Odys. Yea, unless thou go
Of thine own will.
Phil. Ο land of Lemnos' isle,
Ο mightiest Fire by great Hephaestos wrought,[1]
Can it be borne this man should bear me off
By force from thy dominions?
Odys. Zeus, 'tis Zeus,
Know thou this well, that rules this land,—that Zeus
Who wills these things; I but his servant am.990
Phil. Ο hateful wretch, what bold device is this?
Sheltering thyself behind the Gods, thou mak'st
The Gods as liars.
Odys. Nay, not so, but true;
At any rate this journey thou must go.
Phil. No, that I will not.
Odys. Yes, thou shalt: obey!
Phil. Ah, miserable me! 'Tis clear our sire
Begat us not as freemen, but as slaves.
Odys. Nay, nay, not so, but equal with the best,
With whom thou too must Troïa take and sack,
And raze it to the ground.
Phil. [Rushing to a projecting point of the cliff.] That ne'er shall be,
Not though I needs must suffer every ill,
While yet this beetling crag is left to me.1000
Odys. What wilt thou do?
Phil. From this rock throw myself,
And dash my head upon the rock below.
Odys. [To the Sailors.] Quick, hold him fast. Prevent his doing it.
hands behind his back.]
- ↑ The "fire" is again that of the volcano, which was believed to come from the forge at which Hephæstos laboured in the heart of the mountain.
