οἴκοι ξυνεῖεν ὥσθ ̓ ὑσόσχεσιν τελεῖν,
ὅρκῳ σε κυροῦν ψιλὸν ἠξίουν ἔπος.

καὶ δείξατ ̓ αὐτῷ δὴ καθ ̓ ὧν ὀμώμοκεν. ΧΟ. ἁγναὶ ζύγαστρον ἁγνὸν οὔγουσιν χέρες. ΓΥ. ὀστᾶ, σέβας μέγιστον, ἡρῴων ὁρᾷς

ὅσων παρ' ἡμῖν πλεῖστα τιμῶνται νεφ.
ΑΡ. πέφρικα δυσθέατον εἰσιδὼν θέαν.
ΓΥ. όμωμοκὡς γὰρ ὅρκον ἐξεπίστασο

ὃς μὴ φυλαχθεὶς γῆς τ ̓ ἂν ἀρρήκτου πέδον
ῥήξας ἀνείη τοὺς ἔνερθ ̓ ἀλάστορας,
τέμνων δὲ λευρὸν αἰθέρ ̓ ἐς Διὸς θρόνους
στρατὸν πρόπεμποι δαιμόνων παλίγκοτον,
κηλῖδας ἐνστάξοντα πυρφόρους νόσων
ἀστοῖσι πανδήμοισι, παιδίων βλάβας,
πεύκην τ ̓ ἀρούραις ἐμβαλοῦντα δαΐαν,
χρανοῦντά τ' οἰκείαισιν ἑστίας φοναῖς.
ἀρκῶ τάδ ̓ εἰπών· ἐμμενεῖς οἷς ώμοσας.
ὅρκου δ ̓ ὁ τῆσδ ̓ ὕπαρχος, οὑκείνης χθονὸς
ἄρξων, ἔχω σοι προσφιλῆ χρηστῷ χάριν,
ὠμὸς μὲν ἥξων οὐκέθ', ὡς βίᾳ κρατῶν,

ἀλλ ̓ ἡδὺς ὡς παρ ̓ ἁβρὰ νυμφίος λέχη.
ἄρξω γὰρ οἷσπερ χρῆσθε χρώμενος νόμοις·
ὅσοι δὲ ταγεύοντες ἐγκοτεῖτ ̓ ἀεί,
ζεύξω ῥυθμοῖσι κοσμίοις πειθηνίους.

R. C. J.

Chthonia. People, old men of my city, lordly wise

and hoar of head,

I, a spouseless bride and crownless, but with garlands of the dead,

From the fruitful light turn silent to my dark unchilded

bed.

Chorus. Wise of word was he too surely, but with deadlier wisdom wise,

First who gave thee name from under earth, no breath from upper skies,

When, foredoomed to this day's darkness, their first daylight filled thine eyes.

Praxithea. Child, my child that wast and art but death's and now no more of mine,

Half my heart is cloven with anguish by the sword made sharp for thine,

Half exalts its wing for triumph that I bare thee thus divine.

Chth. Though for me the sword's edge thirst that

sets no point against thy breast,

Mother, O my mother, where I drank of life and fell on rest,

Thine, not mine, is all the grief that marks this hour accurst and blest.

Chor.

Sweet thy sleep, and sweet the bosom was that gave thee sleep and birth;

Harder now the breast, and girded with no marriage

band for girth,

VIII.

ΧΘΟΝΙΑ, ΠΡΑΞΊΘΕΑ. ΧΟΡΟΣ.

ΧΘ. δημόται, γέροντες ἀστοί, λευκόθριξ βουλῆς σέβας κόσμον ἥδ ̓ ἔχουσ ̓ ἄνυμφος ἀστεφῶν νύμφη

στεφῶν

καρπίμου σιγώσ ̓ ἀπ ̓ εἰλῆς εἶμ ̓ ἄπαιδ ̓ εὐνῆς

σκότον.

