Page:Four Plays of Aeschylus (Cookson).djvu/87

Rh Made known to all the captains of his ships

That when the burning sun should cease to beam

Across the world, and glimmering twilight took

The court and curtilage of serene air,

The main armada must disperse and form

Three squadrons line abreast, blocking the exits

And narrow channels where the salt waves churn:

The residue to compass Ajax' Isle.

Then, if the Hellenes turned to flee from doom

By privily withdrawing in the dark,

Not one could get away, but their whole fleet

Must fall into our hands. So spake the king

In sanguine mood, with not the least surmise

Of the divine purpose, presently fulfilled.

And not at all in any disarray

But with a disciplined obedience,

They made their dinner ready, every seaman

Lashing his oar-shank to the 'ell-turned thole;

And when the sun waxed dim and night came on,

Each master oarsman went aboard his ship

And every captain of the fighting crews,

And down the long lines of those ships of war

Squadron to squadron spake right cheerily,

Hailing each other; not a ship of them

Lost her allotted station; and all night

The captains kept them cruising to and fro.

And night passed, and the Hellenic armament

Made no attempt to steal away unseen.

But when with her white horses day shone fair

And overspread the broad and ample earth,

There rose and rang from the Hellenic host

A roar of voices musical with psalms,