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Praise for Scrum Shortcuts without Cutting Corners

“Great books give you advice you can follow, and Scrum Shortcuts without Cutting Cor-
ners most definitely does. Written to suit newcomers or experienced practitioners who
have a healthy interest in Scrum, the knowledge contained in this book can be game-
changing. Ilan Goldstein shares his extensive global experience to produce a well-
written and valuable insight into practicing and sustaining effective agile practices.”
—Kevin Austin, Agile coach and transition lead, Fortune 50 investment bank

“A software team succeeds because it has the right people who are allowed to do their
best work. Understanding the patterns and anti-patterns (my favorite anti-pattern—
‘test sprint’) in this guidebook will help you know who the right people are and how
to help them work well. These shortcuts focus on people, and that’s why they work.
Get your team (and the rest of your company) reading and discussing this today.”
—Lisa Crispin, coauthor with Janet Gregory, of Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for
Testers and Agile Teams

“Ilan Goldstein has earned a loyal following in the Agile community for his no-
nonsense advice and practical solutions that deliver real results for teams. I’m thrilled
that he’s been able to distill this expertise into a book that’s rich with insights and
also very readable. I can’t wait to use all his best ideas in my own practice!”
—Pete Deemer, CEO of Stormglass and author of The Scrum Primer

“This book is an outstanding reference for anyone using Scrum to build software.
Whether you are an experienced practitioner or a beginner just starting out, you’ll
find something worthy in here that you can learn and apply right away. Ilan’s casual
and engaging writing style describes perfectly the real-world challenges that you may
face when using Scrum, and gives you practical guidance for working through them.”
—Ryan Dorrell, CTO, AgileThought

“I especially like the essay style. It invites me to skip around to find topics of interest,
and makes it easy to find what Ilan thinks about things. Ilan takes us over ground
we’ve covered before, but he gives us a fresh look at things. Very valuable!”
—Ron Jeffries, coauthor of The Agile Manifesto and founder of xprogramming.com

“Scrum is not a solution. Your solution will only become clear through a journey of
inspection and adaptation. The journey is not straightforward, and you will make
some mistakes as you try to customize Scrum to your organization. Ilan’s work for
me is a Hitch Hiker’s Guide to Scrum, giving you insights, tools, approaches, and
belief to support you. I really appreciate the openness in Ilan’s stories and how he
shares his experiences. I don’t have to agree with every technique or idea, as Ilan is
not trying to instruct. He is asking you to think; to challenge your assumptions and
help you on your way.”
—Martin Kearns, Scrum trainer and national Agile and innovation lead at
SMS Management & Technology

“Most books about Scrum are on theory and speak from a distant third-person per-
spective. They are hard to read. Ilan has created the opposite. He has created a book
that feels like a conversation. I kept nodding in recognition at all the real-world prob-
lems he identifies and laughing at the pragmatic, humorous, and spot-on wisdom he
shares. His writing flows smoothly and draws you in to the point where you will hate
to put this book down at the end.”
— Clinton Keith, Scrum trainer and author of Agile Game Development with Scrum

“With Scrum Shortcuts without Cutting Corners, Ilan Goldstein has delivered the
must-have text for Scrum teams. The fact that Scrum is a framework is often used
to justify tinkering with its fundamental mechanisms—to the extent that what was
once Scrum becomes something altogether different and less effective. Goldstein
clearly identifies the delineation between those mechanisms that can be tailored and
those that must remain true to ensure success.”
—Arik Kogan, business intelligence manager at Cougar Software

“A refreshing perspective on Scrum. Ilan will take you beyond the theory and share
his real-world experiences, offering practical advice for successful Scrum adoption
and maturity within your organization. His insights and philosophical views on the
subject will keep you one move ahead in the game.”
—John Madden, program manager at HotelsCombined

“Ilan has done some great work here. This book is an insightful look at what it takes
to grow as a Scrum Master, and provides practical real-world experience to guide
you on the journey. It’s part practical advice and part story-telling woven together to
make a book that is useful and enjoyable to read at the same time. I enjoyed the book
and look forward to having a copy on my bookshelf. Ilan has done a wonderful job.”
—Kane Mar, Scrum trainer; cofounder and president of Scrumology.com

“Scrum is deceptively simple, but as someone said, it is easy to do this in a mediocre

way. I have fallen into many of the traps myself. In his book, Ilan shows you how to
succeed with Scrum. The book makes it easy to find the information that is most
helpful to you right now. Each of the many short chapters is to the point and a plea-
sure to read. I couldn’t recommend it more.”
—Jens Meydam, head of development, Zahnärztekasse AG
“Ilan’s book isn’t the usual cookbook on how to use Scrum in the workplace, but
rather a toolkit of practical advice that covers every aspect of setting up self-orga-
nizing, high-performing teams using Scrum. It is a highly engaging, enjoyable and
meaningful read for all Scrum practitioners.”
—Michael Rembach, applications development manager, Transport for New South Wales

“Ilan’s valuable tactics, tools, and tips for applying Scrum clearly illustrate his own
hard-fought, on-the-job experience. This is not a theoretical book about Scrum, but
instead a practitioner-focused, get-your-hands-dirty guide to getting the job done
with Scrum. It is a delightful read with topics presented concisely and in an easily
digestible way. Scrum Shortcuts without Cutting Corners is a critical addition to the
body of Scrum literature, and a perfect follow-on to my Essential Scrum book!”
—Kenny Rubin, managing principal, Innolution, LLC and author of Essential Scrum:
A Practical Guide to the Most Popular Agile Process

“If Scrum and Agile were easy, everybody would be doing it! Now that so many are,
this book is the virtual Agile coach I wish I had when I was on the early steps of my
Scrum journey. Ilan is a world-class coach, and he has packed this book full of ideas
and approaches to all of the common questions and issues that are bound to come up
as you transform your world of work to Scrum.”
— Craig Smith, Agile coach and editor at InfoQ

“If The Scrum Guide is the rule book, then Scrum Shortcuts without Cutting Corners
is the experts’ guide to playing the game. Ilan Goldstein reveals all the little secrets
that every team should know to be effective in adopting Scrum. From sprint lengths,
to splitting down work, to relative estimation, Ilan tackles the gray zones in Scrum,
offering sage advice in a world of ‘it depends.’”
—Renee Troughton, Agile coach and author of Agile Forest

“Sharing what he has learned implementing Scrum over many years with many
teams, Ilan goes beneath the surface and gives practical tips to help you raise your
Scrum teams to the next level. With humor, trivia, and stories from personal experi-
ence, Scrum Shortcuts without Cutting Corners is an accessible and adaptable Scrum
recipe book ScrumMasters can use in any environment. Whether you have a few
months or many years of experience with Scrum, this book will give you new ideas
on how to approach whatever challenges are facing your team.”
—Liza Wood, ScrumMaster and blogger at Sockets and Lightbulbs
This page intentionally left blank
SCRUM SHORTCUTS WITHOUT
CUTTING CORNERS
SCRUM SHORTCUTS WITHOUT
CUTTING CORNERS
AGILE TACTICS, TOOLS, & TIPS

ILAN GOLDSTEIN

Upper Saddle River, NJ • Boston • Indianapolis • San Francisco

New York • Toronto • Montreal • London • Munich • Paris • Madrid
Capetown • Sydney • Tokyo • Singapore • Mexico City
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are
claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was
aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters or
in all capitals.
The author and publisher have taken care in the preparation of this book, but make no
expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or omis-
sions. No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or
arising out of the use of the information or programs contained herein.
The publisher offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in quantity for bulk
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Goldstein, Ilan.
Scrum shortcuts without cutting corners : agile tactics, tools & tips / Ilan Goldstein.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-321-82236-9 (paperback : alkaline paper)
1. Agile software development—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Scrum (Computer software
development)--Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
QA76.76.D47G645 2013
005.1—dc23 2013016569
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected
by copyright, and permission must be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited
reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission to use
material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permis-
sions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax
your request to (201) 236-3290.
ISBN-13: 978-0-321-82236-9
ISBN-10: 0-321-82236-6
Text printed in the United States on recycled paper at RR Donnelley in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
First printing, July 2013
To my little Amy, the cutest impediment one could ever hope for,
and to my soul mate Carmen, the greatest ScrumMaster of all!
This page intentionally left blank
CONTENTS

