-^m^M^iM^ THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE ACHILLES IN SCYROS By the same Author, uniform with this Play. SHORTER POEMS. Third Edition, 92 pp. doth. Price \s. net. EDEN. AN ORATORIO IN VERSE. In paper -wrapper, 40 pp. Price as. net. ACHILLES IN SCYROS BY ROBERT BRIDGES LONDON : G. BELL & SONS, LTD. 1913 DRAMATIS PERSONS. THETIS . JCHILLES LYCOMEDES ULTSSES . DIOMEDE ABAS DEIDAMIA Mother of Achilles, disguised as PTRRHA. King of Scyros. Prince of Ithaca, companion of Ulysses, servant to Ulysses. daughter of Lycomedes. CHORUS of SCYRIAN MAIDENS. The scene is on the Island of Scyros^ in the gardens of the palace. Thetis prologises. THETIS. ' I ""HE deep recesses of this rocky isle, -*• That far from undersea riseth to crown Its flowery head above the circling waves, A home for men with groves and gardens green, I chose not ill to be the hiding-place Of my loved son. Alas, I could not take him To live in my blue caverns, where the nymphs Own me for queen : and hateful is the earth To me, and all remembrance, since that morn, When, in the train of May wandering too far, lo I trafficked with my shells and pearls to buy Her fragrant roses and fresh lilies white. Accurst the day and thou, ah, wretched Peleus, Who forcedst me to learn the fears that women Have for their mortal offspring: who but I, Thetis, Poseidon's daughter, who alone But I of all the immortals have known this, To bear and love a son in human kind? And yet not wholly ill is the constraint, Nor do I pity mortals to be born 30 Heirs of desire and death, and the rich thought Denied to easy pleasure in the days That neither bring nor take ; tho' more to me 4 ACHILLES Embittered with foreknowledge of a doom Threatened by fate, and labour how to avert. For to me, questioning the high decrees By which the sweetly tyrannous stars allot Their lives and deaths to men, answer was given That for my son Achilles there was ruled One of two things, and neither good ; the better 30 A long and easy life, the worse a death Untimely-glorious, which should set his name First of the Greeks ; — for so must seem to me Better and worse, so even an earthly mother Had for him chosen, tho' for the right he died, And conquered all the gods that succour Troy. — But when I, thinking he must share my fear, Showed him the choice, he made a mortal plunge For glorious death, and would have straight gone forth To seek it ; but in tenderness for me, — 40 "Whom without shame he honours, and in this My love repays, — he to my tears consented To hide him from his fate ; and here he dwells Disguised among the maidens like a maiden ; — For so his beauty and youth permit, — to serve The daughter of the king of this fair isle. Who calls him Pyrrha for his golden hair. And knowing not prefers him o'er the rest. But I with frequent visitings assure me That he obeys ; and, — for I have the power 50 To change my semblance, — I will sometimes run In likeness of a young and timorous fawn Before the maiden train, that give me chase Far in the woods, till he outstrip them all ; Then turn I quick at bay with loved surprise IN SCYROS. 5 And bid him hail: or like a snake I glide Under the flowers, where they sit at play, And showing suddenly my gleaming eyes, All fly but he, and we may speak alone. Thus oft my love will lead me, but to-day 60 More special need hath brought : for on the seas I met at dawn a royal ship of Greece Slow stemming toward this isle. What that might bode, And who might sail thereon, I guessed; and taking A dolphin's shape, that thro' the heavy waters Tumbles in sport, around the labouring prow I gambolled, till her idle crew stood by To watch me from the wooden battlements. And surely among them there full soon I saw. Even as I feared, the man I feared, agaze 70 "With hypocrite eyes, the prince of Ithaca, That searcheth for Achilles : of all the Greeks "Whom most I dread, for his own endless wiles. And for Athena's aid. Him when I saw. Lest I should be too late, I hither sped To warn my son, and here shall meet him soon ; Tho' yet he hath not come; for on these lawns The damsels of the court are wont to play. And he with them. Hark ! see ! even now. Nay, nay. Alas! who cometh thus? Ah, by that gait 80 Crouching along, it is my persecutor, Ulysses. Woe is me ! I must fly hence. Tho' he should know me not, I fear to face him. My hated foe, alert, invincible Of will, full of self-love and mortal guile. [Exit. ACHILLES Enter ULYSSES from the bushes, folloived by DIOMEDE, luho luears a Lion's skin. DIOMEDE. We have made the circuit of the hill, and here Into the gardens are come round again. "What now? ULYSSES. Hush thou ! Look there ! Some one hath seen us. He flies. DIO. I see not. UL. Where the myrtle tops Stir each in turn. He goeth toward the shore. 90 I mast see him that seeth me. Bide thou. [Exit among the bushes. DIO. Were I a dog, now, I might learn. Heigh ho! Two hours and more we have wandered on this mountain, Round and round, up and down, and round again. Gardens, and lawns, meadows, and groves, and walks, Thickets, and woods, the windings of the glades, I have them all by rote. Each petty rill We have tracked by rocky steps and paths about, And peeped into its dank and mossy caves. What sort of game should this Achilles be, 100 That we should seek him thus? Ah! back so soon? What sport? UL. {re-entering). Well hit. 'Twas but a milk- white doe. Some petted plaything of the young princess, That fled our stranger steps. IN SCYROS. 7 DIO. And whither now Turn we to seek Achilles? UL. Hark, Diomede: My plot is laid and ready for thine ears. Thou madest offer of thine aid ; be patient, And hear me. DIO. I will hearken. UL. First, thou knowest How since the day the Danaan kings took oath To avenge the wrong done by the Trojan Paris no Against his host, the Spartan Menelaus, One oracle hath thwarted us, which said Our purpose should not prosper with the gods Unless Achilles the young son of Thetis Should lead our armies. DIO. Certainly, so far I am with you. UL. Next, when he was sought in vain, Men looked to me ; ay, and to me it fell To learn that he was lurking in this isle Of Scyros, in the court of Lycomedes. The king denied the charge, adding in challenge, 120 That I might come and make what search I pleased: Now mark . . , DIO. I listen, but thou tellest nothing. "Why search we not the court if he be there, Instead of this old hill? UL. 