Euripides Ion 881

Creusa

Ah me! would I were dead!

Old Servant

My daughter!

Creusa

O woe is me for my calamity! Mine is a heritage of suffering and woe that poisons life, good friends.

Old Servant

Ah, my child, ’tis death to us!

765

Creusa

Ah me! ah me! grief drives its weapon through this heart of mine.

Old Servant

Stay thy lamentations.

Creusa

Nay, but sorrow lodges here.

Old Servant

Till we learn—

770

Creusa

Ah, what further news is there for me?

Old Servant

Whether our master is in the same plight and shares thy misfortune, or thou art alone in thy misery.

Chorus

On him, old sir, Loxias hath bestowed a son,

and he is enjoying his good fortune apart from her.

775

Creusa

Herein hast thou declared a further evil crowning all, a grief for me to mourn.

Old Servant

The child of whom thou speakest—is he some woman’s destined babe, or did the god declare the fate of one already born?

Chorus

A youth already born and grown to man’s estate doth Phoebus give to him; for I was there myself.

780

Creusa

What sayest thou? nor tongue nor lip should speak the word thou tellest me.

Old Servant

And me. But declare more clearly how this oracle is finding its fulfilment, and say who is the child.

785

Chorus

Whomso thy husband first should meet as he issued from the shrine, him the god gave him for his son.

Creusa

Ah me! my fate, it seems, has doomed me to a childless

life, and all forlorn am I to dwell in ray halls, without an heir.

790

Old Servant

To whom did the oracle refer? whom did our poor lady’s husband meet? how and where did he see him?

Chorus

Dear mistress mine, dost know that youth

that was sweeping yonder shrine? He is that son.

795

Creusa

Oh! for wings to cleave the liquid air beyond the land of Hellas , away to the western stars, so keen the anguish of my soul, my friends!

Old Servant

Dost know the name his father gave to him, or is that left as yet unsettled and unsaid?

800

Chorus

He called him Ion, because he was the first to cross his path.

Old Servant

Who is his mother?

Chorus

That I cannot say. But,—to tell thee all I know, old sir,—

her lord is gone, with furtive step, into the hallowed tent, there to offer on this child’s behalf such gifts and victims as are offered for a birth, and with his new-found son to celebrate the feast.

805

Old Servant

Mistress mine, we are betrayed by thy husband, fellow-sufferers thou and I; ’tis a deep-laid plot to outrage us

and drive us from Erechtheus’ halls. And this I say not from any hatred of thy lord but because I bear thee more love than him; for he, after coming as a stranger to thy city and thy home, and wedding thee, and of thy heritage taking full possession,

810

has been detected in a secret marriage with another woman, by whom he hath children. His secret will I now disclose; when he found thee barren, he was not content to share with thee thy hard lot, but took to himself a slave to be his stealthy paramour

815

and thus begat a son, whom he sent abroad, giving him to some Delphian maid to nurse; and, to escape detection, the child was dedicated to the god and reared in his temple. But when he heard his boy was grown to manhood, he persuaded thee to come hither to inquire about thy childless state.

820

And after this, ’twas not the god that lied, but thy husband, who long had been rearing the child, and he it was that wove this tissue of falsehood, intending, if he were detected, to refer it to the god, whereas if he escaped exposure, to repel all odium, he meant to vest the sovereignty in this son of his.

825

Likewise he devised anew his name, coined to suit the circumstances, Ion, because, as he asserts, he met him on his way.

830

Chorus

Ah! how I ever hate the wicked

who plot unrighteousness and then cunningly trick it out. Far rather would I have a virtuous friend of no great intellect than a knave of subtler wit.

835

Old Servant

Of all thy wretched fate this will be the crowning sorrow, the bringing to thy house to be its lord some slave-girl’s child, whose mother is unknown, himself of no account. For this evil had been to itself confined,

had he persuaded thee, pleading thy childlessness, to let him establish in the house some high-born mother’s son; or if this had displeased thee, he ought to have sought a daughter of Aeolus in marriage. Wherefore must thou now put thy woman’s wit to work; either take the dagger, or by guile

840

or poison slay thy husband and his son, ere they deal out death to thee; since if thou spare him, thou wilt lose thy own life; for when two foes meet beneath one roof, one or the other must rue it.

845

Myself too am ready to share this labour with thee, and to help destroy the child when I have made my way into the chamber where he is furnishing the feast, and so repaying my masters for my maintenance I am willing either to die or still behold the light of life. ’Tis but a single thing that brands the slave with shame—

850

his name; in all else no upright slave is a whit worse than freeborn men.

855

Chorus

I too, beloved mistress, am ready to share thy fate, be it death or victory.

Creusa

Ah! my suffering soul! how am I to keep silence?

Am I to disclose the secrets of my love and lose all claim to modesty? What is there to keep me back any longer? With whom have I to pit myself in virtue’s lists? Hath not my husband proved untrue?

