MonSno_LeeDra
November 1st, 2008, 03:21 PM
First here are the lines from the books that I will speak of. The section in blue is fromthe lines while Iphigenia is in Aulis. The black after he is in Tauris.
(6) Euripides. The Plays of Euripides, translated by E. P. Coleridge. Volume II. London. George Bell and Sons. 1891.
Iphigenia in Aulis (80)
…In our perplexity, we asked Calchas, the seer, [90] and he answered that we should sacrifice my own child Iphigenia to Artemis, whose home is in this land, and we would sail and sack the Phrygians' capital . When I heard this, I commanded …
Iphigenia in Aulis (185 – 205)
Chorus
[185] Through the grove of Artemis, rich with sacrifice, I sped my course, my cheek stained with red from maiden modesty, in my eagerness to see the soldiers' camp, [190] the tents of the mail-clad Danaids, and their crowd of horses. I saw two met together in council; one was Aias, son of Oileus; the other Aias, son of Telamon, crown of glory to the men of Salamis; [195] and I saw Protesilaus and Palamedes, sprung from the son of Poseidon, sitting there amusing themselves with intricate figures at checkers; Diomedes too [200] at his favorite sport of hurling quoits; and Meriones, Ares' son, a marvel to mankind, stood at his side; likewise I beheld the son of Laertes, who came from his island hills, and with him Nireus, [205] handsomest of the Achaeans.
Iphigenia in Aulis (349 – 375)
…"What am I to do? What scheme can I devise, where find one?"—to save yourself being stripped of your command and losing your fair fame. Next when Calchas bade you offer your daughter in sacrifice to Artemis, declaring that the Danaids should then sail, you were overjoyed, [360] and gladly undertook to offer the girl, and of your own accord—never allege compulsion—you are sending word to your wife to despatch your daughter here on pretence of wedding Achilles. And after …
Iphigenia in Aulis (402 – 439)
… From others you would have heard: "They are presenting the maiden to Artemis, queen of Aulis, previous to marriage; who can the bridegroom be, that is to lead her home?"
Iphigenia in Aulis (855 – 899)
Old man
You know all; her father is about to offer your child to Artemis
Iphigenia in Aulis (1098 – 1145)
Agamemnon
[1110] Send the maiden out to join her father, for the lustral water stands there ready, and barley-meal to scatter with the hand on the cleansing flame, and heifers to be slain before the marriage, in honor of the goddess [Artemis, their black blood spouting from them].
Iphigenia in Aulis (1276 – 1312)
…but it is my death, [1310] maidens, bringing, it is true, glory to the Danaids, that Artemis has received as an offering, before they begin the voyage to Ilium (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1276&auth=tgn,7002329&n=1&type=place).
Iphigenia in Aulis (1374 – 1401)
[1395] If Artemis has decided to take my body, am I, a mortal, to thwart the goddess? no, that is impossible. I give my body to Hellas (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1374&auth=tgn,1000074&n=6&type=place); sacrifice it and make an utter end of Troy (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1374&auth=perseus,Troy&n=2&type=place). This is my enduring monument; marriage, motherhood, and fame—all these is it to me. [1400] And it is right, mother, that Hellenes should rule barbarians
Iphigenia in Aulis (1433 – 1474)
Iphigenia
Be persuaded by me, mother, stay here; for this is the better way both for me and you; but let one of these attendants of my father conduct me to the meadow of Artemis, where I shall be sacrificed.
Iphigenia
I cannot let you shed a tear. [I]To the Chorus. May it be yours, maidens, to hymn in joyous strains Artemis, the child of Zeus, for my hard lot; and let the order for a solemn hush go forth to the Danaids. [1470] Begin the sacrifice with the baskets, let the fire blaze for the purifying meal of sprinkling, and my father pace from left to right about the altar; for I come to bestow on Hellas (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1433&auth=tgn,1000074&n=3&type=place) safety crowned with victory
Iphigenia in Aulis (1475 – 1499)
….1480] Dance to Artemis, queen Artemis the blest, around her shrine and altar; for by the blood of my sacrifice I will blot out the oracle, [1485] if it must be. O mother, lady revered! I will, not give you my tears; [1490] for at the holy rites it is not fitting. Sing with me, maidens, sing the praises of Artemis, whose temple faces Chalcis (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1475&auth=perseus,Chalcis&n=1&type=place), [1495] where angry spearmen madly chafe, here in the narrow havens of Aulis (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1475&auth=perseus,Aulis&n=1&type=place), because of me. O Pelasgia, land of my birth, and Mycenae (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1475&auth=perseus,Mycenae&n=1&type=place), my home!
