Leonidas. Book VIII

Scarce was begun the second watch of night, When his pavilion Agis left, and sought The chief of Lacedaemon. Him he found Spread on his tranquil couch, while, o'er his face Diffus'd, a glad serenity with smiles His slumber painted; like an ev'ning sky Yet streak'd with ruddy light, when summer suns Have veil'd their beaming foreheads. Transport fill'd The eye of Agis. Friendship swell'd his heart, And veneration. On his knee inclin'd The hero's hand he kiss'd, and thus began.

O THOU with more than human virtues great, Accept this homage! and may gentle sleep Yet longer close thy eyelids, that unblam'd I thus may bow before thee. Thus he spake, And, prostrate bent, his godlike friend rever'd, Whose eye the shades of slumber now forsake. So, when new rising heav'n's resplendent orb Illumines first the sable skirts of night, The white-rob'd Magi, or the Indian seers Are seen from Ganges, or Euphrates' side, Before th' emerging glory bow'd to hail The radiant emblem of th' immortal mind.

BOTH heroes rose, and mix'd their friendly arms, And now to Agis had the Spartan king Disclos'd his soul; when lo! the Grecian chiefs, All rous'd, advancing with the sudden gleam Of armour pierc'd the twilight shade. With joy Leonidas accosts them. O thrice hail! My virtuous friends. Approach, and all attend, While I relate, and you with wonder hear. This night no sooner sleep oppress'd my brows, But o'er my head the empyreal form Of my great sire Alcides seem'd display'd. I saw his magnitude divine; his voice I heard, his solemn mandate to arise. I rose. He bade me follow: I obey'd. Up to a mountain, whose ethereal brow Th' involving clouds divided, we ascend. E'er long we rested, suddenly the howl Of wolves, and dogs, the vulture's piercing shriek, The yell of ev'ry beast and fowl of prey, Within my ears discordant broke. I turn'd. When lo! a surface all with gore deform'd Beyond my view illimitable stretch'd, One vast expanse of horrour. There a corse, Which with its huge dimensions seem'd to hide Th' unbounded plain, lay welt'ring, red with wounds Delv'd in th' enormous limbs, which bleeding gorg'd The vulture's famine. Wond'ring I beheld, When from behind I heard a second sound, Like surges trembling o'er a craggy shore. Again I turn'd. An ocean there appear'd With riven keels, and shrouds, and shiver'd oars, With arms, and mangled carcases bestrewn Innumerous. The billows foam'd with blood, And whelm'd a crimson deluge o'er the strand. But where the waters unobserv'd before Between two adverse shores contracting roll'd A stormy tide, upon the beach, forlorn, One of majestic stature I descried In ornaments imperial. Oft on me He bent his clouded eye-balls. On my name With imprecations oft he call'd aloud, Then rent his splendid garments, and his head In rage divested of its graceful hairs. Impatient now he ey'd a slender skiff, Which mounted on the curling foam approach'd. With indignation, and reluctant grief Once more his sight reverting, he embark'd Amid the perils of the frowning waves. O thou, whose virtue rank'd thee with the Gods (I here exclaim'd) instruct me what produc'd This desolation; when the God return'd. Let thy astonish'd eye again review What thou didst late abhor. I look'd and saw A land, where Plenty with disporting hand Pour'd all the fruits of Amalthea's horn; Where bloom'd the olive, and the clustring vine With its broad foliage mantled ev'ry hill; Where Ceres with exuberance inrob'd The pregnant bosom of the fields in gold; Where spacious towns, whose circuits proud contain'd The dazling works of wealth, unnumber'd shone, The strength and splendour of the peopled land. Then in a moment clouds obscur'd my sight, And all was vanish'd from my waking eyes.

THRICE we salute the omen (thus began The sage Megistias) in thy mystic dream I see the Grecian victories. The earth, The deep shall own their triumphs; and the tears Of Asia, and of Lybia shall bewail Their offspring cast before the vulture's beak, And all the monstrous natives of the main. Those joyous fields of plenty shall be Greece Enrich'd with conquest, and Barbarian spoils. And whom thou saw'st in regal vesture clad Print on the sands his solitary steps, Is Xerxes foil'd and fugitive from Greece.

MEGISTIAS thus, while ev'ry bosom felt Enthusiastic rapture, joy beyond All sense, and all conception but of those, Who die to save their country. Here again Leonidas th' exulting chiefs address'd.

