Corio. My name is Caius Marcius, who hath done To thee particularly and to all the Volsces Great hurt and mischief; thereto witness may My surname, Coriolanus: the painful service, The extreme dangers and the drops of blood Shed for my thankless country are requited But with that surname; a good memory, And witness of the malice and displeasure
Which thou shouldst bear me; only that name remains : The cruelty and envy of the people,
Permitted by the dastard nobles, who
Have all forsook me, hath devoured the rest;
And suffered me by the voice of slaves to be
Whooped out of Rome. Now this extremity
Hath brought me to thy hearth, not out of hope—
Mistake me not-to save my life, for if
I had feared death, of all the men i' the world
I would have 'voided thee, but in mere spite,
To be full quit of those my banishers,
Stand I before thee here. Then if thou hast
A heart of wreak in thee, that wilt revenge
Thine own particular wrongs and stop those maims
Of shame seen through thy country, speed thee straight,
And make my misery serve thy turn; so use it
That my revengeful services may prove
Κ. Καὶ μὴν καλοῦμαι Μάρκιος Γαῖος, κακά
σοὶ δὴ μάλιστα καὶ πρόπαντι τῷ γένει
ὁ πολλὰ καὶ μέγιστα διαπράξας ποτέ
μαρτὺς δὲ Κοριολᾶνος αὐτὸ τοὔνομα,
τόδ' ἀντὶ μόχθων δυσφόρων εἰργασμένων
δεινῶν τ' ἀγώνων, τῆς τε φοινίας δρόσου
πάτρας ἀχάριτος πρὸς χάριν προειμένης,
γέρας τοσοῦτο τοῦδ ̓ ἐπώνυμος φέρω,
χρηστόν γε σῆμα καὶ τεκμήριον καλὸν
τῆς δυσμενείας καὶ φθόνου κακόφρονος
ὃν σοὶ προσῆκε δήποτ' ἀλδαίνειν ἐμοί.
μίμνει τόδ' οἶον, τἆλλα γὰρ πάλαι λεῶ
κείνου κατερρόφησεν ὠμόφρων φθόνος,
κακῶν ἐώντων δήποτ ̓ ἀκτόρων, ἐμέ
ἅμ ̓ ἐκλιπόντων, καμὲ τῆς Ρώμης ἄπο
δούλων ἐᾷ φθόγγοισιν ἐκφυγεῖν κακῶς.
τῶνδ ̓ ὧδ ̓ ἐχόντων, τῆσδ ̓ ὑπὸ χρείας ἐγώ
πρὸς ἑστίαν τὴν σὴν ἀφικόμην φυγάς,
οὐκ ἐλπίσας μὲν—μηδὲ φροντίσῃς τόδε
βίον γε σώζειν, εἰ δ ̓ ἀναγκαίαν τύχην
ὤκνησα, σοῦ τίς ἦν βροτῶν ἐμοὶ πλέον
πάντων ἀπεχθής; ἀλλ ̓ ἀπεχθείας ὕπο
μόνον προσῆλθον, τοῖσιν ἐκβεβληκόσιν
ἴσην προθυμῶν ἀντιτίσασθαι δίκην.
σὺ δ ̓ εἴπερ ὀργὴν ἐγκότου θυμοῦ φέρεις
ποθεῖς τε σαυτοῦ τἀδικήματ ̓ ἔμπαλιν
ἰδίᾳ τίνεσθαι, τὴν πατράν τ ̓ ὀνείδεσιν
τετρημένην ποτ' ἐξακουμένῃ χερί
ὀρθοῦν, ἄγ ̓ εὐθὺς, ὡς τὸ μὴ μέλλειν ἀκμή,
πάθη τε τἀμὰ κέρδος ἐς τὸ σὸν τρέπε,
ὥστ ̓ ἀντίποινα τἄμ' ὑπηρετήματα
As benefits to thee; for I will fight
Against my canker'd country with the spleen
Of all the under fiends. But if so be
Thou darest not this and that to prove more fortune
Thou 'rt tired, then, in a word, I also am
Longer to live most weary, and present
My throat to thee and to thy ancient malice;
Which not to cut would shew thee but a fool,
Since I have ever follow'd thee with hate,
Drawn tuns of blood out of thy country's breast,
And cannot live but to thy shame, unless
It be to do thee service.
Each word thou hast spoke hath weeded from my heart
A root of ancient envy. If Jupiter
Should from yon cloud speak divine things,
And say, 'tis true, I'd not believe them more
Than thee, all noble Marcius.
ὡς ὠφέλημα σοὶ γενήσεσθαι μέγα. ἐγὼ γὰρ αὐτὸς τῇ πάτρᾳ συνοίσομαι ὡς νερτέρων γε δαιμόνων πάντων χόλῳ. ἀλλ ̓ εἰ σὺ μὴ τολμᾶς τόδ', ἢ τύχης νέας πειρᾷν κατοκνεῖς, ἀλλὰ καὐτὸς δὴ βίου τρίβων προκάμνω, καὶ τράχηλα νῦν τάδε σοὶ δὴ προτείνω καὶ παλαιγένει χόλῳ. ἃ μὴ ταμών γε μωρίαν ὀφλισκάνεις ἀεὶ γὰρ ἐχθρᾷ σοι μεθεῖπον ἀφθίτῳ, θρόμβους τε πολλοὺς αἵματος πάτρας ἄπο τῆς σῆς ἀφείλκυσ ̓· οὐδὲ νῦν βλέπω φάος πλὴν σοὶ πρὸς αἶσχος, μή γ' ὑπηρετῶν τάδε. Α. 'Ω Μάρκι', ἢ μὴν πάνθ' ἕκαστα ταῦτ ̓ ἐμοί ἃ νῦν ἔλεξας, καρδίας ἀνέσπασεν
φθόνου παλαιὰν ῥιζαν. εἰ δὲ Ζεύς ποτε
τοῦδ ̓ ἐκ νέφους γε θεσφάτους ἱεὶς λόγους
φαίη τόδ' ὡς ἀληθές, οὐδὲ πλείονα
τοῦτ ̓ ἂν παράσχοι πίστιν ἢ φωνήματα
ἃ νῦν ἔνισπες, ὦ κράτιστε Μάρκιε.
To one ambitious of rule or titles,
Whose heaven on earth is placed in his command
And absolute power o'er others, would with joy
And veins high swoln with pride be entertained.
They take not me; for I have ever loved
An equal freedom, and proclaimed all such
As would usurp another's liberties
Rebels to nature, to whose bounteous blessings
All men lay claim as true legitimate sons:
But such as have made forfeit of themselves
By vicious courses, and their birthright lost,
"Tis not injustice they are marked for slaves
To serve the virtuous. For myself I know
Honours and great employments are great burdens,
And must require an Atlas to support them.
He that would govern others first should be
The master of himself, richly endued
With depth of understanding, height of courage,
And those remarkable graces, which I dare not
Ascribe unto myself.
Are trumpets of their own deserts, but you,
That are, not in opinion, but in proof
Really good, and full of glorious parts,
Leave the report of what you are to fame.
(Set in Examination, Christmas, 1880).
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