 | Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature |  |
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THE EUMENIDES:
A VISION OF THALES.
I, Thales, sitting on the seat of Judgment,
And striving to distinguish Truth from Falsehood,
To uncoil the tangled knot of human Error,
And solve the riddle of capricious Fortune,
Beheld a vision.
And striving to distinguish Truth from Falsehood,
To uncoil the tangled knot of human Error,
And solve the riddle of capricious Fortune,
Beheld a vision.
Suddenly before me,
Instead of busy mart and swarming people,
I saw on level of mine eyes, uplifted,
A mountain summit, bathed in light Eternal,
With sharp cold pinnacles of ice and granite,
'Mid which there stood, each touching close the other,
Three thrones of adamant with golden footstools,
And on them seated three celestial maidens,
In robes of grey, with crowns upon their foreheads,
And in their pale white hands three silver sceptres.
Instead of busy mart and swarming people,
I saw on level of mine eyes, uplifted,
A mountain summit, bathed in light Eternal,
With sharp cold pinnacles of ice and granite,
'Mid which there stood, each touching close the other,
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And on them seated three celestial maidens,
In robes of grey, with crowns upon their foreheads,
And in their pale white hands three silver sceptres.
Most beautiful they were, but sad and solemn.
Their brows were heavy with supernal wisdom;
Their deep dark eyes shone passionless and star-like,
As if the great world-pageant spread beneath them,
And mirrored in their orbs, were but the shadow
Of mighty purpose hidden in the silence
Of their inscrutable will, on which for ever
And evermore they turned their inward glances.
Serene and calm they seemed, and yet most mournful;
As men might be if God had given them knowledge
Of misery to come, but had denied them
All right or power to lessen or avert it.
Their brows were heavy with supernal wisdom;
Their deep dark eyes shone passionless and star-like,
As if the great world-pageant spread beneath them,
And mirrored in their orbs, were but the shadow
Of mighty purpose hidden in the silence
Of their inscrutable will, on which for ever
And evermore they turned their inward glances.
Serene and calm they seemed, and yet most mournful;
As men might be if God had given them knowledge
Of misery to come, but had denied them
All right or power to lessen or avert it.
I gazed with awe—not terror—at their presence,
And saw, beyond the peak, revolving slowly,
A mighty wheel, that seemed of mist and vapour,
Built up intangible. Unceasing ever,
It rolled and whirled. And I beheld the maidens
Moving each one her foot, as on a treadle;
And, dimly glittering in the icy sunshine,
And slender as the gossamer web, dew-laden,
Three filmy threads, that met beneath their foot-stools,
And turned the shadowy wheel through storm and sunshine.
And saw, beyond the peak, revolving slowly,
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Built up intangible. Unceasing ever,
It rolled and whirled. And I beheld the maidens
Moving each one her foot, as on a treadle;
And, dimly glittering in the icy sunshine,
And slender as the gossamer web, dew-laden,
Three filmy threads, that met beneath their foot-stools,
And turned the shadowy wheel through storm and sunshine.
Suspicious of my reason, or mine eyesight,
I watched; and suddenly, with dull effulgence,
Red as new iron beaten on the anvil,
It glimmered into shape and palpable substance;
Then, bursting into flame from tire to axle,
It lighted Earth and Heaven with crimson glory,
Too dazzling for mine eyes. I shut them slowly,
And when I looked again the clouds had gathered,
And the great wheel revolved in mist and darkness
Impalpable, and ominous of evil,
Huge as a planet wandering from its orbit,
Foreboding plague and war or coming chaos.
I watched; and suddenly, with dull effulgence,
Red as new iron beaten on the anvil,
It glimmered into shape and palpable substance;
Then, bursting into flame from tire to axle,
It lighted Earth and Heaven with crimson glory,
Too dazzling for mine eyes. I shut them slowly,
And when I looked again the clouds had gathered,
And the great wheel revolved in mist and darkness
Impalpable, and ominous of evil,
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Foreboding plague and war or coming chaos.
The three calm sisters saw me not, nor heeded:
But gazing there alone, and sore bewildered,
I felt the need of human speech and counsel,
And found them suddenly. Beside me standing,
Partakers with me of the heavenly vision,
I saw a little child, a five-year infant,
With mild blue eyes and hair of golden lustre;
A youth in prime of over lusty vigour;
And an old man, bowed down with care and sorrow,
And hoary with the weight of eighty winters.
“See!”said the child, and plucked me by the garments,
“How beautiful they are—the lovely maidens—
Smiles on their lips and crowns upon their fore-heads!”
