they were hemming him in on all sides, allowing him no breathing

space, he left the shelter of the altar, the hearth where victims



are placed, and with one bound was on them as on the Trojans of

yore; and they turned and fled like doves when they see the hawk. Many



fell in the confusion: some wounded, and others trodden down by one

another along the narrow passages; and in that hushed holy house



uprose unholy din and echoed back from the rocks. Calm and still my

master stood there in his gleaming harness like a flash of light, till



from the inmost shrine there came a voice of thrilling horror,

stirring the crowd to make a stand. Then fell Achilles' son, smitten



through the flank by some Delphian's biting blade, some fellow that

slew him with a host to help; and as he fell, there was not one that



did not stab him, or cast a rock and batter his corpse. So his whole

body, once so fair, was marred with savage wounds. At last they cast



the lifeless clay, Iying near the altar, forth from the fragrant fane.

And we gathered up his remains forthwith and are bringing them to



thee, old prince, to mourn and weep and honour with a deep-dug tomb.

This is how that prince who vouchsafeth oracles to others, that



judge of what is right for all the world, hath revenged himself on

Achilles' son, remembering his ancient quarrel as a wicked man



would. How then can he be wise?

(The MESSENGER withdraws as the body of Neoptolemus



is carried in on a bier. The following lines

between PELEUS and the CHORUS are



chanted responsively.)

CHORUS



Lo! e'en now our prince is being carried on a bier from Delphi's

land unto his home. Woe for him and his sad fate, and woe for thee,



old sire! for this is not the welcome thou wouldst give Achilles' son,

the lion's whelp; thyself too by this sad mischance dost share his



evil lot.

PELEUS



Ah! woe is me! here is a sad sight for me to see and take unto

my halls! Ah me! ah me! I am undone, thou city of Thessaly! My line



now ends; I have no children left me in my home. Oh! the sorrows

seem born to endure! What friend can I look to for relief? Ah, dear



lips, and cheeks, and hands! Would thy destiny had slain the 'neath

Ilium's walls beside the banks of Simois!



CHORUS

Had he so died, my aged lord, he had won him honour thereby, and



thine had been the happier lot.

PELEUS



O marriage, marriage, woe to thee! thou bane of my home, thou

destroyer of my city! Ah my child, my boy, would that the honour of



wedding thee, fraught with evil as it was to my children and house,

had not thrown o'er thee, my son, Hermione's deadly net! that the



thunderbolt had slain her sooner! and that thou, rash mortal, hadst

never charged the great god Phoebus with aiming that murderous shaft



that spilt thy hero-father's blood!

CHORUS



Woe! woe! alas! With due observance of funeral rites will I

begin the mourning for my dead master.



PELEUS

Alack and well-a-day! I take up the tearful dirge, ah me! old



and wretched as I am.

CHORUS



'Tis Heaven's decree; God willed this heavy stroke.

PELEUS



O darling child, thou hast left me all alone in my halls, old

and childless by thy loss.



CHORUS

Thou shouldst have died, old sire, before thy children.



PELEUS

Shall I not tear my hair, and smite upon my head with grievous



blows? O city! of both my children hath Phoebus robbed me.

CHORUS



What evils thou hast suffered, what sorrows thou hast seen, thou

poor old man! what shall be thy life hereafter?



PELEUS

Childless, desolate, with no limit to my grief, I must drain the



cup of woe, until I die.

CHORUS



'Twas all in vain the gods wished thee joy on thy wedding day.

PELEUS



All my hopes have flown away, fallen short of my high boasts.

• divine [di´vain] a.神圣的 v.预言 (初中英语单词)


• wherever [weər´evə] conj.无论在哪里 (初中英语单词)


• thence [ðens] ad.从那里；因此 (初中英语单词)


• bloody [´blʌdi] a.(流)血的；血腥的 (初中英语单词)


• thereby [´ðeəbai] ad.因此，由此 (初中英语单词)


• hasten [´heisən] vt.催促；促进 vi.赶紧 (初中英语单词)


• messenger [´mesindʒə] n.使者；送信人 (初中英语单词)


• suspicion [sə´spiʃən] n.怀(猜)疑；嫌疑 (初中英语单词)


• whisper [´wispə] v.耳语 n.低语；沙沙声 (初中英语单词)


• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)


• mission [´miʃən] n.代表团；使馆vt.派遣 (初中英语单词)


• temple [´tempəl] n.庙宇；寺院；太阳穴 (初中英语单词)


• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)


