Ἄρης ἤκουσας, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, οἷα ἠπείλησεν ἡμῖν ὁ Ζεύς, ὡς ὑπεροπτικὰ καὶ ὡς ἀπίθανα; ἢν ἐθελήσω, φησίν, ἐγὼ μὲν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ σειρὰν καθήσω, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἀποκρεμασθέντες κατασπᾶν βιάσεσθέ με, ἀλλὰ μάτην πονήσετε· οὐ γὰρ δὴ καθελκύσετε· εἰ δὲ ἐγὼ θελήσαιμι ἀνελκύσαι, οὐ μόνον ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν γῆν ἅμα καὶ τὴν θάλατταν συναρτήσας μετεωριῶ· καὶ τἆλλα ὅσα καὶ σὺ ἀκήκοας. ἐγὼ δὲ ὅτι μὲν καθʼ ἕνα πάντων ἀμείνων καὶ ἰσχυρότερός ἐστιν οὐκ ἂν ἀρνηθείην, ὁμοῦ δὲ τῶν τοσούτων ὑπερφέρειν, ὡς μὴ καταπονήσειν αὐτόν, κἂν τὴν γῆν κἂν τὴν θάλατταν προσλάβωμεν, οὐκ ἂν πεισθείην.
Ἑρμῆς εὐφήμει, ὦ Ἄρες· οὐ γὰρ ἀσφαλὲς λέγειν τὰ τοιαῦτα, μὴ καί τι κακὸν ἀπολαύσωμεν τῆς φλυαρίας.
Ἄρης οἴει γάρ με πρὸς πάντας ἂν ταῦτα εἰπεῖν, οὐχὶ δὲ πρὸς μόνον σέ, ὃν ἐχεμυθεῖν ἠπιστάμην; ὃ δʼ οὖν μάλιστα γελοῖον ἔδοξέ μοι ἀκούοντι μεταξὺ τῆς ἀπειλῆς, οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην σιωπῆσαι πρὸς σέ· μέμνημαι γὰρ οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ, ὁπότε ὁ Ποσειδῶν καὶ ἡ Ἥρα καὶ ἡ Ἀθηνᾶ ἐπαναστάντες ἐπεβούλευον συνδῆσαι λαβόντες αὐτόν, ὡς παντοῖος ἦν δεδιώς, καὶ ταῦτα τρεῖς ὄντας, καὶ εἰ μή γε ἡ Θέτις κατελεήσασα ἐκάλεσεν αὐτῷ σύμμαχον Βριάρεων ἑκατόγχειρα ὄντα, κἂν ἐδέδετο ἂν αὐτῷ κεραυνῷ καὶ βροντῇ. ταῦτα λογιζομένῳ ἐπῄει μοι γελᾶν ἐπὶ τῇ καλλιρρημοσύνῃ αὐτοῦ.
Ἑρμῆς σιώπα, φημί· οὐ γὰρ ἀσφαλὲς οὔτε σοὶ λέγειν οὔτʼ ἐμοὶ ἀκούειν τὰ τοιαῦτα.
ARES Did you hear Zeus’s threat, Hermes? most complimentary, wasn’t it, and most practicable? ‘If I choose,’ says he, ‘I could let down a cord from Heaven, and all of you might hang on to it and do your very best to pull me down; it would be waste labour; you would never move me. On the other hand, if I chose to haul up, I should have you all dangling in mid air, with earth and sea into the bargain and so on; you heard? Well, I dare say he is too much for any of us individually, but I will never believe he outweighs the whole of us in a body, or that, even with the makeweight of earth and sea, we should not get the better of him.
HERMES Mind what you say, Ares; it is not safe to talk like that; we might get paid out for chattering.
ARES You don’t suppose I should say this to every one; I am not afraid of you; I know you can keep a quiet tongue. I must tell you what made me laugh most while he stormed: I remember not so long ago, when Posidon and Hera and Athene rebelled and made a plot for his capture and imprisonment, he was frightened out of his wits; well, there were only three of them, and if Thetis had not taken pity on him and called in the hundred-handed Briareus to the rescue, he would actually have been put in chains, with his thunder and his bolt beside him. When I worked out the sum, I could not help laughing.
HERMES Oh, do be quiet; such things are too risky for you to say or me to listen to.
Ἑρμῆς ἔστι γάρ τις, ὦ μῆτερ, ἐν οὐρανῷ θεὸς ἀθλιώτερος ἐμοῦ;
Μαῖα μὴ λέγε, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, τοιοῦτον μηδέν.
