Page:Four Plays of Aeschylus (Cookson).djvu/85

Rh And Seisames the Mysian is slain:

And Tharubis, of five times fifty ships

Grand Admiral—he was Lernæan-born

And beautiful withal—is lost. Alack!

He gave his life in an unlucky cause.

The bravest of the brave, Syennesis,

Generalissimo of the Cilicians,

A man whose splendid valour cost more blood

To the enemy than any single foe,

Died gloriously. Thus much have I told

Touching the captains of the host. And now

Some few disasters, where they came in crowds,

I will relate.

This is the very crown

And summit of all sorrow. For proud Persia

Direst humiliation: shriek on shriek

Shall follow on thy news. But retrace thy steps;

Tell me how many sail the Hellenes had

That they dared close upon the Persian power

And ram us ship for ship.

Ah, had it lain

With numbers to decide, be well assured

Victory had crowned the fleet of Barbary!

The whole Hellenic navy was no more

Than ten divisions of thirty sail apiece,

And but a tithe of them in the fighting-line!

Xerxes, it is a point within my knowledge,

Went into action with a thousand sail:

Two hundred ships and seven of high speed