Atanas G. Iliev

MEDEA
by Euripides

καὶ τὰ δοκηθέντ᾽ οὐκ ἐτελέσθη,
τῶν δ᾽ ἀδοκήτων πόρον ηὗρε θεός.
— Med. 1417-18

MEDEA, sorceress, princess of Colchis, and wife of JASON
NURSE, old servant of MEDEA and JASON
JASON, leader of the Argonauts and rightful king of Iolcus, MEDEA’s husband
PEDAGOGUE, old servant, carer of the sons of JASON and MEDEA
CREON, king of Corinth
AEGEUS, king of Athens
MESSENGER
CHILDREN, the two sons of JASON and MEDEA

and a

CHORUS of Corinthian women
originally consisting of fifteen members, including their CHORUS LEADER

The skene represents Medea’s house. Actors enter and exit from the doors of the house or one of the two wings of the stage: one leads to the Corinthian countryside (Eisodos A), and the other leads to the palace (Eisodos B). The chorus performs in the orchestra.

NURSE
     I wish that Argo ship had never flown
     Through Symplegades dark,⁵ the Colchian throne,
     And that no pine was felled ‘mongst Pelion’s trees
     So oarsmen did not have the means to seize
     The golden fleece by Pelias’ decree.[5]
     For then, Medea won’t have had to flee
     To th’ citadels of Iolcus’ state,
     By love for Jason struck with fervour great:
     Pelias’ girls, she’d not have made to slay
     Their sire; in Corinth, she’d not have to stay[10]
     With her husband and children, in her flight,
     To those whose land she’d come to, a delight,
     And all of this in assistance to Jason!
     With this alone the greatest preservation:
     When wife to husband makes no insurrection.[15]
     But these days, all is hate, sick is affection.
     For now, betraying both his wife and boys,
     Jason a royal marriage-bed enjoys,
     Wed to the child of Creon, this land’s chief.
     And Medea dishonoured, full of grief[20]
     Cries ‘gainst his oaths, his right-hand-pledge recalls–
     Which was their strongest bond– and th’ gods involves
     To see what griefs from Jason she obtains.
     She rests fasting, her body full of pains;
     Thus, all her time in tears she melts away…[25]
     And since she first perceived her lord’s decay,
     She lifts no eye nor looks up from the floor:
     But as a rock or yet the ocean’s roar
     The consolations of her friends she hears,
     And speaks not, save to bathe her neck in tears,[30]
     Lamenting her dear father, and to mourn
     Her fatherland, which she of late did scorn
     To follow one who now gives such offence.
     The mournful wretch hath come from ache to sense
     Just what ‘tis like a homeland to forsake.[35]
     She hates her boys, too; they no joy awake.
     I dread lest she another plan devises:
     For heavy is her heart, it won’t stand vices;
     I know her well, and thus, I am afraid
     Lest through her liver she shoves a sharp blade[40]
     Or, gently looming o’er their royal bed,
     She slays the king and her who shall be wed
     And then a worse disaster comes to face.
     For horrid is she; one poor in her grace
     The ode of triumph won’t readily sing.[45]

     And lo! pausing their leisure, her offspring
     Approach, not knowing of their mother’s tears–
     The young draw back from sadness and from fears.

PEDAGOGUE⁶
     Old servant from the household of my lady,
     Why standest thou in front of gates so shady[50]
     And criest to thyself about our sorrow?
     Why did Medea bid thee not to follow?

NURSE
     O, elder tender to the sons of Jason,
     When masters’ fortunes sink unto the basin
     True-hearted slaves ache, and so do their hearts.[55]
     And thus on me such woe this time imparts
     That my desire longs land and sky to warn
     Both how and why my mistress bears such scorn.

PEDAGOGUE
     So, then, the wretch’s weeping is yet to cease.

NURSE
     I envy thee: her pains shall still increase.[60]

PEDAGOGUE
     A moron – if ‘tis meet thus to call masters:
     Belike she knows not of recent disasters.

NURSE
     What is it, elder? Don’t scruple to tell.

PEDAGOGUE
     Nothing; I’ve said too much. And so, farewell.

NURSE
     Don’t hide this from a peer-slave, by thy beard:[65]
     I will not say a thing if thou’rt afear’d.

PEDAGOGUE
     I heard it said, pretending not to hear,
     From old ones at their game-boards, playing near
     The sacred fountain of the Muse Peirene,
     That soon these boys in Corinth shan’t be seen.[70]
     So, too, their mother; thus Creon decrees.
     This is the tale, yet I am not at ease
     Whether ‘tis true, but I wish it was not.

