Euripides, Rhesus, Gilbert Murray (Translator), 467

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RHESUS.

Yea, more atonement thou shalt take from me

For this slow help.—May Adrasteia see

My heart and pardon!—When we two have set

Troy free from these who compass her with hate,

Soon as the Gods have had their first-fruits, I
470

With thee will sail—so help me Zeus on high!—

And sack all Hellas with the sword, till these

Doers of deeds shall know what suffering is.

HECTOR.

By heaven, could I once see this peril rolled

Past us, and live in Ilion as of old,
475

Untrembling, I would thank my gods! To seek

Argos and sack the cities of the Greek-

’Twere not such light work as thou fanciest.

RHESUS.

These Greeks that face thee, are they not their best?¹

HECTOR.

We seek not better. These do all we need.
480

RHESUS.

When these are beaten, then, we have done the deed.

HECTOR.

Lose not thy path watching a distant view.

RHESUS.

Thou seem’st content to suffer, not to do?

HECTOR.

I have a kingdom large by mine own right ..

What station will best please thee in this fight
485

To ground the targe and stablish thine array?

Right, left, or midmost in the allies? Say.

Rhesus. Euripides. Gilbert Murray (Translator). London. 1913.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Current edition Perseus

Rhesus (English) (Euripides. The Rhesus of Euripides. Murray, Gilbert, translator. London: George Allen and Company, Ltd., 1913.)

Editions (1)

Ῥῆσος Perseus (Euripides. Euripidis Fabulae, Vol. III. Murray, Gilbert, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913. (Reprinted 1920-1978)) — 467 focus

Ῥῆσος

τοιαῦτα μέν σοι τῆς μακρᾶς ἀπουσίας

πρᾶξαι παρέξω — σὺν δʼ Ἀδραστείᾳ λέγω —

ἐπειδἂν ἐχθρῶν τήνδʼ ἐλευθέραν πόλιν

θῶμεν θεοῖσί τʼ ἀκροθίνιʼ ἐξέλῃς,
470

ξὺν σοὶ στρατεύειν γῆν ἐπʼ Ἀργείων θέλω

καὶ πᾶσαν ἐλθὼν Ἑλλάδʼ ἐκπέρσαι δορί,

ὡς ἂν μάθωσιν ἐν μέρει πάσχειν κακῶς.

Ἕκτωρ

εἰ τοῦ παρόντος τοῦδʼ ἀπαλλαχθεὶς κακοῦ

πόλιν νεμοίμην ὡς τὸ πρίν ποτʼ ἀσφαλῆ,
475

ἦ κάρτα πολλὴν θεοῖς ἂν εἰδείην χάριν.

τὰ δʼ ἀμφί τʼ Ἄργος καὶ νομὸν τὸν Ἑλλάδος

οὐχ ὧδε πορθεῖν ῥᾴδιʼ, ὡς λέγεις, δορί.

Ῥῆσος

οὐ τούσδʼ ἀριστέας φασὶν Ἑλλήνων μολεῖν;

Ἕκτωρ

κοὐ μεμφόμεσθά γʼ, ἀλλʼ ἄδην ἐλαύνομεν.
480

Ῥῆσος

οὐκ οὖν κτανόντες τούσδε πᾶν εἰργάσμεθα;

Ἕκτωρ

μή νυν τὰ πόρρω τἀγγύθεν μεθεὶς σκόπει.

Ῥῆσος

ἀρκεῖν ἔοικέ σοι παθεῖν, δρᾶσαι δὲ μή.

Ἕκτωρ

πολλῆς γὰρ ἄρχω κἀνθάδʼ ὢν τυραννίδος.

ἀλλʼ εἴτε λαιὸν εἴτε δεξιὸν κέρας
485

εἴτʼ ἐν μέσοισι συμμάχοις πάρεστί σοι

πέλτην ἐρεῖσαι καὶ καταστῆσαι στρατόν.

