Chapter 15Scene 3

A room commanding the outer Court of the Palace. Nebassar, Praxilla. PRAXILLA I have seen them from the roof; at least ten thousand March through the streets. Do you not hear their rumour, A horrid hum as of unnumbered hornets That slowly nears us? NEBASSAR If they are so many, It will be hard to save the princess. PRAXILLA Save her! It is too late now to save anyone. NEBASSAR I fear so. PRAXILLA But never is too late to die As loyal servants for the lords whose bread We have eaten. At least we women of the household Will show the way to you Chaldeans. NEBASSAR We are soldiers, Praxilla, and need no guidance on a road We daily tread in prospect. I’ll bring my guards. He goes out saluting Cassiopea who enters.

Perseus the Deliverer CASSIOPEA Swift Diomede must have reached by now, Praxilla. PRAXILLA I hope so, madam. She goes out to the inner apartments. CASSIOPEA Then Iolaus Is safe. My sad heart has at least that comfort. O my Andromeda, my child Andromeda, Thou wouldst not let me save thee. Hadst thou too gone, I would have smiled when their fierce fingers rent me. Cepheus enters. CEPHEUS The mob is nearing; all my Syrian guards Have fled; we cannot hope for safety now. CASSIOPEA Then what is left but to set rapid fire To the rafters and prevent on friendly swords The rabble’s outrage? CEPHEUS Was it for such a fate Thou camest smiling from an emperor’s palace, O Cassiopea, Cassiopea! CASSIOPEA For me Grieve not. CEPHEUS O Lady, princess of Chaldea, Pardon me who have brought thee to this doom.

Act IV, Scene 3 Yet I meant well and thought that I did wisely: But the gods wrest our careful policies To their own ends until we stand appalled Remembering what we meant to do and seeing What has been done. CASSIOPEA With no half soul I came To share thy kingdom and thy joys; entirely I came, to take the evil also with thee. CEPHEUS Is there no truth in our high-winging ideals? My rule was mild as spring, kind as the zephyr: It tempered justice with benevolence And offered pardon to the rebel and sinner; I showed mercy, the rare sign of gods and kings. In this too difficult world, this too brief life To serve the gods with virtue seemed the best. A nation’s happiness was my only care: I made the people’s love my throne’s sure base And dreamed the way I chose true, great, divine. But the heavenly gods have other thoughts than man’s; Their awful aims transcend our human sight. Another doom than I had hoped they gave. CASSIOPEA A screened Necessity drives even the gods. Over human lives it strides to unseen ends; Our tragic failures are its stepping-stones. CEPHEUS My father lived calm, just, pitiless, austere, As a stern god might sway a prostrate world: Admired and feared, he died a mighty king. My end is this abominable fate.

Perseus the Deliverer CASSIOPEA Another law than mercy’s rules the earth. CEPHEUS If I had listened to thee, O Cassiopea, Chance might have taken a fairer happier course. Always thou saidst to me, “The people’s love Is a glimmer on quicksands in a gliding sea: Today they are with thee, tomorrow turn elsewhere. Wisdom, strength, policy alone are sure.” I thought I better knew my Syrian folk. Is this not my well-loved people at my door, This tiger-hearted mob with bestial growl, This cry for blood to drink, this roar of hate? Always thou spok’st to me of the temple’s power, A growing danger menacing the State, Its ambition’s panther crouch and serpent pride And cruel craft in a priest’s sombre face: I only saw the god and sacred priest. To priest and god I am thrown a sacrifice. The golden-mouthed orator of the market-place, Therops, thou bad’st me fear and quell or win Gaining his influence to my side. To me He seemed a voice and nothing but a voice. Too late I learn that human speech has power To change men’s hearts and turn the stream of Time. Thy eyes could read in Phineus’ scheming brain. I only thought to buy the strength of Tyre Offering my daughter as unwilling price. He has planned my fall and watches my agony. At every step I have been blind, have failed: All was my error; all’s lost and mine the fault. CASSIOPEA Blame not thyself; what thou hadst to be, thou wert, And never yet came help from vain remorse. It is too late, too late. To die is left;

