Ancient Greek | English Translation |
Προμηθέως ἐν Σκυθίᾳ δεδεμένου διὰ τὸ κεκλοφέναι τὸ πῦρ πυνθάνεται Ἰὼ πλανωμένη, κατ' Αἴγυπτον γενομένη, ὅτι ἐκ τῆς ἐπαφήσεως τοῦ Διὸς τέξεται τὸν Ἔπαφον. Ἑρμῆς τε παράγεται ἀπειλῶν αὐτῷ κεραυνωθήσεσθαι, ἐὰν μὴ εἴπῃ τὰ μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι τῷ Διί, καὶ τέλος βροντῆς γενομένης ἀφανὴς γίνεται ὁ Προμηθεύς. Κεῖται ἡ μυθοποιία ἐν παρεκβάσει παρὰ Σοφοκλεῖ ἐν Κολχίσι, παρὰ δ᾽ Εὐριπίδῃ ὅλως οὐ κεῖται. Ἡ μὲν σκηνὴ τοῦ δράματος ὑπόκειται ἐν Σκυθίᾳ ἐπὶ τὸ Καυκάσιον ὄρος· ὁ δὲ χορὸς συνέστηκεν ἐξ ᾿Ωκεανίδων νυμφῶν. Τὸ δὲ κεφάλαιον ἐστὶ Προμηθέως δέσις. Ἰστέον ὡς οὐ κατὰ τὸν κοινὸν λόγον ἐν Καυκάσῳ φησὶ δεδέσθαι Προμηθέα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοῖς Εὐρωπαίοις τέρμασι τοῦ ὠκεανοῦ, ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν πρὸς τὴν Ἰὼ λεγομένων ἔστι συμβαλεῖν. Ἐκ τῆς Μουσικῆς Ἱστορίας· ταύτῃ καὶ ἄριστος εἰς τραγῳδίαν Αἰσχύλος κρίνεται, ὅτι εἰσάγει πρόσωπα μεγάλα καὶ ἀξιόχρεα. Καί τινες ἤδη τῶν τραγωδιῶν αὐτοῦ διὰ μόνων οἰκονομοῦνται θεῶν, καθάπερ οἱ Προμηθεῖς· τὰ γὰρ δράματα συμπληροῦσιν οἱ πρεσβύτατοι τῶν θεῶν καὶ ἔστι τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς σκηνῆς καὶ τῆς ὀρχήστρας θεῖα πάντα πρόσωπα. |
Prometheus, bound in Scythia for having stolen fire, is encountered by Io, who is wandering and has reached Egypt. There, she learns that through her union with Zeus, she will bear Epaphus. Hermes then appears, threatening Prometheus with a thunderbolt if he refuses to disclose to Zeus what the future holds. In the end, with the crash of thunder, Prometheus vanishes. This version of the myth appears as a digression in Sophocles, set in Colchis, but it is entirely absent in Euripides. The dramatic setting is Scythia, on Mount Caucasus, and the chorus consists of Oceanid nymphs. The central focus of the play is Prometheus’s binding. It should be noted that, contrary to the common tradition, Prometheus is not said to be bound in the Caucasus, but rather at the westernmost edges of the Ocean — as one may infer from the passages concerning Io. From the History of Music: Aeschylus is regarded as the greatest tragedian, as he introduces characters who are noble and worthy of reverence. Indeed, some of his tragedies — such as the Prometheia — are composed entirely of divine figures. These dramas are filled with the presence of the eldest gods, and all the characters, both on stage and in the orchestra, are gods. |