NURSE
     Would Jason let his children face this plot
     E’en if their mother he, of late, has fought?[75]

PEDAGOGUE
     Old bonds lie broken for new ones he’s sought,
     And for this house, he feels no loving thought.

NURSE
     Then we’re finished, if new ruin shall be brought
     To old trouble with which we still are fraught.

PEDAGOGUE
     But thou at least, keep quiet and say naught,[80]
     To know of this, our mistress never ought.

NURSE⁷
     Children, hear what your sire yearns to allot?
     If he were not my master, I’d bid him rot!
     To wrong his brood shall be on him a blot.

PEDAGOGUE
     Which mortal differs? Dost thou just now hear,[85]
     That self-love comes before those one holds dear,
     Some justly so, yet others serving gain,
     This bed-fond father’s love for them is vain.

NURSE
     Children, all shall be well; now go inside.⁸
     But thou must try to keep them far aside;[90]
     Don’t bring them near their mother’s vexed sigh.
     For I have lately seen her bullish eye
     On them, contriving so, and she won’t end
     Her wrath, I know, ‘til someone’s forced to bend…
     Let’s hope ‘tis not a friend but rather a foe.[95]

MEDEA [from within]
     O, I am dismal! All that’s left is woe!
     O, horror, shall I flee to death below?

NURSE
     Just so, dear youths: your mother’s tears do flow
     Straight from her heart, and so her bitter ire.
     Now haste into the house, and there retire[100]
     And dare not come into her field of sight,
     Nor come not near her, but avoid the spite
     Of her obstinate mind so predisposed
     And of her nature wild, which this imposed.
     Go on now, withdraw with swiftness inside.⁹[105]
     Condensing from the start, that vapor tide
     Shall soon with even greater wrath ignite;
     What will her soul, thus bitten by such plight,
     Try to accomplish with so large a spleen
     And when her stubbornness hath been so keen?[110]

MEDEA
     Ah, mournfully I’ve suffered such events,
     I’ve met woes worthy of unbound laments.
     Ye wretched children of a hated mother,
     Now may ye perish with your house and father.

NURSE
     Oh me, oh my, how sorrowful I am.[115]
     But for a father’s misdeed, why blame them?
     Why dost thou hate thy offspring? Woe is me,
     Lest thy two boys suffer because of thee.
     How terrorful are tyrants’ dark designs,
     And wielding so much pow’r, with few confines,[120]
     They find it hard their anger to subside.
     ‘Tis best in moderation to abide;
     And I, at least, in safety shall grow old,
     If not to have a life of pomp and gold.
     For mortals to praise the name of Restraint[125]
     And to desire ‘t is wisest and most quaint;
     While for one’s prospects to be in excess
     Is never fitting for a man to bless,
     Since when the gods a house come to despise
     A greater fortune brings still greater vice.[130]

CHORUS
     We heard¹¹ an utterance, we heard a cry
     From that dejected Colchian woman nigh:
     And hath she still not yet quite settled down?
     Yet, elder servant, tell us as we frown
     For we did hear a cry within that hall,[135]
     And we rejoice not, woman, in the fall
     Of this thy household, since we think it dear.

NURSE
     The house is gone; it soon shall disappear.
     For as the lord enjoys the wedding bed,
     My lady rots inside as if she’s dead,[140]
     Her heart not ever so slightly consoled
     By words of solace that her friends have told.

MEDEA
     Alas, alas, O Zeus, O Earth, O Light!
     A heavenly bolt burns through my skull so bright!
     For from this life, what good can I expect?[145]
     Let my loathed being cease to this effect,
     I only seek oblivion in blight.¹²

CHORUS
[Strophe¹³]
     Do ye hear, mighty Zeus and Earth and Light,
     The shriek of such most miserable sort
     To which this doleful wife doth now resort?[150]
     Thou fool, now why should thy deserted bed
     Be ‘nough for thee to wish that thou wert dead?
     In time, Death cometh all men to consume:
     Thou shouldst thus never pray to know its gloom.
     And if thy spouse should sleep on some fresh couch,[155]
     Remember Zeus himself, for thee shall vouch
     To avenge th’ injustice that thy man now wreaks:
     So let no anger show upon thy cheeks.
     Bewail less… lest thou destroyest thy nest.

