Hands, feet—Ixion on his wheel seemed he—1185
Whirled round. To earth he fell, a blasted corpse.
Adrastus, seeing Zeus his army's foe,
Without the trench drew off the Argive host.
Then, marking Zeus's portent fair for us,
Forth of the gates our horse their chariots drave:1190
Our footmen crashed through Argos' mid-array
With levelled spears;—'twas turmoiled ruin all—
Men dying—falling o'er the chariot-rails—
Wheels leaping—axles upon axles dashed,
And corpses heaped on corpses all confused.1195
So then for this day have we barred the fall
Of our land's towers; but if good fortune waits
On Thebes henceforth, this resteth with the Gods.
Only a God's hand rescued her to-day.
Chorus.
Glorious is victory: if more gracious yet1200
The Gods' intent is, blessèd shall I be.
Jocasta.
Fair are the dealings of the Gods and Fate:
For lo, my sons live, and the land hath 'scaped.
But Kreon hath, meseems, reaped evil fruit
Of mine and Oedipus' marriage—hapless sire,1205
Reft of his son, for blessing unto Thebes,
But grief to him Take up the tale again,
And tell what now my sons are bent to do.
Messenger.
Forbear the rest. Thus far 'tis well with thee.
Jocasta.
Thou stirr'st surmisings! I can not forbear.1210
