Four Plays of Aeschylus Part 32

PROMETHEUS

Why should I fear, who am immortal too?

CHORUS

Yet he might doom thee to worse agony.

PROMETHEUS

Out on his dooming! I foreknow it all.

CHORUS

Yet do the wise revere Necessity.

PROMETHEUS

Ay, ay-do reverence, cringe and crouch to power Whene'er, where'er thou see it! But, for me, I reck of Zeus as something less than nought.

Let him put forth his power, attest his sway, Howe'er he will-a momentary show, A little brief authority in heaven!

Aha, I see out yonder one who comes, A bidden courier, truckling at Zeus' nod, A lacquey in his new lord's livery, Surely on some fantastic errand sped!

[Enter HERMES.

HERMES Thou, double-dyed in gall of bitterness, Trickster and sinner against G.o.ds, by giving The stolen fire to perishable men!

Attend-the Sire supreme doth bid thee tell What is the wedlock which thou vauntest now, Whereby he falleth from supremacy?

Speak forth the whole, make all thine utterance clear, Have done with words inscrutable, nor cause To me, Prometheus! any further toil Or twofold journeying. Go to-thou seest Zeus doth not soften at such words as thine!

PROMETHEUS

Pompous, in sooth, thy word, and swoln with pride, As doth befit the lacquey of thy lords!

O ye young G.o.ds! how, in your youthful sway, Ye deem secure your citadels of sky, Beyond the reach of sorrow or of fall!

Have I not seen two dynasties of G.o.ds Already flung therefrom? and soon shall see A third, that now in tyranny exults, Shamed, ruined, in an hour! What sayest thou?

Crouch I and tremble at these stripling powers?

Small homage unto such from me, or none!

Betake thee hence, sweat back along thy road- Look for no answer from me, get thee gone!

HERMES

Think-it was such audacities of will That drove thee erst to anchorage in woe!

PROMETHEUS

Ay-but mark this: mine heritage of pain I would not barter for thy servitude.

HERMES

Better, forsooth, be bond-slave to a crag, Than true-born herald unto Zeus the Sire!

PROMETHEUS

Take thine own coin-taunts for a taunting slave!

HERMES

Proud art thou in thy circ.u.mstance, methinks!

PROMETHEUS

Proud? in such pride then be my foemen set, And I to see-and of such foes art thou!

HERMES

What, blam'st thou me too for thy sufferings?

PROMETHEUS

Mark a plain word-I loathe all G.o.ds that are, Who reaped my kindness and repay with wrong.

HERMES

I hear no little madness in thy words.

PROMETHEUS

Madness be mine, if scorn of foes be mad.

HERMES

Past bearing were thy pride, in happiness.

PROMETHEUS

Ah me!

HERMES

Zeus knoweth nought of sorrow's cry!

PROMETHEUS

He shall! Time's lapse bringeth all lessons home.

HERMES

To thee it brings not yet discretion's curb.

PROMETHEUS

No-else I had not wrangled with a slave!

HERMES

Then thou concealest all that Zeus would learn?

PROMETHEUS

As though I owed him aught and should repay!