SINCE happiness from virtue is deriv'd, Who for his country dies, that moment proves Most happy, as most virtuous. Such our lot. To this the gods shall add eternal fame. But now go forth, Megistias, and with speed Prepare the victim, and the sacred flames; That to the Muses, as the Spartan law Commands, our pray'rs and off'rings may be paid, E'er to yon camp our hostile feet we bend. But, O remember, from the solemn rites Let ev'ry sound be absent, not the pipe, Nor ev'n the music-breathing flute be heard. Meantime, ye leaders, ev'ry band instruct To move in silence, nor with shouts alarm The midnight stillness. Mindful of their charge The chiefs depart. Leonidas provides His various armour. First the breastplate arms His ample chest. O'er this the hero spreads The mailed cuirass from his shoulders hung. The shining belt infolds his mighty loins. Next on his stately temples he erects The plumed helm, then grasps his pond'rous shield; Where nigh the center on the swelling brass Th' inimitable artist had imboss'd The shape of great Alcides, whom to gain Two Goddesses contended. Pleasure here Won with soft wiles th' attracted eye, and there The form of Virtue dignified the scene. In her majestic sweetness was disclos'd The mind sublime and happy. From her lips Seem'd eloquence to flow. With looks serene, But fix'd intent upon the son of Jove, She wav'd her hand, where winding to the skies Her paths ascended. On the summit stood Fame, and protended her eternal trump, Incumbent on a trophy near to heav'n. The youth attentive to her wisdom own'd The prevalence of Virtue; while his eye With all the spirit, which redeem'd the world From tyranny and monsters, ardent flam'd; Not undescried by Pleasure, where she lay Stretch'd on a gorgeous carpet, which bespread The meadow with magnificence. Around Were flourets strewn, and wantonly in rills Soft streams maeander'd. All relax'd her limbs: Nor wanting yet solicitude to gain, What lost she fear'd, as struggling with despair She seem'd collecting all her power of charms, And with excess of sweet allurement smil'd: In vain; for Virtue sway'd Alcides' mind. Hence all his labours. Trac'd with various art They fill'd the surface of the spacious targe. This portraiture of glory on his arm Leonidas supports. Then forth he tow'rs From his pavilion. With their troops array'd The chiefs attended. Flaming torches blaz'd In ev'ry hand. And now with silent pace All to the solemn sacrifice proceed. First Polydorus with the hallow'd knife, And barley strew'd with sacred salt advanc'd. Diomedon beside him, in his grasp A weighty mace sustaining. Like the rest All bright in armour with his shield and spear Megistias follow'd, an unspotted priest, And dauntless warriour. From on high his helm With wreaths around the shining crest reveal'd His sacerdotal honours. By the horns, Where laurels twin'd, with Alpheus Maron leads The consecrated ox. And lo! behind Leonidas approaches. Ne'er before With such transcending majesty he trod, Nor his own virtue, as that hour, enjoy'd. Then venerable moves the Thespian chief, And great Dieneces. To them the bloom Of Dithyrambus glowing with the sense Of future praise succeeds, with graceful steps The gen'rous Agis next; the Thebans last Repining and inglorious. Then slow march The host all mute, nor shake their brazen arms.

NOT from Thermopylae remote the hills Of Oeta yielding to a fruitful dale Within their side half-circling had inclos'd A fair expanse with verdure smooth. The bounds Were edg'd with wood o'erlook'd by snowy cliffs, Which from the clouds bent frowning. From a rock Above the loftiest summit of the groves A tumbling torrent wore the shagged stone, Then gleaming through the interwoven shade The valley water'd. O'er the level shone Its glassy bosom, and with placid waves The smiling lawn divided. Near the banks, Which flow'rs made various, new-erected stood A rustic altar, which a chosen train, Appointed by Megistias, rais'd with turf Cut by their falchions from the verdant mead: Broad was the surface, high with piles of wood, The plenteous tribute of th' adjacent groves, All interspers'd with laurel. Here a vase Fill'd with the briny waters of the sea, (More pure than ev'ry stream, or fountain, deem'd) Was plac'd beside the altar. There with wine Unmix'd capacious goblets stood arrang'd. Here is the victim brought. Megistias streight His helm unloosens. With his hoary head Uncover'd round the solemn pile he treads, And with a branch of laurel scatters wide The sacred moisture of the main. His hand With mingled salt and barley next bestrews The altar, and the victim. O'er the horns Th' inverted goblet foaming with the grape Diffus'd the rich libation. Now advanc'd Diomedon. Megistias gave command. Down sunk the victim with a deathful stroke, Nor groan'd. Megistias buries in the throat The hallow'd steel. A crimson deluge flows. Swift from the limbs the fuming hide is torn, The flesh dissever'd on the altar heap'd. Now smoaks the pile, then sudden flames abroad. A burst of splendour dissipates the dark. Greece throngs around. Each lifts a sparkling brand With beaming javelins intermix'd, and shields, And polish'd helms, which multiply the blaze. Meantime the great Leonidas drew nigh, And stood before the altar. There his helm Unclasp'd to Agis he commits, his shield And spear to Dithyrambus, then his arms Extending thus in supplication spoke.