Foreword xvii

Preface xix

Acknowledgments xxiii

About the Author xxv

Chapter 1 Scrum Startup 1

Shortcut 1: Scrum on the Pitch 1
Werewolf Slayers? 2
The Scrum Team 3
Project Sponsors 4
Good News and Not-So-Good News 5
Shortcut 2: Fragile Agile 5
It’s a Framework, Not a Method 6
Qualifications versus Qualities 7
Abusing the Agile Manifesto 7
A Few Scrum Antipatterns 7
Listen to Your Folks 11
Shortcut 3: Creative Comfort 11
Individual Gratitude 12
Physical Environment 12
Tools of the Trade 13
Identity 14
Shining Happy People 14
Wrap Up 15

Chapter 2 Attitudes and Abilities 17

Shortcut 4: Masterful ScrumMaster 17
Leading without Authority 17
Bring about Change without Fear 18
Be Diplomatic without Being Political 19
Behave Selflessly without Downplaying the Role 20
Protect without Being Overprotective 20

xi
xii Contents

Maintain Technical Knowledge without Being an Expert 20

Be Comfortable Never Finishing 21
Next Generation Leadership 21
Shortcut 5: Rock Stars or Studio Musicians? 21
Rock Stars 22
Studio Musicians 22
Scrum Values 22
Time to Make Music 25
Shortcut 6: Picking Your Team Line-Up 25
Everyone Is a Developer! 26
Scrum Team Size 26
Development Team Ratios 26
Fractional Assignment 28
Can a ScrumMaster Work with Multiple Teams? 28
Attitude over Aptitude 30
Embrace Heterogeneity (But Beware) 30
Household Rules 30
All for One and One for All! 30
Wrap Up 31

Chapter 3 Planning and Protecting 33

Shortcut 7: Setting the Scrum Stage 33
Ensure Team Stability 33
Adjust the Physical Environment 34
Estimates Are Not Guarantees 35
Work toward Reciprocity 35
Support Sustainable Development 35
Run a Pilot Project 36
Have Realistic Expectations 37
Shortcut 8: Plan the Sprint, Sprint the Plan 37
Product Backlog Refinement 37
Goals Are Good 38
How Long Should a Sprint Be? 38
Capacity Planning 39
Part 1: The What 39
Part 2: The How 40
Task Definition 40
The Right Number of Requirements 41
The 7 Ps 42
Shortcut 9: Incriminating Impediments 42
Defining Impediments 42
Many Shapes and Sizes 43
 Contents xiii

Impediment ConTROL 44
Blocks versus Impediments 44
Understand the Terrain 45
Wrap Up 45

Chapter 4 Requirement Refinement 47

Shortcut 10: Structuring Stories 47
Breaking It Down 47
Task Slicing and Dicing 48
Consistency Is King 51
Shortcut 11: Developing the Definition of Done 51
Ambiguous Arguments 52
Where to Start 52
Multiple Levels 53
Constraints 56
Acceptance Criteria or DoD? 56
It’s Just Like Cooking! 57
Shortcut 12: Progressive Revelations 57
Verification and Validation 58
When, Where, Who 58
Issues and Adjustments 59
Be Aware of Scope Creep 59
Capturing the Output 60
Don’t Overdo It 60
Wrap Up 61

Chapter 5 Establishing Estimates 63

Shortcut 13: Relating to Estimating 63
Estimation Pain 63
Why Bother Estimating? 64
Explaining Relative Estimation 64
Software Relative Estimation 67
Velocity 68
Relative Estimation in Practice 69
Shortcut 14: Planning Poker at Pace 69
Setting Up the Game 69
Planning Poker Mechanics 71
When to Play Planning Poker 72
Get the Team Warmed Up 73
Big Cards for Big Occasions 73
Don’t Double Up 73
Reaching a Consensus 74
xiv Contents

Phones Can Help 74

It’s All about Benefits 74
Remember Parkinson’s Law 75
Shortcut 15: Transitioning Relatively 75
An Approach 75
Using Historical Work 76
Creating the Mappings 76
Keep Up Your Recycling 80
Wrap Up 81

Chapter 6 Questioning Quality 83

Shortcut 16: Bah! Scrum Bug! 83
New Definitions 83
New Principles 85
New Approaches 85
Turning Moths into Butterflies 87
Shortcut 17: We Still Love the Testers! 87
Waterfall Friendship 88
Change Is in the Air 88
New Identities 89
The Tester as a Consultant 89
The Tester as a Designer 90
The Tester as an Explorer 91
A New Beginning 91
Shortcut 18: Automation Nation 91
Continuous Integration (CI) 92
Test Automation 93
Deployment Automation 96
Continuous Delivery and Scrum 97
Every Journey Begins with But a Small Step 97
Wrap Up 98

Chapter 7 Monitoring and Metrics 99

Shortcut 19: Metrics That Matter 99
Types of Metrics 99
Four Meaningful Metrics 100
Beware of Analysis Paralysis 106
Shortcut 20: Outstanding Stand-Ups 107
When and Where? 107
What Should Be Covered? 108
Multiple Teams 109
 Contents xv

Ignore the ScrumMaster 109

Some Extra Touches 109
It’s Hitting the Big Time! 110
Shortcut 21: Taming the Task Board 111
Digital or Physical? 111
Materials Needed to Go Old School 111
Setting Up Your Columns 112
Rows of Sticky-Notes 112
Sticky-Note Content 112
Generating the Burndown 113
Some Important Decoration 113
Keeping It Real! 114
Party Time! 115
Wrap Up 115

Chapter 8 Retros, Reviews, and Risks 117

Shortcut 22: To-Dos for Your Sprint Reviews 117
During Sprint Planning 117
During the Sprint 118
During the Sprint Review 120
So-Called Suggestions 121
Picnics or Battles 122
Shortcut 23: Retrospective Irrespective 122
Reinforce Scrum’s Values 122
What If We’re Running One-Week Sprints? 122
Location, Location, Location 123
Getting Set 123
Output of the Retrospective 125
Format of the Retrospective 125
Seasoned Pros 128
Retrospective Attendees 128
Keep It Fresh 128
Shortcut 24: Risk Takers and Mistake Makers 129
Fear of Change 129
Free to Change 130
Fear of Exposure 130
Free to Be Exposed 130
Fear of Making Mistakes 131
Free to Make Mistakes 131
Lighten the Mood 132
Wrap Up 133
xvi Contents

Chapter 9 Managing the Managers 135

Shortcut 25: Perception Is Reality 135
Build a Relationship 136
Reference Point 136
Involve Them 136
Keep Them in the Loop 137
Maintain Diplomatic Discipline 139
Remember Who Pays the Bills 140
Shortcut 26: Our Lords and Masters 140
ScrumMaster versus Chief ScrumMaster 140
Core Functions of the Chief ScrumMaster 141
Core Functions of the ScrumMaster Role 143
A Consistent Ecosystem 145
Shortcut 27: Morphing Managers in the Matrix 145
Evolving Out of the Matrix 145
Project Managers Aren’t Disappearing 149
The Future of Functional Managers 150
Let’s Be Realistic 151
Wrap Up 152

Chapter 10 Larger Lessons 153

Shortcut 28: Scrum Rollout Reckoning 153
How Agile Are We? 153
Humans Love to Measure 154
Should We Continue? 155
Costs versus Benefits 155
Are We Getting Better? 156
Keep It Simple 157
Spread the Good Word 158
Shortcut 29: Eyes on the Prize 158
Explaining Self-Organization 159
Environments and Boundaries 159
The Infinite Role 161
Shortcut 30: Shortcut to the Final Level 162
Looking in the Mirror 162
Choose Your Own Adventure 163
Experiment 163
Don’t Rest on Your Laurels 164
Exceeding Expectations 164
Final Wrap Up 165
References 167
Index 171
 FOREWORD