MEDEA
     O mighty Themis and Artemis blest,[160]
     See you what pain my fortune now allows,
     Binding my cursed spouse with such great vows?
     Him and his bride, how I desire to see
     Wiped out, their house reduced to mere debris!
     For, unprovokèd, they first did me wrong.[165]
     O father, O hometown where I belong,
     I slew my brother and left you in shame.

NURSE
     O, listen how she calls on Themis’ name
     To invoke the goddess’ favor, ever fair,
     And on Zeus’ too, to whom all mortals swear?[170]
     It does not sound as if my lady’s grief
     Will soon decrease, much less turn a new leaf.

CHORUS
[Antistrophe]
     O, how we wish that she would now appear,
     Come face-to-face with us, so she could hear
     Our voice and list to what we have to say:[175]
     Why can she not subside in any way
     Her sour temper and her insolent mind?
     Howbeit, let us never fail to find
     Enough compassion for our dearest mates.
     Now go and carry her out of these gates;[180]
     Go forth now, on thy way into her house:
     Her fiery nature we shall try to douse.
     Make haste before she harmeth those within:
     For her grave grief shall soon erupt in sin.

NURSE
     All right, but I fear I can’t sway the dame,[185]
     Yet I shall toil to fulfill your aim;
     Although she, with a lioness’ facade,
     Doth like a bull charge at slaves from abroad,
     When they come near her, bringing news or fruits.
     ‘Twould not be a mistake to call them brutes,[190]
     Who long ago, devoid of all insight
     Were introducing songs cheerful and bright
     At both feasts solemn and at dinners jolly;
     Music, the sound of life’s delightful folly–
     But they could not with music nor with lyre[195]
     Succeed in easing men’s conditions dire:
     The very grief that kindles death and smashes
     Houses apart, reducing them to ashes.
     What joy ‘twould be if songs could cure our woes!
     When people eat, wherefore should one compose[200]
     Songs? Nay, it is a total waste of time.
     Indeed, a man who’s feasting in his prime
     Delights enough i’th’ very meal he eats.

CHORUS
     We’ve heard most grievous wailings from these streets;
     Her calls for vengeance on that cheating gent,[205]
     Who did betray her bed with gross intent;
     Thus suffering injustice, she invokes
     Themis, the one who judges oath from hoax,
     The daughter of Zeus, king of all the gods;
     She who was brought to Greece against all odds[210]
     And carried o’er the lucifugous waves
     Through such a place that hosts so many graves,
     The uncrossable strait of the Black Sea.

MEDEA
     Women of Corinth, lest ye should blame me
     I’ve exited the house, for well I know[215]
     That some are filled with pride from head to toe
     In private and in public; others, still,
     For their reclusion stand in favour ill.
     Yet there is no justice in mortal eyes;
     Since when they only know one’s outward guise,[220]
     They hate him at once, though he’s done no wrong.
     With city customs, guests must go along:
     But I respect no native who is rude,
     Whose stubbornness in town incites a feud.
     Yet such a deed hath caught me by surprise–[225]
     Corrupted my soul: and so this life dies.
     I’ve lost all grace and friends; I crave the end,
     For he in whom I’d known good now doth bend;
     My spouse turned out to be the worst of men.
     Of all things living, time and time again,[230]
     Women have always been the bleakest breed!
     First, it is for a groom that women need
     To pay a price; and he then rules their body:
     Yet more grief to the woe that we embody.
     And then the point – will he be good or bad?[235]
     In a divorce, the wife is never glad
     Nor can she ever overrule her spouse.
     Then, when she learns the customs of his house
     She must divine what garners scorn or praise
     For she’s not privy to the household’s ways.[240]
     Yet, even so, her life could turn out well
     If only he does not strike her or yell;
     For in these cases, death is surely sweeter.
     And when a man feels trapped in his home’s meter,
     He simply leaves and frees his heart from th’ cage,[245]
     And turneth to his friends and those his age;
     Meantime, it is but one man we may see.
     Yet they claim that behind closed doors, we’re free
     From dangers of the spear that men do face;
     How foolish! I would rather thrice embrace[250]
     The shield and fight than give birth just one time.
     Alas, for you, this logic doesn’t rhyme!
     Ye have this city and your sire’s castle
     Enjoying life with friends and with no hassle,
     While I am lonesome, stateless, and abused[255]
     By a man, seized from far away and used;
     I have no mother, brother, no one close
     To try and shelter me from all these woes.
     Thus, I desire to garner this from you:
     That if I find a way to stage a coup,[260]
     To punish Jason for his treacherous sting,
     Withal his bride and her father, the king,
     You hold your peace. For while we women fear
     A lot of things – beholding brawl or spear:
     When we’re betrayèd on our wedding bed[265]
     There’s nothing worse than us that ye could dread.

