Complete Works of Euripides

by Euripides

  ὥσπερ μ’ ὁρᾷς πίνονταῲχὤσπερ οὐκέτι.

  Κύκλωψ

  [565] Ἆ ἆ, τί δράσεις;

  Σιληνός

  Ἡδέως ἠμύστισα.

  Κύκλωψ

  Λάβ’, ὦ ξέν’, αὐτὸς οἰνοχόος τέ μοι γενοῦ.

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  Γιγνώσκεται γοῦν ἅμπελος τἠμῇ χερί.

  Κύκλωψ

  Φέρ’ ἔγχεόν νυν.

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  Ἐγχέω, σίγα μόνον.

  Κύκλωψ

  Χαλεπὸν τόδ’ εἶπας, ὅστις ἂν πίνῃ πολύν.

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  [570] Ἰδού· λαβὼν ἔκπιθι καὶ μηδὲν λίπῃς·

  συνεκθανεῖν δὲ σπῶντα χρὴ τῷ πώματι.

  Κύκλωψ

  Παπαῖ, σοφόν γε τὸ ξύλον τῆς ἀμπέλου.

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  Λἂν μὲν σπάσῃς γε δαιτὶ πρὸς πολλῇ πολύν,

  τέγξας ἄδιψον νηδύν, εἰς ὕπνον βαλεῖ,

  [575] ἢν δ’ ἐλλίπῃς τι, ξηρανεῖ σ’ ὁ Βάκχιος.

  Κύκλωψ

  Ἰοὺ ἰού·

  ὡς ἐξένευσα μόγις· ἄκρατος ἡ χάρις.

  Ὁ δ’ οὐρανός μοι συμμεμιγμένος δοκεῖ

  τῇ γῇ φέρεσθαι, τοῦ Διός τε τὸν θρόνον

  [580] λεύσσω τὸ πᾶν τε δαιμόνων ἁγνὸν σέβας.

  Οὐκ ἂν φιλήσαιμ’; Αἱ Χάριτες πειρῶσί με.

  Ἅλις· Γανυμήδη τόνδ’ ἔχων ἀναπαύσομαι

  κάλλιον ἢ τὰς Χάριτας. Ἥδομαι δέ πως

  τοῖς παιδικοῖσι μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς θήλεσιν.

  Σιληνός

  [585] Ἐγὼ γὰρ ὁ Διός εἰμι Γανυμήδης, Κύκλωψ;

  Κύκλωψ

  Ναὶ μὰ Δί’, ὃν ἁρπάζω γ’ ἐγὼ ‘κ τῆς Δαρδάνου.

  Σιληνός

  Ἀπόλωλα, παῖδες· σχέτλια πείσομαι κακά.

  Κύκλωψ

  Μέμφῃ τὸν ἐραστὴν κἀντρυφᾷς πεπωκότι;

  Σιληνός

  Οἴμοι· πικρότατον οἶνον ὄψομαι τάχα.

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  [590] Ἀγε δή, Διονύσου παῖδες, εὐγενῆ τέκνα,

  ἔνδον μὲν ἁνήρ· τῷ δ’ ὕπνῳ παρειμένος

  τάχ’ ἐξ ἀναιδοῦς φάρυγος ὠθήσει κρέα.

  Δαλὸς δ’ ἔσωθεν αὐλίων πνέων καπνὸν

  παρευτρέπισται, κοὐδὲν ἄλλο πλὴν πυροῦν

  [595] Κύκλωπος ὄψιν· ἀλλ’ ὅπως ἀνὴρ ἔσῃ.

  Χορός

  Πέτρας τὸ λῆμα κἀδάμαντος ἕξομεν.

  Χώρει δ’ ἐς οἴκους πρίν τι τὸν πατέρα παθεῖν

  ἀπάλαμνον· ὥς σοι τἀνθάδ’ ἐστὶν εὐτρεπῆ.

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  [599] Ἥφαιστ’, ἄναξ Αἰτναῖε, γείτονος κακοῦ

  [600] λαμπρὸν πυρώσας ὄμμ’ ἀπαλλάχθηθ’ ἅπαξ,

  σύ τ’, ὦ μελαίνης Νυκτὸς ἐκπαίδευμ’, Ὕπνε,

  ἄκρατος ἐλθὲ θηρὶ τῷ θεοστυγεῖ,

  καὶ μὴ ‘πὶ καλλίστοισι Τρωι¨κοῖς πόνοις

  αὐτόν τε ναύτας τ’ ἀπολέσητ’ Ὀδυσσέα

  [605] ὑπ’ ἀνδρὸς ᾧ θεῶν οὐδὲν ἢ βροτῶν μέλει.

