Couched in the foeman's land, whereon they gave
Their breath, and lords of Troy, each in his Trojan grave.

antistrophe 3
Therefore for each and all the city's breast

Is heavy with a wrath supprest,
As deeply and deadly as a curse more loud

Flung by the common crowd:
And, brooding deeply, doth my soul await

Tidings of coming fate,
Buried as yet in darkness' womb.

For not forgetful is the high gods' doom
Against the sons of carnage: all too long

Seems the unjust to prosper and be strong,
Till the dark Furies come,

And smite with stern reversal all his home,
Down into dim obstruction-he is gone,

And help and hope, among the lost, is none!
O'er him who vaunteth an exceeding fame,

Impends a woe condign;
The vengeful bolt upon his eyes doth flame,

Sped from the hand divine.
This bliss be mine, ungrudged of God, to feel-

To tread no city to the dust,
Nor see my own life thrust

Down to a glave's estate beneath another's heel!
epode

Behold, throughout the city wide
Have the swift feet of Rumour hied,

Roused by the joyful flame:
But is the news they scatter, sooth?

Or haply do they give for truth
Some cheat which heaven doth frame?

A child were he and all unwise,
Who let his heart with joy be stirred.

To see the beacon-fires arise,
And then, beneath some thwarting word,

Sicken anon with hope deferred.
The edge of woman's insight still

Good news from true divideth ill;
Light rumours leap within the bound

Then fences female credence round,
But, lightly born, as lightly dies

The tale that springs of her surmise.
(Several days are assumed to have elapsed.)

LEADER OF THE CHORUS
Soon shall we know whereof the bale-fires tell,

The beacons, kindled with transmitted flame;
Whether, as well I deem, their tale is true,

Or whether like some dream delusive came
The welcome blaze but to befool our soul.

For lo! I see a herald from the shore
Draw hither, shadowed with the olive-wreath-

And thirsty dust, twin-brother of the clay,
Speaks plain of travel far and truthful news-

No dumb surmise, nor tongue of flame in smoke,
Fitfully kindled from the mountain pyre;

But plainlier shall his voice say, All is well,
Or-but away, forebodings adverse, now,

And on fair promise fair fulfilment come!
And whoso for the state prays otherwise,

Himself reap harvest of his ill desire!
(A HERALD enters. He is an advance messenger from AGAMEMNON'S

forces, which have just landed.)
HERALD

O land of Argos, fatherland of mine!
To thee at last, beneath the tenth year's sun,

My feet return; the bark of my emprise,
Tho' one by one hope's anchors broke away,

Held by the last, and now rides safely here.
Long, long my soul despaired to win, in death,

Its longed-for rest within our Argive land:
And now all hail, O earth, and hail to thee,

New-risen sun! and hail our country's God,
High-ruling Zeus, and thou, the Pythian lord,

Whose arrows smote us once-smite thou no morel
Was not thy wrath wreaked full upon our heads,

O king Apollo, by Scamander's side?
Turn thou, be turned, be saviour, healer, now

And hail, all gods who rule the street and mart
And Hermes hail! my patron and my pride,

Herald of heaven, and lord of heralds here!
And Heroes, ye who sped us on our way-

To one and all I cry, Receive again
With grace such Argives as the spear has spared.

Ah, home of royalty, beloved halls,
And solemnshrines, and gods that front the morn!

Benign as erst, with sun-flushed aspect greet
The king returning after many days.

For as from night flash out the beams of day,
So out of darkness dawns a light, a king,

On you, on Argos-Agamemnon comes.
Then hail and greet him well I such meed befits

Him whose right hand hewed down the towers of Troy
With the great axe of Zeus who righteth wrong-

And smote the plain, smote down to nothingness
Each altar, every shrine; and far and wide

Dies from the whole land's face its offspring fair.
Such mighty yoke of fate he set on Troy-

Our lord and monarch, Atreus' elder son,
And comes at last with blissful honour home;

Highest of all who walk on earth to-day-
Not Paris nor the city's self that paid

Sin's price with him, can boast, Whate'er befall,
The guerdon we have won outweighs it all.

