mixed shadow and wind
  Blown up between the morning and the mist,
  With steam of steeds and flash of bridle or wheel,
  And fire, and parcels of the broken dawn,
  And dust divided by hard light, and spears
  That shine and shift as the edge of wild beasts' eyes,
  Smite upon mine; so fiery their blind edge
  Burns, and bright points break up and baffle day.

MELEAGER.

  The first, for many I know not, being far off,
  Peleus the Larissaean, couched with whom
  Sleeps the white sea-bred wife and silver-shod,
  Fair as fled foam, a goddess; and their son
  Most swift and splendid of men's children born,
  Most like a god, full of the future fame.

ALTHAEA.

Who are these shining like one sundered star?

MELEAGER.

Thy sister's sons, a double flower of men.

ALTHAEA.

  O sweetest kin to me in all the world,
  O twin-born blood of Leda, gracious heads
  Like kindled lights in untempestuous heaven,
  Fair flower-like stars on the iron foam of fight,
  With what glad heart and kindliness of soul,
  Even to the staining of both eyes with tears
  And kindling of warm eyelids with desire,
  A great way off I greet you, and rejoice
  Seeing you so fair, and moulded like as gods.
  Far off ye come, and least in years of these,
  But lordliest, but worth love to look upon.

MELEAGER.

  Even such (for sailing hither I saw far hence,
  And where Eurotas hollows his moist rock
  Nigh Sparta with a strenuous-hearted stream)
  Even such I saw their sisters; one swan-white,
  The little Helen, and less fair than she
  Fair Clytaemnestra, grave as pasturing fawns
  Who feed and fear some arrow; but at whiles,
  As one smitten with love or wrung with joy,
  She laughs and lightens with her eyes, and then
  Weeps; whereat Helen, having laughed, weeps too,
  And the other chides her, and she being chid speaks nought,
  But cheeks and lips and eyelids kisses her,
  Laughing; so fare they, as in their bloomless bud
  And full of unblown life, the blood of gods.

ALTHAEA.

  Sweet days befall them and good loves and lords,
  And tender and temperate honours of the hearth,
  Peace, and a perfect life and blameless bed.
  But who shows next an eagle wrought in gold?
  That flames and beats broad wings against the sun
  And with void mouth gapes after emptier prey?

MELEAGER.

  Know by that sign the reign of Telamon
  Between the fierce mouths of the encountering brine
  On the strait reefs of twice-washed Salamis.

ALTHAEA.

  For like one great of hand he bears himself,
  Vine-chapleted, with savours of the sea,
  Glittering as wine and moving as a wave.
  But who girt round there roughly follows him?

MELEAGER.

  Ancaeus, great of hand, an iron bulk,
  Two-edged for fight as the axe against his arm,
  Who drives against the surge of stormy spears
  Full-sailed; him Cepheus follows, his twin-born,
  Chief name next his of all Arcadian men.

ALTHAEA.

  Praise be with men abroad; chaste lives with us,
  Home-keeping days and household reverences.

MELEAGER.

  Next by the left unsandalled foot know thou
  The sail and oar of this Aetolian land,
  Thy brethren, Toxeus and the violent-souled
  Plexippus, over-swift with hand and tongue;
  For hands are fruitful, but the ignorant mouth
  Blows and corrupts their work with barren breath.

ALTHAEA.

  Speech too bears fruit, being worthy; and air blows down
  Things poisonous, and high-seated violences,
  And with charmed words and songs have men put out
  Wild evil, and the fire of tyrannies.

MELEAGER.

Yea, all things have they, save the gods and love.

ALTHAEA.

Love thou the law and cleave to things ordained.

MELEAGER.

Law lives upon their lips whom these applaud.

ALTHAEA.

How sayest thou these? what god applauds new things?

MELEAGER.

Zeus, who hath fear and custom under foot.

ALTHAEA.

But loves not laws thrown down and lives awry.

MELEAGER.

Yet is not less himself than his own law.

ALTHAEA.

Nor shifts and shuffles old things up and down.

MELEAGER.

But what he will remoulds and discreates.

ALTHAEA.

Much, but not this, that each thing live its life.

MELEAGER.

Nor only live, but lighten and lift up higher.

ALTHAEA.

Pride breaks itself, and too much gained is gone.

MELEAGER.

Things gained are gone, but great things done endure.

ALTHAEA.

  Child, if a man serve law through all his life
  And with his whole heart worship, him all gods
  Praise; but who loves it only with his lips,
  And not in heart and deed desiring it
  Hides a perverse will with obsequious words,
  Him heaven infatuates and his twin-born fate
  Tracks, and gains on him, scenting sins far off,
  And the swift hounds of violent death devour.
  Be man at one with equal-minded gods,
  So shall he prosper; not through laws torn up,
  Violated rule and a new face of things.
  A woman armed makes war upon herself,
  Unwomanlike, and treads down use and wont
  And the sweet common honour that she hath,
  Love, and the cry of children, and the hand
  Trothplight and mutual mouth of marriages.
  This doth she, being unloved, whom if one love,
  Not fire nor iron and the wide-mouthed wars
  Are deadlier than her lips or braided hair.
  For of the one comes poison, and a curse
  Falls from the other and burns the lives of men.
  But thou, son, be not filled with evil dreams,
  Nor with desire of these things; for with time
  Blind love burns out; but if one feed it full
  Till some discolouring stain dyes all his life,
  He shall keep nothing praiseworthy, nor die
  The sweet wise death of old men honourable,
  Who have lived out all the length of all their years
  Blameless, and seen well-pleased the