Iphigenia in Aulis (1500 – 1531)
[1510] Behold the maiden on her way, the destroyer of Ilium (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1500&auth=tgn,7002329&n=1&type=place)'s town and the Phrygians, with garlands twined about her head, and drops of lustral water on her, soon to be sprinkled with her gushing blood [1515] the altar of a murderous goddess, when her shapely neck is severed. For you fair streams of a father's pouring and lustral waters are in store, for you Achaea (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1500&auth=tgn,7002733&n=1&type=place)'s army is waiting, eager [1520] to reach the citadel of Ilium (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1500&auth=tgn,7002329&n=2&type=place). But let us celebrate Artemis, the daughter of Zeus, queen among the gods, as if upon some happy chance. O lady revered, delighting in human [1525] sacrifice, send on its way to Phrygia (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1500&auth=tgn,7002613&n=1&type=place)'s land the army of the Hellenes, to Troy (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1500&auth=perseus,Troy&n=1&type=place)'s abodes of guile, and grant that Agamemnon may wreathe his head with deathless fame, [1530] a crown of fairest glory for the spearmen of Hellas (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1500&auth=tgn,1000074&n=2&type=place).
Iphigenia in Aulis (1532 – 1577)
But in the midst Talthybius stood up, for this was his duty, and bade the army refrain from word or deed; [1565] and Calchas, the seer, drawing a sharp sword from its scabbard laid it in a basket of beaten gold, and crowned the maiden's head. Then the son of Peleus, taking the basket and with it lustral water in his hand, ran round the altar of the goddess [1570] uttering these words: "O Artemis, you child of Zeus, slayer of wild beasts, that wheel your dazzling light amid the gloom, accept this sacrifice which we, the army of the Achaeans and Agamemnon with us, offer to you, pure blood from a beautiful maiden's neck; [1575] and grant us safe sailing for our ships and the sack of Troy (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1532&auth=perseus,Troy&n=1&type=place)'s towers by our spears." Meanwhile the sons of Atreus and all the army stood looking on the ground.
Iphigenia in Aulis (1578 – 1614)
But the priest, seizing his knife, offered up a prayer and was closely scanning the maiden's throat to see where he should strike. [1580] It was no slight sorrow filled my heart, as I stood by with bowed head; when there was a sudden miracle! Each one of us distinctly heard the sound of a blow, but none saw the spot where the maiden vanished. The priest cried out, and all the army took up the cry [1585] at the sight of a marvel all unlooked for, due to some god's agency, and passing all belief, although it was seen; for there upon the ground lay a deer of immense size, magnificent to see, gasping out her life, with whose blood the altar of the goddess was thoroughly bedewed. [1590] Then spoke Calchas thus—his joy you can imagine—"You captains of this leagued Achaean army, do you see this victim, which the goddess has set before her altar, a mountain-roaming deer? This is more welcome to her by far than the maid, [1595] that she may not defile her altar by shedding noble blood. Gladlyshe has accepted it, and is granting us a prosperous voyage for our attack on Ilium (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1578&auth=tgn,7002329&n=1&type=place). Therefore take heart, sailors, each man of you, and away to
(7) Euripides. The Complete Greek Drama, edited by Whitney J. Oates and Eugene O'Neill, Jr. in two volumes. 1. Iphigenia in Tauris, translated by Robert Potter. New York. Random House. 1938.
