This to devise is thine. Wilt thou by land,

Thy bark deserted, speed thy flight on foot?
Perils await thee mid these barbarous tribes,

Through pathless wilds; and 'twixt the clashing rocks,
Narrow the passage for the flying bark,

And long. Unhappy, ah, unhappy me!
What god, what mortal, what unlook'd-for chance

Will expedite our dangerous way, and show
Two sprung from Atreus a release from ills?

LEADER
What having seen and heard I shall relate,

Is marvellous, and passes fabling tales.
PYLADES

When after absence long, Orestes, friend
Meets friend, embraces will express their joy.

Behooves us now, bidding farewell to grief,
And heedful to obtain the glorious name

Of safety, from this barbarous land to fly.
The wise, of fortune not regardless, seize

The occasion, and to happiness advance.
ORESTES

Well hast thou said; and Fortune here, I ween,
Will aid us; to the firm and strenuous mind

More potent works the influence divine.
IPHIGENIA

Nothing shall check, nothing restrain my speech:
First will I question thee what fortune waits

Electra: this to know would yield me joy.
ORESTES

With him (pointing to Pylades) she dwells, and happy is her life,
IPHIGENIA

Whence then is he? and from what father sprung?
ORESTES

From Phocis: Strophius is his father named.
IPHIGENIA

By Atreus' daughter to my blood allied?
ORESTES

Nearly allied: my only faithful friend.
IPHIGENIA

He was not then, me when my father slew.
ORESTES

Childless was Strophius for some length of time.
IPHIGENIA

O thou, the husband of my sister, hail
ORESTES

More than relation, my preserver too.
IPHIGENIA

But to thy mother why that dreadful deed?
ORESTES

Of that no more: to avenge my father's death.
IPHIGENIA

But for what cause did she her husband slay?
ORESTES

Of her inquire not: thou wouldst blush to hear.
IPHIGENIA

The eyes of Argos now are raised to thee.
ORESTES

There Menelaus is lord; I, outcast, fly.
IPHIGENIA

Hath he then wrong'd his brother's ruin'd house?
ORESTES

Not so: the Furies fright me from the land.
IPHIGENIA

The madness this, which seized thee on the shore?
ORESTES

I was not first beheldunhappy there.
IPHIGENIA

Stern powers! they haunt thee for thy mother's blood.
ORESTES

And ruthless make me champ the bloody bit.
IPHIGENIA

Why to this region has thou steer'd thy course?
ORESTES

Commanded by Apollo's voice, I come.
IPHIGENIA

With what intent? if that may be disclosed.
ORESTES

I will inform thee, though to length of speech
This leads. When vengeance from my hands o'ertook

My mother's deeds-foul deeds, which let me pass
In silence-by the Furies' fierce assaults

To flight I was impell'd: to Athens then
Apollo sent me, that, my cause there heard,

I might appease the vengeful powers, whose names
May not be utter'd: the tribunal there

Is holy, which for Mars, when stain'd with blood,
Jove in old times establish'd. There arrived,

None willingly received me, by the gods
As one abhorr'd; and they, who felt the touch

Of shame, the hospitable board alone
Yielded; and though one common roof beneath,

Their silence showing they disdain'd to hold
Converse with me, I took from them apart

A lone repast; to each was placed a bowl
Of the same measure; this they filled with wine,

And bathed their spirits in delight. Unmeet
I deem'd it to express offence at those

Who entertain'd me, but in silence grieved,
Showing a cheer as though I mark'd it not,

And sigh'd for that I shed my mother's blood.
A feast, I hear, at Athens is ordain'd

From this my evil plight, ev'n yet observed,
In which the equal-measured bowl then used

Is by that people held in honour high.
But when to the tribunal on the mount

Of Mars I came, one stand I took, and one
The eldest of the Furies opposite:

The cause was heard touching my mother's blood,
And Phoebus saved me by his evidence:

Equal, by Pallas number'd, were the votes
And I from doom of blood victorious freed

Such of the Furies as there sat, appeased
By the just sentence, nigh the court resolved

To fix their seat; but others, whom the law
Appeased not, with relentless tortures still

