Page images
PDF
EPUB

ὦ γύναι, τέκοις· μόνους γὰρ σῶν ἀνικήτων φρενῶν βλαστάνειν ἄνδρας προσήκει. πιθανὸν οὐ φανήσεται, ἢν φόνου κηλῖσιν ἐχθραῖς προσπόλους λωβώμενοι 50 κειμένους χραίνωμεν, αὐτῶν φασγάνοις κεχρημενοι, ὡς ἄρ ̓ οἱ δράσαντες οὗτοι ;

ΓΥ.

Πῶς τις οὖν ἄλλως κρινεῖ; εὖ γὰρ ἀμφ' αὐτοῦ θανόντος σεμνὸν ὀλολυγμὸν θροεῖν εἰσόμεσθ'.

ΜΑ.

Ἄραρε τοὐμὸν, ἠδ ̓ ἅπας ὁπλίζομαι δυσσεβῆ τόνδ' εἰς ἀγῶνα—καιρὸς οὖν—τί μέλλομεν ; νῦν ἵν ̓ ἔξωθεν λάθωμεν σχήματ ̓ εὐπρεπεστάτῳ κρυπτέον ψευδεῖ προσώπῳ φρὴν ἅπερ ψευδὴς πλέκει.

1821.]

[ocr errors]

ΟΘΕΛΛΩΝ. ΤΑΓΟΣ ΕΝΕΤΩΝ.

Ἐν τῷδε δ', ὥσπερ καὶ θεοῖς ἀεὶ λέγω
ὅσ', ἱμέρου πλάναισιν, ἐξαμαρτάνω,
οὕτω τὰ τοῦδ ̓ ἔρωτος, ὡς κόρῃ τ ̓ ἐμοῦ

ἐμοί τ ̓ ἐκείνης ἦλθε, πάνθ' ὑμῖν φράσω. ΤΑΓ. μάλιστ', Ὄθελλον, εἰπὲ ταῦθ ̓ ὅπως ἔχει. 5 ΟΘ. ἐμοὶ πατὴρ ὁ τῆσδ ̓ ἐτύγχανεν φιλος

γεγώς· καλεῖ δὲ πολλάκις πρὸς δώματα,
καὶ τοῦ βίου με ξυμφορὰς ἀνιστορεῖ,
μάχας θ ̓, ὅσων μετέσχον, ἀστέων τ ̓ ἀεὶ
χρήζων ἀκούειν δυσμενεῖς προσεδρίας.
ἅπαντα δ ̓ αὐτῷ τὸν λόγον διέρχομαι,
κἀκ παιδὸς, ὡς ἦν, μέχρι τῆς τόθ' ἡμέρας.

10

ἐνταῦθα δ' ηύδων τλημονεστάτας τύχας,

Of moving accidents, by flood, and field;

Of hair-breadth scapes i' the imminent deadly breach;

Of being taken by the insolent foe,

And sold to slavery; of my redemption thence,

And portance in my travel's history:

Wherein of antres vast, and deserts idle,

Rough quarries, rocks, and hills whose heads touch heaven,
It was my hint to speak, such was the process;
And of the cannibals that each other eat,

The Anthropophagi, and men whose heads

Do grow beneath their shoulders. These things to hear, Would Desdemona seriously incline:

But still the house-affairs would draw her thence;
Which ever as she could with haste despatch,
She'd come again, and with a greedy ear

Devour up my discourse: which I observing,
Took once a pliant hour; and found good means
To draw from her a prayer of earnest heart,
That I would all my pilgrimage dilate,
Whereof by parcels she had something heard,
But not intentively. I did consent;
And often did beguile her of her tears,
When I did speak of some distressful stroke,
That my youth suffer'd. My story being done,
She gave me for my pains a world of sighs:

She swore, "In faith, 'twas strange, 'twas passing strange!

καὶ πήματ' οἰκτρὰ, ναυσὶ κἀπὶ γῆς πέδου
χὥπως ἐπ ̓ ἄτης ἐσχάτοισι σώζομαι
ὅροισι, τειχέων θανασίμοις ἐν εἰσβολαῖς·
χώπως ὑπ' ἀνδρῶν πολεμίων ἁλίσκομαι,
βίον τ' ἔχω δούλειον· εἶτ ̓ ἐλεύθερος

15

πολλὴν θάλασσαν γῆν τ ̓ ἐποίχομαι πλάνης.
κἀνταῦθ', (ὁρᾶτε μηχανάς) λέγειν παρῆν
μέγιστα τ' ἄντρα, κἀβάτους ἐρημίας,
κρημνοὺς, πέτρας τε, κἀξισούμεν ̓ οὐρανῷ
ὀρέων κάρηνα· καὶ τὸν ὠμηστὴν λεὼν,
Ανθρωποφάγους, δάπτοντας ἀλλήλων κρέα,
καὶ τοὺς ὑπ ̓ ὤμοις τὸν πελώριον βροτοὺς
κρατ ̓ αὐξάνοντας. ταῦτ ̓ ἄρ ̓ ἐξηγουμένου
κάρτ ̓ ἦν πρόθυμος Δεσδεμώνη μου κλύειν
οὐ μὴν τά γ' οἴκου τῶνδε λιμπάνει χάριν,
ἀεὶ δὲ, πορσύνασα κεῖν ̓ ὅσον τάχος,
πάλιν στραφεῖσ ̓ ἄπληστον οὖς παρείχέ μοι.
ἁγὼ νοήσας, καιρίαν αὐτήν ποτε