Ἑρμῆς τί μὴ λέγω, ὃς τοσαῦτα πράγματα ἔχω μόνος κάμνων καὶ πρὸς τοσαύτας ὑπηρεσίας διασπώμενος; ἕωθεν μὲν γὰρ ἐξαναστάντα σαίρειν τὸ συμπόσιον δεῖ καὶ διαστρώσαντα τὴν κλισίαν εὐθετίσαντά τε ἕκαστα παρεστάναι τῷ Διὶ καὶ διαφέρειν τὰς ἀγγελίας τὰς παρʼ αὐτοῦ ἄνω καὶ κάτω ἡμεροδρομοῦντα, καὶ ἐπανελθόντα ἔτι κεκονιμένον παρατιθέναι τὴν ἀμβροσίαν· πρὶν δὲ τὸν νεώνητον τοῦτον οἰνοχόον ἥκειν, καὶ τὸ νέκταρ ἐγὼ ἐνέχεον. τὸ δὲ πάντων δεινότατον, ὅτι μηδὲ νυκτὸς καθεύδω μόνος τῶν ἄλλων, ἀλλὰ δεῖ με καὶ τότε τῷ Πλούτωνι ψυχαγωγεῖν καὶ νεκροπομπὸν εἶναι καὶ παρεστάναι τῷ δικαστηρίῳ· οὐ γὰρ ἱκανά μοι τὰ τῆς ἡμέρας ἔργα, ἐν παλαίστραις εἶναι κἀν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις κηρύττειν καὶ ῥήτορας ἐκδιδάσκειν, ἀλλʼ ἔτι καὶ νεκρικὰ συνδιαπράττειν μεμερισμένον.
Ἑρμῆς καίτοι τὰ μὲν τῆς Λήδας τέκνα παρʼ ἡμέραν ἑκάτερος ἐν οὐρανῷ ἢ ἐν ᾅδου εἰσίν, ἐμοὶ δὲ καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν κἀκεῖνα καὶ ταῦτα ποιεῖν ἀναγκαῖον, καὶ οἱ μὲν Ἀλκμήνης καὶ Σεμέλης ἐκ γυναικῶν δυστήνων γενόμενοι εὐωχοῦνται ἀφρόντιδες, ὁ δὲ Μαίας τῆς Ἀτλαντίδος διακονοῦμαι αὐτοῖς. καὶ νῦν ἄρτι ἥκοντά με ἀπὸ Σιδῶνος παρὰ τῆς Κάδμου θυγατρός, ἐφʼ ἣν πέπομφέ με ὀψόμενον ὅ τι πράττει ἡ παῖς, μηδὲ ἀναπνεύσαντα πέπομφεν αὖθις ἐς τὸ Ἄργος ἐπισκεψόμενον τὴν Δανάην, εἶτʼ ἐκεῖθεν ἐς Βοιωτίαν, φησίν, ἐλθὼν ἐν παρόδῳ τὴν Ἀντιόπην ἰδέ. καὶ ὅλως ἀπηγόρευκα ἤδη. εἰ γοῦν δυνατὸν ἦν, ἡδέως ἂν ἠξίωσα πεπρᾶσθαι, ὥσπερ οἱ ἐν γῇ κακῶς δουλεύοντες.
Μαῖα ἔα ταῦτα, ὦ τέκνον· χρὴ γὰρ πάντα ὑπηρετεῖν τῷ πατρὶ νεανίαν ὄντα. καὶ νῦν ὥσπερ ἐπέμφθης, σόβει ἐς Αργος, εἶτα ἐς τὴν Βοιωτίαν, μὴ καὶ πληγὰς βραδύνων λάβῃς ὀξύχολοι γὰρ οἱ ἐρῶντες.
HERMES Mother, I am the most miserable god in Heaven.
MAIA Don’t say such things, child.
