Perseus Fights

Yet Perseus saw that valour could not vie
With weight of numbers. 'You, yourselves', he cried,
'Compel me! I'll seek succour from my foe!
If any friend is present, turn away Your face!'
And he held up the Gorgon's head.
'Find someone else to fear your miracles!'
Said Thescelus, aiming his lance of doom,
And in that pose he stayed, a marble statue.
Next Ampyx lunged his sword at Perseus' heart, T
hat great and valiant heart, and as he lunged
His hand, rigid, moved neither back nor forth.
But Nileus, he who falsely claimed descent
From sevenfold Nile and bore a shield embossed
In gold and silver with those seven streams, Cried
'See the source of my proud lineage!
You'll get great solace in the silent shades
To know you fell by my proud hand.' His voice
Was cut off in mid speech, his parted lips
Seemed to frame words, but never a word could pass.
Then Eryx cursed them: 'It's your cowardice
That holds you frozen, not the Gorgon's power.
Charge him with me, charge him, and bring him down,
Him and his magic weapon!' As he charged,
The floor fastened his feet, and there he stayed
Stock still, a man in armour turned to stone.

These paid the proper price, but there was one,
A warrior on Perseus'side, Aconteus,
Who, fighting for his lord, looked at the head,
Medusa's head, and hardened into stone.
Astyages, who thought him still alive,
Hit him with his long sword, and loud and shrill
The long sword rang. And he, gazing aghast,
Took the same stoniness, caught there and fixed
With blank amazement in his marble face.
To name the rank and file who fought and died
Would take too long; two hundred still survived,
Two hundred saw that head and turned to stone.
Now Phineus rues his battle so unjust--
At last. But what is he to do ? He sees
Statues in many poses, knows they are
His men, calls each by name and begs his aid.
In disbelief he touched those nearest him:
Marble they were! He turned away, his hands
Held abject in defeat, his arms outstretched
Sideways for mercy. 'You have won', he said,
'Put down your monstrous magic! Put it down,
Your Gorgon's head whoever she may be,
That makes men marble! Put it down, I beg!
I fought you not because I hated you,
Or wanted royal power. For my betrothed
I battled. Time gave me the better claim,
Your merits you. Would I had given way!
You, bravest of the brave, grant me but this,
My life! The rest--let everything be yours.'
He dared not look at Perseus as he spoke;
And Perseus answered 'Cowardest of cowards!
What I have power to grant, I grant; and great
The guerdon to your craven soul. Fear not!
No steel shall work you woe. Oh, no!
My gift Shall be an everlasting monument.
In Cepheus' palace men shall gaze at you
For ever, and my wife take comfort from
The sight of her betrothed.'And as he speaks,
He thrusts the Gorgon's head in Phineus'hce,
His wincing face. Even then he tries to turn
His eyes away, but now his neck is stiff,
His moist eyes fixed and hard and stony.
There With frightened pleading face and abject hands,
In cringing pose the marble statue stands.

Perseus returned in triumph with his wife
To Argos, his ancestral city. There
To champion and avenge his grandfather,
Acrisius, despite his ill-deserts
He challenged Proetus. (Proetus had usurped
Argos'high stronghold and expelled his brother
By force of arms.) But neither lorce of arms
Nor stronghold, basely seized, availed against
The ghastly snake-haired Gorgon's glaring eyes.
Yet Polydectes, lord of small Seriphos,
Remained unsoftened by the sufferings
Of Perseus and the prowess that his feats,
So many feats, proclaimed. His hate was hard
And unrelenting and his baseless rage Unending.
He belittled Perseus' praise And even claimed
Medusa's death a lie. 'I'll give you proof conclusive',
Perseus cried, 'Friends, shield your eyes!' and with Medusa's face
He changed the king's face to a bloodless stone.