The Poetical Works Of Robert Bridges Part 10

DEM. Yea, pray to Zeus; but pray ye for yourselves, That he have pity on you, for there is need. 460 Or let Zeus hear a strange, unwonted prayer That in his peril he will aid himself; For I have said, nor coud his Stygian oath Add any sanction to a mother's word, That, if he give not back my daughter to me, Him will I slay, and lock his pining ghost In sleepy prisons of unhallowing h.e.l.l.

CH. (_aside_). Alas! alas! she is distraught with grief.-- What comfort can we make?-- How reason with her?-- 469 (_to_ D.) This coud not be, great Queen. How coud it be That Zeus should be destroy'd, or thou destroy him?

DEM. Yea, and you too: so make your prayer betimes.

CH. We pray thee, Lady, sit thou on this bank And we will bring thee food; or if thou thirst, Water. We know too in what cooling caves The sly Fauns have bestow'd their skins of wine.

DEM. Ye simple creatures, I need not these things, And stand above your pity. Think ye me A woman of the earth derang'd with grief?

Nay, nay: but I have pity on your pity, 480 And for your kindness I will ease the trouble Wherewith it wounds your gentleness: attend!

Ye see this jewel here, that from my neck Hangs by this golden chain.

[_They crowd near to see._

Look, 'tis a picture, 'Tis of Persephone.

CH. How?--Is that she?-- A crown she weareth.--She was never wont Thus ...--nor her robe thus--and her countenance Hath not the smile which drew us from the sea.

DEM. Daedalus cut it, in the year he made The Zibian Aphrodite, and Hephaestus 490 O'erlookt and praised the work. I treasure it Beyond all other jewels that I have, And on this chain I guard it. Say now: think ye It cannot fall loose until every link Of all the chain be broken, or if one Break, will it fall?

CH. Surely if one break, Lady, The chain is broken and the jewel falls.

DEM. 'Tis so. Now hearken diligently. All life Is as this chain, and Zeus is as the jewel.

The universal life dwells first in the Earth, 500 The stones and soil; therefrom the plants and trees Exhale their being; and on them the brutes Feeding elaborate their sentient life, And from these twain mankind; and in mankind A spirit lastly is form'd of subtler sort Whereon the high G.o.ds live, sustain'd thereby, And feeding on it, as plants on the soil, Or animals on plants. Now see! I hold, As well ye know, one whole link of this chain: If I should kill the plants, must not man perish? 510 And if he perish, then the G.o.ds must die.

CH. If this were so, thou wouldst destroy thyself.

DEM. And therefore Zeus will not believe my word.

CH. Nor we believe thee, Lady: it cannot be That thou shouldst seek to mend a private fortune By universal ruin, and restore Thy daughter by destruction of thyself.

DEM. Ye are not mothers, or ye would not wonder.

In me, who hold from great all-mother Rhea Heritage of essential motherhood, 520 Ye would look rather for unbounded pa.s.sion.

Coud I, the tenderness of Nature's heart, Exist, were I unheedful to protect From wrong and ill the being that I gave, The unweeting pa.s.sions that I fondly nurtured To hopes of glory, the young confidence In growing happiness? Shall I throw by As self-delusion the supreme ambition, Which I encourag'd till parental fondness Bore the prophetic blessing, on whose truth 530 My spirit throve? Oh never! nay, nay, nay!

That were the one disaster, and if aid I cannot, I can mightily avenge.

On irremediable wrong I shrink not To pile immortal ruin, there to lie As trophies on a carven tomb: nor less For that no memory of my deed survive, Nor any eye to see, nor tongue to tell.

CH. So vast injustice, Lady, were not good.

DEM. To you I seem unjust involving man. 540

CH. Why should man suffer in thy feud with Zeus?

DEM. Let Zeus relent. There is no other way.

I will destroy the seeds of plant and tree: Vineyard and orchard, oliveyard and cornland Shall all withhold their fruits, and in their stead Shall flourish the gay blooms that Cora loved.

There shall be dearth, and yet so gay the dearth That all the land shall look in holiday With mockery of foison; every field With splendour aflame. For wheat the useless poppy 550 In sheeted scarlet; and for barley and oats The blue and yellow weeds that mock men's toil, Centaury and marigold in chequer'd plots: Where seed is sown, or none, shall dandelions And wretched ragwort vie, orchis and iris And garish daisy, and for every flower That in this vale she pluckt, shall spring a thousand.