CHORUS LEADER
     So be it: for ‘tis true thy spouse should pay,
     Medea. Thou hast reason to dismay.
     But who comes here? Creon, lord of this land,
     Approaching to announce his new command.[270]

CREON
     Thou that art gloomy, angry at thy man,
     Medea, I bid thee to leave this clan.
     To banishment, take thy two children, too;
     Do not delay: this lies in my purview
     And I shall not return unto my mansion[275]
     Till thou art out of my land’s grand expansion.

MEDEA
     O, wretched me – I’m utterly destroyed!
     I see no way this woe to now avoid,
     For all my foes have done their level worst.
     Yet I shall ask while I remain so cursed:[280]
     Creon, why have me exiled from thy state?

CREON
     I fear thee (there’s no need to obfuscate)
     Lest thou perform’st some evil on my daughter.
     Strong indications make me dread such slaughter:
     Thou’rt wise and skilled in such a vile art,[285]
     And still in great pain from thy broken heart.
     I’ve heard thy threats, by way of men’s reports,
     ‘Gainst bride and groom and ruler of our courts.
     Thus take I measures, ere my pains grow great.
     Woman, I’d rather now incur thy hate[290]
     Than spare thee now and later on lament.

MEDEA
     O, Creon, this is not a lone event,
     Once more my name hath prov’d to be my bane.
     The prudent father always should abstain
     From making his kin excessively wise:[295]
     Not only shall they suffer jealous eyes
     But also deal with idle accusations.
     For fools will say thy wit lacks applications
     Whene’er thou bring’st them any new insight;
     E’en so, the town will treat thee with such spite[300]
     Shouldst thou seem smarter than those deemèd clever.
     I, too, must share in this sad fate forever:
     Because I’m wise, envy takes hold in some,
     And others, still, consider me a scum:
     Besides, my mind’s not that unordinary,[305]
     Yet lest thou sufferest, thou still art wary?
     Don’t fear me, Creon; surely there’s no thing
     Of mine could ever wrong a royal king.
     Besides, how hast thou wronged me? Thine one heir
     Thou gavest according to thy judgment fair.[310]
     I hate my husband, but I value thee.
     So, I do not resent thy good decree;
     The marriage, may it well succeed. But please
     Let me call this land home. I’ll hold my peace
     In silence, though wronged, ruled by my monarch.[315]

CREON
     Thou speakest softly, yet my mind’s still dark
     Lest thou shouldst wish me some far greater harm;
     My trust is lessened by your speech’s charm.
     From women rash and men whose pride is sore
     One guards with ease, less so from mute uproar.[320]
     So get thee gone, and do not try to sway
     My mind; I am resolved thou canst not stay
     Among us, since thou wishest to hurt me.

MEDEA
     Nay, by thy knees and daughter, I beg thee.

CREON
     You waste your words: I never shall agree.[325]

MEDEA
     But wilt thou exile me and scorn my plea?

CREON
     I love thee no more than the house I own.

MEDEA
     O, fatherland– best place I’ve ever known.

CREON
     Only my daughter I love more sincerely.

MEDEA
     What a great woe to love somebody dearly.[330]

CREON
     I think the Fates decide whether that’s true.

MEDEA
     Zeus, do not miss the culprit of my rue.

CREON
     Leave, madwoman, deliver me from worry.

MEDEA
     With all this toil, there’s no need to hurry.

CREON
     Go, lest my servants throw thee out by force.[335]

MEDEA
     I beg thee, Creon, choose some other course.

CREON
     Woman, thou art in contempt of my court.

MEDEA
     I’ll go. ‘Tis not my exile I would thwart.

CREON
     Then why release not my hand from thy grip?

MEDEA
     Permit me one day to delay my trip[340]
     So that I can prepare for my exile
     And take care of my children, since their vile
     Foul father won’t give them the care that’s due.
     Have pity, then, for thou hast children, too;
     So shouldst thou treat mine well: ‘tis only right.[345]
     My deportation, I care not to fight
     But, leaving, I lament their dire fate.