'Tis that I come to. King Lycomedes hath been one of those Who have held their arms aloof from our alliance, On the main plea of this Achilles' absence. What if he play the game here for his friends, 8 ACHILLES And hide the lad lest they be forced to fight ? DIO. That well might be. And if the king would hide him, 130 Thy hope would hit upon him thus at hazard? VL. Call me not fool. Attend and hear my plot : Nor marvel, Diomede, to learn that he, Whom the high gods name champion of the Greeks, Lurks in the habit of a girl disguised Amid the maidens of this island court. DIO. That were too strange. How guess you that ? UL. My spies. Who have searched the isle, say there 's no youth thereon, Having Achilles' age of sixteen years, But is well known of native parentage. 140 Now Thetis' son must be of wondrous beauty, That could not scape inquiry ; we therefore look For what is hid, and not to be disguised Save as I guess. DIO. If this be so, thy purpose Is darker still. UL. I lead thee by the steps I came myself to take, slowly and surely . . And next this, that 'twere dull to ask the king To help to find the thing he goes to hide: Therefore the search must be without his knowledge. 'Twas thus I sent up Abas to the court, 150 Idly to engage him in preliminaries, The while I work ; my only hope being this, To come myself to parley with the maidens ; Which to procure I brought with me aboard A pedlar's gear, and with such gawds and trinkets IN SCYROS. 9 As tickle girlish fancies, I shall steal Upon them at their play; my hoary beard And rags will set them at their ease; and while They come about me, and turn o'er my pack, I spy. If then Achilles be among them, i6o The lad's indifference soon will mark him out; "When, watching my occasion, I'll exhibit Something that should provoke his eye and tongue. If he betray himself, thou being at hand .... DIO. Why, 'tis a dirty trick. UL. Not if it wins. DIO. Fie! fie! In rags and a white beard ? UL. No better way. DIO. The better way were not to lose the hour Hearkening to oracles, while our good ships Rot, and our men grow stale. Why, you may see 170 Imperial Agamemnon in the eyes Of all his armament walk daily forth To take fresh note of sparrows and of snakes : And if he spy an eagle, 'twill make talk For twenty days. Would you have oracles, Give me the whipping of the priests. Zeus help me ! If half the chiefs knew but their minds as I, There 'd be no parleying. I '11 to war alone And with my eighty ships do what I may 'Gainst gods and men. Ay, and the greater odds 1 80 The better fighting. UL. Now 'tis thou that talkest. DIO. Tell me then why we are prowling on this hill. UL Excellent reasons. First that when I come lo ACHILLES I may know how to come, and where to hide From them I would not meet : and thereto this, That if Achilles fly, he should not take us At too great disadvantage : thou mayst head him, Knowing the ground about, while I pursue. He must not scape. But hark, 'tis time the plot "Were put to proof; already it must be noon; 190 And I hear steps and voices. Let us return To the ship. If they that come be those we seek, . . . Hark, and 'tis they, — we can look back upon them. I '11 be amongst them soon. DIO. 'Tis a girls' game. [Exeunt into the bushes. Enter DEIDAMU, ACHILLES as Pyrrha, with the CHORUS of maidens. DEIDAMIA (without). Follow me, follow. I lead the race. [Enters. CHOR. Follow, we follow, we give thee chase. [Entering. DEID. Follow me, follow. CH. We come, we come. DEW. Here is my home; I choose this tree : this is the ground 200 Where we will make our play. Stand all around And let us beg the dwellers in this glade To bear us company. Be not afraid, (I will begin) sweet birds, whose flowery songs Sprinkle with joy the budding boughs above, The airy city where your light folk throngs, Each with his special exquisite of love, — IN SCYROS. II Red-throat and white-throat, finch and golden-crest, Deep-murmuring pigeon, and soft-cooing dove, — Unto his mate addrest, that close in nest aio Sits on the dun and dappled eggs all day. Come red-throat, white-throat, finch and golden-crest, Let not our merry play drive you away. CH. And ye brown squirrels, up the rugged bark That fly, and leap from bending spray to spray, And bite the luscious shoots, if I should mark, Slip not behind the trunks, nor hide away. — Ye earthy moles, that burrowing in the dark Your glossy velvet coats so much abuse; — Ye watchful dormice, and small skipping shrews, 220 Stay not from foraging; dive not from sight. — Come moles and mice, squirrels and skipping shrews, Come all, come forth, and join in our delight. DEW. Enough. Now while the Dryads of the hill Interpret to the creatures our good will, Listen, and I will tell you a new game That we can play together. — As hither I came, I marked that in the hazel copse below, Where we so oft have hidden and loved to go To hear the night-bird, or to take unseen 230 Our noontide walks beneath the tangled screen, The woodcutter hath been with cruel blade. And of the tasselled plumes his strewage made : And now beside the mossy snags close shorn The covert lies in swathe like autumn corn. These ere he lop and into bundles bind. Let us go choose the fairest we may find. And of their feathered orphan saplings weave A bowery dome, until the birds believe 12 ACHILLES We build a nest, and are come here to dwell. 240 Hie forth, ye Scyrian maids ; do as I tell : And having built our bower amid the green, We will choose one among us for a queen, And be the Amazons, whose maiden clan By broad Thermodon dwells, apart from man ; Who rule themselves, from his dominion free. And do all things he doth, better than he. First, Amazons, your queen : to choose her now : Who shall she be ? CH. Thyself, thou. Who but thou ? Deidamia. DEW. Where then were the play, 250 If I should still command, and ye obey? CH. Choose thou for all. DEID. Nor will I name her, lest Ye say my favour sets one o'er the rest. CH. Thy choice is ours. DEID. If then I gave my voice For Pyrrha ? CH. Pyrrha, Pyrrha is our choice. Hail, Pyrrha, hail ! Queen of the Amazons ! DEID. {To Ach.). To thee I abdicate my place, and give My wreath for crown. Long, my queen, mayst thou live ! Now, fellow-subjects, hie we off at once. ACHILLES. Stay, stay! Is this the privilege of the throne? 