 | Artaxerxes |  |
SCENE VIII.
Semiraalone.
For which of all the numerous trials round me
Shall I first arm my constancy? Mandane,
Arbaces, Megabyzus, Artaxerxes,
My father, all are now my foes; and each
Assails my bosom in some tender part.
While one I seek to oppose, I leave myself
Defenceless to the rest, and find my strength
Too weak alone to bear the shock of all.
Shall I first arm my constancy? Mandane,
Arbaces, Megabyzus, Artaxerxes,
My father, all are now my foes; and each
Assails my bosom in some tender part.
While one I seek to oppose, I leave myself
Defenceless to the rest, and find my strength
Too weak alone to bear the shock of all.
So when some flood, with mighty roar,
Attempts above its bed to rise,
To stop its rage, from shore to shore
In haste the affrighted labourer flies.
Vain are his toils; while here his care
The torrent's rapid course restrains;
Burst through a hundred channels there,
It foams victorious o'er the plains.
Attempts above its bed to rise,
To stop its rage, from shore to shore
In haste the affrighted labourer flies.
45
The torrent's rapid course restrains;
Burst through a hundred channels there,
It foams victorious o'er the plains.
[Exit.
| Artaxerxes | |