Act IV, Scene 3 Fate and the gods concede us nothing more. CEPHEUS But strength to meet the doom is always ours. In royal robes and crowned we will show ourselves To our people and look in the eyes of death and fate. What is this armoured tramp? The Chaldean guards enter with Nebassar at their head. CAPTAINS O King, we come To die with thee, the soldiers of Chaldea; For all in Syria have abandoned thee. CEPHEUS I thank you, soldiers. CRIES OUTSIDE Poseidon, great Poseidon! we are Poseidon’s people. In, in, in! Kill the cuckold Cepheus, tear the harlot Cassiopea. CEPHEUS Voices of insolent outrage Proclaim the heartless rabble. On the steps Of our own palace we’ll receive our subjects. CASSIOPEA This, this becomes thee, monarch. NEBASSAR Soldiers, form With serried points before these mighty sovereigns. The mob surges in, Therops and Perissus at their head, Polydaon a little behind, Damoetes, Morus and the rest. Praxilla and others of the household come running in.

Perseus the Deliverer MOB On them! on them! Cut the Chaldeans to pieces! THEROPS Halt, people, halt: let there be no vain bloodshed. CASSIOPEA Here is a tender-hearted demagogue! THEROPS Cepheus and Cassiopea, ’tis vain and heinous To dally with your fate; it will only make you More criminal before the majesty Of the offended people. CEPHEUS Majesty! CASSIOPEA An unwashed majesty and a wolf-throated! THEROPS Insolent woman, to thee I speak not. Cepheus, — CEPHEUS Use humbler terms. I am thy King as yet. THEROPS The last in Syria. Tell me, wilt thou give up Thy children to the altar, and thyself Surrender here with this Chaldean woman For mercy or judgment to the assembled will Of Syria? CASSIOPEA A tearing mercy, a howling judgment!

Act IV, Scene 3 POLYDAON Therops, why do you treat with these? Chaldeans! And you, Praxilla! women of the household! Bring out the abominable Andromeda Who brought the woe on Syria. Why should you vainly Be ripped and mangled? CRIES OF WOMEN Bring out Andromeda! Bring out the harlot’s daughter, bring her out! CRIES OF MEN Andromeda! Andromeda! Andromeda! Bring out this vile Andromeda to die! Andromeda enters from the inner Palace, followed by slave-girls entreating and detaining her. PRAXILLA (sorrowfully) Wilt thou be wilful even to the end? CASSIOPEA Alas, my child! ANDROMEDA Mother, weep not for me. Perhaps my death May save you; and ’tis good that I should die, Not these poor innocent people. Against me Their unjust god is wroth. CEPHEUS O my poor sunbeam! ANDROMEDA (advancing and showing herself to the people) O people who have loved me, you have called me And I am here. A fierce roar from the mob.

Perseus the Deliverer THEROPS How she shrinks back appalled! PRAXILLA God! What a many-throated howl of demons! Their eyes glare death. These are not men and Syrians. The fierce Poseidon has possessed their breasts And breathed his awful blood-lust into all hearts Deafening the voice of reason, slaying pity: Poseidon’s rage glares at us through these eyes, It is his ocean roar that fills our streets. Cries from the mob. BALTIS Seize her! seize her! the child of wickedness! VOICES OF WOMEN Throw her to us! throw her to us! We will pick The veins out of her body one by one. DAMOETES Throw her to us! We will burn her bit by bit. MORUS Yes, cook her alive; no, Damoetes? Ho, ho, ho! VOICES OF MEN She has killed our sons and daughters: kill her, kill her! VOICES OF WOMEN She is the child of her wicked mother: kill her! MOB Throw her to us! throw her to us! MEGAS We’ll tear her here, and the furies shall tear her afterwards for ever in Hell.

