THE S ■■Hi Hi liife iip H iH ■ ■ IBi jKiM 11111 - ""-JK Wmm mm 1m Up w -....•••••■■■■•"■. Wmm LIB RARY J}fc CONGR ESS. %p.Y„... ©opgriglt % Shelf JLk .-S 5 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 3mHHHi§& ftT^iFiiA^ff'jiSr j?^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^p t^^fel®^ n§pi .v^iVN^.Y' ccon&. Scene I. Next morning. The market place. Wailing of women and uproar of men. A group of sailors, one of whom is speaking. Sailor. We three were cruising in the bay last night. With dawn the wind blew fresher, and we saw Among the white-caps, half a league away, A hundred war-ships, with the Attic ensign Fluttering at the mast. The bugles blew A welcome from the shore, and Charon cried " Demosthenes is come ! Home with the news ! " But one proud galley, fleeter than the rest, Came towards us like the wind. We tacked to meet her. Her prong went through poor Captain Andros' sloop. Two others tangled Charon in between them, And twenty chased me home. 26 THE SIEGE OF STRACUSB. Women. Wo! Wo! Wo! Wo! Wo ! Wo ! to Syracuse. Citizens. The city's lost ! — O, for Gylippus with the help from Sparta ! — ■ Too late ! too late ! — Call the Assembly ! — Ay, Call the Assembly ! Can they make us men ? — And ships ? — And bread to save us from the famine ? Women. Wo ! Wo ! Wo ! Wo ! Wo ! Wo ! to Syracuse. A Citizen. Who was it spoke of famine ? I'd not heard The island was grown barren. Are not stalks Still green, and fruit still red, in Sicily ? Citizens. Thou mock'st us, Citizen Petros. Well thou knowest All our allies are poorer than ourselves, And we've no gold to purchase from the rest. Citizen Petros. You have gold. Citizens. Where ? THE SIEGE OF Sl'RACUSE. 2J Citizen Petros. In Aphrodite's temple. Citizens. Oh ! Murmurs. Citizen Petros. Shrink not, friends ! Tis yours. Now, while the way Lies open through the fort, where Captain Lucius Holds Nicias' walls asunder, — gaping jaws, All-fain to close on hapless Syracuse ! — Rifle the fane ! Send merchants to the marts Of Camerina, shepherds to range for flocks The inland pastures. There is treasure there Would purchase a month's life for Syracuse. Give us but bread, and with the men and ships We have, we'll guard the city till Gylippus Arrives from Lacedaemon. Citizens. Seize the temple ! Prevent the Aphrodisia ! Down with Lais ! Down with the Senate ! Enter Lucius. Lucius. Friends, I thought I heard The voice of mutiny. What has befallen ? 28 THE SIEGE OF STRACUSE. Women in tears, with children clinging round them, And all your faces cheerless ? Citizen Petros. Bitter tidings ! Demosthenes is anchored at Plemmyrium With seventy triremes. Lucius. O thou God of Justice, How have we sinned that thou, even at the hour When hope was rosiest, shouldst heap the odds Against us to so mountainous a volume ? Women. Wo! Wo! Wo! Wo! Wo! Wo! to Syracuse. Lucius. What can I do to still your anguish ? Tell me, And I will do it. Citizens. Call the Assembly ! — Prevent the midnight revels ! — Seize the treasure ! The treasure, or we yield. Lucius. Surely, you are No Syracusans, but base foreigners. Did they outnumber us, as waves the rock, Bid them defiance, like our ancestors, When Xerxes posted his imperial seal THE SIEGE OF Sl'RACUSE. 29 Upon Thessalian Athos, and the hordes Hung over little Hellas like a cloud. Citizen Petros. O, thou and I, Lord Lucius, we are men, And we could bear the fast. But what of these, Our nursing mothers, children, aged ones, All hollow-cheeked with hunger ? This because The feeble Senate rules us ! This because One aged priest invokes the curse of God On them who stir his treasure ! Fond Antenor ! Not blessings, but rude wrath are Heaven's response For these, our shameful Aphrodisia, Writ in no Hellene calendar, but drawn From the luxurious Orient. Lucius. Good friends, What's hunger, weighed with plunder, rapine, chains, And endless slavery in the mines of Laurium ? Talk not of yielding, then. Think not the word. It is impossible. But if you will — You are the people — muster ! congregate ! Run hither, thither, bid each citizen, Captain, or scribe, ye meet upon your way, Gather at the Assembly-House : and there 30 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Take ye good counsel. For what ye do there Is law for Syracuse. Citizen Petros. And for the Senate. Citizens. The Assembly ! — The Assembly ! — The Assembly ! Demosthenes is come ! — Call the Assembly ! Scene II. Antenors House. Barca and Salander. Barca. My forehead aches with subtleties. Three plans Have perished in the germ within an hour, But one is bourgeoning. Just now it bore A flower, the fairest organ of the herb, The cradle of the fruit. —Demosthenes Is come. Salander. Thou echoest the people's cry, But not their anguished accent : for thy tone Seems joyous. THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 3 1 Barca. Can the city stand before him ? Salander. He is a famous general. Barca. If we locked Our strength with his, how long could Syracuse Withstand our double army ? Salander. But the walls Of Syracuse are round us. To depart At such a moment would proclaim us spies, Not legates ; and as such, if I mistake not, We should be treated by the Syracusans. Barca. In my first dream of conquest, these slight isles Appeared an easy prey. I thought to gird All Sicily with fleets, and at her ports Take toll of her ripe harvests. Then I saw On either hand Illyria, Italy, Greece, Gallia to the rocks of Hercules, And all the nations of the Mediterranean, Enrich our boundless empire. Every town Upon a river's mouth, and every ship That ploughed the bosom of this inland ocean Carthage should own ; and, like a> mightier sea, O'erflow its shores and thunder at the base 32 THE SIEGE OF STRACUSE. Of the northern Alps, that loom impregnable And fend us from the snows. For this I lured Vain Athens on to storm this puissant city, And would have lent her aid, but Nicias, The weakling, courted failure, and I donned The mask of friendship to win entrance here Into the heart of Syracuse. Now fortune Changes her smile, and I throw off the mask. We must escape to the Athenians. Salander. Escape ? But how ? and when ? Barca. To-morrow midnight, It is the season of the Aphrodisia, Which these Greeks hate : and now, by famine crazed, And fear, and hatred of the haughty Senate, They swear they will prevent them ; while my host, Impracticable priest, resists their clamor, And swears they shall be held. Out of this feud I'll draw the clash of steel, whence shall leap forth A spark which shall cosuume the hated temple, And Syracuse beside. Salander. How, master ? Barca. Listen. Demosthenes, that night, forewarned in time, THE SIEGE OF SrRACUSE. 33 Shall fall upon the embroiled Syracusans, — Unarmed, in mutiny, and unsuspecting, — Scale their sea-wall, and swarm their avenues With irresistible might. Sa lander. Hast bribed some Greek To bear the message to Demosthenes ? Barca. Nay, that's a service of a deeper faith Than gold could buy. Thou would'st not fear to swim Across the harbor to the Athenian fleet ? Salaxder. Fear, master? Barca. Thou wilt bear the message, then. I stay to hide thy flight, and 'mid the riot Will easily make way. But — Hast thou marked The beauty of Antenor's child, Adelia ? There's music in the name ! Adelia ! Salaxder. Which ? Barca. The taller of the twain, the one whose cheeks Show waves of blushes. Yea, she must be mine. Oh, she is luscious as a Lesbian grape, That drop of unpressed wine. Yet in her eye A glance superior, an inborn law, 34 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. O'errules my else unbridled love. I would She had some trivial fault, some little spot ! Hath she a brother? Salander. How should I know, master? Barca. I would she had ! In him I'd read her faults. Her womanhood mists them over. O, I rave. She hath no faults ; she is perfect as the stone I wear upon my finger. Salander. Hast forgot Poor, dark-eyed Hari ? She would grieve to hear How thou dost praise the azure-eyed Adelia. Barca. Poor Hari ! I am inconstant unto thee. But why inconstant ? 'Tis no single rose We love, although a queen ; 'tis but the kind. For any rose is fair. From this and that We smell the delicate odor ; here and there We pluck one. So with women as with roses. 