 | Pygmalion |  |
Dionysus.
When Dionysus, flushed triumphantly18
And riotous in delightful lustihood,
First touched the shore of Thrace; around him thronged
His large-limbed, cymbal-clashing nymphs; rough fauns.
Braying horn trumpets; ruddy satyrs danced,
Clicking their hard hoofs on the harder rocks:
Weak-kneed Silenus, puffing, on both sides
Upheld by grinning slaves, who plied the cup,
Wherein two nymphs squeezed juice of dusky grapes.
Bright girls and agile youths curvetting wild
On leopards, bitted, straining gilded reins,
Nigh touched the God, lolling on tiger huge,
Silent of footfall, tawny flamed and striped;
He with his ivied spear pointing the way.
Stout baby boys, bestriding frisky goats,
Clutched fast their horns when arching up to butt;
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Behind walked modest maids and men sedate
Whose charge it was to bear the nurseling vines.
In logbuilt palace grim Lycurgus, King,
Scornful of corn and oil and every fruit,
Ate flesh himself had slain. He hunted sure,
Tracking his prey by signs to certain fate.
Came unto him the din: first faintly heard;
Soon swelling into loud uproar that burned
The blood within him to a warlike rage;
When, seizing nearest weapons, head unhelmed,
Clattering spear on shield, he rushed without
And to his people shouted vehemently.
Hastily arming, wondering, on they came,
Obedient to the call; fast they formed rank;
Led by their King fast strode to meet the God.
When Dionysus saw this threatening front
Advance and pause, the King's eyes darting fires
Of anger under knitted brows, before
He put his helmet on and fastened it;
Lightly he left the tiger's back, to meet
And offer make the King, in accents soft
Of nurseling plants that seasonably would grow
Abundant grapes and load his land with wealth,
Thro' which his people might by interchange
Take toll of others' best; and thus increase
Their gladness: so, by multiplying needs
Quicken their energies to wider range
Of action; growing greater with the march
Of timely circumstance, that ever aids
All willing workers towards some statelier end.
20
Of anger under knitted brows, before
He put his helmet on and fastened it;
Lightly he left the tiger's back, to meet
And offer make the King, in accents soft
Of nurseling plants that seasonably would grow
Abundant grapes and load his land with wealth,
Thro' which his people might by interchange
Take toll of others' best; and thus increase
Their gladness: so, by multiplying needs
Quicken their energies to wider range
Of action; growing greater with the march
Of timely circumstance, that ever aids
All willing workers towards some statelier end.
Whereat Lycurgus smiling ghastliwise:
This then your plea for bursting on my lands
Without leave asked! To give my men a boon
Which swells them in their own esteem to Gods,
But leaves them beasts, without clear-sightedness
Of beasts. We are content to feed on flesh
Provided by the Gods: but not content
To scrape, and scratch, and dig the earth for food,
Like slave that knoweth not the use of arms.
Fruit is for babes; flesh for the teeth of man.
Behold your bloat Silenus! What unstrung
The sinews of his knees, that scarcely bear
The over-burdened weight above? To steal
Man's strength, and give instead unwieldy size:
Is this your boon!
This then your plea for bursting on my lands
Without leave asked! To give my men a boon
Which swells them in their own esteem to Gods,
But leaves them beasts, without clear-sightedness
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Provided by the Gods: but not content
To scrape, and scratch, and dig the earth for food,
Like slave that knoweth not the use of arms.
Fruit is for babes; flesh for the teeth of man.
Behold your bloat Silenus! What unstrung
The sinews of his knees, that scarcely bear
The over-burdened weight above? To steal
Man's strength, and give instead unwieldy size:
Is this your boon!
With other states we will
Not deal save with our swords and spears. And last,
As touching this exalted life you vaunt,
How fared it with Damascus, good old King?
Who would have saved his people from this taint
That fouls the blood to weakness, sickness, death;
But you corrupted them; and him you slew!
How of his skin? Was it to leather tanned
To hold your grape juice stored! Owls! Owls! I say,
Owls! And down spears!
Not deal save with our swords and spears. And last,
As touching this exalted life you vaunt,
How fared it with Damascus, good old King?
Who would have saved his people from this taint
That fouls the blood to weakness, sickness, death;
But you corrupted them; and him you slew!
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To hold your grape juice stored! Owls! Owls! I say,
Owls! And down spears!
Then, as a sudden gust
On corn, hurtling fell down the spears as one
To deadly point of menace.
On corn, hurtling fell down the spears as one
To deadly point of menace.
Shifting round
His wolfskin; right arm free forth leaped the King
And cried the charge.
His wolfskin; right arm free forth leaped the King
And cried the charge.
Stepping some paces back,
Nearly as Powers who know the future can
Be struck amazed at acts of mortal man
An instant in immortal sorrow gazed
The God surprised. Then from his features flashed
A lurid lightning glare portending doom.
Lowering his lance whilom at shivering poise
He moved stern-visaged towards the ocean cliffs.
Nearly as Powers who know the future can
Be struck amazed at acts of mortal man
An instant in immortal sorrow gazed
The God surprised. Then from his features flashed
A lurid lightning glare portending doom.
Lowering his lance whilom at shivering poise
He moved stern-visaged towards the ocean cliffs.
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Now whistling shrill, winged death in volleys flew;
Now charged the press of spears in level line;
Now crashed the storm in shouts and shrieks and cries;
Huddling confused they clambered interlocked
Hindering escape. Quick-eyed Lycurgus sent
Swift-footed bowmen to outrun and head
Inland the rout before they made the sea.
Now charged the press of spears in level line;
Now crashed the storm in shouts and shrieks and cries;
Huddling confused they clambered interlocked
Hindering escape. Quick-eyed Lycurgus sent
Swift-footed bowmen to outrun and head
Inland the rout before they made the sea.
When Dionysus saw Necessity,
Before whose presence Zeus himself must bow,
Oppose his cherished plan, and Hope saw not,
Scaling an ocean crag he cried aloud
Woe to the mortal who assaults a God!
Before whose presence Zeus himself must bow,
Oppose his cherished plan, and Hope saw not,
Scaling an ocean crag he cried aloud
Fear; palsied madness; some outrageous death!
Come the Erinyes soon: I hear their wings!
Then at Lycurgus hurling his green spear
Thro' metal shield and right uplifted arm;
He plunged down headlong in the plunging waves,
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Calming the waters saved the God from hurt.
Thus saw Pygmalion Dionysus' gift
Roughly rejected by Lycurgus, King.
And this in pure immortal marble he
Laboured to show; bound by those rules of Art
The Wise had found inexorably fixed.
| Pygmalion | |