Sophocles Philoctetes 939

Der Chor.

Neoptolemus

Quiet, I say, and do not abandon your wits—the man is opening his eyes and lifts his head.

865

Philoctetes

Ah, light succeeding upon sleep! Ah, friendly watchers, sight unlooked for even in my dreams! I could never have expected this, son—

that you would have the patience to wait so tenderly upon my sufferings by staying close beside me and helping to relieve me. The Atreids, certainly, those valiant generals, had no heart to bear this burden so lightly. But your nature is noble and drawn of a noble line,

870

and so you have made little of all this, though loud cries and stenches afflicted you. And now, since the plague seems to allow me a space of forgetfulness and peace at last, lift me up yourself and set me on my feet,

875

so that, when the faintness releases me at length, we may set out to the ship, and not hold back our sailing.

880

Neoptolemus

It pleases me to see you living unpained and breathing still, however contrary to my expectation. For in view of your persistent sufferings,

your symptoms seemed to speak of death. But now lift yourself, or, if you prefer, these men will carry you. The labor will not be grudged, since you and I are of one mind.

885

Philoctetes

Thank you, son, and help me up, as you will.

Yet do not trouble your men, so that they may not suffer from the foul stench before it is necessary. It will be trial enough for them to live on board with me.

890

Neoptolemus

So be it. Now stand up, and take hold of me.

Philoctetes

Do not worry, my habitual method will help me to my feet.

Neoptolemus

God! What am I to do next?

895

Philoctetes

What is the matter? Where strays your speech?

Neoptolemus

I do not know where to turn my tongue when my thoughts are so confused.

Philoctetes

Confused? How so? No, do not say it!

Neoptolemus

My mind is indeed brought to that condition.

Philoctetes

It cannot be that offense at my sickness has persuaded you not to take me aboard your ship?

900

Neoptolemus

All is offense when a man has abandoned his true nature and does what does not suit him.

Philoctetes

But you, at least, are not departing from your begetter’s

example either in word or deed, when you help a man who is noble.

905

Neoptolemus

I shall be found to have no honor—this is the thought that long torments me.

Philoctetes

Not because of your present deeds, at least. But because of your words, I worry.

Neoptolemus

O Zeus, what shall I do? Must I be twice found base—by disloyal silence, as well as by shameful speech?

Philoctetes

Unless I am lacking in judgment, he means to betray me, leave me behind and sail away!

910

Neoptolemus

Leave you? No, not I. Rather, to your pain, I will bring you along. That is my torment.

Philoctetes

What do you mean, son? I do not understand.

Neoptolemus

I will conceal nothing. You must sail to Troy , back to the Achaeans and the forces of the Atreids.

915

Philoctetes

Ah, no! What have you said?

Neoptolemus

Do not wail in grief, before you understand!

Philoctetes

Understand what? What do you intend to do to me?

Neoptolemus

Save you, first, from this misery, and then,

together with you, go and plunder Troy ’s plains.

920

Philoctetes

And this is your true intent?

Neoptolemus

A harsh necessity governs these events, so do not be angered at hearing of them.

Philoctetes

I am destroyed—ah, misery!—betrayed! What have you done to me, stranger? Return my bow at once!

Neoptolemus

No, it is not possible. My duty and my interest alike constrain me to obey those in power.

925

Philoctetes

You destroying fire, you utter monster, you hateful masterpiece of astounding wickedness! What treachery you have done to me! How thoroughly you have deceived me! And are you, you wretch, unashamed to look at me,

the suppliant who turned to you for mercy? In taking my bow, you have robbed me of my life. Return it, I beg you, return it, I pray you, son! By the gods of your fathers, do not rob me of my life! Ah, me! He speaks to me no more.

930

He looks away, as if he will never give it up! O you inlets and headlands, you wild creatures of the hills who have shared my life, and you jagged cliffs, to you—for you alone hear me—to you my accustomed companions,

935

I bewail the treacherous treatment I have received from the son of Achilles. Although he swore to take me to my home, it is to Troy that he takes me. Although he gave me his right hand in pledge of his word, he has taken my bow, the sacred bow, once belonging to Zeus’s son Heracles, and he keeps it, and wants to show it to the Argives as his own.

940

By force he drags me away, as if he had captured a strong man, and does not see that he is cutting down a corpse, the shadow of smoke, a mere phantom. In my strength he could not have taken me—no!—nor even in my present condition, save by deceit. But now, because of my rotten fate, I have been tricked. What should I do?

945

Wait, give it back! Now, at least, recover your true self! What do you say? Silence! I am nothing! Double-gated cave, back, back again I return to you, but now stripped and lacking the means to live. Yes, in that chamber I will wither away alone,

950

bringing down with that bow no winged bird, no beast that roams the hills. Rather I myself shall die in misery, and supply a feast for those who fed me, becoming the prey of those on whom I preyed. Ah, in requital for blood my own blood will flow,

955

shed at the hands of a man who seemed all unknowing of evil! May destruction seize you!—but no, not yet, not before I learn whether you will change your mind. But if not, may you die a cruel death!

960

Chorus

What shall we do? It rests with you, my king, whether we now sail, or move forward to answer his pleas.

Neoptolemus

A startling pity for him has come upon me—and not now for the first time, but long ago.

965

Philoctetes

Show mercy, boy, for the love of the gods, and do not give men cause to reproach you for having cheated me.

Neoptolemus

Ah, no, what shall I do? I wish I had never left

Scyros, so pained am I by these doings.

