________________________________________
Euripides
The Bacchae
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TRANSLATOR’S NOTE
This translation by Ian Johnston Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, BC, has certain copyright restrictions. For information please use the following link: Copyright. For comments or question please contact Ian Johnston. This translation was last revised in July 2003. It was reformatted and endnotes were added in April 2014.
Note that the normal line numbers refer to this text and the ones in square brackets refer to the lines in the Greek text. There is an important gap of 50 lines or more in Euripides’ manuscript between lines 1329 and 1330 of the Greek text. The content of the missing lines is fairly well known, so this translation has attempted to provide a reconstructed text for the missing portion (lines 1645 to 1699 of the English text). That reconstructed text appears between square brackets.
This translation is available in the form of a paperback book published by Richer Resources Publications. If you would like a free Word file of this translation in the form of a booklet for printing and distributing to students, please contact Ian Johnston.
For a brief interpretative introduction to The Bacchae, click here.
Note that in the following translation, the line numbers in brackets refer to the Greek text, and those without brackets refer to the English text. The endnotes have been added by the translator.
THE BACCHAE
Dramatis Personae
DIONYSUS:
divine son of Zeus and Semele, also called Bromius or Bacchus.
TIRESIAS: an old blind prophet
CADMUS: grandfather of both
Dionysus and Pentheus, an old man
PENTHEUS: young king of Thebes,
grandson of Cadmus, cousin of Dionysus
AGAVE: mother of Pentheus, daughter of Cadmus, sister of Semele
FIRST MESSENGER: a cattle
herder
SECOND MESSENGER: an attendant
on Pentheus
CHORUS OF BACCHAE: worshippers
of Dionysus who have followed him from Asia.
SOLDIERS and ATTENDANTS around Pentheus
[Scene: The Greek city
of Thebes, outside the royal palace. Dionysus, appearing as young man, is
alone, with the palace behind him, its main doors facing the audience. He
speaks directly to the audience]
DIONYSUS
I’ve arrived here in the land
of Thebes,
I, Dionysus, son of
Zeus, born to him
from Semele,
Cadmus’ daughter, delivered
by a fiery midwife—Zeus’
lightning flash.1
Yes, I’ve changed my
form from god to human,
appearing here at these
streams of Dirce,
the waters of Ismarus. I see my mother’s tomb—
for she was wiped out by
that lightning bolt.
It’s there, by the
palace, with that rubble,
the remnants of her
house, still smoldering 10
from Zeus’ living
fire—Hera’s undying outrage
against my mother. But I
praise Cadmus. [10]
He’s made his daughter’s
shrine a sacred place.
I have myself completely
covered it
with leafy shoots of
grape-bearing vines.
I’ve left the fabulously
wealthy East,
lands of Lydians and Phrygians,
Persia’s sun-drenched
plains, walled towns in Bactria.
I’ve moved across the
bleak lands of the Medes,
through rich Arabia, all
Asian lands, 20
along the salt-sea
coast, through those towns
with their beautifully
constructed towers,
full of barbarians and
Greeks all intermingled.
Now I’ve come to Thebes,
city of Greeks, [20]
only after I’ve set
those eastern lands
dancing in the mysteries
I established,
making known to men my
own divinity.
Thebes is the first city
of the Greeks
where I’ve roused people
to shout out my cries,
with this deerskin
draped around my body, 30
this ivy spear, a
thyrsus, in my hand.2
For my mother’s sisters
have acted badly,
something they, of all
people, should avoid.
They boasted aloud that
I, Dionysus,
was no child of Zeus,
claiming Semele,
once she was pregnant by
some mortal man,
attributed her bad luck
in bed to Zeus,
a story made up (they
said) to trick Cadmus. [30]
Those sisters state that’s
why Zeus killed her,
because she lied about
the man she’d slept with.
40
So I’ve driven those
women from their homes
in a
frenzy—they now live in the mountains,
out of their minds. I’ve
made them put on costumes,
outfits appropriate for
my mysteries.
All Theban offspring—or,
at least, all women—
I’ve driven in a crazed
fit from their homes.
Now they sit out there
among the rocks,
underneath green pine
trees, no roof overhead,
Cadmus’ daughters in
their company as well.
For this city has to
learn, though against its will, 50
that it has yet to be
initiated
into my Dionysian rites.
Here I plead [40]
the cause of my own
mother, Semele,
appearing as a god to
mortal men,
the one she bore to Zeus.
Now Cadmus,
the old king, has just
transferred his power,
his royal authority, to Pentheus,
his daughter’s son, who,
in my case at least,
fights against the gods,
prohibiting me
all sacrificial
offerings. When he prays,
60
he chooses to ignore me.
For this neglect
I’ll demonstrate to him,
to all in Thebes,
that I was born a
god. Once these things here
have been made right, I’ll
move on somewhere else,
to some other land,
revealing who I am.
But if Thebans in this city,
in their anger, [50]
try to make those Bacchic women leave,
to drive them from the
mountains forcibly,
then I, commander of these Maenads,
will fight them.3 That’s why I’ve transformed myself, 70
assumed a mortal shape,
altered my looks,
so I resemble any human
being.
[Enter the Chorus of Bacchae, dressed in ritual deerskin, carrying small drums
like tambourines]
But
you there, you women who’ve left Tmolus,
backbone of Lydia, my
band of worshippers,
whom I’ve led here from
barbarian lands,
my comrades on the road
and when we rest,
take up your drums,
those instruments of yours
from Phrygian cities,
first invented
by mother Rhea and
myself. Move round here,
beat those drums by Pentheus’ palace, 80 [60]
let Cadmus’ city see
you, while I go,
in person, to the clefts
of Mount Cithaeron,
to my Bacchae, to join their dancing.4
[Exit Dionysus]
CHORUS [singing and dancing]
FIRST VOICE
From Asia, from sacred Tmolus
I’ve come to dance,
to move swiftly in my
dance—
for Bromius—
sweet and easy task,
to cry out in
celebration,
hailing great god
Bacchus.5 90
SECOND VOICE
Who’s
in the street? Who’s there? Who?
Let him stay inside
out of our way.
Let every mouth be pure, [70]
completely holy,
speak no profanities.
In my hymn I celebrate
our old eternal custom,
hailing Dionysus.
THIRD VOICE
O blessed is the man, 100
the fortunate man who
knows
the rituals of the gods,
who leads a pious life,
whose spirit merges
with these Bacchic celebrations,
frenzied dancing in the
mountains,
our purifying rites—
one who reveres these
mysteries
from Cybele, our great
mother,
who, waving the thyrsus,
110 [80]
forehead crowned with
ivy,
serves Dionysus.
FOURTH VOICE
On Bacchae! Bacchae, move!
Bring home Bromius, our god,
son of god, great
Dionysus,
from Phrygian mountains
to spacious roads of
Greece—
Hail Bromius!
FIFTH VOICE
His mother dropped him early,
as her womb, in forceful
birth pangs, 120
was struck by Zeus’
flying lightning bolt, [90]
a blast which took her
life.
Then Zeus, son of Cronos,
at once hid him away
in a secret birthing
chamber,
buried in his thigh,
shut in with golden
clasps,
concealed from Hera.
SIXTH VOICE
Fates made him perfect.
Then Zeus gave birth to
him, 130 [100]
the god with ox’s horns,
crowned with wreaths of
snakes—
that’s why the Maenads
twist in their hair
wild snakes they
capture.
SEVENTH VOICE
O Thebes, nursemaid of Semele,
put on your ivy crown,
flaunt your green yew,
flaunt its sweet fruit!
Consecrate yourselves to
Bacchus, 140
with stems of oak or
fir, [110]
Dress yourselves
in spotted fawn skins,
trimmed with white sheep’s
wool.
As you wave your
thyrsus,
revere the violence it
contains.
All the earth will dance
at once.
Whoever leads our
dancing—
that one is Bromius!
To the mountain, to the
mountain,
where the pack of women
waits, 150
all stung to frenzied
madness
to leave their weaving
shuttles,
goaded on by Dionysus.
EIGHTH VOICE
O you dark chambers
of the Curetes, [120]
you sacred caves in
Crete,
birthplace of Zeus,
where the Corybantes in their caves,
men with triple helmets,
made for me
this circle of stretched
hide.6
In their wild ecstatic
dancing, 160
they mixed this drum
beat
with the sweet seductive
tones
of flutes from Phrygia,
then gave it to mother
Rhea
to beat time for the Bacchae,
when they sang in
ecstasy.
Nearby, orgiastic
satyrs, [130]
in ritual worship of the
mother goddess,
took that drum, then brought it
into their biennial
dance, 170
bringing joy to
Dionysus.
NINTH VOICE
He’s welcome in the mountains,
when he sinks down to
the ground,
after the running dance,
wrapped in holy
deerskin,
hunting the goat’s
blood,
blood of the slain
beast,
devouring its
raw flesh with joy,
rushing off into the
mountains,
in Phrygia, in Lydia, 180 [140]
leading the dance—
Bromius—Evoë!7
ALL
The land flows with milk,
the land flows with
wine,
the land flows with
honey from the bees.
He holds the torch high,
our leader, the Bacchic One,
blazing flame of pine,
sweet smoke like Syrian
incense,
trailing from his
thyrsus. 190
As he dances, he runs,
here and there,
rousing the stragglers,
stirring them with his
cries,
thick hair rippling in
the breeze. [150]
Among the Maenads’
shouts
his voice reverberates:
“On Bacchants, on!
With the glitter of Tmolus,
which flows with gold, 200
chant songs to Dionysus,
to the loud beat of our
drums.
Celebrate the god of joy
with your own joy,
with Phrygian cries and
shouts!
When sweet sacred pipes [160]
play out their rhythmic
holy song,
in time to the dancing
wanderers,
then to the mountains,
on, on to the mountains.” 210
Then the bacchanalian
woman
is filled with total
joy—
like a foal in pasture
right beside her mother—
her swift feet skip in
playful dance.
[Enter Tiresias, a very old blind man, dressed in clothing
appropriate for the Dionysian ritual. He goes up to the palace door and knocks
very aggressively]
TIRESIAS [shouting]
Where’s the servant on the door? You in
there, [170]
tell Cadmus to get
himself out of the house,
Agenor’s
lad, who came here from Sidon,
then put up the towers
of this Theban town.8
Go tell him Tiresias is waiting for him. 220
He knows well enough why
I’ve come for him.
I’m an old man, and he’s
even older,
but we’ve agreed make
ourselves a thyrsus,
to put on fawn skins and
crown our heads
with garlands of these
ivy branches.
