is put. In Bacchus, whom I gave thee of to Placing your mighty sides upon the drink. ground. Cyclops. What sort of God is Bacchus Cyclops. What do you put the cup then accounted ? behind me for ? Ulysses. The greatest among men Silenus. That no one here may for joy of life. touch it. Cyclops. I gulpt him down with very Cyclops. Thievish one! great delight. You want to drink ;-here place it in Ulysses. This is a God who never the midst. injures men. And thou, O stranger, tell how art thou Cyclops. How does the God like called ? living in a skin ? Ulysses. My name is Nobody. What Ulysses. He is content wherever he favour now Shall I receive to praise you at your Cyclops. Gods should not have their hands? body in a skin. Cyclops. I'll seast on you the last of Ulysses. If he gives joy, what is his your companions. skin to you? Ulysses. You grant your guest a fair Cyclops. I hate the skin, but love reward, O Cyclops. the wine within. Cyclops. Ha! what is this? Steal. Ulysses. Stay here, now drink, and ing the wine, you rogue! make your spirit glad. Silenus, It was this stranger kissing Cyclops. Should I not share this me because liquor with my brothers ? I looked so beautiful. Ulysses. Keep it yourself, and be Cyclops. You shall repent more honoured so. For kissing the coy wine that loves you Cyclops. I were more useful, giving not. to my friends. Silenus. By Jupiter! you said that Ulysses. But village mirth breeds I am fair. contests, broils, and blows. Cyclops. Pour out, and only give Cyclops. When I am drunk none me the cup full. shall lay hands on me. Silenus. How is it mixed ? let me Ulysses. A drunken man is better observe. within doors. Cyclops. Curse you ! Cyclops. He is a fool, who drinking, Give it me so. loves not mirth. Silenus. Not till I see you wear Ulysses. But he is wise, who drunk, That coronal, and taste the cup to you. remains at home. Cyclops. Thou wily traitor! Cyclops. What shall I do, Silenus ? Silenus. But the wine is sweet. Shall I stay? Ay, you will roar if you are caught in Silenus. Stay--for what need have drinking you of pot companions ? Cyclops. See now, my lip is clean Cyclops. Indeed this place is closely and all my beard. carpeted Silenus. Now put your elbow right With flowers and grass. and drink again. Silenus. And in the sun - warm As you see me drink Cyclops. How now? 'Tis sweet to drink. Lie down beside Silenus. Ye Gods, what me now, a delicious gulp! noon Cyclops. Guest, take it ;—you pour Ulysses. Vulcan, Ætnean king! out the wine for me. burn out with fire Ulysses. The wine is well accus. The shining eye of this thy neighbourtomed to my hand. ing monster! Cyclops. Pour out the wine ! And thou, O sleep, nursling of gloomy Ulysses. I pour; only be silent. night, Cyclops. Silence is a hard task to Descend unmixed on this God-hated him who drinks. beast, Ulysses. Take it and drink it off ; And suffer not Ulysses and his comrades, leave not a dreg. Returning from their famous Trojan Oh, that the drinker died with his own toils, draught ! To perish by this man, who cares not Cyclops. Papai! the vine must be a either sapient plant. For God or mortal ; or I needs must Ulysses. If you drink much after a think mighty feast, That Chance is a supreme divinity, Moistening your thirsty maw, you will And things divine are subject to her sleep well ; power. If you leave aught, Bacchus will dry you Chorus up. Soon a crab the throat will seize Cyclops. Ho! ho ! I can scarce rise. Of him who feeds upon his guest, What pure delight ! Fire will burn his lamp-like eyes The heavens and earth appear to whirl In revenge of such a feast ! about A great oak stump now is lying Come, Maron, come ! Of the Cyclops—that his cup May be evil ! Oh! I long to dance and revel Cyclops. By Jove you are ; I bore With sweet Bromian, long desired, you off from Dardanus. In loved ivy wreaths attired ; Leaving this abandoned homeUlysses and the Chorus Will the moment ever come ? Ulysses. Come, boys of Bacchus, Ulysses. Be silent, ye wild things ! children of high race, Nay, hold your peace, This man within is folded up in sleep, And keep your lips quite close ; dare And soon will vomit flesh from his fell not to breathe, maw; Or spit, or e'en wink, lest ye wake the The brand under the shed thrusts out monster, its smoke, Until his eye be tortured out with fire. No preparation needs, but to burn out Chorus. Nay, we are silent, and we The monster's eye ;—but bear yourselves chaw the air. like men. Ulysses. Come now, and lend a hand Chorus. We will have courage like to the great stake the adamant rock, Within-it is delightfully red hot. All things are ready for you here ; go in, Chorus. You then command who Before our father shall perceive the noise. first should seize the stake or foot. nie. To burn the Cyclops'eye, that all may share Cyclops. Ah me! my eyesight is In the great enterprise. parched up to cinders. Semichorus I. We are too far, Chorus. What a sweet päan ! sing We cannot at this distance from the door me that again ! Thrust fire into his eye. Cyclops. Ah me! indeed, what woe Semichorus II. And we just now has fallen apon me! Have become lame ; cannot move hand But wretched nothings, think ye not to flee Chorus. The same thing has occurred Out of this rock ; I, standing at the to us,-our ankles outlet, Are sprained with standing here, I know Will bar the way and catch you as you not how, pass. Ulysses. What, sprained with stand- Chorus. What are you roaring out, ing still? Cyclops ? I perish ! Chorus. What, did you fall into the Chorus. With pitying my own back fire when drunk ? and my back bone, Cyclops. 