are not of a feather.
Who could have guessed that exile would cast us ashore
at Argos, fleeing the advances of our cousins
out of hatred for the marriage bed?
PELASGOS
What grace do your suppliant branches, fresh-cut
and wreathed in white, claim from this assembly of gods?
CHORUS LEADER
Not to be slaves to the sons of Aigyptos.
PELASGOS
Because you hate them? Or because it would be unlawful?
CHORUS LEADER
Would a woman scorn a master she loved?
PELASGOS
Yet it is through marriage that our strength increases.
CHORUS LEADER
Yes—and those in misery are left to their suffering.
PELASGOS
Then what am I, as a righteous man, to do?
CHORUS LEADER
The sons of Aigyptos will claim us. Don't hand us over!
PELASGOS
A heavy burden—it will mean a dangerous war.
CHORUS LEADER
Justice shields the man who fights for her.
PELASGOS
If she shared the struggle from the start.
CHORUS LEADER
Honor the helm of state wreathed by my branches.
PELASGOS
I shudder to see their shadow in this sacred place.
CHORUS LEADER
The wrath of Zeus Suppliant is a heavy burden.
In the following exchange, the CHORUS dances and sings; PELASGOS remains stationary.
CHORUS
Son of Palaichthon, hear me
with a kind heart. Lord of the Pelasgoi,
look on your suppliant, this exile,
a heifer trapped by wolves on a steep crag
trusting still in her herdsman's strength,
bleating for his help.
PELASGOS
I see them nodding, this company of gods assembled
in the shade of your fresh-cut branches. But may
the cause of these strangers, our kin, not bring us disaster,
not bring war without warning to a city caught
unprepared. Of such things we have no need.
CHORUS
Themis, suppliant goddess,
daughter of Zeus Allotter of Shares,
see that our flight is free of disaster.
My lord, though old in wisdom, learn from youth:
Revere your suppliant's righteous claim
and win the gods' grace.
PELASGOS
This is not my hearth where you sit. If the whole
community risks infection, the people must find
a cure together. I can promise nothing
until I share the counsel of all my citizens.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Aeschylus by Peter Burian. Copyright © 1991 Princeton University Press. Excerpted by permission of PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS.
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