'Tis scarce inconstancy. But mark ! she must be mine. Salander. Speak, master, on. I've served thee twenty years, and never seen Such knots of tangled danger. THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 35 Barca. We must seize The maiden on that night. Salander. How slip the guard ? How reach the shore ? Barca. If but the light of heaven Is veiled, how far can man's poor torches pierce Earth's shadow ? Hast thou never seen by night A sleeping city on a shore afar, How like mere sparks the lights gleamed, thinly scat- tered Amid the darksome mass ? Each bank of gloom Housed felons and their deeds. So shall the night Befriend us. But I must be expeditious. Upon this tablet I will brand the message, Which slip beneath the sole-piece of thy sandal ; Then thong it tightly. Plunge, and thou'rt away, While I go brew a charm of slumb'rous herbs To drug the fair Adelia. 'Mid the uproar, With her, embalmed in poison-sleep, — a burden That I could lift o'er Atlas' ridge, I think, — I'll reach the shore, and keep m hiding there Till ye arrive. That I may know thee sooner, Hang up a red light in thy galley. Hush ! 36 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE Anterior comes — and bid Demosthenes Be prompt ! — This was the flower of my plan, That cradles the blest fruit. Scene III. A hall. The fifty captains of Syracuse. Lucius. Age against age, Sloth against laggard caution, feeble will Against irresolution and delay, Such, brothers, is the story of this siege While Nicias and our Senate faced each other. But now the young Demosthenes arrives, Ever-victorious, in whose armament I see the doom of Syracuse, if we, The city's captains, skilled and bold in war, Match not our might with his, — youth against youth, Swift counsel 'gainst swift counsel, and hard blows Against hard blows. ist Captain. Why, I have been in sieges Where every face was cheerful as a band Of maidens on a holiday. For each THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 37 Had wrought and riveted upon his soul The viewless, but invulnerable armor Of adamantine courage. But look round, And see the tear-wet faces, telling tales Of trembling hearts. Are then our people cowards ? By Mars ! I do not brag, but there are none Braver in all the world ; and if some scourge Swept off our army in a night, our wives Would man the empty walls and fight the foe. But there's one foe strikes foul, and few so brave As not to fear him, — Famine ! Woe the word ! This have our guilty Senate drawn upon us By their imprudent spendings, and now stand Too witless to relieve the misery Their witlessness has caused. Lucius. Good friend, we owe A reverence to white hairs. Whate'er our acts, Still let our words be kind. ist Captain. What owe we then Unto the people, whose Assembly, held This very hour, commissions us with power Supreme, to rule the city ? At my post My soldiers are awaiting me. I ask 38 THE SIEGE OF STRACUSE. Some means to check the midnight revelries, Orgies and dances and demoniac laughter, That else will mock in silence of the night Upon yon hill the misery of the city. 2nd Captain. The wealthiest shrine in Sicily. What shame To put this gold to evil use, which, turned To good, would prove so potent ! Hear my plan. To-morrow night let's march to Achradina, Disperse the priestesses, and seize the treasure, Then burn the cursed pollution to the ground ! Captains. Well counselled ! We approve ! 2nd Captain. Vague whispers passed Will reassure the people all is well. Captains. Ay, we approve ! 2nd Captain. Antenor must not know, Nor any Senator. When all is done, Then let them fume in vain. Captains. Ay, we approve ! Lucius. Brothers, I beg you think me not behind In hatred of the revels, nor in wish To gain the needed treasure for the people. And yet, beware of haste. The sculptor moulds THE SIEGE OF STRACUSE. 39 No statue from the snow-banks in the fields, Though of a more than Parian tissue, pure And pliant to the skill of supple fingers. Better the marble block that but with toil And sweat gives shape, cold, everlasting shape To burning thoughts. Better the slow- wrought counsel ! Something in the proposal I approve, Something I fear. I love the aim ; I fear The haste, the violence, the secrecy. ist Captain. One voice of mild dissuasion. Thou hast cause To love Antenor, Lucius. It is meet To honor the High-Priest. But, grieve who will, This treasure must be ours, — the revels checked, — Ay, and the temple burned. If openly We cry our purpose forth — thou know'st Antenor, The rocky will, from which rebound alike Entreaty and command. Lucius. Be it not said By him who writes our tale in years to come, Twining a garland of sweet poesy Around my lance of war, that even the voice Of love had power against the voice of duty, 40 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Or that I, fearing to grieve my lord Anterior, Wronged all the Syracusans. I approve. ist Captain. Seal the deliberation with an oath. By father Zeus, the king of Gods and men, By Styx' black stream, the oath unutterable, By all things sacred, mortal and immortal, We set the seal of silence on our lips. All. We set the seal of silence on our lips. Scene IV. Antenor' s House. Barca and Antenor. Antenor. Name me the godless rebels ! Barca. For the names — My comrade overheard the plot, — Salander, A worthy soldier, — at to-morrow midnight They were to march and burn some temple, — which, I know not, — seize its treasures, and disperse The priestesses assembled. Being a stranger, Unskilled in Greek, my comrade missed the names. I, fearing treason, which forever basks In secrecy, and eager to give earnest THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 4 1 Of my devotion, which has hitherto Lived only in professions, brought the tale, To thee, most reverend in authority — Antenor. I reverend ! Nay, I am the meanest slave. Dost thou not see my priestly office mocked, Myself a scorn for strangers, violent hands Constraining me to do their evil will ? faithless generation ! Do ye think No judging eye beholds ye through the dark ? And fear ye not His thunderbolt, the missile No mortal speed can shun, no shield can ward ? It smites the haughty eagle as he soars, Strong-winged, above the peaks, amid the storm ; Down through the heavens the zigzag lightning bursts, And cleaves him, and he falls. So ye shall fall. Barca. My sword is thine. Enroll me in the band Thou marshall'st to chastise them. Antenor. Generous stranger, Thy singular devotion pierces me. 1 would I knew the names. Nay, sheathe thy sword. Leave me to intercept the deed of shame ; It is beneath thine office. In thy name, 42 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. O powerful Aphrodite, in the name Of Syracuse, lest vengeance overtake This impious crime, I'll summon to my side The faithful and the good. I thank thy zeal, Lord Barca. Would I knew the names. My task Were easier. Barca. Poor priest ! It needs no craft To work on thee. Now for Demosthenes. Scene V. A bower in the secluded garden. Twilight. Lucius and A deli a. "Adelia. Now day departeth like a fading smile That lingers on the lips of sea and heaven ; And men float dreamward to the blessed isle Of slumber, o'er a drowsy ocean driven By night, the beauteous and the mourning mother. Now one by one the vesper stars aloft Steal through the gathering gloom ; and hush ! oh, hush! THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 43 For here and there and all about us, soft, Cool water-music bubbles, like the gush Of garden springs that sing to one another. Lucius. If to be dead were but to dwell in pleasance Amid the glories of yon sunset sky, Hanging above the earth, a God-like presence, High in the west, were it not sweet to die ? O fiery radiance, what art thou, say ? Thy hues outrival Iris, and shame Flora, When, breaking early buds o'er hill and hollow, She leadeth through the lands the month of May ! Art thou a vision of the young Aurora, That visitest the slumbers of Apollo ? Adelia. Whether the final harmony is death, And all this life melts out in subtle fusion With yon Sky-Presence, at surcease of breath, — Reunion with the world, sweet dissolution, As of a dew-drop in the morning air ; Whether our souls live forward to some flower 44 THE SIEGE OF STRACUSE. Of soul-perfection, 'mid a spirit host, Aye hung like incense-clouds before a Power Of majesty divine ; Oh, who can boast To know the answer of that question fair ? Lucius. I would not live where there is no communion With thee, O lordly Nature, no full sight Of all thy beauteous parts, in sweetest union, My love, my meditation, my delight. In thee the waters and the woods abide ; In thee the bough-bird sings, in summer's van ; This is thy changeful sky, now seamed with levin, Now blue and calm ; on thee, as on a bride The beautiful poet, young and shy of man, Presses his burning heart, and murmurs " Heaven ! " Adelia. He loves, and listens for the warm response, Love's sweetness ; but the siren's breast is hollow, Empty of love. The forests and the fonts Regard him not, and when he fain would follow The sweet, wild doe, she, with misgiving eyes, THE SIEGE OF Sl'RACUSE. 