to remit these children's exile." Soon as she saw the ornaments, no

longer she held out, but yielded to her lord in all; and ere the



father and his sons were far from the palace gone, she took the

broidered robe and put it on, and set the golden crown about her



tresses, arranging her hair at her bright mirror, with many a happy

smile at her breathless counterfeit. Then rising from her seat she



passed across the chamber, tripping lightly on her fair white foot,

exulting in the gift, with many a glance at her uplifted ankle. When



lo! a scene of awful horror did ensue. In a moment she turned pale,

reeled backwards, trembling in every limb, and sinks upon a seat



scarce soon enough to save herself from falling to the ground. An aged

dame, one of her company, thinking belike it was a fit from Pan or



some god sent, raised a cry of prayer, till from her mouth she saw the

foam-flakes issue, her eyeballs rolling in their sockets, and all



the blood her face desert; then did she raise a loud scream far

different from her former cry. Forthwith one handmaid rushed to her



father's house, another to her new bridegroom to tell his bride's

sad fate, and the whole house echoed with their running to and fro. By



this time would a quick walker have made the turn in a course of six

plethra and reached the goal, when she with one awful shriek awoke,



poor sufferer, from her speechlesstrance and oped her closed eyes,

for against her a twofold anguish was warring. The chaplet of gold



about her head was sending forth a wondrousstream of ravening

flame, while the fine raiment, thy children's gift, was preying on the



hapless maiden's fair white flesh; and she starts from her seat in a

blaze and seeks to fly, shaking her hair and head this way and that,



to cast the crown therefrom; but the gold held firm to its fastenings,

and the flame, as she shook her locks, blazed forth the more with



double fury. Then to the earth she sinks, by the cruel blow

o'ercome; past all recognition now save to a father's eye; for her



eyes had lost their tranquil gaze, her face no more its natural look

preserved, and from the crown of her head blood and fire in mingled



stream ran down; and from her bones the flesh kept peeling off beneath

the gnawing of those secret drugs, e'en as when the pine-tree weeps



its tears of pitch, a fearsome sight to see. And all were afraid to

touch the corpse, for we were warned by what had chanced. Anon came



her haples father unto the house, all unwitting of her doom, and

stumbles o'er the dead, and loud he cried, and folding his arms



about her kissed her, with words like these the while, "O my poor,

poor child, which of the gods hath destroyed thee thus foully? Who



is robbing me of thee, old as I am and ripe for death? O my child,

alas! would I could die with thee!" He ceased his sad lament, and



would have raised his aged frame, but found himself held fast by the

fine-spun robe as ivy that clings to the branches of the bay, and then



ensued a fearful struggle. He strove to rise, but she still held him

back; and if ever he pulled with all his might, from off his bones his



aged flesh he tore. At last he gave it up, and breathed forth his soul

in awful suffering; for he could no longer master the pain. So there



they lie, daughter and aged sire, dead side by side, a grievous

sight that calls for tears. And as for thee, I leave thee out of my



consideration, for thyself must discover a means to escape punishment.

Not now for the first time I think this human life a shadow; yea,



and without shrinking I will say that they amongst men who pretend

to wisdom and expend deep thought on words do incur a serious charge



of folly; for amongstmortals no man is happy; wealth may pour in

and make one luckier than another, but none can happy be.



(The MESSENGER departs.)

LEADER OF THE CHORUS



This day the deity, it seems, will mass on Jason, as he well

deserves, heavy load of evils. Woe is thee, daughter of Creon We



pity thy sad fate, gone as thou art to Hades' halls as the price of

thy marriage with Jason.



MEDEA

My friends, I am resolved upon the deed; at once will I slay my



children and then leave this land, without delaying long enough to

hand them over to some more savage hand to butcher. Needs must they



die in any case; and since they must, I will slay them-I, the mother

that bare them. O heart of mine, steel thyself! Why do I hesitate to



do the awful deed that must be done? Come, take the sword, thou

wretched hand of mine! Take it, and advance to the post whence



starts thy life of sorrow! Away with cowardice! Give not one thought

to thy babes, how dear they are or how thou art their mother. This one



brief day forget thy children dear, and after that lament; for

though thou wilt slay them yet they were thy darlings still, and I



am a lady of sorrows.

