Kiss thy mother now for the last time, nestle to her that bare thee,

twine thy arms about my neck and join thy lips to mine! O ye Hellenes,



cunning to devise new forms of cruelty, why slay this child who

never wronged any? Thou daughter of Tyndarus, thou art no child of



Zeus, but sprung, I trow, of many a sire, first of some evil demon,

next of Envy, then of Murder and of Death, and every horror that the



earth begets. That Zeus was never sire of thine I boldly do assert,

bane as thou hast been to many a Hellene and barbarian too.



Destruction catch thee! Those fair eyes of thine have brought a

shameful ruin on the fields of glorious Troy. Take the babe and bear



him hence, hurl him down if so ye list, then feast upon his flesh!

'Tis heaven's high will we perish, and I cannot ward the deadly stroke



from my child. Hide me and my misery; cast me into the ship's hold;

for 'tis to a fair wedding I am going, now that I have lost my child!



CHORUS

Unhappy Troy! thy thousands thou hast lost for one woman's sake



and her accursed wooing.

TALTHYBIUS



Come, child, leave fond embracing of thy woful mother, and mount

the high coronal of thy ancestral towers, there to draw thy parting



breath, as is ordained. Take him hence. His should the duty be to do

such herald's work, whose heart knows no pity and who loveth



ruthlessness more than my soul doth.

Exeunt ANDROMACHE and TALTHYBIUS with ASTYANAX.



HECUBA

O child, son of my hapless boy, an unjust fate robs me and thy



mother of thy life. How is it with me? What can I do for thee, my

luckless babe? for thee I smite upon my head and beat my breast, my



only gift; for that alone is in my power. Woe for my city! woe for

thee! Is not our cup full? What is wanting now to our utter and



immediate ruin?

CHORUS



O Telamon, King of Salamis, the feeding ground of bees, who hast

thy home in a sea-girt isle that lieth nigh the holy hills where first



Athena made the grey olive-branch to appear, a crown for heavenly

heads and a glory unto happy Athens, thou didst come in knightly



brotherhood with that great archer, Alcemena's son, to sack our city

Ilium, in days gone by, on thy advent from Hellas, what time he led



the chosen flower of Hellas, vexed for the steeds denied him, and at

the fair stream of Simois he stayed his sea-borne ship and fastened



cables to the stern, and forth therefrom he took the bow his hand

could deftly shoot, to be the doom of Laomedon; and with the ruddy



breath of fire he wasted the masonry squared by Phoebus' line and

chisel, and sacked the land of Troy; so twice in two attacks hath



the bloodstained spear destroyed Dardania's walls.

In vain, it seems, thou Phrygian boy, pacing with dainty step amid



thy golden chalices, dost thou fill high the cup of Zeus, a service

passing fair; seeing that the land of thy birth is being consumed by



fire. The shore re-echoes to our cries; and, as a bird bewails its

young, so we bewail our husbands or our children, or our grey-haired



mothers. The dew-fed springs where thou didst bathe, the course

where thou didst train, are now no more; but thou beside the throne of



Zeus art sitting with a calm, sweet smile upon thy fair young face,

while the spear of Hellas lays the land of Priam waste. Ah! Love,



Love, who once didst seek these Dardan halls, deep-seated in the

hearts of heavenly gods, how high didst thou make Troy to tower in



those days, allying her with deities! But I will cease to urge

reproaches against Zeus; for white-winged dawn, whose light to man



is dear, turned a baleful eye upon our land and watched the ruin of

our citadel, though she had within her bridal bower a husband from



this land, whom on a day a car of gold and spangled stars caught up

and carried thither, great source of hope to his native country; but



all the love the gods once had for Troy is passed away.

Enter MENELAUS.



MENELAUS

Hail! thou radiant orb by whose fair light I now shall capture her



that was my wife, e'en Helen; for I am that Menelaus, who hath

toiled so hard, I and Achaea's host. To Troy I came, not so much as



men suppose to take this woman, but to punish him who from my house

• prosperity [prɔ´speriti] n.繁荣；成功；幸运 (初中英语单词)


• whereas [weər´æz] conj.鉴于；因此；而 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• conscious [´kɔnʃəs] a.意识的；自觉的 (初中英语单词)


• therewith [ðɛə´wið] ad.于是，随即 (初中英语单词)


• dislike [dis´laik] vt.&n.不喜爱，厌恶 (初中英语单词)


• maiden [´meidn] n.少女 a.未婚的 (初中英语单词)


• captive [´kæptiv] n.俘虏；捕获物 (初中英语单词)


• remind [ri´maind] vt.提醒；使记(想)起 (初中英语单词)


• moderate [´mɔdərit] a.适度的n.温和主义者 (初中英语单词)


• meantime [´mi:ntaim] n.&ad.其间；同时 (初中英语单词)


• misery [´mizəri] n.痛苦；悲惨；穷困 (初中英语单词)


• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)


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


• consideration [kən,sidə´reiʃən] n.考虑；原因；体谅 (初中英语单词)