260 Am I preferred but to be left alone? No guard, no counsellor, no company! Deidamia, stay! IN SCYROS. 13 DEID. Thy word must be My law, O queen : I will abide. But ye Forth quickly, as I said ; ye know the place. CH. Follow me, follow: I lead the race. Follow, we follow, we give thee chase. Follow me, follow. We come, we come. [Exeunt CHOR. ACH. I could not bear that thou shouldst strain thy hands 270 Dragging those branches up the sunny hill ; Nor for a thousand honours thou shouldst do me, Making me here thy queen, would I consent To lose thy company, even for an hour. See, while the maids warm in their busy play, We may enjoy in quiet the sweet air. And thro' the quivering golden green look up To the deep sky, and have high thoughts as idle And bright, as are the small white clouds becalmed In disappointed voyage to the noon: 280 There is no better pastime. DEID. I will sit with thee In idleness, while idleness can please. ACH. It is not idleness to steep the soul In nature's beauty : rather every day We are idle letting beauteous things go by Unheld, or scarce perceived. We cannot dream Too deeply, nor o'erprize the mood of love, When it comes on us strongly, and the hour Is ripe for thought. DEID. I have a thought, a dream ; If thou canst keep it secret. ACH. I am thy slave. 290 14 ACHILLES DEW. Suppose— 'tis more than that, yet I '11 but say Suppose — we played this game of Amazons In earnest. What an isle this Scyros were ; Rich and well-planted, and its rocky coast Easy of defence : the women now upon it Could hold it. Nay, I have often thought it out: The king my sire is threescore years and more, And hath no heir: suppose that when he dies, — The gods defer it long, but when he dies, If thou and I should plan to seize this isle, 300 Drive out the men, and rule it for our own . . . Wouldst thou work with me, Pyrrha, the thing could be. "Why shouldst thou smile? I do not say that I Would rate my strength with men ; but on the farms Women are thicker sinewed; and in thee I see what all might be. I am sure for speed No man could match thee, and thou hast an arm To tug an oar or hurl the heaviest spear. Or wrestle with the best. Why dost thou smile? JCH. When thou art queen, I'll be thy general. DEW. That was my thought. What dost thou think? ACH. I think That Fate hath marked me for a general. 313 DEW. Nay, but I jest not. JCH. Then shall I forecast And weigh impediments against thee? as men Will in like case, who think no scheme mature Till counsel hath forestalled all obstacles. DEW. If thou canst think of any. ylCH. First is this, Whence shall we get our subjects when our isle IN SCYROS. 15 Is peopled but by women? DEID. Fairly asked, Had I not thought of it. "We shall import them 320 From other isles. Girl children everywhere Are held of small account : these we will buy, Bartering for them our fruits and tapestries, And chiefly from the country whence thou comest; For there I think the women must be taller And stronger than with us. ACH. And who will act Persuader to the maidens of the isle To banish all their lovers? DEID. O Pyrrha, shame! INIan's love is nothing ; what knowst thou of it To magnify its folly? 'Tis a mischief 330 To thwart our good : therefore I banish it. A woman's love may be as much to woman As a man's love can be. 'Tis reasonable This, and no dream. 'Tis my experience, "When I am with thee, Pyrrha, I want nothing. No woman sitting by her silly lover Could take such pleasure from his flatteries As I from thy speech. "When thou lookest on me I am all joy ; and if 'tis so with thee, "Why need we argue ? Tell me, when I am with thee Dost thou lack aught, or wish I were a man? 341 ACH. In truth nay, but . . DEID. A wretched but: I know "What that would say; this thing cannot be done Because 'twas never done. But that 's with me The reason why it should be done. ACH. I see. B i6 ACHILLES Yet novelty hath no wear. Remember too "We must grow old. The spirit of such adventure Tires as the body ages. DEW. For that I think I make the best provision. Nay, I have seen Full many an old dame left in last neglect, 350 Whose keen gray eye, peaked face, and silver hair Were god-like set beneath a helm of brass. ^CH. Here be the maids: ask them their mind at once. DEW. Nay, for the world no word. Enter CHORUS, ivith flowers. Why run they breathlessly in merry fear? What have ye seen ? What now ? CH. The king. Fly, fly ! JCH. Why should we fly the king? CH. A man is with him, and they come this way. DEID. Who is it? CH. Nay, we know not. DEID. What hath happed? CH. We went forth as ye bade, and all together Ran down the hill, the straightest way we might. Into the copse, and lo ! 'twas as thou saidst ; 362 The hazels are all felled, but on the ground, That 'neath the straight trunks of the airy trees Lies in the spotted sunlight, are upsprung Countless anemones, white, red, and blue, In the bright glade. Forgetting why we came, We fell to gathering these. I chose the blue, As ye may see, loving blue blossoms best, That are content with heaven. IN SCYROS. 17 2nd Speaker. And I the red, 370 Love's passionate colour; and the love in these Is mixed with heavenly to a royal purple. ird. And I the white : whose praise I will not tell, Lest it should blush. ^th. And I have mixed together The red and white. Sth. And I the red and blue. 6th. And I the blue and white. DEID. Well, but the matter. What happened next, tell me? CH. (ut.) Still at this game, Like to a hungry herd that stops and feeds, Snatching what tempts it on, we made advance To the entrance of the combe ; and then one cried. Look up ! Look there ! And from the open brow. Whence we looked down upon the sea, we saw 383 A great war-ship in the harbour : and one said, She comes from Athens ; and another, nay. Her build is Rhodian : when as there we gazed. Counting her ports, and wondering of her name, — We heard men's voices and beheld the king Mounting the hill-side, with a stranger clad In short Greek robes. Then ran we back to thee. Ere we were seen, in haste; that we may hide, 390 And not be called within to attend