Alcestis A Dramatic Poem. By John Todhunter |
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THRENODY FOR ALCESTIS. |
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THRENODY FOR ALCESTIS.
Semichorus I.
O mansions of Admetus, let your stonesMelt into tears! O home made desolate
Be to sorrow consecrate,
Thy nuptial hymns sistered with funeral moans!
For the wedded are unwed;
Death has come, a dreadful guest,
And left their chambers ravishéd
Cold as Love's forsaken nest.
All the air his presence owns,
And the walls take ghastly tones,
Echoing to the bearers' tread,
As the mourners with bowed head
Follow the best-beloved dead.
Fare-thee-well! From yonder shore
Wilt thou return—ah, never more!
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Semichorus II.
Fare-thee-well, no vulgar tear,No despairful threnody
Wail around thy sacred bier,
But hymns divine be sung for thee,
Who diedst not as one who dies
Wearily, in ignoble wise.
From each drop of thy sweet blood,
Noble woman, perfect wife,
Springs for us a healing bud,
From thy grave a nation's life;
All the gods were weak to aid,
Thou the fatal debt hast paid!
Full Chorus.
O sweetest flower of this sad world, soon perished!O self-devoted rose half-blown, farewell!
But thy pure fragrance shall be deeplier cherished
Than all the sweets of summer. Thou shalt dwell
A soul within the soul of highest song,
A power divine; and this rich month Carnean,
When the great moon is up the whole night long,
Shall be thy glory's festival. Among
The throned Immortals thou shalt have thy pæan.
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Though thy like come never more,
Leaves the world wealthier than before.
| Alcestis | |