45 Flees farther in the glade. Cold is the light, Cold the unspeakable, eye-delighting glow That nlleth heaven when day is born or dies. Nay, poet shy of man, man will requite Thy love with love cold Nature cannot know. Lucius. Thy soul is learned in the lore of love. Teach me the wisdom in thy bosom chambered. Yea, to be prized all other things above, Smiled on, endeared, nay, but to be remembered Upon that other shore of Death's dead stream, By one pure maiden here, to wed two hearts Like thine and mine, is rapture deeper, higher, Than contemplation, or the poet's dream, Or tinselled treasure of the whole world's marts. 'Tis the fruition of all soul's desire. Adelia. Look, love, without ! How yon gold dial shines, Whose needle's shadow marks the moving hour. And shafts of splendor pierce the lacing vines That, thick-embranching, darken all the bower. 46 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. The moon hath risen by stealth to overhear us, And night's black garb is silvered with a hue Not on the rainbow palette of the day. Look, where with phosphoral path a meteor flew ; But ere thou turnest it hath waned away Behind yon bank of cloud that floateth near us. Lucius. Hast ever marked, amid the golden signs, A vague-felt shimmer of unseen starlight playing Behind the globed orbs ? My soul divines A myriad stars, imbedding and inlaying Invisible spheres, yet to be seen of men. Thus oft are thoughts foreshadowed by the soul, Beyond the very verge of mortal sight, Which Time, unrolling the unending scroll Of truth, reads ages after. Hark ! the night Is riven by a voice — again ! — again ! Glaukds voice is heard afar, singing, ARIADNE. I make my pillow A mossy stone, THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 4 J Sleeping alone Under the willow, Under the weeping tree. The nightingale Mocks in my ear, Singing so near Out of the vale, " Sweet is my life to me ! Sweet is my life to me ! " My home was a palace, And hers a bough, But now, ah, now ! She drinks a chalice Of rapture and I of rue. No fair-faced lover Led her away, And then one day Sailed off, false rover, Bidding her never adieu ; Bidding me never adieu. 48 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE, Voices of flowers sing softly : Hark ! hark ! a nightingale is in the garden ; Or one of the orioles that linger long In Sicily's lovely woodlands. Pardon, pardon, 'Tis Philomel's own inarticulate song, Lip-broken into words. Adieu ! Adieu ! How softly in the air the echoes float! While in yon leafy bower two lovers true, Severing with tears, repeat the plaintive note. Adieu ! all things are parting. Let us flowers, Rose, lily, dahlia, heliotrope, camellia, — List to the lovely naming of our choir, — Answer Adieu ! Adieu ! fair daylight hours ; Adieu ! bright stars ; Adieu ! brown bird of fire ; Adieu ! sweet lovers, Lucius and Adelia. THE SIEGE OF S l'RACUSE. 49 Scene I. A moonlight night. The Temple of Aphrodite. On a sloping bank that leads dozen from the temple, youths recline with lyres. Fountains play at the sides. In front, on a level law?i i maidens dance. Slow music, gradually quickening. Maidens. While men seek slumber and the tired flocks rest, And o'er their path in heaven's eternal arch The eastern stars are floating to the west, The moon o'erhangs the sea ; We, Aphrodite's nymphs, in garb of snow, With hallowed dances round her temple march, Chanting the happy choruses that flow From joyous ecstasie. 50 THE SIEGE OF S TRAGUS E. Come, bloomy maid, come join our merry bands, And leave the drowsy virgins to their dreams, Roam up with us the sloping mountain lands Where winds blow wild and cool ; Oft loitering on the banks to bathe thy locks In the delicious waters of the streams ; Or, if in any basin of the rocks They pour a crystal pool, All screened in shrubs, and brinked with flowers of gold, Wherein, perchance, the naked naiad swims, There slip the knots and girdles that enfold Thy Cytherean bloom, And in the unrippled water-mirror mark The lily beauty of thy spotless limbs, That gleam like marble in the dewy dark And all the lake illume. Youths. Come, youth, leave strife and fierce alarms, The clangor of steel and the pain of blows, THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 5 1 And repose, like Mars, in the soft, warm arms Of thy Venus, from the war. Her lips say " Away," but her eyes say " Come ! M And her cheeks outvie the superb wild rose, And her tresses the fleece of Elysium That the Argo voyaged for. Come, follow the maids who day and night Heed but the sense and the longing of joy That fills man's blood with a wild delight, Veining him as with fire. Come, take thy part in the ring-round whirl, On thy right hand Eros, the lovely boy, On thy left a red-lipped, laughing girl, All dancing to my lyre. Come where the nightingale learned to sing, From Aleale, sweeter than she, Whom we chase through the valleys, abloom with spring, But still she escapes afar. For when we are nearest, away ! away ! She outruns Atalanta over the lea, And sings in her flight like a lark at day Taking wing for the morning star. $2 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Lais. When Aphrodite rose from the foam 'Mid shining drops that clung in showers — The temple bursts into flame. The fifty captains appear 011 its steps. Lucius. Away, foul women ! Thou, with raven hair That flecks thy snowy shoulders, — Fallen Lais ! I would mine eye were solid fire to brand Red shame upon thy forehead, and bring back The blush of maidenhood that dyed thy cheeks, When, still a smiling girl, thou dwelt at home Among thy people, wayward but beloved. What do ye here on this unhappy night, When every woman's bed in Syracuse Should be bedewed with tears, bidding this hill Shake with the light-foot dances till it rocks The citizen from his troubled sleep below ? He wakes and hears, then sleeps again and dreams The Furies ride the night winds, trumpeting Wild, demon laughter o'er the hapless city. THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 53 He comes forward. The High-Priest and a guard rush in, and surround the captains and tJie dancers. Axtenor. Lucius! — Must I believe Mine eyes and not my heart ? Thou, whom I loved Even as a son, because my daughter loved thee, The daily vision of whose fair young face Gladdened my heart. For " Now the rust of age Is in my hair, the winter in my beard," Thought I, ''soon must my daughter bear her fruit To greet me ere I die, as springtime buds Greet withering winter. Noble is the blood That mingles for their birth. So shall they be Well-worthy scions of Antenor's line." Sooner would I have thought mine own right hand Intrigued against me than that thou would'st do This cunning deed, at which the vaulted sky Should burst, and vengeance fall the ancient path, Straight, swift, from God's own hand. Lucius. Most reverend sire, Are these thy ministers ? This midnight orgie Thy holy festival ? Thou canst not know What lewd and evil follies festered here, — The wanton motions, dances, satyr-songs 54 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Fouling the lips of maidens. If these things Are holy, we blaspheme, with torch and sword Blaspheme ; though on the eternal calendar Of Him whose heart is grieved by deeds of shame, I think such blasphemy would write our names In glory, not in blame. And call our deed Not cunning, though we wear the secret mask Of night in it. But for thy sake the deed Were blazoned forth to daylight, that all men Might hail it with rejoicing. Well we feared The blow we aimed at sin would fall on thee, Who art the noble shield of things ignoble. So now thou know'st our purpose was not ill. I kiss thy robes, — unbend thine iron frown, And speak a golden