[Enter Cadmus from the
palace, a very old man, also dressed in clothing appropriate for the Dionysian
ritual]
CADMUS
My dearest friend,
I was inside the house. I
heard your voice.
I recognized it—the
voice of a man truly wise.
So I’ve come equipped
with all this god stuff. [180]
We
must sing his praise, as much as we can,
for this Dionysus, well,
he’s my daughter’s child.
230
Now he’s revealed
himself a god to men.
Where must I go and
dance? Where do I get
to move my feet and
shake my old gray head?
You must guide me, Tiresias, one old man
leading another, for you’re
the expert here.
O I’ll never tire of
waving this thyrsus,
day and night, striking
the ground. What rapture!
Now we can forget that
we’re old men.
TIRESIAS
You feel the same way I do, then.
For I’m
young and going to try the dancing. 240 [190]
CADMUS
Shall we go up the mountain in a
chariot?
TIRESIAS
The god would not then get complete
respect.
CADMUS
So I’ll be your nursemaid—one old man
will take charge of
another one?
TIRESIAS
The god himself
will get us to the place
without our efforts.
CADMUS
Of all the city are we the only ones
who’ll dance to honour
Bacchus?
TIRESIAS
Yes, indeed,
for we’re the only ones
whose minds are clear.
As for the others, well,
their thinking’s wrong.
CADMUS
There’ll be a long wait. Take my hand. 250
TIRESIAS [holding out his hand]
Here. Take it—make a pair of it
and yours.
CADMUS
I’m a mortal, so I don’t mock the gods.
TIRESIAS
To the gods we mortals are all ignorant. [200]
Those old traditions
from our ancestors,
the ones we’ve had as
long as time itself,
no argument will ever
overthrow,
in spite of subtleties
sharp minds invent.
Will someone say I
disrespect old age,
if I intend to dance
with ivy on my head?
Not so, for the god
makes no distinctions— 260
whether the dancing is
for young or old.
He wants to gather
honours from us all,
to be praised
communally, without division.
CADMUS
Since you’re blind to daylight, Tiresias, [210]
I’ll be your seer, tell
you what’s going on—
Pentheus,
that child of Echion, the one
to whom I handed over
power in this land,
he’s coming here, to the
house. He’s in a rush.
He looks so flustered. What
news will he bring?
[Enter Pentheus, with some armed attendants. At first he does not
notice Cadmus and Tiresias, not until he calls attention
to them]
PENTHEUS
It so happens I’ve been away
from Thebes, 270
but I hear about
disgusting things going on,
here in the city—women
leaving home
to go to silly Bacchic rituals,
cavorting there in
mountain shadows,
with dances
honouring some upstart god,
this Dionysus, whoever he
may be. Mixing bowls [220]
in the middle of their
meetings are filled with wine.
They creep off one by one
to lonely spots
to have sex with men,
claiming they’re Maenads
busy worshipping. But
they rank Aphrodite, 280
goddess of sexual desire,
ahead of Bacchus.
All the ones I’ve caught,
my servants guard
in our public prison,
their hands chained up.
All those who’re still
away, I’ll chase down,
hunt them from the
mountains—that includes
Agave, who bore me to Echion, Ino,
and Autonoe,
Actaeon’s mother.9 [230]
Once I’ve clamped them
all in iron fetters,
I’ll quickly end this
perverse nastiness,
this Bacchic
celebration. People say 290
some stranger has
arrived, some wizard,
a conjurer from the land
of Lydia—
with sweet-smelling hair
in golden ringlets
and Aphrodite’s charms in
wine-dark eyes.
He hangs around the young
girls day and night,
dangling in front of them
his joyful mysteries.
If I catch him in this
city, I’ll stop him.
He’ll make no more
clatter with his thyrsus, [240]
or wave his hair around. I’ll
chop off his head,
slice it right from his
body. This man claims 300
that Dionysus is a god,
alleging
that once upon a time he
was sewn up,
stitched inside Zeus’
thigh—but Dionysus
was burned to death,
along with Semele,
in that lightning strike,
because she’d lied.
She maintained that she’d
had sex with Zeus.
All this surely merits
harsh punishment,
death by hanging. Whoever
this stranger is,
his insolence is an
insult to me.
[noticing Cadmus and Tiresias
for the first time]
Well,
here’s something totally astounding! 310
I see Tiresias,
our soothsayer, all dressed up
in dappled fawn skins—my
mother’s father, too! [250]
This
is ridiculous. To take a thyrsus
and jump around like
this.
[to Cadmus]
You sir,
I don’t like to see such
arrant foolishness
from your old age. Why
not throw out that ivy?
And,
grandfather, why not let that thyrsus go?
[turning to address
Tiresias]
Tiresias, you’re the one who’s put
him up to this.
You want to bring in some
new god for men,
so you’ll be able to
inspect more birds, 320
and from his sacrifices
make more money.
If your gray old age did
not protect you,
you’d sit in chains with
all the Bacchae
for such a ceremonial
perversion. [260]
Whenever
women at some banquet
start to take pleasure in
the gleaming wine,
I say there’s nothing
healthy in their worshipping.
CHORUS LEADER
That’s impiety! O stranger,
have you no reverence for
the gods, for Cadmus,
who sowed
that crop of men born from the earth? 330
You’re a child of Echion—do you wish
to bring your own family
into disrepute?
TIRESIAS
When a man of wisdom has good
occasion
to speak out, and takes
the opportunity,
it’s not that hard to
give an excellent speech.
You’ve got a quick tongue
and seem intelligent,
but your words don’t make
any sense at all.
A fluent orator whose
power comes [270]
from self-assurance and
from nothing else
makes a bad citizen, for
he lacks sense. 340
This man, this new god,
whom you ridicule—
it’s impossible for me to
tell you
just how great he’ll be
in all of Greece.
Young man, among human
beings two things
stand out preeminent, of
highest rank.
Goddess Demeter is
one—she’s the earth
(though you can call her
any name you wish),
and she feeds mortal people
cereal grains.
The other one came later,
born of Semele—
he brought with him
liquor from the grape, 350
something to match the
bread from Demeter.
He introduced it among
mortal men.
When they can drink up
what streams off the vine,
unhappy mortals are
released from pain. [280]
It
grants them sleep, allows them to forget
their daily troubles. Apart
from wine,
there is no cure for
human hardship.
He, being a god, is
poured out to the gods,
so human beings receive
fine benefits
as gifts from him. And
yet you mock him. Why?
360
Because he was sewn into
Zeus thigh?
Well, I’ll show you how
this all makes sense.
When Zeus grabbed him
from the lightning flame,
he brought him to Olympus
as a god.
But Hera wished to throw
him out of heaven. [290]
So
Zeus, in a manner worthy of a god,
came up with a cunning
counter plan.
From the sky which flows
around the earth,
Zeus broke off a piece,
shaped it like Dionysus,
then
gave that to Hera, as a hostage. 370
The real child he sent to
nymphs to raise,
thus saving him from Hera’s
jealousy.
Over time people mixed up
“sky” and “thigh,”
saying he’d come from
Zeus’s thigh, changing words,
because he, a god, had
once been hostage
to goddess Hera. So they
made up the tale.
This god’s a prophet,
too, for in his rites—
the Bacchic
celebrations and the madness—
a huge prophetic powere is unleashed.
When the god fully enters
human bodies, 380 [300]
he makes those possessed
by frenzy prophets.
They speak of what will
come in future days
He also shares the work
of war god Ares.
For there are times an
army all drawn up,
its weapons ready, can
shake with terror,
before any man has set
hand to his spear.
Such madness comes from
Dionysus.
Some day you’ll see him
on those rocks at Delphi,
leaping with torches on
the higher slopes,
way up there between two
mountain peaks, 390
waving and shaking his Bacchic wand,
a great power in Greece. Trust
me, Pentheus.
Don’t be too confident a
sovereign’s force
controls men. If
something seems right to you, [310]
but your mind’s diseased,
don’t think that’s wisdom.
So welcome this god into
your country.
Pour libations to him, then celebrate
these Bacchic
rites with garlands on your head.
On women, where Aphrodite
is concerned,
Dionysus will not enforce
restraint— 400
such modesty you must
seek in nature,
where it already dwells. For
any woman
whose character is chaste
won’t be defiled
by Bacchic
revelry. Don’t you see that?
When there are many
people at your gates,
you’re happy. The city
shouts your praise.
It celebrates the name of
Pentheus. [320]
The
god, too, I think, derives great pleasure
from being honoured. And
so Cadmus,
whom you mock, and I will
crown our heads 410
with ivy and will join
the ritual,
an old gray team, but
still we have to dance.
Your words will not turn
me against the god,
for you are mad—under a
cruel delusion.
No drug can heal that
ailment—in fact,
some drug has caused it.
CHORUS LEADER
Old man,
you’ve not disgraced
Apollo with your words,
and by honouring this
Dionysus,
a great god, you show
your moderation.
CADMUS
My child, Tiresias
has given you 420 [330]
some good advice. You
should live among us,
not outside traditions. At
this point,
you’re flying
around—thinking, but not clearly.
For if, as you claim,
this man is not a god,
why not call him one? Why
not tell a lie,
a really good one? Then
it will seem
that some god has been
born to Semele.
We—and all our
family—will win honour.
Remember the dismal fate
of Actaeon—
torn to pieces in some
mountain forest 430
by blood-thirsty dogs he’d
raised himself.
He’d boasted he was
better in the hunt [340]
than Artemis. Don’t
suffer the same fate.
Come here. Let me crown
your head with ivy.
Join us in giving honour
to this god.
PENTHEUS
Keep your hands off me!
Be off with you—
go to these Bacchic rituals of yours.
But don’t infect me with
your madness.
As for the one who in
this foolishness
has been your teacher, I’ll
bring him to justice. 440
[to his attendants]
One of you,
go quickly to where this man,
Tiresias,
has that seat of his, the place
where he inspects his
birds. Take some levers,
knock it down. Demolish
it completely.
Turn the whole place
upside down—all of it.
Let his holy ribbons fly
off in the winds. [350]
That
way I’ll really do him damage.
You others—go to the
city, scour it
to capture this
effeminate stranger,
who corrupts our women
with a new disease, 450
and thus infects our beds.
If you get him,
tie him up and bring him
here for judgment,
a death by stoning. That
way he’ll see
his rites in Thebes come
to a bitter end.