In the spirit of this book, I’ll take a shortcut and come right to the point: Buy this
book. I assure you, you’ll find the wisdom in this collection of shortcuts extremely
helpful.
However, experience tells us to be leery of shortcuts. Very few work out. Horror
movies begin when a group of teenagers take a shortcut through the woods on a dark
night. The driver on a family trip opts for what looks like a shortcut and is reminded
for years about how it turned out not to be. We’re told “there are no shortcuts to suc-
cess,” and that success comes from a combination of perseverance and skill.
Yes, in life many shortcuts do not work out. The shortcuts in this book are differ-
ent. They work.
I first met Ilan Goldstein online when a web search led me to his blog of Scrum
shortcuts. He hadn’t written many shortcuts by then, but the few he had were tremen-
dously helpful—and funny. Ilan’s sense of humor shone through in every shortcut.
It didn’t take a genius to see that Ilan was onto something with his shortcuts. And
so I asked him if he’d consider writing a book of shortcuts. This book is the result.
In it, Ilan offers thirty tips, covering the full gamut of a Scrum implementation. He
offers tips on getting started, on requirements, on estimating and planning. There
are tips about quality and metrics, about team members and roles, about managing
bosses, and about continuous improvement. If you’ve struggled with it on a Scrum
project, it’s likely Ilan has a shortcut to help you.
Ilan has been there and done that. His tips come from his experience as a Scrum-
Master and Certified Scrum Trainer. His shortcuts all come from routes he’s traveled.
They’re practical, not theoretical. Further, I like that he’s not afraid to take a stand.
Too many books rely too often on the consultant’s standard answer of, “It depends.”
You won’t find that here.
Whether you are a month, a year, or a decade into Scrum, you will find shortcuts
here that will help you improve. I wish you well on your Scrum journey. I know you’ll
arrive more quickly by following the shortcuts in this book.

—Mike Cohn
Co-founder of the Scrum Alliance and the Agile Alliance
Author of Succeeding with Agile

xvii
This page intentionally left blank
 PREFACE

“Ah, so it’s the opposite of Dilbert” was my psychiatrist friend’s reply when I gave
him the quick overview of Scrum. (And no, I wasn’t seeing him to deal with the stress
of writing my first book while my first baby kept me up all night!) Anyway, after a
chuckle, I realized that not only had my friend distilled Scrum so simply and ele-
gantly, but also, I had just found my opening quote!
Scrum and its agile cousins comprise the next serious evolution in vocational pro-
cess and culture. I’m certainly not alone in observing that this is possibly the greatest
leap forward since the advent of scientific management, aka Taylorism. (By the way,
did you know that a certain Henry Gantt of painful stripy-chart fame was a disciple
of Taylor?) Scrum throws away the dictatorial, power-is-cool, ego-driven manage-
ment approach that views people as replaceable cogs in a defined-process machine.
Instead, Scrum treats teams as groups of responsible, dedicated free-thinkers who,
given the opportunity, will work in an optimal fashion to derive the most positive
outcome.
It is tremendously exciting and a privilege to be in the vanguard of this change
together with our early Scrum pioneers who are still energetically leading the charge.
No doubt in decades to come, this period in time will be recognized as an era when a
significant shift occurred in the way the workplace operates.

Why Did I Write This Book?

I recall a conversation that I had with Martin Kearns, another Australian-based
Scrum trainer, who pointed out to me that like it or not, people are going to read
this book (with its assortment of tactics, tools, and tips) and consider it to be an offi-
cial user manual—something that they should follow to the letter. This highlighted a
concern that I was already feeling: how could I offer specific, focused advice that cuts
through the theory and straight to the chase without making it seem too prescrip-
tive? The answer to that question is to explain that Scrum Shortcuts without Cutting
Corners is about sharing with you an approach rather than the approach to imple-
menting Scrum. How can you have more than one approach to Scrum? you might be
wondering. This question is explained clearly by Kenneth Rubin in his book, Essential
Scrum (2012):

Scrum is based on a small set of core values, principles, and practices (collec-
tively the Scrum framework). Organizations using Scrum should embrace the

xix
xx Preface

Scrum framework in its entirety; however, this doesn’t mean that each organiza-
tion’s Scrum implementation will be the same. Rather, each organization will
have its own unique implementation of the Scrum framework based on the spe-
cific approaches that it chooses to realize the Scrum practices. . . . An approach
is a particular implementation of a Scrum practice.

There are many other approaches, with their own sets of tactics, tools, and tips
that you can and should explore, but I hope that the ones that I lay out in this book
will, at the very least, trigger some thought and offer you some tried and tested
options.
I wrote this book because, along my journey, I have acquired a significant num-
ber of cuts and bruises from tripping over stumbling blocks and banging my head
against brick walls—frankly, implementing Scrum is really tough! It makes a whole
lot of sense when the theory is explained to you, but gee whiz, try to get it up and
running effectively and it is anything but trivial. Over a number of years, and after
working with several teams, I finally began to see some return on investment from
the bodily harm that had been inflicted. I had created an adaptable (and emergent)
Scrum recipe book that worked across numerous different teams and several organi-
zations, and I realized my hard-earned knowledge could help out others working in
similar environments.
Back to my chat with Martin, as he also offered me some helpful advice: noting
that I had just become a new parent for the first time, he asked me whether I thought
I should try to protect little Amy from every situation in which she might fall and
hurt herself. My heart said, “Absolutely, I won’t let anything hurt my little girl,” but
my brain realized that you have to let even those you care about trip over (on occa-
sion) to learn what works and what doesn’t. That being said, though, you certainly
always want to be there to comfort them and to give them some helpful advice for
next time. So, this book is just that—the helpful advice for “next time” to start limit-
ing the extent of your cuts and bruises moving forward. I’m assuming that you have
at least given Scrum a shot, so you are likely already carrying some old wounds, but
with any luck, this book will protect you somewhat from the next round of knocks.
If, however, you are new to Scrum and really hate cuts and bruises, feel free to
jump right in. Perhaps some of this advice will keep you injury-free . . . for a while.
But bear this in mind: every project is different, every team is different, and every
organization is different. So if you’re expecting to successfully apply every piece of
advice on every page, then I would like to realign your expectations right now before
you are disappointed—honestly, there is no magic approach that will work across the
board.
Finally, for those of you who feel you’ve pretty much got this whole Scrum thing
all worked out and under control, I hope that by browsing this book you are able to
find some interesting new tools to add to your Scrum toolbox.
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Then up, arouse thee to destructive wrath, 75
Destroy him meditating plans so great.
Meet him in single strife; with thine own hands
Asunder rend him. Why thy mighty hate
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Aglow with maddening fire, their savage hands
Aglow with maddening fire, their savage hands
The horrid snaky scourges brandishing.
Go now, thou proud one, seek the seats of heaven,
And scorn the lot of men. And dost thou think, 90
O hero brave, that thou hast fled the Styx
And gloomy shades? Here will I show thee hell;
Here will I summon up the goddess dire
Of Discord, deep in darkness thick confined
Far down below the abode of guilty souls.
A cavern huge within a mountain's hold
Is her dark prison. Her will I call forth, 95
And from the deepest realms of Dis bring up
Whate'er thou hast escaped: base Crime shall come;
Impiety that fiercely stains its hands
In kindred blood; the shape of Error, too,
And Fury ever armed against itself.
This, this assistance shall my grief employ.
Come then, ye ever-faithful slaves of Dis, 100
Begin your task. Shake high the blazing torch;
And let Megaera lead her dreadful band
Of sisters viperous. With deadly hand
Let her from off the blazing funeral pyre
A burning brand snatch up. Now to your task;
Thus seek revenge for violated Styx:
Distract his heart with madness; let his soul 105
More fiercely burn than that hot fire which glows
On Aetna's forge. But first, that Hercules
May be to madness driven, smitten through
With mighty passion, I must be insane.
Why rav'st thou not, O Juno? Me, Oh, me, 110
Ye sisters, first of sanity deprive,
That something worthy of a stepdame's wrath
I may prepare. Let all my hate be changed
To favor. Now I pray that he may come
To earth again, and see his sons unharmed;
May he return with all his old-time strength.
Now have I found a day when Hercules
 Now have I found a day when Hercules
May help me with his strength that I deplore. 115
Now let him equally o'ercome himself
And me; and let him, late escaped from death,
Desire to die. Now let it profit me
That he is born of Jove. I'll stand by him
And nicely poise his hand, that so his darts
May with more deadly aim be hurled. I'll guide
The madman's arms. And so at last I help 120
Alcides in his wars. The crime complete,
Then let his father to the heavens admit
Those guilty hands. Now must the attack begin.
The day is breaking, and with saffron light
The rising sun dispels the gloom of night.

