§79ἔξοιδα, παῖ, φύσει σε μὴ πεφυκότα §80τοιαῦτα φωνεῖν μηδὲ τεχνᾶσθαι κακά· §81ἀλλʼ ἡδὺ γάρ τι κτῆμα τῆς νίκης λαβεῖν, §82τόλμα· δίκαιοι δʼ αὖθις ἐκφανούμεθα. §83νῦν δʼ εἰς ἀναιδὲς ἡμέρας μέρος βραχὺ §84δός μοι σεαυτόν, κᾆτα τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον §85κέκλησο πάντων εὐσεβέστατος βροτῶν. §86ἐγὼ μὲν οὓς ἂν τῶν λόγων ἀλγῶ κλύων, §87Λαερτίου παῖ, τούσδε καὶ πράσσειν στυγῶ· §88ἔφυν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐκ τέχνης πράσσειν κακῆς, §89οὔτʼ αὐτὸς οὔθʼ, ὥς φασιν, οὑκφύσας ἐμέ. §90ἀλλʼ εἴμʼ ἑτοῖμος πρὸς βίαν τὸν ἄνδρʼ ἄγειν §91καὶ μὴ δόλοισιν· οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἑνὸς ποδὸς §92ἡμᾶς τοσούσδε πρὸς βίαν χειρώσεται. §93πεμφθείς γε μέντοι σοὶ ξυνεργάτης ὀκνῶ §94προδότης καλεῖσθαι· βούλομαι δʼ, ἄναξ, καλῶς §95δρῶν ἐξαμαρτεῖν μᾶλλον ἢ νικᾶν κακῶς. §96ἐσθλοῦ πατρὸς παῖ, καὐτὸς ὢν νέος ποτὲ §97γλῶσσαν μὲν ἀργόν, χεῖρα δʼ εἶχον ἐργάτιν· §98νῦν δʼ εἰς ἔλεγχον ἐξιὼν ὁρῶ βροτοῖς §99τὴν γλῶσσαν, οὐχὶ τἄργα, πάνθʼ ἡγουμένην. §100τί μʼ οὖν ἄνωγας ἄλλο πλὴν ψευδῆ λέγειν; §101λέγω σʼ ἐγὼ δόλῳ Φιλοκτήτην λαβεῖν. §102τί δʼ ἐν δόλῳ δεῖ μᾶλλον ἢ πείσαντʼ ἄγειν; §103οὐ μὴ πίθηται· πρὸς βίαν δʼ οὐκ ἂν λάβοις. §104οὕτως ἔχει τι δεινὸν ἰσχύος θράσος; §105ἰούς γʼ ἀφύκτους καὶ προπέμποντας φόνον. §106οὐκ ἆρʼ ἐκείνῳ γʼ οὐδὲ προσμῖξαι θρασύ; §107οὔ, μὴ δόλῳ λαβόντα γʼ, ὡς ἐγὼ λέγω. §108οὐκ αἰσχρὸν ἡγεῖ δῆτα τὸ ψευδῆ λέγειν; §109οὔκ, εἰ τὸ σωθῆναί γε τὸ ψεῦδος φέρει. §110πῶς οὖν βλέπων τις ταῦτα τολμήσει λακεῖν; §111ὅταν τι δρᾷς εἰς κέρδος, οὐκ ὀκνεῖν πρέπει. §112κέρδος δʼ ἐμοὶ τί τοῦτον ἐς Τροίαν μολεῖν; §113αἱρεῖ τὰ τόξα ταῦτα τὴν Τροίαν μόνα. §114οὐκ ἆρʼ ὁ πέρσων, ὡς ἐφάσκετʼ, εἴμʼ ἐγώ; §115οὔτʼ ἂν σὺ κείνων χωρὶς οὔτʼ ἐκεῖνα σοῦ. §116θηρατέʼ οὖν γίγνοιτʼ ἄν, εἴπερ ὧδʼ ἔχει. §117ὡς τοῦτό γʼ ἔρξας δύο φέρει δωρήματα. §118ποίω;
Odysseus: I know, my child, that by nature you are not made to speak such things, nor to devise mischief. But indeed, since it is a sweet possession to gain victory, dare to do it; we shall appear righteous hereafter. But now, for a brief part of a day, give yourself to me for a shameless deed, and then for the remaining time be called the most pious of all mortals. Neoptolemus: Son of Laertius, those words which I grieve to hear, these I also hate to put into action. For I was born to do nothing by evil craft, neither myself nor, as they say, the father who begot me. But I am ready to lead the man by force and not by craft; for with only one foot he will not overcome so many of us by force. Yet, having been sent as your helper, I shrink from being called a traitor; and I prefer, lord, to fail while acting nobly rather than to conquer basely. Odysseus: Son of a noble father, I myself too, when I was young, had a tongue that was inactive, but a hand that was active. But now, going out to the test, I see that for mortals the tongue, and not actions, is the ruler of all things. Neoptolemus: What then do you command me to do other than to speak falsehoods? Odysseus: I bid you to take Philoctetes by craft. Neoptolemus: Why is it necessary to lead him by craft rather than by persuading him? Odysseus: He will not be persuaded; and you would not take him by force. Neoptolemus: Does he have such a terrible confidence in his strength? Odysseus: Yes, arrows that are inescapable and deal death. Neoptolemus: Is it then not even safe to approach him? Odysseus: No, unless you take him by craft, as I say. Neoptolemus: Do you then not think it shameful to speak falsehoods? Odysseus: No, if indeed the falsehood brings safety. Neoptolemus: How then can anyone dare to utter these things looking you in the face? Odysseus: When you do something for gain, it is not fitting to shrink. Neoptolemus: And what gain is it to me that this man comes to Troy? Odysseus: These bows alone will capture Troy. Neoptolemus: Am I then not the one who is to sack it, as you used to say? Odysseus: Neither could you do it without them, nor they without you. Neoptolemus: Then they must be hunted, if this is how it stands. Odysseus: Since by doing this you will win two rewards. Neoptolemus: What kind?
