EURIPIDES
And with a terrible groan she came to herself.
For a twofold pain was moving up against her. 1185
The wreath of gold that was resting arpund her head
Let forth a fearful stream of all-devouring fire,
And the finely woven dress your children gave to her,
Was fastening on the unhappy girl's fine flesh.
She leapt up from the chair, and all on fire she ran, 1190
Shaking her hair now this way and now that, trying
To hurl the diadem away; but fixedly
The gold preserved its grip, and, when she shook her hair,
Then more and twice as fiercely the fire blazed out.
Till, beaten by her fate, she fell down to the ground, 1195
Hard to be recognized except by a parent.
Neither the setting of her eyes was plain to see,
Nor the shapeliness of her face. From the top of
Her head there oozed out blood and fire mixed together.
Like the drops on pine-bark, so the flesh from her bones 1200
Dropped away, torn by .the hidden fang of the poison.
It was a fearful sight; and terror held us all
From touching the corpse. We had learned from what
had happened.
But her wretched father, knowing nothing of the event,
Came suddenly to the house, and fell upon the corpse, 1205
And at once cried out and folded his1 arms about her,
And kissed her and spoke to her, saying, "O my poor
child,
What heavenly power has so shamefully destroyed you?
And who has set me here like an ancient sepulcher,
Deprived of you? O let me die with you, my child!" 1210
And when he had made an end of his wailing and crying,
Then the old man wished to raise himself to his feet;
But, as the ivy clings to the twigs of the laurel,
So he stuck to the fine dress, and he struggled fearfully.
For he was trying to lift himself to his knee, ' 1215
And she was pulling him down, and when he tugged hard
He would be ripping his aged flesh from his bones.
At last his life was quenched, and the unhappy man
Gave up the ghost, no longer could hold up his head.
114.