Iphigenia in Tauris (lines 1 – 41)
…his child Iphigenia, by the daughter of Tyndareus. Where Euripus rolls about its whirlpools in the frequent winds and twists the darkening waves, my father sacrificed me to Artemis for Helen's sake, or so he thought, in the famous clefts of Aulis. [10] For there lord Agamemnon mustered his expedition of a thousand ships of Hellas, wanting to take the crown of Troy in glorious victory and avenge the outrage to Helen's marriage, doing this favor for Menelaus. [15] But when he met with dreadful winds that would not let him sail, he went to burnt sacrifices, and Calchas had this to say: ""Lord and general of Hellas, Agamemnon, you will not set free your ships from land until Artemis has your daughter Iphigenia [20] as a victim. For you once vowed to sacrifice to the torch-bearing goddess the most beautiful creature brought forth that year; then your wife, Clytemnestra, bore a child in your house—ascribing the prize of beauty to me—whom you must sacrifice." And by the craft of Odysseus, [25] they took me from my mother, pretending a marriage with Achilles. I came to Aulis; held up high over the altar, I, the unhappy one, was about to die by the sword; but Artemis gave the Achaeans a deer in exchange for me and stole me from them; conducting me through the bright air, [30] she settled me here in the land of the Taurians. A barbarian rules this land of barbarians: Thoas, who runs as quickly as the flight of birds, and so he received his name for his swiftness of foot. Artemis has made me the priestess in this temple. [35] Here I begin the rites, which the goddess delights in, of a banquet noble in name only—I am silent as to the rest, for I fear the goddess— [for I sacrifice, by a custom of the city established earlier, any Hellene who comes to this land.] [40] But others carry out the sacrifices, not to be spoken of, within the temple of the goddess.
Iphigenia in Tauris (lines 67 - 92)
… 85] And you told me to go to the boundaries of the Tauric land, where Artemis, your sister, has an altar, and to take the statue of the goddess, which is said here to have fallen to this temple from heaven; and, taking it by craft of some stroke of luck, [90] to complete the venture by giving it to the Athenian land—what was to come next was not spoken of—and if I did this, I would have rest from my labors. ….
Iphigenia in Tauris (123 – 142)
O daughter of Leto, Dictynna of the mountains, to your hall, to the golden walls of your temple with beautiful pillars, [130] I, the servant of the holy key-holder, bend my holy virgin steps. For I have left the towers and walls of Hellas, famous for horses, and [135] Europe with its forests, my father's home.
Iphigenia in Tauris (236 – 259)
Herdsman
Two young men have come to this land, fleeing the dark Symplegades in their ship, an offering and sacrifice pleasing to the goddess Artemis. Be quick to prepare [245] the purifications and the first offerings.
Iphigenia in Tauris (342 – 391)
My unhappy Orestes, if you are dead, what glories have you left, what achievements of a father! [380] I blame the goddess' subtleties; whichever mortal has engaged in murder, or has touched a woman in childbirth or a corpse, she drives from her altars, thinking him impure; but she herself delights in human sacrifices. [385] It is not possible that Leto, the wife of Zeus, gave birth to such folly. I judge that the feast prepared by Tantalus for the gods is not to be believed, that they fed on the flesh of his son; and I think that the people here, who are themselves killers of men, [390] ascribe to the goddess their sorry behavior. For I believe that no god is evil.
Iphigenia in Tauris (392 – 406)
… to come here, to come to the unsociable land, where, for the divine maiden, the blood of mortals stains [405] the altars and columned temples?
Iphigenia in Tauris (439 – 455)
Chorus
Would that, by my mistress' prayers, Helen, Leda's dear child, [440] might happen to leave Troy and come here, where she might die, crowned over her hair by the bloody water, [445] her throat cut by the hands of my mistress, and so pay her requital. But what a sweet message I should receive…
Iphigenia in Tauris (456 – 466)
Lady Artemis, if this city carries out the rites in a way pleasing to you, accept the victims, [465] which the custom among us declares to be unholy.