Act IV, Scene 3 THEROPS Peace, people! she is not yours, she is Poseidon’s. ANDROMEDA Alas, why do you curse me? I am willing To die for you. If I had known this morn The monster’s advent, I would have gone and met him While you yet slept, and saved your poor fair children Whose pangs have been my own. Had I died first, I should not then have suffered. O my loved people, You loved me too: when I went past your homes, You blessed me always; often your girls and mothers Would seize and bind me to their eager breasts With close imprisonment, kiss on their doorways And with a smiling soft reluctance leave. O do not curse me now! I can bear all, But not your curses. PERISSUS Alack, my pretty lady! What madness made you do it? POLYDAON She has rewarded Your love by bringing death upon you, Syrians, And now she tries to melt you by her tears. MOB Kill her, kill her! Cut the Chaldeans to pieces! We will have her! PASITHEA O do not hurt her! She is like my child Whom the fierce monster tore. MEGAS Unnatural mother! Would you protect her who’s cause your child was eaten?

Perseus the Deliverer PASITHEA Will killing her give back my child to me? MEGAS No, it will save the children of more mothers. DAMOETES Gag up her puling mouth, the white-faced fool! VOICES Tear, tear Andromeda! Seize her and tear her! WOMEN Let us only get at her with our teeth and fingers! NEBASSAR Use swords, Chaldeans. POLYDAON Order, my children, order! Chaldean, give us up Andromeda, And save your King and Queen. NEBASSAR What, wilt thou spare them? CASSIOPEA Thou wilt not give my child to him, Nebassar? Thou dar’st not! NEBASSAR Queen, ’tis better one should die For all. POLYDAON I swear to thee, I will protect them.

Act IV, Scene 3 CASSIOPEA Trust not his oaths, his false and murderous oaths. NEBASSAR He is a priest: if we believe him, nothing We lose, something may gain. MEGAS What wilt thou do? The people do not like it. See, they mutter. POLYDAON Let me have first their daughter in my grip, Be sure of the god’s dearest victim. People, I am Poseidon’s priest and your true friend. Leave all to me. CRIES Leave all to Polydaon! the good priest knows what he is doing. POLYDAON Soldier, give up the Princess. NEBASSAR Shall she be only given to Poseidon? Will you protect her from worse outrage? POLYDAON I will. PRAXILLA Look! what a hideous triumph lights the eyes Of that fierce man. He glares at her with greed Like a wild beast of prey, and on his mouth There is a cruel unclean foam. Nebassar, O do not give her.

Perseus the Deliverer NEBASSAR If there were any help! Go forth, O princess, O Andromeda. CASSIOPEA My child! my child! ANDROMEDA Give me one kiss, my mother. We shall yet meet, I think. My royal father, Andromeda farewells you, whom you loved And called your sunbeam. But the night receives me. CEPHEUS Alas! DAMOETES How long will these farewells endure? They are not needed: you shall meet presently If Death’s angels can collect your tattered pieces. CASSIOPEA O savage Syrians, let my curses brood Upon your land, an anguished mother’s curse. May the Assyrian come and flay you living, Impale your sons, rip up your ravished daughters Before your agonising eyes and make you feel, Who drag my child from me to butcher her, The horror that you do. I curse you, Syrians. ANDROMEDA Hush, mother, mother! what they demand is just. NEBASSAR Lead back the King and Queen into the Palace, Women. We too will from this sad surrender Remove our eyes.

Act IV, Scene 3 CASSIOPEA I will not go. Let them tear her Before me: then surely Heaven will avenge me. CEPHEUS Come, Cassiopea, come: our death’s delayed By a few minutes. I will not see her slain. Cepheus and Praxilla go in, forcibly leading Cassiopea; they are followed by the slave-girls and then by Nebassar and the Chaldeans: Andromeda is left alone on the steps. CRIES OF THE MOB SURGING FORWARD Drag her, kill her, she is ours. POLYDAON Therops and thou, Perissus, stand in front And keep the people off, or they will tear her, Defraud Poseidon. PERISSUS Cheer up, my princess, come! You shall be cleanly killed. THEROPS People of Syria, Rob not Poseidon of his own! ’tis not the way To turn his anger. VOICES Right, right! leave her to Poseidon: out with her to the sea- monster. GARDAS Therops is always right. DAMOETES We will have her first: we will dress his banquet for him: none shall say us nay.