the guests. DEID. So did ye well, whoe'er it be, and best If 'tis the prince of Melos, as I fear : Who late my father said would come to woo me: But he must find me first. [Going. ACH. I '11 be thine eyes And take his measure. Let me lurk behind. i8 ACHILLES I '11 learn his height, the colour of his beard, And bring thee word. DEW. I pray, no beards for me. Those that love beards remain. The rest with me. Follow me, follow : I lead the race. [^Exit. CH. Follow, we follow. We give thee chase — Follow me, follow — 402 — We come, we come. [Exeunt CHOR. ACH. I wish I had had Apollo for my sire ; Or that old Cheiron, when he taught me arms, Hunting the beasts on bushy Pelion, Had led and trained me rather, as well he knew. In that fair park of fancy and delight. Where but the Graces and the Muses come. For he could sing : and oft took down at eve 410 From the high pillar of his rocky cave The lyre or pipe, and whiled the darksome hours. Which would I had learned, to touch the stops and strings. Nor only harked thereto : for nought he sang. Whether of gods or men, of peace or war. Had any theme of sweetness to compare With my new world, here, where I am king, and rule The sweetest thing in nature. Had I skill To give translation to my joy, I think I could make music that should charm the world. Deidamia, thou Queen of my heart, 421 1 would enchant thee and thine isle. Alas! How wilt thou learn thou art mine ? How can I tell And with the word not lose thee? Now this suitor IN SCYROS 19 Threats my betrayal . . . He comes. I '11 watch. Yet not "With jealous eyes, but heedful of my fate. [Hides in bushes. Enter LYCOMEDES and ABAS, LYCOMEDES. 'Tis folly and impertinence. I say it With due respect unto the prince, thy master, Who am as much his elder as the king His father is. He ne'er would so have wronged me, — The mild and good Laertes, — In this isle 431 Think'st thou 'twere possible a man should hide, And I not know it? ABAS. My Lord Ulysses, sire, Bade me assure your majesty he came More with the purpose to acquit your honour, — Which suffers greatly in the common tongue, — Than with a hope to find what he pretends He comes to seek. LYC. Why should he come at all? AB. Taking your invitation in the sense That I have spoken . . . LYC. Thinks he, if I chose 440 To hide the man in Scyros, that a stranger From Ithaca could find him ? AB. Nay . . . LYC. It follows Your search can never quit my honesty. Where I am held accomplice ; but no less Must put a slight upon my wits, implying Me the deceived. 20 ACHILLES ^B. Your invitation, sire, Covers that charge. LTC. My invitation, sir, Was but my seal of full denial, a challenge For honour's eye, not to be taken up. Your master hath slipped in manners : yet fear not But I will meet and treat him as his birth 451 And name require. Speak we no more of this. What think'st thou of our isle ? JB. The famed iEgean Hath not a finer jewel on her breast. LTC. Come, come ! you overpraise us : there 's no need. We Scyrians are contented. — Now we are climbed Above the town to the east ; and you may see The western seaboard, and our other port. The island narrows here to twenty stades. Cut like a wasp ; the shoulder where we stand 460 Is its best natured spot : It falls to the sun, And at this time of the year takes not too much. JB. 'Tis strange how in all points the lie of the land Is like our Ithaca, but better clothed. LTC. And larger, is 't not? ylB. Past comparison. — LTC. What navy bring ye to the war? j4B. Ah, sire! We have no ships to boast of^with our own Zakynthus, Cephallenia, and the rest. Joining their numbers, raise but ten or twelve. 469 LTC. And these your prince commands? ylB. Such as they be. LTC. Tidings come slowly to us here. I pray you IN SCYROS. 21 Tell me the latest of your preparations. The thing must drag: there was some talk awhile Of coldness 'twixt the chiefs: 'twould be no wonder. They that combine upon one private grudge May split upon another. AB. Still their zeal Increases : 'tis as fire spread from a spark. LYC. A spark? well— Menelaus. At this time What numbers hath he drawn, and whence? JB. The ships Number above a thousand : a tenth of these 480 Are sent by Corinth, Sicyon and Mycenae; Sixty are Spartan, and king Agamemnon Provides as many as these all told together. Then from ^gina, Epidaurus, Argos, And Tiryns Diomede brings eighty : Nestor Ninety from Pylos ; from Boeotia Come eighty; Phocis and Phthiotis each Send forty ; Athens fifty ; and Euboea Forty ; from Salamis Ajax brings twelve ; Oilean Ajax with the Locrians 490 Forty more; from our neighbours in the west, Dulichium and JEtolia eighty sail ; Again as many from hundred-citied Crete Under the king Idomeneus, and nine From Rhodes : All these, with others that escape My hasty summing, lie drawn up at Aulis. 'Tis such a sight as, I am bold to say, If but your majesty could see it, would move you To make a part of the splendour. LTC. Nay, I have seen them. AB. Your majesty hath been at Aulis? aa ACHILLES Lra. Nay, 500 Nor yet at Aulis : but the tale thou tallest Coming unto my ears a month ago, Some of my lords and I one idle mom Crossed to Euboea, — 'tis a pleasure trip, On a clear day scarce out of sight of home — We landed 'neath (Echalia by noon, And, crossing o'er the isle on mules, were lodged That night at Chalcis. The next day at dawn I played the spy. 'Twas such a breathless morning When all the sound and motion of the sea 510 Is short and sullen, like a dreaming beast : Or as 'twere mixed of heavier elements Than the bright water, that obeys the wind. Hiring a fishing boat we bade the sailors Row us to Aulis : when midway the straits, The morning mist lifted, and lo, a sight Unpicturable. — High upon our left Where we supposed was nothing, suddenly A tall and shadowy figure loomed : then two, And three, and four, and more towering above us : But whether poised upon the leaden sea 521 They stood, or floated in the misty air. That baffling our best vision held entangled The silver of the half-awakened sun, Or whether near or far, we could not tell. Nor what : at first I thought them rocks, but ere That error could be told, they were upon us Bearing down swiftly athwart our course ; and all Saw 'twas a fleet of ships, not three or four Now, but unnumber'd: like a floating city, 530 If such could be, with walls and battlements IN SCYROS. 