Translations (2)

Rhesus Perseus (Euripides. The Plays of Euripides, Vol. I. Coleridge, Edward P., translator. London: George Bell and Sons, 1906. (Modernized by Perseus.)) — 467 focus

Rhesus

Such exploits am I ready to achieve to atone for my long absence; (with due submission to Nemesis I say this); then when we have cleared this city of its foes

and you have chosen out first-fruits for the gods, I wish to march with you against the Argives’ country and at my coming lay Hellas waste with war, that they in turn may know the taste of ill.
470

Hector

If I could rid the city of this present curse

and restore it to its old security, I should indeed feel deep gratitude towards the gods. But, as for sacking Argos and the pasture-lands of Hellas with the spear, it is no such easy task as you say.
475

Rhesus

Do they not say that here came the greatest chiefs of Hellas ?

Hector

Yes, and I do not scorn them; I have enough to do in driving them away.
480

Rhesus

Well, when we slay these, is our task not fully done?

Hector

Do not leave the present need to look to distant schemes.

Rhesus

You are, it seems, content to suffer and make no return.

Hector

Yes, for I rule a great empire, even though I am here.

But on the left wing or the right or in the centre of the allies you may plant your shield and marshal your troops.
485

Rhesus (OCR draft) Experimental (Rhesus. Robert Potter's English verse translation, first published in 1781–1783; text from the 1808 Oxford printing.)

No corresponding passage available

Notes on the current edition

Rhesus

1. P. 26, l. 480. It may be remarked that the play here uses a fairly common Homeric phrase in a sense which the scholars of our tradition knew but rejected.

Euripides Rhesus 467

Gilbert Murray (Translator)

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HECTOR.

By heaven, could I once see this peril rolled

Past us, and live in Ilion as of old,
475

Untrembling, I would thank my gods! To seek

Argos and sack the cities of the Greek-

’Twere not such light work as thou fanciest.

RHESUS.

These Greeks that face thee, are they not their best?¹

HECTOR.

We seek not better. These do all we need.
480

RHESUS.

When these are beaten, then, we have done the deed.

HECTOR.

Lose not thy path watching a distant view.

RHESUS.

Thou seem’st content to suffer, not to do?

HECTOR.

I have a kingdom large by mine own right ..

What station will best please thee in this fight
485

To ground the targe and stablish thine array?

Right, left, or midmost in the allies? Say.

Current edition Perseus

Ῥῆσος

οὐ τούσδʼ ἀριστέας φασὶν Ἑλλήνων μολεῖν;

Ἕκτωρ

κοὐ μεμφόμεσθά γʼ, ἀλλʼ ἄδην ἐλαύνομεν.
480

Ῥῆσος

οὐκ οὖν κτανόντες τούσδε πᾶν εἰργάσμεθα;

Ἕκτωρ

μή νυν τὰ πόρρω τἀγγύθεν μεθεὶς σκόπει.

Ῥῆσος

ἀρκεῖν ἔοικέ σοι παθεῖν, δρᾶσαι δὲ μή.

Hector

If I could rid the city of this present curse

and restore it to its old security, I should indeed feel deep gratitude towards the gods. But, as for sacking Argos and the pasture-lands of Hellas with the spear, it is no such easy task as you say.
475

Rhesus

Do they not say that here came the greatest chiefs of Hellas ?

Hector

Yes, and I do not scorn them; I have enough to do in driving them away.
480

Rhesus

Well, when we slay these, is our task not fully done?

Hector

Do not leave the present need to look to distant schemes.

Rhesus

You are, it seems, content to suffer and make no return.

Hector

Yes, for I rule a great empire, even though I am here.

But on the left wing or the right or in the centre of the allies you may plant your shield and marshal your troops.
485

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

HECTOR. By heaven, could I once see this peril rolled Past us, and live in Ilion as of old, 475 Untrembling, I would thank my gods! To seek Argos and sack the cities of the Greek- ’Twere not such light work as thou fanciest.

