XUTHUS

At that we marvel both.
ION

Who is my mother?
XUTHUS

That I cannot say.
ION

Did not the god inform thee?
XUTHUS

Through my joy,
For this I ask'd not.

ION
Haply from the earth

I sprung, my mother.
XUTHUS

No, the earth no sons
Produces.

ION
How then am I thine?

XUTHUS
I know not.

To Phoebus I appeal.
ION

Be this discourse
Chang'd to some other.

XUTHUS
This delights me most.

ION
Hast thou e'er mounted an unlawful bed?

XUTHUS
In foolishness of youth.

ION
Was that before

Thy marriage with the daughter of Erechtheus?
XUTHUS

Since never.
ION

Owe I then my birth to that?
XUTHUS

The time agrees.
ION

How came I hither then?
XUTHUS

I can form no conjecture.
ION

Was I brought
From some far distant part?

XUTHUS
That fills my mind

With doubtful musing.
ION

Didst thou e'er before
Visit the Pythian rock?

XUTHUS
Once, at the feast

Of Bacchus.
ION

By some public host received?
XUTHUS

Who with the Delphian damsels-
ION

To the orgies
Led thee, or how?

XUTHUS
And with the Maenades

Of Bacchus-
ION

In the temperate hour, or warm
With wine?

XUTHUS
Amid the revels of the god.

ION
From thence I date my birth.

XUTHUS
And fate, my son,

Hath found thee.
ION

How then came I to the temple?
XUTHUS

Perchance exposed.
ION

The state of servitude
Have I escaped.

XUTHUS
Thy father now, my son,

Receive.
ION

Indecent were it in the god
Not to confide.

XUTHUS
Thy thoughts are just.

ION
What else

Would we?
XUTHUS

Thou seest what thou oughtst to see.
ION

Am I the son then of the son of Jove?
XUTHUS

Such is thy fortune.
ION

Those that gave me birth
Do I embrace?

XUTHUS
Obedient to the god.

ION
My father, hail!

XUTHUS
That dear name I accept

With joy.
ION

This present day-
XUTHUS

Hath made me happy.
ION

O my dear mother, when shall I behold
Thy face? Whoe'er thou art, more wish I now

To see thee than before; but thou perchance
Art dead, and nothing our desires avail.

LEADER
We in the blessing of our house rejoice.

Yet wish we that our mistress too were happy
In children, and the lineage of Erechtheus.

XUTHUS
Well hath the god accomplish'd this, my son,

Discovering thee, well hath he joined thee to me;
And thou hast found the most endearing ties,

To which, before this hour, thou wast a stranger.
And the warm wish, which thou hast well conceived,

Is likewise mine, that thou mayst find thy mother;
I from what woman thou derivest thy birth.

This, left to time, may haply be discover'd.
Now quit this hallow'd earth, the god no more

Attending, and to mine accord thy mind,
To visit Athens, where thy father's sceptre,

No mean one, waits thee, and abundant wealth:
Nor, though thou grieve one parent yet unknown,

Shalt thou be censured as ignobly born,
Or poor: no, thou art noble, and thy state

Adorn'd with rich possessions. Thou art silent.
Why is thine eye thus fixed upon the ground?

Why on thy brow that cloud? The smile of joy
Vanish'd, thou strikest thy father's heart with fear.

ION
Far other things appear when nigh, than seen

At distance. I indeed embrace my fortune,
In thee my father found. But hear what now

Wakes sad reflections. Proud of their high race
Are your Athenians, natives of the land,

Not drawn from foreign lineage: I to them
Shall come unwelcome, in two points defective,

My father not a native, and myself
Of spurious birth: loaded with this reproach,

If destitute of power, I shall be held
Abject and worthless: should I rush among

The highest order of the state, and wish
To appear important, inferior ranks

Will hate me; aught above them gives disgust.
The good, the wise, men form'd to serve the state,

Are silent, nor at public honours aim
Too hastily: by such, were I not quiet

In such a bustling state, I should be deem'd
Ridiculous, and proverb'd for a fool.

