Page:Four Plays of Aeschylus (1908) Morshead.djvu/239

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Ay, ay—do reverence, cringe and crouch to power

Whene'er, where'er thou see it! But, for me,

I reck of Zeus as something less than nought.

Let him put forth his power, attest his sway,

Howe'er he will—a momentary show,

A little brief authority in heaven!

Aha, I see out yonder one who comes,

A bidden courier, truckling at Zeus' nod,

A lacquey in his new lord's livery,

Surely on some fantastic errand sped!

[Enter.

Thou, double-dyed in gall of bitterness,

Trickster and sinner against gods, by giving

The stolen fire to perishable men!

Attend—the Sire supreme doth bid thee tell

What is the wedlock which thou vauntest now,

Whereby he falleth from supremacy?

Speak forth the whole, make all thine utterance clear,

Have done with words inscrutable, nor cause

To me, Prometheus! any further toil

Or twofold journeying. Go to—thou seëst

Zeus doth not soften at such words as thine!

Pompous, in sooth, thy word, and swoln with pride,

As doth befit the lacquey of thy lords!

O ye young gods! how, in your youthful sway,

Ye deem secure your citadels of sky,

Beyond the reach of sorrow or of fall!

Have I not seen two dynasties of gods