[Exit Pentheus into the palace]
TIRESIAS
You unhappy man, you’ve no idea
just what it is you’re
saying. You’ve gone mad!
Even before now you weren’t
in your right mind.
Let’s be off, Cadmus. We’ll
pray to the god [360]
on Pentheus’
behalf, though he’s a savage,
and for the city, too, so
he won’t harm it. 460
Come with me—bring the
ivy-covered staff.
See if you can help
support my body.
I’ll do the same for you.
It would be shameful
if two old men collapsed.
No matter—
for we must serve
Bacchus, son of Zeus.
But you, Cadmus, you
should be more careful,
or Pentheus
will bring trouble in your home.
I’m not saying this as a
prophecy,
but on the basis of what’s going on.
A man who’s mad tends to
utter madness. 470
[Exit Tiresias and Cadmus together on their way to the mountains]
CHORUS
Holiness, queen of the gods, [370]
Holiness, sweeping over
earth
on wings of gold,
do you hear what Pentheus says?
Do you hear the
profanities he utters,
the insults against Bromius,
child of Semele, chief god
among all blessed gods,
for those who wear their
lovely garlands
in a spirit of harmonious
joy? 480
This is his special
office,
to lead men together in
the dance,
to make them laugh as the
flute plays, [380]
to bring all sorrows to
an end,
at the god’s sacrificial
feast,
when the gleaming liquid
grapes arrive,
when the wine bowl casts
its sleep
on ivy-covered feasting
men.
Unbridled
tongues and lawless folly
come to an end only in
disaster. 490
A peaceful life of wisdom [390]
maintains tranquillity.
It keeps the home united.
Though gods live in the
sky,
from far away in heaven
they gaze upon the deeds
of men.
But being clever isn’t
wisdom.
And thinking deeply about
things
isn’t suitable for mortal
men.
Our life is brief—that’s
why 500
the man who chases
greatness
fails to grasp what’s
near at hand.
That’s what madmen do, [400]
men who’ve lost their
wits.
That’s what I believe.
Would
I might go to Cyprus,
island of Aphrodite,
where the Erotes,
bewitching goddesses of
love,
soothe the hearts of
humankind, 510
or to Paphos,
rich and fertile,
not with rain, but with
the waters
of a hundred flowing
mouths
of a strange and foreign
river.
O Bromius,
Bromius,
inspired god who leads
the Bacchae,
lead me away to lovely Peira, [410]
where Muses dwell,
or to Olympus’ sacred
slopes,
where Graces live,
Desire, too, 520
where it’s lawful and
appropriate
to celebrate our rites
with Bacchus.
This
god, son of Zeus,
rejoices in our banquets.
He adores the goddess
Peace,
and she brings riches
with her [420]
and nourishes the young.
The god gives his wine
equally,
sharing with rich and
poor alike.
It takes away all sorrow. 530
But he hates the man who
doesn’t care
to live his life in
happiness,
by day and through the
friendly nights.
From those who deny such
common things
he removes intelligence,
their knowledge of true
wisdom.
So I take this as my
rule—
follow what common people
think— [430]
do what most men do.
[Enter a group of
soldiers, bringing Dionysus with his arms tied up. Pentheus
enters from the palace]
SOLDIER
Pentheus,
we’re here because we’ve caught the prey 540
you sent us out to catch.
Yes, our attempts
have proved successful. The
beast you see here
was tame with us. He didn’t
try to run.
No, he surrendered
willingly enough,
without turning pale or
changing colour
on those wine dark cheeks.
He even laughed at us,
inviting us to tie him up
and lead him off. [440]
He stood still, making it
easier for me
to take him in. It was
awkward, so I said,
”Stranger, I don’t want
to lead you off, 550
but I’m under orders here
from Pentheus,
who sent me.” And
there’s something else—
those Bacchic
women you locked up, the ones
you took in chains into
the public prison—
they’ve all escaped. They’re
gone—playing around
in some meadow, calling
out to Bromius,
summoning their god. Chains
fell off their feet,
just dropping on their
own. Keys opened doors
not turned by human hands.
This man here
has come to Thebes full
of amazing tricks. 560
But now the rest of this
affair is up to you. [450]
[Soldier hands chained
Dionysus over to Pentheus]
PENTHEUS [Moving up close to Dionysus, inspecting
him carefully]
Untie
his hands. I’ve got him in my nets.
He’s not fast enough to
get away from me.
[Soldiers remove the
chains from Dionysus’ hands. Pentheus moves in closer]
Well,
stranger, I see this body of yours
is not unsuitable for
women’s pleasure—
that’s why you’ve come to
Thebes. As for your hair,
it’s
long, which suggests that you’re no wrestler.
It flows across your
cheeks That’s most seductive.
You’ve a white skin, too.
You’ve looked after it,
avoiding the sun’s rays
by staying in the shade,
570
while with your beauty
you chase Aphrodite.
But first tell me
something of your family. [460]
DIONYSUS
That’s easy enough, though I’m
not boasting.
You’ve heard of Tmolus, where flowers grow.
PENTHEUS
I know it. It’s around the town
of Sardis.
DIONYSUS
I’m from there. My home land is
Lydia.
PENTHEUS
Why do you bring these rituals
to Greece?
DIONYSUS
Dionysus sent me—the son of
Zeus.
PENTHEUS
Is there some Zeus there who
creates new gods?
DIONYSUS
No. It’s the same Zeus
who wed Semele right here. 580
PENTHEUS
Did this Zeus overpower you at
night,
in your dreams? Or were
your eyes wide open?
DIONYSUS
I saw him—he saw me. He gave me [470]
the sacred rituals.
PENTHEUS
Tell me what they’re like,
those rituals of yours.
DIONYSUS
That information
cannot be passed on to
men like you,
those uninitiated in the
rites of Bacchus.
PENTHEUS
Do they benefit those who
sacrifice?
DIONYSUS
They’re worth knowing, but you’re
not allowed to hear.
PENTHEUS
You’ve avoided that question
skillfully, 590
making me want to hear an
answer.
DIONYSUS
The rituals are no friend of
any man
who’s hostile to the
gods.
PENTHEUS
This god of yours,
since you saw him
clearly, what’s he like?
DIONYSUS
He was what he wished to be,
not made to order.
PENTHEUS
Again you fluently evade my
question,
saying nothing
whatsoever.
DIONYSUS
Yes, but then
a man can seem totally
ignorant
when speaking to a fool. [480]
PENTHEUS
Is Thebes
the first place you’ve
come to with your god? 600
DIONYSUS
All the barbarians are dancing
in these rites.10
PENTHEUS
I’m not surprised. They’re
stupider than Greeks.
DIONYSUS
In this they are much wiser.
But their laws
are very different, too.
PENTHEUS
When you dance these rites,
is it at night or during
daylight?
DIONYSUS
Mainly at night. Shadows
confer solemnity.
PENTHEUS
And deceive the women. It’s all
corrupt!
DIONYSUS
One can do shameful things in
daylight, too.
PENTHEUS
You must be punished for these
evil games.
DIONYSUS
You, too—for foolishness,
impiety 610
towards the god. [490]
PENTHEUS
How brash this Bacchant is!
How well prepared in
using language!
DIONYSUS
What punishment am I to suffer?
What harsh penalties will
you inflict?
PENTHEUS
First, I’ll cut off this
delicate hair of yours.
DIONYSUS
My hair is sacred. I grow it
for the god.
PENTHEUS
And give me that thyrsus in
your hand.
DIONYSUS
This wand I carry is the god’s,
not mine.
You’ll have to seize it
from me for yourself.
PENTHEUS
We’ll lock your body up inside,
in prison. 620
DIONYSUS
The god will personally set me
free,
whenever I so choose.
PENTHEUS
That only works
if you call him while
among the Bacchae.
DIONYSUS
He sees my suffering now—and
from near by. [500]
PENTHEUS: Where is he then? My eyes don’t see him.
DIONYSUS
He’s where I am. You can’t see
him,
because you don’t
believe.
PENTHEUS [to his attendants]
Seize
him!
He’s insulting Thebes and
me.
DIONYSUS
I warn you—you shouldn’t tie me
up.
I’ve got my wits about me.
You’ve lost yours. 630
PENTHEUS
But I’m more powerful than you,
so I’ll have you put in
chains.
DIONYSUS
You’re quite ignorant
of why you live,
what you do, and who you are.
PENTHEUS
I am Pentheus,
son of Agave and Echion.
DIONYSUS
A suitable name. It
suggests misfortune.
PENTHEUS [to his soldiers]
Go now.
Lock him up—in the
adjoining stables.
That way he’ll see
nothing but the darkness [510]
There you can dance. As
for all those women,
those partners in crime
you brought along with you,
we’ll sell them off or
keep them here as slaves,
640
working our looms, once
we’ve stopped their hands
beating those drum skins,
making all that noise.
[Exit Pentheus into the palace, leaving Dionysus with the
soldiers]
DIONYSUS
I’ll go, then. For I won’t have to suffer
what won’t occur. But
you can be sure of this—
Dionysus, whom you
claim does not exist,
will go after you for
retribution
after all your insolence.
He’s the one
you put in chains when
you treat me unjustly.
[The soldiers lead
Dionysus away to an area beside the palace]
CHORUS
O Sacred Dirce,
blessed maiden,
daughter of Achelous, 650 [520]
your streams once
received
the new-born child of
Zeus,
when his father snatched
him
from those immortal
fires,
then hid
him in his thigh,
crying out these words,
”Go, Dithyrambus,
enter my male womb.
I’ll make you known as
Bacchus
to all those in Thebes, 660
who’ll invoke you with
that name.”
But you, O sacred Dirce, [530]
why do you resist me,
my garland-bearing
company,
along your river banks?
Why push me away?
Why seek to flee from me?
I tell you, you’ll find
joy
in grape-filled vines
from Dionysus.
They’ll make you love him. 670
What
rage, what rage
shows up in that
earth-bound race
of Pentheus,
born to Echion, [540]
an earth-bound mortal.
He’s descended from a
snake,
that Pentheus,
a savage beast,
not a normal mortal
man,
but some bloody monster
who
fights against the gods.11
He’ll soon bind me in
chains, 680
as a worshipper of
Bacchus.
Already he holds in his
house
my fellow Bacchic revelers,
hidden there in some dark
cell.
Do you see, Dionysus,
child of Zeus, your
followers [550]
fighting their
oppression?
Come down, my lord,
down from
Olympus,
wave your golden thyrsus, 690
to cut short the
profanities
of this blood-thirsty
man.