33 Spread on the wondering water: and now the sun Broke thro' the haze, and from the shields outhung Blazed back his dazzling beams, and round their prows On the divided water played; as still They rode the tide in silence, all their oars Stretched out aloft, as are the balanced wings Of storm-fowl, which returned from battling flight Across the sea, steady their aching plumes And skim along the shuddering cliffs at ease : 540 So came they gliding on the sullen plain, Out of the dark, in silent state, by force Yet unexpended of their nightlong speed. Those were the Cretan ships, who when they saw us Hailed for a pilot, and of our native sailors Took one aboard, and dipping all their oars Passed on, and we with them, into the bay. Then from all round, where the dark hulls were moored Against the shore, and from the tents above A shout of joy went up, re-echoing 550 From point to point ; and we too cheered and caught The zeal of that great gathering. — Where man is met The gods will come ; or shall I say man's spirit Hath operative faculties to mix And make his gods at will? Howe'er that be, Soon a swift galley shot out from the rest To meet the comers. That was Agamemnon's, They told me; and I doubt not he was in it, And gave his welcome to Idomeneus, And took him to his tent. On such a day 560 Our little boat rowed where we would unmarked: We were but Chalcian pilots. So I saw 24 ACHILLES Whate'er I wished to see, and came away Across the strait that night, and the next day Was home by sundown. JB. All this could you see Without the wish to join ? LTC. I say not that ; For wish I did that I was young again. Then, sir, I would have left whate'er I had, My kingdom to another, for the pride. Of high place in such war; now I am old. 570 ^B. But older men than thou have joined us, sire. War needs experience. LTC. Concerning war I am divided in opinion, Abas : But lean to think it hath a wholesome root Supportive to our earthly habit. I see The noblest beasts will love to fight, and man Is body as well as spirit : his mind that 's set In judgment o'er those twain must oft admit The grosser part hath a preponderant claim. But I regret this, and my discontent 580 Puts me this question, Shall man never come To a better state with his desire? What think you? What if our race yet young should with the time Throw oif the baser passions, as I find Myself by age affected ? I know not . . . I have a little statue in my house. Which, if you look on 't long, begets belief Of absolute perfectionment ; the artist Should have been present when man's clay was mixed. Prometheus, or whoever 'twas that made us, 590 Had his head turned with natural history : IN SCYROS. 25 All excellent contrivance, but betraying Commonness and complexity. Well ! well ! No need of my philosophies in Scyros — War must have motive, and the men I rule Are simple and contented with their lot. None in my land would wish an atom changed: Were even Achilles here 'twould be no wonder If he had caught our temper. AB. All men witness To thy good rule, O king: but in the wars 600 Fame may be won. LTC. Nor do I ask for fame. Come that to whom it will; to Agamemnon, To Ajax or Ulysses or Achilles. AB. To Achilles no: 'tis not in the gods' grace To succour pigritude. To him, a lad. The prize of honour above all the Greeks Was offered : by the poor effeminacy With which he hath rejected it, he is judged Meanest of all. But since we cannot win Without him, we must have him. Little glory 610 To him, except to be Fate's dullest tool. LYC. Maybe. Now come we on. I had thought to find My daughter and her train. I'll take thee round Another way to the palace: thither no doubt She is now returned. \Exeunt. Enter ACHILLES from the bushes. ACH. Villain, I thank the gods that sent thee hither. But thou wast near thy death. Walk off secure, Not knowing that I heard. Effeminate 26 ACHILLES The meanest of the Greeks ! were he the best, I 'd slay him in this garment. Yet he is but 620 A tongue to troll opinion of me, a slave, Fetcher and carrier of others' tales, and doth The drudgery honestly ; for that I '11 thank him And profit by his slander. Ay, so I '11 do — Now in good time — I '11 get me a man's dress And meet them here, ere they suspect me : — or, stay ! I can outwit them better. I '11 take a boat. Cross o'er to Aulis, like good Lycomede, This very night, and there to Agamemnon Declare myself; and men shall never know 630 How I was hid, nor whence I came. Enter THETIS. TH. My son ! yiCH. My goddess mother, welcome ! yet I am shamed That thou shouldst find me thus. TH. How art thou shamed? ACH. This dress. O thou canst help me: thou art ready At every need. And here hath been a man Who, thinking not I heard, spake to the king Of thy Achilles with such scorn, that I Should have leaped forth upon him in my rage. And strangled him, but that he seemed to be 639 Another's servant. TH. Then thou hast seen them, son ? j^CH. Who are they? TH. Those I came to warn thee of; Ulysses and his friends. Knowst thou 'tis they IN SCYROS. 37 Are come unto the isle to seek thee? uiCH. Ay. But thou art ready to outwit their wile. As thou didst bring me hither on that night When all thy nymphs, assembling 'neath the moon Upon the Achaean shore, bore me away Across the sea, even so to Aulis now Convey me secretly, and set me there, 649 Ere men know whence I come. TH. What hear I, son? To Aulis? to thy foes? ^CH. A thousand ships Moored idle in the bay wait but for me: And round the shore the captains of the Greeks Impatient in their tents but call for me. Be they my foes to speak or wish me ill 'Tis only that I come not. I must go. TH. There let them tarry till the sea-worm bore Their ships to rottenness; or, sail they forth, Let them be butchered by the sword of Hector, Ere thou be snared to serve their empty pride. 