Perseus the Deliverer MORUS Good; we will show Poseidon some excellent cookery. Ho, ho, ho! MEGAS No, no, no! To the rocks with her! Strip her, the fine dainty princess, and hang her up in chains on the cliff-face. A WOMAN Strip her! Off with her broidered robe and her silken tunic! Why should she wear such, when my daughter carries only coarse woollen? A WOMAN (shaking her fist) Curse the white child’s face of thee: it has ruined Syria. Die, dog’s daughter. DAMOETES Is she to die only once who has killed so many of us? I say, tie her to one of these pillars and flog her till she drops. MORUS That’s right, skin her with whips: peel her for the monster, ho, ho, ho! BALTIS Leave her: Hell’s tortures shall make the account even. POLYDAON In order, children: let all be done in order. THEROPS She droops like a bruised flower beneath their curses, And the tears lace her poor pale cheeks like frost Glittering on snowdrops. I am sorry now I had a hand in this.

Act IV, Scene 3 ANDROMEDA You two have faces Less cruel than the others. I am willing To die, — oh, who would live to be so hated? But do not let them shame or torture me. PERISSUS Off! off! thick-brained dogs, loud-lunged asses! What do you do, yelping and braying here? Will you give a maimed meal to Poseidon’s manhound? Do you know me not? Have you never heard of Perissus, never seen Perissus the butcher? I guard Po- seidon’s meat, and whoever touches a morsel of it, I will make meat of him with my cleaver. I am Perissus, I am the butcher. VOICES It is Perissus, the good and wealthy butcher. He is right. To the rocks with her! VOICES OF WOMEN Bind her first: we will see her bound! PERISSUS In all that is rational, I will indulge you. Where is a cord? CRIES A cord, who has a cord? DAMOETES Here is one, Perissus. ’Tis rough and strong and sure. PERISSUS Come, wear your bracelets. ANDROMEDA O bind me not so hard! You cut my wrists. She weeps.

Perseus the Deliverer PERISSUS You are too soft and tender. There, dry your eyes, — but that, poor slip, you cannot. See, I have tied you very lightly: say not That this too hurts. ANDROMEDA I thank you; you are kind. PERISSUS Kind! Why should I not be kind? Because I am a butcher must I have no bowels? Courage, little Princess: none shall hurt thee but thy sea-monster and he, I am sure, will crunch thy little bones very tenderly. Never had man-eater such sweet bones to crunch. Alack! but where is the remedy? POLYDAON Now take her to the beach and chain her there Upon the rocks to bear her punishment. Perissus, lead her forth! We’ll follow you. CRIES Not I! not I! DAMOETES You’ld kill us, Polydaon? Poseidon’s anger walks by the sea-beaches. POLYDAON The fierce sea-dragon will not hurt you, friends, Who bring a victim to Poseidon’s altar Of the rude solemn beaches. I’ll protect you. CRIES We’ll go with Polydaon! with the good Polydaon! POLYDAON Perissus, go before. We’ll quickly come.

Act IV, Scene 3 PERISSUS Make way there or I’ll make it with my cleaver. Heart, little Princess! None shall touch thee. Heart! Perissus and others make their way out with Andromeda. POLYDAON Hem, people, hem the Palace in with myriads: We’ll pluck out Cepheus and proud Cassiopea. CRIES Kill Cepheus the cuckold, the tyrant! Tear the harlot Cassiopea. THEROPS Is this thy sacred oath? Had not Nebassar Thy compact, priest? POLYDAON I swore not by Poseidon. Wilt thou oppose me? THEROPS Thy perjury too much Favours my private wishes. Yet would I not Be thou with such a falsehood on my conscience. POLYDAON Why, Therops, be thyself and thou shalt yet Be something great in Syria. DAMOETES Where’s Iolaus? Shall he not also die? POLYDAON Too long forgotten! O that I should forget my dearest hatred!