blessing on our deed, Our honorable deed, which brings heart's ease Unto the Syracuse thou lovest dearly. Antenor. Rebuild, Rebuild yon massy roof, festooned with fires That shrivel up its marble majesty To ashes in mine eyes. Then ask my blessing. Son, son, I will not curse thee. Pour, O heavens, Thy fountains on these fires, that he may live, THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 55 If it is just he live. — No answer comes ; Nought but a fiercer sighing of the flames. That vault high up the night, and weirdly fling Wild-leaping shadows o'er us. As when rains Hiss o'er the tropic seas and whirlwinds lash The bare, broad back of ocean, on the base Of some huge cliff the billows, breaking, toss Huge flakes of foam in air, so rise the waves Of conflagration o'er the fated fane, And one by one the pillars bend and fall. Enough ! bind them and him. Lucius. What would'st thou do ? Not bind the fifty captains of the city, Her nobles and commanders ? Axtexor. By the Gods, Whose laws outweigh all usages of men, Both they and thou shall answer on the morrow Before a meet tribunal for this crime. Lucius. Wreak all thy sacred vengeance on my head, But I implore thee, stir no bloody feud. Sheathe up thy sword ! Antenor. Not until every knave Surrenders. 56 THE SIEGE OF STRACUSE. Captains. Insolent priest, beware ! Antenor. Upon them ! The guard attacks the captains. Lucius. Antenor ! Comrades ! (A shriek.) The moon ! Priestesses. The moon ! The moon ! Antenor. What miracle Arrests your waving blades ? How all the air Grows black as Styx ! The priestesses prostrate themselves. The captains draw back. The moon is eclipsed. Voices. The moon ! Antenor. O Artemis ! Dost thou conceal thy pure, pale face aloft Against the deeds of men, and set the sign Of God's displeasure, the far-feared eclipse, Upon the face of heaven ? Trembling I cast Mine eyes to thee, and I am cold with fear, Although my heart is clean. O what confusion THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. $7 Must fill the hearts of them who dare profane God's mysteries, and set their littleness 'Gainst his triumphant grandeur ! Lozv c 'hat it of Priestesses. Artemis ! Artemis ! shine again, Hide the frown of thine awful anger ; Heed the prayer of thy meek adorers, Stricken with fear of thy righteous wrath. While the eyes of wrangling men Saw but each other, thou, unobserved, Stole away to the dark horizon, Leaving the night all black in thy path. Artemis ! Artemis ! shine again. Artemis ! Artemis ! shine again. A pause. Antenor. Is not the meaning of the Gods writ plain Upon the dome of heaven ? Lucius. Whoe'er they be That interpose to check this fatal strife, I thank them. Comrades, sheathe your swords. 58 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Antenor, Let them depart, for Syracuse hath need Of her commanders on the walls to-night. Bind me, and I will pledge my life for them To stand with me, and answer on the morrow The charges thou shalt make. Antenor. So let it be. Bitter, oh bitter, is my heart to see Thee, Lucius, bound, a felon, at my feet. For what tribunal, though of love and mercy Impanelled, could adjudge thee innocent ? Thy guilt is clear as sunlight. With this chain I set thy doom upon thee. Lucius. Comrades, sheathe Your swords, and heed him not. To-morrow stand And plead for Lucius, not with angry steel, But with the voice of reason at the throne Of Reason's daughter, Justice. The moon comes out. Priestesses. Artemis ! A multitude has gathered. THE SIEGE OF Sl'RACUSE. 59 Antenor. Arise, ye servants of the holy Gods ; Arise, good citizens, and let them stoop In fear, on whom the goddess casts her frown. For ns she smiles, approving what we do. Arise and join my prayer. Chant, led by Antenor. Antenor. To the Lord, Giver of all good, to the most High, Chorus. To the Lord, Giver of all good, to the most High, Antenor. Be the hearts lifted, the prayers uttered, the works given, Chorus. Be the hearts lifted, the prayers uttered, the works given, Antenor. Of all men dwelling on earth under the broad sun ! Chorus. Of all men dwelling on earth under the broad sun ! Antenor. Him the vast powers, enthroned high in the huge Heaven, Chorus. Him the vast powers, enthroned high in the huge Heaven, 60 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Antenor. Him the dark monarchs whose realms lie where the dead lie, Chorus. Him the dark monarchs whose realms lie where the dead lie, Antenor. Him the lost ones, the unfearing, the foul sm-shod, Chorus. Him the lost 6nes, the unfearing, the foul sin-shod, Antenor. Him the fair folk that on earth's rim a life-race run, Chorus. Him the fair folk that on earth's rim a life- race run, Antenor. All obey, shunning the dread wrath of the Lord God, Chorus. All obey, shunning the dread wrath of the Lord God, Antenor. Of the Lord God, of the Lord God, of the Lord God, Chorus. Of the Lord God, of the Lord God, of the Lord God. Antenor. When the dark tempest invades Heaven, with its wide wings THE SIEGE OF Sl'RACUSE. 6 1 Chorus. When the dark tempest invades Heaven, with its wide wings Antenor. Far outspread over the bright light of the day-star, Chorus. Far outspread over the bright light of the day-star, Antenor. And the air glooms in their black shade, and the seas surge, Chorus. And the air glooms in their black shade, and the seas surge, Antenor. And the soft harmony, joy-blown, that the wind sings Chorus. And the soft harmony, joy-blown, that the wind sings Antenor. Turns to discord and the strange shrieks of the storm-dirge Chorus. Turns to discord and the strange shrieks of the storm-dirge Antenor. Till the rainbow on the hills sets her tiara. Chorus. Till the rainbow on the hills sets her tiara. Antenor. Then all hearts bow to the dread wrath of the Lord God, 62 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Chorus. Then all hearts bow to the dread wrath of the Lord God, Antenor. Of the Lord God, of the Lord God, of the Lord God. Chorus. Of the Lord God, of the Lord God, of the Lord God Scene II. Out in the harbor. The eclipse. Burning temple in the distance. Barca in a skiff. Barca. Where were ye, false Athenians ? Saw ye not My beacon on the heights of Syracuse ? O, had ye answered it, the town were mine, Adelia mine. — I watched her by the shore. But chance would have it that my flashing blade Betrayed me to a guard. By rock and bank Long I eluded them, until at last The hue and cry grew louder at my heels. This chance-found shallop saved me. But I lost THE SIEGE OF S2'I?ACC r SE. 63 Adelia. She lies slumbering on the beach, And I am far away. Courage ! Are those The ghostly outlines of a fleet at anchor ? They hang a lantern in the foremost galley. Friends ! — How my voice sounds hollow in the night ! — They heard me not. The vessels' sides are lined With sailors, staring at the double portent, The burning temple and the hidden moon. Salander ! A Voice. Master,, is it thou ? Barca. 'Tis I. Salander. The Gods be praised, I trembled for thy life. Barca rows near. Barca. What keeps ye here ? Salander. Astarte's darkening. We put to sea, and just had caught the breeze, When lo ! she masked her light. The augurs cried It was an evil omen, and Lord Nicias Bade us return. Barca. O magic-ridden fool ! 