μαθὼν γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἀρνοίμην τὸ δρᾶν. §119σοφός τʼ ἂν αὑτὸς κἀγαθὸς κεκλῇʼ ἅμα. §120ἴτω· ποήσω, πᾶσαν αἰσχύνην ἀφείς. §121ἦ μνημονεύεις οὖν ἅ σοι παρῄνεσα; §122σάφʼ ἴσθʼ, ἐπείπερ εἰσάπαξ συνῄνεσα. §123σὺ μὲν μένων νυν κεῖνον ἐνθάδʼ ἐκδέχου, §124ἐγὼ δʼ ἄπειμι, μὴ κατοπτευθῶ παρών, §125καὶ τὸν σκοπὸν πρὸς ναῦν ἀποστελῶ πάλιν. §126καὶ δεῦρʼ, ἐάν μοι τοῦ χρόνου δοκῆτέ τι §127κατασχολάζειν, αὖθις ἐκπέμψω πάλιν §128τοῦτον τὸν αὐτὸν ἄνδρα, ναυκλήρου τρόποις §129μορφὴν δολώσας, ὡς ἂν ἀγνοία προσῇ· §130οὗ δῆτα, τέκνον, ποικίλως αὐδωμένου §131δέχου τὰ συμφέροντα τῶν ἀεὶ λόγων. §132ἐγὼ δὲ πρὸς ναῦν εἶμι, σοὶ παρεὶς τάδε· §133Ἑρμῆς δʼ ὁ πέμπων δόλιος ἡγήσαιτο νῷν §134Νίκη τʼ Ἀθάνα Πολιάς, ἣ σῴζει μʼ ἀεί. §135τί χρὴ τί χρή με, δέσποτʼ, ἐν ξένᾳ ξένον §136στέγειν ἢ τί λέγειν πρὸς ἄνδρʼ ὑπόπταν; §137φράζε μοι.
For having learned them, I would not refuse to act. Odysseus: You would be called both wise and good at the same time. Neoptolemus: Let it be; I will do it, casting off all shame. Odysseus: Do you then remember what I advised you? Neoptolemus: Know it well, since I have agreed once and for all. Odysseus: Do you then remain here and wait for him, while I depart, lest I be observed being present, and I will send the lookout back to the ship. And hither, if you seem to me to be wasting any of the time, I will send again this same man, having disguised his appearance in the guise of a shipmaster, so that ignorance may attend him. From him, my child, as he speaks in riddles, receive whatever of his words is useful from time to time. But I will go to the ship, leaving these things to you. And may Hermes the guide, the crafty one, lead us both, and Athena Polias, Victory, who always saves me. Chorus: What must I, what must I, master, being a stranger in a foreign land, conceal or what must I say to a suspicious man? Tell me.
τέχνα γὰρ §138τέχνας ἑτέρας προύχει §139καὶ γνώμα παρʼ ὅτῳ τὸ θεῖον §140Διὸς σκῆπτρον ἀνάσσεται. §141σὲ δʼ, ὦ τέκνον, τόδʼ ἐλήλυθεν §142πᾶν κράτος ὠγύγιον· τό μοι ἔννεπε §143τί σοι χρεὼν ὑπουργεῖν. §144νῦν μέν, ἴσως γὰρ τόπον ἐσχατιαῖς §145προσιδεῖν ἐθέλεις ὅντινα κεῖται, §146δέρκου θαρσῶν· ὁπόταν δὲ μόλῃ §147δεινὸς ὁδίτης, τῶνδʼ οὑκ μελάθρων §148πρὸς ἐμὴν αἰεὶ χεῖρα προχωρῶν §149πειρῶ τὸ παρὸν θεραπεύειν. §150μέλον πάλαι μέλημά μοι λέγεις, ἄναξ, §151φρουρεῖν ὄμμʼ ἐπὶ σῷ μάλιστα καιρῷ· §152νῦν δέ μοι λέγʼ, αὐλὰς §153ποίας ἔνεδρος ναίει §154καὶ χῶρον τίνʼ ἔχει.
For art surpasses other arts, and so does the wisdom of him by whom the divine sceptre of Zeus is wielded. And to you, my child, has come this whole ancient power; tell me, then, what it is necessary for me to do to serve you. Neoptolemus: For now, since perhaps you wish to look upon the outermost place where he lies, look with confidence; but whenever he comes, that terrible traveler, moving forward from these dwellings always toward my hand, try to serve what is needed at the moment. Chorus: You speak of a care that has long been my care, lord, to watch with my eye especially for your opportunity. But now tell me, what kind of dwellings does he inhabit as a resident, and what place does he occupy?