Euripides, Rhesus, ed. Gilbert Murray, 692-727

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Χορός

—τίς ἀνδρῶν ὁ βάς;

τίς ὁ μέγα θρασὺς ἐπεύξεται

χέρα φυγὼν ἐμάν;

πόθεν νιν κυρήσω;
695

τίνι προσεικάσω,

ὅστις διʼ ὄρφνης ἦλθʼ ἀδειμάντῳ ποδὶ

διά τε τάξεων καὶ φυλάκων ἕδρας;

Θεσσαλὸς ἢ

παραλίαν Λοκρῶν νεμόμενος πόλιν;
700

ἢ νησιώτην σποράδα κέκτηται βίον;

τίς ἦν; πόθεν; ποίας πάτρας;

ποῖον δʼ εὔχεται τὸν ὕπατον θεῶν;

— ἆρʼ ἔστʼ Ὀδυσσέως τοὔργον ἢ τίνος τόδε;

εἰ τοῖς πάροιθε χρὴ τεκμαίρεσθαι· τί μήν;
705

— δοκεῖς γάρ; — τί μὴν οὔ;

— θρασὺς γοῦν ἐς ἡμᾶς.

— τίνʼ ἀλκήν; τίνʼ αἰνεῖς; — Ὀδυσσῆ.

— μὴ κλωπὸς αἴνει φωτὸς αἱμύλον δόρυ.

710

Χορός

ἔβα καὶ πάρος
710

κατὰ πόλιν, ὕπαφρον ὄμμʼ ἔχων,

ῥακοδύτῳ στολᾷ

πυκασθείς, ξιφήρης

κρύφιος ἐν πέπλοις.

βίον δʼ ἐπαιτῶν εἷρπʼ ἀγύρτης τις λάτρις,
715

ψαφαρόχρουν κάρα πολυπινές τʼ ἔχων·

πολλὰ δὲ τὰν

βασιλίδʼ ἑστίαν Ἀτρειδᾶν κακῶς

ἔβαζε δῆθεν ἐχθρὸς ὢν στρατηλάταις.

ὄλοιτʼ ὄλοιτο πανδίκως,
720

πρὶν ἐπὶ γᾶν Φρυγῶν ποδὸς ἴχνος βαλεῖν.

— εἴτʼ οὖν Ὀδυσσέως εἴτε μή, φόβος μʼ ἔχει·

Ἕκτωρ γὰρ ἡμῖν τοῖς φύλαξι μέμψεται.

— τί λάσκων; — δυσοίζων.

— τί δρᾶσαι; τί ταρβεῖς;
725

— καθʼ ἡμᾶς περᾶσαι — τίνʼ ἀνδρῶν;

— οἳ τῆσδε νυκτὸς ἦλθον ἐς Φρυγῶν στρατόν.

Rhesus. Euripides. ed. Gilbert Murray. Oxford. 1913.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

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

Translations (3)

Rhesus Perseus (Euripides. The Plays of Euripides, Vol. I. Coleridge, Edward P., translator. London: George Bell and Sons, 1906. (Modernized by Perseus.)) — 692-727 focus

Chorus

Who was that man who slipped away? Who was he that will loudly boast his daring in escaping me?

How shall I catch him now? To whom shall I liken him, the man who came by night with fearless step passing through our ranks and the guard we set? Is he a Thessalian or
695

a dweller in some seacoast town of Locris ? Or does he make his living among the islands scattered in the sea? Who was he? Where from? What is his fatherland? What god does he avow as lord of all the rest?
700

Whose work is this? is it the deed of Odysseus?

If one may conjecture from his former acts, of course it is.
705

Do you think so really?

Why, of course.

He is a bold foe for us.

What strength? Whom are you praising?

Odysseus.

Do not praise the crafty weapons that a robber uses.

710

Chorus

Once before he came into this city, with swimming bleary eyes, clad in rags and tatters, his sword hidden in his cloak.
710

And like some vagrant menial he slunk about begging his living, his head rough and dirty; and he spoke bitterly of the royal house of the Atreidae—as though he were really opposed to those chiefs!
715

Would, oh! would he had perished, as was his due, before he set foot on Phrygia ’s soil!
720

Whether it was really Odysseus or not, I am afraid;

for Hector will blame us sentinels.

What can he allege?

He will suspect.

What have we done? Why are you afraid?
725

They got past us—

Well, who?

The ones who came this night to the Phrygian army.

Rhesus Perseus (Euripides. The Rhesus of Euripides. Murray, Gilbert, translator. London: George Allen and Company, Ltd., 1913.) — 692-727 focus

The Thracians go off in pursuit. Meantime the original Guards who form the Chorus have hastened back. The two Greeks are presently seen crossing at the back in a different direction.

CHORUS.

Who was the man that passed?

Who, that, so madly bold,

Even as I held him fast,

Laughed, and I loosed my hold?

Where shall I find him now?
695

What shall I deem of him,

To steal thro’ the guards a-row,

Quaking not, eye nor limb,

On thro’ the starlight dim?

Is he of Thessaly ,

Born by the Locrian sea,
700

Or harvester of some starved island’s corn?

What man hath seen his face?

What was his name or race,

What the high God¹ by whom his sires have sworn?

DIVERS GUARDS
(talking).

This night must be Odysseus’ work, or whose?—

Odysseus? Aye, to judge by ancient use.—
705

Odysseus surely!—That is thy belief?—

What else? It seems he hath no fear

Of such as we!—Whom praise ye there?

Whose prowess? Say!—Odysseus.—Nay,

Praise not the secret stabbing of a thief!

710

CHORUS.

He came once, of old,
710

Up thro’ the city throng,

Foam on his lips, a-cold,

Huddled in rags that hung

Covering just the sword

Hid in his mantle’s pleat;

His face grimed and scored,
715

A priest of wandering feet,

Who begged his bread in the street.

Many and evil things

He cast on the brother kings

Like one long hurt, who nurseth anger sore;

Would that a curse, yea, would

The uttermost wrath of God
720

Had held those feet from walking Ilion ’s shore!

DIVERS GUARDS
(talking).

Odysseus or another, ’tis the guard

Will weep for this. Aye, Hector will be hard.—

What will he say?—He will suspect.—Suspect?

What evil? What should make you fear?—
725

’Twas we that left a passage clear.—

A passage?—Yea, for these men’s way,

Who came by night into the lines unchecked.

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

Euripides Rhesus 692-727

ed. Gilbert Murray

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