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CHORUS.
1
Thymbraean, Delian, Birth divine,
That walkest Lycia’s inmost shrine,
225
Come, strong to guard, to guide, to follow,
Come, bow in hand and girt with night,
To help thy Dardans as of old,
When stone by stone thy music rolled—
O conquering Strength, O Sire Apollo!—
230
Young
Ilion
into towers of light.
2
Thymbraean, Delian, Birth divine,
That walkest Lycia’s inmost shrine,
225
Come, strong to guard, to guide, to follow,
Come, bow in hand and girt with night,
To help thy Dardans as of old,
When stone by stone thy music rolled—
O conquering Strength, O Sire Apollo!—
230
Young
Ilion
into towers of light.
CHORUS.
Grant that he reach the shipyard, creep
Keen-eyed through all that host asleep,
Then back to home and hearth, yet living,
235
Where now his father prays alone:
Yea, grant that, when the Greeks are slain,
Our wolf shall mount with scourge and rein
Those coursers of the sea-god’s giving,
Whom Peleus drove in days foregone.
240
3
Grant that he reach the shipyard, creep
Keen-eyed through all that host asleep,
Then back to home and hearth, yet living,
235
Where now his father prays alone:
Yea, grant that, when the Greeks are slain,
Our wolf shall mount with scourge and rein
Those coursers of the sea-god’s giving,
Whom Peleus drove in days foregone.
240
CHORUS.
Alone in those Greek ships to stake
His life, for home and country’s sake:
’Tis wondrous! Few be hearts so true
245
When seas across the bulwark break,
And sunlight sickens o’er the crew.
4
Ah,
Phrygia
still hath hearts of rock!
250
The Phrygian spear flies fast and far!
Where shall ye find the fool to mock
Our works in war?
Alone in those Greek ships to stake
His life, for home and country’s sake:
’Tis wondrous! Few be hearts so true
245
When seas across the bulwark break,
And sunlight sickens o’er the crew.
Ah,
Phrygia
still hath hearts of rock!
250
The Phrygian spear flies fast and far!
Where shall ye find the fool to mock
Our works in war?
CHORUS.
Whom will he stab a-sleeping, whom,
The quick grey wolf, the crawling doom?
255
5
Grant that he slay the Spartan! Nay,
Or Agamemnon’s head and plume
6
To Helen bear at dawn of day!
260
A lightsome dawn to hear her wail
Her brother sworn, her King who came
To
Ilion
with his thousand sail,
And swords, and flame!
As the song ends DOLON reappears, in the disguise of a wolf. The Guards gather round him, bidding him godspeed as he crawls off in the dark towards the Greek camp. Meantime from the direction of
Mount Ida
has entered a SHEPHERD who goes to HECTOR’S door and calls. The Guards seeing him return to their places.
Whom will he stab a-sleeping, whom,
The quick grey wolf, the crawling doom?
255
Grant that he slay the Spartan! Nay,
Or Agamemnon’s head and plume
To Helen bear at dawn of day!
260
A lightsome dawn to hear her wail
Her brother sworn, her King who came
To
Ilion
with his thousand sail,
And swords, and flame!
As the song ends DOLON reappears, in the disguise of a wolf. The Guards gather round him, bidding him godspeed as he crawls off in the dark towards the Greek camp. Meantime from the direction of
Mount Ida
has entered a SHEPHERD who goes to HECTOR’S door and calls. The Guards seeing him return to their places.
Rhesus. Euripides. Gilbert Murray (Translator). London. 1913.
Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.