The young man shuddered; his right hand was bloody:
I saw the stains of murder as he raised it
To cover up his eyes. “Their hair is snaky,
Their looks assassinate, their breath is poison,
They read my inmost secrets to denounce me.
Oh! let me fly to darkness and the Desert,
To Hell itself, if only to escape them—
The furious, terrible, avenging Horrors!”
But gazing there alone, and sore bewildered,
I felt the need of human speech and counsel,
And found them suddenly. Beside me standing,
Partakers with me of the heavenly vision,
I saw a little child, a five-year infant,
With mild blue eyes and hair of golden lustre;
A youth in prime of over lusty vigour;
And an old man, bowed down with care and sorrow,
And hoary with the weight of eighty winters.
“See!”said the child, and plucked me by the garments,
“How beautiful they are—the lovely maidens—
Smiles on their lips and crowns upon their fore-heads!”
The young man shuddered; his right hand was bloody:
I saw the stains of murder as he raised it
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Their looks assassinate, their breath is poison,
They read my inmost secrets to denounce me.
Oh! let me fly to darkness and the Desert,
To Hell itself, if only to escape them—
The furious, terrible, avenging Horrors!”
The old man sighed: “They look on me reproachful—
They speak to me, although thou canst not hear them,
And tell me of my miserable errors—
My promise unfulfilled—my glory tarnished—
My opportunities misused, perverted,
And lost for ever! More than this; they tell me
Of grievous wrong committed, unatoned for—
Of life that had no object but indulgence
In selfish passion. I would die most gladly
If they would only cease to look upon me,
And let me pass into the quiet Hades,
As the stone sinks into the deep sea caverns,
And lies untroubled and forgot for ever.”
They speak to me, although thou canst not hear them,
And tell me of my miserable errors—
My promise unfulfilled—my glory tarnished—
My opportunities misused, perverted,
And lost for ever! More than this; they tell me
Of grievous wrong committed, unatoned for—
Of life that had no object but indulgence
In selfish passion. I would die most gladly
If they would only cease to look upon me,
And let me pass into the quiet Hades,
As the stone sinks into the deep sea caverns,
And lies untroubled and forgot for ever.”
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“Behold the sisters three!”a soft voice whispered,
Far in the upper air, or in my spirit:
“Behold the Fates! the dreadful yet auspicious;
Regents of Earth and Heaven, of Man and Nature;
Good to the good, and terrible to the wicked,
Just and inflexible. Behold, and fear not!”
Far in the upper air, or in my spirit:
“Behold the Fates! the dreadful yet auspicious;
Regents of Earth and Heaven, of Man and Nature;
Good to the good, and terrible to the wicked,
Just and inflexible. Behold, and fear not!”
I bowed my head in silent adoration,
And questioned of myself the secret meaning
Why they were three? The same still voice responded—
“Three but yet one:—the tree, the grass, the flower
Have but one nature and one law to guide them;
The beast hath two—the physical and mental;
But man, their lord, hath three.—Threefold in function,
Threefold in attribute—threefold obedience
He oweth to the gods;—and he who blindly,
Rashly, or wilfully is false to either,
Must pay the penalty in pain and sorrow.
Who breaks the physical law, that law condemns him;
Who breaks the intellectual, sins and suffers;
And who the moral—highest law of nature—
Must bear the heavier punishment decreed him
By Fate—the Law of God that changes never.”
And questioned of myself the secret meaning
Why they were three? The same still voice responded—
“Three but yet one:—the tree, the grass, the flower
Have but one nature and one law to guide them;
The beast hath two—the physical and mental;
But man, their lord, hath three.—Threefold in function,
Threefold in attribute—threefold obedience
He oweth to the gods;—and he who blindly,
Rashly, or wilfully is false to either,
Must pay the penalty in pain and sorrow.
Who breaks the physical law, that law condemns him;
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And who the moral—highest law of nature—
Must bear the heavier punishment decreed him
By Fate—the Law of God that changes never.”
The still voice spake no more—my soul was silent,
And lifting up my head from mine abasement
I looked around; and lo! I sat in judgment
On mine accustomed seat, and heard around me
The murmur of the people.—Heed the vision,
Ye who come up to me to plead for Justice!
Those who miscall the pleasant Fates, the Furies,
Condemn themselves. The Fates are as we make them.
And lifting up my head from mine abasement
I looked around; and lo! I sat in judgment
On mine accustomed seat, and heard around me
The murmur of the people.—Heed the vision,
Ye who come up to me to plead for Justice!
Those who miscall the pleasant Fates, the Furies,
Condemn themselves. The Fates are as we make them.
| Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature | |