A secular bird, ages of lives.
Come, come; no time for lamentation now,
Nor much more cause. Samson hath quit himself
Like Samson, and heroicly hath finished
A life heroic, on his enemies
Fully revenged; hath left them years of mourning,
And lamentation to the sons of Caphtor,
Through all Philistian bounds; to Israël
Honour hath left, and freedom, let but them
Find courage to lay hold on this occasion;
To himself and father's house eternal fame:
And, which is best and happiest yet, all this
With God not parted from him, as was feared,
But favouring and assisting to the end.
Nothing is here for tears, nothing to wail
Or knock the breast, no weakness, no contempt,
Dispraise, or blame; nothing but well and fair,
And what may quiet us in a death so noble.
Let us go find the body, where it lies
Soaked in his enemies' blood, and from the stream
With lavers pure and cleansing herbs wash off
The clotted gore. I with what speed the while
-Gaza is not in plight to say us nay-
Will send for all my kindred, all my friends,
ἄγετε δὴ, καιρὸς γὰρ οὐκέτ', οὐδὲ δεῖ, θρηνῳδίας, τοῖα γὰρ δέδρακε Σάμψων, οἷα καὶ Σάμψων ̓ ἐχρῆν, ζῶν τε καὶ θνήσκων ἀγαστός· οὐδὲ τῆς τιμωρίας ἀποτυχὼν κατ ̓ οὐδὲν, ἔν γε τῶν Φιλιστίνων ὅροις πολυετεῖς ἔθηκεν ἄτας τῷ γένει τοῦ Κάπτορος, τοῖσι δ ̓ Ἑβραίοισι δόξαν καὶ πόνων ἀπαλλαγὴν, μή νυν ἀποτυχοῦσι καιροῦ δειλίας ἡσσημένοις. ἀμφὶ δ ̓ αὑτὸν, ἀμφὶ γένναν, εὖ γ ̓ ἀείμνηστον κλέος ὃ δὲ κράτιστον, οὐκ ἀπόντος, τοῦτο δ ̓ ἦν δεῖσαι, Θεοῦ. αὐτὸς ἦν βοηθὸς, αὐτὸς διετέλει παραστατών. τοισίδ ̓ οὐ κλαυθμὸς προσήκει, στέρνα κοπτόντων γόοι, 1809
οὐ γάρ ἐστ ̓ ἄβληχρον οὐδὲν, οὐδ ̓ ἀτιμίας τυχόν πάγκαλ ̓ ἡμὶν, εὖ θανόντος, ταῦτ ̓ ἔχει μειλίγματα. δεῖ δὲ κείμενον τὸ σῶμα καὶ μυδῶν ἐχθρῶν φόνῳ ἐκματεύσαντας, ῥοαῖσι καὶ φυτοῖς καθαρσίοις αἷμα δὴ τὸ συμπεπηγὸς ἐκβαλεῖν διαῤῥύδην. ἐν δὲ τῷδ ̓, ὡς οὐκ ἐχόντων τῶνδε κωλύειν ἔτι, ὡς τάχιστα τοὺς φίλους τε τούς τε συγγενεῖς ἐγὼ
To fetch him hence, and solemnly attend,
With silent obsequy and funeral train,
Home to his father's house. There will I build him
A monument, and plant it round with shade
Of laurel ever-green and branching palm,
With all his trophies hung, and acts enrolled
In copious legend, or sweet lyric song.
Thither shall all the valiant youth resort,
And from his memory inflame their breasts,
To matchless valour and adventures high;
The virgins also shall, on feastful days,
Visit his tomb with flowers, only bewailing
His lot unfortunate in nuptial choice,
From whence captivity and loss of eyes.
All is best, though we oft doubt,
What the unsearchable dispose
Of highest Wisdom brings about,
And ever best found in the close.
Oft He seems to hide his face,
And to his faithful champion hath in place
Bore witness gloriously; whence Gaza mourns,
τοῦτο μώμενος ξυνάξω· τὸν νέκυν κομιστέον
ἐς τὰ πατρὸς, ευσταλές τε καὶ σιωπηλὸν γέρας
προσλαβεῖν κτερίσματ ̓ αὐτὸς καὶ δάφνης ἀειθαλούς
περὶ πυκασθὲν, εὐκόμῳ τε, πλάτανος ἣν φέρει, σκιᾷ,
θήσομαι μνημεῖον, ἔν τε καὶ τρόπαι ̓ ἐνημμένα, 1821
ἔργα τ ̓ ἂν τὰ πάντα γράψαιμ', εἴτε πολυεπεῖ λόγῳ,
εἴτ ̓ ἐν εὐλύροισιν ᾠδαῖς· ἐν δὲ τῷ λοιπῷ χρόνῳ
πᾶς νέος τις ἄλκιμός τε, τῇδ' ὃς ἂν φοιτῶν κυρῇ,
τάδε νοῶν, ἐπ ̓ ἔργα φαίδιμ ̓ ἔξοχον τ ̓ εὐθαρσίαν
μᾶλλον εἰσ ̓ ἀναπτερωθείς· ἐν δ ̓ ἑορταῖσίν ποτε
τὸν τάφον στέψουσιν ἀνθέων παρθένοι δωρήμασι,
κακόποτμον μόνον στένουσαι δυσγάμου γάμου μόρον,
δουλίων ἀρχὰς ὀδυρμῶν, ὀμμάτων τ ̓ ἐφθαρμένων.
ΧΟΡΟΣ.
πάντ ̓ ἐπὶ τἀγαθὸν, ἔν τε τελευτῇ
βέλτιστ ̓ ἐξέβη, εἰ καὶ Ταμίου
τοῦ παναρίστου πυκνὴν σοφίαν
ἠγνοίησε τις ὄψιν θαμὰ γὰρ
κρύψαι δόξας, ἂψ ἀνελήλυθεν
αἰφνίδιον πως, ὡς νῦν, πρόμαχον
πιστὸν ἐπάρας, μάρτυς καίριος
ἐξ ὧν Γάζῃ θ', οἵ τε συνώμοσαν
And all that band them to resist
His uncontrollable intent.
His servants He, with new acquist
Of true experience from this great event, With peace and consolation hath dismissed, And calm of mind, all passion spent.
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