64 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Salander. Methought at first the plan was over- bold. Barca. My plan was perfect as a crystal sphere That wizards study for the laws of numbers. But it is hard to walk through life as men Are doomed to walk, backward, and shun the rock Of hazard in our way. — Take me aboard, And bring me to Demosthenes. THE SIEGE OE Sl'EACC/SE. 6$ 3tct fourth Scene I. On the beach, next morning. Glauka and Adelia. Adelia (waking). O such a dream ! Where am I ? Glauka. On the beach, Dear lady. Adelia. Who art thou ? Glauka. Why, I am Glauka, Dost thou not know me ? Adelia. So thou art. At first, I did not know thee. Glauka. Pray, what brought thee here Unto this lonely region of the shore ? Adelia. Here ! — Where ? — Are we in Syracuse ? Glauka. Why, surely. Thou know'st the houses and the fields around. Adelia. There is a mist upon mine eyes. Ah, now, 66 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Now I remember. It was in the garden, At eventide ; I broidered in my bower With idle fingers, thinking of my betrothed, And smiling at my thoughts. When lo ! I felt A fume of spices, myrrh, and poppy-juice And strange aromas floating in the air, And all so thick compounded that they made A sickening sweetness, and my breath came heavy, My eyelids drooped, and I had sunk aswoon, But two broad, mighty arms embraced me. " Hush ! " A voice said. " Have no fear. I love thee, love thee." And when I oped my eyes, thou canst not think Whose burning gaze met mine ? Glauka. Truly, I cannot. Adelia. The Carthaginian, Barca. Glauka. Wonderful ! O wonderful ! Adelia. Mine eyes were sealed in slumber, Yet still some faint sense in me was astir Of being borne upon the wind, on, on, As if I were a bird. I heard the plash Of waves, and murmur of the sea ; then shouts Pursuing, and the mighty arms embraced THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 67 Me closer, and we flew with fiercer speed. Until at last I felt myself laid down As lightly as a mother lays her babe Upon its downy cradle. Night and silence Around me, close to my ear the dashing waves. I slept, — and when I woke just now 'twas lightsome. Glauka. Yes, it is morning, love. The night is over. such a fearful night ! I tossed and tossed Upon my bed, and never slept a wink, So full of uproar was the city. Dawn Awoke me, palely gazing through my curtains, And I arose. Attired, I cast a glance Into thy chamber. Thou wast gone, thy couch Unpressed. I called thee, softly as I could, Not to awake thy father in the house. For still I thought thou hadst but slept o'ernight In some still corner of the garden. Nay, Thy bower was empty. Only the dawn-choir ( >f thrushes answered me. Bewildered then 1 passed without the gate. What drew my steps Down toward the beach, I know not. On this brink I found thee, slumbering, like an ocean-maid 68 THE SIEGE OF STRACUSE. High-stranded by the tide. I touched and kissed And rocked thee, all in vain. The wings of sleep Were locked above thy brow, thy marble brow, And as I watched thee, lo ! the rising sun Shone warmer, and the breeze 'gan gently chafe Thy cheeks to their own bloom. Thy bosom sighed, Thy lips 'gan move, murmuring " Such a dream ! " Adelia. A wondrous story ! Nay, dear, I am strong. Were it not best go tell my father of it ? Glauka. Love, thou art faint and dizzy. Adelia. I am sure 'Twas Barca. Canst thou think why he should wish To bring me hither, Glauka ? Glauka. Nay, I cannot. But we must tell thy father. Canst thou walk Along the beach ? Adelia. There is a cottage, yonder. The people seem astir. Glauka. This way, Adelia. It is the smoother path. THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 69 Scene II. The Senate-House) an open theatre. The Senate sit- ting as tribunal. The High- Priest as accuser ; Lucius ana 7 the captains as accused. The urn of Pardon and the urn of Death. Populace. Ruins of temple visible on the hill. Antenor. No more, out on the sea, rounding the cape Pachynus, shall the foreign mariner, Whene'er the beauteous crest of Syracuse Looms in the northern horizon, enthroned Upon its rocky mountain, say "There stands Some old, illustrious capital, beloved Of Heaven, and blessed with sweet prosperity. Look, eyes ! rude hands have shorn our crested pride. What see we now upon yon hill where late Stood marble columns, atlasing a dome Of porphyry ? What see we in their stead ? Smoke-columns tremble in the wind, infirm. The air is vacant of its loveliness. O, last fair symbol of our early days, Memorial of the simple saints of old, 70 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Whose age men well call golden, for they lived Amid the arcanal forest, in the ways Of simple piety, and reaped the meed Of piety, fair peace ; thou, on whose site Stood that famed oracle of Aphrodite, Wise as sublime Dodona, where the God Speaks wisdom through his prophets. Woe to them That marred thee ! woe to us, who, having left The cloistered shades of the arcanal forest, Rive and re-rivet to our needs the oak That sheltered us, upbuilding haughty cities, And, waxing strong, o'erween, nor bend our knees. Nor beat our breasts in prayer, but lightly scoff Such meek abasement ! Woe to us ! for God Is mightier than the mightiest of men, Mighty to bless his friends, mighty to lame His enemies. For midway in their course Of pride, they stumble. Death, remorse, defeat, O'ertake them, or the rare eclipse is seen, The visible frown of the invisible Lord. I stand alone against a babbling host ; But, being an ancient warrior of the Gods, THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 7 1 I fear them not. For God I stand. With God They strive who strive with me. Most worthy judges, The penalty of sacrilege is death. Lucius. Death ? and for what, most reverend sire ? Thyself Must own I ever loved religion well, That sweet religion which the Maker wrought Into man's spirit, as the Arab girl Weaves one rare golden thread amid the shawl She weaveth of the smooth-shorn camel's hair. All through the pattern rich it runs. Who plucks That forth, unravels all. 'Tis true we burned A sumptuous fane of frolic Aphrodite. Home of carousals, consecrated plague, What ceaseless sprinkling of prayer-perfumed waters Could make thee pure ? What incense hallow thee ? For this we merit honor, and not death. Death ? O most reverend sire and Senators, Death for myself I fear not. I have faced A thousand deaths, and count my life at nought Against my country's peace. But here I stand Pleading to-day, not for my life, but yours, Lest in the spirit of party, and chagrin 72 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. For powers and honors by the Assembly's vote Ta'en from you, — blind to the encircling perils, Demosthenes without, famine within, — ye judge To death the fifty captains, the sword-arm Of Syracuse, now more than ever needful. Look on the lots crisped careless in your hands. What see ye there ? The lots ? No more ? Ye see My living heart, but nought of that. No more ? Ye see the lives of fifty noble youths, Your own lives and your people's, and the life Of Syracuse. Go, cast them in the urn That stands for Death. Then bid the sentinels Swing wide your gates asunder, that the foe May march in o'er your bodies. I am done. Chief Senator. Is there no more to say ? May Justice light Our minds, and guide us to the rightful path ! I weigh thy charge, An tenor, and thy words, Young Lucius ; and my vote is cast for death. Uproar among the people and clash of arms. Enter Gylippus with a group of Spartans, and a Syra- cusan escort. THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. /3 Gvlippus. Show me the generals. Guardsman. Here. Gylippus. It is a pretty pageantry ye hold. Meanwhile a band of Spartan boys could scale Your walls, and take your city. Chief Senator. Lord Gylippus ! The Senators rise. TJie theatre becomes silent. Welcome to Syracuse ! our famed ally, And kinsman by our Dorian ancestry. Thou com'st upon us at an evil hour. Well may the soldiers' discipline be lax When they that govern them stand here accused Of monstrous lawlessness. Gylippus. At such an hour I know but one crime, — treason. It is met With Death. Chief Senator. Mere treason injures only man. Their deed, more black, offends the holy Gods. Last night they burned a fane of Aphrodite, And when we, with the noble priest, Antenor, Sought to chastise them, turned their impious swords On us, their elders. But the miracle 74 THE SIEGE OF STRACUSE. Of Artemis cast terror on their hearts. To-day thou seest them pleading for their lives, Before the Senators of Syracuse, Sole judges of the crime of sacrilege. Lucius. Hear me, Lord ! We burned the fane. But know, the hand of hunger Is at our throats, and, being the city's captains, Commissioned by the Assembly with the powers We held ere these proud Senators, now benched In judgment over us, usurped them, — urged By all the people, — we made bold to seize The treasures of yon temple. This is the sum Of our black conduct. We love Syracuse. They love her Senate. Lord, thou art a soldier. Then judge us as a soldier. Gylippus. I had done The same, and smitten dead the meddling priest. But smooth your own dispute, O Syracusans. Demosthenes is at the gates. One breach Of discord in your armor, and he enters. I am a Spartan soldier, and can league The strength of Sparta with no falling city. Antenor. Heed not the foreigner ! The word of God THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 75 Is stronger