Page:Tragedies of Seneca (1907) Miller.djvu/335

Rh Messenger: He stood quite unconcerned, nor strove to plead, Knowing such prayer were vain. But in his neck That savage butcher plunged his gleaming sword Clear to the hilt and drew it forth again. Still stood the corpse upright, and, wavering long, As 'twere in doubt or here or there to fall, At last prone on the uncle hurled itself. Then he, his rancor unabated still, Dragged youthful Plisthenes before the shrine, And quickly meted him his brother's fate. With one keen blow he smote him on the neck, Whereat his bleeding body fell to earth; While with a murmur inarticulate, His head with look complaining rolled away. Chorus: What did he then, this twofold murder done? The last one spare, or heap up crime on crime? Messenger: As when some maned lion in the woods Victorious attacks the Armenian herds— (His jaws are smeared with blood, his hunger gone; And yet he does not lay aside his wrath; Now here, now there he charges on the bulls, And now the calves he worries, though his teeth Are weary with their work)—so Atreus raves; He swells with wrath; and, grasping in his hand The sword with double slaughter dripping yet, By fury blinded but with deadly stroke, He drives clean through the body of the boy. And so, from breast to back transfixed, he falls By double wound, and with his streaming blood Extinguishes the baleful altar fires. Chorus: Oh, horrid deed! Messenger: What! horrid call ye that? If only there the course of crime had stopped, 'Twould pious seem. Chorus: What more atrocious crime, What greater sin could human heart conceive? Messenger: And do ye think his crime was ended here? 'Twas just begun. Chorus: What further could there be?