Chorus: Now scattered and with paling light 125

The stars gleam in the sinking west;
Now vanquished night collects her fires,
Whose shining band at the day's return
The star of morning drives away.
High up in the frozen northern sky,
The Arcadian Bears with their seven-fold stars, 130
Their course completed, hail the dawn.
Now borne along by his azure steeds
The sun looks forth from Oeta's ridge;
With whose light suffused, the clustering grapes
In the vineyards to Theban Bacchus dear
Flush rosy red. The waning moon 135
Fades out of sight, to return again.
Hard Toil awakens, at whose knock
The doors of men are opened wide,
And daily cares resumed.
The shepherd sends his flock afield,
And plucks, himself, the tender grass 140
Still sparkling with the frosty rime.
The young bull sports among the fields
At liberty; the dams refill
Their empty udders; sportive kids
Leap lightly o'er the tender grass 145
In aimless course. On the topmost branch
The Thracian Philomela sings
Her strident song, and near her nest
Of chattering young she spreads her wings
To the morning sun; while all around 150
The throng of birds with united songs
Announce the day.
The daring sailor spreads his sails
To the freshening wind, as the breezes fill
Their flapping folds. From wave-worn rocks
The fisher leans and baits anew
His cunning hook; he feels his line 155
A-tremble with the struggling fish,
Or weighs his prize with practiced hand
And eager eye.
Such are the joys of him who lives 160
In tranquil and unworried peace;
Whose pleasure is a humble house,
His own, though small; whose simple hopes
Are in the open fields.[17]
But worried hopes in cities dwell,
And trembling fears. There some would haunt
The rich man's haughty vestibules,
Wait at their proud, unfeeling doors, 165
Forego their sleep. Some heap up wealth,
Though blest with boundless wealth, and gaze
In admiration at their heaps;
And yet, with all their gold, are poor.
Some strain for the applause of men,
The vulgar throng, whose fickle will
Is shifting as the sea, and swell 170
With empty pride. The noisy mart
 pyp y
Still others claim, who meanly deal
In quarrelsome suits, and profit make
Of wrath and empty words.
Few know untroubled peace, the men
Who, heeding time's swift flight, hold fast 175
The years that never will return.
While fate permits, live happily;
For life runs on with rapid pace,
And with headlong speed the year's swift wheel 180
With winged hours is turned.
The cruel sisters urge their task,
Nor backward turn the threads of life.
But the race of men is hurried on
To meet the quick approaching fates,
Uncertain of their own.
Of our own will we haste to cross 185
The Stygian waves. Thou, Hercules,
With heart too brave, before thy time
Didst see the grieving shades. The fates
In pre-established order come;
And none may stay when they command,
None may put off the appointed day. 190
The swiftly whirling urn of fate
Contains all mortal men.
Let glory then to many lands
Proclaim some names, and chattering fame
Through every city sing their praise,
And raise them to the stars. Sublime 195
In triumph let another ride.
Me let my native land conceal
Within a safe and humble home.
'Tis unambitious souls who come
To hoary-headed age at last.
If humble, still the lot is sure
Of lowly homes. Souls lifted high, 200
For this to greater depths must fall.
 g p
But see, sad Megara comes with flowing hair,
Her little children closely pressing round;
And with her, with the tardy step of age,
The sire of Hercules, Amphitryon.

FOOTNOTES:

[17] Reading, et in agris.

ACT II

Megara: O mighty ruler of Olympus' heights, 205

Thou judge of all the world, now set at length
A limit to my cares, and make an end
Of my disasters. No untroubled day
Doth dawn for me; but one misfortune's end
Marks but the starting-point of future woes.
Fresh foes are ready for my Hercules
Straightway on his return; ere he can reach 210
His happy home, another warfare bids
That he set forth again. No time for rest
Is given, save while he waits a fresh command.
'Twas ever thus: from earliest infancy
Unfriendly Juno follows on his track.
Was e'en his cradle free from her assaults?
He conquered monsters ere he learned to know 215
What monsters were. Two crested serpents huge
Against him reared their heads; the dauntless child
Crawled forth to meet them, and, with placid gaze
Intently fixed upon their fiery eyes,
With fearless look he raised their close-coiled folds, 220
And crushed their swollen necks with tender hand.
And thus he practiced for the hydra's death.
He caught the nimble stag of Maenalus,
Its beauteous head adorned with horns of gold.
 ts beauteous ead ado ed t o s o go d
The lion, terror of Nemean woods,
Groaned out his life beneath the mighty arms 225
Of Hercules. Why should I call to mind
The stables dire of that Bistonian herd,
And the king as food to his own horses given?
The rough Maenalian boar, which, from his lair
On Erymanthus' thickly wooded heights,
Filled all the groves of Arcady with dread?
Or that fell Cretan bull whose terror filled 230
A hundred towns? Among his herds remote,
The three-formed shepherd by Tartessus' shore
Was slain, and from the farthest west his herds
Were driven as booty. Now Cithaeron feeds
The cattle once to Ocean known. Again,
When bidden to penetrate the sultry zone 235
Of summer's burning sun, those scorchéd realms
Which midday parches with its piercing rays,
He clove the ponderous mountain barriers,
And made a pathway for the rushing sea.
He next assailed the rich Hesperides,
And bore therefrom the watchful dragon's spoil 240
Of golden fruit. Then Lerna's savage beast,
An evil creature constantly renewed,
Did he not overcome by fire at last,
And teach it how to die? Did he not seek
Within the clouds the dire Stymphalian birds,
Whose spreading wings were wont to obscure the day?
He was not conquered by the maiden queen 245
Who ruled the Amazons and ever kept
Her couch in virgin state. Nor did his hands,
Courageous to attempt all glorious deeds,
Disdain to cleanse the vile Augean stalls.
But what avail these toils? For he alone
Cannot enjoy the world he saved. And now
The world perceives the giver of its peace 250
Is absent from its sight. Now prosperous crime
 s abse t o ts s g t o p ospe ous c e
Is called by virtue's name; good men obey
The guilty, might is counted right, and fear
O'ershadows law. Before my eyes I saw
The sons who dared defend their father's throne
Fall dead beneath the tyrant's murderous hand; 255
I saw King Creon's self by death o'ercome,
The latest son of Cadmus' noble line;
And with his head the royal diadem
Was reft away. Who now could weep enough
For Thebes? Proud land and mother of the gods,
What master fears she now, she, from whose fields 260
And fertile bosom sprang that band of youth
With swords all ready drawn; whose mighty walls
Amphion, son of Jove, once built, its stones
Compelling by the magic of his lyre;
Down to whose citadel not once alone
The father of the gods from heaven came?
This royal city which the immortals oft
Has entertained, which has divinities 265
Produced, and (heaven forgive the boastful word)
Perchance will yet produce, is now oppressed
Beneath a shameful yoke. O royal race
Of Cadmus, noble state Amphion ruled,
Low hast thou fallen indeed! Dost thou obey
A low-born exile, driven from his land 270
And yet oppressing ours? And now, alas,
He, who on land and sea doth punish crime,
Who breaks all cruel rule with righteous hand,
Far off obeys another, and himself
Endures those ills from which he others saved;
And Lycus rules the Thebes of Hercules!
But not for long; he soon will come again, 275
And punish all the wrongs; he suddenly
Will to the upper world emerge; a way
He'll find—or make. Oh, come unharmed, I pray;
As victor come at last unto thy home
 s cto co e at ast u to t y o e
Which now in ruins lies. O husband, come,
With thy strong hand break through the shades of hell. 280
And if no way is open, if the road
Is closely barred, then rend the earth and come;
And all that lies in keep of dismal night
Bring forth with thee. As once, through riven hills
A passage seeking for a headlong stream,
Thou stood'st, and, with thy strength gigantic cleft, 285
The vale of Tempe opened wide; as then,
Impelled by might of thy resistless breast,
The mountains fell away from either side,
And through the broken masses poured the stream
Of Thessaly along a channel new:
So now to parents, children, native land,
A passage burst. And bring away with thee 290
The shapes of death, and all that greedy time
Through countless rounds of years has hidden away;
Those nations who have drunk forgetfulness,
Drive out before thee, fearful of the light.
The spoils are all unworthy of thy fame,
If thou shouldst bring from hades only that 295
Which was commanded. But too bold my words,
And thoughtless of my present lot I speak.
Oh, when will come at last that day for me
When I shall clasp my husband once again,
And weep no more his long-delayed return,
His long forgetfulness of me? To thee,
O ruler of the gods, a hundred bulls
Shall bleed; to thee, thou goddess of the fruits, 300
Thy secret rites I'll pay: for thee shall blaze
Upon Eleusin's shrine the sacred torch
In celebration of thy mysteries.
Then shall I think my brothers' lives restored,
My father once again upon his throne. 305
But if some power more potent than thine own
Holds thee in durance, we shall come to thee.
 o ds t ee du a ce, e s a co e to t ee
Return in safety and protect us all,
Or drag us down with thee. This wilt thou do;
No god will e'er our broken fortunes mend.
Amphitr.: O ally of my house, with wifely faith
Preserving for the great-souled Hercules 310
His couch and children, be of better mind.
Take heart again, for surely he will come,
Increased in fame by this, as is his wont
By other tasks.
Megara: What wretched men desire
They readily believe.
Amphitryon: Nay, what they fear
They think can never be escaped or borne. 315
For fear is prone to see the darker side.
Megara: Submerged, deep buried, crushed beneath the world,
What chance has he to reach the upper realms?
Amphitr.: The same he had, when, through the arid plain,
And sands that billowed like the stormy sea, 320
Those twice receding, twice returning gulfs,
He made his way; when on the dangerous shoals
Of Syrtes he was wrecked, he left his ship
A helpless hulk and crossed the sea on foot.
Megara: Unjust is fortune, rarely does she spare 325
The bravest souls. No one with safety long
Can brave so frequent perils; he who oft
Has shunned misfortune meets at last his fate.
But see, with threatening looks fierce Lycus comes,
His hateful soul in hateful bearing shown, 330
And bears the stolen scepter in his hand.