on our side than Sparta's spears. As ye have stood with me against the many Before, stand with me now. They must be ruled Like children. Chief Senator. Is there now no more to say? Judges, ye hear accuser and accused, And ye have heard Gylippus. Rise in turn And vote into the urns. First, aged Nestor. Nestor. None grieveth more than I to lose the fane, For none but I remembers when 'twas built. None honors thee, Antenor, more than I, For zeal and holiness. And yet, methinks, Thou wast a hasty youth, and now, though white With eld, thou still art hasty in thy zeal. For, though thou lov'st thy temple, thou lov'st more All Syracuse, and would'st not see that burned. But if ye glare like enemies, and stand not Like brothers, in a phalanx, how, alas ! How shall ye drive this mighty fleet away That comes to seize our city ? So my vote Is for forgiveness. Else I know not how The people can be calmed, and Lord Gylippus Be won to lend us aid. ?6 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. He votes. A storm of approval among the people. The rest follow Nestor, and vote, one by one, into the urn of Pardon. Chief Senator. All see the judgment. Let the accused go free ! Antenor. Hold ! Chief Senator. What wouldst thou, Antenor ? Antenor. What would I ? Shout ! Shout ! ye fools. I will not strive to out- roar ye. What would I ? Perjured judges ! Heaven, restrain Thy wrath, or visit it on wretched me ! For I am old, weak, useless to my people. O let me wrap the cloak of solitude About mine aged head, and dwell apart. The trial breaks up amid rejoicings of the people. THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 77 Scene III. At the gate of the Senate-House. The crowd has dispersed. Lucius and Gylippus, with guards, are leaving the theatre. Antcnor follows them alone. Enter, breathless, Adelia and Glauka. Adelia. Father ! Axtexor. Adelia ! My beloved child, What brings thee here ? Adelia. Barca — the drugs — last night, Last night, — O, my bewildered brain ! Glauka. Last night Our guest, Lord Barca, drugged her in the garden. Axtexor. Barca ! Gylippus. What does the Punic general In Syracuse ? Glauka. He left her on the beach, Startled, I think, by sentinels. This morn I found her there. Lucius. Treachery! To the walls ! Three sentinels reported they pursued Some foul deserter to the shore last night, But lost him in the darkness. 7$ THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Lticius approaches Adelia. Antenor. Go, rash youth ! Offend my sight no more ; my daughter's sight No more. Lucius. O sire, hath ought escaped my lips, Irreverent to thee ? Antenor. Away ! Lucius. O sire ! Antenor. Away ! Adelia. What dost thou mean ? Thou canst not mean To sever me from Lucius ? Antenor. Stay the hand Of doom I see in yonder heavens, uplift O'er Syracuse. Then come and woo my daughter. THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 79 Scene IV. A month elapses. The Athenians are now in turn besieged in their camp at Plemmyrium by the Syra- en sans. The Athenian camp. A tent. Barca and Salander. Salander. Shake off this heavy spirit. Thou art as variable, hast as many moods As the chameleon colors. Barca. I remember Thou saidst I was inconstant. True ! True ! True ! My being had no centre till I knew Adelia. Salander. If thou couldst forget the girl ? Barca. Forget her ? Sooner shall Narcissus' flower Erase the brand upon its cup than I Her image on my heart. Salander. Thou art enchanted ; But it was so with Had ; 'twill be so With her that ousts Adelia. Barca. O Salander, When I reflect upon the things I loved, How like fair, brittle bubbles all appear, 80 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Chased by a careless boy, caught, touched, and broken ! I loved our mighty city, when the throngs Came forth, — each face a story to keen eyes, — And darkened its white ways. For I would dream Some day they might be mine. Were there a limner 'mid the fabled Gods Not his aerial colors would suffice To paint my vision's splendors. But I wore My giant will to nothing in the task, And, baffled, fled to solitudes forlorn And mountain steeps, whence man seems but a mote, A speck upon the visible universe. And yet sometimes the universe seems less Than I, a speck, too, on the infinity That I could cover were my spirit unsheathed, And suffered to roam forth on wings of will. I loved to dream upon a rolling meadow ; I loved to wrap my spirit in the storm And plunge through perils of the wind-swept sea. Thus back and forth I went, as goes the bee, — For we must go, — from flower to flower, from clime To other clime. I had a tryst in the vale, A tryst in the highlands, and I kept them both THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 8 1 And made two maidens glad. I lived the warm, Wild life ; yet oft I knelt before the shrines In mystic meditation. Pleasure, love, Song', war, ambition, Carthage, read the roll Of my tributary joys, once fair and fragrant, Now withered and flunq- off. For midway in my course I met Adelia. My being knew its centre ; as the leaves Incline unto the light, I turned to her, And now I see myself as to her eyes I am, — endued with powers above all men, Gigantic, yet unshapcn, towering here Above these Greeks, — a sculpture of the Nile Beside a Phidian marble. Salander. Rouse thee ! Yet We may escape. Who knows ? Barca. Thrice we have failed, Who never failed before. A strange despair Deals icy stabs into my heart. Dost think Men e'er have glimpses of their destiny ? We see the past, a memory-lighted wake, Behind us; are we then forever doomed To break the foggy future as we go ? 82 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Salander. There was an ancient soothsayer proph- esied That I should die by steel. But zounds ! I think Death comes at random, and knows not himself Or when or where. Barca. Something here whispers to me That I shall die in Syracuse. Enough ! What tales are these dame Rumor sows in the air ? Couriers fly back and forth ; the horses stamp ; The soldiers whet their swords. Salander. Two captives, ta'en This morn, guerillas from the inland countries, Forewarn us of a general sea-assault To-morrow. O, for my old Numidian squadron ! These Greeks mistrust us, and I them. Besides, E'er since Gylippus came, the Syracusans Are turned to Spartans. They have trapped us here, And swear we'll not escape them. But what ho ! The bugle sounds a call ; from end to end Of the long camp the answering trumpets ring. Bugle-calls. Barca. To arms, Salander ! Hear the mighty music. THE SIEGE OF Si'RACUSE. 83 This brooding is not life. I've seen a hound, Tusked by the boar and bleeding, at my call Leap back and charge one frantic onset more. So let us charge against the throat, of fate, And hew a lane to liberty. Salander. Woe to the foe That meets thee in this mood ! Scene V. The secluded garden. G lank a and Adelia. Enter the High-Priest. Antenor. Why, we neglect our garden. Weeds run wild Among the flowers, and many stems are withered. 'Tis long since I have noticed them. Thou, Glauka, Art paler than a maid of thy young years Should ever be. Adelia. I fear thou art not well Thyself, dear father. Antenor. O, my sweet Adelia, To gaze on thee, to sink this withered hand 84 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Wrist-deep among thy golden curls, is cure For my poor ailments. Kiss me. Thou art all They leave me now, all that my people leave me. Adelia. Nay, many messengers arrive each day To ask for thee, and bring thee love and greeting. One parted from us now, Lord Nestor's squire, Who, as he bade good-speed, said " Bid thy sire Rejoice ; the town is free." Antenor. The clouds of war Are breaking round us. Like two sister stars That through a rifted storm shine forth in heaven Shine ye serenely in your peaceful garden. Adelia. And thou ? Antenor. I watch the morning grow to noon. The noon to eve, and end my idle day With sleep, more idle. Adelia. Dost return so soon ? Antenor. Ay, to my chamber. Fare you well awhile. Adelia and Glauka. Farewell ! Adelia. My father's hair is snowier. Glauka. Yes, lady, and his upright shoulders bend. THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 85 Adelia. Why did he break with them ? The people love him. And he loves them, I know. Glauka. Two hearts may love Whose faces are but as the faces of strangers. Adelia. What makes thee sad ? I have