Philoctetes

Jove be my witness! Therefore hear my words, And grave them in thy heart. The dire disease Thou long hast suffered is from angry heaven, Which thus afflicts thee for thy rash approach To the fell serpent, which on Chrysa's shore Watched o'er the sacred treasures. Know beside, That whilst the sun in yonder east shall rise, Or in the west decline, distempered still Thou ever shalt remain, unless to Troy Thy willing mind transport thee. There the sons Of Aesculapius shall restore thee- there By my assistance shalt thou conquer Troy. I know it well; for that prophetic sage, The Trojan captive Helenus, foretold It should be so. "Proud Troy (he added then) This very year must fall; if not, my life Shall answer for the falsehood." Therefore yield. Thus to be deemed the first of Grecians, thus By Poeas' favourite sons to be restored, And thus marked out the conqueror of Troy, Is sure distinguished happiness. PHILOCTETES O life! Detested, why wilt thou still keep me here? Why not dismiss me to the tomb! Alas! What can I do? How can I disbelieve My generous friend? I must consent, and yet Can I do this, and look upon the sun? Can I behold my friends- will they forgive, Will they associate with me after this? And you, ye heavenly orbs that roll around me, How will ye bear to see me linked with those Who have destroyed me, e'en the sons of Atreus, E'en with Ulysses, source of all my woes?

E'en with Ulysses, source of all my woes? My sufferings past I could forget; but oh! I dread the woes to come; for well I know When once the mind's corrupted it brings forth Unnumbered crimes, and ills to ills succeed. It moves my wonder much that thou, my friend, Shouldst thus advise me, whom it ill becomes To think of Troy. I rather had believed Thou wouldst have sent me far, far off from those Who have defrauded thee of thy just right, And gave thy arms away. Are these the men Whom thou wouldst serve? whom thou wouldst thus compel me To save and to defend? It must not be. Remember, O my son! the solemn oath Thou gav'st to bear me to my native soil. Do this, my friend, remain thyself at Scyros, And leave these wretches to be wretched still. Thus shalt thou merit double thanks, from me And from thy father; nor by succour given To vile betrayers prove thyself as vile. NEOPTOLEMUS Thou sayst most truly. Yet confide in heaven, Trust to thy friend, and leave this hated place. PHILOCTETES Leave it! For whom? For Troy and the Atreidae? These wounds forbid it. NEOPTOLEMUS They shall all be healed, Where I will carry thee. PHILOCTETES An idle tale Thou tellst me. surely; dost thou not? NEOPTOLEMUS I speak What best may serve us both. PHILOCTETES But, speaking thus, Dost thou not fear the' offended gods? NEOPTOLEMUS Why fear them? Can I offend the gods by doing good? PHILOCTETES What good? To whom? To me or to the' Atreidae?

PHILOCTETES What good? To whom? To me or to the' Atreidae? NEOPTOLEMUS I am thy friend, and therefore would persuade thee. PHILOCTETES And therefore give me to my foes. NEOPTOLEMUS Alas! Let not misfortunes thus transport thy soul To rage and bitterness. PHILOCTETES Thou wouldst destroy me. NEOPTOLEMUS Thou knowst me not. PHILOCTETES I know th' Atreidae well, Who left me here. NEOPTOLEMUS They did; yet they perhaps, E'en they, O Philoctetes! may preserve thee. PHILOCTETES I never will to Troy. NEOPTOLEMUS What's to be done? Since I can ne'er persuade thee, I submit; Live on in misery. PHILOCTETES Then let me suffer; Suffer I must; but, oh! perform thy promise; Think on thy plighted faith, and guard me home Instant, my friend, nor ever call back Troy To my remembrance; I have felt enough From Troy already. NEOPTOLEMUS Let us go; prepare! PHILOCTETES O glorious sound! NEOPTOLEMUS Bear thyself up. PHILOCTETES I will, If possible. NEOPTOLEMUS But how shall I escape The wrath of Greece? PHILOCTETES Oh! think not of it. NEOPTOLEMUS What If they should waste my kingdom? PHILOCTETES I'll be there. NEOPTOLEMUS Alas! what canst thou do? PHILOCTETES And with these arrows Of my Alcides- NEOPTOLEMUS Ha! What sayst thou? PHILOCTETES Drive Thy foes before me. Not a Greek shall dare Approach thy borders. NEOPTOLEMUS If thou wilt do this, Salute the earth, and instant hence. Away! (HERCULES appears from

Salute the earth, and instant hence. Away! (HERCULES appears from above, and speaks as he moves forward.) HERCULES Stay, son of Poeas! Lo to thee 'tis given Once more to see and hear thy loved Alcides, Who for thy sake hath left yon heavenly mansions, And comes to tell thee the decrees of Jove; To turn thee from the paths thou meanst to tread, And guide thy footsteps right. Therefore attend. Thou knowst what toils, what labours I endured, Ere I by virtue gained immortal fame; Thou too like me by toils must rise to glory- Thou too must suffer, ere thou canst be happy; Hence with thy friend to Troy, where honour calls, Where health awaits thee- where, by virtue raised To highest rank, and leader of the war, Paris, its hateful author, shalt thou slay, Lay waste proud Troy, and send thy trophies home, Thy valour's due reward, to glad thy sire On Oeta's top. The gifts which Greece bestows Must thou reserve to grace my funeral pile, And be a monument to after-ages Of these all-conquering arms. Son of Achilles (Turning to NEOPTOLEMUS, For now to thee I speak,) remember this, Without his aid thou canst not conquer Troy, Nor Philoctetes without thee succeed; Go then, and, like two lions in the field Roaming for prey, guard ye each other well; My Aesculapius will I send e'en now To heal thy wounds-Then go, and conquer Troy; But when you lay the vanquished city waste. Be careful that you venerate the gods;

Be careful that you venerate the gods; For far above all other gifts doth Jove, Th' almighty father, hold true piety: Whether we live or die, that still survives Beyond the reach of fate, and is immortal. PHILOCTETES (chanting) Once more to let me hear that wished-for voice, To see thee after so long time, was bliss I could not hope for. Oh! I will obey Thy great commands most willingly. NEOPTOLEMUS (chanting) And I. HERCULES (chanting) Delay not then. For lo! a prosperous wind Swells in thy sail. The time invites. Adieu! (HERCULES disappears above.) PHILOCTETES (chanting) I will but pay my salutations here, And instantly depart. To thee, my cave, Where I so long have dwelt, I bid farewell! And you, ye nymphs, who on the watery plains Deign to reside, farewell! Farewell the noise Of beating waves, which I so oft have heard From the rough sea, which by the black winds driven O'erwhelmed me, shivering. Oft th' Hermaean mount Echoed my plaintive voice, by wintry storms Afflicted, and returned me groan for groan. Now, ye fresh fountains, each Lycaean spring, I leave you now. Alas! I little thought To leave you ever. And thou sea-girt isle, Lemnos, farewell! Permit me to depart By thee unblamed, and with a prosperous gale To go where fate demands, where kindest friends By counsel urge me, where all-powerful Jove In his unerring wisdom hath decreed. CHORUS (chanting) Let us be gone, and to the ocean nymphs Our humble prayers prefer, that they would all Propitious smile, and grant us safe return. THE END