Where
on Mount Nysa,
which nourishes wild
beasts,
where on the Corcyrean heights,
where do you wave your thyrsus
over your worshippers,
O Dionysus?
Perhaps in those thick
woods [560]
of Mount Olympus, 700
where Orpheus once played
his lyre,
brought trees together
with his songs,
collecting wild beasts
round him.
O blessed Peiria,
whom Dionysus loves—
he’ll come to set you
dancing
in the Bacchic celebrations.
He’ll cross the foaming Axius,
lead his whirling Maenads
on, [570]
leaving behind the river
Lydias 710
which enriches mortal
men,
and which, they say, acts
as a father,
nourishing with many
lovely streams
a land where horses
flourish.
[The soldiers move in
to round up the chorus of Bacchae. As they do so, the
ground begins to shake, thunder sounds, lightning flashes, and the entire
palace starts to break apart]
DIONYSUS [shouting from within the palace]
Io! Hear me, hear me
as I call you.
Io! Bacchae!
Io Bacchae!
CHORUS [a confusion
of different voices in the following speeches]
Who’s that? Who is it?
It’s Dionysus’ voice!
It’s calling me. But from what direction?
DIONYSUS [from inside the palace]
Io! Io! I’m calling out again— [580]
the son of Semele, a child of Zeus! 720
CHORUS
Io! Io! Lord and master!
Come join our company,
Bromius,
oh Bromius!
DIONYSUS [from inside]
Sacred lord of earthquakes,
shake this ground.
[The earthquake
tremors resume]
CHORUS VOICE 1
Ai! Soon Pentheus’ palace
will be shaken into
rubble.
CHORUS VOICE 2
Dionysus is in the house—revere him.
CHORUS VOICE 3
We revere him, we revere him. [590]
CHORUS VOICE 4
You see those stone lintels on
the pillars—
they’re splitting up. It’s
Bromius calling, 730
shouting to us from
inside the walls.
DIONYSUS [from inside the palace]
Let fiery lightning strike
right now—
burn Pentheus’
palace—consume it all!
CHORUS VOICE 5
Look! Don’t you see the fire—
there by the sacred tomb
of Semele!
The flame left by that
thunderbolt from Zeus,
when the lightning flash
destroyed her,
all that time ago. Oh
Maenads—
throw your bodies on the
ground, down, down, [600]
for our master, Zeus’
son, moves now 740
against the palace—to
demolish it.
[Enter Dionysus,
bursting through the palace front doors, free of all chains, smiling and
supremely confident.]
DIONYSUS
Ah, my barbarian Asian
women,
Do you lie there on the
ground prostrate with fear?
It seems you feel
Dionysus’ power,
as he rattles Pentheus’ palace.
Get up now. Be brave. And
stop your trembling.
CHORUS LEADER
How happy I am to see you—
Our
greatest light in all the joyful dancing.
We felt alone and totally
abandoned.
DIONYSUS
Did you feel despair when I was
sent away, 750 [610]
cast down in Pentheus’ gloomy dungeon?
CHORUS LEADER
How could I not? Who’ll protect
me
if you run into trouble? But
tell me,
how did you escape that
ungodly man?
DIONYSUS
No trouble. I saved
myself with ease.
CHORUS LEADER
But didn’t he bind up your
hands up in chains?
DIONYSUS
In this business I was playing
with him—
he thought he was tying
me up, the fool!
He didn’t even touch or
handle me,
he was so busy feeding
his desires. 760
In that stable where he
went to tie me up,
he found a bull. He threw
the iron fetters
around its knees and
hooves. As he did so,
he kept panting in his
rage, dripping sweat [620]
from his whole body—his
teeth gnawed his lip.
I watched him, sitting
quietly nearby.
After a while, Bacchus
came and shook the place,
setting his mother Semele’s tomb on fire.
Seeing that, Pentheus thought his palace
was burning down. He ran
round, here and there,
770
yelling to his slaves to
bring more water.
His servants set to
work—and all for nothing!
Once I’d escaped, he
ended all that work.
Seizing a dark sword, he
rushed inside the house.
Then, it seems to me, but
I’m guessing now,
Bromius
set up out there in the courtyard [630]
some phantom image. Pentheus charged it,
slashing away at nothing
but bright air,
thinking he was
butchering me. There’s more—
Bacchus kept hurting him
in still more ways. 780
He knocked his house
down, right to the ground,
all shattered, so Pentheus has witnessed
a bitter end to my
imprisonment.
He’s dropped his sword,
worn out, exhausted,
a mere mortal
daring to fight a god.
So now I’ve strolled out
calmly to you,
leaving the house,
ignoring Pentheus.
Wait! It seems to
me I hear marching feet—
no doubt he’ll come out
front here soon enough.
What will he say, I
wonder, after this? 790
Well, I’ll deal with him
quite gently, [640]
even if he comes out
breathing up a storm.
After all, a wise man
ought to keep his temper.
[Pentheus comes
hurriedly out of the palace, accompanied by armed soldiers]
PENTHEUS
What’s happening to me—total
disaster!
The stranger’s escaped,
and we’d just chained him up.
[seeing Dionysus]
Ah ha!
Here is the man—right here.
What’s going on? How did
you get out?
How come you’re here,
outside my palace?
DIONYSUS
Hold on. Calm down. Don’t be so
angry.
PENTHEUS
How did you escape your chains
and get here? 800
DIONYSUS
Didn’t I say someone would
release me—
or did you miss that part?
PENTHEUS
Who was it? [650]
You’re
always explaining things in riddles.
DIONYSUS
It was the one who cultivates
for men
the richly clustering
vine.
PENTHEUS
Ah, this Dionysus.
Your words are a lovely
insult to your god.
DIONYSUS
He came to Thebes with nothing
but good things.
PENTHEUS [to soldiers]
Seal off all the towers on my
orders—
all of them around the
city.
DIONYSUS
What for?
Surely a god can make it
over any wall? 810
PENTHEUS
You’re so wise, except in all
those things
in which you should be
wise.
DIONYSUS
I was born wise,
especially in matters
where I need to be.
[Enter the Messenger,
a cattle herder from the hills]
DIONYSUS
But first you’d better listen
to this man,
hear what he has to say,
for he’s come here
from the mountains to
report to you.
I’ll still be here for
you. I won’t run off.
MESSENGER
Pentheus,
ruler of this land of Thebes, [660]
I’ve just left Cithaeron,
that mountain
where the sparkling snow
never melts away. 820
PENTHEUS
What this important news you’ve
come with?
MESSENGER
I saw those women in their Bacchic revels,
those sacred screamers,
all driven crazy,
the ones who run barefoot
from their homes.
I came, my lord, to tell
you and the city
the dreadful things they’re
doing, their actions
are beyond all wonder. But,
my lord,
first I wish to know if I
should tell you,
openly report what’s
going on up there,
or whether I should hold
my tongue. 830
Your mood changes so fast
I get afraid— [670]
your sharp spirit, your
all-too-royal temper.
PENTHEUS
Speak on. Whatever you have to
report,
you’ll get no punishment
at all from me.
It’s not right to vent
one’s anger on the just.
The more terrible the
things you tell me
about those Bacchic women, the worse
I’ll move against the one
who taught them
all their devious tricks.
MESSENGER
The grazing cattle
were just moving into
upland pastures, 840
at the hour the sun sends
out its beams
to warm the earth. Right
then I saw them—
three groups of dancing
women. One of them [680]
Autonoe
led. Your mother, Agave,
led the second group, and
Ino led the third.
They were all asleep,
bodies quite relaxed,
some leaning back on
leafy boughs of pine,
others cradling heads on
oak-leaf pillows,
resting on the ground—in
all modesty.
They weren’t as you
described—all drunk on wine 850
or on the music of their
flutes, hunting
for Aphrodite in the
woods alone.
Once she heard my horned
cattle lowing,
your mother stood up amid
those Bacchae,
then called them to stir
their limbs from sleep.
They rubbed refreshing
sleep out of their eyes, [690]
and stood up straight
there—a marvelous sight,
to see such an orderly
arrangement,
women young and old and
still unmarried girls.
First, they let their
hair loose down their shoulders, 860
tied up the fawn skins
(some had untied the knots
to loosen up the chords). Then
around those skins
they looped some snakes, who licked the women’s cheeks.
Some held young gazelles
or wild wolf cubs
and fed them on their own
white milk, the ones [700]
who’d left behind at home
a new-born child
whose breasts were still
swollen full of milk.
They draped themselves
with garlands from oak trees,
ivy and flowering yew. Then
one of them,
taking a thyrsus, struck
a rock with it, 870
and water gushed out,
fresh as dew. Another,
using her thyrsus,
scraped the ground. At once,
the god sent fountains of
wine up from the spot.
All those who craved
white milk to drink
just scratched the earth
with their fingertips—
it came out in streams. From
their ivy wands [710]
thick sweet honey dripped. Oh,
if you’d been there,
if you’d seen this, you’d
come with reverence
to that god whom you
criticize so much.
Well, we cattle herders
and shepherds met 880
to discuss and argue with
each other
about the astonishing
things we’d seen.
And then a man who’d been
in town a bit
and had a way with words
said to us all,
”You men who live in the
holy regions
of these mountains, how’d
you like to hunt down
Pentheus’
mother, Agave—take her [720]
away from these Bacchic celebrations,
do the king a favour?”
To all of us
he seemed to make good
sense. So we set up 890
an ambush, hiding in the
bushes,
lying down there. At the
appointed time,
the women started their Bacchic ritual,
brandishing the thyrsus
and calling out
to the god they cry to, Bromius, Zeus’ son.
The entire mountain and
its wild animals
were, like them, in one Bacchic ecstasy.
As these women moved,
they made all things dance.
Agave, by chance, was
dancing close to me.
Leaving the ambush where
I’d been concealed, 900
I jumped out, hoping to
grab hold of her. [730]
But she screamed out, “Oh,
my quick hounds,
men are hunting us. Come,
follow me.
Come on, armed with that
thyrsus in your hand.”
We ran off, and so
escaped being torn apart.
But then those Bacchic women, all unarmed,
went at
the heifers browsing on the turf,
using their bare
hands. You should have seen one
ripping a fat, young,
lowing calf apart—
others tearing cows in
pieces with their hands.
910
You could’ve seen ribs
and cloven hooves [740]
tossed everywhere—some
hung up in branches
dripping blood and gore. And
bulls, proud beasts till then,
with angry horns,
collapsed there on the ground,
dragged down by the hands
of a thousand girls.
