Darius.
Calamitous adventurer! thine emprise
Hath drained the very sap of thine allies!
Queen.
Xerxes, a lonely man, that few attend,
They say
Darius.
What say they? Draws he to an end
Of his long march? And hath he haply found
Some place of safety?
Queen.
Yea, the stormy sound
And the long bridge that spans the sundering sea,
Which when he hailed a happy man was he!
Darius.
So, he hath crossed the strait and touched the strand
And journeys delicately through the land
Of Asia—or thou hast heard things false and smooth?
Queen.
None challengeth these tidings; they are clear truth
And beyond cavil.
Darius.
Ah, with how swift stride
Hath come fulfilment of things prophesied!
How on my son hath Zeus in anger sent
The end foretold, which my fears did prevent!
For long ago I knew the Gods would speed
The final consummation of that rede,
