登陆注册
15757600000005

第5章

Soon shall we know whereof the bale-fires tell, The beacons, kindled with transmitted flame;Whether, as well I deem, their tale is true, Or whether like some dream delusive came The welcome blaze but to befool our soul.

For lo! I see a herald from the shore Draw hither, shadowed with the olive-wreath-And thirsty dust, twin-brother of the clay, Speaks plain of travel far and truthful news-No dumb surmise, nor tongue of flame in smoke, Fitfully kindled from the mountain pyre;But plainlier shall his voice say, All is well, Or-but away, forebodings adverse, now, And on fair promise fair fulfilment come!

And whoso for the state prays otherwise, Himself reap harvest of his ill desire!

(A HERALD enters. He is an advance messenger from AGAMEMNON'Sforces, which have just landed.)

HERALD

O land of Argos, fatherland of mine!

To thee at last, beneath the tenth year's sun, My feet return; the bark of my emprise, Tho' one by one hope's anchors broke away, Held by the last, and now rides safely here.

Long, long my soul despaired to win, in death, Its longed-for rest within our Argive land:

And now all hail, O earth, and hail to thee, New-risen sun! and hail our country's God, High-ruling Zeus, and thou, the Pythian lord, Whose arrows smote us once-smite thou no morel Was not thy wrath wreaked full upon our heads, O king Apollo, by Scamander's side?

Turn thou, be turned, be saviour, healer, now And hail, all gods who rule the street and mart And Hermes hail! my patron and my pride, Herald of heaven, and lord of heralds here!

And Heroes, ye who sped us on our way-

To one and all I cry, Receive again With grace such Argives as the spear has spared.

Ah, home of royalty, beloved halls, And solemn shrines, and gods that front the morn!

Benign as erst, with sun-flushed aspect greet The king returning after many days.

For as from night flash out the beams of day, So out of darkness dawns a light, a king, On you, on Argos-Agamemnon comes.

Then hail and greet him well I such meed befits Him whose right hand hewed down the towers of Troy With the great axe of Zeus who righteth wrong-And smote the plain, smote down to nothingness Each altar, every shrine; and far and wide Dies from the whole land's face its offspring fair.

Such mighty yoke of fate he set on Troy-

Our lord and monarch, Atreus' elder son, And comes at last with blissful honour home;Highest of all who walk on earth to-day-

Not Paris nor the city's self that paid Sin's price with him, can boast, Whate'er befall, The guerdon we have won outweighs it all.

But at Fate's judgment-seat the robber stands Condemned of rapine, and his prey is torn Forth from his hands, and by his deed is reaped A bloody harvest of his home and land Gone down to death, and for his guilt and lust His father's race pays double in the dust.

LEADER

Hail, herald of the Greeks, new-come from war.

HERALD

All hail! not death itself can fright me now.

LEADER

Was thine heart wrung with longing for thy land?

HERALD

So that this joy doth brim mine eyes with tears.

LEADER

On you too then this sweet distress did fall-HERALD

How say'st thou? make me master of thy word.

LEADER

You longed for us who pined for you again.

HERALD

Craved the land us who craved it, love for love?

LEADER

Yea, till my brooding heart moaned out with pain.

HERALD

Whence thy despair, that mars the army's joy?

LEADER

Sole cure of wrong is silence, saith the saw.

HERALD

Thy kings afar, couldst thou fear other men?

LEADER

Death had been sweet, as thou didst say but now.

HERALD

'Tis true; Fate smiles at last. Throughout our toil, These many years, some chances issued fair, And some, I wot, were chequered with a curse.

But who, on earth, hath won the bliss of heaven, Thro' time's whole tenor an unbroken weal?

I could a tale unfold of toiling oars, Ill rest, scant landings on a shore rock-strewn, All pains, all sorrows, for our daily doom.

And worse and hatefuller our woes on land;For where we couched, close by the foeman's wall, The river-plain was ever dank with dews, Dropped from the sky, exuded from the earth, A curse that clung unto our sodden garb, And hair as horrent as a wild beast's fell.

Why tell the woes of winter, when the birds Lay stark and stiff, so stern was Ida's snow?

Or summer's scorch, what time the stirless wave Sank to its sleep beneath the noon-day sun?

Why mourn old woes? their pain has passed away;And passed away, from those who fell, all care, For evermore, to rise and live again.

Why sum the count of death, and render thanks For life by moaning over fate malign?

Farewell, a long farewell to all our woes!

