Page:Four Plays of Aeschylus (Cookson).djvu/125

Rh A wave of men, a moving armament.

These are their dispositions: 'tis for thee

To grapple with them quickly; for the rest

My eye shall watch with sure reconnaissance

The progress of the day, and thou, well served

With sure intelligence of all without,

Shalt take no hurt nor harm.

[Exit.

Harken, O Zeus!

Earth and all tutelary Godheads, hear!

And shall I name thee, thou paternal Curse,

With dark Erinys' strong resentment armed?

O pluck not out this city by the roots,

Nor utterly destroy it, rendered up,

The prize of war! with all its settled homes

Sweet with suave fluctuance of Hellenic speech!

Grant that this free earth and King Cadmus' Town

May never pass beneath the yoke of slaves!

Help us! Our common cause methinks, I plead,

For when a happy City sees good days

Laud and great honour have the gods she worships!

[Exit.

I cry with great pangs of dread! For the foe quit their camp! Yea, their forces

Are loosed as a flood is loosed! and a multitude riding on horses

Runneth before, and mine ear no audible tidings seeks:

An airy signal flies! The dust, dumb messenger, speaks!