Iphigenia in Tauris (467 – 491)
Iphigenia
Enough; first, it will be my care to perform well the rites of the goddess. Unbind the strangers' hands, so that, as holy victims, they may no longer be in chains. [470] Then go into the temple and make ready what is necessary and customary at the present time.
Iphigenia in Tauris (725 – 768)
Pylades
What god do you do you swear by, as witness to your oath?
Iphigenia
Artemis, in whose temple I hold office
Iphigenia in Tauris (769 –797)
Iphigenia
The one you are looking at; don't confuse me by your talk. Bring me to Argos, my brother, before I die. [775] Take me away from the barbarian land and the sacrifices of the goddess, where I hold the office of killing foreigners
Iphigenia
Tell him that Artemis saved me, by giving a deer in exchange for me; my father sacrificed it, [785] thinking that he drove the sword sharply into me; and she settled me in this land. This is my letter, this is the writing in the tablet.
Iphigenia in Tauris (987 – 1016)
Orestes
I would not be the murderer of you as well as my mother; her blood is enough; I would rather have an equal share of life or death, in common with you. [1010] I will bring you home, if I myself escape from here, or if I die, I will remain here with you. Listen to what I think: if Artemis were hostile to this, how could Loxias have prophesied that I would take the statue of the goddess to Pallas' city . . . [1015] and see your face. Putting all these things together, I have hope of our return.
Iphigenia in Tauris (1056 – 1088)
Lady Artemis, you who saved me from my father's slaughtering hand by the clefts of Aulis, save me now also, and these men; or through you Loxias' [1085] prophetic voice will no longer be held true by mortals But leave this barbarian land for Athens with good will; it is not fitting for you to dwell here, when you could have so fortunate a city.
Iphigenia in Tauris (1089 – 1105)
Chorus
Halcyon bird, you that sing your fate as a lament [1090] beside the rocky ridges of the sea, a cry easily understood by the wise, that you are always chanting for your husband; I, wingless bird that I am, compare [1095] my laments with yours, in my longing for the festivals of Hellas, and for Artemis of childbirth, who dwells beside the Cynthian mountain and the palm with delicate leaves [1100] and the well-grown laurel and the holy shoot of gray-green olive, Leto's dear child, and the lake that rolls about its ripples, where the melodious swan [1105] serves the Muses.
Iphigenia in Tauris (1106 – 1122)
…barbarian home, where I serve Agamemnon's daughter, [1115] the attendant maid of the deer-killing goddess, and the altars where no sheep are sacrificed; and I envy ruin that is wretched throughout,..
Iphigenia in Tauris (1203 – 1233)
[1230] O lady, maiden daughter of of Leto and Zeus, if I cleanse the stain of murder from these men, and make the sacrifice where I ought to make it, you will dwell in a pure home, and we will be fortunate. I do not speak the rest, but I indicate it to those who know more, the gods and you, goddess.Iphigenia, carrying the statue, joins the procession as it goes out. Thoas and his retinue enter the temple
Iphigenia in Tauris (1435 – 1474)
And you, Orestes, attend to my commands, for you hear the goddess' voice even though not present: go away with the statue and your sister; and when you come to Athens, built by the gods, [1450] there is a place on the farthest borders of the Attic land, neighbor to the ridge of Carystia, sacred, and my people call it Halae. There build a temple and set up the image in it; it will have its name from the Tauric land and from your labors, [1455] which you have endured, wandering through Hellas and goaded by the Furies. And mortals will in future times celebrate Artemis Tauropolos with hymns. And establish this law: whenever the people keep the festival, let a sword be held [1460] to a man's throat and draw out blood, in atonement for your sacrifice, so that the goddess may have her honors, and holiness is revered. You, Iphigenia, must be key-holder for this goddess on the hallowed stairs of Brauron, and will die there and be buried; [1465] and they will dedicate adornment to you, finely-woven robes which women who have died in childbirth leave in their homes. I charge you to send these Hellene women to their country, for their correct intentions. . . . For I saved you [1470] before also, Orestes, on Ares' hill when the votes were equal; and this will be the custom, for the one with equal votes to win. But, son of Agamemnon, take your sister away from this land. And you, Thoas, do not be angry.