To us, the remnant of the host of Greece, Comes weal beyond all counterpoise of woe;Thus boast we rightfully to yonder sun, Like him far-fleeted over sea and land.

The Argive host prevailed to conquer Troy, And in the temples of the gods of Greece Hung up these spoils, a shining sign to Time.

Let those who learn this legend bless aright The city and its chieftains, and repay The meed of gratitude to Zeus who willed And wrought the deed. So stands the tale fulfilled.

LEADER

Thy words o'erbear my doubt: for news of good, The ear of age hath ever youth enow:

But those within and Clytemnestra's self Would fain hear all; glad thou their ears and mine.

(CLYTEMNESTRA enters from the palace.)

CLYTEMNESTRA

That night, when first the fiery courier came, In sign that Troy is ta'en and razed to earth, So wild a cry of joy my lips gave out, That I was chidden-Hath the beacon watch Made sure unto thy soul the sack of Troy?

A very woman thou, whose heart leaps light At wandering rumours!-and with words like these They showed me how I strayed, misled of hope.

Yet on each shrine I set the sacrifice, And, in the strain they held for feminine, Went heralds thro' the city, to and fro, With voice of loud proclaim, announcing joy;And in each fane they lit and quenched with wine The spicy perfumes fading in the flame.

All is fulfilled: I spare your longer tale-The king himself anon shall tell me all.

Remains to think what honour best may greet My lord, the majesty of Argos, home.

同类推荐
  • 华严经行愿品疏钞

    华严经行愿品疏钞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 丹台玉案

    丹台玉案

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 玉清胎元内养真经

    玉清胎元内养真经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 通玄真经注

    通玄真经注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 学术辨

    学术辨

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 圣途仙道

    圣途仙道

    圣天大陆地域之广阔无边无际,大陆之上万族林立、诸圣争霸,帝国、门派、家族,各大势力明争暗斗,称雄一方。
  • 老公,请放手!

    老公,请放手!

    陈雨欣与莫子轩结婚三年,形同陌路,一个孤傲,一个冷漠,子轩:‘请放手,我们离婚吧“,离别五年后,莫子轩又穷追猛守,“亲爱的老婆,离婚无效,所以我还你的丈夫.”
  • 转身寥寥遇见凯

    转身寥寥遇见凯

    一向高端的凯凯,面对一个在同一个班级里的夏柠溪,凯凯会怎样呢?敬请期待。。。。
  • 异世魔王地球行

    异世魔王地球行

    神魔大战,魔族失利,面临绝境,为保魔族百万雄兵,魔族之皇发动禁咒,强大的力量撕开时空通道,将他带到地球,看魔皇如何利用魔法玩转地球。
  • 三国之清风阁

    三国之清风阁

    滚滚长江东逝水,浪花淘尽英雄。是非成败转眼空。人心狡诈,我无心争霸。只为兴复先辈曾为其努力的那一阁。
  • 穿越到柯南世界的爱恋

    穿越到柯南世界的爱恋

    工藤凉子和工藤梦子穿越前叫夏凌溪,夏岚潇。死后好巧不巧地穿越成了工藤新一的妹妹,这两人的命运会如何,她们是会留在柯南世界还是选择穿越回去?(嗯,这真是一个值得柠汐思考的问题啊!)
  • 雷火幻境

    雷火幻境

    陈铭本是一个逍遥的大学生,过着平淡的生活,确意外的来到了不同的世界.本以为可以风起云涌,却....在一个世界中逐渐懂得自立.在残酷的世界中,是否会陈铭于天下!!
  • 校花的班长大人

    校花的班长大人

    一只手能算未来,一双眼能看天机,年仅十七岁坐上死神佣兵团首领之位,代号:镰刀!在一次完成SSS级任务回到基地的途中,接到了一份神秘的委托,以身体局部落下终身残疾的原因辞去首领之位。易容之后以“江月”这个名字进入江南市的第三十六中学高三七班中,并奉委托照顾神女校花“慕容轩兒”。之后,史上第一位翻云覆雨的班长大人诞生了,整个江南市从此群魔乱舞!
  • 豆丁历险记之新世界

    豆丁历险记之新世界

    从最初开始探险,他越陷越深,外星人、元素至尊皇、黑雀,有很多未知的谜题需要他揭开,还有很多未知的事情需要他经历。当他得知自己拥有天界皇族血统,便毅然决然地找寻着自己所谓的命运。
  • 小知的脑洞

    小知的脑洞

    生活的感悟与思考,烦恼,寻找志同道合的小伙伴~