CREON
     I’m a soft king: I often take the bait
     And then regret the lenient steps I take;
     Now, too, methinks, I’m making a mistake.[350]
     But, thou mayest have it thy way. Yet, I warn
     Thee: if, tomorrow, heaven’s torch adorn
     Thy children or thyself within this realm
     Then thou shalt die; my word shall thee o’erwhelm.
     Now, if thou must, do stay but one more day:[355]
     In such short time, thou shan’t cause me dismay.

CHORUS LEADER
     Pitiful woman, what a wretch thou art,
     With such afflictions tearing thee apart!
     Where wilt thou go? Who shall thee now receive,
     What house, what land can these thy woes relieve?[360]
     O, poor Medea! Why’d the gods deliver
     Thee hurtling down this miserable river?

MEDEA
     The situation’s bad in every way:
     What else but this can anybody say?
     Believe you me, though, things are not yet finished:[365]
     These newlyweds’ delight shall be diminished;
     Ample afflictions shall infect their brood.
     Think you I’d flatter his rude attitude
     Expecting no gain, seeking no design?
     I’d not have spoken; no, nor touched this swine.[370]
     He has, however, been too idiotic–
     Why not expel me with his pow’r despotic
     And stop my plans? Instead, he granted me
     To stay a day– I’ll kill my victims three:
     The father, bride, and then my wedded mate.[375]
     Their deaths are sure, but there’s more than one gate;
     I know not, dear friends, which one to take first:
     Should I ignite their house with fire curst?
     Or creep into their bedroom, quite unseen,
     And thrust a sharp sword through his wretched spleen?[380]
     The road’s still steep; supposing I get seized
     As I do trespass on their house displeased…
     My better half shall then have the last laugh.
     ‘Tis best, then, that I use my sorcerer’s staff;
     With drugs and potions shall I strike them dead.[385]
     But tell me, then: What roof will shield my head?
     What friend would give me shelter in his land,
     Ensure my safety, or extend his hand?
     No one. Therefore, I’ll simply wait a bit
     And if fate grants some tower where we can fit,[390]
     Then I shall kill without raising my voice.
     Yet should the fates decide I can’t rejoice,
     I’ll take the sword, e’en if I, too, must die,
     And murder them, with daring in mine eye.
     Now by Hecate, whom I do worship most,[395]
     Who hath ta’en my inner body for her host,
     Whom I did choose as my associate
     To help my heart berate those that I hate,
     I swear to make their new alliance sour,
     Their wedding– bitter, and so their last hour.[400]
     Come, strategize, Medea, strike, and scheme,
     Try every spell, as vain as it may seem.
     Into the fray! The time has come to dare.
     See how thou sufferest? It is not fair
     That now the kin of Sisyphus and Jason[405]
     Mock thee, a child of Helios. So, hasten!
     Besides, we women are innately bad
     At deeds of valour that make good men glad,
     Yet most adept at leaving people sad.

CHORUS
[Strophe A]
     The blest rivers flow backwards and wax mad,[410]
     Justice and all things are again reversed,
     The deeds of men are crafty and coerced,
     The mortals’ faith i’th’ gods is now no more.
     And yet, report suggests our lives shall soar,
     And we shall soon enjoy better repute:[415]
     Destiny chooses our sex to salute.
     Honour, indeed, awaits all womankind,
     And we shall be revered, no more confined.
     No longer shall we suffer wrongful slander,
     Women shall now be treated with pure candor.[420]
[Antistrophe A]
     The ancient songs of muses full of years
     Shall quench the faithless and relieve our fears.
     O Phoebus, master true of every choir,
     Never let us near thy most sacred lyre,
     And grant us not to write e’en just one ode[425]
     Lest, in response, we sing in such a mode,
     Answering all the male sex ever sings,
     Revealing truth by playing on the strings.
     The passage of time equally can praise
     Both the male and, indeed, the female gaze.[430]
[Strophe B]
     But thou hast sailed from the halls of thy father,
     Thy spirit burning with so strong a bother,
     Past the twin boulders guarding the Black waves,
     Living in exile, worse off than some slaves,
     Far from the comforts of thy bridal bed,[435]
     A wretched woman that her home hath fled;
     And now art sentenced to be banishèd,
     Thy reputation newly tarnishèd.
[Antistrophe B]
     The sacred grace of oaths is thus no more,
     Shame hath now fled from every Greekish shore.[440]
     There is no father’s house to grant thee shade
     From thy burning distress, O wretch betrayed;
     Worse yet, a better princess shall be sworn
     To rule thy home, and thou shalt be forlorn.
     None more accursed hath ever yet been born.[445]