[Enter Lycus.]

Lycus: The rich domain of this proud town of Thebes,

With all the fertile soil which Phocis bounds
 With all the fertile soil which Phocis bounds
Within its winding borders, all the land
Ismenus waters; all Cithaeron sees 335
From his high top; the narrow Isthmus, too,
Two seas asunder cleaving: all I own,
Not by prerogative of long descent,
A worthless heir. No noble ancestors,
Nor family adorned with lofty names
Have I; but splendid valor. He who boasts 340
His noble ancestry exalts a thing
Which is not his to boast. But power usurped
Is held with anxious hands; the sword alone
Can guard it. All thou hold'st against the will
Of citizens the sword must hold for thee.
No kingdom built upon a foreign soil 345
Is safe for long. One thing alone I see
Which can our power establish—Megara,
By ties of royal marriage bound to me.
From her illustrious line my humble blood
Shall a richer hue derive. Nor do I think
That she will scorn me and refuse my suit.
But should she with a blind and stubborn soul 350
Refuse my proffered hand, my mind is fixed
To give to utter ruin all the house
Of Hercules. Will such a deed arouse
A storm of scandal and the people's hate?
The art of ruling chiefly lies in this:
The power to bear the people's hate unmoved.
Let me make trial then. Occasion smiles,
For she herself, in mourning vestments clad, 355
Stands by the altars of her guardian gods,
While near at hand Alcides' father waits.
Megara [seeing Lycus, aside]: What new outrage does yonder
wretch prepare,
The pestilent destroyer of our race?
Lycus: O thou, who bear'st a name illustrious 360
Lycus: O thou, who bear st a name illustrious
From royal stock, with patient ear awhile
Receive my words. If everlasting hate
The hearts of men should feel, if fury dire,
Once in the heart conceived, should never cease;
If prosperous men must ever fight to rule,
And those who fail obey because they must:
Then never-ending wars would nothing leave, 365
And all the fields would be a barren waste;
Homes would be burned, and 'neath their ashes deep
All nations of the earth would be o'erwhelmed.
The victor's profit is in peace restored,
But for the vanquished 'tis their direful need.
Come, share my throne; let us unite our wills. 370
And, as my pledge of faith, receive my hand.
But why dost thou in scornful silence wait?
Megara: And dost thou think that I would touch the hand
That is besprinkled with my father's gore,
And my two brothers' blood? Oh, sooner far
Shall day's last beams go out in eastern skies,
And dawn break in the west; sooner shall peace 375
Be made 'twixt snow and flame, and Scylla join
Sicilia's shores with those of Italy;
And sooner shall Euripus' rushing waves
Lap peacefully upon Euboea's shores.
My father and my brothers hast thou slain,
My kingdom ruined, home and native land.
What still is left? One thing remains to me, 380
That's dearer than my father, brother, home,
And kingdom: 'tis my deadly hate of thee.
That I must share this with the land at large
Is grief to me. For in their cause for hate
How small a share have I? Thou, swollen with pride,
Rule on, and let thy soul exalt itself;
But know that evermore the avenging god
Pursues the proud of heart. Well do I know 385
The histo of Thebes Wh need I tell
 The history of Thebes. Why need I tell
Of matrons who have dared and suffered wrong?
Why name the double crime, the mingled names
Of husband, father, son, the opposing camps
Of brothers? Why describe the funeral pyres?
The haughty mother, child of Tantalus, 390
Still sits in stony grief; the mourning rock
On Phrygian Sipylus still drips with tears.
Nay, Cadmus' self, in form of serpent, still
Flees through Illyria's realm with crested head,
And leaves behind his dragging body's trail.
Such fates admonish thee. Rule as thou wilt: 395
But may the accustomed doom of Thebes be thine.
Lycus: Come then, have done with this wild talk of thine,
And learn from Hercules to obey the will
Of kings. Although by right of victory
I wield this scepter, though I reign supreme 400
Without the fear of laws which arms annul,
Still will I briefly speak in my defense.
And did thy father fall in bloody war?
Thy brothers too? But arms no limit know,
Cannot be checked with ease, nor can the sword,
Once drawn, restrain its wrath. War will have blood. 405
But (you will say), he fought to save his state,
While I was prompted by the lust of power.
Still we should look, not at the cause of war,
But at its outcome. Now let memory
Of all the former wrongs pass from thy heart.
When the victor lays aside his arms, 'tis meet
The vanquished should abandon hatred too. 410
I ask thee not upon thy bended knees
To acknowledge me as king; for it is well
That thou shouldst meet thy ruin dauntlessly.
Lo, thou art worthy of a royal mate:
Be then my wife and not my enemy.
Megara: Cold horror creeps throughout my lifeless limbs
Megara: Cold horror creeps throughout my lifeless limbs.
What shameful proposition do I hear? 415
I did not shrink when loud alarms of war
Rang round our city's walls; and all my woes
I've bravely borne. But marriage—and with him!
Now do I think myself indeed a slave.
Load down my tender frame with heavy chains;
Be lingering death by long starvation sought; 420
Still shall no power o'ercome my wifely faith.
I shall be thine, Alcides, to the death.
Lycus: Such spirits does a buried husband give?
Megara: He went below that he might reach the heavens.
Lycus: The boundless weight of earth oppresses him.
Megara: No weight of earth can overwhelm the man 425
Who bore the heavens up.
Lycus: Thou shalt be forced.
Megara: He can be forced who knows not how to die.
Lycus: Tell me what gift I could bestow more rich
Than royal wedlock?
Megara: Grant thy death, or mine.
Lycus: Then die, thou fool.
Megara: 'Tis thus I'll meet my lord.
Lycus: Is that slave more to thee, than I, a king? 430

Megara: How many kings has that slave given to death!

Lycus: Why does he serve a king, and bear the yoke?
Megara: Remove hard tasks, and where would valor be?
Lycus: To conquer monsters call'st thou valor then?
Megara: 'Tis valor to subdue what all men fear. 435

Lycus: The shades of hades hold that boaster fast.

Megara: No easy way leads from the earth to heaven.
Lycus: Who is his father, that he hopes for heaven?
Amphitr.: Unhappy wife of mighty Hercules,
Be silent now, for 'tis my part to tell 440
Alcides' parentage. After his deeds,
So many and so great; after the world,
From rising unto setting of the sun,
Has been subdued, so many monsters tamed;
After the giants' impious blood was spilled
In Phlegra's vale, and gods were reinforced, 445
What need we yet to prove his parentage?
Do we make false pretense of Jupiter?
Then Juno's hate believe.
Lycus: Why blaspheme Jove?
The race of mortals cannot mate with gods.
Amphitr.: Such is the origin of many gods.
Lycus: But were they slaves before their heaven was gained? 450

Amphitr.: The Delian at Pherae kept the flocks.

