CHORUS

Away unto the Grecian land Hath pa.s.sed the Persian armament: We, by the monarch's high command, We are the warders true who stand, Chosen, for honour and descent, To watch the wealth of him who went- Guards of the gold, and faithful styled By Xerxes, great Darius' child!

But the king went nor comes again- And for that host, we saw depart Arrayed in gold, my boding heart Aches with a pulse of anxious pain, Presageful for its youthful king!

No scout, no steed, no battle-car Comes speeding hitherward, to bring News to our city from afar!

Erewhile they went, away, away, From Susa, from Ecbatana, From Kissa's timeworn fortress grey, Pa.s.sing to ravage and to war- Some upon steeds, on galleys some, Some in close files, they pa.s.sed from home, All upon warlike errand bent- Amistres, Artaphernes went, Astaspes, Megabazes high, Lords of the Persian chivalry, Marshals who serve the great king's word Chieftains of all the mighty horde!

Hors.e.m.e.n and bowmen streamed away, Grim in their aspect, fixed to slay, And resolute to face the fray!

With troops of horse, careering fast, Masistes, Artembares pa.s.sed: Imaeus too, the bowman brave, Sosthanes, Pharandakes, drave- And others the all-nursing wave Of Nilus to the battle gave; Came Susiskanes, warrior wild, And Pegastagon, Egypt's child: Thee, brave Arsames! from afar Did holy Memphis launch to war; And Ariomardus, high in fame, From Thebes the immemorial came, And oarsmen skilled from Nilus' fen, A countless crowd of warlike men: And next, the dainty Lydians went- Soft rulers of a continent- Mitragathes and Arcteus bold In twin command their ranks controlled, And Sardis town, that teems with gold, Sent forth its squadrons to the war- Horse upon horse, and car on car, Double and triple teams, they rolled, In onset awful to behold.

From Tmolus' sacred hill there came The native hordes to join the fray, And upon h.e.l.las' neck to lay The yoke of slavery and shame; Mardon and Tharubis were there, Bright anvils for the foemen's spear!

The Mysian dart-men sped to war, And the long crowd that onward rolled From Babylon enriched with gold- Captains of ships and archers skilled To speed the shaft, and those who wield The scimitar;-the eastern band Who, by the great king's high command, Swept to subdue the western land!

Gone are they, gone-ah, welladay!

The flower and pride of our array; And all the Eastland, from whose breast Came forth her bravest and her best, Craves longingly with boding dread- Parents for sons, and brides new-wed For absent lords, and, day by day, Shudder with dread at their delay!

Ere now they have pa.s.sed o'er the sea, the manifold host of the king- They have gone forth to sack and to burn; ash.o.r.e on the Westland they spring!

With cordage and rope they have bridged the sea-way of h.e.l.le, to pa.s.s O'er the strait that is named by thy name, O daughter of Athamas!

They have anch.o.r.ed their ships in the current, they have bridled the neck of the sea- The Shepherd and Lord of the East hath bidden a roadway to be!

From the land to the land they pa.s.s over, a herd at the high king's best; Some by the way of the waves, and some o'er the planking have pressed.

For the king is a lord and a G.o.d: he was born of the golden seed That erst upon Danae fell- his captains are strong at the need!

And dark is the glare of his eyes, as eyes of a serpent blood-fed, And with manifold troops in his train and with manifold ships hath he sped- Yea, sped with his Syrian cars: he leads on the lords of the bow To meet with the men of the West, the spear-armed force of the foe!

Can any make head and resist him, when he comes with the roll of a wave?

No barrier nor phalanx of might, no chief, be he ever so brave!

For stern is the onset of Persia, and gallant her children in fight.

But the guile of the G.o.d is deceitful, and who shall elude him by flight?

And who is the lord of the leap, that can spring and alight and evade?

For Ate deludes and allures, till round him the meshes are laid, And no man his doom can escape!

it was writ in the rule of high Heaven, That in tramp of the steeds and in crash of the charge the war-cry of Persia be given: They have learned to behold the forbidden, the sacred enclosure of sea, Where the waters are wide and in stress of the wind the billows roll h.o.a.ry to lee!

And their trust is in cable and cordage, too weak in the power of the blast, And frail are the links of the bridge whereby unto h.e.l.las they pa.s.sed.

Therefore my gloom-wrapped heart is rent with sorrow For what may hap to-morrow!

Alack, for all the Persian armament- Alack, lest there be sent Dread news of desolation, Susa's land Bereft, forlorn, unmanned- Lest the grey Kissian fortress echo back The wail, Alack, Alack!

The sound of women's shriek, who wail and mourn, With fine-spun raiment torn!

The charioteers went forth nor come again, And all the marching men Even as a swarm of bees have flown afar, Drawn by the king to war- Crossing the sea-bridge, linked from side to side, That doth the waves divide: And the soft bridal couch of bygone years Is now bedewed with tears, Each princess, clad in garments delicate, Wails for her widowed fate- Alas my gallant bridegroom, lost and gone, And I am left alone!

But now, ye warders of the state, Here, in this hall of old renown, Behoves that we deliberate In counsel deep and wise debate, For need is surely shown!