RHESUS. These Greeks that face thee, are they not their best? 1

HECTOR. We seek not better. These do all we need. 480

RHESUS. When these are beaten, then, we have done the deed.

HECTOR. Lose not thy path watching a distant view.

RHESUS. Thou seem’st content to suffer, not to do?

HECTOR. I have a kingdom large by mine own right .. What station will best please thee in this fight 485 To ground the targe and stablish thine array? Right, left, or midmost in the allies? Say.

Current edition Perseus

Ῥῆσος οὐ τούσδʼ ἀριστέας φασὶν Ἑλλήνων μολεῖν;

Ἕκτωρ κοὐ μεμφόμεσθά γʼ, ἀλλʼ ἄδην ἐλαύνομεν. 480

Ῥῆσος οὐκ οὖν κτανόντες τούσδε πᾶν εἰργάσμεθα;

Ἕκτωρ μή νυν τὰ πόρρω τἀγγύθεν μεθεὶς σκόπει.

Ῥῆσος ἀρκεῖν ἔοικέ σοι παθεῖν, δρᾶσαι δὲ μή.

Hector If I could rid the city of this present curse and restore it to its old security, I should indeed feel deep gratitude towards the gods. But, as for sacking Argos and the pasture-lands of Hellas with the spear, it is no such easy task as you say. 475

Rhesus Do they not say that here came the greatest chiefs of Hellas ?

Hector Yes, and I do not scorn them; I have enough to do in driving them away. 480

Rhesus Well, when we slay these, is our task not fully done?

Hector Do not leave the present need to look to distant schemes.

Rhesus You are, it seems, content to suffer and make no return.

Hector Yes, for I rule a great empire, even though I am here. But on the left wing or the right or in the centre of the allies you may plant your shield and marshal your troops. 485

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

HECTOR.

By heaven, could I once see this peril rolled

Past us, and live in Ilion as of old,
475

Untrembling, I would thank my gods! To seek

Argos and sack the cities of the Greek-

’Twere not such light work as thou fanciest.

RHESUS.

These Greeks that face thee, are they not their best?¹

HECTOR.

We seek not better. These do all we need.
480

RHESUS.

When these are beaten, then, we have done the deed.

HECTOR.

Lose not thy path watching a distant view.

RHESUS.

Thou seem’st content to suffer, not to do?

HECTOR.

I have a kingdom large by mine own right ..

What station will best please thee in this fight
485

To ground the targe and stablish thine array?

Right, left, or midmost in the allies? Say.

Ῥῆσος

οὐ τούσδʼ ἀριστέας φασὶν Ἑλλήνων μολεῖν;

Ἕκτωρ

κοὐ μεμφόμεσθά γʼ, ἀλλʼ ἄδην ἐλαύνομεν.
480

Ῥῆσος

οὐκ οὖν κτανόντες τούσδε πᾶν εἰργάσμεθα;

Ἕκτωρ

μή νυν τὰ πόρρω τἀγγύθεν μεθεὶς σκόπει.

Ῥῆσος

ἀρκεῖν ἔοικέ σοι παθεῖν, δρᾶσαι δὲ μή.

Hector

If I could rid the city of this present curse

and restore it to its old security, I should indeed feel deep gratitude towards the gods. But, as for sacking Argos and the pasture-lands of Hellas with the spear, it is no such easy task as you say.
475

Rhesus

Do they not say that here came the greatest chiefs of Hellas ?

Hector

Yes, and I do not scorn them; I have enough to do in driving them away.
480

Rhesus

Well, when we slay these, is our task not fully done?

Hector

Do not leave the present need to look to distant schemes.

Rhesus

You are, it seems, content to suffer and make no return.

Hector

Yes, for I rule a great empire, even though I am here.

But on the left wing or the right or in the centre of the allies you may plant your shield and marshal your troops.
485