He swoons,—bound with his own vines!
And his Mænads slowly saunter,
Head aside, among the pines,
While they murmur1 dreamingly,—
‘Evohe—ah—evohe—!
Ah, Pan is dead.”
Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Zopyrus stood with arms folded, his noble head, perfect stature2 and dignified3 bearing appearing most incongruous with the exomis he wore. From across his folded arms he looked straight at the mortal Dionysus, till the latter, feeling his impelling4 gaze, looked up and flushed guiltily, though the man who surveyed him so coldly was to him a total stranger. Zopyrus walked to the throne, thrust the false Dionysus rudely aside, seized the amazed Persephone in his arms and tried to force his way through the crowd with her, but the indignant remonstrances6 of the crowd made futile7 his efforts.
“Down with him for violating the privileges of the god!” cried one.
This outburst was followed with vociferous8 cries of, “Take Ariadne from him!” “Throw him out!” “Beat him!”
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By this time Ephialtes had recovered his composure. The appearance of the stranger had inexplicably9 discomposed him and the attack had roused his ire, but now conscious of his costly10 garb11 in contrast to his assailant’s attire12, he stood before the throne and in imperious tones demanded the return of Ariadne, as he called her.
Zopyrus released the girl from his embrace and asked: “Do you wish to return to Pluto13?”
For answer she stepped closely to Zopyrus’ side and clung tenaciously14 to his arm. He gazed long into the depths of eyes that matched the blue of her gown and the sapphires15 upon her brow. The color mounted to her temples, and as she bowed her head he noticed that the rosy16 flush likewise suffused17 her neck and shoulders which were partially18 visible through the golden strands19 of loosened hair.
Ephialtes was infuriated by Persephone’s refusal to return to him, and was nonplussed20 as to what method he had best employ to obtain the maiden21, when there flashed through his mind the words of a sentence: “On the day that you deliver to Greece the traitor22 of Thermopylæ, I will become your wife.”
Straightening himself to his full height Ephialtes commanded the attention of the audience.
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“I am about to make a revelation that will return Ariadne to me, I believe,” he said smiling with arrogant23 confidence. “The man to whom Ariadne clings and is no doubt one of our oarsmen, is no other than he who betrayed your country to the Persians before the battle of Thermopylæ. Greece has long sought him fellow countrymen, and yonder he stands, defiling24 with his touch the maiden who plays the part of Persephone at the Mysteries of Eleusis. What will you do with him?”
“Kill him!” came the cry from hundreds of throats, and with one accord the angry mob rushed toward Zopyrus.
“Just one moment please,” said Ephialtes. “I will wait for Ariadne, or Persephone of Eleusis, to join me on the throne.”
He paused impressively, but Persephone did not move.
“What,” he cried in indignation, “Did you not promise to become my bride when Thermopylæ’s traitor would be revealed by me?”
Persephone walked slowly toward Ephialtes who stretched forth25 eager arms to receive her, but she stopped a few paces before him and on her face was an inscrutable smile.
“Not so fast, Ephialtes. I want the proof. You dare not make such a statement without sufficient evidence against him.”
Ephialtes was confused. He had not had enough time to make up false testimony26, but he knew that his future happiness depended now upon how successfully he placed the blame of his guilt5 upon the innocent man before him.
“Hear me,” he said, “and I will tell you the circumstances.”
190
“Your testimony can avail naught27, for my protector here is a native Persian who knows nothing of the mountain passes of Greece,” said Persephone in a voice that rang clearly as a bell through the great hall. A death-like stillness pervaded28 the cella; nought29 was heard but the sharp intake30 of Ephialtes’ breath, then from his lips there burst in stentorian31 tones: “If this be true, a Persian in our midst is as deserving of death as a traitor! Friends will you allow him even so much as to touch the Persephone of the Mysteries?”
At this Persephone became alarmed and feared lest in her ardent32 desire to defend her protector, she had only made matters worse. Zopyrus, seeing her agitated33 countenance34, smiled reassuringly35 and raised his arm to command general attention. A few rabid revelers rushed forward to do violence to his person but were checked by a voice in the throng36: “Hear him! No man should be condemned37 without being permitted to say a word in his own behalf.”
The furious denunciations of the intolerant ones subsided38, and Zopyrus turned and walked slowly toward Ephialtes who gradually retreated before the compelling gaze of his antagonist39, till he reached the throne upon which he sat, quite unconscious of what he did. Zopyrus’ demeanor40 changed instantly. He bowed low before the amazed man upon the throne and said with impressive solemnity:
191
“O Xerxes, King of the Medes and Persians and would-be conqueror41 of the world, I come to you with an important message. For two days your soldiers have been defeated by the Greeks at the entrance of the pass of Thermopylæ. The Greeks are so inferior in number that right now is the time to strike, but not in the method heretofore employed. The Greeks are well trained, and if they are to be conquered, it must be by the greater forces of the enemy. Listen, O Xerxes! If you would succeed in overwhelming the enemy, you must attack from behind, but this you can not do since you are not acquainted with this wild, impassable country. I am a native Malian and well acquainted with this locality. If you will make it worth my while, I will show you a mountain pass that will lead you to the rear of Leonidas’ army unobserved.”