Pursued me, till I reach'd the hallow'd soil
Of Phoebus: stretch'd before his shrine, I swore

Foodless to waste my wretched life away,
Unless the god, by whom I was undone,

Would save me: from the golden tripod burst
The voice divine, and sent me to this shore,

Commanding me to bear the image hence,
Which fell from Jove, and in the Athenian land

To fix it. What the oracular voice assign'd
My safety, do thou aid: if we obtain

The statue of the goddess, I no more
With madness shall be tortured, but this arm

Shall place thee in my bark, which ploughs the waves
With many an oar, and to Mycenae safe

Bear thee again. Show then a sister's love,
O thou most dear; preserve thy father's house,

Preserve me too; for me destruction waits,
And all the race of Pelops, if we bear not

This heaven-descended image from the shrine.
LEADER

The anger of the gods hath raged severe,
And plunged the race of Tantalus in woes.

IPHIGENIA
Ere thy arrival here, a fond desire

To be again at Argos, and to see
Thee, my loved brother, fill'd my soul. Thy wish

Is my warm wish, to free thee from thy toils,
And from its ruins raise my father's house;

Nor harbour I 'gainst him, that slew me, thought
Of harsh resentment: from thy blood my hands

Would I keep pure, thy house I would preserve.
But from the goddess how may this be hid?

The tyrant too I fear, when he shall find
The statue on its marble base no more.

What then from death will save me? What excuse
Shall I devise? Yet by one daring deed

Might these things be achieved: couldst thou bear hence
The image, me too in thy gallant bark

Placing secure, how glorious were the attempt!
Me if thou join not with thee, I am lost

Indeed; but thou, with prudentmeasures form'd,
Return. I fly no danger, not ev'n death,

Be death required, to save thee: no: the man
Dying is mourn'd, as to his house a loss;

But woman's weakness is of light esteem.
ORESTES

I would not be the murderer of my mother,
And of thee too; sufficient is her blood.

No; I will share thy fortune, live with thee,
Or with thee die: to Argos I will lead thee,

If here I perish not; or dying, here
Remain with thee. But what my mind suggests,

Hear: if Diana were averse to this,
How could the voice of Phoebus from his shrine

Declare that to the state of Pallas hence
The statue of the goddess I should bear,

And see thy face? All this, together weigh'd,
Gives hope of fair success, and our return.

IPHIGENIA
But how effect it, that we neither die,

And what we wish achieve? For our return
On this depends: this claims deliberate thought.

ORESTES
Have we not means to work the tyrant's death?

IPHIGENIA
For strangers full of peril were the attempt.

ORESTES
Thee would it save and me, it must be dared.

IPHIGENIA
I could not: yet thy promptness I approve.

ORESTES
What if thou lodge me in the shrine conceal'd?

IPHIGENIA
That in the shades of night we may escape?

ORESTES
Night is a friend to frauds, the light to truth.

IPHIGENIA
Within are sacred guards; we 'scape not them.

ORESTES
Ruin then waits us: how can we be saved?

IPHIGENIA
I think I have some new and safe device.