Where'er she slept anemones shall crowd, And the sweet violet. These things shall ye see.

--But I behold him whom I came to meet, 560 Hermes:--he, be he laden howsoe'er, Will heavier-laden to his lord return.

_HERMES_ (_entering_).

Mighty Demeter, Mother of the seasons, Bountiful all-sustainer, fairest daughter Of arch-ancestral Rhea,--to thee Zeus sendeth Kindly message. He grieves seeing thy G.o.dhead Offended wrongly at eternal justice, 'Gainst destiny ordain'd idly revolting.

Ever will he, thy brother, honour thee And willingly aid thee: but since now thy daughter 570 Is raised to a place on the tripart.i.te throne, He finds thee honour'd duly and not injur'd.

Wherefore he bids thee now lament no more, But with thy presence grace the courts of heav'n.

DEM. Bright Hermes, Argus-slayer, born of Maia, Who bearest empty words, the mask of war, To Zeus make thine own words, that thou hast found me Offended,--that I still lament my daughter, Nor heed his summons to the courts of heav'n.

HER. Giv'st thou me nought but these relentless words?

DEM. I send not words, nor dost thou carry deeds. 581 But know, since heav'n denies my claim, I take Earth for my battle-field. Curse and defiance Shall shake his throne, and, readier then for justice, Zeus will enquire my terms: thou, on that day, Remember them; that he shall bid thee lead Persephone from Hades by the hand, And on this spot, whence she was stol'n, restore her Into mine arms. Execute that; and praise Shall rise from earth and peace return to heav'n. 590

HER. How dare I carry unto Zeus thy threats?

DEM. Approach him with a gift: this little wallet.

[_Giving a little bag of seeds._

I will not see thee again until the day Thou lead my daughter hither thro' the gates of h.e.l.l. [_Going._

HER. Ah! mighty Queen, the lightness of thy gift Is greater burden than thy weighty words.

[_Exeunt severally r. and l._

_CHORUS._

(1) Sisters! what have we heard!

Our fair Persephone, the flower of the earth, By Hades stolen away, his queen to be.

(_others_) Alas!--alas!--ay me! 600 (2) And great Demeter's bold relentless word To Hermes given, Threatening mankind with dearth.

(_others_) Ay me! alas! alas!-- (3 _or_ 1) She in her sorrow strong Fears not to impeach the King of Heaven, And combat wrong with wrong.-- (_others confusedly_) What can we do?--Alas!-- Back to our ocean-haunts return To weep and mourn.-- 610 What use to mourn?-- Nay, nay!--Away with sorrow: Let us forget to-day And look for joy to-morrow:-- [(1) Nay, nay! hearken to me!]

Nay, how forget that on us too,-- Yea, on us all The curse will fall.-- [(1) Hearken! I say!]

What can we do? Alas! alas! 620 (1) Hearken! There's nought so light, Nothing of weight so small, But that in even balance 'twill avail Wholly to turn the scale.

Let us our feeble force unite, And giving voice to tears, a.s.sail Poseidon's ears; Rob pleasure from his days, Darken with sorrow all his ways, Until his s.h.i.+fty mind 630 Become to pity inclined, And 'gainst his brother turn.

(_others_) 'Tis well, thou sayest well.

(2) Yea; for if Zeus should learn That earth and sea were both combined Against his cruel intent, Sooner will he relent.

(_others_) 'Tis well--we do it--'tis well.-- (1) Come let us vow. Vow all with one accord To harden every heart 640 Till we have won Poseidon to our part.

(_all_) We vow--we do it--we vow.

(1) Till we have conquer'd heav'n's almighty lord And seen Persephone restored.

(_all_) We vow--we vow.

(1) Come then all; and, as ye go, Begin the song of woe.

_Song._

Close up, bright flow'rs, and hang the head, Ye beauties of the plain, The Queen of Spring is with the dead, 650 Ye deck the earth in vain.

From your deserted vale we fly, And where the salt waves mourn Our song shall swell their burd'ning sigh Until sweet joy return.