Should I attain the dignity of those,
Whose approved worth hath raised them to the height

Of public honours, by such suffrage more
Should I be watch'd; for they that hold in states

Rule and pre-eminence, bear hostile minds
To all that vie with them. And should I come

To a strange house a stranger, to a woman
Childless herself, who that misfortune shared

Before with thee, now sees it her sole lot,
And feels it bitterly, would she not hate me,

And that with justice? When I stand before them.
With what an eye would she, who hath no child,

Look on thy child? In tenderness to her,
Thy wife, thou must forsake me, or embroil

Thy house in discord, if thou favour me.
What murderous means, what poisonous drugs for men

Have women with inventive rage prepared!
Besides, I have much pity for thy wife,

Now growing old without a child, that grief
Unmerited, the last of her high race,

The exterior face indeed of royalty,
So causelessly commended, bath its brightness;

Within, all gloom: for what sweet peace of mind,
What happiness is his, whose years are pass'd

In comfortless suspicion, and the dread
Of violence? Be mine the humbleblessings

Of private life, rather than be a king,
From the flagitious forced to choose my friends,

And hate the virtuous through the fear of death.
Gold, thou mayst tell me, hath o'er things like these

A sovereign power, and riches give delight:
I have no pleasure in this noisy pomp,

Nor, while I guard my riches, in the toil:
Be mine a modest mean that knows not care.

And now, my father, hear the happy state
I here enjoy'd; and first, to mortal man

That dearest blessing, leisure, and no bustle
To cause disturbance: me no ruffian force

• marvel [´mɑ:vəl] n.令人惊异的事；奇迹 (初中英语单词)
• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)
• thence [ðens] ad.从那里；因此 (初中英语单词)
• blessing [´blesiŋ] n.祝福 (初中英语单词)
• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)
• likewise [´laikwaiz] ad.同样地；也，又 (初中英语单词)
• accord [ə´kɔ:d] n.&vi.符合 vt.给与 (初中英语单词)
• abundant [ə´bʌndənt] a.丰富的；充分的 (初中英语单词)
• grieve [gri:v] v.&n.(使)悲痛；哀悼 (初中英语单词)
• embrace [im´breis] vt.&n.拥抱；采纳；信奉 (初中英语单词)
• hastily [´heistili] ad.急速地；草率地 (初中英语单词)
• attain [ə´tein] v.取得；到达；成为 (初中英语单词)
• dignity [´digniti] n.尊严，尊贵；高官显贵 (初中英语单词)
• hostile [´hɔstail] a.敌方的，敌意的 (初中英语单词)
• bitterly [´bitəli] ad.悲痛地；憎恨地 (初中英语单词)
• suspicion [sə´spiʃən] n.怀(猜)疑；嫌疑 (初中英语单词)
• violence [´vaiələns] n.猛烈；暴力(行) (初中英语单词)
• humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)
• sovereign [´sɔvrin] a.至高无上的 n.君主 (初中英语单词)
• riches [´ritʃiz] n.房地产；丰富 (初中英语单词)
• modest [´mɔdist] a.谦虚的；朴素的 (初中英语单词)
• sprung [sprʌŋ] spring的过去分词 (高中英语单词)
• doubtful [´dautful] a.怀疑的，可疑的 (高中英语单词)
• temperate [´tempərit] a.有节制的；温和的 (高中英语单词)
• athens [´æθinz] n.雅典 (高中英语单词)
• worthless [´wə:θləs] a.无价值的 (高中英语单词)
• inferior [in´fiəriə] n.下级的 n.下级；晚辈 (高中英语单词)
• suffrage [´sʌfridʒ] n.投票(权)，选举权 (高中英语单词)
• misfortune [mis´fɔ:tʃən] n.不幸；灾祸 (高中英语单词)
• tenderness [´tendənis] n.娇嫩；柔软；温柔 (高中英语单词)
• mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)
• leisure [´leʒə] n.空闲；悠闲；安定 (高中英语单词)
• disturbance [di´stə:bəns] n.扰乱，骚动 (高中英语单词)
• forsake [fə´seik] vt.遗弃，抛弃，摒绝 (英语四级单词)
• murderous [´mə:dərəs] a.行凶的；势不可挡的 (英语四级单词)
• poisonous [´pɔizənəs] a.有毒的；讨厌的 (英语四级单词)
• exterior [ik´stiəriə] n.&a.外表(的) (英语四级单词)
• virtuous [´və:tjuəs] a.道德的；善良的 (英语四级单词)
• phoebus [´fi:bəs] n.太阳神 (英语六级单词)
• foolishness [´fu:liʃnis] n.愚蠢 (英语六级单词)
• unwelcome [ʌn´welkəm] a.不受欢迎的 n.冷淡 (英语六级单词)
• destitute [´destitju:t] a.贫穷的；缺乏...的 (英语六级单词)
• discord [´diskɔ:d] n.不一致；不和谐 (英语六级单词)
• ruffian [´rʌfiən] n.流氓 a.残暴的 (英语六级单词)