ORESTES
What is it? Let me know: impart thy thought,

IPHIGENIA
Thy sufferings for my purpose I will use,-

• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)
• unhappy [ʌn´hæpi] a.不幸的；不快乐的 (初中英语单词)
• release [ri´li:s] vt&n.释放；放松；赦免 (初中英语单词)
• absence [´æbsəns] n.不在，缺席；缺乏 (初中英语单词)
• farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)
• obtain [əb´tein] v.获得；买到；得到承认 (初中英语单词)
• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)
• allied [´ælaid] a.联合的；联姻的 (初中英语单词)
• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)
• dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)
• fright [frait] n.惊吓；恐怖；怪人 (初中英语单词)
• beheld [bi´held] behold的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)
• bloody [´blʌdi] a.(流)血的；血腥的 (初中英语单词)
• intent [in´tent] a.专心致志的 n.意图 (初中英语单词)
• fierce [fiəs] a.残忍的；强烈的 (初中英语单词)
• measure [´meʒə] n.量度；范围 vt.测量 (初中英语单词)
• sentence [´sentəns] n.判决 vt.宣判；处刑 (初中英语单词)
• wretched [´retʃid] a.可怜的；倒霉的 (初中英语单词)
• divine [di´vain] a.神圣的 v.预言 (初中英语单词)
• statue [´stætʃu:] n.塑像，雕像 (初中英语单词)
• goddess [´gɔdis] n.女神 (初中英语单词)
• preserve [pri´zə:v] v.保藏 n.保藏物 (初中英语单词)
• destruction [di´strʌkʃən] n.破坏，毁灭 (初中英语单词)
• arrival [ə´raivəl] n.到达；到达的人(物) (初中英语单词)
• marble [´mɑ:bəl] n.大理石 a.大理石的 (初中英语单词)
• couldst [kudst] can的第二人称单数 (初中英语单词)
• gallant [´gælənt, gə´lænt] a.英勇的；华丽的 (初中英语单词)
• weakness [´wi:knis] n.虚弱；弱点，缺点 (初中英语单词)
• perish [´periʃ] v.灭亡；消灭；(使)死去 (初中英语单词)
• achieve [ə´tʃi:v] vt.完成；达到；获得 (初中英语单词)
• sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)
• devise [di´vaiz] vt.设计，发明 (高中英语单词)
• mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)
• sprung [sprʌŋ] spring的过去分词 (高中英语单词)
• regardless [ri´gɑ:dləs] a.不留心的；不关心的 (高中英语单词)
• restrain [ri´strein] vt.抑制；管束；限制 (高中英语单词)
• avenge [ə´vendʒ] vt.替...报仇 (高中英语单词)
• madness [´mædnis] n.疯狂；狂热 (高中英语单词)
• vengeance [´vendʒəns] n.报复，复仇 (高中英语单词)
• athens [´æθinz] n.雅典 (高中英语单词)
• plight [plait] n.境况；困境；苦境 (高中英语单词)
• eldest [´eldist] a.最年长的 (高中英语单词)
• victorious [vik´tɔ:riəs] a.得胜的，胜利的 (高中英语单词)
• shrine [ʃrain] n.神龛；神殿；圣地 (高中英语单词)
• resentment [ri´zentmənt] n.不满；怨恨；忿恨 (高中英语单词)
• tyrant [´taiərənt] n.暴君；霸主；专制君主 (高中英语单词)
• prudent [´pru:dənt] a.谨慎的；精明的 (高中英语单词)
• murderer [´mə:dərə] n.杀人犯，凶手 (高中英语单词)
• deliberate [di´libəreit] a.慎重的；故意的 (高中英语单词)
• impart [im´pɑ:t] vt.传授；赋予；告知 (高中英语单词)
• barbarous [´bɑ:bərəs] a.野蛮的；不规范的 (英语四级单词)
• strenuous [´strenjuəs] a.费力的；奋发的 (英语四级单词)
• potent [´pəutənt] a.有(势)力的；烈性的 (英语四级单词)
• appease [ə´pi:z] vt.平息；使满足 (英语四级单词)
• tribunal [trai´bju:nəl] n.(特种)法庭，审判员 (英语四级单词)
• willingly [´wiliŋli] ad.情愿地，乐意地 (英语四级单词)
• hospitable [´hɔspitəbəl] a.好客的；招待周到的 (英语四级单词)
• touching [´tʌtʃiŋ] a.动人的 prep.提到 (英语四级单词)
• daring [´deəriŋ] a.&n.勇敢(的) (英语四级单词)
• ruthless [´ru:θləs] a.无情的；残忍的 (英语六级单词)
• repast [ri´pɑ:st] n.餐 vi.就餐，设宴 (英语六级单词)
• phoebus [´fi:bəs] n.太阳神 (英语六级单词)
• relentless [ri´lentləs] a.无情的；坚韧的 (英语六级单词)
• athenian [ə´θi:njən] a.雅典(人)的n.雅典人 (英语六级单词)
• averse [ə´və:s] a.反对的，不乐意的 (英语六级单词)