Methinks I hear Him: now methinks I see Him,
Pursuing me in fearful wise: already

I see my own ensanguined ax fall down
Upon my guilty head with crashing sound!

ABEL. His senses he has lost.

From head to foot. . .

Sad sight! I tremble...

CAIN.
Thou, Abel, do thou take
This ax;
and strike with both thy hands upon
My head. Why dost thou tarry? now behold,
I offer no defence: be quick, and slay me:
Slay me; for in no other way canst thou
Escape my fury, which is fast returning:
pray thee then, make haste.
ABEL.

I

What do I hear?

That I should strike thee? Why, if I still love thee
As much as ever? Calm thyself: become

Thyself again: let's both our father seek:

He waits for thee . . .

CAIN.

My father? to my father

I understand: thyself

Go now with thee?
Hast thou betrayed. The mention of his name
Fiercer than ever wakens all my rage.
Once more then, die thou, die.

ABEL.

[Strikes him.

My strength depart . . . O mother!

CAIN.

...

Have I now done? his blood spurts o'er my face!

He falls; he faints . . . Where hide myself? O Heavens!

...

What have I done? Accursed ax, begone

Forever from my hand, my eyes. . . What hear I?

Alas! already doth the thund'ring voice

There, raves my father in wild fury . . Here,

...

Of God upon me call

O where to fly?

My dying brother's sobs

.. Where hide myself?

I fly.

[Flies.

ABEL [dying], then ADAM.

ABEL. Ah dreadful pain! . . . O, how my blood Is running down!...

ADAM.

Already towards the west

The sun approaches fast, and I as yet

Have found them not! The livelong day have I

And Eve consumed in searching for them both,
And all without success ... But this is surely
The track of Abel: I will follow it.

ABEL. Alas! help, help! ... O mother! ...
ADAM.

Sobs of a human being, like the wails

[Advances.

O, what hear I?

Of Abel! ... Heavens! what see I there? a stream
Of blood? .. Alas! a body further on?...
Abel! My son, thou here? ... Upon thy body
Let me at least breathe forth my own last breath!

ABEL. My father's voice, methinks ... O! is it thou? . . My eyes are dim, and ill I see . . . Ah, tell me,

...

Shall I again behold .. my
ADAM. My son!... sad day!

deep and large

darling mother?...

sad day!... sad sight! How

The wound with which his guiltless head is cloven!

Alas! there is no remedy. My son,

Who gave thee such a blow? and what the weapon? ...

O Heavens! Is 't not Cain's pickax that I see

Lying all-bloody there? . . . O grief! O madness!

And is it possible that Cain has slain thee?

A brother kill his brother? I myself

Will arm, with thy own arms; and find thee out,
And with my own hands slay thee. O thou just
Almighty God, didst thou behold this crime,
And suffer it? breathes still the murderer ?
Where is the villain? Didst not Thou, great God,
Beneath the feet of such a monster cause

The very earth to gape and swallow him
In its profound abyss? Then, 't is Thy will,
Ah yes! that by my hand should punished be
This crime irreparable: 't is Thy will
That I should follow on the bloody track
Of that base villain: here it is: from me,
Thou wicked Cain, shalt thou receive thy death
O God! But leave my Abel breathing still
ABEL. Father!

thee..

return, return!

ADAM. My son, but how could Cain
ABEL.

Beside himself

I fain would teli

He was

He is thy son. O pardon him, as I do..
ADAM. Thou only art my son.

O Abel! my own image! thou, my all! . . .
How could that fierce

Didst thou e'er plan ... to take away . . . from Cain, . .
And give... to me some mighty good, . . . which lies
Beyond the river?
ADAM.

What dost mean? one son

Alone I deemed that I possessed in both.
ABEL. Deceived ..

me..

Ofttimes,

was Cain then; . . . this he said to

...

inflamed with rage. . . The only cause

Was this: . . . he had
Within himself ..

He struck me
breath,

. . a conflict fierce . . . and long.. at first; . . . but . . . then... o'ercome, - But now...

...

11

.. my

and then fled

.. Kiss me

...