970

Philoctetes

You are not in and of yourself wicked, but you seem to have come to me after learning the shameless lessons of wicked masters. Now leave such behavior to others, whom it suits, and sail from here—once you have given me back my weapons.

Neoptolemus

What shall we do, friends?

Odysseus

Traitor, what are you doing? Come back here and surrender that bow to me!

975

Philoctetes

Who is that? Do I hear Odysseus?

Odysseus

Yes, Odysseus, be sure of it. Here I am before your eyes.

Philoctetes

Ah, me, I am sold, destroyed! It was he, then, who entrapped me and robbed me of my arms.

Odysseus

Yes, I and no other. I avow it.

980

Philoctetes

Give back my bow, boy, give it up.

Odysseus

That he shall never do, even if he wished to. And, what is more, you must come along with it, or my men will bring you by force.

Philoctetes

Me, you basest and boldest of scoundrels,

they will take me by force?

985

Odysseus

Unless you come of your own free will.

Philoctetes

O Lemnos , and you all-conquering flame kindled by Hephaestus, will you indeed endure it that this man should take me from your domain by force?

Odysseus

Zeus it is, I tell you, Zeus, who rules this land,

and it is by Zeus that these actions are decreed. I am his servant.

990

Philoctetes

Hated creature, what clever pleading you devise! By sheltering yourself behind the gods, you make the gods liars.

Odysseus

No, but true prophets. Now our march must begin.

Philoctetes

Never!

Odysseus

Now, I say. You must obey.

Philoctetes

Ah, misery! Clearly, then, my father sired me to be a slave and no free man.

995

Odysseus

Not so, but to be the peer of the best and bravest, with whom you are destined to take Troy and force it to the ground.

Philoctetes

No, never—even if I must suffer every torment,

so long as I have this island’s steep cliffs beneath me!

1000

Odysseus

What do you plan to do?

Philoctetes

Throw myself now from the rock and shatter my head on the rocks below!

Odysseus

Quick, seize him, both of you! Do not give him the chance!

Philoctetes

O my arms, what shames you suffer for lack of your cherished

bow, now that you are made that man’s bound quarry! And you, who cannot think one healthy or one noble thought, how stealthily you have once more ambushed and trapped me, taking this boy for your screen, because he was a stranger to me. He is too good for your company, but worthy of mine,

1005

since he had no thought but to execute his orders, and he already shows remorse for his own errors and for the wrongs done me. But your corrupt mind, always on the lookout from some position of ambush, trained him well—unsuited and unwilling though he was—

1010

to be cunning in evil. And now, wretch, for me you plan bonds and passage from the very shore on which you had me flung away, friendless, abandoned, citiless, a corpse in the eyes of the living. Ah! Hades take you! Indeed I have often so prayed for you.

1015

But, because the gods grant me nothing that is sweet, you remain alive and you laugh, while I live miserably among countless sufferings, mocked by you and by the sons of Atreus, the two generals whom you serve on this errand.

1020

And yet you sailed with them only when brought under their yoke by trickery and compulsion. But me, when, to my utter ruin, I sailed of my own accord as their mate with seven ships, me they cast out of ship and honor, as you claim, while they say that it was your doing. And now, why would you take me? Why have me led away? For what purpose?

1025

I am nothing, and, as far as you were concerned, I have long been dead. You creature abhorred by the gods, how is it that you no longer find me crippled and foul-smelling? How, if I sail with you, can you burn sacrifices to the gods, or make libations any more? That was your pretext for casting me away in the first place.

1030

A cruel death for you!—and die you shall for your unjust treatment of me, if the gods care for justice. But I know that they do care for it, since you would never have made this voyage for one so miserable, unless some god-sent goad had driven you after me.

1035

O, fatherland, and you watchful gods, bring your vengeance, bring your vengeance on them all after so long, if at all you pity me! Yes, my life merits pity. Yet if I were to see those men overthrown, I would believe that I had escaped my plague.

1040

Chorus

Bitter is the stranger, and bitter his words, Odysseus. They do not bend before the storm of his troubles.

1045

Odysseus

I could say much in answer to his claims, if time allowed; but now I can say one thing only. What kind of man the occasion demands, that kind of man am I.

And accordingly, where the judgment at hand is of just and good men, you could find no man more pious than me. Victory, however, is my inborn desire in every field—save with regard to you. To you, in this case, I will gladly give way. Yes, release him, and lay not another finger upon him.

1050

Let him stay here. We have no further need of you, now that we have these weapons. For Teucer is there among our forces, well-skilled in this craft, as am I, and I believe that I can master this bow in no way worse than you, and point it with no worse a hand.

1055

So what need is there of you? Farewell! Enjoy your strolls on Lemnos ! We must be going. And perhaps your onetime prize will bring me the honor which ought to have been your own.

1060

Philoctetes

Ah, no, what shall I do? Are you to shine before the Argives graced with my arms?

Odysseus

Argue with me no more. I am going.

1065

Philoctetes

Seed of Achilles, will you, too, grant me your voice no more, but leave without a word?

Odysseus

Come on! Do not look at him, kind and noble though you are. Do not obliterate our good fortune.

Philoctetes

And will you also, friends, leave me so desolate and show me no pity?

1070

Chorus

The boy commands our ship. Whatever he says to you, that is our answer also.

Neoptolemus

I shall be told by Odysseus here that I am too

soft-hearted; but remain here, if that one agrees, until the sailors have readied everything on board, and we have made our prayers to the gods. In the interval, perhaps, he will obtain a better attitude towards us. And so we two are going.

1075

And you, when we call you, be quick to come. Exeunt Odysseus and Neoptolemus.

1080