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SCENE II
The Temple of Poseidon.
Polydaon, Therops, Dercetes, Cydone, Damoetes and a great number of Syrians, men and women. Iolaus stands bound, a little to the side: Cepheus and Cassiopea surrounded by armed men.
Cepheus and Cassiopea, man and woman, Not sovereigns now, you see what end they have Who war upon the gods.
To see thy end
Let them see something likelier,
There are other gods
If thou knew'st who I am, which is most secret,
Thou hast revealed thyself for what thou art Page 166
My queen, refrain from words.
Perissus comes.
Ah God!
Look, the Queen swoons! Oh, look to her! Perissus enters.
Yes, raise her up, bring back her senses: now
Stare, do they ? They may stare, for they have cause.
What rare thing happened ? The heavens were troubled
strangely,
I have seen hell and heaven at grips together.
What do I care for hell or heaven ? Your news!
He came but went not. Page 167
Was not the maiden seized ?
PERISSUS
By the sea-beast?
Tis said we all are animals; Then so was he: but 'twas a glorious beast.
And was she quite devoured ?
Why, in a manner, If kisses eat.
Ha! ha! such soft caresses
Something like that.
You speak with difficult slowness
Coming, with the beast. He lifted her Page 168
So, Queen,
Why, something yet, a sweet and handsome piece.
You should have brought it here, my merry butcher,
It is coming.
Ho, ho! then you shall see your daughter. Queen.
This is a horrid and inhuman laughter.
It is a scandal in Poseidon's temple.
Do you oppose me ? (to Therops)
Wilt thou resist Poseidon,
He glares and his mouth works,
There has been much of violence and mad fierceness, Page 169
When decency should reign and mercy too.
Hear him, O people!
He rails at the good priest.
Therops a traitor!
Therops, thou favour kings ?
I say, hear Therops. He is always right,
Hear Therops, Therops !
Let them be punished, but with exile only.
Is it so? Is it the truth? Speak, Polydaon.
Must I defend myself? Was it not I Page 170 Who led you on to victory and turned The wrath of dire Poseidon ? If you doubt me, Be then the sacrifice forbidden; let Cepheus And Cassiopea reign; but when the dogs Of grim Poseidon howl again behind you, Call not to me for help; I will not always pardon.
Polydaon, Polydaon, Poseidon's mighty Viceroy! Kill
Now you are wise again. Leave this Therops.
Dercetes, Shall this be allowed?
We must not dare offend
With all the better sort I will support thee.
Therops, my crowd-compeller, my eloquent Zeus of the market-place, I know thy heart is big with the sweet passion of repentance, but let it not burst into action yet. Keep thy fleet sharp spears at rest, Dercetes. There are times, my little captain, and there is a season. Watch and wait. The gods are at work and Iolaus shall not die. Page 171
We only wait until our mighty wrath
Behold her, Polydaon. Perseus and Andromeda enter the temple.
Andromeda! Andromeda! who has unchained her?
It is the spirit of Andromeda.
Shadows were ne'er so bright, had never smile It is the radiant winged Hermes brings her.
'Tis he who baffled us upon the beach.
Andromeda runs to Cassiopea and clasps and kisses
O my sweet child, thou livest!
Mother, mother!
I hold thee living on my bosom. What grief Page 172 Can happen now ?
Andromeda, my daughter!
Confusions! Butcher, thou hast betrayed me. Seize them!
Priest of Poseidon and of death,
Art thou a god ? I am a greater, dreadfuller.
Expect thy punishment. Syrians, behold me,
Who art thou, mighty hero ?
Syrians, I am Perseus, Page 173 Of gods is in my arm: Athene helps me. Behold her aegis, which if I uncover Will blind you with its lightnings; and this sword Is Herpe, which can pierce the earth and Hades. What I have done, is by Athene's strength. Borne from Seriphos through pellucid air Upon these winged shoes, in the far west I have traversed unknown lands and nameless continents And seas where never came the plash of human oars. On torrid coasts burned by the desert wind I have seen great Atlas buttressing the sky, His giant head companion of the stars, And changed him into a hill; the northern snows Illimitable I have trod, where Nature Is awed to silence, chilled to rigid whiteness; I have entered caverns dim where death was born:
And I have taken from the dim-dwelling Graiae And I have slain the Gorgon, dire Medusa, Her head that turns the living man to stone Locking into my wallet: last, today, In Syria by the loud Aegean surges I have done this deed that men shall ever speak of. Ascending with winged feet the clamorous air I have cloven Poseidon's monster whose rock-teeth And fiery mouth swallowed your sons and daughters. Where now has gone the sea-god's giant stride That filled with heads of foam your fruitful fields ? I have dashed back the leaping angry waters; His Ocean-force has yielded to a mortal. Even while I speak, the world has changed around you Syrians, the earth is calm, the heavens smile;
A mighty silence listens on the sea. Page 174
Complain that I deceived him to his doom.