Hides covering their
bodies were stripped off
faster than you could
wink your royal eye.
Then, like birds carried
up by their own speed,
they rushed along the
lower level ground,
beside Asopus’ streams, that fertile land 920
which yields its crops to
Thebes. Like fighting troops, [750]
they raided Hysiae and Erythrae,
below rocky Cithaeron,
smashing
everything, snatching
children from their homes.
Whatever they carried
their shoulders,
even bronze or iron,
never tumbled off
onto the dark earth,
though nothing was tied down.
They carried fire in
their hair, but those flames
never singed them. Some
of the villagers,
enraged at being
plundered by the Bacchae, 930
seized weapons. The sight
of what happened next, [760]
my lord, was dreadful. For
their pointed spears
did not draw blood. But
when those women
threw the thrysoi in their hands, they wounded them
and drove them back in
flight. The women did this
to men, but not without
some god’s assistance.
Then they went back to
where they’d started from,
those fountains which the
god had made for them.
They washed off the blood.
Snakes licked their cheeks,
cleansing their skin of
every drop. My lord, 940
you must welcome this god
into our city,
whoever he is. He’s a
mighty god [770]
in many other ways. The
people say,
so I’ve heard, he gives
to mortal human beings
that vine which puts an
end to human grief.
Without wine, there’s no
more Aphrodite—
or any other pleasure
left for men.
CHORUS LEADER
I’m afraid to talk freely
before the king,
but nonetheless I’ll
speak—this Dionysus
is not inferior to any
god. 950
PENTHEUS
This Dionysian arrogance, like
fire,
keeps flaring up close
by—a great insult
to all the Greeks. We
must not hesitate.
[To one of his armed attendants]
Go to
the Electra Gates. Call out the troops, [780]
the heavy infantry, all
fast cavalry.
Tell them to muster,
along with all those
who carry shields—all the
archers, too,
the men who pull the
bowstring back by hand.
We’ll march out against
these Bacchae.
In this whole business we
will lose control, 960
if we have to put up with
what we’ve suffered
from these women.
DIONYSUS
You’ve heard what I had to say,
Pentheus,
but still you’re not convinced.
Though I’m suffering
badly at your hands,
I say you shouldn’t go to
war against a god.
You should stay calm. Bromius will not let you [790]
move his Bacchae from their mountains.
PENTHEUS
Don’t preach to me! You’ve
got out of prison—
enjoy that fact. Or shall
I punish you some more?
DIONYSUS
I’d sooner make an offering to
that god 970
than in some angry fit
kick at his whip—
a mortal going to battle
with a god.
PENTHEUS
I’ll sacrifice all right—with a
slaughter
of those women, just as
they deserve—
in the forests on
Cithaeron.
DIONYSUS
You’ll all run.
What a disgrace! To turn
your bronze shields round,
fleeing the thyrsoi of those Bacchic
women!
PENTHEUS [turning to one of his armed attendants, as
if to go]
It’s useless trying
to argue with this stranger— [800]
whatever he does or
suffers, he won’t shut up.
DIONYSUS [calling Pentheus
back]
My
lord! There’s still a chance to end this calmly. 980
PENTHEUS
By doing what? Should I
become a slave
to my own slaves?
DIONYSUS
I’ll bring the women here—
without the use of any
weapons.
PENTHEUS
I don’t think so.
You’re setting me up for
your tricks again.
DIONYSUS
What sort of trick, if I want
to save you
in my own way?
PENTHEUS
You’ve made some arrangement,
you and your god, so you
can always dance
your Bacchanalian orgies.
DIONYSUS
Yes, that’s true.
I have made some
arrangement with the god.
PENTHEUS [to one of his armed servants]
You
there, bring me my weapons.
[to Dionysus]
And you— 990
No more talk! Keep
quiet!
DIONYSUS
Just a minute! [810]
[moving up to Pentheus]
How’d
you like to gaze upon those women out there,
sitting together in the
mountains?
PENTHEUS
I’d like that.
Yes, for that I’d pay in
gold—and pay a lot.
DIONYSUS
Why is that? Why do you desire
it so much?
PENTHEUS
I’d be sorry to see the women
drunk.
DIONYSUS
Would you derive pleasure from
looking on,
viewing something you
find painful?
PENTHEUS
Yes, I would—
if I were sitting in the
trees in silence.
DIONYSUS
But even if you go there
secretly, 1000
they’ll track you down.
PENTHEUS
You’re right.
I’ll go there openly.
DIONYSUS
So you’re prepared,
are you, to make the trip?
Shall I lead you there?
PENTHEUS
Let’s go, and with all speed. I’ve
got time. [820]
DIONYSUS
In that case, you must clothe
your body
in a dress—one made of
eastern linen.
PENTHEUS
What! I’m not going up there as
a man?
I’ve got to change myself
into a woman?
DIONYSUS
If they see you as a man, they’ll
kill you.
PENTHEUS
Right again. You always have
the answer. 1010
DIONYSUS
Dionysus taught me all these
things.
PENTHEUS
How can I best follow your
suggestion?
DIONYSUS
I’ll go inside your house and
dress you up.
PENTHEUS
What? Dress up in a female
outfit?
I can’t do that—I’d be
ashamed to.
DIONYSUS
You’re still keen to see the
Maenads, aren’t you?
PENTHEUS
What sort of clothing do you
recommend?
How should I cover up my
body? [830]
DIONYSUS
I’ll fix up a long hair piece
for your head.
PENTHEUS: All right.
What’s the next piece of my
outfit? 1020
DIONYSUS
A dress down to your feet—then
a headband,
to fit just here, around
your forehead.
PENTHEUS
What else? What other things
will you provide?
DIONYSUS
A thyrsus to hold and a dappled
fawn skin.
PENTHEUS
No. I can’t dress up in
women’s clothes!
DIONYSUS
But if you go fighting with
these Bacchae,
you’ll cause bloodshed.
PENTHEUS
Yes, that’s true.
So first, we must go up
and spy on them.
DIONYSUS
Hunt down evil by committing
evil—
that sounds like a wise
way to proceed. 1030
PENTHEUS
But how will I make it through
the city
without the Thebans
noticing me? [840]
DIONYSUS
We go by deserted streets. I’ll
take you.
PENTHEUS
Well, anything is easier to
accept
than being made a fool by
Bacchic women.
Let’s go into the house. I’ll
think about what’s best.
DIONYSUS
As you wish.
Whatever you do, I’m ready.
PENTHEUS
I think I’ll go in now. It’s a
choice
of going with weapons or
taking your advice.
[Exit
Pentheus into the palace. Dionysus turns to face the chorus]
DIONYSUS
My women! that
man’s now entangled in our net. 1040
He’ll go to those Bacchae, and there he’ll die.
That will be his
punishment. Dionysus,
you’re not far away. Now
it’s up to you.
Punish him. First, make
sure he goes insane [850]
with some crazed fantasy.
If his mind is strong,
he’ll not agree to put on
women’s clothes.
But he’ll do it, if you
make him mad.
I want him made the
laughing stock of Thebes,
while I lead him through
the city, mincing
as he moves along in
women’s clothing, 1050
after he made himself so
terrifying
with all those earlier
threats. Now I’ll be off,
to fit Pentheus into the costume
he’ll wear when he goes
down to Hades,
once he’s butchered by
his mother’s hands.
He’ll come to acknowledge
Dionysus,
son of Zeus, born in full
divinity, [860]
most fearful and yet most
kind to men.
[Exit Dionysus]
CHORUS:
O when will I be dancing,
leaping barefoot through
the night, 1060
flinging back my head in
ecstasy,
in the clear, cold,
dew-fresh air—
like a playful fawn
celebrating its green joy
across the meadows—
joy that it’s escaped the
fearful hunt—
as she runs beyond the
hunters,
leaping past their woven
nets— [870]
they call out to their
hounds
to chase her with still
more speed, 1070
but she strains every
limb,
racing like a wind storm,
rejoicing by the river
plain,
in places where no
hunters lurk,
in the green living world
beneath the shady
branches,
the foliage of the trees.
What
is wisdom? What is finer
than the rights men get
from gods—
to hold their powerful
hands 1080
over the heads of their
enemies? [880]
Ah yes, what’s good is
always loved.
The
power of the gods
is difficult to stir—
but it’s a power we can
count on.
It punishes all mortal
men
who honour their own
ruthless wills,
who, in their fits of
madness,
fail to reverence the
gods.
Gods track down every man 1090
who scorns their worship,
using their cunning to
conceal
the enduring steady pace
of time. [890]
For
there’s no righteousness
in those who recognize or
practice
what’s beyond our
customary laws.
The truth is easy to
acknowledge:
whatever is divine is mighty,
whatever has been
long-established law
is an eternal natural
truth. 1100
What
is wisdom? What is finer
than the rights men get
from gods—
to hold their powerful
hands
over the heads of their
enemies? [900]
Ah yes, what’s good is
always loved.
Whoever
has escaped a storm at sea
is a happy man in
harbour,
whoever overcomes great
hardship
is likewise another happy
man.
Various men out-do each
other 1110
in wealth, in power,
in all sorts of ways.
The hopes of countless
men
are infinite in number.
Some make men rich;
some come to nothing.
So I consider that man
blessed
who lives a happy life [910]
existing day by day.
[Enter Dionysus from
the palace. He calls back through the open doors]
DIONYSUS
You who are
so desperately eager 1120
to see those things you
should not look upon,
so keen to chase what you
should not pursue—
I mean you, Pentheus, come out here now,
outside the palace, where
I can see you
dressed up as a raving Bacchic female,
to spy upon your mother’s
company.
[Enter Pentheus dressed in women’s clothing. He moves in a
deliberately overstated female way, enjoying the role]
DIONYSUS [admiringly, as he escorts Pentheus from the doors]
You
look just like one of Cadmus’ daughters.
PENTHEUS
Fancy that! I seem to see two suns,
two images of seven-gated
Thebes.
And you look like a bull
leading me out here, 1130 [920]
with those horns growing
from your head.
Were you once upon a time
a beast?
It’s certain now you’ve
changed into a bull.
DIONYSUS
The god walks here. He’s made a
pact with us.
Before
his attitude was not so kind.
Now you’re seeing just
what you ought to see.
PENTHEUS
How do I look? Am I holding
myself
just like Ino or my mother, Agave?
DIONYSUS
When I look at you, I think I see them.
But here, this strand of
hair is out of place. 1140
It’s not under the
headband where I fixed it.
