Nay, nay, my King--I found it oped to hand. I only crept therein to slip from robbers Toward hid retreat, for they in whelming odds Were hot-foot on my track and harried me As I, by some adventurous prompting driven, Of late a desolate wooded mountain ranged. The urns were overthrown and spilt their ashes, In touching disarray the shards were scattered, And in the sickly shaft of westering sunlight That pierced a passage through the chinkéd wall I saw a wisp of pallid dust was swaying. It rose before me as the final motes That vestige death, and turned my mood so eerie That, lest my fellow-flesh, my very fathers Perchance, be mixed with my unconscious breathing, Long time I held the air within my breast. KAN. Well? And the robbers? GYGES. Found my every trace Was vanished, so it seemed, for far and farther Their dwindling voices died, and now I thought me Already safe assured, although not yet I left my glimmering retreat. As now In such a plight I cramped upon my knees My sight fell suddenly upon this ring. From out the wreckage heaped in tangled waste Its stone, as though it were a living thing, Half minding me of some sharp serpent’s eye, Shot sparkles at me. Straight I raised it up, I blew the ashes from it and I spoke:-- “Who bore thee once on his long-mouldered finger?” And then, to see if ’twere a man had worn it, I put it on, and scarce the deed was done When from without rang--“Halt! He must be here! See you the grave? Then onward, onward, comrades! We have our man!” and quick appeared the troop. But I was loath, like some defenceless beast Harried into a hole, to suffer slaughter, And springing forth I charged impetuous--flashing Full at them, in my hand the lifted sword. The sun was near the dipping of its disc And streaming, like a candle destined soon To quench its glow, with doubly vivid ray. But they, as though for them alone the night Outran its hour, stormed on with furious curses Passing me by, and ringed them round the grave. They raked it through, and, as I still was hid, Cried out in scorn--“What odds? We’d find he bore Nothing upon him but the truculent eye That with its taunting glance so roused our rage; Some other soon enough will blow _that_ out!” Then once again, but with chagrin’s slow footsteps, Peering around and in my face even staring, They passed me by and I was still unseen. KAN. And then you thought---- GYGES.