Comes there one to this world's end, this mountain-girt ground, To have sight of my torment? Or of what is he fain?
A God ye behold in bondage and pain, The foe of Zeus and one at feud with all The deities that find Submissive entry to the tyrant's hall;His fault, too great a love of humankind.
Ah me! Ah me! what wafture nigh at hand, As of great birds of prey, is this I hear?
The bright air fanned Whistles and shrills with rapid beat of wings.
There cometh nought but to my spirit brings Horror and fear.
The DAUGHTERS OF OCEANUS draw near in mid-air in their winged chariot.
CHORUS
Put thou all fear away!
In kindness cometh this array On wings of speed to mountain lone, Our sire's consent not lightly won.
But a fresh breeze our convoy brought, For loud the din of iron raught Even to our sea-cave's cold recess, And scared away the meek-eyed bashfulness.
I tarried not to tic my sandal shoe But haste, post haste, through air my winged chariot flew.
PROMETHEUS
Ah me! Ah me!
Fair progeny That many-childed Tethys brought to birth, Fathered of Ocean old Whose sleepless stream is rolled Round the vast shores of earth Look on me! Look upon these chains Wherein I hang fast held On rocks high-pinnacled, My dungeon and my tower of dole, Where o'er the abyss my soul, Sad warder, her unwearied watch sustains!
CHORUS
Prometheus, I am gazing on thee now!
With the cold breath of fear upon my brow, Not without mist of dimming tears, While to my sight thy giant stature rears Its bulk forpined upon these savage rocks In shameful bonds the linked adamant locks.
For now new steersmen take the helm Olympian; now with little thought Of right, on strange, new laws Zeus stablisheth his realm, Bringing the mighty ones of old to naught.
PROMETHEUS
Oh that he had conveyed me 'Neath earth, 'neath hell that swalloweth up the dead;In Tartarus, illimitably vast With adamantine fetters bound me fast-There his fierce anger on me visited, Where never mocking laughter could upbraid me Of God or aught beside!
But now a wretch enskied, A far-seen vane, All they that hate me triumph in my pain.
CHORUS
Who of the Gods is there so pitiless That he can triumph in thy sore distress?
Who doth not inly groan With every pang of thine save Zeus alone?
But he is ever wroth, not to be bent From his resolved intent The sons of heaven to subjugate;Nor shall he cease until his heart be satiate, Or one a way devise To hurl him from the throne where he doth monarchize.
PROMETHEUS
Yea, of a surety-though he do me wrong, Loading my limbs with fetters strong-The president Of heaven's high parliament Shall need me yet to show What new conspiracy with privy blow Attempts his sceptre and his kingly seat.
Neither shall words with all persuasion sweet, Not though his tongue drop honey, cheat Nor charm my knowledge from me; nor dures Of menace dire, fear of more grievous pains, Unseal my lips, till he have loosed these chains, And granted for these injuries redress.
CHORUS
High is the heart of thee, Thy will no whit by bitter woes unstrung, And all too free The licence of thy bold, unshackled tongue.
But fear hath roused my soul with piercing cry!
And for thy fate my heart misgives me! I
Tremble to know when through the breakers' roar Thy keel shall touch again the friendly shore;For not by prayer to Zeus is access won;
An unpersuadable heart hath Cronos' son.
PROMETHEUS
I know the heart of Zeus is hard, that he hath tied Justice to his side;But he shall be full gentle thus assuaged;And, the implacable wrath wherewith he raged Smoothed quite away, nor he nor IBe loth to seal a bond of peace and amity.
CHORUS
All that thou hast to tell I pray unfold, That we may hear at large upon what count Zeus took thee and with bitter wrong affronts:
Instruct us, if the telling hurt thee not.
PROMETHEUS
These things are sorrowful for me to speak, Yet silence too is sorrow: all ways woe!
When first the Blessed Ones were filled with wrath And there arose division in their midst, These instant to hurl Cronos from his throne That Zeus might be their king, and these, adverse, Contending that he ne'er should rule the Gods, Then I, wise counsel urging to persuade The Titans, sons of Ouranos and Chthon, Prevailed not: but, all indirect essays Despising, they by the strong hand, effortless, Yet by main force-supposed that they might seize Supremacy. But me my mother Themis And Gaia, one form called by many names, Not once alone with voice oracular Had prophesied how power should be disposed-That not by strength neither by violence The mighty should be mastered, but by guile.
Which things by me set forth at large, they scorned, Nor graced my motion with the least regard.
Then, of all ways that offered, I judged best, Taking my mother with me, to support, No backward friend, the not less cordial Zeus.
And by my politic counsel Tartarus, The bottomless and black, old Cronos hides With his confederates. So helped by me, The tyrant of the Gods, such service rendered With ignominious chastisement requites.
But 'tis a common malady of power Tyrannical never to trust a friend.
And now, what ye inquired, for what arraigned He shamefully entreats me, ye shall know.
When first upon his high, paternal throne He took his seat, forthwith to divers Gods Divers good gifts he gave, and parcelled out His empire, but of miserable men Recked not at all; rather it was his wish To wipe out man and rear another race:
And these designs none contravened but me.
I risked the bord attempt, and saved mankind From stark destruction and the road to hell.
Therefore with this sore penance am I bowed, Grievous to suffer, pitiful to see.
But, for compassion shown to man, such fate I no wise earned; rather in wrath's despite Am I to be reformed, and made a show Of infamy to Zeus.
CHORUS
He hath a heart Of iron, hewn out of unfeeling rock Is he, Prometheus, whom thy sufferings Rouse not to wrath. Would I had ne'er beheld them, For verily the sight hath wrung my heart.
PROMETHEUS
Yea, to my friends a woeful sight am I.
CHORUS
Hast not more boldly in aught else transgressed?
PROMETHEUS