Opus est Thyeste. turba famularis fores
Templi relaxa; festa patesiat domus
Libet videre, capita natorum intuens
Quos det colores, verba quæ primus dolor
Effundat, aut ut spiritu expulso stupens 905
Corpus rigescat. fructus hic operis mei est.
Miserum videro nolo, sed dum sit mifer.
Aperta multa tecta collucent face.
Resupinus ipse purpura atque auro incubat,
Vino gravatum fulciens læva caput. 910
Eructat. o me cœlitum excelsissimum,
Regumque regem! vota transcendi mea.
Satur est, capaci ducit argento merum.
Ne parce potu, restat etiamnum cruor
Tot hostiarum. veteris hunc Bacchi color 915
Abscondet, hoc hæc mensa claudatur scypho.
Mixtum suorum sanguinem genitor bibat;
Meum bibisset, ecce jam cantus ciet,
Festasque voces, nec fatis menti imperat.
THYESTES.
Thyestis epulantis cantus: quo invitat se ad lætitiam, quam
tamen mens ejus præsaga mali non admittit.
Pectora longis hebetata malis, 920
Jam sollicitas ponite curas.
Fugiat mœror, fugiatque pavor.
Fugiat trepidi comes exsilii
Tristis egestas, rebusque gravis
Pudor afflictis. magis unde cadas, 925
Quam quo, refert. magnum, ex alto
Culmine lapsum, stabilem in plano
Figere gressum: magnum, ingenti
Strage malorum pressum, fracti
Pondera regni non inflexa 930
Cervice pati; nec degenerem
Victumque malis, rectum impositas
Ferre ruinas, sed jam sævi
miseries are now concealed from himself. Thyestes, thou art posing for much too long a time, as a guest with a contented and merry countenance, thou hast taken by this time enough of the solid viands and drunk quite enough wine; it is necessary that Thyestes should be in his sober senses to feel his misery properly! Come, all ye servants, open every door of the palace, I wish the place to put on a festive look, I wonder what sort of a visage he will have, whether it will be pale or red with surprise! What words will convey his first cries of grief,
