HKB
red quick fountains, The blood of the hill-goat torn, The glory of wild-beast ravenings, Where the hill-tops catch the day; To the Phrygian, Lydian, mountains! 'Tis Bromios leads the way.
Another Maiden Then streams the earth with milk, yea, streams With wine and nectar of the bee, And through the air dim perfume steams Of Syrian frankincense; and He, Our leader, from his thyrsus spray A torchlight tosses high and higher, A torchlight like a beacon-fire, To waken all that faint and stray; And sets them leaping as he sings, His tresses rippling to the sky, And deep beneath the Maenad cry His proud voice rings: "Come, O ye Bacchae, come!"
All the Maidens Hither, O fragrant of Tmolus the Golden, Come with the voice of timbrel and drum; Let the cry of your joyance uplift and embolden The God of the joy-cry; O Bacchanals, come! With pealing of pipes and with Phrygian clamour, On, where the vision of holiness thrills, And the music climbs and the maddening glamour, With the wild White Maids, to the hills, to the hills! Oh, then, like a colt as he runs by a river, A colt by his dam, when the heart of him sings, With the keen limbs drawn and the fleet foot a-quiver, Away the Bacchanal springs!
[Enter TEIRESIAS. He is an old man and blind, leaning upon a staff and moving with slow stateliness, though wearing the Ivy and the Bacchic fawn-skin.]
TEIRESIAS Ho, there, who keeps the gate?--Go, summon me Cadmus, Agênor's son, who crossed the sea From Sidon and upreared this Theban hold. Go, whosoe'er thou art. See he be told Teiresias seeketh him. Himself will gauge Mine errand, and the compact, age with age, I vowed with him, grey hair with snow-white hair, To deck the new God's thyrsus, and to wear His fawn-skin, and with ivy crown our brows.
[Enter CADMUS from the Castle. He is even older than TEIRESIAS, and wears the same attire.]
CADMUS True friend! I knew that voice of thine, that flows Like mellow wisdom from a fountain wise. And, lo, I come prepared, in all the guise And harness of this God. Are we not told His is the soul of that dead life of old That sprang from mine own daughter? Surely then Must thou and I with all the strength of men Exalt him. Where then shall I stand, where tread The dance and toss this bowed and hoary head? O friend, in thee is wisdom; guide my grey And eld-worn steps, eld-worn Teiresias.--Nay; I am not weak. [At the first movement of worship his manner begins to change; a mysterious strength and exaltation enter into him.]
Surely this arm could smite The wild earth with its thyrsus, day and night, And faint not! Sweetly and forgetfully The dim years fall from off me!
TEIRESIAS As with thee, With me 'tis likewise. Light am I and young, And will essay the dancing and the song.
CADMUS Quick, then, our chariots to the mountain road.
TEIRESIAS Nay; to take steeds were to mistrust the God.
CADMUS So be it. Mine old arms shall guide thee there.
TEIRESIAS The God himself shall guide! Have thou no care.
CADMUS And in all Thebes shall no man dance but we?
TEIRESIAS Aye, Thebes is blinded. Thou and I can see.
CADMUS 'Tis weary waiting; hold my hand, friend; so.
TEIRESIAS Lo, there is mine. So linkèd let us go.
CADMUS Shall things of dust the Gods' dark ways despise?