HERMES Am I to do all the work of Heaven with my own hands, to be hurried from one piece of drudgery to another, and never say a word? I have to get up early, sweep the dining-room, lay the cushions and put all to rights; then I have to wait on Zeus, and take his messages, up and down, all day long; and I am no sooner back again (no time for a wash) than I have to lay the table; and there was the nectar to pour out, too, till this new cup-bearer was bought. And it really is too bad, that when every one else is in bed, I should have to go off to Pluto with the Shades, and play the usher in Rhadamanthus’s court. It is not enough that I must be busy all day in the wrestling-ground and the Assembly and the schools of rhetoric, the dead must have their share in me too. Leda’s sons take turn and turn about betwixt Heaven and Hades—I have to be in both every day. And why should the sons of Alemena and Semele, paltry women, why should they feast at their ease, and I—the son of Maia, the grandson of Atlas—wait upon them? And now here am I only just back from Sidon, where he sent me to see after Europa, and before I am in breath again—off I must go to Argos, in quest of Danae, ‘and you can take Boeotia on your way,’ says father, ‘and see Antiope.’ I am half dead with it all. Mortal slaves are better off than I am: they have the chance of being sold to a new master; I wish I had the same!
MAIA Come, come, child. You must do as your father bids you, like a good boy. Run along now to Argos and Boeotia; don’t loiter, or you will get a whipping. Lovers are apt to be hasty.
Προμηθεύς λῦσόν με, ὦ Ζεῦ· δεινὰ γὰρ ἤδη πέπονθα.
Ζεύς λύσω σε, φής, ὃν ἐχρῆν βαρυτέρας πέδας ἔχοντα καὶ τὸν Καύκασον ὅλον ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἐπικείμενον ὑπὸ ἑκκαίδεκα γυπῶν μὴ μόνον κείρεσθαι τὸ ἧπαρ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξορύττεσθαι, ἀνθʼ ὧν τοιαῦθʼ ἡμῖν ζῷα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἔπλασας καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἔκλεψας καὶ γυναῖκας ἐδημιούργησας; ἃ μὲν γὰρ ἐμὲ ἐξηπάτησας ἐν τῇ νομῇ τῶν κρεῶν ὀστᾶ πιμελῇ κεκαλυμμένα παραθεὶς καὶ τὴν ἀμείνω τῶν μοιρῶν σεαυτῷ φυλάττων, τί χρὴ λέγειν;
Προμηθεύς οὔκουν ἱκανὴν ἤδη τὴν δίκην ἐκτέτικα τοσοῦτον χρόνον τῷ Καυκάσῳ προσηλωμένος τὸν κάκιστα ὀρνέων ἀπολούμενον αἰετὸν τρέφων τῷ ἥπατι;
Ζεύς οὐδὲ πολλοστημόριον τοῦτο ὧν σε δεῖ παθεῖν.
Προμηθεύς καὶ μὴν οὐκ ἀμισθί με λύσεις, ἀλλά σοι μηνύσω τι, ὦ Ζεῦ, πάνυ ἀναγκαῖον.
Ζεύς Κατασοφίζῃ με, ὦ Προμηθεῦ.
Προμηθεύς καὶ τί πλέον ἕξω; οὐ γὰρ ἀγνοήσεις αὖθις ἔνθα ὁ Καύκασός ἐστιν, οὐδὲ ἀπορήσεις δεσμῶν, ἤν τι τεχνάζων ἁλίσκωμαι.
Ζεύς εἰπὲ πρότερον, ὅντινα μισθὸν ἀποτίσεις αναγκαῖον ἡμῖν ὄντα.
Προμηθεύς ἢν εἴπω ἐφʼ ὅ τι βαδίζεις νῦν, ἀξιόπιστος ἔσομαί σοι καὶ περὶ τῶν ὑπολοίπων μαντευόμενος;
Ζεύς Πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
Προμηθεύς παρὰ τὴν Θέτιν, συνεσόμενος αὐτῇ.
Ζεύς τουτὶ μὲν ἔγνως· τί δʼ οὖν τὸ ἐπὶ τούτῳ; δοκεῖς γὰρ ἀληθές τι ἐρεῖν.
Προμηθεύς μηδέν, ὦ Ζεῦ, κοινωνήσῃς τῇ Νηρηΐδι· ἢν γὰρ αὕτη κυοφορήσῃ ἐκ σοῦ, τὸ τεχθὲν ἴσα ἐργάσεταί σε οἷα καὶ σὺ ἔδρασας —
Ζεύς τοῦτο φής, ἐκπεσεῖσθαί με τῆς ἀρχῆς;
Προμηθεύς μὴ γένοιτο, ὦ Ζεῦ. πλὴν τοιοῦτό γε ἡ μῖξις αὐτῆς ἀπειλεῖ.
Ζεύς χαιρέτω τοιγαροῦν ἡ Θέτις· σὲ δὲ ὁ Ἥφαιστος ἐπὶ τούτοις λυσάτω.
