|
Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
||||
 |
||||
|
Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
||||
|
|
||||
|
For conscience plied her spur and curb by turns. "Why hurry headlong to thy fate, poor fool?" She whispered. Then again, "If CREON learn This from another, thou wilt rue it worse." Thus leisurely I hastened on my road; Much thought extends a furlong to a league. But in the end the forward voice prevailed, To face thee. I will speak though I say nothing. For plucking courage from despair methought, 'Let the worst hap, thou canst but meet thy fate.' CREON What is thy news? Why this despondency? GUARD Let me premise a word about myself? I neither did the deed nor saw it done, Nor were it just that I should come to harm. CREON Thou art good at parry, and canst fence about Some matter of grave import, as is plain. GUARD The bearer of dread tidings needs must quake. CREON Then, sirrah, shoot thy bolt and get thee gone. GUARD Well, it must out; the corpse is buried; someone E'en now besprinkled it with thirsty dust, Performed the proper ritual--and was gone. CREON What say'st thou? Who hath dared to do this thing? GUARD I cannot tell, for there was ne'er a trace Of pick or mattock--hard unbroken ground, Without a scratch or rut of chariot wheels, No sign that human hands had been at work. When the first sentry of the morning watch Gave the alarm, we all were terror-stricken. The corpse had vanished, not interred in earth, |
