EURIPIDES
The Soldier
There isn't time to grasp it! You must say
What's to be done about it! You must order
Galleys to cut ahead of them and catch them!
Thoas
There's no escape for them. Our boats are out there,
So tell me how it happened. Everything.
The Soldier
It was just when we had reached the bend of shore
Hiding their ship that Agamemnon's daughter
Made signs for us to drop the rope which bound
The men, to leave them and fall back. She said 1330
That she was ready to begin the rites
And light the mystic flame to bless the sea.
But when she took the cord and led the boys
Beyond the curve, we had a sudden feeling
Something was wrong. We didn't know what to do. 1335
We heard her voice call high mysterious words
We'd never heard and thought that this must be
The prayer she had to use for cleansing sin.
And then we waited a long time. At last 1340
We were afraid the men had broken loose
And killed her and escaped. And still we waited,
Because you had forbidden us to look,
But we suddenly decided to find out
And hurried to the inlet. 1345
There we saw
The ship from Hellas swaying near the beach,
And fitted in the tholes were fifty oars
Like feathers in a wing. And the two youths
Were waist-deep by the stern. Sailors held poles
For keeping the bow steady, others hauled 1350
The anchor up. The rest had hands along the ropes
Of a ladder hanging from the rail to help
.The Priestess. But we seized her in the water, 1355
Tugged at the ladder, ripped their rudder-oar
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