HARMONIOUS daughters of Olympian Jove, Who on the top of Helicon ador'd, And high Parnassus, with delighted ears Bend to the warble of Castalia's wave, And Aganippe's murmurs, if from thence We must invoke your presence; or along The ridge of neighb'ring Pindus if your steps Now wander through your consecrated bow'rs, Thence turn, ye Muses, nor for once disdain Each with her beauteous form these hills to grace, And stand th' immortal witness of our fate! But with you bring fair Liberty, whom Jove And you most honour. Let her sacred eyes Approve her dying Grecians, let her voice With exultation tell the earth and heav'ns, These are her sons; then strike your tuneful shells, And with our praise bid harmony rejoice. Record us guardians of our parents age, Our matrons virtue, and our infants bloom, And glorious bulwarks of our country's laws, Who shall enoble the historian's page, Or on the joyous festival inspire With loftier strains the virgins choral song. Then, O celestial maids, on yonder camp Let night sit heavy, and a sleep, like death, Weigh down the eye of Asia! O infuse A cool, untroubled spirit in our breasts, Which may in silence guide our daring feet Through all the paths of slaughter, nor affright The dark with tumult, till the dying groans Of gasping tyrants into horrour wake The midnight calm! Then turn Destruction wild. Bid Terrour and Confusion revel round, And in one carnage heap the Barb'rous ranks, Their horse, and chariots. Let the spurning steed Imbrue his hoofs with blood, and shatter'd cars Crush with their brazen weight the prostrate necks Of kings, and purpled chiefs incircled round By nations fall'n.—You, countrymen and friends, My last commands attend. Your gen'ral's voice Once more salutes you, not to rouse the brave, Or minds resolv'd and dauntless to confirm. Too well by this expiring blaze I view Impatient valour flash from ev'ry eye. But temper well your ardour, and your lips Close on the rising transport. Lo! how sleep Hath folded millions in its black embrace. No sound is wasted from th' unnumber'd foe. The winds themselves are silent. All conspires To this great sacrifice, where thousands soon Shall only wake to die. Perhaps our swords This night may send ev'n Xerxes' self to lead Th' innumerable train of Persian ghosts To Pluto's dreery shade, unless reserv'd From all this ruin, to lament his shame, And future flight, when Greece confounds that pow'r, Which we will shake. But now the second watch Is verging to its period, and the moon Prepares to glimmer on our darksome steps. Let each his head distinguish with a wreath Of twining laurel, then the goblet crown, And share the victim. Take your last repast, For with your fathers, and the heroes old You next shall banquet in the blest abodes.

WHILE thus the hero, through the thronging files Presenting round a hideous depth of war All shook with ardour their erected spears Thick, as the fruitful growth of lofty pines, Which from high Pelion's cloud-invested brow To heav'n's blue vault their stately honours bear. Megistias soon through all the band divides The sacred laurel: snatch'd with eager zeal, By ev'ry hand, and round each helmet wove It blends its verdure with the floating plumes. Then is the victim portion'd, while the bowl Flows with the vine's impurpled stream. Aloof The Theban train in wan dejection mute Brood o'er their shame, or cast a frighted eye On that determin'd virtue, which unmov'd At fate's approach with chearful lips could taste The sparkling goblet, and with joy partake That last and glorious banquet. Ev'n the heart Of Anaxander now forgets its wiles, Its fear no more dissembling. Agis here For ever mindful of his friend's command Mix'd with the Thebans, and in whispers thus.