PROMETHEUS Release me, Zeus; I have suffered enough.
ZEUS Release you? you? Why, by rights your irons should be heavier, you should have the whole weight of Caucasus upon you, and instead of one, a dozen vultures, not just pecking at your liver, but scratching out your eyes. You made these abominable human creatures to vex us, you stole our fire, you invented women. I need not remind you how you overreached me about the meat-offerings; my portion, bones disguised in fat: yours, all the good.
PROMETHEUS And have I not been punished enough—riveted to the Caucasus all these years, feeding your bird (on which all worst curses light!) with my liver?
ZEUS ‘Tis not a tithe of your deserts.
PROMETHEUS Consider, I do not ask you to release me for nothing. I offer you information which is invaluable.
ZEUS Promethean wiles!
PROMETHEUS Wiles? to what end? you can find the Caucasus another time; and there are chains to be had, if you catch me cheating.
ZEUS Tell me first the nature of your ‘invaluable’ offer.
PROMETHEUS If I tell you your present errand right, will that convince you that I can prophesy too?
ZEUS Of course it will.
PROMETHEUS You are bound on a little visit to Thetis.
ZEUS Right so far. And the sequel? I trust you now.
PROMETHEUS Have no dealings with her, Zeus. As sure as Nereus’s daughter conceives by you, your child shall mete you the measure you meted to—
ZEUS I shall lose my kingdom, you would say?
PROMETHEUS Avert it, Fate! I say only, that union portends this issue.
ZEUS Thetis, farewell! and for this Hephaestus shall set you free.
Ἔρως ἀλλʼ εἰ καί τι ἥμαρτον, ὦ Ζεῦ, σύγγνωθί μοι· παιδίον γάρ εἰμι καὶ ἔτι ἄφρων.
Ζεύς σὺ παιδίον ὁ Ἔρως, ὃς ἀρχαιότερος εἶ πολὺ Ἰαπετοῦ; ἢ διότι μὴ πώγωνα μηδὲ πολιὰς ἔφυσας, διὰ ταῦτα καὶ βρέφος ἀξιοῖς νομίζεσθαι γέρων καὶ πανοῦργος ὤν;
Ἔρως τί δαί σε μέγα ἠδίκησα ὁ γέρων ὡς φὴς ἐγώ, διότι με καὶ πεδῆσαι διανοῇ;
Ζεύς σκόπει, ὦ κατάρατε, εἰ μικρά, ὃς ἐμοὶ μὲν οὕτως ἐντρυφᾷς, ὥστε οὐδέν ἐστιν ὃ μὴ πεποίηκάς με, σάτυρον, ταῦρον, χρυσόν, κύκνον, αἰετόν· ἐμοῦ δὲ ὅλως οὐδεμίαν ἥντινα ἐρασθῆναι πεποίηκας, οὐδὲ συνῆκα ἡδὺς γυναικὶ διὰ σὲ γεγενημένος, ἀλλά με δεῖ μαγγανεύειν ἐπʼ αὐτὰς καὶ κρύπτειν ἐμαυτόν· αἱ δὲ τὸν μὲν ταῦρον ἢ κυκνον φιλοῦσιν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἢν ἴδωσι, τεθνᾶσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους.
Ἔρως εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ φέρουσιν, ὦ Ζεῦ, θνηταὶ οὖσαι τὴν σὴν πρόσοψιν.
Ζεύς πῶς οὖν τὸν Ἀπόλλω ὁ Βράγχος καὶ ὁ Ὑάκινθος φιλοῦσιν;
Ἔρως ἀλλὰ ἡ Δάφνη κἀκεῖνον ἔφευγε καίτοι κομήτην καὶ ἀγένειον ὄντα. εἰ δʼ ἐθέλεις ἐπέραστος εἶναι, μὴ ἐπίσειε τὴν αἰγίδα μηδὲ τὸν κεραυνὸν φέρε, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἥδιστον ποίει σεαυτὸν ἑκατέρωθεν καθειμένος βοστρύχους, τῇ μίτρᾳ τούτους ἀνειλημμένος, πορφυρίδα ἔχε, ὑποδέου χρυσίδας, ὑπʼ αὐλῷ καὶ τυμπάνοις εὔρυθμα βαῖνε, καὶ ὄψει ὅτι πλείους ἀκολουθήσουσί σοι τῶν Διονύσου Μαινάδων.
