22
Chorus.
Unveil to us thy story, tell out all—
For what imputed guilt Zeus holds thee bond,
Putting thee thus to torment and to shame.
Tell, if to tell us do not cost thee hurt.
Prometheus.
To tell these things indeed is painful for me, 220 (205)
But to keep silence on them is pain too.
Yea, all ways is it wretched. When first grew
The strife among the gods, and they were ranged
Faction to adverse faction, these all zeal
To overtopple Kronos from his seat 225 (209)
That Zeus, forsooth, might king it, these astir
To thwart them, that Zeus ne'er should rule the gods,
I, counselling for the best, could not persuade
The Titans, sons of Uranus and Earth.
They, in their pride of strength despising arts 230 (214)
Of subtlety, supposed they should prevail
With little effort and by force alone.
But me, a many times, my mother Themis,
And Gaia, she who beareth many names,
Had warned of how the end should be achieved: 235 (219)