During the Persian’s recital42, Ephialtes’ behavior had undergone many mutations. From startled curiosity to fearful apprehension43, thence to genuine fright and finally to abject44 terror, his demeanor had rapidly changed. By the time the Persian had ceased speaking, the Greek’s face was as livid as a corpse45.
Zopyrus sprang to the side of the doomed46 man and clutching him by either shoulder cried, “Speak, traitor of Thermopylæ. What have you to say for yourself?”
For answer Ephialtes drew from the folds of his robe a ruby47 handled dagger48 which he raised for a death-dealing thrust at Zopyrus, but the latter, free from the influence of wine, was the quicker, and caught his enemy’s arm in its lightning-like descent, thus warding49 off the blow that might have been fatal.
A muttering that grew to a rumble51 and then to a mighty52 roar that shook the very pillars of the temple was heard, and with one impulse an angry mob rushed toward the dais. Above the din50 and confusion a voice screamed: “Death to the traitor who opened the gateway53 to Greece! Upon his head and no other rests the loss of our homes and the deaths of our fathers and brothers.”
192
Zopyrus drew the half fainting form of Persephone to his side and with one strong arm gave her bodily support and with the other forced a passage through the enraged54 crowd down the length of the cella. At the door they turned and looked back toward the throne which was completely hidden from their sight by the oscillating wave of humanity which hovered55 about it and its ill-fated occupant.
Shuddering56 with horror they rushed out into the darkness. The cool breeze from across the water revived their benumbed senses. As they sped along the pathway which led to the shore, the drunken figure of a man emerged from a clump57 of bushes to their left. Zopyrus would have ordinarily paid no heed58, as the man was in type a duplicate of hundreds of others within the temple, but something familiar in the drunkard’s appearance caused him to pause and take a second look, and in doing so he recognized beyond the question of a doubt the coarse companion of Corinna. His conscience smote59 him as he remembered that although he had come to Naxos for the very purpose of serving as Corinna’s protector, he had abandoned her to whatever fate might befall when he had seen Persephone in distress60.
He seized Persephone’s hand and said hastily: “Come with me. We must find Corinna.”
“Do you mean Corinna the daughter of the poet Pasicles?” asked Persephone.
“The same,” he replied, “Do you know her?”
193
The girl nodded. The young man continued talking as they hurried on in the direction whence the rough man had appeared. “She came to Naxos in the company of that brutish-looking man we met and I intended to protect her, but you know the result! When I saw you, you were in dire61 need of help and I could no more have left you to suffer at the hands of that traitor than I did that day on the Acropolis when the Persian, Artabazus would have harmed you.”
He turned half timidly to her, ashamed of his adoration62 for her whom he now had no right to desire; for the image of a pure and noble maiden stood between them.
“Tell me how you knew Ephialtes to be the man who betrayed Greece at Thermopylæ,” she asked.
Zopyrus related in detail the episode of his eavesdropping63 in the tent of Xerxes, and Persephone was about to tell why Ephialtes had been so eager to accuse someone of being the traitor at Thermopylæ, when a white form, partially concealed64 by undergrowth a few paces before them, attracted their attention simultaneously65.
Zopyrus sprang ahead and dropped to his knees beside the prone66 figure of a girl which he discovered lay in the stillness of death. Something cold seemed to grip his heart and everything about him seemed to melt into a whirling cloud! With a faint cry of anguish67 he lost consciousness just as Persephone ran up to him. She bent68 over him and looked into the lifeless face of the girl.
It was Corinna, the daughter of Pasicles!
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1
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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4
impelling
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| adj.迫使性的，强有力的v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的现在分词 ) | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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remonstrances
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| n.抱怨，抗议( remonstrance的名词复数 ) | |
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7
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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8
vociferous
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| adj.喧哗的，大叫大嚷的 | |
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9
inexplicably
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| adv.无法说明地，难以理解地，令人难以理解的是 | |
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10
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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11
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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Pluto
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| n.冥王星 | |
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tenaciously
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| 坚持地 | |
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15
sapphires
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| n.蓝宝石，钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 )；蔚蓝色 | |
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16
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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17
suffused
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| v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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19
strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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20
nonplussed
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| adj.不知所措的，陷于窘境的v.使迷惑( nonplus的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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22
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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23
arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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24
defiling
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| v.玷污( defile的现在分词 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
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25
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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27
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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28
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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30
intake
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| n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口 | |
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stentorian
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| adj.大声的，响亮的 | |
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32
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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33
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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35
reassuringly
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| ad.安心，可靠 | |
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36
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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37
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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38
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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39
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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40
demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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41
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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42
recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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43
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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44
abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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45
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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46
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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47
ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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48
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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49
warding
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| 监护，守护（ward的现在分词形式） | |
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50
din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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51
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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52
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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53
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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54
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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55
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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56
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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57
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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58
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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59
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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60
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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61
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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62
adoration
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| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
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63
eavesdropping
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| n. 偷听 | |
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64
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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65
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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66
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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67
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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68
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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