  Ἢ τὴν τύχην μὲν δαίμον’ ἡγεῖσθαι χρεών,

  τὰ δαιμόνων δὲ τῆς τύχης ἐλάσσονα.

  Χορός

  [608] Λήψεται τὸν τράχηλον

  ἐντόνως ὁ καρκίνος

  [610] τοῦ ξενοδαιτυμόνος· πυρὶ γὰρ τάχα

  φωσφόρους ὀλεῖ κόρας.

  ἤδη δαλὸς ἠνθρακωμένος

  [615] κρύπτεται ἐς σποδιάν, δρυὸς ἄσπετον

  ἔρνος. ἀλλ’ ἴτω Μάρων,

  πρασσέτω,

  μαινομένου ‘ξελέτω βλέφαρον

  Κύκλωπος, ὡς πίῃ κακῶς.

  κἆτ’ ἐγὼ

  [620] τὸν φιλοκισσοφόρον Βρόμιον

  ποθεινὸν εἰσιδεῖν θέλω,

  Κύκλωπος λιπὼν ἐρημίαν·

  ἆρ’ ἐς τοσόνδ’ ἀφίξομαι;

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  [625] Σιγᾶτε πρὸς θεῶν, θῆρες, ἡσυχάζετε,

  συνθέντες ἄρθρα στόματος· οὐδὲ πνεῖν ἐῶ,

  οὐ σκαρδαμύσσειν οὐδὲ χρέμπτεσθαί τινα,

  ὡς μὴ ‘ξεγερθῇ τὸ κακόν, ἔστ’ ἂν ὄμματος

  ὄψις Κύκλωπος ἐξαμιλληθῇ πυρί.

  Χορός

  Σιγῶμεν ἐγκάψαντες αἰθέρα γνάθοις.

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  [630] Ἄγε νυν ὅπως ἅψεσθε τοῦ δαλοῦ χεροῖν

  ἔσω μολόντες· διάπυρος δ’ ἐστὶν καλῶς.

  Χορός

  Οὔκουν σὺ τάξεις οὕστινας πρώτους χρεὼν

  καυτὸν μοχλὸν λαβόντας ἐκκάειν τὸ φῶς

  Κύκλωπος, ὡς ἂν τῆς τύχης κοινώμεθα;

  Χορός α

  [635] Ἡμεῖς μέν ἐσμεν μακροτέρω πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν

  ἑστῶτες ὠθεῖν ἐς τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τὸ πῦρ.

  Χορός β

  Ἡμεῖς δὲ χωλοί γ’ ἀρτίως γεγενήμεθα.

  Χορός α

  Ταὐτὸν πεπόνθατ’ ἆρ’ ἐμοί· τοὺς γὰρ πόδας

  ἑστῶτες ἐσπάσθημεν οὐκ οἶδ’ ἐξ ὅτου.

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  [640] Ἑστῶτες ἐσπάσθητε;

  Χορός α

  Καὶ τά γ’ ὄμματα

  μέστ’ ἐστὶν ἡμῖν κόνεος ἢ τέφρας ποθέν.

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  Ἄνδρες πονηροὶ κοὐδὲν οἵδε σύμμαχοι.

  Χορός

  [643] Ὁτιὴ τὸ νῶτον τὴν ῥάχιν τ’ οἰκτίρομεν

  καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐκβαλεῖν οὐ βούλομαι

  [645] τυπτόμενος, αὕτη γίγνεται πονηρία;

  Ἀλλ’ οἶδ’ ἐπῳδὴν Ὀρφέως ἀγαθὴν πάνυ,

  ὥστ’ αὐτόματον τὸν δαλὸν ἐς τὸ κρανίον

  στείχονθ’ ὑφάπτειν τὸν μονῶπα παῖδα γῆς.

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  Πάλαι μὲν ᾔδη σ’ ὄντα τοιοῦτον φύσει,

  [650] νῦν δ’ οἶδ’ ἄ�
�εινον. τοῖσι δ’ οἰκείοις φίλοις

  χρῆσθαί μ’ ἀνάγκη. χειρὶ δ’ εἰ μηδὲν σθένεις,

  ἀλλ’ οὖν ἐπεγκέλευέ γ’, ὡς εὐψυχίαν

  φίλων κελευσμοῖς τοῖσι σοῖς κτησώμεθα.

  Χορός

  Δράσω τάδ’. ἐν τῷ Καρὶ κινδυνεύσομεν.

  [655] κελευσμάτων δ’ ἕκατι τυφέσθω Κύκλωψ.

  Χορός

  [656] Ἰὼ ἰώ·

  ὠθεῖτε γενναιότατα,

  σπεύδετ’, ἐκκαίετ’ ὀφρὺν

  θηρὸς τοῦ ξενοδαίτα.

  τυφέτ’ ὦ, καιέτ’ ὦ

  [660] τὸν Αἴτνας μηλονόμον.