Lycus: But he did not in exile roam the world.
Amphitr.: His mother bore him in a roaming land,
Herself a fugitive.
Lycus: Did Phoebus fear
Wild beasts and monsters?
Amphitr.: Yes, in dragon's blood 455
His earliest shafts were stained.
Lycus: Thou knowest not
What heavy ills the young Alcides bore.
Amphitr.: But Bacchus by a thunderbolt was ripped
From out his mother's womb; and yet he stood
In after time beside the Thunderer,
His sire. Nay, Jove himself, who rules the stars
 His sire. Nay, Jove himself, who rules the stars
And drives the clouds, did he not lie concealed, 460
In helpless infancy in Ida's cave?
A heavy price must so high lineage pay,
And suffering is the birthright of a god.
Lycus: Whoe'er is wretched, thou wouldst mortal know.
Amphitr.: Whoe'er is brave, thou wouldst not wretched call.
Lycus: But is he brave, from whose broad shoulders fell 465
The lion's skin and club, that they might be
A maiden's plaything? Who himself shone bright
In Tyrian vestments? Should we call him brave,
Whose bristling locks were wet with fragrant nard,
Whose famous hands in woman's wise essayed
To play the tambour; on whose frowning brow 470
The Phrygian turban shamelessly was worn?
Amphitr.: But youthful Bacchus did not blush to wear
His locks in flowing ringlets, in his hand
The thyrsus light to brandish, as he walked
With steps unsteady, clad in trailing robes
Bright with barbaric gold. 'Tis virtue's right 475
In foolishness to ease the strain of toil.
Lycus: 'Twas for this cause the house of Eurytus
Was overthrown, and troops of maidens slain
Like helpless sheep! No Juno ordered this,
Nor yet Eurystheus: these his works alone. 480

Amphitr.: Thou know'st not all his deeds: it was his work
That Eryx fell, by his own gauntlets slain;
That in his death Antaeus, too, was joined;
That those foul altars, dripping with the blood
Of hapless strangers, drank the blood at last
Of murderous Busiris. 'Twas his work
That Cycnus, proof against the sword, was slain, 485
Though still unwounded; by his hand alone
The threefold Geryon fell. And thou shalt be
f h h h h ' b l d
 As one of these, though they ne'er basely sinned
Against the rites of marriage.
Lycus: What to Jove
Is lawful, is my kingly right as well.
A wife thou gav'st to him; so for thy king
Shalt thou a mate provide. Now Megara 490
From thine example shall the lesson learn,
Not new, that wives may yield to better men,
When husbands give consent. But if, self-willed,
She still refuse to take me for her lord,
I'll force her will to bear me noble seed.
Megara: Ye shades of Creon, and ye household gods 495
Of Labdacus, ye impious nuptial fires
Of Oedipus, your wonted fortune give
To this our union! O ye savage wives
Of king Aegyptus' sons, be present now,
With blood-stained hands. Your count is incomplete.
I gladly will that impious number fill. 500

Lycus: Since thou dost stubbornly refuse my suit,

And striv'st to fright the king, now shalt thou feel
The strength of royal power. Cling as thou mayst
To altar horns: no god shall save thee now
From me; not though the earth itself be rent,
And Hercules victorious come again
Unto the upper world. 505
[To slaves.]
Heap high the logs,
And let the sacred temple blazing fall
Upon its suppliants. Now let the wife
And all her brood upon the funeral pyre
Be burned to ashes in the kindling flames.
Amphitr.: This boon Alcides' father asks of thee,
Which fits me well, that I be first to die. 510

Lycus: Who bids all men meet punishment with death

 Knows not the ruler's art. Seek varied pains;
Forbid the wretch to die, the happy slay.
Now, while the pyre is growing for the flames,
I'll pay my vows unto the ocean's god. 515

[Exit.]

Amphitr.: O god of gods, O ruler of the skies,

Whose hurtling bolts make mortals quake with fear,
Check thou the impious hand of this dire king.
Why do I vainly importune the gods?
Where'er thou art, hear thou and answer, son. 520
But why this sudden rocking of the shrine?
Why groans the earth? Far in her lowest hold
A crashing deep resounds. Our prayer is heard!
It is, it is the step of Hercules!

Chorus: O Fortune, envious of the brave,

Unjustly are thy prizes given! 525
Behold Eurystheus reigns at ease,
While our Alcmena's noble son,
With hands which could the heavens uplift,
Must endless wars with monsters wage;
Must sever the hydra's teeming necks,
And from the cheated sisters bear 530
The apples, when the dragon huge,
The guardian of the golden fruit,
Had given to sleep his watchful eyes.
To the wandering homes of Scythia,
Where tribes in their ancestral seats
As strangers dwell, he made his way.
He trod the frozen ocean's crust, 535
A still sea hemmed by silent shores;
There no waves beat on the rigid plains,
And where but now full swelling sails
And where but now full swelling sails
Had sped their barks, a path is worn
By the long-haired Sarmatae.
There the waters change with the changing year, 540
Now ships, now horses bearing up.
From the queen who rules o'er virgin tribes,
With golden girdles on their loins,
He took her body's noble spoil,
Her shield and her snowy bosom's guard. 545
On bended knee she acknowledged him victor.
With what hope, driven to the depths of hell,
Bold to tread irretraceable ways,
Didst thou behold the dusky realms
Of Proserpine of Sicily?
There Notus and Favonius lash 550
No seas to rage with swelling floods;
There do no frightened vessels find
Help from the twin Tyndaridae.
Those waters lie in stagnant pools
And black; and when, with greedy teeth, 555
Pale Death bears off uncounted tribes
Unto the shades, one oarsman grim
Bears all across their gloomy depths.
Oh, that the laws of cruel Styx
Thou mightst annul, and the distaff break,
Relentless, of the fates. And lo, 560
Thou canst avail, for he who rules
O'er many nations once with thee
His deadly hands in battle joined,
When thou didst wage 'gainst Nestor's land
A mighty war. A three-pronged spear
He bore; but soon, by but a wound
O'ercome, he fled. He feared to die, 565
Though lord of death. Burst with thy hands
The bonds of fate. To those sad souls
In hell let in the light of day,
And to the upper world reveal
 And to the upper world reveal
An easy path. Once, by his songs
And suppliant prayers, did Orpheus bend
The stubborn lords of hell, when he 570
His lost Eurydice would seek.
That art which drew the forest trees,
Which held the birds and rocks enthralled,
Which stopped the river's headlong race,
And tamed the hearts of savage beasts,
Soothed with its strains ne'er heard before 575
Those darksome realms, and clear and fine
Resounded through that silent land.
Eurydice the Thracian dames
Bewailed; Eurydice, the gods,
Who ne'er had wept before; and they
Who with forbidding, awful brows,
In judgment sit and hear the crimes 580
Long since committed, unconfessed,
They sat and wept Eurydice,
Until the lord of death exclaimed:
"We grant thy prayer. Away to earth;
But on this sole condition go:
Do thou behind thy husband fare;
And look thou not upon thy wife, 585
Until the light of day thou see,
And Spartan Taenarus appear."
Love hates delay, nor suffers it:
He hasted to behold his wife—
And she again was lost to him.
So, then, the fortress that could yield to song, 590
Be sure that fortress shall to strength belong.

