breast,
  Fear thou the gods and me and thine own heart,
  Lest all these turn against thee; for who knows
  What wind upon what wave of altering time
  Shall speak a storm and blow calamity? 
  And there is nothing stabile in the world
  But the gods break it; yet not less, fair son,
  If but one thing be stronger, if one endure,
  Surely the bitter and the rooted love
  That burns between us, going from me to thee,
  Shall more endure than all things.  What dost thou,
  Following strange loves? why wilt thou kill mine heart? 
  Lo, I talk wild and windy words, and fall
  From my clear wits, and seem of mine own self
  Dethroned, dispraised, disseated; and my mind,
  That was my crown, breaks, and mine heart is gone,
  And I am naked of my soul, and stand
  Ashamed, as a mean woman; take thou thought: 
  Live if thou wilt, and if thou wilt not, look,
  The gods have given thee life to lose or keep,
  Thou shalt not die as men die, but thine end
  Fallen upon thee shall break me unaware.

  Meleager.

  Queen, my whole heart is molten with thy tears,
  And my limbs yearn with pity of thee, and love
  Compels with grief mine eyes and labouring breath: 
  For what thou art I know thee, and this thy breast
  And thy fair eyes I worship, and am bound
  Toward thee in spirit and love thee in all my soul. 
  For there is nothing terribler to men
  Than the sweet face of mothers, and the might
  But what shall be let be; for us the day
  Once only lives a little, and is not found. 
  Time and the fruitful hour are more than we,
  And these lay hold upon us; but thou, God,
  Zeus, the sole steersman of the helm of things,
  Father, be swift to see us, and as thou wilt
  Help:  or if adverse, as thou wilt, refrain.

  Chorus.

  We have seen thee, O Love, thou art fair, thou art goodly, O Love,
  Thy wings make light in the air as the wings of a dove. 
  Thy feet are as winds that divide the stream of the sea;
  Earth is thy covering to hide thee, the garment of thee. 
  Thou art swift and subtle and blind as a flame of fire;
  Before thee the laughter, behind thee the tears of desire;
  And twain go forth beside thee, a man with a maid;
  Her eyes are the eyes of a bride whom delight makes afraid;
  As the breath in the buds that stir is her bridal breath: 
  But Fate is the name of her; and his name is Death.

    For an evil blossom was born
      Of sea-foam and the frothing of blood,
        Blood-red and bitter of fruit,
          And the seed of it laughter and tears,
    And the leaves of it madness and scorn;
      A bitter flower from the bud,
        Sprung of the sea without root,
          Sprung without graft from the years.