“[…] I have learned my lesson,
To obey the gods – and not be disrespectful
To the sons of Atreus; they are in command,
And we are under them; that is as it should be.
There is no power so sacred, none so strong
As to defy all rank and precedence.
The snowy feet of Winter walk away
Before ripe Summer; and patrolling Night
Breaks off her rounds to let the Dawn ride in
On silver horses lighting up the sky.
The winds abate and leave the groaning sea
To sleep awhile. Even omnipotent Sleep
Locks and unlocks his doors and cannot hold
His prisoners bound for ever. Must not we
Learn this self-discipline? I think we must.”
▪ Sophocles, “Ajax”, Electra and other Plays (trans. E. F. Watling, Penguin, 1953) extract from pages 40 through to 41.
What a guy, that Ajax!
Indeed. This week’s Quote was recommended by Luke Torrisi, whose recent poem “Elmore’s Farm” has been published in the Quarterly Review.