860

Home and children, both are torn from me; all hope is dead; I have not realized my wish to set the matter straight, by hushing up my former union and saying naught about my son of sorrow.

865

No! by the starry seat of Zeus, by her whose home is on my rocks, and by the hallowed strand of Triton’s mere with brimming flood, I will no more conceal my love; for if

870

I can lift that burden from my breast I shall rest easier. With tears my eyes are streaming and my heart is wrung with anguish for the treacherous counsels both of men and gods,—traitors they! as I will show,

875

ungrateful traitors to their loves!

880

881

O! thou who dost awake that tuneful lyre with seven strings till to its sweet note of music the lifeless pegs of wild ox-hom resound again,

thou child of Latona, to yon 293 bright orb of thine will I publish thy reproach. Yes, I saw thee come, the glint of gold upon thy locks, as I was gathering in my folded robe the saffron blooms

885

that blazed like flowers of gold; and by my lily wrist didst thou catch me and ledst me to the cavern’s bed, what time I cried aloud upon my mother’s name,—thou a god

890

to mate with me in shameless wise to pleasure lady Cypris! Then to my sorrow I bore thee a son, whom, though anguish thrilled my mother’s breast, I cast upon that bed of thine,

895

where thou didst join in woful wedlock this unhappy maid. Ah! woe is me! that poor babe I bare thee is now no more; winged fowls have tom and devoured him,

900

but thou art gaily carolling unto thy lyre some song of joy.

905

907

Hark! thou son of Latona, to thee I call, for that thou dispensest warnings; there at thy golden throne

on earth’s centre planted will I proclaim a word into thy ear. O! thou wicked bridegroom who art bringing to my husband’s house an heir, though from him thou hast received no boon;

910

while that child of thine and mine hath died unrecognized, a prey to carrion birds, his mother’s swaddling-clothes all lost. Delos hates thee now, thy bay-tree loves thee not,

whose branches sprout beside the tufted palm, where in holy throes Latona, big with child by Zeus, gave birth to thee.

920

Chorus

Ah me! what store of sorrows is here disclosed, enough to draw a tear from every eye!

Old Servant

Daughter, with pity am I filled as a gaze upon thy face; my reason leaves me; for just as I am striving to lighten my spirit of its sea of troubles, comes another wave astern and catches me by reason of thy words; for no sooner hadst thou uttered this tale of present troubles

925

than thou didst turn aside into a fresh a track of other woes. What is it thou sayest? What charge against Apollo dost thou bring? What child is this thou dost assert that thou didst bear? Where was it in the city that thou didst expose him, for beasts to rejoice o’er his burial? Tell me once again.

930

Creusa

Old friend, although to meet thine eye, I am ashamed, yet will I tell thee.

Old Servant

Full well I know how to lend my friends a generous sympathy.

935

Creusa

Then hearken; dost know a cave toward the north of Cecrops’ rock, that we call Macrae?

Old Servant

I know it; there is the shrine of Pan, and his altar hard by.

Creusa

That was the scene of my dire conflict.

Old Servant

What conflict? see how my tears start forth to meet thy words.

940

Creusa

Phoebus forced me to a woful marriage.

Old Servant

Was it then this, my daughter, that I noticed myself?

Creusa

I know not; but I will tell thee if thou speak the truth.

Old Servant

At the time thou wert mourning in secret some hidden complaint?

Creusa

Yes, ’twas then this trouble happened, which now I am declaring to thee.

945

Old Servant

How then didst conceal thy union with Apollo?

Creusa

I bore a child; hear me patiently, old friend.

Old Servant

Where? and who helped thy travail? or didst thou labour all alone?

Creusa

All alone, in the cave where I became a wife.

Old Servant

Where is the child? that thou mayst cease thy childless state.

950

Creusa

Dead, old friend, to beasts exposed.

Old Servant

Dead? did Apollo, evil god, no help afford?

Creusa

None; my boy is in the halls of Hades.

Old Servant

Who then exposed him? surely not thyself.

Creusa

Myself, when ’neath the gloom of night I had wrapped him in my robe.

955

Old Servant

Did no one share thy secret of the babe’s exposure?

Creusa

Ill-fortune and secrecy alone.

Old Servant

How couldst thou in the cavern leave thy babe?

Creusa

Ah! how? but still I did, with many a word of pity uttered o’er him.

Old Servant

Oh for thy hard heart! Oh for the god’s, more hard than thine!

960

Creusa

Hadst thou but seen the babe stretch forth his hands to me!

Old Servant

To find thy mother’s breast, to nestle in thy arms?

Creusa

By being kept therefrom he suffered grievous wrong from me.

Old Servant

How earnest thou to think of casting forth thy babe?

Creusa

Methought the god would save his own begotten child.

965

Old Servant

Ah me! what storms assail thy family’s prosperity!

