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In a low laughing whisper. This, and sound
Of strongly moving oars; all else was silence.
But in the silence lay a queen and smiled.
She seemed to come more swiftly than the barge,
And there were lights of jewels on her robe,
And sheen of gold along its heavy edge,
And a great ruby burned amidst her hair;
But none of this saw Creon, for he gazed
Until his painful grip upon the bow

Roused his whole nature with a sudden thought.

He felt the bow fit safe against his palm,

And rose and drew. Loud twanged the angry string,

And the shaft hissed and struck the wood before

Her very feet.

What noise fed echo then

He heeded not, but only saw her shrink

One instant back, then bending draw the shaft. But when a boat thick filled with shouting men Moved from the barge and hastened towards the bank, He tore a great rock from the sand, and poised. "What errand?" cried he, in a voice that made A mellow thunder through the evening. "Death!" they made answer, yet they held aback.

Giant their stature was, and he could see

Their bared swords waver through the dark, but when
Up-looking they beheld how Creon stood,

The great rock straining in his hands, they stayed
Their oars, and even their voices fell low down.
But she who lay upon the blackening barge

Spoke swiftly, yet so clear, it was to Creon

Like a friend's lip awhisper at his ear.

Then lowering down the ponderous rock, he stretched
A welcoming hand to them. And so they took,
And carried to the barge, and placed upon

The deck.

And Charmian, she who stood beside

The queen, delicate in her draperies
Of white, marked first the many rended garb
Of Creon, but the queen said: "Lo! a king
Has come before us."

Steadfastly the queen

Looked on him till he shook his shoulders back
And gazed again. "Thou drawst a mighty bow,"
She said, "But say in what strange country thou
Wast taught to level angry shafts at women;
Say whence thou comest?"

Then: "Creon my name.

I came from out the quarries in the sand.

At dawn I struck the rock with other slaves,

And armed men strode at guard, even such as these.
To-night they yell along my track, and here—

An empty quiver at my side!"

But still

She questioned, smiling: "Stranger, name thy land."

"My country lies beyond the seas, and I Have seen its outlines dim in western clouds.

The coast is curved with gentle bays, and hills

Roll gradual up behind. A fallen people

Dwell there amidst the stalking memories

Of greatness. All but the name is changed from what

It was; so I stand here. My wanderings

Have carried me through marvellous strange lands,
And thick-filled days, and nights of miracles-

So I stand here."

Now while they spoke the barge

Moved with the Nile round a sharp elbow turn,
And Creon saw the slow, dark water struck
With a quick dance of many-colored lights
That reached out from a palace on the banks,
A many-columned palace of huge front,
From out whose entrance poured an eager glow
Past granite sphinxes calmly crouched at guard.

Then the queen rose and proudly caught the robe
About her, and in the movement flashed the jewels
Once gloriously. And the queen spoke: "O Creon,
I am full deeply wronged by thee, for thou
Hast slain my warriors at the quarry gate,
Ay, brought strong death so near I almost felt
His hand brush past my face. And I have now
A thought to call these Nubians and point
To thee."

And hotly Creon spoke in answer:
"Hear! at thy first word swift I gather thee
Within my arms, and raise aloft, and leap
To pleasant death within this Nile!"

Then she:

"Art thou so loose with life and death, O Slave?"

"Slave though I am," cried he, "thou standest here A simple woman, I a man!"

And first

Her eyes shone threatening and her hands clenched tight, But after came a little wondering smile:

"Truly thou art different from other men, For many others woo me with great gifts,

And promised kingdoms, and an empire's wealth,

Nor ever angry word, nor ever threat!

But hast thou joined the hands of death and love?"

And Creon answered: "Others offer gifts,
Homage of Empires; I am awed no whit,

Who place against their gifts and Empire's wealth
Myself!"

Then she: "How darest thou to speak

Of love who never till this day placed eyes
On mine?"

And Creon said: "Wouldst thou give space
To love, straighten his kingdom by the bounds
Of time? Hast thou no sudden passions in

Thy heart; passions that of themselves are rule
And right? That have no need of reason for
Their growth, nor any need of words to give
Them form?"

And the queen stood and felt a wind
Out of the east catch strong about her throat,
And she said: "I also have known such dreams-
Would give some moments from the treasure-hoard
Of life to consecrate blind fancy. Here

Am I; and there, a palace; all is thine

Through this short night; but never shalt thou see
The dawn."

And Creon said: "If morning follow
On such a night, shall I give heed? One moment
May hold the purpose of a life. A night?
Nay, an eternity! What dull-eyed dawn
Could follow?"

Down from the barge they passed and up

The great soft carpet that the slaves unrolled
Before their feet, between the sphinxes towards
The palace hall. An empire had been sacked
To furnish it. And golden lamps that hung
From golden chains made a warm light through all
That room, and purple and blue and glorious brown
Lay soft beneath the light. Some words the queen
Spoke there, and a young slave led Creon forth
To a great bath of the carved basalt stone
Wherein the stirring water flashed again,
And gave a gentle perfume through the air.
Thereafter brought him robes of costly silk
Bordered with priceless purples out of Tyre;
But Creon chose a tunic of pure linen,

Unsown with gems, that left one shoulder bare,
And bare one arm large-muscled. Thence they led
Him forth through halls whose monstrous columns rose

A dwindling height; and on the granite stones

Down the great way was warlike pageantry,

Conquest of cities, nations caught in chains;
And mighty pictures of the chase were there,
Lions and grizzly pards struck down and spoiled.
All these were of the olden time when Egypt
Poured its thick columns over Nubia,

Crossed the Euphrates and the Tigris stream
And beat against the gates of Nineveh.

And this had changed. The soldier moved the loom;
The priestly hand was on the plough; and fleets
Drew the world's commerce to the mouths of Nile.
And where the Theban conquerors had dwelt
A Roman legion held the place of war,
And Roman eagles over-ruled the air.
All this moved strong in Creon till it seemed
A ghost of Pharaoh stalked behind his back.
Across these thoughts of dying empire came
A little rush of music, hardly more
Than a wind making voices in the trees,
But in it was the tremulous thrill of flutes,
And with it came a stir of spoken words.
The noise grew till they came upon the portal
Of a room many-sounded, gay with lights
Of various hues. And therein was the queen,
Who when they entered rose, and angry-eyed
Spoke to the slave:

"Has Egypt grown so poor

There is no other cloth to robe her guest

Than cheerless linen?"

And Creon said: "Shall I

Make bright my person with soft blues of Media,

Arrogant purples out of Tyre, aglow

With jewels rich enough to furnish forth

Another fleet to sail on Syracuse?"

And the queen looked on him a little space
And answered: "It is well. I had not thought
To wound thy pride of race, for where is he
Knows not the glory of the northern waters!

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