第 6 节
作者:孤悟      更新:2022-04-21 11:07      字数:9322
  the servants that watch her can scarce restrain her efforts to hang
  herself; scarce catch the sword and wrest it from her hand。 So
  bitter is her anguish; and she hath recognized the villainy of her
  former deeds。 As for me; friends; I am weary of keeping my mistress
  from the fatal noose; do ye go in and try to save her life; for if
  strangers come; they prove more persuasive than the friends of every
  day。
  LEADER OF THE CHORUS
  Ah yes! I hear an outcry in the house amongst the servants;
  confirming the news thou hast brought。 Poor sufferer! she seems
  about to show lively grief for her grave crimes; for she has escaped
  her servants' hands and is rushing from the house; eager to end her
  life。
  (HERMIONE enters; in agitation。 She is carrying
  a sword which the NURSE wrests from her。)
  HERMIONE (chanting)
  Woe; woe is me! I will rend my hair and tear cruel furrows in my
  cheeks。
  NURSE
  My child; what wilt thou do? Wilt thou disfigure thyself?
  HERMIONE (chanting)
  Ah me! ah me! Begone; thou fine…spun veil! float from my head
  away!
  NURSE
  Daughter; cover up thy bosom; fasten thy robe。
  HERMIONE (chanting)
  Why should I cover it? My crimes against my lord are manifest
  and clear; they cannot be hidden。
  NURSE
  Art so grieved at having devised thy rival's death?
  HERMIONE (chanting)
  Yea; I deeply mourn my fatal deeds of daring; alas! I am now
  accursed in all men's eyes!
  NURSE
  Thy husband will pardon thee this error。
  HERMIONE (chanting)
  Oh! why didst thou hunt me to snatch away my sword? Give; oh! give
  it back; dear nurse; that I may thrust it through my heart Why dost
  thou prevent me hanging myself?
  NURSE
  What! was I to let thy madness lead thee on to death?
  HERMIONE (chanting)
  Ah me; my destiny! Where can I find some friendly fire? To what
  rocky height can I climb above the sea or 'mid some wooded mountain
  glen; there to die and trouble but the dead?
  NURSE
  Why vex thyself thus? on all of us sooner or later heaven's
  visitation comes。
  HERMIONE (chanting)
  Thou hast left me; O my father; left me like a stranded bark;
  all alone; without an oar。 My lord will surely slay me; no home is
  mine henceforth beneath my husband's roof。 What god is there to
  whose statue I can as a suppliant haste? or shall I throw myself in
  slavish wise at slavish knees? Would I could speed away from
  Phthia's land on bird's dark pinion; or like that pine…built ship; the
  first that ever sailed betwixt the rocks Cyanean!
  NURSE
  My child; I can as little praise thy previous sinful excesses;
  committed against the Trojan captive; as thy present exaggerated
  terror。 Thy husband will never listen to a barbarian's weak pleading
  and reject his marriage with thee for this。 For thou wast no captive
  from Troy whom he wedded; but the daughter of a gallant sire; with a
  rich dower; from a city too of no mean prosperity。 Nor will thy father
  forsake thee; as thou dreadest; and allow thee to be cast out from
  this house。 Nay; enter now; nor show thyself before the palace; lest
  the sight of thee there bring reproach upon thee; my daughter。
  (The NURSE departs as ORESTES and his attendants enter。)
  LEADER
  Lo! a stranger of foreign appearance from some other land comes
  hurrying towards us。
  ORESTES
  Women of this foreign land! is this the home; the palace of
  Achilles' son?
  LEADER
  Thou hast it; but who art thou to ask such a question?
  ORESTES
  The son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; by name Orestes; on ply way
  to the oracle of Zeus at Dodona。 But now that I am come to Phthia; I
  am resolved to inquire about my kinswoman; Hermione of Sparta; is
  she alive and well? for though she dwells in a land far from my own; I
  love her none the less。
  HERMIONE
  Son of Agamemnon; thy appearing is as a haven from the storm to
  sailors; by thy knees I pray; have pity on me in my distress; on me of
  whose fortunes thou art inquiring。 About thy knees I twine my arms
  with all the force of sacred fillets。
  ORESTES
  Ha! what is this? Am I mistaken or do I really see before me the
  queen of this palace; the daughter of Menelaus?