Creusa

Why weepest thou, old man, with head close-veiled?

Old Servant

To see the sorrows of thy sire and thee.

Creusa

Such is our mortal life; naught abideth in one stay.

Old Servant

Daughter, let us cease to dwell on themes of woe.

970

Creusa

What must I do? Misfortune leaves us helpless.

Old Servant

Avenge thee on the god who first did injure thee.

Creusa

How can I, weak mortal as I am, outrun those mightier powers?

Old Servant

Set fire to Apollo’s awful sanctuary.

Creusa

I am afraid; my present sorrows are enough for me.

975

Old Servant

Then what thou canst, that dare—thy husband’s death.

Creusa

Nay, I do respect his former love in the days when he was good and true.

Old Servant

At least, then, slay the boy who hath appeared to supplant thee.

Creusa

How can I? would it were possible! how I wish it were!

Old Servant

Arm thy followers with daggers.

980

Creusa

I will about it; but where is the deed to be done?

Old Servant

In the sacred tent, where he is feasting his friends.

Creusa

The murder will be too public, and slaves are poor support.

Old Servant

Ah! thou art turning coward. Devise some scheme thyself.

Creusa

Well, I too have subtle plans that cannot fail.

985

Old Servant

If both conditions they fulfil, I will assist thee.

Creusa

Hearken then; knowest thou the battle of the earth-born men?

Old Servant

Surely; the fight at Phlegra waged by giants against the gods.

Creusa

There Earth brought Gorgon forth, dreadful prodigy.

Old Servant

To aid her sons maybe, and cause the gods hard toil?

990

Creusa

Yea, and Pallas, daughter of Zeus, slew the monster.

Old Servant

What savage form had it assumed?

Creusa

A breast-plate of vipers fenced its body.

Old Servant

Is this the tale I heard in days of yore?

Creusa

That Athena wears its skin upon her corslet.

995

Old Servant

Is it this that Pallas wears, called by men her aegis?

Creusa

This was the name it received, that day she came to do battle for the gods.

Old Servant

How, daughter, can this harm thy enemies?

Creusa

Hast heard of Erichthonius, or no? of course thou hast.

Old Servant

Him whom Earth produced, the founder of thy race?

1000

Creusa

To him whilst yet a babe did Pallas give—

Old Servant

Ha! what? thou hast something yet to add?

Creusa

Two drops of Gorgon’s blood.

Old Servant

What power could they exert on the nature of a human creature?

Creusa

The one with death is fraught, the other cures disease.

1005

Old Servant

What held them when she tied them to the child’s body?

Creusa

With links of gold she fastened them; this to my sire did Erichthonius give.

Old Servant

And at his death it came to thee?

Creusa

Yea, and here at my wrist I wear it.

Old Servant

How works the spell of this double gift of Pallas?

1010

Creusa

Each drop of gore which trickled from the hollow vein—

Old Servant

What purpose does it serve? what virtue does it carry?

Creusa

Wards off disease, and nourishes man’s life.

Old Servant

What doth that second drop effect, of which thou madest mention?

Creusa

It kills, for it is venom from the Gorgon’s snakes.

1015

Old Servant

Dost thou carry this charm mixed in one phial, or separate?

Creusa

Separate; for good is no companion for evil.

Old Servant

Daughter dear, thou art fully armed with all thou needest.

Creusa

By this must the boy die, and thou must do the deadly deed.

Old Servant

How and where? thine it is to speak, and mine to dare and do.

1020

Creusa

In Athens , when to my house he comes.

Old Servant

That is not wisely said; I may object to thy plan as thou to mine.

Creusa

How so? Hast thou the same mistrust that I experience?

Old Servant

Thou wilt get the credit of his death, although thou slay him not.

Creusa

True; men say stepdames are jealous of their husband’s children.

1025

Old Servant

Kill him here then, that so thou mayst deny the murder.

Creusa

Well, thus I do anticipate the pleasure.

Old Servant

Yea, and thou wilt from thy husband keep the very secret he would keep from thee.

Creusa

Dost know then what to do? Take from my arm

this golden bracelet, Athena’s gift, some ancient craftsman’s work, and seek the spot where my lord is offering secret sacrifice; then when their feasting is o’er and they are about to pour drink-offering to the gods, take this phial in thy robe and pour it into the young man’s goblet;

1030

not for all, but for him alone, providing a separate draught, who thinks to lord it o’er my house. And if once it pass his lips, never shall he come to glorious Athens , but here abide, of life bereft.

1035

Old Servant

Go thou within the house of our public hosts;

I the while will set about my appointed task. On! aged foot, grow young again in action, for all that time saith no to thee. Go, aid thy mistress against her enemy, help slay and drag him from her house.

1040

’Tis well to honour piety in the hour of fortune, but when thou wouldst harm thy foe, no law doth block thy path.

1045