Spoken by Athena
(6) Euripides. The Plays of Euripides, translated by E. P. Coleridge. Volume II. London. George Bell and Sons. 1891.
Iphigenia in Aulis (80)
…In our perplexity, we asked Calchas, the seer, [90] and he answered that we should sacrifice my own child Iphigenia to Artemis, whose home is in this land, and we would sail and sack the Phrygians' capital . When I heard this, I commanded …
Iphigenia in Aulis (185 – 205)
Chorus
[185] Through the grove of Artemis, rich with sacrifice, I sped my course, my cheek stained with red from maiden modesty, in my eagerness to see the soldiers' camp, [190] the tents of the mail-clad Danaids, and their crowd of horses. I saw two met together in council; one was Aias, son of Oileus; the other Aias, son of Telamon, crown of glory to the men of Salamis; [195] and I saw Protesilaus and Palamedes, sprung from the son of Poseidon, sitting there amusing themselves with intricate figures at checkers; Diomedes too [200] at his favorite sport of hurling quoits; and Meriones, Ares' son, a marvel to mankind, stood at his side; likewise I beheld the son of Laertes, who came from his island hills, and with him Nireus, [205] handsomest of the Achaeans.
Iphigenia in Aulis (349 – 375)
…"What am I to do? What scheme can I devise, where find one?"—to save yourself being stripped of your command and losing your fair fame. Next when Calchas bade you offer your daughter in sacrifice to Artemis, declaring that the Danaids should then sail, you were overjoyed, [360] and gladly undertook to offer the girl, and of your own accord—never allege compulsion—you are sending word to your wife to despatch your daughter here on pretence of wedding Achilles. And after …
Iphigenia in Aulis (402 – 439)
… From others you would have heard: "They are presenting the maiden to Artemis, queen of Aulis, previous to marriage; who can the bridegroom be, that is to lead her home?"
Iphigenia in Aulis (855 – 899)
Old man
You know all; her father is about to offer your child to Artemis
Iphigenia in Aulis (1098 – 1145)
Agamemnon
[1110] Send the maiden out to join her father, for the lustral water stands there ready, and barley-meal to scatter with the hand on the cleansing flame, and heifers to be slain before the marriage, in honor of the goddess [Artemis, their black blood spouting from them].
Iphigenia in Aulis (1276 – 1312)
…but it is my death, [1310] maidens, bringing, it is true, glory to the Danaids, that Artemis has received as an offering, before they begin the voyage to Ilium (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1276&auth=tgn,7002329&n=1&type=place).
Iphigenia in Aulis (1374 – 1401)
[1395] If Artemis has decided to take my body, am I, a mortal, to thwart the goddess? no, that is impossible. I give my body to Hellas (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1374&auth=tgn,1000074&n=6&type=place); sacrifice it and make an utter end of Troy (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1374&auth=perseus,Troy&n=2&type=place). This is my enduring monument; marriage, motherhood, and fame—all these is it to me. [1400] And it is right, mother, that Hellenes should rule barbarians
Iphigenia in Aulis (1433 – 1474)
Iphigenia
Be persuaded by me, mother, stay here; for this is the better way both for me and you; but let one of these attendants of my father conduct me to the meadow of Artemis, where I shall be sacrificed.
Iphigenia
I cannot let you shed a tear. [I]To the Chorus. May it be yours, maidens, to hymn in joyous strains Artemis, the child of Zeus, for my hard lot; and let the order for a solemn hush go forth to the Danaids. [1470] Begin the sacrifice with the baskets, let the fire blaze for the purifying meal of sprinkling, and my father pace from left to right about the altar; for I come to bestow on Hellas (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1433&auth=tgn,1000074&n=3&type=place) safety crowned with victory
Iphigenia in Aulis (1475 – 1499)
….1480] Dance to Artemis, queen Artemis the blest, around her shrine and altar; for by the blood of my sacrifice I will blot out the oracle, [1485] if it must be. O mother, lady revered! I will, not give you my tears; [1490] for at the holy rites it is not fitting. Sing with me, maidens, sing the praises of Artemis, whose temple faces Chalcis (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1475&auth=perseus,Chalcis&n=1&type=place), [1495] where angry spearmen madly chafe, here in the narrow havens of Aulis (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1475&auth=perseus,Aulis&n=1&type=place), because of me. O Pelasgia, land of my birth, and Mycenae (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1475&auth=perseus,Mycenae&n=1&type=place), my home!