LEONIDAS permits you to retire. While in the rites of sacrifice employ'd None heed your motions. Separate, and fly With silent steps. At once the Theban troop Its ranks dissolving from the Greeks withdraws. Unseen it moulders from the host, like snow, Which from the mountains in ten thousand rills, Soon as the sun exerts his orient beam, Descends soft-trickling, while the hoary heap Insensibly decays. The Grecians soon Conclude the solemn banquet, and their chief Now reassumes his arms. Before his step The croud rolls backward. In their gladden'd sight His crest irradiate with th' uplifted brands Its purple splendour shakes. The tow'ring oak Thus from a lofty promontory waves Its majesty of verdure, while with joy The sailor marks its heav'n-ascending pride, Which from afar directs his foamy course Along the pathless Ocean: so the Greeks Exulting gaz'd, as down their op'ning ranks Their chief proceeds; from whose majestic grace A soul like thine, O Phidias, might conceive In Parian marble, or effulgent brass, The form of great Apollo; when the God, Won by the pray'rs of man's afflicted race, In arms forsook his lucid throne to pierce The monster Python in the Delphian vale. Close by the hero Polydorus waits To guide destruction through the Asian tents. As the young eagle near his parent's side In wanton flight essays his vig'rous wings, E'er long with her to penetrate the clouds, To dart impetuous on the fleecy train, And dye his beak with gore; by Sparta's king The injur'd Polydorus thus prepares His arm for death, and feasts his angry soul With promis'd vengeance: his impatient thoughts Ev'n now transport him furious to the seat Of his long sorrows not with shackled hands, But now once more a Spartan with his shield, And dreadful spear to lead his country's bands, And with them vengeance. Nor the rest of Greece Neglect to form. Their helmets now unite Their various plumage, as th' intwining boughs Mix their broad foliage in Dodona's grove; Or like the cedars on the Syrian hills, Which with their shady texture, as with night, The gloomy soil o'ercast. In order'd ranks While thus they stand, behold a warlike form In gleaming arms slow-moving through the shade, Led by a slave, approach'd Laconia's king, And thus address'd him. O Leonidas, Thou seest before thee Eurytus, a name To thee and ev'ry Spartan not unknown. Thy ruling voice forbade the maim'd to stay; I, whose dark orbs no longer know the sun, Immers'd in sudden blindness since our march From Lacedaemon, with the rest withdrew, Not to revisit Sparta, but, resolv'd To meet the Persians, in the public way I sat; not long, before th' increasing sound Of trampling feet alarm'd me, which I deem'd Were Persia's numbers rushing from the hills: I started upward grasping in my hand My spear and buckler, by my slave withheld, Who told me, they were Thebans. Lo! I bear The tydings of their flight. And now, my chief And countrymen, farewel. Do you proceed, With death and terrour fill the hostile camp; While I the fury of th' exulting foe Descending from the mountains here await To yield the last remains of tedious life Now to my country useless, and to me, And close these shaded eyes in endless night.

HE ceas'd, when thus Leonidas began. Then stay, my faithful soldier, and obtain Not the least honours in this glorious night; And you, my brave associates, all exult; One spirit now inspires us; from our band Doubt, fear, and treason with the Thebans fly: While all with mutual confidence advance, And equal fires. This said, once more the king On the deep phalanx his attentive eye Reverts, and through the ruddy gleam descries One face of gladness; but th' illustrious van He most contemplates: Agis, Alpheus there, Megistias, Maron, and Plataea's chief, Dieneces, Demophilus are drawn, And Dithyrambus. They their fixed sight On him too bend with inexpressive joy, With love, and veneration, till they hear His last command; when instant to the earth Are cast th' extinguish'd brands. On all around Drops sudden darkness, on the hills, the woods, The silver stream, the rocks, and floating main. It now was midnight. To the hostile camp With steps compos'd and silent down the pass The phalanx moves. Each patient bosom hush'd Its struggling spirit, nor in whispers breath'd The rapt'rous ardour, virtue then inspir'd; But all await the moment doom'd to give The Barb'rous millions to their deathful steel: So low'ring clouds expanding from the north A while suspend their horrours, destin'd soon To blaze in lightnings, and to burst in storms.