Godlike; and toward him dead the city's gates
Fling their arms open mother-like, through him.
Saved; and the whole clear land is purged of war.
What wilt thou say now of this weal and woe?

PRAXITHEA.

I praise the Gods for Athens. O sweet Earth,
Mother, what joy thy soul has of thy son,

Thy life of my dead lord, mine own soul knows
That knows thee godlike; and what grief should mine,
What sorrow should my heart have, who behold
Thee made so heavenlike happy? This alone I590

I only of all these blessed, all thy kind,

Crave this for blessing to me, that in theirs

Have but a part thus bitter; give me too

Death, and the sight of eyes that meet not mine.
And thee too from no godless heart or tongue

Reproachful, thee too by thy living name,
Father divine, merciful God, I call,

Spring of my lifesprings, fountain of my stream,
Pure and poured forth to one great end with thine,

Sweet head sublime of triumph and these tears, 1600

Cephisus, if thou seest as gladly shed

Thy blood in mine as thine own waves are given
To do this great land good, to give for love
The same lips drink and comfort the same hearts,
Do thou then, O my father, white-souled God,
To thy most pure earth-hallowing heart eterne
Take what thou gavest to be given for these,
Take thy child to thee; for her time is full,

For all she hath borne she hath given, seen all she

had

Flow from her, from her eyes and breasts and

hands

Flow forth to feed this people; but be thou,

Dear God and gracious to all souls alive,
Good to thine own seed also; let me sleep,
Father; my sleepless darkling day is done,
My day of life like night, but slumberless :
For all my fresh fair springs, and his that ran
In one stream's bed with mine, are all run out
Into the deep of death. The Gods have saved
Athens; my blood has bought her at their hand,
And ye sit safe; be glorious and be glad

As now for all time always, countrymen,

1610

1620

H

And love

my dead for ever; but me, me,

What shall man give for these so good as death?

CHORUS.

From the cup of my heart I pour through my lips

along

[Str. I.

The mingled wine of a joyful and sorrowful song; Wine sweeter than honey and bitterer than blood that

is poured

From the chalice of gold, from the point of the twoedged sword.

For the city redeemed should joy flow forth as a flood, And a dirge make moan for the city polluted with blood.

Great praise should the Gods have surely, my country, of thee, [Ant. 1. 1630

Were thy brow but as white as of old for thy sons to

see,

Were thy hands as bloodless, as blameless thy cheek

divine;

But a stain on it stands of the life-blood offered for

thine.

What thanks shall we give that are mixed not and

marred with dread

For the price that has ransomed thine own with thine

own child's head?

For a taint there cleaves to the people redeemed

with blood,

And a plague to the blood-red hand.

[Str. 2.

The rain shall not cleanse it, the dew nor the

sacred flood

That blesses the glad live land.

In the darkness of earth beneath, in the world with

out sun,

The shadows of past things reign;

[Ant. 2. 1640

And a cry goes up from the ghost of an ill deed

done,

And a curse for a virgin slain.

ATHENA.

Hear, men that mourn, and woman without mate,

Hearken; ye sick of soul with fear, and thou
Dumb-stricken for thy children; hear ye too,

Earth, and the glory of heaven, and winds of the air,
And the most holy heart of the deep sea,

Late wroth, now full of quiet; hear thou, sun,

Rolled round with the upper fire of rolling heaven 1650 And all the stars returning; hills and streams,

Springs and fresh fountains, day that seest these deeds, Night that shalt hide not; and thou child of mine,

Child of a maiden, by a maid redeemed,

Blood-guiltless, though bought back with innocent

blood,

City mine own; I Pallas bring thee word,

I virgin daughter of the most high God

Give all you charge and lay command on all
The word I bring be wasted not; for this

The Gods have stablished and his soul hath sworn,

That time nor earth nor changing sons of man

Nor waves of generations, nor the winds.

Of ages risen and fallen that steer their tides

1661

Through light and dark of birth and lovelier death
From storm toward haven inviolable, shall see

So great a light alive beneath the sun

As the awless eye of Athens; all fame else

Shall be to her fame as a shadow in sleep

To this wide noon at waking; men most praised

In lands most happy for their children found

1670