PENTHEUS [demonstrating his dancing steps]
I must have worked it
loose inside the house, [930]
shaking my head when I
moved here and there,
practising my Bacchanalian
dance.
DIONYSUS
I’ll rearrange it for you. It’s
only right
that I should serve you. Straighten
up your head.
[Dionysus begins
adjusting Pentheus’ hair and clothing]
PENTHEUS
All right then. You can be my
dresser,
now that I’ve transformed
myself for you.
DIONYSUS
Your girdle’s loose. And these
pleats in your dress
are crooked, too, down at
your ankle here. 1150
PENTHEUS [examining the back of his legs]
Yes,
that seems to be true for my right leg,
but on this side the
dress hangs perfectly,
down the full
length of my limb.
DIONYSUS
Once you see
those Bacchic
women acting modestly,
once you confront
something you don’t expect, [940]
you’ll consider me your
dearest friend.
PENTHEUS
This thyrsus—should I hold it
in my right hand,
or in my left? Which is
more suitable
in Bacchic
celebrations?
DIONYSUS
In your right.
You must lift your right
foot in time with it. 1160
[Dionysus observes Pentheus trying out the dance step]
DIONYSUS
Your mind has changed. I
applaud you for it.
PENTHEUS
Will I be powerful enough to
carry
the forests of Cithaeron
on my shoulders,
along with all those Bacchic females?
DIONYSUS
If you have desire, you’ll have
the power.
Before this your mind was
not well adjusted.
But now it’s working in
you as it should.
PENTHEUS
Are we going to take some
levers with us?
Or shall I rip the
forests up by hand,
putting arm and shoulder
under mountain peaks? 1170 [950]
DIONYSUS
As long as you don’t do away with
those places where the
nymphs all congregate,
where Pan plays his music
on his pipes.
PENTHEUS
You mention a good point. I’ll
use no force
to get the better of
these women.
I’ll conceal myself there
in the pine trees.
DIONYSUS
You’ll find just the sort of
hiding place
a spy should find who
wants to hide himself,
so he can gaze upon the
Maenads.
PENTHEUS
That’s good. I can picture them
right now, 1180
in the woods, going at it
like rutting birds,
clutching each other as
they make sweet love.
DIONYSUS
Perhaps. That’s why you’re
going—as a guard
to stop all that. Maybe
you’ll capture them, [960]
unless you’re captured
first.
PENTHEUS
Lead on—
through the centre of our
land of Thebes.
I’m the only man in all the city
who dares to undertake
this enterprise.
DIONYSUS
You bear
the city’s burden by yourself,
all by yourself. So your
work is waiting there,
1190
the tasks that have been
specially set for you.
Follow me. I’m the guide
who’ll rescue you.
When you return someone
else will bring you back.
PENTHEUS
That will be my mother.
DIONYSUS
For everyone
you’ll have become
someone to celebrate.
PENTHEUS
That’s why I’m going.
DIONYSUS
You’ll be carried back . . .
PENTHEUS: [interrupting]
You’re
pampering me!
DIONYSUS [continuing]
. . . in your mother’s arms.
PENTHEUS
You’ve really made up your mind
to spoil me.
DIONYSUS
To spoil you? That’s
true, but in my own way.
PENTHEUS
Then I’ll be off to get what I
deserve. 1200 [970]
[Exit Pentheus]
DIONYSUS [speaking in the direction Pentheus has gone, but not speaking to him]
You
fearful, terrifying man—on your way
to horrific suffering. Well,
you’ll win
a towering fame, as high
as heaven.
Hold out your hand to
him, Agave,
you, too, her sisters, Cadmus’
daughters.
I’m leading this young
man in your direction,
for the great
confrontation, where I’ll triumph—
I and Bromius.
What else will happen
events will show, as they
occur.
[Exit Dionysus]
CHORUS 1
Up now, you hounds of madness, 1210
go up now into the
mountains,
go where Cadmus’
daughters
keep their company of
worshippers, [980]
goad them into furious
revenge
against that man, that
raving spy,
all dressed up in his
women’s clothes,
so keen to glimpse the
Maenads.
His mother will see him
first,
as he spies on them in
secret
from some level rock or crag. 1220
She’ll
scream out to her Maenads,
”Who’s the man who’s come
here,
to the mountains, to
these mountains,
tracking Cadmean mountain dancers?
O my Bacchae,
who has come?
From whom was this man
born?
He’s not born of woman’s
blood—
he must be some lioness’
whelp
or spawned from Libyan
gorgons.” [990]
CHORUS
Let justice manifest itself— 1230
let justice march, sword
in hand,
to stab him in the
throat,
that godless, lawless
man,
unjust earthborn seed of Echion.
CHORUS 2:
Any man intent on wickedness,
turning his unlawful rage
against your rites, O
Bacchus,
against the worship of
your mother,
a man who sets out with
an insane mind, [1000]
his courage founded on a
falsehood, 1240
who seeks to overcome by
force
what simply can’t be
overcome—
let death set his
intentions straight.
For a life devoid of
grief is one
which receives without
complaint
whatever comes down from
the gods—
that’s how mortals ought
to live.
Wisdom is something I don’t
envy.
My joy comes hunting
other things
lofty and plain to
everyone. 1250
They lead man’s life to
good
in purity and reverence,
honouring gods day and
night,
eradicating from our lives
customs lying beyond what’s
right. [1010]
CHORUS
Let justice manifest itself—
Let justice march, sword
in hand,
to stab him in the
throat,
that godless, lawless
man,
unjust earthborn seed of Echion. 1260
CHORUS 3:
Appear now to our sight, O
Bacchus—
come as a bull or
many-headed serpent
or else some
fire-breathing lion.
Go now, Bacchus, with
your smiling face [1020]
cast your deadly noose
upon
that hunter of the Bacchae,
as the group of Maenads
brings him down.
[Enter Second
Messenger, one of Pentheus’ attendants]
SECOND MESSENGER
How I grieve for this house, in
earlier days
so happy throughout
Greece, home of that old man,
Cadmus from Sidon, who
sowed the fields 1270
to harvest the earth-born
crop produced
from serpent Ophis. How I now lament—
I know I’m just a slave,
but nonetheless . . .
CHORUS
Do you bring us news?
Has something happened,
something about the Bacchae?
SECOND MESSENGER
Pentheus,
child of Echion, is dead.
[1030]
CHORUS
O my lord Bromius,
Now your divine greatness
is here made manifest! 1280
SECOND MESSENGER
What
are you saying? Why that song?
Women, how can you now
rejoice like this
for the death of one who
was my master?
CHORUS LEADER
We’re strangers here in Thebes,
so we sing out our joy
in chants from foreign
lands.
No longer need we cower
here
in fear of prisoner’s
chains.
SECOND MESSENGER
Do you think Thebes lacks
sufficient men
to take care of your
punishment? 1290
CHORUS
Dionysus, oh Dionysus,
he’s the one with power
over me—
not Thebes.
SECOND MESSENGER
That you may be forgiven, but
to cry
aloud with joy when such
disasters come,
women, that’s not
something you should so. [1040]
CHORUS
Speak to me, tell all—
How
did death strike him down,
that unrighteous man,
that man who acted so
unjustly? 1300
SECOND MESSENGER
Once we’d left the settlements
of Thebes,
we went across the river Asopus,
then started the climb up
Mount Cithaeron—
Pentheus
and myself, I following the king.
The stranger was our
guide, scouting the way.
First, we sat down in a
grassy meadow,
keeping our feet and
tongues quite silent,
so we could see without
being noticed. [1050]
There
was a valley there shut in by cliffs.
Through it refreshing
waters flowed, with pines 1310
providing shade. The
Maenads sat there,
their hands all busy with
delightful work—
some of them with ivy
strands repairing
damaged thyrsoi, while others sang,
chanting Bacchic songs to one another,
carefree as fillies freed
from harness.
Then Pentheus,
that unhappy man,
not seeing the crowd of
women, spoke up,
”Stranger, I can’t see
from where we’re standing.
My eyes can’t glimpse
those crafty Maenads. 1320 [1060]
But up there, on that
hill, a pine tree stands.
If I climbed that, I
might see those women,
and witness the
disgraceful things they do.”
Then I saw that stranger
work a marvel.
He seized that pine tree’s
topmost branch—
it stretched up to
heaven—and brought it down,
pulling it to the dark
earth, bending it
as if it were a bow or
some curved wheel
forced into a circle
while staked out with pegs—
that’s how the stranger
made that tree bend down,
1330
forcing the mountain pine
to earth by hand,
something no mortal man
could ever do.
He set Pentheus in that pine tree’s branches. [1070]
Then his hands released
the tree, but slowly,
so it stood up straight,
being very careful
not to shake Pentheus loose. So that pine
towered straight up to
heaven, with my king
perched on its back. Maenads
could see him there
more easily than he could
spy on them.
As he was just becoming
visible— 1340
the stranger had
completely disappeared—
some voice—I guess it was
Dionysus—
cried out from the sky, “Young
women,
I’ve brought you the man
who laughed at you, [1080]
who ridiculed my rites. Now
punish him!”
As he shouted this, a
dreadful fire arose,
blazing between the earth
and heaven.
The air was still. In the
wooded valley
no sound came from the
leaves, and all the beasts
were silent, too. The
women stood up at once.
1350
They’d heard the voice,
but not distinctly.
They gazed around them. Then
again the voice
shouted his commands. When
Cadmus’ daughters
clearly heard what
Dionysus ordered,
they rushed out, running
as fast as doves, [1090]
moving their feet at an
amazing speed.
His mother Agave with
both her sisters
and all the Bacchae charged straight through
the valley, the torrents,
the mountain cliffs,
pushed to a god-inspired
frenzy. 1360
They saw the king there
sitting in that pine.
First, they scaled a
cliff face looming up
opposite the tree and started
throwing rocks,
trying to hurt him. Others
threw branches,
or hurled their thyrsoi through the air at him,
sad, miserable Pentheus, their target. [1100]
But they didn’t hit him. The
poor man
sat high beyond their
frenzied cruelty,
trapped up there, no way
to save his skin.
Then, like lightning,
they struck oak branches down, 1370
trying them as levers to
uproot the tree.
When these attempts all
failed, Agave said,
”Come now,
make a circle round the tree.
Then, Maenads, each of
you must seize a branch,
so we can catch the
climbing beast up there,
stop him making our god’s
secret dances known.”
Thousands of hands
grabbed the tree and pulled.