ΧΟ, μάντις ἦν ἄγαν μὲν εἰδὼς μαντικῆς δ ̓ ἀλγίονος ὃς χθονὸς σοὶ τοὔνομ ̓ ὥρισ ̓ οὐδ ̓ ἀπ ̓ οὐρανοῦ πνοῆς,

ὡς σὸν ὄμμα πρῶτ ̓ ἔσαινε τόνδ ̓ ἄγουσ ̓ αὐγὴ

μόρον.

ΠΡ. τέκνον, ἦσθ ̓ ἐμὴ γάρ, ἄρτι δ ̓ ἐξ ἐμῆς Αἴδου καλεί,

φρὴν ἐμὴ τὰ μὲν διαλγεῖ σῷ ξίφει πεπαρμένη,

ἔστι δ' ᾗ χαρεῖσ ̓ ἀνέπτατ ̓ ὡς σ ̓ ἴσην τίκτω θεοῖς.

ΧΘ. κεἰ φονώσα τοὐμὸν αἰχμή, μὴ τὸ σόν, ποθεῖ κέαρ, μῆτερ, ὦ πηγὴ ζωῆς μοὶ μῆτερ, ὦ κοίτης λιμήν, σοὶ τόδ', οὐκ ἐμοί, δυσαλγὲς χάρμ ̓ ἀφορμίκτου χαρᾶς.

ΧΟ. ηΰδες ἡδείαισι μητρὸς ἡδὺ θρέμμ ̓ ἐν ἀγκαλαῖς·

νῦν δὲ τραχὺς μᾶλλον, ἄζυξ ταινίας γαμηλίου,

Where thy head shall sleep, the name-child of the lords of under earth.

Prax. Dark the name and dark the gifts they gave

thee, child, in childbirth were,

Sprung from him that rent the womb of earth, a bitter seed to bear,

. Born with groanings of the ground that gave him way toward heaven's dear air.

Chth. Day to day makes answer, first to last, and life to death; but I,

Born for death's sake, die for life's sake, if indeed this be to die,

This my doom that seals me deathless till the springs of time run dry.

Chor. Children shalt thou bear to memory, that to

man shall bring forth none;

Yea, the lordliest that lift eyes and hearts and songs to meet the sun,

Names to fire men's ears like music till the round world's race be run.

Prax. I thy mother, named of Gods that wreak

revenge and brand with blame,

Now for thy love shall be loved as thou, and famous with thy fame,

While this city's name on earth shall be for earth her mightiest name.

SWINBURNE, Erechtheus.

κοιμιεῖ σὸν κρᾶτα κόλπος, νερτέρων ἐπώνυμον. ΠΡ. νέρθεν οὖν δυσώνυμός τε δύσμορός τ ̓ ἀνεστάλης, πατρὸς οὖσ ̓ ὃς γῆς ἔαξε νηδύν, ἀστεργὴς γόνος, ὃν πέδου στενάγματ' αὔρας ἐς φίλας ἐπούρισεν. ΧΘ. ήμαρ ἀρχαῖς θ' ἡμέραν ἤμειψε καὶ δυσμαῖς βίου τοῦ θανεῖν δ ̓ ἐγὼ χάριν φῦσ ̓ ἥδ' ὑπὲρ τοῦ ζῆν φθίνω,

εἰ φθίνω γ ̓, ὥραις ἀείνως ξυμμενοῦσ ̓ ἀειρρύτοις. ΧΟ. τέκνα τῷ μέλλοντι τέξει, κἂν παρ ̓ ἀνδρὶ μὴ τέκης,

ἔξοχ ̓ ὧν φαιδρωπὸν ὠδῆς εὐχος ἥλιον σέβει, χάρματος πῦρ ἀντίμολπον ἐς τέλος δρόμου

βροτοῖς.

ΠΡ. σὴ δ ̓ ἐγὼ μήτηρ, ἀραίων πρακτόρων ἐπώνυμος, κοινὰ νῦν φιλήσομαι σοί, κοινὰ σοὶ τιμήσομαι, γῆς ἕως λάμπωσ ̓ ̓Αθῆναι λαμπὰς ἐξοχωτάτη.

R. C. J.