660 yiCH. But louder than their need my honour calls : Hast thou no thought of this in all thy love? TH. Who then is honoured more or more desired Than thou art now ? but they, if once they had thee, Would slight thee, and pretend they were the men, jICH. But those are honoured best that hear their praise. TH. Is not high Zeus himself, holding aloof. Worshipped the more ? Let the world say of thee. When these have perished, that they went their way Because the son of Thetis would not aid them. 670 28 ACHILLES JCH. But if 'twere said because he feared to die ? TH. Fearst thou reproach of fear that fearst not death ? j^CH. I fear not, but by proof would shun reproach. TH. Men, son, are what they are ; and thou art brave. 'Tis asked of poor and questionable spirits To prove their worth. JCH. I prove myself a coward. TH. How ! when it needed heavenly prayers and tears, The force of duty and a goddess' will To keep thee back from death ! when all the joys That I have set about thee, and a love 680 More beautiful than Helen's cannot hold thee ! JCH. Fate, that from men hideth her pitiless face, Offered to me this kindness, that my will Should be of force in predetermined deeds : Allowing me to take which life I would Of two incomparable lots; I ever Leaned one way, the other thou; and still at heart I hold to my first choice. TH. O child of man, Though child of mine, wouldst thou know wisdom's way, Learn it of me. If I had said to thee 690 Thou being a mortal shouldst love death and darkness ; For in the brief date of thy heedless term 'Tis vain to strive with evil: and since the end Cometh the same, and at the latest cometh So soon, that there 's no difference to be told 'Twixt early and late, 'tis wisdom to despair : Then would thy tongue have boldly answered me. And said, Man hath his life, that it must end IN SCYROS. 29 Condemns it not for naught. Are rivers salt Because they travel to the bitter sea ? 700 Is the day dark because the gorgeous west Must fade in gloom, when the ungazeable sun Is fallen beneath the waves? Or hath the spring No charm in her pavilions, are her floors Not starred, for that we see her birth is slow Of niggard winter, and her blossoms smirched By summer's tyranny ? Hadst thou said this, And that Earth's changeful pride, the life of man, Is exquisite in such a quality To make the high gods envious could they guess : Then had I found no answer: but when I 711 Told thee of joy, and set thee in the midst, That thou shouldst argue with me that 'tis best To die at once, and for an empty name Pass to the trivial shades ; then must I fear I have a foolish and a thankless son. As disobedient. — Yet when first I taught thee Thou gav'st me promise to be wise. JCH. But never "Wilt thou then free me from my promise given ? TH. Not to thy hurt. ^CH. See now what shame I bear! TH. Why make so much of shame ? If thou despise The pleasure of the earth, why not the shame? 722 ^CH. I wrong, too, this old king. TH. His daughter more, If thou desert her. JCH. But 'twould hurt her less To lose me now than know me when disgraced. 7H. I plead not in her name, nor charge thee, son, 30 ACHILLES With loving her in my contempt. A dream Of mortal fancy or honour may becloud Thy mind awhile, but ne'er canst thou forget Thy bond to me; the care that never left thee 730 Till thou wert out of hand ; the love that dared To send thee from my sight vphen thou wast able, And to strange lands ; my secret visitings There, and revisitings ; the dreams I sent thee, Warnings of ill, and ecstasies of pride ; The thousand miracles I wrought to save thee, And guard thee to thy prime ; and now men say Thou art the first of the Greeks : their homaged kings The gods condemn to death if thou withhold Thy single arm. Why so ? What hast thou done ? Where have men seen thee ? Hast thou ruled like Nestor ? 741 Conquered like Agamemnon, fought like Ajax? What is thy prowess, what thy skill but this. That thou art son of Thetis ? Disobey not. Nor question now my bidding. Must I kneel, Embrace thy knees, or melt before thy face In supplicating tears ? O if thy birth Did cost the tenderest tears that god e'er shed, Make not those bitter drops to have flowed in vain. Whate'er fate portion thee my joy is this — 750 That thou dost love me. Dost thou cease to love, I am most miserable. yiCH. O fear not that. Mother and goddess ! Pardon me, weep not. Let all men curse me, be my name abhorred. Rather than thou be grieved. 'Twas anger moved me I will forget this, and obey thee. Say IN SCYROS. 31 What I must do, how best avoid these men : And how refuse their call if I be found. 1H. Kiss me, my son. By the gods' life, I love thee : My grief is to deny thee. But there's need 760 Of counsel, for the day is critical And glides apace. And first if they should find thee, Then 'tis thy fate to go : I cannot stay thee. And since to bear thee hence were sure betrayal, I urge thee to be true to thy disguise. And better to escape thy foes, learn now Whom most to dread. Of all the Argives shun Ulysses ; come not near him in the halls ; And should he speak to thee, answer no word. Him thou wilt know by his preeminence : 770 As for his person, he is beardless yet, As smooth of face as tongue, gentle in voice But sturdy of body, and 'neath his helm his locks O'er a wide brow and restless eye curl forth In ruddy brown ; nor less for his attire Notable is he, wearing the best of all, His linen broidered, and broad jewels to hold A robe of gray and purple. ACH. He shall not spy me. But if by any warning from the gods He know and call to me, how then to escape 780 The shame of this Ionian skirt? 1H. That chance I can provide for, and shall give thee now A magic garment fitting to thy body, Which worn beneath thy robe will seem as weft Of linen thread, but if it meet the light 'Twill be a gilded armour, and serve well C 33 ACHILLES In proof as show. Come, I will set it on thee. [Exeunt. Enter DEW A MI A and CHORUS. DEW. The ground is clear, we have deceived them mightily, Running around. CH. Where is our queen ? (2) Not here. DEW. I '11 call her. Pyrrha !— Call all together. CH. Pyrrha ! DEW. She will come presently. — Did ye not mark How resonant this glade is? that our voices 792 Neither return nor fly, but stay about us? It is the trunks of the trees that cage the sound; As in an open temple, where the pillars Enrich the music. In my father's hall The echo of each note burdens the next. 