• attendant [ə´tendənt] n.随员 a.伴随的 (初中英语单词)


• wedding [´wediŋ] n.婚礼，结婚 (初中英语单词)


• victim [´viktim] n.牺牲者；受害者 (初中英语单词)


• farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)


• measure [´meʒə] n.量度；范围 vt.测量 (初中英语单词)


• unhappy [ʌn´hæpi] a.不幸的；不快乐的 (初中英语单词)


• embrace [im´breis] vt.&n.拥抱；采纳；信奉 (初中英语单词)


• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)


• culture [´kʌltʃə] n.修养；文化；饲养 (初中英语单词)


• wisdom [´wizdəm] n.智慧，聪明，才智 (初中英语单词)


• assert [ə´sə:t] vt.认定；维护；坚持 (初中英语单词)


• wholly [´həul-li] ad.完全，十足；统统 (初中英语单词)


• blessing [´blesiŋ] n.祝福 (初中英语单词)


• perceive [pə´si:v] vt.察觉；看出；领悟 (初中英语单词)


• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)


• estate [i´steit] n.财产；庄园；等级 (初中英语单词)


• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• proclaim [prə´kleim] vt.宣布；公布；声明 (初中英语单词)


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


• wrought [rɔ:t] work 的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)


• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)


• princess [,prin´ses] n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人 (初中英语单词)


• henceforth [´hens´fɔ:θ] ad.今后；从今以后 (初中英语单词)


• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)


• humour [´hju:mə] n.幽默，诙谐 (初中英语单词)


• lightly [´laitli] ad.轻微地，稍微 (初中英语单词)


• horror [´hɔrə] n.恐怖；战栗 (初中英语单词)


• scream [skri:m] v.&n.尖叫(声) (初中英语单词)


• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)


• shriek [ʃri:k] v.&n.尖叫(声) (初中英语单词)


• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)


• recognition [,rekəg´niʃən] n.认出；认识；承认 (初中英语单词)


• fearful [´fiəfəl] a.可怕的；担心的 (初中英语单词)


• suffering [´sʌfəriŋ] n.痛苦；灾害 (初中英语单词)


• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)


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


• butcher [´butʃə] n.屠夫，刽子手 (初中英语单词)


• hesitate [´heziteit] vi.犹豫，踌躇 (初中英语单词)


• mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)


• anguish [´æŋgwiʃ] n.(极度的)痛苦；苦恼 (高中英语单词)


• bitterness [´bitənis] n.苦味；辛酸；苦难 (高中英语单词)


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


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


• surpass [sə´pɑ:s] vt.超过，胜过 (高中英语单词)


• whilst [wailst] conj.当…时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)


• befall [bi´fɔ:l] v.降临；发表(于) (高中英语单词)


• hurried [´hʌrid] a.仓促的，慌忙的 (高中英语单词)


• outrage [´aut,reidʒ] n.残暴 vt.虐待；伤害 (高中英语单词)


• horrid [´hɔrid] a.令人讨厌的；极糟的 (高中英语单词)


• longing [´lɔŋiŋ] n.&a.渴望(的) (高中英语单词)


• breathless [´breθlis] a.屏息的 (高中英语单词)


• chamber [´tʃeimbə] n.房间；议院；会议室 (高中英语单词)


• forthwith [fɔ:θ´wið] ad.立刻 (高中英语单词)


• lament [lə´ment] v.哀悼 n.哀悼；恸哭 (高中英语单词)


• strove [strəuv] strive的过去式 (高中英语单词)


• corpse [kɔ:ps] n.尸体 (英语四级单词)


• incapable [in´keipəbəl] a.无能力的；不能的 (英语四级单词)


• counterfeit [´kauntəfit] a.伪造的 v.&n.伪造 (英语四级单词)


• bridegroom [´braidgru:m] n.新郎 (英语四级单词)


• sufferer [´sʌfərə] n.受苦的人；患者 (英语四级单词)


• speechless [´spi:tʃləs] a.说不出话的 (英语四级单词)


• wondrous [´wʌndrəs] a.极好的 ad.惊人地 (英语四级单词)


• raiment [´reimənt] n.衣饰 (英语四级单词)


• expend [ik´spend] vt.花费，耗费(金钱等) (英语四级单词)


• resolved [ri´zɔlvd] a.决心的；坚定的 (英语四级单词)


• downcast [´daunkɑ:st] a.沮丧的；向下看的 (英语六级单词)


• enduring [in´djuəriŋ] a.持久的 (英语六级单词)


• mockery [´mɔkəri] n.嘲笑；笑柄 (英语六级单词)


• revere [ri´viə] vt.尊敬；敬畏 (英语六级单词)


• backwards [´bækwədz] ad.向后 a.向后的 (英语六级单词)


• trance [trɑ:ns] n.恍惚；出神 (英语六级单词)


• tranquil [´træŋkwil] a.平静的，稳定的 (英语六级单词)