Iphigenia in Aulis (1500 – 1531)
[1510] Behold the maiden on her way, the destroyer of Ilium (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1500&auth=tgn,7002329&n=1&type=place)'s town and the Phrygians, with garlands twined about her head, and drops of lustral water on her, soon to be sprinkled with her gushing blood [1515] the altar of a murderous goddess, when her shapely neck is severed. For you fair streams of a father's pouring and lustral waters are in store, for you Achaea (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1500&auth=tgn,7002733&n=1&type=place)'s army is waiting, eager [1520] to reach the citadel of Ilium (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1500&auth=tgn,7002329&n=2&type=place). But let us celebrate Artemis, the daughter of Zeus, queen among the gods, as if upon some happy chance. O lady revered, delighting in human [1525] sacrifice, send on its way to Phrygia (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1500&auth=tgn,7002613&n=1&type=place)'s land the army of the Hellenes, to Troy (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1500&auth=perseus,Troy&n=1&type=place)'s abodes of guile, and grant that Agamemnon may wreathe his head with deathless fame, [1530] a crown of fairest glory for the spearmen of Hellas (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1500&auth=tgn,1000074&n=2&type=place).
Iphigenia in Aulis (1532 – 1577)
But in the midst Talthybius stood up, for this was his duty, and bade the army refrain from word or deed; [1565] and Calchas, the seer, drawing a sharp sword from its scabbard laid it in a basket of beaten gold, and crowned the maiden's head. Then the son of Peleus, taking the basket and with it lustral water in his hand, ran round the altar of the goddess [1570] uttering these words: "O Artemis, you child of Zeus, slayer of wild beasts, that wheel your dazzling light amid the gloom, accept this sacrifice which we, the army of the Achaeans and Agamemnon with us, offer to you, pure blood from a beautiful maiden's neck; [1575] and grant us safe sailing for our ships and the sack of Troy (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1532&auth=perseus,Troy&n=1&type=place)'s towers by our spears." Meanwhile the sons of Atreus and all the army stood looking on the ground.
Iphigenia in Aulis (1578 – 1614)
But the priest, seizing his knife, offered up a prayer and was closely scanning the maiden's throat to see where he should strike. [1580] It was no slight sorrow filled my heart, as I stood by with bowed head; when there was a sudden miracle! Each one of us distinctly heard the sound of a blow, but none saw the spot where the maiden vanished. The priest cried out, and all the army took up the cry [1585] at the sight of a marvel all unlooked for, due to some god's agency, and passing all belief, although it was seen; for there upon the ground lay a deer of immense size, magnificent to see, gasping out her life, with whose blood the altar of the goddess was thoroughly bedewed. [1590] Then spoke Calchas thus—his joy you can imagine—"You captains of this leagued Achaean army, do you see this victim, which the goddess has set before her altar, a mountain-roaming deer? This is more welcome to her by far than the maid, [1595] that she may not defile her altar by shedding noble blood. Gladlyshe has accepted it, and is granting us a prosperous voyage for our attack on Ilium (http://mysticwicks.com/entityvote?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0108:card=1578&auth=tgn,7002329&n=1&type=place). Therefore take heart, sailors, each man of you, and away to
(7) Euripides. The Complete Greek Drama, edited by Whitney J. Oates and Eugene O'Neill, Jr. in two volumes. 1. Iphigenia in Tauris, translated by Robert Potter. New York. Random House. 1938.
