Page:Four Plays of Aeschylus (Cookson).djvu/213

Rh Yclept Canobus, built at the land's end,

Even at the mouth and mounded silt of Nile,

And there shall Zeus restore to thee thy mind

With touch benign and laying on of hands.

And from that touch thou shalt conceive and bear

Swarth Epaphus, touch-born; and he shall reap

As much of earth as Nilus watereth

With his broad-flowing river. In descent

The fifth from him there shall come back to Argos,

Thine ancient home, but driven by hard hap,

Two score and ten maids, daughters of one house,

Fleeing pollution of unlawful marriage

With their next kin, who winged with wild desire,

As hawks that follow hard on cushat-doves

Shall harry prey which they should not pursue

And hunt forbidden brides. But God shall be

Exceeding jealous for their chastity;

And old Pelasgia, for the mortal thrust

Of woman's hands and midnight murder done

Upon their new-wed lords, shall shelter them;

For every wife shall strike her husband down

Dipping a two-edged broadsword in his blood.

Oh, that mine enemies might wed such wives!

But of the fifty, one alone desire

Shall tame, as with the stroke of charming-wand,

So that she shall not lift her hands to slay

The partner of her bed; yea, melting love

Shall blunt her sharp-set will, and she shall choose

Rather to be called weak and womanly

Than the dark stain of blood; and she shall be

Mother of kings in Argos. 'Tis a tale

Were't told in full, would occupy us long.

For, of her sowing, there shall spring to fame