THE HARMONY OF VIRTUE

478 The Harmony of VirtueI am not weary, I am not satiate. I charge thee, awake andgive me again delight of the slaughter, trampling the face of thefallen foe as I scatter with shafts the ranks that boasted and shouted,forgetting that Uriu fought in the van of the battle.Mother, arise! leave to Leda her gardens and delicate places,the faces lovely and smooth of Asilon's boys and the joyousbeauty of women. I am old and grey in the council and battle.She has nothing for me; what shall I do with her boon of peaceand promptings of love and beauty?Mother, arise, Tanyth the terrible! shake the world with thywhisper, loom in the heavens, madden men's hearts with thirstof blood, the rapture of death and the joy of the killing. We willgive thee thy choice of the captives, women and men to fall andto bleed on thy altar.Tanyth, lady of death, queen of the battle! there is a joy inthe clash of death that is more than woman's sweet embrace, apleasure in pain that the touch of her lips cannot give us; lovelierfar is the body torn by the spears than her white limbs coveredwith shining gems. Tanyth's skulls are more than the garlandupon thy breasts, O Leda.T URIUIt is great, Uriu, master of war and song, but mine too is beautiful.It is long since we met in the temples and market-places ofAsilon. Ages have rolled by and the earth is changed, Prince ofthe Asa.U RIUI have lived in the heavens of the great where we fight all dayand meet to feast in the evening.T URIUAnd I in gardens of love and song where the sea murmurs lowon flower-skirted beaches. But the time comes when I must godown and take up again the song and the sweetness in mortalplaces of pleasure.