Iphigenia in Tauris (lines 1 – 41)
…his child Iphigenia, by the daughter of Tyndareus. Where Euripus rolls about its whirlpools in the frequent winds and twists the darkening waves, my father sacrificed me to Artemis for Helen's sake, or so he thought, in the famous clefts of Aulis. [10] For there lord Agamemnon mustered his expedition of a thousand ships of Hellas, wanting to take the crown of Troy in glorious victory and avenge the outrage to Helen's marriage, doing this favor for Menelaus. [15] But when he met with dreadful winds that would not let him sail, he went to burnt sacrifices, and Calchas had this to say: ""Lord and general of Hellas, Agamemnon, you will not set free your ships from land until Artemis has your daughter Iphigenia [20] as a victim. For you once vowed to sacrifice to the torch-bearing goddess the most beautiful creature brought forth that year; then your wife, Clytemnestra, bore a child in your house—ascribing the prize of beauty to me—whom you must sacrifice." And by the craft of Odysseus, [25] they took me from my mother, pretending a marriage with Achilles. I came to Aulis; held up high over the altar, I, the unhappy one, was about to die by the sword; but Artemis gave the Achaeans a deer in exchange for me and stole me from them; conducting me through the bright air, [30] she settled me here in the land of the Taurians. A barbarian rules this land of barbarians: Thoas, who runs as quickly as the flight of birds, and so he received his name for his swiftness of foot. Artemis has made me the priestess in this temple. [35] Here I begin the rites, which the goddess delights in, of a banquet noble in name only—I am silent as to the rest, for I fear the goddess— [for I sacrifice, by a custom of the city established earlier, any Hellene who comes to this land.] [40] But others carry out the sacrifices, not to be spoken of, within the temple of the goddess.
Iphigenia in Tauris (lines 67 - 92)
… 85] And you told me to go to the boundaries of the Tauric land, where Artemis, your sister, has an altar, and to take the statue of the goddess, which is said here to have fallen to this temple from heaven; and, taking it by craft of some stroke of luck, [90] to complete the venture by giving it to the Athenian land—what was to come next was not spoken of—and if I did this, I would have rest from my labors. ….
Iphigenia in Tauris (123 – 142)
O daughter of Leto, Dictynna of the mountains, to your hall, to the golden walls of your temple with beautiful pillars, [130] I, the servant of the holy key-holder, bend my holy virgin steps. For I have left the towers and walls of Hellas, famous for horses, and [135] Europe with its forests, my father's home.
Iphigenia in Tauris (236 – 259)
Herdsman
Two young men have come to this land, fleeing the dark Symplegades in their ship, an offering and sacrifice pleasing to the goddess Artemis. Be quick to prepare [245] the purifications and the first offerings.
Iphigenia in Tauris (342 – 391)
My unhappy Orestes, if you are dead, what glories have you left, what achievements of a father! [380] I blame the goddess' subtleties; whichever mortal has engaged in murder, or has touched a woman in childbirth or a corpse, she drives from her altars, thinking him impure; but she herself delights in human sacrifices. [385] It is not possible that Leto, the wife of Zeus, gave birth to such folly. I judge that the feast prepared by Tantalus for the gods is not to be believed, that they fed on the flesh of his son; and I think that the people here, who are themselves killers of men, [390] ascribe to the goddess their sorry behavior. For I believe that no god is evil.
Iphigenia in Tauris (392 – 406)
… to come here, to come to the unsociable land, where, for the divine maiden, the blood of mortals stains [405] the altars and columned temples?
Iphigenia in Tauris (439 – 455)
Chorus
Would that, by my mistress' prayers, Helen, Leda's dear child, [440] might happen to leave Troy and come here, where she might die, crowned over her hair by the bloody water, [445] her throat cut by the hands of my mistress, and so pay her requital. But what a sweet message I should receive…
Iphigenia in Tauris (456 – 466)
Lady Artemis, if this city carries out the rites in a way pleasing to you, accept the victims, [465] which the custom among us declares to be unholy.
Iphigenia in Tauris (467 – 491)
Iphigenia
Enough; first, it will be my care to perform well the rites of the goddess. Unbind the strangers' hands, so that, as holy victims, they may no longer be in chains. [470] Then go into the temple and make ready what is necessary and customary at the present time.