But at Fate's judgment-seat the robber stands
Condemned of rapine, and his prey is torn

Forth from his hands, and by his deed is reaped
A bloodyharvest of his home and land

Gone down to death, and for his guilt and lust
His father's race pays double in the dust.

LEADER
Hail, herald of the Greeks, new-come from war.

HERALD
All hail! not death itself can fright me now.

LEADER
Was thine heart wrung with longing for thy land?

HERALD
So that this joy doth brim mine eyes with tears.

LEADER
On you too then this sweet distress did fall-

HERALD
How say'st thou? make me master of thy word.

LEADER
You longed for us who pined for you again.

HERALD
Craved the land us who craved it, love for love?

LEADER
Yea, till my brooding heart moaned out with pain.

HERALD
Whence thy despair, that mars the army's joy?

LEADER
Sole cure of wrong is silence, saith the saw.

HERALD
Thy kings afar, couldst thou fear other men?

LEADER
Death had been sweet, as thou didst say but now.

HERALD
'Tis true; Fate smiles at last. Throughout our toil,

These many years, some chances issued fair,
And some, I wot, were chequered with a curse.

But who, on earth, hath won the bliss of heaven,
Thro' time's whole tenor an unbroken weal?

I could a tale unfold of toiling oars,
Ill rest, scant landings on a shore rock-strewn,

All pains, all sorrows, for our daily doom.
And worse and hatefuller our woes on land;

For where we couched, close by the foeman's wall,
The river-plain was ever dank with dews,

Dropped from the sky, exuded from the earth,
A curse that clung unto our sodden garb,

And hair as horrent as a wild beast's fell.
Why tell the woes of winter, when the birds

Lay stark and stiff, so stern was Ida's snow?
Or summer's scorch, what time the stirless wave

Sank to its sleep beneath the noon-day sun?
Why mourn old woes? their pain has passed away;

And passed away, from those who fell, all care,
For evermore, to rise and live again.

Why sum the count of death, and render thanks
For life by moaning over fate malign?

Farewell, a long farewell to all our woes!
To us, the remnant of the host of Greece,

Comes weal beyond all counterpoise of woe;
Thus boast we rightfully to yonder sun,

Like him far-fleeted over sea and land.
The Argive host prevailed to conquer Troy,

And in the temples of the gods of Greece
Hung up these spoils, a shining sign to Time.

Let those who learn this legend bless aright
The city and its chieftains, and repay

The meed of gratitude to Zeus who willed
And wrought the deed. So stands the tale fulfilled.

LEADER
Thy words o'erbear my doubt: for news of good,

The ear of age hath ever youth enow:
But those within and Clytemnestra's self

Would fain hear all; glad thou their ears and mine.
(CLYTEMNESTRA enters from the palace.)

CLYTEMNESTRA
That night, when first the fiery courier came,

In sign that Troy is ta'en and razed to earth,
So wild a cry of joy my lips gave out,

That I was chidden-Hath the beacon watch
Made sure unto thy soul the sack of Troy?

A very woman thou, whose heart leaps light
At wandering rumours!-and with words like these

They showed me how I strayed, misled of hope.
Yet on each shrine I set the sacrifice,

And, in the strain they held for feminine,
Went heralds thro' the city, to and fro,

With voice of loud proclaim, announcing joy;
And in each fane they lit and quenched with wine

The spicy perfumes fading in the flame.
All is fulfilled: I spare your longer tale-

The king himself anon shall tell me all.
Remains to think what honour best may greet

My lord, the majesty of Argos, home.
What day beams fairer on a woman's eyes

Than this, whereon she flings the portal wide,
To hail her lord, heaven-shielded, home from war?