  HERMIONE
  The same; that only child whom Helen; daughter of Tyndareus;
  bore my father in his halls; never doubt that。
  ORESTES
  O saviour Phoebus; grant us respite from our woe! But what is
  the matter? art thou afflicted by gods or men?
  HERMIONE
  Partly by myself; partly by the man who wedded me; and partly by
  some god。 On every side I see ruin。
  ORESTES
  Why; what misfortune could happen to a woman as yet childless;
  unless her honour is concerned?
  HERMIONE
  My very ill! Thou hast hit my case exactly。
  ORESTES
  On whom has thy husband set his affections in thy stead?
  HERMIONE
  On his captive; Hector's wife。
  ORESTES
  An evil case indeed; for a man to have two wives!
  HERMIONE
  'Tis even thus。 So I resented it。
  ORESTES
  Didst thou with woman's craft devise a plot against thy rival?
  HERMIONE
  Yes; to slay her and her bastard child。
  ORESTES
  And didst thou slay them; or did something happen to rescue them
  from thee?
  HERMIONE
  It was old Peleus; who showed regard to the weaker side。
  ORESTES
  Hadst thou any accomplice in this attempted murder?
  HERMIONE
  My father came from Sparta for this very purpose。
  ORESTES
  And was he after all defeated by that old man's prowess?
  HERMIONE
  Oh no! but by shame; and he hath gone and left me all alone。
  ORESTES
  I understand; thou art afraid of thy husband for what thou hast
  done。
  HERMIONE
  Thou hast guessed it; for he will have a right to slay me。 What
  can say for myself? Yet I beseech thee by Zeus the god of our
  family; send me to a land as far as possible from this; or to my
  father's house; for these very walls seem to cry out 〃Begone!〃 and all
  the land of Phthia hates me。 But if my lord return ere that from the
  oracle of Phoebus; he will put me to death on a shameful charge; or
  enslave me to his mistress; whom ruled before。 Maybe some one will
  say; 〃How was it thou didst go thus astray?〃 I was ruined by evil
  women who came to me and puffed me up with words like these: 〃Wait!
  wilt thou suffer that vile captive; a mere bondmaid; to dwell within
  thy house and share thy wedded rights? By Heaven's queen! if it were
  my house she should not live to reap my marriage…harvest!〃 And I
  listened to the words of these Sirens; the cunning; knavish; subtle
  praters; and was filled with silly thoughts。 What need had I to care
  about my lord? I had all I wanted; wealth in plenty; a house in
  which I was mistress; and as for children; mine would be born in
  wedlock; while hers would be bastards; half…slaves to mine。 Oh! never;
  never;…this truth will I repeat;…should men of sense; who have
  wives; allow women…folk to visit them in their homes; for they teach
  them evil; one; to gain some private end; helps to corrupt their
  honour; another; having made a slip herself; wants a companion in
  misfortune; while many are wantons; and hence it is men's houses are
  tainted。 Wherefore keep strict guard upon the portals of your houses
  with bolts and bars; for these visits of strange women lead to no good
  result; but a world of ill。
  LEADER
  Thou hast given thy tongue too free a rein regarding thy own
  sex。 I can pardon thee in this case; but still women ought to smooth
  over their sisters' weaknesses。
  ORESTES
  'Twas sage counsel he gave who taught men to hear the arguments on
  both sides。 I; for instance; though aware of the confusion in this
  house; the quarrel between thee and Hector's wife; waited awhile and
  watched to see whether thou wouldst stay here or from fear of that
  captive art minded to quit these halls。 Now it was not so much
  regard for thy message that brought me thither; as the intention of
  carrying thee away from this house; if; as now; thou shouldst grant me
  a chance of saying so。 For thou wert mine formerly; but art now living
  with thy present husband through thy father's baseness; since he;
  before invading Troy's domains; betrothed thee to me; and then
  afterwards promised thee to thy present lord; provided he captured the
  city of Troy。
  So; as soon as Achilles' son returned hither; I forgave thy
  father; but entreated the bridegroom to forego his marriage with thee;
  telling him all I had endured and my present misfortune; I might get a
  wife; I said; from amongst friends; but outside their circle 'twas
  no easy task for one exiled like myself from home。 Thereat he grew
  abusive; taunting me with my mother's murder and those
  blood…boltered fiends。 And I was humbled by the fortunes of my
  house; and though 'tis true; I grieved; yet did I bear my sorrow;
  and reluctantly departed; robbed of thy promised hand。 Now
  there