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


• prevail [pri´veil] vi.胜(过)；流行；普遍 (初中英语单词)


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


• weakness [´wi:knis] n.虚弱；弱点，缺点 (初中英语单词)


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


• destruction [di´strʌkʃən] n.破坏，毁灭 (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)


• clutch [klʌtʃ] v.抓住 n.爪子；控制 (初中英语单词)


• garment [´gɑ:mənt] n.衣服，外衣 (初中英语单词)


• height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中英语单词)


• horror [´hɔrə] n.恐怖；战栗 (初中英语单词)


• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)


• perish [´periʃ] v.灭亡；消灭；(使)死去 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• thither [´ðiðə] ad.到那里 a.那边的 (初中英语单词)


• capture [´kæptʃə] vt.&n.捕获；俘获；夺取 (初中英语单词)


• punish [´pʌniʃ] vt.(惩)罚；痛击；折磨 (初中英语单词)


• strove [strəuv] strive的过去式 (高中英语单词)


• gossip [´gɔsip] n.&vi.说闲话；聊天 (高中英语单词)


• cheerfully [´tʃiəfuli] ad.高兴地，愉快地 (高中英语单词)


• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)


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


• plight [plait] n.境况；困境；苦境 (高中英语单词)


• eagerness [´i:gənis] n.渴望；热忱 (高中英语单词)


• overwhelm [,əuvə´welm] vt.压倒；淹没；打翻 (高中英语单词)


• offering [´ɔfəriŋ] n.提供；礼物；捐献 (高中英语单词)


• remnant [´remnənt] n.残(剩)余 a.剩余的 (高中英语单词)


• tidings [´taidiŋz] n.消息，音信 (高中英语单词)


• heroic [hi´rəuik] a.英雄的，英勇的 (高中英语单词)


• nowhere [´nəuweə] n.无处；不知道 (高中英语单词)


• strife [straif] n.竞争；吵架；冲突 (高中英语单词)


• fruitful [´fru:tfəl] a.成功的；丰富的 (高中英语单词)


• salvation [sæl´veiʃən] n.救助；拯救 (高中英语单词)


• headlong [´hedlɔŋ] ad.&a.轻率地(的) (高中英语单词)


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


• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)


• devise [di´vaiz] vt.设计，发明 (高中英语单词)


• cruelty [´kru:əlti] n.残忍；残酷行为 (高中英语单词)


• sprung [sprʌŋ] spring的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• boldly [´bəuldli] ad.大胆地；醒目地 (高中英语单词)


• athens [´æθinz] n.雅典 (高中英语单词)


• archer [´ɑ:tʃə] n.射手，弓箭手 (高中英语单词)


• dainty [´deinti] a.秀丽的 n.美味 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• throne [θrəun] n.宝座；王位 (高中英语单词)


• heavenly [´hevənli] a.天的，天空的 (高中英语单词)


• radiant [´reidiənt] a.发光的 n.光源(体) (高中英语单词)


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


• calamity [kə´læmiti] n.灾害，大灾难 (英语四级单词)


• chaste [tʃeist] a.贞洁的；高雅的 (英语四级单词)


• whereof [weər´ɔv] ad.关于什么；关于那事 (英语四级单词)


• displeasure [dis´pleʒə] n.不高兴，不快，生气 (英语四级单词)


• beguile [bi´gail] vt.欺骗；消磨(时间) (英语四级单词)


• forbear [fɔ:´beə, fə-] v.容忍；克制 n.祖先 (英语四级单词)


• hateful [´heitfəl] a.可恨的，可憎的 (英语四级单词)


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


• whereat [weər´æt] ad.对于…；在这里 (英语四级单词)


• composure [kəm´pəuʒə] n.镇静，沉着 (英语四级单词)


• corpse [kɔ:ps] n.尸体 (英语四级单词)


• barbarian [bɑ:´beəriən] a.&n.野蛮(人)的 (英语四级单词)


• accursed [ə´kə:sid] a.被诅咒的；可憎的 (英语四级单词)


• ancestral [æn´sestrəl] a.祖先的；祖传的 (英语四级单词)


• unjust [ʌn´dʒʌst] a.不公平(正)的 (英语四级单词)


• advent [´ædvent] n.来临；降临 (英语四级单词)


• bewail [bi´weil] v.悲叹；痛哭；哀悼 (英语四级单词)


• bridal [´braidl] a.&n.婚礼(的) (英语四级单词)


• repute [ri´pju:t] n.名誉(声) vt.称为 (英语六级单词)


• priceless [´praisləs] a.无价的；贵重的 (英语六级单词)


• hapless [´hæpləs] a.不幸的；倒楣的 (英语六级单词)


• nestle [´nesl] v.偎依；抱；使紧贴 (英语六级单词)


• wanting [´wɔntiŋ, wɑ:n-] a.短缺的；不足的 (英语六级单词)


• deftly [´deftli] ad.灵巧地，敏捷地 (英语六级单词)


• masonry [´meisənri] n.石工技术；石工行业 (英语六级单词)


• citadel [´sitədl] n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 (英语六级单词)