not heard thee sing This many a week. Glauka. In truth I am not happy. Adelia. If thou'st a sorrow, Glauka, pour it forth, And we will cry together, solacing each The other. For I, too, am melancholy; But if I shut my grief within my heart, 'Twould eat a chasm there. Glauka. If I should tell, Wouldst thou give promise never to reveal My secret ? Adelia. If thou askest it, I will. Now I remember Lucius often said, "What shade is that, dwelling on Glauka's brow?" And I could never tell. Glauka. Lucius ? Adelia. For when 86 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Thou cam'st to me thou wast a stranger. Since Thou art become a friend. But for the years Before thou earnest we are strangers still. Sit by me on the bank, and let me be Thy confidant. Glauka. It is an olden grief, And the beginning of my tale is far, Far back. Then listen, lady. Thou hast heard Of Chios? Adelia. Where Alcaeus flourished, one Of those Ionian islands, that besprinkle, Even like yon clouds, the Aegean isles of Heaven, The ocean beyond Hellas toward the morn. Glauka. In Chios I was born. There is my home. Three sisters, fairer than myself, still watch Our fireside embers there. — Of all The Chian youths, the fairest was my cousin, Antinous, who dwelt beneath our roof. Lithe was his frame, and smooth, and when he slept His lips so rosy-ripe that mother Night Would take them for a flower, and hang a drop Of dew on them. From early infancy He played our island songs upon the lyre. THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 87 One clay a wandering minstrel, hearing him, Said to my sire, " Lord, thou art rich in lands, But richer in this youth. Apollo's soul Lives in him. At Olympia 'mid the best Of Grecian minstrels I have seen a worse Bear off the leafy prize." My sire resolved To journey to the festival ; and we, His daughters, went with fair Antinous, Who played with me, and loved me, as a youth Would love a maid ; and I loved him in turn, But only as my playmate. When all Greece Smiled on him from the tiers, he saw but me ; For me he shook, with pleasure-lighted eyes, The wreath he won. I looked beyond, and saw Anion, the victors one who bore the wreath For lyre and song, more noble than my cousin. A flower in my bosom burst to bloom. 'Twas love. Soon, oh, too soon, the parting day Arrived. My father said, " Home now to Chios ! " I wept in secret, for I knew the youth Dwelt far, — in Syracuse. Adelia. In Syracuse? 88 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Glauka. And when he turned his forehead to the west, How could I turn mine eastward, far from him Forevermore ? I followed him by sea To Syracuse. Adelia. Go on, my love, Glauka. Alas ! He loved a lady there, fairer than I. Whom when I saw, I marvelled not. No goddess Could rival her, not Aphrodite fair, Nor Juno tall, nor Hebe with the cup Of brimming youth, far sweeter than her wine. I loved her, and she drew me to her side. And round the pair, my lover and his love, I hover, hiding in my bosom's deeps My sorrow. For my mien is never sad, Though sometimes when I sing I give a voice To secret, sad repinings. Adelia. His name ? thy lover's name ? Glauka. Hast not divined it ? It is the name thy lip most loves to round. Enter Lucius from behind the shrubbery. THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 89 Lucius. Adelia ! Glauka. Oh! — Adelia. Who calls me ? Lucius ? Heaven ! Lucius. Methought your very souls were in your eyes, Fair Glauka' s raised to thine, thine drooping o'er them, Like to the pale, calm blue of heaven bent o'er The dark and troubled azure of the sea. Thou hold'st thy matted hair to hide thy tears. Glauka, what have I done ? Adelia. Thou wast too sudden. My sire forbade thee ever to see me more. Lucius. Cruel Antenor ! Plead with him, my love. To-morrow's combat in the harbor marks The doom of the Athenians. In their fleet The traitorous Carthaginian, thrice foiled Attempting to escape, fights like a God. But I have sworn to have his life to-morrow, And if the Gods are gracious, and we win, Amid the general joy, — for still I think No heart beats warmer for the city's weal Than his, though now estranged, — might he not then 90 THE SIEGE OF STRACUSE. Relent, Adelia ? Speak ! I love thee more A thousandfold than ever. Adelia. Go, love, go. I pray my father may not find thee here. Lucius. Brief are the stolen moments. Speak one word Of hope before I leave thee. Adelia. Thou art rude. Glauka, my loved companion, is not well. Lucius. Forgive me, I had eyes for nought but thee. Adelia. Antenor must not see thee here. The shock Would shatter him. Go, now, ere he returns. Lucius. Not yet, I cannot go. Adelia. He comes, he comes. Lucius. To-morrow — Adelia. Nay, I may not hear. Lucius. To-morrow, — Tell him what I have told thee of to-morrow. Adelia. Go, love. Exit Lucius as Antenor re-enters. THE SIEGE OF STRACUSE 9 1 Antenor. My servant says the enemy strike Their final blow for liberty to-morrow. Defeated, they are lost. Their hopes are dead, And Syracuse is free. Adelia. God vouchsafe strength To every soldier's arm ! Antenor. Amen ! Amen ! Be ready to go forth, and on the height Above the harbor cheer the soldiers on, And pray for Syracuse. Adelia. What! I and Glauka? Antenor. We three. Farewell. Exit Antenor. Adelia. Glauka, art thou recovered ? Glauka. Yes, lady, and I heard Antenor' s words. Sweet words ! But let me whisper something to thee. Bend closer. — Wilt thou keep my secret ? Adelia, Yes. 92 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. %tt f iftf). Scene I. Next morning. A height over the harbor. The fleet anchored on the shore below. Enter the High-Priest, with Glauka and Adelia. Antenor. Here let us stand, And overlook the harbor. Glauka. O how fair ! Antenor. It is a noble station whence to view The island and the bay. How smooth and calm The water, as the sunshine trembles o'er it, This lovely morn ; more like some valley lake That seems a patch of heaven's blue, fall'n on earth, Than the wind-beaten ocean, fed with foam Of submarine salt fountains. Adelia. Such a day Was never meant for war. The gulls that here THE SIEGE OE SYRACUSE. 93 Sport up and down the wind take not a thought Of what is coming. On their breasts they wear No armor 'gainst their kind ; their talons clutch No spears. O God, to think that man to-day Will stain the sea-green wave with scarlet blood And heap it with corpses for the running tide To cast upon the shore ! Axtexor. They come ! They come ! The army marcJics to the shore, belozv. O hear the wild war-music. By each band The boyish minstrels march, and the feet of thousands Beat to their martial measures. Adelia. What a throng Attends them to the shore ! Axtexor. Their brows are stern. They all gaze out unto the foreign fleet Across the harbor. Many a soldier's eye Is filled with tears. Glauka. And so are mine. Axtexor. March on ! For he that overlives this victory 94 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Shall wear a hero's crown, and he that falls Shall have a grave within the memory Of men, wet with the truest tears forever. Adelia. They grasp the ships and push them down the sands. Some to the oars ; some poise their spears in air Against an unseen foe. Others draw bows, Arrow! ess, but with sinewy, skilful arms. Glauka. O, it is terrible ! I cannot think, For all the tales of Asian amazons, That women e'er were soldiers. It accords With rough and cruel natures. Adelia. Nay, the sight Arouses in my heart the wish that I Could do a soldier's duty on the walls, If Syracuse should call me. Glauka. O, and sink Thy hard spear in some foeman's tender breast, And draw it out all red ? Antenor. They are embarked, And glide together from the crescent shore With majesty. THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 95 Adelia. It is not like a battle ; 'Tis like a voyage of pleasure. Ax tenor. Look afar ! The hostile fleet hath left its moorings. See ! That long, dark line, midway across the harbor. The wind is set against them. Adelia. Heaven be thanked! Antenor. Now — now — they meet. Hark! Hark! Adelia. I hear a cheer Borne o'er the water. Antenor. 