• satisfaction [,sætis´fækʃən] n.满意；满足 (初中英语单词)


• thereupon [,ðeərə´pɔn] ad.因此；于是 (初中英语单词)


• errand [´erənd] n.差使，使命 (初中英语单词)


• armour [´ɑ:mə] (=armor) n.甲胄，盔甲 (初中英语单词)


• shield [ʃi:ld] n.盾牌；防御 v.保护 (初中英语单词)


• confusion [kən´fju:ʒən] n.混乱(状态)；骚乱 (初中英语单词)


• harness [´hɑ:nis] vt.上马具 n.马具 (初中英语单词)


• savage [´sævidʒ] a.野蛮的 n.蛮人 (初中英语单词)


• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)


• wicked [´wikid] a.邪恶的；不道德的 (初中英语单词)


• chorus [´kɔ:rəs] n.合唱；齐声 v.合唱 (初中英语单词)


• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)


• relief [ri´li:f] n.救济；援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)


• deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)


• funeral [´fju:nərəl] n.葬礼，丧葬；困难 (初中英语单词)


• mourning [´mɔ:niŋ] n.悲伤；治丧；戴孝 (初中英语单词)


• wretched [´retʃid] a.可怜的；倒霉的 (初中英语单词)


• decree [di´kri:] n.法令；公告；天命 (初中英语单词)


• darling [´dɑ:liŋ] n.爱人 a.亲爱的 (初中英语单词)


• wedding [´wediŋ] n.婚礼，结婚 (初中英语单词)


• tournament [´tuənəmənt] n.比赛，锦标赛 (高中英语单词)


• ordain [ɔ:´dein] v.规定；颁布命令 (高中英语单词)


• shrine [ʃrain] n.神龛；神殿；圣地 (高中英语单词)


• scourge [skə:dʒ] v.&n.鞭(打)；严惩 (高中英语单词)


• tidings [´taidiŋz] n.消息，音信 (高中英语单词)


• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)


• avenge [ə´vendʒ] vt.替…报仇 (高中英语单词)


• tightly [´taitli] ad.紧，紧密地 (高中英语单词)


• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)


• threshold [´θreʃhəuld] n.门槛；入门；开端 (高中英语单词)


• oracle [´ɔrəkl] n.预言(者)；圣理名言 (高中英语单词)


• mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)


• pillar [´pilə] n.支柱 vt.用柱支持 (高中英语单词)


• throng [θrɔŋ] n.群众 v.拥挤；群集 (高中英语单词)


• hearth [hɑ:θ] n.炉边；家庭(生活) (高中英语单词)


• batter [´bætə] v.乱轰；磨损(家具等) (高中英语单词)


• fragrant [´freigrənt] a.芳香的，芬芳的 (高中英语单词)


• forthwith [fɔ:θ´wið] ad.立刻 (高中英语单词)


• destiny [´destini] n.命运 (高中英语单词)


• desolate [´desəleit] a.荒凉的；孤独的 (高中英语单词)


• wherefore [´weəfɔ:] ad.为什么；因此 (英语四级单词)


• grandson [´grænsʌn] n.孙子；外孙子 (英语四级单词)


• uplift [ʌp´lift, ´ʌplift] vt.提高；振奋(精神) (英语四级单词)


• shameful [´ʃeimfəl] a.可耻的；猥亵的 (英语四级单词)


• knives [naivz] knife的复数 (英语四级单词)


• corpse [kɔ:ps] n.尸体 (英语四级单词)


• lifeless [´laifləs] a.无生命的，无生气的 (英语四级单词)


• murderous [´mə:dərəs] a.行凶的；势不可挡的 (英语四级单词)


• observance [əb´zə:vəns] n.遵守；惯例；仪式 (英语四级单词)


• phoebus [´fi:bəs] n.太阳神 (英语六级单词)


• weeping [´wi:piŋ] a.&n.哭泣(的) (英语六级单词)


• visitation [,vizi´teiʃən] n.访问；视察；检查 (英语六级单词)


• prophetic [prə´fetik] a.预言(家)的；预示的 (英语六级单词)


• unwelcome [ʌn´welkəm] a.不受欢迎的 n.冷淡 (英语六级单词)


• privately [´praivitli] ad.秘密，一个人 (英语六级单词)


• biting [´baitiŋ] a.刺痛的；尖利的 (英语六级单词)


• undone [,ʌn´dʌn] a.未完成的，没有做的 (英语六级单词)


• fraught [frɔ:t] a.充满…的 (英语六级单词)