'Twould be well done to cut a theatre Deep in some wooded dale. Till Pyrrha come. Alexia, sing thou here. CH. What shall I sing? 800 DEW. There is a Lydian chant I call to mind In honour of music-makers : it beginneth With praise of the soft spring, and heavenly love — 'Twill suit our mood, if thou remember it. CHORUS. The earth loveth the spring, Nor of her coming despaireth, Withheld by nightly sting, Snow, and icy fling, The snarl of the North : IN SCYROS 33 But nevertheless she prepareth 8io And setteth in order her nurselings to bring them forth, The jewels of her delight, What shall be blue, what yellow or white. What softest above the rest, The primrose, that loveth best Woodland skirts and the copses shorn. 3. And on the day of relenting she suddenly weareth Her budding crowns. O then, in the early morn, Is any song that compareth With the gaiety of birds, that thrill the gladdened air In inexhaustible chorus 821 To awake the sons of the soil With music more than in brilliant halls sonorous ( — It cannot compare — ) Is fed to the ears of kings From the reeds and hired strings. For love maketh them glad ; And if a soul be sad, Or a heart oracle dumb. Here may it taste the promise of joy to come. 830 3. For the Earth knoweth the love which made her, The omnipotent one desire. Which burns at her heart like fire, And hath in gladness arrayed her. And man with the Maker shareth, Him also to rival throughout the lands. To make a work with his hands And have his children adore it: C 3 34 ACHILLES The Creator smileth on him who is wise and dareth In understanding with pride : 840 For God, where'er he hath builded, dwelleth wide, — And he careth, — To set a task to the smallest atom, The law-abiding grains, That hearken each and rejoice : For he guideth the world as a horse with reins ; It obeyeth his voice, And lo! he hath set a beautiful end before it. 4- Whereto it leapeth and striveth continually, And pitieth nought, nor spareth : 850 The mother's wail for her children slain. The stain of disease. The darts of pain, The waste of the fruits of trees, The slaughter of cattle, Unbrotherly lust, the war Of hunger, blood, and the yells of battle. It heedeth no more Than a carver regardeth the wood that he cutteth away : The grainM shavings fall at his feet, 860 But that which his tool hath spared shall stand For men to praise the work of his hand ; For he cutteth so far, and there it lay, And his work is complete. 5 But I will praise 'mong men the masters of mind In music and song, Who follow the love of God to bless their kind: IN SCYROS. 35 And I pray they find A marriage of mirth — And a life long 870 With the gaiety of the Earth. CH. There stands an old man down beneath the bank, Gazing, and beckoning to us. DEW. He is a stranger, That burdened with some package to the palace Hath missed his way about, and fears to intrude. Go some and show him. [Some run out. Meanwhile what do we? We have no sport when Pyrrha is away. Our game is broken. Come, a thought, a thought! Hath none a thought? CH. We have never built the bower. DEW. Ye idled gathering flowers. Now 'tis too late. 880 CH. Let us play ball. DEW. The sun is still so high. I shall go feed my doves. {Re-enter one of Chorus.) CH. The old man saith That he is a pedlar, and hath wares to sell If he may show them. Shall he come? DEW. Now Hermes, The father of device and jugglery. Be thanked for this ; 'tis he hath sent him. — Call him. His tales may be good hearing, tho' his pack Repay not search. But be advised : beware. Lest he bear off more than he bring: these fellows 36 ACHILLES Have fingers to unclasp a brooch or pin 890 While the eye winks that watches. There was one Who as he ran a race would steal the shoes Of any that ran with him. The prince of all Was merry Autolycus. Enter, ivitb those luho had gone out, XTLTSSES as a pedlar. Good day, old man. Come, let us see thy wares. UL. I have no breath lett, Wherewith to thank you, ladies: the little hill Has ta'en it from me. DEID. Rest awhile, and tell us Whence thou art come. UL. In a Greek ship this morn. I pray you, that I lack not courtesy, Art thou the princess of this isle ? DEID. 1 am. 900 UL. My true and humble service to your highness. DEID. In turn say who art thou, and whence thy ship. UL. Fair, honoured daughter of a famous king, I have no story worthy of thine ear, Being but a poor artificer of Smyrna, Where many years I wrought, as ye shall see, Not without skill, in silver and in gold. But happiness hath wrecked me, and I say 'Tis ill to marry young; for from that joy I gat a son, who as the time went on, 910 Grew to be old and gray and wise as I ; And bettering much the art which I had taught him, IN SCYROS. 37 Longed to be master in my place, for which He grew unkind, and his sons hated me: And when one day he wished me dead, I feared Lest I should kill myself; and so that night I made me up a pack of little things He should not grieve for, and took ship for Greece. There have I trafficked, lady, a year and more, And kept myself alive hawking small ware 920 From place to place, and on occasion found A market for my Jewels, and be come here Making the round of the isles in any ship That chances : and this last I came aboard At Andros, where I was : but whence she hailed I have even forgot. May it please thee see my wares ? DEW. Thy tale is very sad. I am sorry for thee. "Why would thy son, being as thou sayst so skilled, Not ply his trade apart? UL. My house in Smyrna Was head of all the goldsmiths : 'twas for that, 930 Lady, he envied me. See now my wares. DEW. What beauteous work ! I 'm glad thou 'rt come. I '11 buy A trinket for myself, and let my maids Choose each what she may fancy. Hear ye, girls? I '11 make a gift to each. CH. O thanks.— To all?— And may we choose? DEW. Yes. CH. Anything we please? DEW. Why, that is choosing. CH. O we thank thee. 38 ACHILLES UL. Now I see, princess, thou'rt of a bounteous blood, To make all round thee happy, DEW. What is this brooch? VL. If for thyself thou fancy a brooch, I '11 show thee 940 The best jewel in my box, and not be shamed To say I have no better. CH. See, oh, see ! What lovely things ! — A rare old man ! UL. Here 'tis. What thinkest thou? DEW. Is 't not a ruby ? UL. And fine! DEW. I think thy son will have missed this. UL. Nay, lady: I had it of a sailor, who, poor fool. Knew not its worth ; and thou mayst buy it of me For half its value. DEW. May I take these two To view them nearly? UL. All take as ye will. Ye do me honour, ladies. DEW. Hear ye, girls, 950 Make each her choice. I will o'erlook your taste When all is done. UL. Come, buy my wares : come buy. Come, come buy ; I've wares for all, Were ye each and all princesses. Clasps and brooches, large and small. Handy for holding your flowing dresses. CH. What is this little box for? IN SCYROS. 