ANTISTROPHE III. XERXES. Ah me! ah me! Balefully, balefully with sharp sorrow, Thou dost pierce my inmost marrow; My heart, my heart cries out to hear thee Name the lost friends I loved so dearly! CHORUS. One other name compels my grief, Xanthus, of Mardian men the chief; Ancháres the warlike, and lords of the steed Diaexis, Arsáces that ride with speed? Lythimnas, Kygdabatas, where be they, And Tolmos eager for the fray? Not, I wis, where they wont to be, Behind the tented car with thee. STROPHE IV. XERXES. They are gone, the generals, gone for ever! {330} CHORUS. Lost, and to be heard of never! XERXES. Woe worth the day! CHORUS. Ye gods! on a public place of woe Ye set us high; And Até on the sorrowful show Doth feast her eye. ANTISTROPHE IV. XERXES. We are stricken, beyond redemption stricken! CHORUS. Stricken of Heaven! with vengeance stricken! XERXES. And sore dismay! CHORUS. On an evil day we joined the fray, With the brave Greek name; From Ionian ships a sheer eclipse On Persia came. STROPHE V. XERXES. With such an army, struck so dire a blow! CHORUS. So great a power, the Persian power, laid low! XERXES. These rags, the rest of all my state, behold! CHORUS. Ay! we behold. XERXES. This arrow-case thou see'st, this quiver alone-- CHORUS. What say'st thou? this alone? XERXES. This arrow-case my all. CHORUS. From store how great, remnant how small! XERXES. With no friends near, abandoned sheer. CHORUS. The Ionian people shrinks not from the spear. ANTISTROPHE V. XERXES. They face it well. I saw the deadly fight. CHORUS. The sea-encounter saw'st thou, and the flight? XERXES. Ay! and beholding it I tore my stole. CHORUS. O dole! O dole! XERXES. More dolorous than dole! and worse than worst! CHORUS. O doubly, trebly curst! XERXES. To us annoy, to Athens joy! CHORUS. Our sinews lamed, our vigour maimed! XERXES. Unministered and unattended! CHORUS. Alas! thy friends on Salamis were stranded! STROPHE VI. XERXES. Weep, and while the salt tears flow, To the palace let us go! CHORUS. We weep, and, while the salt tears flow, To the palace with thee go. {331} XERXES. Ring the peal both loud and shrill! CHORUS. An ill addition is ill to ill. XERXES. Swell the echo!--high and higher Lift the wail to my desire! CHORUS. With echoing sorrow, high and higher, We lift the wail to thy desire. XERXES. Heavy came the blow, and stunning. CHORUS. From my eyes the tears are running. ANTISTROPHE VI. XERXES. Lift thine arms and sink them low, Oaring with the oars of woe![n32] CHORUS. Our arms we lift, dark woes deploring, With the oars of sorrow oaring. XERXES. Ring the peal both loud and shrill! CHORUS. Grief to grief, and ill to ill.