'Twas Nobody destroyed And with not wishing all my teeth knocked out, Chorus. Why then no one This cowardice comes of itself—but stay, Can be to blame. I know a famous Orphic incantation Cyclops. I say 'twas Nobody To make the brand stick of its own Who blinded me. accord Chorus. Why then you are not Into the skull of this one-eyed son of blind. Earth. Cyclops. I wish you were as blind Ulysses. Of old I knew ye thus by as I am. nature ; now Chorus. Nay, I know ye better.--I will use the aid It cannot be that no one made you blind. Of my own comrades--yet though weak Cyclops. You jeer me; where, I of hand ask, is Nobody? Speak cheerfully, that so ye may awaken Chorus. Nowhere, O Cyclops. The courage of my friends with your Cyclops. It was that stranger ruined blithe words. me :the wretch Chorus. This I will do with peril of First gave me wine and then burnt out my eye, And blind you with my exhortations, For wine is strong and hard to struggle Cyclops. with. Hasten and thrust, Have they escaped, or are they yet And parch up to dust, within ? The eye of the beast, Chorus. They stand under the dark. Who feeds on his guest. ness of the rock And cling to it. Cyclops. At my right hand Chorus. Close on your right. Where? my life, or left ? Chorus. Near the rock itself. I will descend upon the shore, though You have them. blind, Cyclops. Oh, misfortune Groping my way adown the steep on misfortune! ravine. I've cracked my skull. Chorus. And we, the shipmates of Ulysses now, Will serve our Bacchus all our happy Cyclops. Not there, although you lives. say so. Chorus. Not on that side. Cyclops. Where then ? EPIGRAMS Chorus. They creep about you on your left. Cyclops. Ah! I am mocked! They 1.-TO STELLA jeer me in my ills. FROM THE GREEK OF PLATO Thou wert the morning star among the living, Ere thy fair light had fed ;Ulysses. Far from you Now, having died, thou art as Hesperus, I keep with care this body of Ulysses. giving Cyclops. What do you say? You New splendour to the dead. proffer a new name. II.-KISSING HELENA FROM THE GREEK OF PLATO Kissing Helena, together And not revenged the murder of my With my kiss, my soul beside it comrades. Came to my lips, and there I kept Cyclops. Ai! ai! the ancient oracle it,is accomplished; It said that I should have my eyesight For the poor thing had wandered thither, To follow where the kiss should guide blinded it, By you coming from Troy, yet it fore Oh, cruel I, to intercept it! told That you should pay the penalty for this III.-SPIRIT OF PLATO By wandering long over the homeless FROM THE GREEK Ulysses. I bid thee weep-consider what I say, Eagle! why soarest thou above that I go towards the shore to drive my ship tomb? To mine own land, o'er the Sicilian To what sublime and star-ypaven home Cyclops. Not so, if whelming you Floatest thou ? with this huge stone I am the image of swift Plato's spirit, I can crush you and all your men to- Ascending heaven---Athens doth inherit gether; His corpse below. sea. wave. FROM THE GREEK A deeper Venus bears upon her heart. IV.-CIRCUMSTANCE See, his beloved dogs are gathering round The Oread nymphs are weepingA MAN who was about to hang himself, Aphrodite Finding a purse, then threw away his With hair unbound is wandering thro' rope; the woods, The owner, coming to reclaim his pelf, Wildered, ungirt, unsandalled —- the The halter found and used it. So is thorns pierce Hope Her hastening feet and drink her sacred Changed for Despair-one laid upon the blood. shelf, Bitterly screaming out she is driven on We take the other. Under heaven's Thro' the long vales ; and her Assyrian high cope boy, Fortune is God—all you endure and do Her love, her husband calls—the purple Depends on circumstance as much as blood you. From his struck thigh stains her white navel now, now are Her bosom, and her neck before like FRAGMENT OF THE ELEGY ON snow. THE DEATH OF ADONIS Alas for Cytherea—the Loves mournFROM THE GREEK OF BION The lovely, the beloved is gone-and I MOURN Adonis dead loveliest Her sacred beauty vanishes away. For Venus whilst Adonis lived was fairDead, dead Adonis - and the Loves Alas her loveliness is dead with him. lament. The oaks and mountains cry Ai! ai! Sleep no more, Venus, wrapt in purple Adonis ! woofWake violet-stolèd queen, and weave The springs their waters change to tears and weepthe crown The flowers withered up with Of Death,—-'tis Misery calls, - for he is grief . . dead. The lovely one lies wounded in the Ai! ai! Adonis is dead Echo resounds Adonis dead. mountains, His white thigh struck with the white Who will weep not thy dreadful woe, 0 tooth; he scarce Venus ? Yet breathes; and Venus hangs in agony Soon as she saw and knew the mortal there. The dark blood wanders o'er his Of her Adonis - saw the life - blood snowy flow limbs, His eyes beneath their lids are lustreless, From his fair thigh, now wasting, wail. The rose has fled from his wan lips, and ing loud there She clasped him and cried Stay, That kiss is dead, which Venus gathers Adonis ! yet. Stay dearest one, and mix my lips with thineA deep deep wound Adonis . Wake yet a while Adonis-oh but once, wound |
