EURIPIDES I PHI G EN IA IN TA U RIS AN ENGLISH ! ERSIO N BY W ITTER BYNNER NEW YO RK , MIT C HELL KENNERLEY MCM! ! TO BARRY FA ULKNER Wh ere that corner-house then s to od , h er o u r o m a a n d o u r ta s W e y r o w s, lk , Laths a n d do o rs a n d tu mbled b ric ks a Pile th eir d ust u p o n th e w lks , h r o o m T o wn by n o s lo w t u ch f ti e, N o u c b ma re q i k las t of gic fi , B u t b s u r e d tr o in ha n ds y , es y g , H n d h r a d o b u ders b u i in i e . s f il , l g h g Yet th e b u ilders with th eir derric ks, Th ey s ha ll n ever r ea ch s o high A s a blu e- as cen ding t o wer n We w ere b u ildi g in the s hy . 0 rememb er h o w w e b uilt it Higher th an in a ll th e la n ds A n d b e min dfu l o f that co rn er Where a t opless tower s tan ds ! D n ca s n r Isadora u n aid o e day, If only the e were P I IA a simple English version of I H GEN , as human as f the Greek , no rhymes , no inversions , no loss o mean ! ing in the sound ! And when I wrote her this , she liked and used it . Therefore the blame or praise be partly hers . WITTER RYNNEK. I PHI G EN IA IN TA U RIS o m e h te O n the s eas h re s ta n ds a great Te pl , wit s ps lead n b o o -s ta t r h n r est i g to a l d in ed a l a . Ip ige ia , th e P i ess, c om es o u t o f th e Temple. IPHIGENIA . f Pelops , the son o T antalus , by speed h . Of chariot earned a bride , w o bore him Atreus o n And Atreus had tw sons, o e Menelaus, The n h other Agamem on , w o in turn I By Clytemnestra had a child , and Am she , Iphigenia . It is thought T hat I was sacrificed by my own father T o f Artemis , in the great quest o Helen , f Upon an altar near the bay o Aulis , There where the long deep waves are caught and bro ken Hither and thither by the winds . That bay ! Held Agamemnon s fleet, the thousand ships m Fro Hellas , waiting to avenge o n T roy The wrong done Menelaus by the 1055 Of Helen . But a storm came up and still Iphigen ia in Ta u ris n Another storm , and neither sea o r W ind Would favor Agamemn on . So he aske d o o Calchas the soothsayer t c nsult the flame . And this is what was answered ! Agamemnon , o f Captain Hellas, there can be no way Of setting free thy ships till Artemis H as had fulfilled Her promised sacrifice. Fo r thou hadst vowed to sacrifice each year The e fair st thing the year produced . And due T o Her long since was one whom Clyt emnestra h o f Bore t ee, the fairest the year , thy daughter Iphigenia Let her be brought and killed . They sent Odysseus with his lying tongue o n To lure me from my mother, the plea That I should wed Achilles. When I came T o me Aulis, they laid hold of and led Me to the flame , and would have struck I saw ! r s The knife But A temis deceived their eye , e Leaving a d er instead , an d stole me through Th e radiant blue until She set me down Here in the town of T auris, where there live Barbaric men ruled by their uncouth King, T s . hoas , a rider reckle s as the wind H e made o f me a priestess in Her Temple, I o n And here serve Her Her festal days . It has a holy sound , that word , but far From holy are the rites I Yet I dare I fi Not question . Dumbly must sacri ce wh o T o Her delight strangers happen here . 2 Iphigen ia in Ta uris It was their custom long before I came . My hands ordain the victim. Other hands, T Inside the Inner emple, drain his blood , - Which then is poured upon this altar stone. (Sh e c o m es do wn th e s teps ) I dreamed last night a deathly dream . Perhaps The morning will dispel it if I speak it . I dreamed myself at home again in Argos , Asleep among my maidens — when a roll Of thunder shook the ground . I ran outside . I watched the house . I saw the coping fall . Then the whole palace plunged from roof to base. o n e o f Only column stood untouched , all ! n e My father s home . And that o stood alive , A man with bright brown hair and breathing lips . Then I began unwillingly to touch His brow with the water that means woe to strangers f And with the tears o my interpretation . a ? —! ! Must it not me n Orestes Dead , dead It was my brother whom I touched with tears . T h e f pillar o a family is the son , And in those waters is the sign of death . - Let me then pour the funeral cup , for him ho f W is to o far away o r nearer rites . (Sh e go es u p th e s teps again ) 3 Iphigen ia in Tau ris Come now, my maidens , my Hellenic maidens , O captives of the king ! — Enslaved to serve Th e living , let us freely serve the dead . u I m st go in and pray , then call to them - By the great summons of the Temple bell . (She go es in to th e Temple ) ORESTES . (Cau tio us ly fo llo wing Pylades t o ward the pie ) Take care lest someone should be coming by ! PYLADES . I looked both ways and there is no one co ming . ORESTES . Is this the Shrine of Artemis , which we Set out from Argos over many seas — T o find ? 0 Pylades ! is this the Shrine ? D PYLA ES . So . I think it is, Orestes . dost thou ORESTES . o f ? Is that the stone , dark with the blood Greeks PYLADES . I — If ever saw blood look , on the edge ! 4 Iphigen ia in Tau ris (DRESTES. And there beneath the roof, spoils o f the dead ! PYLADES . T rophies o f strangers whom these men have mur dered . ORESTES . — B e careful how thou goest then be watchful ! h Th 0 W y has y oracle , t hus , sent This thing upon me and the sight o f blood Again ? Have I not seen enough o f blood ? ! o My mother shed my father s blo d , I hers. e And then the Furies , with their yes bloody, Hunted me down , a wanderer through the world T to T o ill fugitive I went hee , t pray An end of all the cycles o f despair T hat Sped me , maddened me , hurled me through Hellas, Thy answer came ! Go seek the T aurian land Where Artemis my Sister has Her Shrine . Discover there Her effigy that fell From Heaven into the T emple . T hen by skill Or by goo d - fortune take it and proc eed Surviving every hazard , and co nvey Th e to f Image the holy land o Athens . No more was said , except that by this deed I was to be relieved of my afflictions Iphigen ia in Tau ris 0 And here I am , Phoebus , far from home — Upon this dismal shore obeying Thee . No w o f , Pylades, companion my tas k , What course are we t o take ? To scale these walls Would be imp ossible . Are we to climb Th e open stairs ? - and s o be seen ? Are we o T force the brazen locks, not knowing where e T hey lead ? For if th y come upon us here , It will be certain death . Shall we not turn In time and take our ship ? 0 , let me face h T e Furies , rather than inflict this thing On thee ! PYLADES . What do we know o f flight ? How dare We take a course o f which o u r hearts know nothing ? Why should we disobey Apollo ! s voice And offer Him dishonor ? No ! T here must T Be ways . Come , let us leave the emple , hide Ourselves in some dark cave and shun the ship Lest it should be attacked and we be captured . Look ! through that opening between the beams A man might lower himself inside the wall ! ! A coward drops the cup . But a brave man s drink Is hardship . And by all the Go ds shall we , ? Coming as far as this, now at the end turn back ORESTES .