They yanked it from the
ground. Pentheus fell, [1110]
crashing to earth down
from his lofty perch,
screaming in distress.
He knew well enough 1380
something dreadful was
about to happen.
His priestess mother
first began the slaughter.
She hurled herself at
him. Pentheus tore off
his headband, untying
it from his head,
so wretched Agave would
recognize him,
so she wouldn’t kill him.
Touching her cheek,
he cried out, “It’s me,
mother, Pentheus,
your child. You gave birth to
me at home,
in Echion’s
house. Pity me, mother— [1120]
don’t kill your child because
I’ve made mistakes.” 1390
But Agave was foaming at the
mouth,
eyes rolling in their sockets,
her mind not set
on what she ought to think—she
didn’t listen—
she was possessed, in a Bacchic frenzy.
She seized his left arm, below
the elbow,
pushed her foot against the
poor man’s ribs,
then
tore his shoulder out. The strength she had—
it was not her own. The god
put power
into those hands of hers. Meanwhile
Ino,
her sister, went at the other
side, 1400
ripping off chunks of Pentheus’ flesh,
while Autonoe
and all the Bacchae, [1130]
the whole crowd of them,
attacked as well,
all of them howling out
together.
As long as Pentheus
was still alive,
he kept on screaming. The
women cried in triumph—
one brandished an arm, another
held a foot—
complete with hunting boot—the
women’s nails
tore his ribs apart. Their
hands grew bloody,
tossing bits of his flesh back
and forth, for fun. 1410
His body parts lie scattered
everywhere—
some under rough rocks, some
in the forest,
deep in the trees. They’re
difficult to find.
As for the poor victim’s head,
his mother [1140]
stumbled on it. Her hands
picked it up,
then
stuck it on a thyrsus, at the tip.
Now she carries it around
Cithaeron,
as though it were some wild
lion’s head.
She’s left her sisters dancing
with the Maenads.
She’s coming here, inside
these very walls, 1420
showing off with pride her
ill-fated prey,
calling out to her fellow
hunter, Bacchus,
her companion in the chase,
the winner,
the glorious victor. By
serving him,
in her great triumph she wins
only tears.
As for me, I’m leaving this
disaster,
before Agave gets back home
again.
The best thing is to keep one’s
mind controlled, [1150]
and worship all that comes
down from the gods.
That, in my view, is the wisest
custom, 1430
for those who can
conduct their lives that way.
CHORUS
Let’s dance to honour Bacchus,
Let’s shout to celebrate
what’s happened here,
happened to Pentheus,
child of the serpent,
who put on women’s
clothes,
who took up the
beautiful and blessed thyrsus—
his certain death,
disaster brought on by
the bull.
You Bacchic
women 1440
[1160]
descended from old
Cadmus,
you’ve won glorious
victory,
one which ends in tears,
which ends in
lamentation.
A
noble undertaking this,
to drench one’s hands in
blood,
life blood dripping from
one’s only son.
CHORUS LEADER
Wait! I see Agave, Pentheus’ mother,
on her way home, her
eyes transfixed.
Let’s now welcome
her, 1450
the happy revels of our
god of
joy!
AGAVE
Asian Bacchae
. . .
CHORUS
Why do you appeal to me?
AGAVE [displaying the
head]
From
the mountains I’ve brought home [1170]
this ivy tendril freshly
cut.
We’ve had a blessed
hunt.
CHORUS
I see it.
As your fellow dancer, I’ll
accept it.
AGAVE
I caught this young lion
without a trap,
as you can see.
CHORUS
What desert was he in?
AGAVE
Cithaeron.
CHORUS
On Cithaeron?
AGAVE
Cithaeron killed him.
CHORUS
Who struck him down? 1460
AGAVE
The honour of the first blow
goes to me.
In the dancing I’m
called blessed Agave. [1180]
CHORUS
Who else?
AGAVE
Well, from Cadmus . . .
CHORUS
From Cadmus what?
AGAVE
His other children laid hands
on the beast,
but after me—only after
I did first.
We’ve had good hunting. So
come, share our feast.
CHORUS
What? You want me to eat that
with you?
Oh you unhappy woman.
AGAVE
This is a young bull. Look at
this cheek
It’s just growing downy
under the crop 1470
of his soft hair.
CHORUS
His hair makes him
resemble
some wild beast.
AGAVE
Bacchus is a
clever huntsman— [1190]
he wisely set his
Maenads on this beast.
CHORUS
Yes, our master is indeed a
hunter.
AGAVE
Have you any praise for me?
CHORUS
I praise you.
AGAVE
Soon all Cadmus’ people. . .
CHORUS
. . . and Pentheus, your son, as well.
AGAVE
. . . will celebrate his mother, who caught
the beast,
just like a lion.
CHORUS
It’s a strange trophy.
AGAVE
And strangely captured, too.
CHORUS
You’re proud of what you’ve done?
AGAVE
Yes, I’m delighted. Great
things I’ve done— 1480
great things on this
hunt, clear for all to see.
CHORUS
Well then, you most
unfortunate woman, [1200]
show off your hunting
prize, your sign of victory,
to all the citizens.
AGAVE [addressing everyone]
All of
you here,
all you living in the
land of Thebes,
in this city with its
splendid walls,
come see this wild beast
we hunted down—
daughters of Cadmus—not
with thonged spears,
Thessalian
javelins, or by using nets,
but with our own white
hands, our finger tips.
1490
After this, why should
huntsmen boast
aloud,
when no one needs the
implements they use?
We caught this beast by
hand, tore it apart— [1210]
with our own hands. But
where’s my father?
He should come here. And
where’s Pentheus?
Where is my son? He
should take a ladder,
set it against the house, fix this lion’s head
way up there,
high on the palace front.
I’ve captured it and
brought it home with me.
[Enter Cadmus and
attendants, carrying parts of Pentheus’ body]
CADMUS
Follow me, all those of you
who carry 1500
some part of wretched Pentheus. You
slaves,
come here, right by the
house.
[They place the
bits of Pentheus’ body together in a chest front of
the palace]
I’m
worn out.
So many searches—but I picked
up the body.
I came across it in the
rocky clefts
on Mount Cithaeron,
ripped to pieces, [1220]
no parts lying together
in one place.
It was in the
woods—difficult to search.
Someone told me what my daughter’d done,
those horrific acts,
once I’d come back,
returning here with old Tiresias, 1510
inside the city walls,
back from the Bacchae.
So I climbed the
mountains once again.
Now I bring home this
child the Maenads killed.
I saw Autonoe, who once bore
Actaeon
to Aristeius—and Ino,
she was with her there,
in the forest,
both still possessed, quite mad, poor creatures.
Someone said Agave was
coming here, [1230]
still doing her Bacchic dance. He spoke the truth,
for I see her there—what
a wretched sight! 1520
AGAVE
Father, now you can be truly
proud.
Among all living men you’ve
produced
by far the finest
daughters. I’m talking
of all of us, but
especially of myself.
I’ve left behind my
shuttle and my loom,
and risen to great
things, catching wild beasts
with my bare hands. Now
I’ve captured him,
I’m holding in my arms
the finest trophy,
as you can see, bringing
it back home to you,
so it may hang here.
[offering him Pentheus’ head]
Take this, father 1530 [1240]
let your hands welcome
it. Be proud of
it,
of what I’ve caught. Summon
all your friends—
have a banquet, for you
are blessed indeed,
blessed your daughters
have achieved these things.
CADMUS
This grief’s beyond measure,
beyond endurance.
With these hands of
yours you’ve murdered him.
You strike down this
sacrificial victim,
this offering to the
gods, then invite me,
and all of Thebes, to
share a banquet.
Alas—first for your
sorrow, then my own. 1540
Lord god Bromius, born into this
family,
has destroyed us, acting
out his justice, [1250]
but too much so.
AGAVE
Why such scowling eyes?
How sorrowful and solemn
old men become.
As for my son, I hope he’s
a fine hunter,
who copies his mother’s
hunting style,
when he rides out with
young men of Thebes
chasing after creatures
in the wild.
The only thing he seems
capable of doing
is fighting with the
gods. It’s up to you, 1550
father, to reprimand him
for it.
Who’ll call him here
into my sight,
so he can see my good
luck for himself?
CADMUS
Alas! Alas! What
dreadful pain you’ll feel
when you recognize what
you’ve just done. [1260]
If
you stay forever in your present state,
you’ll be unfortunate,
but you won’t feel
as if you’re suffering
unhappiness.
AGAVE
But what in all this is wrong
or painful?
CADMUS
First, raise
your eyes. Look up into the sky. 1560
AGAVE
All right. But why tell me to
look up there?
CADMUS
Does the sky still seem the
same to you,
or has it changed?
AGAVE
It seems, well, brighter . . .
more translucent than it
was before.
CADMUS
And your inner spirit—is it
still shaking?
AGAVE
I don’t understand what it is
you’re asking.
But my mind is starting
to clear somehow.
It’s changing . . . it’s
not what it was before.
[1270]
CADMUS
Can you hear me? Can you
answer clearly?
AGAVE
Yes. But, father, what
we discussed before, 1570
I’ve quite forgotten.
CADMUS
Then tell
me this—
to whose house did you
come when you got married?
AGAVE
You gave me to Echion, who, men say,
was one of those who
grew from seeds you cast.
CADMUS
In that house
you bore your husband a child.
What was his name?
AGAVE
His name was Pentheus.
I conceived him with his
father.
CADMUS
Well then,
this head your hands are
holding—whose is it?
AGAVE
It’s a lion’s. That’s what the
hunters said.
CADMUS
Inspect it carefully. You can
do that 1580
without much effort.
AGAVE [inspecting the head]
What is this?
What am I looking at? What
am I holding? [1280]
CADMUS
Look at it. You’ll understand
more clearly.
AGAVE
What I see fills me with
horrific pain . . .
such agony . . .
CADMUS
Does it still seem to you
to be a lion’s head?
AGAVE
No. It’s appalling—
this head I’m holding
belongs to Pentheus.
CADMUS
Yes, that’s right. I was
lamenting his fate
before you recognized
him.
AGAVE
Who killed him?
How did he come into my
hands?
CADMUS
Harsh truth— 1590
how you come to light at
the wrong moment.
AGAVE
Tell me. My heart is pounding
in me
to hear what you’re
about to say.
CADMUS
You killed him—
you and your sisters.
AGAVE
Where was he killed?
At
home? In what sort of place? [1290]
CADMUS
He was killed
where dogs once made a
common meal of Actaeon.
