Page:Tragedies of Euripides (Way 1896) v2.djvu/94

38 There is honour for them that be published the scions

Of princely houses: the tide

Of time never drowneth the story

Of fathers heroic: it flasheth defiance

To death from its deathless glory.

But a victory stained—ah, best forego it,

If thy triumph must wrest to thy shame the right:

Yea, 'tis sweet at the first unto mortals, I know it;

But barren in time's long flight

Doth it wax: 'tis as infamy's cloud o'er thy towers.

Nay, this be my song, the delight

Of my days, and the prize worth winning,—

That I wield no dominion, in home's bride-bowers,

Nor o'er men, that I may not unsinning.

O ancient of Aiakus' line,

Now know I, when Lapithans dashing on Centaurs charged victorious,

There did thy world-famed war-spear shine,—

That, on Argo riding the havenless brine,

Thou didst burst through the gates of the Clashing Rocks on the sea-quest glorious;

And when great Zeus' son in the days overpast

Round Ilium the meshes of slaughter had cast,

As ye sped unto Europe returning, there too was thy fame's star burning,

For the half of the glory was thine.