CHORUS

IO

Ah ! ah ! encore ! Un spasme soudain, un accès délirant me brûlent. Le dard du taon ¹ me taraude, tel un

IO

fer rougi ² . Mon cœur épouvanté piétine mes entrailles. Mes yeux roulent convulsivement. Emportée hors de la carrière par un furieux souffle de rage, je ne commande déjà plus à
ma langue, et mes pensées confuses se heurtent en désordre au flot montant d'un mal hideux !

LE CHŒUR

CHORUS.

Was it not wiſdom's ſovereign pow'r

That beam'd her brightest, pureſt flame,

T' illume her ſage's ſoul the thought to frame l

,

And cloath with words his heav'ntaught lore?

915

"Whoe'er thou art, whom young deſire

Shall lead to Hymen's holy fire,

Chuſe, from thy equals chuſe thy humble love:)

Let not the pomp of wealth allure thine eye,

Nor hightrac'd lineage thy ambition move;

920

Ill ſuits with low degree t' aſpire ſo high."

Never, O never may my fate

See me a ſplendid victim led

To grace the mighty Jove's imperial bed,

Or ſhare a god's magnific ſtate.

925

When Iö's miſeries meet my eyes,

What horrors in my ſoul ariſe !

Her virgin boſom, harb'ring high intent,

In man delights not, and his love diſdains;

Hence the dire peſt by wrathful Juno ſent,

930

Her wide wild wand'rings hence, and agonizing pains.

Me leſs ambitious thoughts engage,

And love within my humbler ſphere:

Hence my ſoul reſts in peace ſecure from fear,

Secure from danger's threat'ning rage.

935

Me may the pow'rs that rule the ſky

Ne'er view with love's reſiſtleſs eye;

Ah, never be th' unequal conflict mine,

To ſtrive with their inextricable love:

Might not my heart againſt itſelf combine?

940

Or how eſcape the pow'rful arts of Jove?

PROMETHEUS.

Yet ſhall this Jove, with all his ſelfwill'd pride,

Learn humbler thoughts, taught by that fatal marriage,

Which from the lofty throne of ſovereign rule

Shall ſink him to a low and abject ſtate,

945

And on his head fulfil his father's curſe,

The curſe of Saturn, vented in that hour

When from his ancient royalty he fell.

Of all the gods not one, myſelf except,

Can warn him of his fate, and how to ſhun

950

Th' impending ruin.

I know all, and how.

Let him then ſit, and glorying in his height

Roll with his red right hand his vollied thunder

Falſely ſecure, and wreath his bick'ring flames.

955

Yet nought ſhall they avail him, nor prevent

His abject and diſhonorable fall.

Such rival adverſary forms he now

Againſt himſelf, prodigious in his might,

And unaſſailable;

960

whoſe rage ſhall roll

Flames that ſurpaſs his lightnings, fiercer bolts

That quaſh his thunders; and from Neptune's hand

Daſh his trined mace, that from the bottom ſtirs

The troubled ſea, and ſhakes the ſolid earth.

965

Cruſh'd with this dreadful ruin ſhall he learn

How different, to command, and to obey.

CHORUS.

Thy ominous tongue gives utterance to thy wiſh.

PROMETHEUS.

It is my wiſh, and ſhall be ratified.

CHORUS.

What, ſhall high Jove bend to a greater lord?

970

PROMETHEUS.

And to a yoke more galling ſtoop his neck.

CHORUS.

Doſt thou not fear, vaunting this bold diſcourſe?

PROMETHEUS.

What ſhould I fear, by Fate exempt from death?

CHORUS.

But he may add freſh tortures to thy pain.

PROMETHEUS.

Let him then add them, I await them all.

975

CHORUS.

Wiſe they, who reverence the ſtern pow'r of vengeance.

PROMETHEUS.

Go then, with prompt ſervility fall down

Before your lord, fawn, cringe, and ſue for grace.

For me, I value him at less than nothing.

Let him exert his brief authority,

980

And lord it whilſt he may; his pow'r in Heav'n

Shall vaniſh ſoon, nor leave a trace behind.-

But ſee, his meſſenger haſtes on amain,

Th' obſequious lacquey of this newmade monarch:

He comes, I ween, the bearer of freſh tidings.

985

MERCURY.

To thee grown old in craft, deep drench'd in gall,

Diſguſtful to the gods, too prodigal

Of interdicted gifts to mortal man,

Thief of the fire of Heav'n, to thee my meſſage.

My father bids thee ſay what nuptials these

990

Thy tongue thus vaunts as threat'ning his high pow'r;

And clearly ſay, couch'd in no riddling phraſe,

Each ſeveral circumſtance; propound not to me

Ambiguous terms, Prometheus;

for thou ſeeſt

995

Jove brooks not ſuch, unfit to win his favour.

PROMETHEUS.

Cho.

Chorus

Jo.

Wie der zuckende Schmerz, wie des Wahnsinns Wuth

Mich wieder durchflammt, sein glühender Pfeil

875

In die Seele mir bohrt!

Wie das bebende Herz laut pocht an die Brust!

Wild rollen im Kreis mir die Augen umher.

Weit über die Bahn hin stürm' ich, entrafft

Von dem Hauche der Wuth, und die Zunge gehorcht

880

Nicht mehr, hohl schlägt mein stammelnder Laut

In des Unheils grollende Brandung.

(Jo stürmt von der Bühne in die Ferne hinaus; Pause.)

Chor

Wechselgesang des Chores.

Erster Halbchor.

Strophe.