ACT III

[Enter Hercules, just returned from the lower world, accompanied by

Theseus.]
Hercules: O kindly lord of light, heaven's ornament,
Who circlest all the spaces of the sky
With thy flame-bearing car, and thy bright head
Dost lift to glad a new-awakened earth:
Thy pardon, O Apollo, do I crave, 595
If aught unlawful thou dost see in me;
For by another's will have I revealed
The hidden things of earth. Thou lord of heaven,
And sire, behind thy flaming thunderbolt
Conceal thy face; and thou who rul'st the seas
By second lot, seek thou their lowest depths. 600
Whoever from on high beholds the earth,
And would not by strange sights be vision-stained,
To heaven look and so these portents shun.
Two only may behold this horrid sight:
The one who brought and she who ordered it.
To work my punishment and fated toils 605
The earth was not enough. Through Juno's hate
Have I seen regions unapproachable,
Unknown to Phoebus' rays; yea, I have seen
Those gloomy spaces which the nether pole
Has yielded to the dusky Jove's domain.
And had the regions of the final lot
Been pleasing, there could I myself have reigned. 610
That seething chaos of eternal night,
And, what is worse than night, the gloomy gods,
And fates I conquered; and in scorn of death
I have come back again. What else remains?
I've seen and shown the lower world to men.
If aught beyond is left to do, command.
Why dost thou for so long allow these hands,
O Juno, to remain in idleness? 615
What conquest still dost thou command? But why
Do soldiers hold the temple walls in siege,
And fear of arms beset their sacred doors?
[Enter Amphitryon.]

Amphitr.: Now do my fervent hopes deceive my sight,

Or is this he, the tamer of the world,
The pride of Greece, from that sad, silent land 620
Returned? Is this my son? My agéd limbs
Give way through utter joy. O son, of Thebes
The sure though long-delayed preserver thou!
And do I hold thee sent to earth again,
Or does some empty shadow mock my joy?
And art thou he indeed? I recognize
Thy arms and shoulders and the mighty club
Within thy hands renowned. 625

Hercules: O father, whence

These marks of grief, and why do I behold
My wife in dusky mourning garments clad,
My children garbed in these vile signs of woe?
What fell disaster hath o'erwhelmed my house?
Amphitr.: Thy father-in-law is slain, his kingdom gone,
For Lycus hath usurped it; now he seeks
Thy children, father, wife, to bring to death. 630

Hercules: Ungrateful land! did no one come to aid

The home of Hercules? Did all the world,
Defended by my arm, look on this deed
And suffer it? But why waste time in grief?
My enemy must die.
Theseus [seeking to detain him]: O Hercules,
Let not thy mighty courage bear this stain,
And such a foe as Lycus be thy last. 635
I go myself to drink his hateful blood.
Hercules: My Theseus, stay thou here, lest violence
From some new source arise. This war is mine.
Let thy embraces wait awhile, my sire,
And thine, my wife. Let Lycus first announce
 And thine, my wife. Let Lycus first announce
To Dis that I have safe returned to earth. 640

[Exit.]

Theseus: Now let thy face give o'er its grief, my queen;
And thou, O father, check thy falling tears,
Since this thy son is safe returned to thee.
If I know Hercules, for Creon's death
This Lycus soon shall pay the penalty.
"Shall pay" is slow; he pays; nay more, has paid.
Amphitr.: Now may some favoring god our prayers fulfil, 645
And help us in our need. O trusty friend
Of our great son, his deeds in order tell:
How long the way that leads to the sorrowing shades;
How bore the dog of hell his heavy chains.
Theseus: Thou bid'st me call to memory such deeds 650
As e'en in safety make me tremble still.
For I can scarce believe that even yet
I breathe the vital air. My eye's clear sight
Is blinded, and, by that thick darkness dimmed,
Can scarce endure the unaccustomed light.
Amphitr.: But conquer thou the fear that still remains
Deep in thy heart; and do not rob thyself 665
Of the best fruit of toil. For what was hard
To bear becomes most sweet in memory.
Go on, and tell us all thy sufferings.
Theseus: O god of heaven, and thou who holdest sway
In that deep, all-embracing realm of death,
And thou whose mother sought thee (but in vain)
Through all the world: your powers I supplicate
That I may speak with boldness of the things 660
Concealed and buried in the hold of earth.
The Spartan land lifts high a famous cliff
Where Taenarus juts out upon the sea,
Dense wooded Here the realm of hated Dis
Dense wooded. Here the realm of hated Dis
Opes wide its mouth; the high cliff spreads apart, 665
And in a mighty cavern yawns a pit
With jaws portentous, huge, precipitous;
And for all nations ample passage gives.
The way begins, not dark with heavy shades.
A watery gleam of daylight follows in,
And doubtful light, as of the sun eclipsed, 670
Falls there and mocks the eye. Such light the day,
While mingled still with night, at early dawn
Or in its waning hour, is wont to give.
The way then broadens into spaces vast
And empty, where the human race entire
Might plunge and perish. 'Tis no labor here 675
To travel, for the road itself draws down.
As often whirlpools suck unwilling ships,
So does the air, down streaming, urge us on,
And hungry chaos. Here the clutching shades
Permit no backward step. Deep in the abyss,
With peaceful shallows gentle Lethe glides, 680
And by its draughts removes all mortal care
And, that no backward way may be allowed,
With many folds it wraps the stream of death;
Just as the wandering Maeander sports
With waves uncertain, now upon itself
Retreats, now halts in hesitation slow, 685
Whether it shall its fountain seek again,
Or journey to the sea. Here lies the marsh
Of sluggish, vile Cocytus; here, behold,
The vulture, there the doleful owl laments,
And through the air the fearsome screech-owl sends
Its sad, foreboding cry. There stands the yew,
Its black leaves shuddering on the gloomy boughs; 690
And 'neath its shelter hover sluggish Sleep,
And mournful Famine with her wasting jaws,
And Shame, at last her guilty face concealed.
Here quaking Fear and Murder desperate Grief
 Here quaking Fear, and Murder, desperate Grief,
Black Mourning, tottering Disease, and War
With weapons girded on, lie hid; and last 695
Comes feeble Age upon his staff upheld.
Amphitr.: Are there no fruitful fields of corn or wine?
Theseus: Not so: no joyful fields with verdure shine,
No ripening grain waves gently in the breeze,
No stately trees bear apple-laden boughs; 700
But sterile wastes defile those lonely depths,
And in eternal sloth the foul earth lies.
Here lie the lonesome remnants of the world.
The air hangs motionless; and thick night broods
Upon a sluggish, horror-stricken land. 705
The place of death is worse than death itself.
Amphitr.: And what of him who rules those dusky realms?
Where sits he as he rules his shadowy folk?
Theseus: There is a place in an obscure recess
Of Tartarus, which, with its heavy shades, 710
Dense vapor shrouds. Hence, from a single source,
Two different rivers flow: with silent stream
One bears along the sacred Stygian waves
On which the gods take oath; with mighty roar
The other fiercely rolls the rocks along
Within its flood, the raging Acheron, 715
Which may not be recrossed. Set opposite,
By these two streams encircled, stands the hall
Of royal Dis; and by a shading grove
The mighty house is hid. A spacious cave
Of overhanging rock the threshold forms.
This is the path of souls; here is the door 720
Of Pluto's realm; and, round about, there spreads
The plain wherein the frowning monarch sits
And new-come souls reviews. Of lowering brow
And awful majesty the god appears;
Yet in his face his brother's likeness bears
 Yet in his face his brother s likeness bears,
And proves his noble birth. Jove's face is his,
But thundering Jove's. And of that savage realm 725
The master's self makes up the largest part,
For every fearful thing holds him in fear.
Amphitr.: And is the story true that down below
Stern justice is at last administered,
And guilty souls, who have their crimes forgot,
At last atone for sin? Who is he, then, 730
Who searches out the truth, and justice gives?
Theseus: There is not one inquisitor alone
Who sits in judgment on the lofty seat,
And tries the trembling culprits: in that hall
Sit Cretan Minos, Rhadamanthus too,
And Aeacus. Each for his sins of earth 735
Must suffer here; the crime returns to him
Who did it, and the guilty soul is crushed
By its own precedents. There, deep immured
In prison, bloody leaders have I seen,
And bleeding backs of heartless tyrants, scourged
By base plebeian hands. Who mildly reigns,
And, though the lord of life, restrains his hands; 740
Who mercifully rules a bloodless realm,
And spares the lives of men: he shall enjoy
Long years of happy life, and, at the end,
Attain to heaven, or to those regions blest
Of the Elysian fields, himself a judge.
Refrain from human blood, all ye who rule: 745
Your sins with heavier judgment shall be judged.
Amphitr.: Does any certain place inclose the lost,
And do, as rumor says, the impious
Sharp punishments in endless chains endure?
Theseus: On swiftly flying wheel Ixion turns; 750
And on the neck of Sisyphus a stone
Weighs heavily. There stands in middle stream,
 With throat thirst-parched, the poor old man, and seeks
To catch the cooling waves which wash his chin.
He, oft deceived, hopes now at last to drink;
As often fails the water at his lips. 755
So also do the fruits his hunger fail.
There Tityos eternal banquets gives
Unto the greedy vulture; and in vain
Do Danaüs' daughters bear their brimming urns.
There wander, raging still, the Cadmeids;
And greedy birds still fright old Phineus.
Amphitr.: Now tell the noble struggle of my son. 760
Does he bring back his uncle's willing gift,
Or does he lead the dog as spoil of war?
Theseus: A gloomy cliff o'erhangs the sluggish shoals,
Whose waves are dead, and waters motionless.
This stream is guarded by a grim old man,
Of squalid garb and aspect hideous,
Who carries o'er the pool the quaking shades. 765
His long beard hangs unkempt; his shapeless robe
Is knotted into place; his fierce eyes gleam
From sunken cheeks; and he, as ferryman,
With his long pole propels his bark across.
He now his empty boat unto the shore
Was turning to receive the waiting souls, 770
When Hercules requested to be borne
Across the stream. The throng of shades give way;
But fiercely Charon cries: "Whither so bold
Dost thou haste on? Stay there thy hurrying steps."
Alcmena's son would no delay endure,
But with the pole itself the boatman tamed,
And climbed aboard the boat. The roomy craft, 775
For nations ample, groaned beneath his weight;
And as he sat, the heavy-weighted skiff
With rocking sides drank in the Lethe stream.
Then quaked the conquered monsters at the sight:
The Centaurs, fierce and wild, the Lapithae,
Inflamed to strife by copious draughts of wine;
And, seeking out the farthest pools of Styx, 780
The beast of Lerna hid his fertile heads.
Soon there appeared the home of greedy Dis,
Where the fierce Stygian dog affrights the shades,
Who, tossing back and forth his triple heads,
With mighty bayings watches o'er the realm.
Around his head with damp corruption foul, 785
Writhe deadly serpents, and his shaggy mane
With vipers bristles; while a twisting snake
Forms his long, hissing tail. His wrath and form
Are both alike terrific. When he heard
The sound of coming feet, straightway he raised
His hackles, bristling with their darting snakes,
And with erected ears caught at the sound 790
(For even noiseless spirits can he hear).
When Jove's son nearer came, within his cave
The dog stood hesitant, and nameless fear
Each of the other felt. Then suddenly
The silence shudders with his bayings deep,
And threatening snakes along his shoulders hiss.
The clamor of his dreadful voice, sent forth 795
Three-throated, even happy shades dismayed.
Then did the hero from his left arm loose
The lion's skin with head and grinning jaws,
And 'neath this mighty shield opposed the dog.
Then in his right all conquering, he raised 800
His mighty club, and with a rain of blows,
Now here, now there, he drove the frightened beast.
The conquered dog at last gave o'er his threats,
And, spent with fighting, lowered all his heads,
And left the entrance free. Then did the king
And queen of hell sit trembling on their thrones, 805
And bade the dog be led away. Me, too,
Did Dis at Hercules' request release,
 A royal gift. Then with his soothing hand
Alcides stroked the monster's massive necks,
And bound him with an adamantine chain.
The watchful guardian of the dusky world
Forgot his wonted fierceness, and his ears
Drooped timidly. He let himself be led, 810
Confessed his master, and, with muzzle low,
Submissively he went, his snaky tail
Beating his sides the while. But when he came
To Taenarus, and in his eyes there smote
The gleam of unknown light, though strongly bound, 815
His courage he regained and madly shook
His mighty chains. Even his conqueror
Was backward borne and forced to yield his stand.
Then even my aid did the hero seek;
And with united strength we dragged the dog,
Still mad with rage, attempting fruitless war, 820
Into the upper world. But when he saw
The gleaming spaces of the shining sky,
The light of day, thick darkness blinded him;
He turned his gaze to earth, and closed his eyes,
Expelled the hated light, looked backward, sought 825
With all his necks the sheltering earth; and last,
He hid his head within Alcides' shade.
But see, a mighty throng with shouts of joy
Comes yonder, wearing laurel on their brows,
Who chant the well-earned praise of Hercules.