He pauses: there is silence.
Speak! Is there
Claims any man victims ?
There's none, great Perseus.
Then, I here release CRIES None, mighty Perseus.
Iolaus, sweet friend, my work is finished. He severs his bonds.
O mighty father, suffer me for thee To take thy crown from the unworthy soil Where rude hands tumbled it. 'Twill now sit steady. Dercetes, art thou loyal once again ? Page 175
For ever.
Therops!
I have abjured rebellion.
Lead then my royal parents to their home With martial pomp and music. And let the people Cover their foul revolt with meek obedience. One guiltiest head shall pay you forfeit: the rest, Since terror and religious frenzy moved To mutiny, not their sober wills, shall all Be pardoned.
Iolaus! Iolaus!
Andromeda, and thou, my sweet Cydone,
I approve thy sentence, son.
Dercetes and his soldiers, Therops and the
Now, Polydaon,
I have seen all and laughed. Page 176 Iolaus, and thou, O Argive Perseus, You know not who I am. I have endured Your foolish transient triumph that you might feel My punishments more bitter-terrible. Tis time, 'tis time. I will reveal myself. Your horror-staring eyes shall know me, princes, When I hurl death and Ocean on your heads.
The man is frantic.
Defeat has turned him mad.
I have seen this coming on him for a season and a half. He was a fox at first, but this tumult gave him claws and muscles and he turned tiger. This is the end. What, Polydaon! Good cheer, priest! Roll not thy eyes: I am thy friend Perissus, I am thy old loving school-mate; are we not now fellow-craftsmen, priest and butcher?
Do you not see ? I wave my sapphire locks And earth is quaking. Quake, earth! rise, my great Ocean! Earth, shake my foemen from thy back! clasp, sea, And kiss them dead, thou huge voluptuary. Come barking from your stables, my sweet monsters: With blood-stained fangs and fiery mouths avenge me Mocking their victory. Thou, brother Zeus, Rain curses from thy skies. What, is all silent? I'll tear thee. Ocean, into watery bits And strip thy oozy basal rocks quite naked If thou obey me not.
He must be seized Page 177 And bound.
Pause. See, he foams and clutches! Polydaon falls to the ground.
He
Polydaon, old crony, grows thy soul too great within thee?
It was a fit, it is over. He lies back white
I was Poseidon but this moment. I have become a dull and puny mortal. (half rising)
It was not I but thou who feared'st, god. Page 178 Ah, he has gone into invisible Vast silences!... Whose, whose is this bright glory? One stands now in his place and looks at me. Imperious is his calm Olympian brow, The sea's blue unfathomed depths gaze from his eyes, Wide sea-blue locks crown his majestic shape:
A mystic trident arms his tranquil might. (with a cry)
It was myself, the shadow, the hostile god! He falls back dead.
Who then can save a man from his own self?
He is ended, his own evil has destroyed him. Page 179
This man for a few hours became the vessel Of an occult and formidable Force And through his form it did fierce terrible things Unhuman: but his small and gloomy mind And impure dark heart could not contain the Force. It turned in him to madness and demoniac Huge longings. Then the Power withdrew from him Leaving the broken incapable instrument, And all its might was split from his body. Better To be a common man mid common men And live an unaspiring mortal life Than call into oneself a Titan strength Too dire and mighty for its human frame, That only afflicts the oppressed astonished world, Then breaks its user.
But best to be Heaven's child.
Art thou then gone090lydaon ? My monarch of breast-hackers, this was an evil ending. My heart is full of woe for thee, my fellow-butcher.
The gods have punished him for his offences,
Burn him with rites,
Call Cireas from his hiding for reward, Page 180
Fair Diomede from Cyclone's house.
There's Phineus will ask reasons.
He shall be satisfied.
He cannot be satisfied, his nose is too long; it will not listen
Perissus, come with me: for thou wert kind
There was nothing astonishing in that: I am as chockfull with They go out: the curtain falls. Page 181 |