  τόρνευ’ ἕλκε, μὴ ‘ξοδυνη-

  θεὶς δράσῃ τι μάταιον.

  Κύκλωψ

  Ὤμοι, κατηνθρακώμεθ’ ὀφθαλμοῦ σέλας.

  Χορός

  Καλός γ’ ὁ παιάν· μέλπε μοι τόνδ’ αὖ, Κύκλωψ.

  Κύκλωψ

  [665] Ὤμοι μάλ’, ὡς ὑβρίσμεθ’, ὡς ὀλώλαμεν.

  ἀλλ’ οὔτι μὴ φύγητε τῆσδ’ ἔξω πέτρας

  χαίροντες, οὐδὲν ὄντες· ἐν πύλαισι γὰρ

  σταθεὶς φάραγγος τῆσδ’ ἐναρμόσω χέρας.

  Χορός

  Τί χρῆμ’ ἀυτεῖς, ὦ Κύκλωψ;

  Κύκλωψ

  Ἀπωλόμην.

  Χορός

  [670] Αἰσχρός γε φαίνῃ.

  Κύκλωψ

  Κἀπὶ τοῖσδέ γ’ ἄθλιος.

  Χορός

  Μεθύων κατέπεσες ἐς μέσους τοὺς ἄνθρακας;

  Κύκλωψ

  Οὖτίς μ’ ἀπώλεσ’.

  Χορός

  Οὐκ ἄρ’ οὐδείς <σ’> ἠδίκει.

  Κύκλωψ

  Οὖτίς με τυφλοῖ βλέφαρον.

  Χορός

  Οὐκ ἄρ’ εἶ τυφλός.

  Κύκλωψ

  Ὡς δὴ σύ.

  Χορός

  Καὶ πῶς σ’ οὔτις ἂν θείη τυφλόν;

  Κύκλωψ

  [675] Σκώπτεις. ὁ δ’ Οὖτις ποῦ ‘στιν;

  Χορός

  Οὐδαμοῦ, Κύκλωψ.

  Κύκλωψ

  Ὁ ξένος ἵν’ ὀρθῶς ἐκμάθῃς μ’ ἀπώλεσεν,

  ὁ μιαρός, ὅς μοι δοὺς τὸ πῶμα κατέκλυσεν.

  Χορός

  Δεινὸς γὰρ οἷνος καὶ παλαίεσθαι βαρύς.

  Κύκλωψ

  Πρὸς θεῶν, πεφεύγασ’ ἢ μένουσ’ ἔσω δόμων;

  Χορός

  [680] Οὗτοι σιωπῇ τὴν πέτραν ἐπήλυγα

  λαβόντες ἑστήκασι.

  Κύκλωψ

  Ποτέρας τῆς χερός;

  Χορός

  Ἐν δεξιᾷ σου.

  Κύκλωψ

  Ποῦ;

  Χορός

  Πρὸς αὐτῇ τῇ πέτρᾳ.

  ἔχεις;

  Κύκλωψ

  Κακόν γε πρὸς κακῷ· τὸ κρανίον

  παίσας κατέαγα.

  Χορός

  Καί σε διαφεύγουσί γε.

  Κύκλωψ

  [685] Οὐ τῇδέ πῃ, τῇδ’ εἶπας;

  Χορός

  Οὔ· ταύτῃ λέγω.

  Κύκλωψ

  Πῇ γάρ;

  Χορός

  Περιάγου κεῖσε, πρὸς τἀριστερά.

  Κύκλωψ

  Οἴμοι γελῶμαι· κερτομεῖτέ μ’ ἐν κακοῖς.

  Χορός

  Ἀλλ’ οὐκέτ’, ἀλλὰ πρόσθεν οὗτός ἐστι σοῦ.

  Κύκλωψ

  Ὦ παγκάκιστε, ποῦ ποτ’ εἶ;

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  Τηλοῦ σέθεν

  [690] φυλακαῖσι φρουρῶ σῶμ’ Ὀδυσσέως τόδε.

  Κύκλωψ

  Πῶς εἶπας; Ὄνομα μεταβαλὼν καινὸν λέγεις.

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  [692] Ὅπερ μ’ ὁ φύσας ὠνόμαζ’ Ὀδυσσέα,

  δώσειν δ’ ἔμελλες ἀνοσίου δαιτὸς δίκας·

  κακῶς γὰρ ἂν Τροίαν γε διεπυρώσαμεν

  [695] εἰ μή σ’ ἑταίρων φόνον ἐτιμωρησάμην.