Chorus: Eurystheus, brought untimely forth, 830

Had bidden Hercules to pierce
The depths of earth. This task alone
Of all his labors yet remained—
To rob the dusky king of hell.
He dared to enter that dark way
Which to the distant manes leads 835
Which to the distant manes leads, 835
Dismal, with gloomy forests set,
Yet crowded with the thronging souls.
As when the eager people haste
Throughout the city to behold
The play in some new theater;
As when they crowd the Pisan fields 840
When the fifth summer brings again
The Elean Thunderer's sacred games;
As, when the lengthening nights return,
And the balanced Scales the sun's bright car
Detain, to gentle sleep inclined,
The people throng the mysteries 845
Of Ceres, while the Attic priests
Lead through the fields with hurried steps
The worshipers: such thronging hordes
Are driven through those silent plains.
A part goes slow with steps of age,
Sadly, and sated with the years; 850
Some, in the earlier flush of life,
Advance with the sprightly step of youth,
Young maids not yet in wedlock joined,
And boys with flowing ringlets, babes,
Who have not yet learned to repeat
Their mother's name. To these alone 855
'Tis given to dispel the night
With torches, and their fears relieve.
The rest in utter darkness fare,
And sadness. So our spirits mourn,
When each one, grieving o'er his fate,
Feels crushed in darkness 'neath the weight 860
Of all the world. There chaos reigns,
Repulsive glooms, the hateful dark
Of night, the empty veil of clouds,
The weary inactivity
Of that still, empty universe.
Oh may the time far distant be
 Oh, may the time far distant be
When old age bears us to that land.
None come too late, and ne'er can he, 865
Who once has come, return again.
What need to hasten cruel fate?
For all the wandering tribes of earth
Shall surely seek the land of shades,
And on the still Cocytus spread
Their sails; all things the sun beholds, 870
In rising and in setting, grow
But to decay. Then spare, O death,
Those who are doomed to come to thee.
Life is but practicing for death;
Though thou be slow in coming, still
We hasten of ourselves. The hour
Which gave us life begins our death.
The joyful day of Thebes is here; 875
Now at the altars sacrifice,
And let the choicest victims fall.
Ye maids and men, in mingled bands
Begin the stately choral dance;
And let the cattle of the fields 880
Put off their yokes and be glad today;
For by the hand of Hercules
Has peace from east to west been won,
And in that land where the sun rides high
In middle heaven, and the shadows fail. 885
Whatever region Tethys laves
In her long reach has been o'ercome
By great Alcides' toils. Borne now
Across the shoals of Tartarus,
With hell subdued, he comes again. 890
No room is left for fear; for what
Beyond the world of death remains?
And now ye priests, adorn your bristling hair
With poplar which Alcides loves to wear.
 ACT IV

[Enter Hercules, fresh from the slaying of Lycus, intending to offer

sacrifices to the gods.]

Hercules: By my avenging hand lies Lycus slain; 895

And all, who in his life the tyrant claimed
As comrades, now by death are comrades still
In punishment. Now will I offerings pay
Unto my father and the gods of heaven
For victory, and heap the altars high
With bleeding victims to their kindness due. 900
Thee, thee, O friend and helper in my toils,
O warlike Pallas, unto thee I pray,
Upon whose left the petrifying shield
Makes direful threats. And be thou here I pray,
Thou tamer of Lycurgus, who didst cross
The ruddy sea, who in thy hand dost bear
The thyrsus, ivy-wreathed; and ye twin gods,
Apollo and Diana, hear my prayer. 905
(Her hand the bow adorns, but his, the lyre.)
Ye, too, I worship, all ye brothers mine,
Who dwell in heaven; but not my stepdame's sons.
[To his attendants.]
And do ye hither drive my richest flocks;
Whatever fragrant spices India bears 910
And far Arabia, to the altars bring,
And let the savory smoke of sacrifice
To heaven ascend. Now let us crown our locks
With wreaths of poplar; but the olive leaves,
Thy nation's symbol, should adorn thy head,
O Theseus. Now in prayer we lift our hands
To Jove the Thunderer: do thou protect 915
The founders of our state, the wooded caves
Of savage Zethus, Dirce's famous fount,
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