39 UL. Open it. CH. What is this vial ? UL. Smell it. Buy, come buy ! Charms for lovers, charms to break, Charms to bind them to you wholly. 960 Medicines fit for every ache, Fever and fanciful melancholy. CH. O smell this scent. — Here be fine pins. — See this! UL. {aside). I spy none here to match my notion yet. CH. I have found amber beads.— What is it is tied In little packets? UL, Toilet secrets those, Perfumes, and rare cosmetics 'gainst decay. DEID. {to one apart). Alexia, see. I will buy this for Pyrrha. 'Tis pity she is not here. What thinkest thou of it? He said it was his best. This other one 970 1 '11 give to thee if thou find nothing better. Go see. I will seek Pyrrha. {Exit R. UL. Buy, come buy! Tassels, fringes, silken strings. Girdles, ties, and Asian pockets, Armlets, necklaces and rings. Images, amulets, lovers' lockets. CH. Pray, what are these, good man ? UL. Of soft doe-skin These gilded thongs are made for dancers' wear, To tie their sandals. CH. And is this a pin, This golden grasshopper? UL. Ay, for the hair. 980 40 ACHILLES The Athenian ladies use nought else. See here This little cup. CH. Didst thou make that ? UL. Nay, ladies. CH. Show us some work of thine which thou didst make Thy very self. UL. See then this silver snake. Fear not. Come near and mark him well: my trade is, Or was, I should say, in such nice devices. It coils and curls, uncoils, darts and recoils. [Sboiving. The Chorus crowd about him, ivhen enter unperceived by him ACHILLES and DEIDJMIA, DEW. Come, come, there never hath been one like him. Hark ! see the girls : they crowd and chatter round As greedily as birds being fed. I bade them choose Each one a present, but I took the best, 991 This ruby brooch. Look at it: 'tis for thee. Let me now put it on thee. I '11 unclasp Thy robe and set it in the place of the other. ACH. Nay, Deidamia, unfasten not my robe! DEW. Why, 'twould not matter if he looked this way. JCH. Nay, prithee.— DEW. Well, thou must take my gift. ACH. Then must I give thee somewhat in return. DEW. But 'tis my will to-day to give to all. ACH. Then let me take my choice, some smaller thing. jooo DEW. Come then ere all is ransacked. IN SCYROS. 41 jiCH. (aside). I scarce escaped The uncovering of my magic C03it.—[They go to Ulysses. UL. Come buy, Needles for your broideries rare, Dainty bodkins silver-hafted. Pins to fix your plaited hair, Ivory-headed and golden-shafted. jiCH. What hast thou in thy pack for me, old man ? UL. There 's nought but trifles left me, lady, now, As dice and dolls ; the very dregs of the box. DEID. Athenian owls. And who 's this red-baked lady 1010 Clothed in a net? UL. Princess, 'tis Britomartis, The Cretan goddess worshipped at iEgina. DEID. This little serpent too? UL. Nothing to thee: But the Erechtheidae use to fasten such About their children's necks. Nay, not a babe Is born but they must don him one of these. Or ever he be swaddled or have suck. DEID. This blinking pygmy here, with a man's body And a dog's head, squatting upon a button . . What's he? UL. 'Tis an Egyptian charm, to ban 1020 The evil spirits bred of Nilus' slime. DEID. And this? UL. That. See, 'tis a Medusa, lady. Cut in an oyster-shell, with flaming snakes. DEID. These are all nothings. Thou must have the brooch. 48 ACHILLES See, now 'tis thine ; thou hast it. {Pins it upon Achilles' robe.) {To UL.) What is its price? (To ACH.) Nay, be content. UL. To thee I '11 sell it, lady, For a tenfold weight of gold. ACH. Oh ! 'tis too much. Spend not such store on me. And for the ruby, 'Tis dark and small. UL. The purple is its merit: Were it three times the size and half the tint, 1030 'Twere of slight cost. ACH. So might I like it better. And that — what 's that, which thou dost put aside ? Is that a toy? UL. Nay, lady ; that is no toy. 'Tis a sharp sword. But I will show it thee For its strange quality : the which methinks Might pass for magic, were 't not that an Arian, Late come to Sardis, knows the art to make it. Tho' wrought of iron, look ye, 'tis blue as flint, And if I bend it, it springs back like a bow: 'Tis sharper too than flint ; but the edge is straight. And will not chip. Nay, touch it not ; have care ! ACH. Pray, let me see it, and take it in my hand. \Takes it and comes to front. UL. {aside). This should be he. ACH. {aside). My arm writhes at the touch. UL. There is a hunter, with his game, a lion, Inlaid upon it: and on the other side 1045 Two men that fight to death. ACH. 'Tis light in the hand. DEW. {to ACH.). Canst thou imagine any use for this? IN SCYROS. 43 ACH. {to DEID.). Not when thy father dies? UL, Ladies, have care. For if the sword should wound you, I were blamed. ACH. Why, thinkest thou 'tis only bearded men Can wield a sword? The queen of the Amazons Could teach thee something maugre thy white hair. UL. (aside). The game hath run into the snare; He is mine. ACH. See, Deidamia, here 's my choice ; buy this If thou wilt give me something ; thou dost like 1055 The ruby , if thou wilt let me give thee that, Thou in return buy me this little sword. DEID. Such presents are ill-omened, and 'tis said Will shrewdly cut in twain the love they pledge. ACH. But we may make a bond of this divider. DEID. Wilt thou in earnest take it for thy choice ? ACH. If thou wert late in earnest, thou couldst do No better than arm all thy girls with these. The weapon wins the battle, and I think With such advantage women might be feared. {To UL.) Old man, I like thy blade; and I will have it. I see 'twould thrust well : tell me if 'tis mettle To give a stroke. Suppose I were thy foe, And standing o'er thee thus to cut thee down Should choose to cleave thy pate. Would this sword do it? 1070 UL. {aside). He knows me! {Pulling off his beard and head-dress and leaping up. Achilles ! DEID. and CH. Help ! help ! treachery ! iTheyJ}/ R. 44 ACHILLES DIOMEDE comes out of bushes R.