This to my husband, that he tarry not,

• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
• deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)
• estate [i´steit] n.财产；庄园；等级 (初中英语单词)
• female [´fi:meil] a.女(性)的 n.女人 (初中英语单词)
• lightly [´laitli] ad.轻微地，稍微 (初中英语单词)
• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)
• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)
• harvest [´hɑ:vist] n.&v.收获；收割 (初中英语单词)
• messenger [´mesindʒə] n.使者；送信人 (初中英语单词)
• safely [´seifli] ad.安全地；平安地 (初中英语单词)
• apollo [ə´pɔləu] n.阿波罗 (初中英语单词)
• beloved [bi´lʌvd] a.为....所爱的 n.爱人 (初中英语单词)
• solemn [´sɔləm] a.严肃的；隆重的 (初中英语单词)
• aspect [´æspekt] n.面貌；神色；方向 (初中英语单词)
• monarch [´mɔnək] n.君主；(大)王 (初中英语单词)
• robber [´rɔbə] n.强盗；盗贼 (初中英语单词)
• bloody [´blʌdi] a.(流)血的；血腥的 (初中英语单词)
• fright [frait] n.惊吓；恐怖；怪人 (初中英语单词)
• distress [di´stres] n.痛苦 vt.使苦恼 (初中英语单词)
• despair [di´speə] vi.&n.绝望 (初中英语单词)
• couldst [kudst] can的第二人称单数 (初中英语单词)
• farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)
• conquer [´kɔŋkə] v.征服；克服；抑制 (初中英语单词)
• gratitude [´grætitju:d] n.感激，感谢 (初中英语单词)
• wrought [rɔ:t] work 的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)
• proclaim [prə´kleim] vt.宣布；公布；声明 (初中英语单词)
• majesty [´mædʒisti] n.壮丽；崇高；尊严 (初中英语单词)
• prosper [´prɔspə] v.(使...)繁荣(成功) (高中英语单词)
• joyful [´dʒɔifəl] a.高兴的，充满快乐的 (高中英语单词)
• herald [´herəld] n.先驱；预兆 vt.预示 (高中英语单词)
• patron [´peitrən] n.庇护人，保护人；赞助人 (高中英语单词)
• royalty [´rɔiəlti] n.王位；特权阶层；版税 (高中英语单词)
• shrine [ʃrain] n.神龛；神殿；圣地 (高中英语单词)
• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
• longing [´lɔŋiŋ] n.&a.渴望(的) (高中英语单词)
• remnant [´remnənt] n.残(剩)余 a.剩余的 (高中英语单词)
• strain [strein] vt.拉紧 vi.拖 n.张力 (高中英语单词)
• unjust [ʌn´dʒʌst] a.不公平(正)的 (英语四级单词)
• exceeding [ik´si:diŋ] a.超越的，非常的 (英语四级单词)
• whereof [weər´ɔv] ad.关于什么；关于那事 (英语四级单词)
• adverse [´ædvə:s] a.不利的；反对的 (英语四级单词)
• saviour [´seiviə] n.救星；救助者 (英语四级单词)
• unbroken [ʌn´brəukən] a.未破的；不间断的 (英语四级单词)
• unfold [ʌn´fəuld] v.展开；显露，表明 (英语四级单词)
• scorch [skɔ:tʃ] v.&n.烧焦；(使)枯黄 (英语四级单词)
• evermore [,evə´mɔ:] ad.永远，始终 (英语四级单词)
• portal [´pɔ:tl] n.(正)门；隧道 (英语四级单词)
• whereon [weər´ɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语六级单词)
• insight [´insait] n.洞悉；洞察力；见识 (英语六级单词)
• truthful [´tru:θfəl] a.诚实的；真实的 (英语六级单词)
• surmise [´sə:maiz] n.&a.推测(的)；猜疑(的) (英语六级单词)
• fulfilment [ful´filmənt] n.完成，成就 (英语六级单词)
• courier [´kuriə] n.送急件的人；信使 (英语六级单词)
• beacon [´bi:kən] n.灯塔；信标 v.照亮 (英语六级单词)