O God!... He dies. Unhappy father!
Has that last sob cut off at once his voice
And life as well!-Behold thee, then, at last,
Death terrible and cruel, who the daughter
Of my transgression art! O ruthless Death,
Is, then, the first to fall before thy blows

A guileless youth like this? "T was me the first,

And me alone, whom thou shouldst have struck down

What shall I do without my children now?

And this dear lifeless body, how can I

From Eve conceal it? Hide from her the truth?
In vain but, how to tell her? And, then, where,
Where bury my dear Abel? O my God!

How tear myself from him? - But, what behold I?
Eve is approaching me with weary steps

From far! She promised me that she would wait
Beyond the wood for me... Alas! But I

Must meet her and detain her; such a sight

Might in one moment kill her... How I tremble !
Already she has seen me, and makes haste . . .

EVE, and ADAM [running to meet her].

...

ADAM. Why, woman, hast thou come ? 't is not allowed

Farther to go: return; return at once

Unto our cottage; there will I erelong

Do thou meanwhile retrace thy steps, I pray

EVE. And leave thee? . . . And my children, where are

they?

But, what do I behold? thy vesture stained

With quite fresh blood? thy hands, too, dyed with blood?
Alas! what is 't, my darling Adam, say!

Yet on thy body are no wounds. . . But, what,

What is the blood there on the ground? and near it

O Eve, stop, stop! on no account

Shalt thou go farther.

EVE [pushing her way forward a little].

But, in spite of thee,

From out thine eyes a very stream of tears

Is pouring!.

I must see, at any cost,

The reason
Ah, I see it now! . . . there lies
My darling Abel . . . O unhappy I! . . .
I understand . . .

The ax. . . the blood

ADAM.

We have no sons.

EVE.

...

Alas!

Abel, my life . . . T is vain

To hold me back . . . Let me embrace thee, Abel.
ADAM. To hold her is impossible: a slight

Relief to her immense maternal sorrow

EVE. Adam, has God the murderer not punished?
ADAM. O impious Cain! in vain thy flight; in vain
Wilt thou conceal thyself. Within thy ears

(However far away from me thou art)

Shall ring the fearful echo of my threats,

And make thy bosom tremble.

Abel, Abel...

EVE.
Alas, he hears me not! . . . I ever told thee,
That I discerned a traitor's mark, yes, traitor's,
Between Cain's eyebrows.

ADAM.

Never on the earth

That traitor peace shall find, security,

Or an asylum. — Cain, be thou accursed

By God, as thou art by thy father cursed.

AGAMEMNON.

[During the absence of Agamemnon at the siege of Troy, Ægisthus, son of Thyestes and the relentless enemy of the House

of Atreus, wins the love of Clytemnestra, and with devilish ingenuity persuades her that the only way to save her life and his is to slay her husband.]

What dost thou here, dissolved in useless tears ?
Tears are unprofitable, late, and vain;

And they may cost us dear.

CLY.

Thou here? . . . but how?

Wretch that I am! what have I promised thee?

What impious counsel? . . .

EGIS.

Was not thine the counsel ?

Now,

Love gave it thee, and fear recants it.
Since thou 'rt repentant, I am satisfied;
Soothed by reflecting that thou art not guilty,
I shall at least expire. To thee I said
How difficult the enterprise would be;
But thou, depending more than it became thee
On that which is not in thee, virile courage,
Daredst thyself thy own unwarlike hand
For such a blow select. May Heaven permit
That the mere project of a deed like this
May not be fatal to thee! I by stealth,
Protected by the darkness, hither came,
And unobserved, I hope. I was constrained
To bring the news myself, that now my life
Is irrecoverably forfeited

To the king's vengeance

CLY.

What is this I hear?

More than he would wish

Whence didst thou learn it?

EGIS.

Atrides hath discovered of our love;
And I already from him have received
A strict command not to depart from Argos.
And further, I am summoned to his presence
Soon as to-morrow dawns: thou seest well
That such a conference to me is death.

But fear not; for I will all means employ

To bear myself the undivided blame.

CLY. What do I hear? Atrides knows it all?

EGIS. He knows too much I have but one choice left:

It will be best for me to 'scape by death,