Ode
to
Adversity
—
—
Ζῆνα
...
τὸν
ϕρονεῖν
βροτοὺς
ὁδώ
—
σαντα
,
τῷ
πάθει
μαθάν
Θέντα
κυρίως
ἔχειν
.
Aeschylus
,
in
Agamemnone
.
Daughter
of
Jove
,
relentless
power
,
Thou
tamer
of
the
human
breast
,
Whose
iron
scourge
and
torturing
hour
,
The
bad
affright
,
afflict
the
best
!
Bound
in
thy
adamantine
chain
The
proud
are
taught
to
taste
of
pain
,
And
purple
tyrants
vainly
groan
With
pangs
unfelt
before
,
unpitied
and
alone
.
When
first
thy
Sire
to
send
on
earth
Virtue
,
his
darling
child
,
designed
,
To
thee
he
gave
the
heavenly
birth
,
And
bade
to
form
her
infant
mind
.
Stern
rugged
nurse
!
thy
rigid
lore
With
patience
many
a
year
she
bore
:
What
sorrow
was
,
thou
bad'st
her
know
,
And
from
her
own
she
learned
to
melt
at
others'
woe
.
Scared
at
thy
frown
terrific
,
fly
Self-pleasing
Folly's
idle
brood
,
Wild
Laughter
,
Noise
,
and
thoughtless
Joy
,
And
leave
us
leisure
to
be
good
.
Light
they
disperse
,
and
with
them
go
The
summer
friend
,
the
flattering
foe
;
By
vain
Prosperity
received
,
To
her
they
vow
their
truth
and
are
again
believed
.
Wisdom
in
sable
garb
arrayed
,
Immersed
in
rapturous
thought
profound
,
And
Melancholy
,
silent
maid
With
leaden
eye
,
that
loves
the
ground
,
Still
on
thy
solemn
steps
attend
:
Warm
Charity
,
the
general
friend
,
With
Justice
to
herself
severe
,
And
Pity
,
dropping
soft
the
sadly-pleasing
tear
.
Oh
,
gently
on
thy
suppliant's
head
,
Dread
goddess
,
lay
thy
chastening
hand
!
Not
in
thy
Gorgon
terrors
clad
,
Nor
circled
with
the
vengeful
band
(
As
by
the
impious
thou
art
seen
)
With
thundering
voice
and
threatening
mien
,
With
screaming
Horror's
funeral
cry
,
Despair
,
and
fell
Disease
,
and
ghastly
Poverty
.
Thy
form
benign
,
oh
Goddess
,
wear
,
Thy
milder
influence
impart
,
Thy
philosophic
train
be
there
To
soften
,
not
to
wound
my
heart
,
The
generous
spark
extinct
revive
,
Teach
me
to
love
and
to
forgive
,
Exact
my
own
defects
to
scan
,
What
others
are
,
to
feel
,
and
know
myself
a
man
.