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The World's Greatest Books [Volumes 1-15, 17-20]

Электронная книга - «The World's Greatest Books [Volumes 1-15, 17-20]». Краткое содержание книги:

Антология содержит:
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 01 — Fiction от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 02 — Fiction от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 03 — Fiction от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 04 — Fiction от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 05 — Fiction от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 06 — Fiction от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 07 — Fiction от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 08 — Fiction от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 09 — Lives and Letters от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 10 — Lives and Letters от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 11 — Ancient and Mediæval History от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 12 — Modern History от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 13 — Religion and Philosophy от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 15 — Science от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 17 — Poetry and Drama от Неизвестный
The world's greatest books от Mee, Arthur, 1875-1943, joint editor & Hammerton, John Alexander, Sir, 1871-1949, joint editor & McClure, S. S. (Samuel Sidney), 1857-1949, joint editor
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 19 — Travel and Adventure от Неизвестный
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 20 — Miscellaneous Literature and Index от Неизвестный
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Iphigenia: Too great thine offer, king, to one unknown,

Who on this shore sought only what thou gavest,

Safety and peace.

Thoas:           Thus still to shroud thyself

From me, as from the lowest, in the veil

Of mystery which wrapp'd thy coming here,

Would in no country be deem'd just or right.

Iphigenia: If I conceal'd, O king, my name, my race,

It was embarrassment, and not mistrust.

For didst thou know who stands before thee now,

Strange horror would possess thy mighty heart,

And, far from wishing me to share thy throne,

Thou wouldst more likely banish me forthwith.

Thoas: Whate'er respecting thee the gods decree,

Since thou hast dwelt amongst us, and enjoy'd

The privilege the pious stranger claims,

To me hath fail'd no blessing sent from heaven.

End then thy silence, priestess!

Iphigenia:           I issue from the Titan's race.

Thoas: From that same Tantalus, whom Jove himself

Drew to his council and his social board?

Iphigenia:     His crime was human, and their doom severe;

Alas, and his whole race must bear their hate.

His son, Pelops, obtained his second wife

Through treachery and murder. And Hebe's sons,

Thyestes and Atreus, envious of the love

That Pelops bore his first-born, murdered him.

The mother, held as murderess by the sire,

In terror did destroy herself. The sons,

After the death of Pelops, shared the rule

O'er Mycenæ, till Atreus from the realm

Thyestes drove. Oh, spare me to relate

The deeds of horror, vengeance, cruel infamy

That ended in a feast where Atreus made

His brother eat the flesh of his own boys.

Thoas: But tell me by what miracle thou sprangest

From race so savage.

Iphigenia:           Atreus' eldest son

Was Agamemnon; he, O king, my sire;

My mother Clytemnestra, who then bore

To him Electra, and to fill his cup

Of bliss, Orestes. But misfortunes new

Befel our ancient house, when to avenge

The fairest woman's wrongs the kings of Greece

Round Ilion's walls encamp'd, led by my sire.

In Aulis vainly for a favouring gale

They waited; for, enrag'd against their chief,

Diana stay'd their progress, and requir'd,

Through Chalcas' voice, the monarch's eldest daughter.

They lured me to the altar, and this head

There to the goddess doomed. She was appeased,

And shrouded me in a protecting cloud.

Here I awakened from the dream of death,

Diana's priestess, I who speak with thee.

Thoas: I yield no higher honour or regard

To the king's daughter than the maid unknown;

Once more my first proposal I repeat.

Iphigenia: Hath not the goddess who protected me

Alone a right to my devoted head?

Thoas: Not many words are needed to refuse,

The no alone is heard by the refused.

Iphigenia: I have to thee my inmost heart reveal'd.

My father, mother, and my long-lost home

With yearning soul I pine to see.

Thoas:           Then go!

And to the voice of reason close thine ear.

Hear then my last resolve. Be priestess still

Of the great goddess who selected thee.

From olden time no stranger near'd our shore

But fell a victim at her sacred shrine;

But thou, with kind affection didst enthral

Me so that wholly I forgot my duty;

And I did not hear my people's murmurs.

Now they cry aloud. No longer now

Will I oppose the wishes of the crowd.

Two strangers, whom in caverns of the shore

We found conceal'd, and whose arrival here

Bodes to my realm no good, are in my power.

With them thy goddess may once more resume

Her ancient, pious, long-suspended rites!

I send them here—thy duty not unknown.       [Exit.

Iphigenia: O goddess! Keep my hands from blood!

Act II

Orestes and Pylades.

Orestes: When I implor'd Apollo to remove

The grisly band of Furies from my side,

He promised aid and safety in the fane

Of his lov'd sister, who o'er Tauris rules.

Thus the prophetic word fulfils itself,

That with my life shall terminate my woe.

Thee only, friend, thee am I loath to take,

The guiltless partner of my crime and curse,

To yonder cheerless shore!

Pylades:           Think not of death!

But mark if not the gods perchance present

Means and fit moment for a joyful flight.

The gods avenge not on the son the deeds

Done by their father.

Orestes:           It is their decree

Which doth destroy us.

Pylades:           From our guards I learn

A strange and god-like woman holds in check

The execution of the bloody law.

Orestes: The monarch's savage will decrees our death;

A woman cannot save when he condemns.

Pylades: She comes: leave us alone. I dare not tell

At once our names, nor unreserv'd confide

Our fortunes to her. Now retire awhile.

[Exit Orestes. Enter Iphigenia.

Iphigenia: Whence art thou? Stranger, speak! To me thy bearing

Stamps thee of Grecian, not of Scythian race.

[She unbinds his chains.

The gods avert the doom that threatens you!

Pylades: Delicious music! Dearly welcome tones

Of our own language in a foreign land!

We are from Crete, Adrastus' sons; and I

Am Cephalus; my eldest brother, he,

Laodamas. Between us stood a youth

Whom, when our sire died (having return'd

From Troy, enrich'd with loot), in contest fierce

My brother slew! 'Tis thus the Furies now

For kindred-murder dog his restless steps.

But to this savage shore the Delphian god

Hath sent us, cheer'd by hope. My tale is told.

Iphigenia: Troy fallen! Dear stranger, oh, say!

Pylades: The stately town

Now lies in ruins. Many a hero's grave

Will oft our thoughts recall to Ilion's shore.

There lies Achilles and his noble friend;

Nor Palamedes, nor Ajax, e'er again

The daylight of their native land beheld.

Yet happy are the thousands who receiv'd

Their bitter death-blow from a hostile hand,

And not like Agamemnon, who, ensnared,

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