ULYSSES
No more! I must be gone.
PHILOCTETES (to NEOPTOLEMUS)
Son of Achilles,
Thou wilt not leave me too? I must not lose
Thy
converse, thy
assistance.
ULYSSES (to NEOPTOLEMUS)
Look not on him;
Away, I
charge thee! 'Twould be fatal to us.
PHILOCTETES (to the CHORUS)
Will you
forsake me, friends? Dwells no compassion
Within your breasts for me?
LEADER (pointing to NEOPTOLEMUS)
He is our master;
We speak and act but as his will directs.
NEOPTOLEMUS
I know be will upbraid me for this weakness,
But 'tis my nature, and I must consent,
Since Philoctetes asks it. Stay you with him,
Till to the gods our pious prayers we offer,
And all things are prepared for our departure;
Perhaps,
meantime, to better thoughts his mind
May turn relenting. We must go. Remember,
When we shall call you, follow instantly.
(NEOPTOLEMUS, still with the bow in his hands,
goes out with ULYSSES. The lines in the following scene
between PHILOCTETES and the CHORUS are chanted responsively.)
PHILOCTETES
O my poor hut! and is it then decreed
Again I come to thee to part no more,
To end my
wretched days in this sad cave,
The scene of all my woes? For whither now
Can I betake me? Who will feed, support,
Or
cherish Philoctetes? Not a hope
Remains for me. Oh! that th'
impetuous storms
Would bear me with them to some distant clime!
For I must
perish here.
CHORUS
Unhappy man!
Thou hast provoked thy fate; thyself alone
Art to thyself a foe, to scorn the good,
Which
wisdom bids thee take, and choose misfortune.
PHILOCTETES
Wretch that I am, to
perish here alone!
Oh! I shall see the face of man no more,
Nor shall my arrows
pierce their
winged prey,
And bring me sustenance! Such vile delusions
Used to
betray me! Oh! that pains like those
I feel might reach the author of my woes!
CHORUS
The gods decreed it; we are not to blame.
Heap not thy curses
therefore on the guiltless,
But take our friendship.
PHILOCTETES (pointing to the sea-shore)
I behold him there;
E'en now I see him laughing me to scorn
On yonder shore, and in his hands the darts
He waves
triumphant, which no arms but these
Had ever borne. O my dear
glorious treasure!
Hadst thou a mind to feel th' indignity,
How wouldst thou
grieve to change thy noble master,
The friend of great Alcides, for a wretch
So vile, so base, so
impious as Ulysses!
CHORUS
justice will ever rule the good man's tongue,
Nor from his lips
reproach and bitterness
Invidious flow. Ulysses, by the voice
Of Greece appointed, only sought a friend
To join the common cause, and serve his country.
PHILOCTETES
Hear me, ye
winged inhabitants of air,
And you, who on these mountains love to feed,
My
savage prey, whom once I could pursue;
Fearful no more of Philoctetes, fly
This hollow rock- I cannot hurt you now;
You need not dread to enter here. Alas!
You now may come, and in your turn regale
On these poor limbs, when I shall be no more.
Where can I hope for food? or who can breathe
This vital air, when life-preserving earth
No longer will
assist him?
CHORUS
By the gods!
Let me
entreat thee, if thou dost regard
Our master, and thy friend, come to him now,
Whilst thou mayst 'scape this sad calamity;
Who but thyself would choose to be unhappy
That could prevent it?
PHILOCTETES
Oh! you have brought back
Once more the sad
remembrance of my griefs;
Why, why, my friends, would you
afflict me thus?
CHORUS
Afflict thee- how?
PHILOCTETES
Think you I'll e'er return
To
hateful Troy?
CHORUS
We would
advise thee to it.
PHILOCTETES
I'll hear no more. Go, leave me!
CHORUS
That we shall
Most
gladly. To the ships, my friends; away! (Going)
Obey your orders.
PHILOCTETES (stops them)
By protecting Jove,
Who hears the suppliant's prayer, do not
forsake me!
CHORUS (returning)
Be calm then.
PHILOCTETES
O my friends! will you then stay?
Do, by the gods I beg you.
CHORUS
Why that groan?
PHILOCTETES
Alas! I die. My wound, my wound! Hereafter
What can I do? You will not leave me! Hear-
CHORUS
What canst thou say we do not know already?
PHILOCTETES
O'erwhelmed by such a storm of griefs as I am,
You should not thus
resent a madman's frenzy.
CHORUS
Comply then and be happy.
PHILOCTETES
Never, never!
Be sure of that. Tho' thunder-bearing Jove
Should with his lightnings blast me, would I go?
No! Let Troy
perish,
perish all the host
Who sent me here to die; but, O my friends!
Grant me this last request.
CHORUS
What is it? Speak.
PHILOCTETES
A sword, a dart, some
instrument of death.
CHORUS
What wouldst thou do?
PHILOCTETES
I'd hack off every limb.
Death, my soul longs for death.
CHORUS
But
wherefore is it?
PHILOCTETES
I'll seek my father.
CHORUS
Whither?
PHILOCTETES
In the tomb;
There he must be. O Scyros! O my country!
How could I bear to see thee as I am-
I who had left thy
sacred shores to aid
The
hateful sons of Greece? O misery!
(He goes into the cave.)
LEADER OF THE CHORUS (speaking)
Ere now we should have taken thee to our ships,
But that advancing this way I behold
Ulysses, and with him Achilles' son.
(NEOPTOLEMUS enters
still carrying the bow;
he is followed closely by ULYSSES.)
ULYSSES
Why this return? Wherefore this haste?
NEOPTOLEMUS
I come
To purge me of my crimes.
ULYSSES
Indeed! What crimes?
NEOPTOLEMUS
My blind
obedience to the Grecian host
And to thy counsels.
ULYSSES
Hast thou practised aught
Base or
unworthy of thee?
NEOPTOLEMUS
Yes; by art
And vile
deceitbetrayed th' unhappy.
ULYSSES
Whom?
Alas! what mean you?
NEOPTOLEMUS
Nothing. But the son
Of Poeas-
ULYSSES
Ha! what wouldst thou do? My heart
Misgives me.
NEOPTOLEMUS
I have ta'en his arms, and now-
ULYSSES
Thou wouldst
restore them! Speak! Is that thy purpose?
Almighty Jove!
NEOPTOLEMUS
Unjustly should I keep
Another's right?
ULYSSES
Now, by the gods, thou meanest
To mock me! Dost thou not?
NEOPTOLEMUS
If to speak truth
Be mockery.
ULYSSES