How fareth he, Darius' child, The Persian king, from Perseus styled?

Comes triumph to the eastern bow, Or hath the lance-point conquered now?

[Enter ATOSSA.

See, yonder comes the mother-queen, Light of our eyes, in G.o.dlike sheen, The royal mother of the king!- Fall we before her! well it were That, all as one, we sue to her, And round her footsteps cling!

Queen, among deep-girded Persian dames thou highest and most royal, h.o.a.ry mother, thou, of Xerxes, and Darius' wife of old!

To G.o.dlike sire, and G.o.dlike son, we bow us and are loyal- Unless, on us, an adverse tide of destiny has rolled!

ATOSSA

Therefore come I forth to you, from chambers decked and golden, Where long ago Darius laid his head, with me beside, And my heart is torn with anguish, and with terror am I holden, And I plead unto your friendship and I bid you to my side.

Darius, in the old time, by aid of some Immortal, Raised up the stately fabric, our wealth of long-ago: But I tremble lest it totter down, and ruin porch and portal, And the whirling dust of downfall rise above its overthrow!

Therefore a dread unspeakable within me never slumbers, Saying, Honour not the gauds of wealth if men have ceased to grow, Nor deem that men, apart from wealth, can find their strength in numbers- We shudder for our light and king, though we have gold enow!

No light there is, in any house, save presence of the master- So runs the saw, ye aged men! and truth it says indeed- On you I call, the wise and true, to ward us from disaster, For all my hope is fixed on you, to prop us in our need!

CHORUS

Queen-Mother of the Persian land, to thy commandment bowing, Whate'er thou wilt, in word or deed, we follow to fulfil- Not twice we need thine high behest, our faith and duty knowing, In council and in act alike, thy loyal servants still!

ATOSSA

Long while by various visions of the night Am I beset, since to Ionian lands With marshalled host my son went forth to war.

Yet never saw I presage so distinct As in the night now pa.s.sed.-Attend my tale!- A dream I had: two women n.o.bly clad Came to my sight, one robed in Persian dress, The other vested in the Dorian garb, And both right stately and more tall by far Than women of to-day, and beautiful Beyond disparagement, and sisters sprung Both of one race, but, by their natal lot, One born in h.e.l.las, one in Eastern land.

These, as it seemed unto my watching eyes, Roused each the other to a mutual feud: The which my son perceiving set himself To check and soothe their struggle, and anon Yoked them and set the collars on their necks; And one, the Ionian, proud in this array, Paced in high quietude, and lent her mouth, Obedient, to the guidance of the rein.

But restively the other strove, and broke The fittings of the car, and plunged away With mouth un-bitted: o'er the broken yoke My son was hurled, and lo! Darius stood In lamentation o'er his fallen child.

Him Xerxes saw, and rent his robe in grief.

Such was my vision of the night now past; But when, arising, I had dipped my hand In the fair l.u.s.tral stream, I drew towards The altar, in the act of sacrifice, Having in mind to offer, as their due, The sacred meal-cake to the averting powers, Lords of the rite that banisheth ill dreams.

When lo! I saw an eagle fleeing fast To Phoebus' shrine-O friends, I stayed my steps, Too scared to speak! for, close upon his flight, A little falcon dashed in winged pursuit, Plucking with claws the eagle's head, while he Could only crouch and cower and yield himself.

Scared was I by that sight, and eke to you No less a terror must it be to hear!

For mark this well-if Xerxes have prevailed, He shall come back the wonder of the world: If not, still none can call him to account- So he but live, he liveth Persia's King!

CHORUS

Queen, it stands not with my purpose to abet these fears of thine, Nor to speak with glazing comfort! nay, betake thee to the shrine!

If thy dream foretold disaster, sue to G.o.ds to bar its way, And, for thyself, son, state, and friends, to bring fair fate to-day.

Next, unto Earth and to the Dead be due libation poured, And by thee let Darius' soul be wistfully implored- I saw thee, lord, in last night's dream, a phantom from the grave, I pray thee, lord, from earth beneath come forth to help and save!

To me and to thy son send up the bliss of triumph now, And hold the gloomy fates of ill, dim in the dark below!

Such be thy words! my inner heart good tidings doth foretell, And that fair fate will spring thereof, if wisdom guide us well.

ATOSSA

Loyal thou that first hast read this dream, this vision of the night, With loyalty to me, the queen-be then thy presage right!

And therefore, as thy bidding is, what time I pa.s.s within To dedicate these offerings, new prayers I will begin, Alike to G.o.ds and the great dead who loved our lineage well.

Yet one more word-say, in what realm do the Athenians dwell?

CHORUS

Far hence, even where, in evening land, goes down our Lord the Sun.

ATOSSA

Say, had my son so keen desire, that region to o'errun?

CHORUS

Yea-if she fell, the rest of Greece were subject to our sway!

ATOSSA

Hath she so great predominance, such legions in array?

CHORUS

Ay-such a host as smote us sore upon an earlier day.

ATOSSA

And what hath she, besides her men? enow of wealth in store?

CHORUS

A mine of treasure in the earth, a fount of silver ore!

ATOSSA