Ζεύς ἄπαγε· οὐκ ἂν δεξαίμην ἐπέραστος εἶναι τοιοῦτος γενόμενος.
Ἔρως οὐκοῦν, ὦ Ζεῦ, μηδὲ ἐρᾶν θέλε· ῥᾴδιον γὰρ τοῦτό γε.
Ζεύς οὔκ, ἀλλὰ ἐρᾶν μέν, ἀπραγμονέστερον δὲ αὐτῶν ἐπιτυγχάνειν· ἐπὶ τούτοις αὐτοῖς ἀφίημί σε.
EROS You might let me off, Zeus! I suppose it was rather too bad of me; but there!—I am but a child; a wayward child.
ZEUS A child, and born before Iapetus was ever thought of? You bad old man! Just because you have no beard, and no white hairs, are you going to pass yourself off for a child?
EROS Well, and what such mighty harm has the old man ever done you, that you should talk of chains?
ZEUS Ask your own guilty conscience, what harm. The pranks you have played me! Satyr, bull, swan, eagle, shower of gold,—I have been everything in my time; and I have you to thank for it. You never by any chance make the women in love with me; no one is ever smitten with my charms, that I have noticed. No, there must be magic in it always; I must be kept well out of sight. They like the bull or the swan well enough: but once let them set eyes on me, and they are frightened out of their lives.
EROS Well, of course. They are but mortals; the sight of Zeus is too much for them.
ZEUS Then why are Branchus and Hyacinth so fond of Apollo?
EROS Daphne ran away from him, anyhow; in spite of his beautiful hair and his smooth chin. Now, shall I tell you the way to win hearts? Keep that aegis of yours quiet, and leave the thunderbolt at home; make yourself as smart as you can; curl your hair and tie it up with a bit of ribbon, get a purple cloak, and gold-bespangled shoes, and march forth to the music of flute and drum;—and see if you don’t get a finer following than Dionysus, for all his Maenads.
ZEUS Pooh! I’ll win no hearts on such terms.
EROS Oh, in that case, don’t fall in love. Nothing could be simpler.
ZEUS I dare say; but I like being in love, only I don’t like all this fuss. Now mind; if I let you off, it is on this understanding.
Ζεύς τὴν τοῦ Ἰνάχου παῖδα τὴν καλὴν οἶσθα. ὦ Ερμῆ;
Ἑρμῆς ναί· τὴν Ἰὼ λέγεις.
Ζεύς οὐκέτι παῖς ἐκείνη ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ δάμαλις.
Ἑρμῆς τεράστιον τοῦτο· τῷ τρόπῳ δʼ ἐνηλλάγη;
Ζεύς ζηλοτυπήσασα ἡ Ἥρα μετέβαλεν αὐτήν. ἀλλα καὶ καινὸν ἄλλο τι δεινὸν ἐπιμεμηχάνηται τῇ κακοδαίμονι· βουκόλον τινὰ πολυόμματον Ἄργον τοὔνομα ἐπέστησεν, ὃς νέμει τὴν δάμαλιν ἄϋπνος ὤν.
Ἑρμῆς τί οὖν ἡμᾶς χρὴ ποιεῖν;
Ζεύς καταπτάμενος ἐς τὴν Νεμεαν — ἐκεῖ δέ που ὁ Ἄργος βουκολεῖ — ἐκεῖνον ἀπόκτεινον, τὴν δὲ Ἰὼ διὰ τοῦ πελάγους ἐς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἀγαγὼν Ἶσιν ποίησον· καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἔστω θεὸς τῶν ἐκεῖ καὶ τὸν Νεῖλον ἀναγέτω καὶ τοὺς ἀνέμους ἐπιπεμπέτω καὶ σωζέτω τοὺς πλέοντας.
ZEUS Hermes, you know Inachus’s beautiful daughter?
HERMES I do. Io, you mean?
ZEUS Yes; she is not a girl now, but a heifer.
HERMES Magic at work! how did that come about?
ZEUS Hera had a jealous fit, and transformed her. But that is not all; she has thought of a new punishment for the poor thing. She has put a cowherd in charge, who is all over eyes; this Argus, as he is called, pastures the heifer, and never goes to sleep.
HERMES Well, what am I to do?
ZEUS Fly down to Nemea, where the pasture is, kill Argus, take Io across the sea to Egypt, and convert her into Isis. She shall be henceforth an Egyptian Goddess, flood the Nile, regulate the winds, and rescue mariners.
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