 | Pygmalion |  |
Nay, nay, Orsines, you a warrior trained
By daily exercise in warlike feats
Tend to resolve all tangles by the stroke
Of steel. But steel, O friend, will scarce suppress
A rising tide; or backward push the sun
Because forsooth his beams too fiercely burn!
Against the tide we must protect our shores
By driven piles; and stones in sloping walls;
And quays of solid strength. Then tides become
The servants of our greatness, bearing ships
Exultingly to conquest; or in peace
Enriching us by gathered merchandise.
We must not throw sharp sand against the wind.
No; we must strive to guide not stay this growth;
For tho' we are in our high state the flowers,
The people are the mighty stem whereon
We live and grow; or perish if cut off.
89
Tend to resolve all tangles by the stroke
Of steel. But steel, O friend, will scarce suppress
A rising tide; or backward push the sun
Because forsooth his beams too fiercely burn!
Against the tide we must protect our shores
By driven piles; and stones in sloping walls;
And quays of solid strength. Then tides become
The servants of our greatness, bearing ships
Exultingly to conquest; or in peace
Enriching us by gathered merchandise.
We must not throw sharp sand against the wind.
No; we must strive to guide not stay this growth;
For tho' we are in our high state the flowers,
The people are the mighty stem whereon
We live and grow; or perish if cut off.
| Pygmalion | |