Page:Tragedies of Seneca (1907) Miller.djvu/162

144 Amphitr.: Does any certain place inclose the lost, And do, as rumor says, the impious Sharp punishments in endless chains endure? Theseus: On swiftly flying wheel Ixion turns; And on the neck of Sisyphus a stone Weighs heavily. There stands in middle stream, With throat thirst-parched, the poor old man, and seeks To catch the cooling waves which wash his chin. He, oft deceived, hopes now at last to drink; As often fails the water at his lips. So also do the fruits his hunger fail. There Tityos eternal banquets gives Unto the greedy vulture; and in vain Do Danaus' daughters bear their brimming urns. There wander, raging still, the Cadmeids; And greedy birds still fright old Phineus. Amphitr.: Now tell the noble struggle of my son. Does he bring back his uncle's willing gift, Or does he lead the dog as spoil of war? Theseus: A gloomy cliff o'erhangs the sluggish shoals, Whose waves are dead, and waters motionless. This stream is guarded by a grim old man, Of squalid garb and aspect hideous, Who carries o'er the pool the quaking shades. His long beard hangs unkempt; his shapeless robe Is knotted into place; his fierce eyes gleam From sunken cheeks; and he, as ferryman, With his long pole propels his bark across. He now his empty boat unto the shore Was turning to receive the waiting souls, When Hercules requested to be borne Across the stream. The throng of shades give way; But fiercely Charon cries: "Whither so bold Dost thou haste on? Stay there thy hurrying steps." Alcmena's son would no delay endure, But with the pole itself the boatman tamed, And climbed aboard the boat. The roomy craft, For nations ample, groaned beneath his weight; And as he sat, the heavy-weighted skiff