AGAVE
Why did this poor man go to
Cithaeron?
CADMUS
He went there to ridicule the
god
and you for celebrating
Dionysus.
AGAVE
But how did we happen to be up
there?
CADMUS
You were insane—the entire
city 1600
was in a Bacchic madness.
AGAVE
Now I see.
Dionysus has destroyed
us all.
CADMUS
He took offense at being
insulted.
You did not consider him
a god.
AGAVE
Father, where’s the body of my
dearest son?
CADMUS
I had trouble tracking the
body down.
I brought back what I
found.
AGAVE
Are all his limbs laid out
just as they should be? And
Pentheus, [1300]
what part did he play in my madness?
CADMUS
Like you, he was irreverent to
the god. 1610
That’s why the god
linked you and him together
in the same disaster—thus
destroying
the house and me, for I’ve
no children left,
now I see this offspring
of your womb,
you unhappy woman,
cruelly butchered
in the most shameful way.
He was the one
who brought new vision
to our family.
[addressing the
remains of Pentheus]
My
child, you upheld the honour of our house,
my
daughter’s son. You were feared in Thebes. [1310]
No one who saw you ever
would insult me, 1620
though I was old, for
you would then inflict
fit punishment. Now the
mighty Cadmus,
the man who sowed and
later harvested
the most splendid
crop—the Theban people—
will be an exile,
banished from his home,
a dishonoured man. Dearest
of men,
even though, my child,
you’re alive no more,
I count you
among those closest to me.
You won’t be touching my
cheek any more,
holding me in your arms,
and calling me 1630
“grandfather,” as you
ask me, “Old man,
who’s injuring or
dishonouring you? [1320]
Who
upsets your heart with any pain?
Tell me, father, so I
can punish him—
anyone who treats you in
an unjust way.”
Now you’re in this
horrifying state,
I’m in misery, your
mother’s pitiful,
and all your relatives
are in despair.
If there’s a man who
disrespects the gods,
let him think about how
this man perished— 1640
then he should develop
faith in them.
CHORUS LEADER
I’m sorry for you Cadmus—you’re
in pain.
But your grandson
deserved his punishment.
AGAVE
Father, you see how all has
changed for me.12
[From being your royal
and honoured daughter,
the mother of a king, I’m
now transformed—
an abomination, something
to fill
all people’s hearts with
horror, with disgust—
the mother who
slaughtered her only son,
who tore him apart,
ripping out the heart 1650
from the child who filled
her own heart with joy—
all to honour this god
Dionysus.
But, father, give me
your permission now
to lay out here the body
of my son,
prepare his corpse for
proper burial.
CADMUS
That’s no easy task to
undertake.
His body, all the parts I
could collect,
lies here, in this chest,
not a pretty sight.
My own eyes can hardly
bear to see him.
But if you think you can
endure the work, 1660
then, my child, begin the
appropriate rites.
AGAVE [removing Pentheus’ limbs and placing them on the ground in front of
her]
Alas, for my poor son, my
only child,
destroyed by his mother’s
Bacchic madness.
How could these hands of
mine, which loved him so,
have torn these limbs
apart, ripped out his flesh.
Here’s an arm which has
held me all these years,
growing stronger as he
grew into a man,
his feet . . . O how he
used to run to me,
seeking assurance of his
mother’s love.
His face was handsome, on
the verge of manhood. 1670
See the soft down still
resting on these lips,
which have kissed me
thousands of times or more.
All this, and all the
rest, set here before us.
Oh Zeus and all you
Olympian gods . . . .
[She
cannot complete the ritual and collapses in grief]
It
makes no sense—it’s unendurable.
How could the god have
wished such things on me?
CHORUS LEADER [helping Agave get up]
Lady, you must bear what
cannot be borne.
Your suffering is
intense, but the god is just.
You insulted him in
Thebes, showed no respect—
you’ve brought the
punishment upon yourself.
1680
CHORUS
What is wisdom? What is finer
than the rights men get
from gods—
to hold their powerful
hands
over the heads of their
enemies?
Ah yes, what’s good is
always loved.
So all praise Dionysus,
praise the dancing god,
god of our revelry,
god whose justice is
divine,
whose justice now reveals
itself. 1690
[Enter Dionysus]
DIONYSUS
Yes, I am Dionysus, son of
Zeus.
You see me now before
you as a god.
You Thebans learned
about my powers too late.
Dishonouring me, you
earn the penalty.
You refused my rites. Now
you must leave—
abandon your city for
barbarian lands.
Agave, too, that polluted
creature,
must go into perpetual
banishment.
And Cadmus, you too must
endure your lot.]13
Your form will change,
so you become a dragon.
1700 [1330]
Your
wife, Harmonia, Ares’ daughter,
whom you, though mortal,
took in marriage,
will be transformed,
changing to a snake.
As Zeus’ oracle
declares, you and she
will drive a chariot
drawn by heifers.
You’ll rule barbarians. With
your armies,
too large to count, you’ll
raze many cities.
Once they despoil Apollo’s
oracle,
they’ll have a painful
journey back again.
But Ares will guard you
and Harmonia. 1710
In lands of the blessed
he’ll transform your lives.
That’s what I
proclaim—I, Dionysus, [1340]
born from no mortal
father, but from Zeus.
If you had understood
how to behave
as you should have when
you were unwilling,
you’d now be fortunate,
with Zeus’ child
among your allies.
CADMUS
O Dionysus,
we implore you—we’ve not
acted justly.
DIONYSUS
You learn too late. You were
ignorant
when you should have
known.
CADMUS
Now we understand. 1720
Your actions against us
are too severe.
DIONYSUS
I was born a god, and you
insulted me.
CADMUS
Angry gods should not act just
like humans.
DIONYSUS
My father Zeus willed all this
long ago.
AGAVE
Alas, old man, then this must
be our fate, [1350]
a miserable exile.
DIONYSUS
Why then delay?
Why postpone what
necessity requires?
CADMUS
Child, we’ve stumbled into
this disaster,
this terrible
calamity—you and me,
both in agony—your
sisters, too. 1730
So I’ll go out to the
barbarians,
a foreign resident in my
old age.
And then for me there’s
that oracle
which says I’ll lead a
mixed barbarian force
back into Greece. And I’ll
bring here with me
Harmonia,
Ares’ daughter, my wife.
I’ll have the savage
nature of a snake,
as I lead my soldiers to
the altars,
to the tombs, in Greece.
But even then,
there’ll be no end to my
wretched sorrows. 1740
[1360]
I’ll never sail the
downward plunging Acheron
and reach some final
peace.
AGAVE [embracing Cadmus]
Father, I must be exiled
without you.
CADMUS
Why do you throw your arms
about me,
my unhappy child, just
like some young swan
protecting an old
one—gray and helpless.
AGAVE
Because I’ve no idea where to
go,
once I’m banished from
my father’s land.
CADMUS
Child, I don’t know. Your
father’s not much help.
AGAVE
Farewell, then, to my home.
1750
Farewell to my native
city.
In my misfortune I
abandon you,
an exile from spaces
once my own. [1370]
CADMUS
Go now to Aristeus’
house, my child.14
AGAVE
How I grieve for you, my
father.
CADMUS
And I grieve for you, my child,
as I weep for your
sisters.
AGAVE
Lord Dionysus has inflicted
such brutal terror on
your house.
DIONYSUS:
Yes. For at
your hands I suffered, too— 1760
and dreadfully. For
here in Thebes
my name received no
recognition.
AGAVE: Farewell, father.
CADMUS:
My most unhappy daughter,
may you fare well. That
will be hard for you. [1380]
AGAVE: Lead on, friends, so I may take my sisters,
those pitiful women,
into exile with me.
May I go somewhere where
cursed Cithaeron
will never see me, nor my eyes glimpse
that dreadful mountain,
a place far away
from any sacred
thyrsus. Let
others 1770
make Bacchic
celebrations their concern.
[Exit Agave]
CHORUS:
The gods appear in many forms,
carrying with them
unwelcome things.
What people thought
would happen never did.
What they did not
expect, the gods made happen.
That’s what this story
has revealed.
[Exeunt Chorus and
Cadmus, leaving on stage the remains of Pentheus’
body]
NOTES
1Semele, Cadmus’ daughter and Dionysus’ mother, had an affair with Zeus.
Hera, Zeus’ wife, tricked Zeus into destroying Semele
with a lightning bolt. Zeus took the infant Dionysus from his mother’s womb as
she was dying and sewed him into his thigh, where Dionysus continued to grow
until he was delivered as a new-born infant. [Back to Text]
2A thyrsus (pl. thyrsoi)
is a hollow plant stalk, usually decorated with ivy, and carried as a symbol of
Dionysus in the dancing celebrations (where it can acquire magical powers). [Back
to Text]
3The Maenads, who make up the Chorus of the play, are the female followers of Dionysus, who have followed him from Phrygia in Asia Minor to Thebes. [Back to Text]
4Rhea is Zeus’ mother. The drums are tambourines. Tmolus is a mountain in Asia Minor. Mount Cithaeron is a sacred mountain near Thebes. [Back to Text]
5Bromius and Bacchus are alternate names for Dionysus. [Back to Text]
6Cybele is an eastern mother goddess. The Curetes and Corybantes are attendants on the goddess Cybele. They banged their drums to drown out the cries of the infant Zeus, whose mother, Rhea, was trying to protect him from his father, Cronos. [Back to Text]
7Evoë is a cry of celebration in the Dionysian rituals. [Back to Text]
8Sidon, in Asia Minor, as these lines inform was, was the place where the royal family of Thebes originated. Cadmus had come from Asia Minor, sent out from home by his father, and founded Thebes. [Back to Text]
9Agave (Pentheus’ mother), Ino, and Autonoe were sisters, all daughters of Cadmus. Actaeon, son of Autonoe, offended the goddess Artemis, who turned him into a stag and had him torn apart by his own hunting dogs (see line 429 below). [Back to Text]
10The term barbarian refers to non-Greek-speaking people. [Back to Text]
11Pentheus’ father Echion was one of the warriors born when Cadmus, on instructions from the gods, killed a serpent-dragon and sowed its teeth in the earth. The teeth germinated as warriors rising from the ground. [Back to Text]
12At this point, there is a major gap in the manuscript. The text here
is reconstructed from what we know about the content of the missing portion. [Back to Text]
13The Greek text resumes here at the end of the gap in the manuscript. [Back to Text]
14Aristeus is the husband of Autonoe and father of Actaeon. [Back to Text]
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