Iphigenia in Tauris (725 – 768)
Pylades
What god do you do you swear by, as witness to your oath?
Iphigenia
Artemis, in whose temple I hold office
Iphigenia in Tauris (769 –797)
Iphigenia
The one you are looking at; don't confuse me by your talk. Bring me to Argos, my brother, before I die. [775] Take me away from the barbarian land and the sacrifices of the goddess, where I hold the office of killing foreigners
Iphigenia
Tell him that Artemis saved me, by giving a deer in exchange for me; my father sacrificed it, [785] thinking that he drove the sword sharply into me; and she settled me in this land. This is my letter, this is the writing in the tablet.
Iphigenia in Tauris (987 – 1016)
Orestes
I would not be the murderer of you as well as my mother; her blood is enough; I would rather have an equal share of life or death, in common with you. [1010] I will bring you home, if I myself escape from here, or if I die, I will remain here with you. Listen to what I think: if Artemis were hostile to this, how could Loxias have prophesied that I would take the statue of the goddess to Pallas' city . . . [1015] and see your face. Putting all these things together, I have hope of our return.
Iphigenia in Tauris (1056 – 1088)
Lady Artemis, you who saved me from my father's slaughtering hand by the clefts of Aulis, save me now also, and these men; or through you Loxias' [1085] prophetic voice will no longer be held true by mortals But leave this barbarian land for Athens with good will; it is not fitting for you to dwell here, when you could have so fortunate a city.
Iphigenia in Tauris (1089 – 1105)
Chorus
Halcyon bird, you that sing your fate as a lament [1090] beside the rocky ridges of the sea, a cry easily understood by the wise, that you are always chanting for your husband; I, wingless bird that I am, compare [1095] my laments with yours, in my longing for the festivals of Hellas, and for Artemis of childbirth, who dwells beside the Cynthian mountain and the palm with delicate leaves [1100] and the well-grown laurel and the holy shoot of gray-green olive, Leto's dear child, and the lake that rolls about its ripples, where the melodious swan [1105] serves the Muses.
Iphigenia in Tauris (1106 – 1122)
…barbarian home, where I serve Agamemnon's daughter, [1115] the attendant maid of the deer-killing goddess, and the altars where no sheep are sacrificed; and I envy ruin that is wretched throughout,..
Iphigenia in Tauris (1203 – 1233)
[1230] O lady, maiden daughter of of Leto and Zeus, if I cleanse the stain of murder from these men, and make the sacrifice where I ought to make it, you will dwell in a pure home, and we will be fortunate. I do not speak the rest, but I indicate it to those who know more, the gods and you, goddess.Iphigenia, carrying the statue, joins the procession as it goes out. Thoas and his retinue enter the temple
Iphigenia in Tauris (1435 – 1474)
And you, Orestes, attend to my commands, for you hear the goddess' voice even though not present: go away with the statue and your sister; and when you come to Athens, built by the gods, [1450] there is a place on the farthest borders of the Attic land, neighbor to the ridge of Carystia, sacred, and my people call it Halae. There build a temple and set up the image in it; it will have its name from the Tauric land and from your labors, [1455] which you have endured, wandering through Hellas and goaded by the Furies. And mortals will in future times celebrate Artemis Tauropolos with hymns. And establish this law: whenever the people keep the festival, let a sword be held [1460] to a man's throat and draw out blood, in atonement for your sacrifice, so that the goddess may have her honors, and holiness is revered. You, Iphigenia, must be key-holder for this goddess on the hallowed stairs of Brauron, and will die there and be buried; [1465] and they will dedicate adornment to you, finely-woven robes which women who have died in childbirth leave in their homes. I charge you to send these Hellene women to their country, for their correct intentions. . . . For I saved you [1470] before also, Orestes, on Ares' hill when the votes were equal; and this will be the custom, for the one with equal votes to win. But, son of Agamemnon, take your sister away from this land. And you, Thoas, do not be angry.
Spoken by Athena