'Twas the maiden shock. Xow they recoil. Glatjka. Can I not blind my eyes ? My hands refuse to cover them. Some charm Rivets their gaze. Antenor. The fleets break into clusters, Some fly and some pursue. The champion barks Begin to single out each other. Fierce They battle round the centre of the fleet. Glauka. I cannot tell the forms so far away. Canst thou, Adelia ? Adelia. No, love. But my eyes Follow one ship. 96 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Glauka. Which one ? Tell me a mark That I may know it, and chain my glances to it All through the clay. Adelia. 'Tis whiter than the rest, It sails upon the left, as if it meant To wheel around them. Glauka. He is in it ? Adelia. Yes. My heart ! That very trireme is attacked. I thought I saw A sailor aim a blow at one who stood Before the rest. He missed. His shining blade Is sheathed in the sea. Glauka. The other ships Are come between them. I can see no more. Adelia. Nor I. Antenor. O gracious God of war, Fight thou invisible with them, spread thy shield Before them, lend them strength and surer aim. Thou, God of Justice, bid the scales of Fate Weigh true, against the foreign, false marauder, Who crossed the sea, inveigled by sweet lure, To snatch our city's plenty. THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. gj Glauka. I must go. I cannot bear to see the mangled ships, And wrecks, and floating bodies. Antenor. Nay, the fight Is scarce begun as yet. Our friends of Sparta, Invincible on land, give way before The Athenian's mariners. Sit ye aside, Turning your faces inland toward the hills, And pray for Syracuse. Here we remain Until the day is over. Scene II. Later. Among the combatants. Lucius trireme. Lucius. O friendly mother night, make haste to fall On this embattled ocean, far and wide Bestrewn with desolation. Spread thy veil Of thickest gloom around us, that our fleet, Now by the Athenian's desperate valor driven So near the shore our dearest, watching there Can spy our faces, yet may hold the foe In strenuous combat till the early stars 98 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Shall drive them, mangled, home, to rue the cost Of this poor, barren victory. Helmsman. Here comes Barbaric Barca ! Ha ! he swerves to strike A galley from his path. Look, how she sinks Amid a bloody whirlpool. Spears and shafts Fly round his head, but like a tower he stands, Unscathed, upon the prow. Barca comes in sight. He is wounded in the breast. Salander dead at his feet. Lucius. At last ! Die ! Die ! Infamous traitor ! Barca. Whose bold challenge rings Upon my shield ? Lucius. O the tumultuous joy To kill the evil snake that coiled his folds About my sleeping darling ! Sword-play. Barca falls. Lucius. So perish traitors ! Barca. Was it thou, Adelia ? I saw three forms erect upon yon heights, THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 99 With hands uplift in prayer, full darkly carved Against the lighted sky. Methought that thou Wast one. Thou first, Salander — Salander — Adelia — Dies. Helmsman. The African is dead. Lucius. And with her name on his unholy lips. Helmsman. Id like to measure him from tip to tip, As huntsmen measure some superb, large lion After the chase is over. Lucius. Hark ! the tide Is changing while we linger. Look ! they fly ! They fly ! To oars ! A cheer from the Syracusan shore, answered by a dis- tant wail from the Athenian onlookers across the harbor. The Athenians turn and fly, Lucius. First board the Carthaginian, Take off the crew and bind them ! Then row back And charge full speed, and sink her in the sea. Then — Helmsman. Master, art thou injured of a sudden? 100 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Lucius. Some random arrow. Chance is the best bowman. The others could not hit me. Helmsman. Pull it out. Quick, men, and save Lord Lucius. Lucius. Follow ! Follow ! See the destroyers fleeing. Follow ! Follow ! Like hounds behind the bounding stag, like Gods Upon the heels of Titans. Follow ! Follow ! Helmsman. Hush, master ! for the wound is like a fountain. My tunic for a bandage. Lucius. Do they fly ? The cheers are far ahead. Helmsman. Yes, we are fallen Behind the others. Lucius. Cheer! my comrades, cheer! This is the last of the Athenians, And Syracuse is free. Helmsman. Row for your lives. A surgeon ! O, a surgeon ! THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 10 1 Scene III. Evening. Lucius dying on the shore. The High- Priest, G I auk a, Adelia ; Soldiers and Sailors. Adelia. Hush ! he is speaking. Lucius. Now the gorgeous light Is sinking in the west. For me not day, But time, is setting, and eternity, The starless night, ariseth. Adelia. Lucius, say Thou knowest me. Lucius. The twilight of a forest, How vast and calm ! Men pass. Their forms grow vague, Dissolve, and leave no outline to the eye. Is this a land 'twixt life and death, through which I journey to my goal ? But lo ! a shape Of glory waits me, radiant as the sun, When Vesper at Heaven's gate points east and west Her clarion, and convenes the roaming Gods To hoar Olympus to the mighty feast, And Phoebus sinks in splendor. It draws near. 102 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. Come, let me grasp thee, bathe my soul in thee. Ha, was it thou, Adelia ? O my love, How rich with life, like a full fruit, art thou ! Thy dewy eyes, thy sweetly grieving lips, Thy poise erect and womanly, thy frame Made for caresses. Darling, wilt thou do My dying wish ? Adelia. Were it to do the deeds Of Hercules, or shake the world. Lucius. Be happy ! Adelia. O love, thou askest what I cannot do. My heart, the fountain-spring from which joy bubbles, Is frozen to a stone. My lips are marble. How shall I ever smile again ? Lucius. Be happy. And in the years to come, when soothing Time Hath healed thy heart, when, standing in the stream Of joy, up to thy lips, — the golden stream That flows through mortal life eternally, — Thou canst but drink again and smile, — 'twill be A happy sorrow to remember me. Remember me when autumn seres the fields, THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 103 And pity for the yellowing leaves of summer Comes o'er thee with the season : when the dusk Drives daylight from the garden, and night winds 'Gin mourn, remember me ! remember me When far-away, soft music fills the air And floods thy spirit with a mingled draught Of rapturous aches and pleasures. Then, Adelia, Remember Lucius. Adelia. O, my heart is breaking. The happy by-gones — are they dead forever ? An ten or. I was too stern ; forgive me. Lucius. Is it thou, Antenor ? Come more near, and take my hand. Do not accuse thyself. Antenor. Thou goest to meet The bridegroom, Death, to whom thou wast betrothed The day that thou wast born. Dark powers place Our infant hands in his, and while men say " Another life " they say " Another death." But blest are they, the fearless and the good, To whom Death comes in raiment of the dawn, With gentle visage, Love upon his right, And glory on his left. Whose last looks see 104 THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. The loving faces round them ; whose last sounds Are words of whispered comfort. In thine ears A paean is resounding, sung afar By thy victorious comrades, disembarking. Hark to the shouts, the clash of arms, the cries Of welcome, and the laughter, and the songs, And shriller accents when sweet children blend Their joyous jargon. 'Tis the mingled hymn Of our thanksgiving. Let these things assuage Thy pain. Thy rescued country honors thee. Triumphal music. Lucius {rousing). Rejoice, O Syracuse, at this grand hour Triumphal, in thy valor and thy strength ! In thy war-weary legions that return Within thy peaceful bosom ! O rejoice In thy sea-girdled beauty, now set free From marring foes ! Rejoice in thy blue sky ! Thy forts and armories, thy marts and shrines, Thy cots and bowers and citadels ! Rejoice In thy fair history, writ not on rolls THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 105 Of parchment, but on more unfading leaves, Thy sons' brave eyes, the pure cheeks of thy daughters. Thine elders' reverend miens ! My Syracuse ! Dies. • - ■-. - .: ■;■• si .i k i= ' : . , ; 5 ^jjjrtpmmilm- ; ;jii- ; "; ^ '3i|s. ;_fiiij. . - .r^tS V^^» W- "^i^ iiii » '"": ^ i' : ^^SE^I^S^' % Hi ^¥W- ; ;i|lil j; Jiijji ; ; %£J !^«:^J ; r> ::S »?!J ; .". 4. ±f* "i^P-v. tJL '<£'•'.■ '•■ii: :: =;.,iiiii? : .. ! '.;'s, !'.'•. w[ : ; >aa^^}l^' ' . ■ ~ .' '' : ■ '■"■'■ 1 - r " ', '■ ' \ '■■ ■ —- &3- ~*sr .t. fc^ ^^r^aj?'-. s*.tira. =.'- . .imii j. ■■ hub in* T ~iT' JjrT^jr-LT Ji T"1uj ft'""' =.:"!" §1^1^-:": Slfe^t^^^^^f" ^^^^^p; liiiii 1M-