λαβὼν, πόρον τίν' εὗρον ἅψασθαι φρενῶν,
ὥστ ̓ ἐκ προθύμου καρδίας μ' αἰτεῖν κόρην
τέλειον εἰπεῖν τῆς ἐμῆς πλάνης λόγον,
ἧς ἦν ἐκείνη βραχέα μὲν πεπυσμένη,
ἀλλ ̓ οὐκ ἀκριβῶς γ', ὥσθ' ἅπασαν εἰδέναι.
κἀγὼ μὲν οὖν ἐπήνεσ', ἡ δὲ πολλάκις
τέγγει κλύουσα δακρύοις παρηίδα,
ἐμοῦ τι σημαίνοντος ὧν νέος πότ' ὢν
ἐδυστύχησα. πάντα δ ̓ ὡς εἰρημέν ̓ ἦν,
μισθὸν δίδωσι μυρία στενάγματα·

ὡς ταῦτ ̓ ἀληθῶς, φήσι, θαύματος πλέα,

20

25

30

35

40

'Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful!"

She wish'd she had not heard it; yet she wish'd
That Heaven had made her such a man: she thank'd me ;

And bade me, if I had a friend that lov'd her,
I should but teach him how to tell my story,
And that would woo her. Upon this hint, I spake
She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd;
And I lov'd her, that she did pity them.
This only is the witchcraft I have used-

Here comes the lady: let her witness it.

[1822.

JULIUS CÆSAR. ACT 4. Sc. 3.

Cas. COME, Antony, and young Octavius, come! Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,

For Cassius is aweary of the world;

Hated by one he loves; brav'd by his brother;
Check'd like a bondman; all his faults observ'd,
Set in a note-book, learn'd, and conn'd by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O! I could weep
My spirit from mine eyes!...There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:
If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth;

ὡς δ ̓ οἴκτρ ̓ ἔλεξας, καὶ ποθείν ̓ ὀδύρμασιν.
καὶ μὴν πεπύσθαι μηδὲν ηὔχετ', ἀλλ' ὅμως
ἴσον λαβεῖν θεῶν ηὔχετ ̓ ἄνδρα· καὶ χάριν
τῶνδ ̓ ἔσχεν· εἶπε δ', εἴτιν ̓ οἶδά που φίλον
αὑτῆς ἐρῶντα, τόνδ', ἅπερ κἀγὼ, λέγειν
πάντ ̓ ἐκδιδάξαι, τἆλλα δ ̓ ἦν πεπεισμένα.
πρὸς ταῦτα, τἄμ' ἐξεῖπον· ἠράσθη δέ πως
ἐμοῦ μὲν αὕτη, τῶνδ ̓ ἕκατι συμφορῶν, 50
κείνης δ' ἀνὴρ ὅδ', οἶκτον ὡς εἶδον φρενών,
τοιοῖσδ ̓ ἔγωγε φαρμάκοις έχρησάμην·
αὐτὴ δ ̓ ἐλέγξουσ' ἥδε ταῦτ ̓ ἐγγὺς γυνή.

1822.]

ΒΡΟΥΤΟΣ. ΚΑΣΣΙΟΣ.

ΚΑΣ. ΝΥΝ δὴ φέρ ̓ ἔλθ ̓, Ἀντώνι', ἐλθὲ δ', εὔχομαι, νεανία μοι δεύρ', ἄναξ Οκτάβιε,

ὑμεῖς μόνον τίσασθε Κάσσιον δίκην
ἔλωλε γὰρ δὴ Κασσίῳ χάρις βίου
ὃν πρῶτα μὲν στυγοῦσιν οἱ φιλούμενοι,
τολμᾷ δὲ ἀδελφὸς, ὅσπερ ἦν, καθυβρίσαι·
δοῦλον δ' ὅπως μ' εἴργουσι, τὰς δ ̓ ἁμαρτίας
δέλτου φυλάσσουσ ̓ ἐν πτυχαῖς γεγραμμένας,
ὥστ ̓ εὖ μαθόντες τἄμ' ὀνειδίζειν κακὰ.
ἦτ ̓ ἂν δυναίμην δάκρυσι τήνδ' ἀπ ̓ ὀμμάτων 10
ψυχὴν ἀφεῖναι· καὶ τὸ μὲν ξίφος τόδε,
τάδ ̓ αὖ τὰ γυμνὰ στέρνα καρδία δ' ἔνι,
Πλούτου μετάλλων φιλτέρα χρυσοῦ τέ μοι·
ταύτην, ἄγ', εἰ Ῥωμαῖος εἶ σύ, μ' ἐξέλου

« PreviousContinue »