  Κύκλωψ

  Αἰαῖ· παλαιὸς χρησμὸς ἐκπεραίνεται·

  τυφλὴν γὰρ ὄψιν ἐκ σέθεν σχήσειν μ’ ἔφη

  Τροίας ἀφορμηθέντος. ἀλλὰ καὶ σέ τοι

  δίκας ὑφέξειν ἀντὶ τῶνδ’ ἐθέσπισεν,

  [700] πολὺν θαλάσσῃ χρόνον ἐναιωρούμενον.

  Ὀδυσσεύς

  Κλαίειν σ’ ἄνωγα· καὶ δέδραχ’ ὅπερ λέγεις.

  ἐγὼ δ’ ἐπ’ ἀκτὰς εἶμι καὶ νεὼς σκάφος

  ἥσω ‘πὶ πόντον Σικελὸν ἔς τ’ ἐμὴν πάτραν.

  Κύκλωψ

  [704] Οὐ δῆτ’, ἐπεί σε τῆσδ’ ἀπορρήξας πέτρας

  [705] αὐτοῖσι συνναύταισι συντρίψω βαλών.

  ἄνω δ’ ἐπ’ ὄχθον εἶμι, καίπερ ὢν τυφλός,

  δι’ ἀμφιτρῆτος τῆσδε προσβαίνων ποδί.

  Χορός

  Ἡμεῖς δὲ συνναῦταί γε τοῦδ’ Ὀδυσσέως

  ὄντες τὸ λοιπὸν Βακχίῳ δουλεύσομεν.

  The Biographies

  The Cave of Euripides is the site of a ten-chamber cave in Peristeria on Salamis Island, where, according to legend, the playwright often came for sanctuary to write his tragedies.

  Inside the cave

  INTRODUCTION TO EURIPIDES by Arthur S. Way

  The life of Euripides coincides with the most strenuous and most triumphant period of Athenian history, strenuous and triumphant not only in action, but in thought, a period of daring enterprise, alike in material conquest and development, and in art, poetry, and philosophic speculation. He was born in 480 B.C., the year of Thermopylae and Salamis. Athens was at the height of her glory and power, and was year by year becoming more and more the City Beautiful, when his genius was in its first flush of creation. He had been writing for more than forty years before the tragedy of the Sicilian Expedition was enacted: and, felix opportunitate mortis, he was spared the knowledge of the shameful sequel of Arginusae, the miserable disaster of Aegospotami, the last lingering agony of famished Athens. He died more than a year before these calamities befell.

  His father was named Mnesarchides, his mother Kleito. They must have been wealthy, for their son possessed not only considerable property (he had at least once to discharge a “liturgy,” and was “proxenus,” or consul, for Magnesia, costly duties both), but also, what was especially rare then, a valuable library. His family must have been wellborn, for it is on record that he took part as a boy in certain fest
ivals of Apollo, for which any one of mean birth would have been ineligible.

  He appeared in the dramatic arena at a time when it was thronged with competitors, and when it must have been most difficult for a new writer to achieve a position. Aeschylus had just died, after being before the public for 45 years: Sophocles had been for ten years in the front rank, and was to write for fifty years longer, while there were others, forgotten now, but good enough to wrest the victory from these at half the annual dramatic competitions at least. Moreover, the new poet was not content to achieve excellence along the lines laid down by his predecessors and already marked with the stamp of public approval. His genius was original, and he followed it fearlessly, and so became an innovator in his handling of the religious and ethical problems presented by the old legends, in the literary setting he gave to these, and even in the technicalities of stage-presentation. As originality makes conquest of the official judges of literature last, and as his work ran counter to a host of prejudices, honest and otherwise, it is hardly surprising that his plays gained the first prize only five times in fifty years.

  But the number of these official recognitions is no index of his real popularity, of his hold on the hearts, not only of his countrymen, but of all who spoke his mother-tongue. It is told how on two occasions the bitterest enemies of Athens so far yielded to his spell, that for his sake they spared to his conquered countrymen, to captured Athens, the last horrors of war, the last humiliation of the vanquished. After death he became, and remained, so long as Greek was a living language, the most popular and the most influential of the three great masters of the drama. His nineteenth-century eclipse has been followed by a reaction in which he is recognised as presenting one of the most interesting studies in all literature.

  In his seventy-third year he left Athens and his clamorous enemies, to be an honoured guest at the court of the king of Macedon. There, unharassed by the malicious vexations, the political unrest, and the now imminent perils of Athens, he wrote with a freedom, a rapidity, a depth and fervour of thought, and a splendour of diction, which even he had scarcely attained before.

  He died in 406 B.C., and, in a revulsion of repentant admiration and love, all Athens, following Sophocles’ example, put on mourning for him. Four plays, which were part of the fruits of his Macedonian leisure, were represented at Athens shortly after his death, and were crowned by acclamation with the first prize, in spite of the attempt of Aristophanes, in his comedy of The Frogs, a few months before, to belittle his genius.