Perseus the Deliverer By this he has concealed himself or fled And I am baulked of what I chiefly cherished. THEROPS Oh, do them justice! the great house of Syria Were never cowards. The prince has been o’erwhelmed On his way hither with rash sword to rescue: So Aligattas tells, who came behind us. He’s taken to the temple. POLYDAON Heard you? MOB Hurrah! BALTIS But what’s the matter now with our good priest? His veins are all out and his face is blood-red! DAMOETES This joy is too great for him. POLYDAON I am a god, A god of blood and roaring victory. Oh, blood in rivers! His heart out of his breast, And his mother there to see it! and I to laugh At her, to laugh! THEROPS This is not sanity. POLYDAON (controlling himself with a great effort) The sacrilegious house is blotted out Of Cepheus. Let not one head outlive their ending! Andromeda appoints the way to Hades

Act IV, Scene 3 Who was in crime the boldest, then her brother Yells on the altar: last Cepheus and his Queen — CRIES Tear her! let the Chaldean harlot die. POLYDAON She shall be torn! but not till she has seen The remnants of the thing that was her daughter: Not till her sweet boy’s heart has been plucked out Under her staring eyes from his red bosom. Till then she shall not die. But afterwards Strew with her fragments every street of the city. CRIES Hear, hear Poseidon’s Viceroy, good Polydaon! MEGAS In! in! cut off their few and foreign swordsmen. CRIES In! in! let not a single Chaldean live. The mob rushes into the Palace; only Therops and Polydaon remain. POLYDAON Go, Therops, take good care of Cassiopea, Or she will die too mercifully soon. THEROPS (aside) How shall we bear this grim and cruel beast For monarch, when all’s done? He is not human. He goes into the Palace. POLYDAON I have set Poseidon’s rage in human hearts; His black and awful Influence flows from me.

Perseus the Deliverer Thou art a mighty god, Poseidon, yet And mightily thou hast avenged thyself. The drama’s nearly over. Now to ring out The royal characters amid fierce howlings And splendid, pitiless, crimson massacre, — A great finale! Then, then I shall be King. (As he speaks, he gesticulates more wildly and his madness gains upon him.) Thou luckless Phineus, wherefore didst thou leave So fortunate a man for thy ally? The world shall long recall King Polydaon. I will paint Syria gloriously with blood. Hundreds shall daily die to incarnadine The streets of my city and my palace floors, For I would walk in redness. I’ll plant my gardens With heads instead of lilacs. Hecatombs Of men shall groan their hearts out for my pleasure In crimson rivers. I’ll not wait for shipwrecks. Assyrian captives and my Syrian subjects, Nobles and slaves, men, matrons, boys and virgins At matins and at vespers shall be slain To me in my magnificent high temple Beside my thunderous Ocean. I will possess Women each night, who the next day shall die, Encrimsoned richly for the eyes’ delight. My heart throngs out in words! What moves within me? I am athirst, magnificently athirst, And for a red and godlike wine. Whence came The thirst on me? It was not here before. ’Tis thou, ’tis thou, O grand and grim Poseidon, Hast made thy scarlet session in my soul And growest myself. I am not Polydaon, I am a god, a mighty dreadful god, The multitudinous mover in the sea, The shaker of the earth: I am Poseidon And I will walk in three tremendous paces Climbing the mountains with my clamorous waters

Act IV, Scene 3 And see my dogs eat up Andromeda, My enemy, and laugh in my loud billows. The clamour of battle roars within the Palace! I have created it, I am Poseidon. Sitst thou, my elder brother, charioted In clouds? Look down, O brother Zeus, and see My actions! they merit thy immortal gaze. He goes into the Palace.