Classic Poem

Who ventures, knight or knave
To dive in this Gulph?
A golden goblet I throw therein
The black mouth hath already swallowed it;
He who can bring me back the goblet
May keep it, it is his own

The king spoke and flung from the summit
Of the cliff, that rugged and steep,
Hung over the boundless sea,
The goblet, into the howling whirl of Charybdis.
" Who is the champion, I ask again
" To plunge in these depths? "

And the knights and vassals round him
Listen in silence
They look forth over the wild sea
And none desires to win the goblet
The king asks for the third time
Is there none who will venture below?

But all remained mute as before,
And a page, gentle and brave
Steps forth from the terrified band of vassals;
He throws aside belt and mantle
All the men and women around
Look on the noble youth with astonishment

And as he steps to the brow of the rock
And looks into the gulph below
The water which whirled twisted in torment below
Which Charybdis roaring returned
And as with the roar of distant thunder
Flung itself foaming into the dark abyss

And it bubbles and boils and roars and hisses
As when water with fire is blent,
The steaming vapour spouts to heaven
And flood presses endlessly on flood
And will never exhaust or empty itself
As if the sea would bring forth another sea

At length the wild violence reposed itself
And black out of the white foam
Gapes beneath a yawning chasm
Bottomless as if it descended into the depths of hell
And tearing the bursting waves are seen
Drawn down into the boiling cauldron-crater

Now quick ere the breakers return,
The youth commends his soul to God,
And — a cry from the beholders is heard around
Already has the vortex drawn him in
And mysteriously over the bold swimmer
Shuts the maw — it opens no more

All grows calm on the surface of the wave-abyss
In the depths only it roars hollow
And faltering is heard from mouth to mouth
" Brave youth, farewell!
Hollower and more hollow it is heard to howl
And it lingers with fearful with hideous delay

" Wert thou to fling the crown itself therein,
" Wert thou to say, 'he who brings me the crown
Shall wear it and be king
I should not desire the costly recompense,
What the howling depths conceal below
No fortunate living being shall relate

Full many a bark caught in the whirlpool
Descends sheer into the depths
Only keel and mast writhe shattered
Outside the devouring grave of all
Distincter and more distinct like the roar of the storm
It is heard growling, ever nearer and more near

And it bubbles and boils and roars and hisses
As when water is blent with fire
The vaporous cataract spouts to heaven
And wave presses endlessly on wave
And as with the roll of distant thunder
Tumbles roaring into the dark gulph —

And lo! out of the dark, troubled gulph
There rises swan-white
An arm, and a gleaming neck becomes bare
And it rows with vigour & with indefatigable labour
It is he, and high in his right-hand
He waves the goblet with joyous signals

And he breathes long and he breathes deep.
And hails the heavenly light.
With transport one cries to another
He lives! he is there! it retains him not
From the grave from the boiling water-cave
Has the brave youth saved the living soul.

And he comes, and the exulting band surround him
He falls at the king's feet
He presents him the goblet kneeling there,
And the king signs to his lovely daughter
Who fills it with sparkling wine to the brim
And the Youth thus addressed the king

" Long live the king! and let all rejoice.
Who breathe in the rosy light!
Beneath all is fearful
And let not men tempt the Gods
And let them not desire to behold
What they graciously conceal with night & darkness

It snatched me down with the speed of lightning
I was hurled into the rocky torrent
Wildly chafing at the meeting of the bursting flood,
The raging violence of the twofold flood seized me
And like a top, with giddy whirl
Turned me round, I could not resist

There shewed me, that God to whom I cried
Out of extreme and awful distress,
Rising out of the deep a ledge of rock
That I seized quickly and escaped Death
And there also hung the goblet on a branch of coral
Else had it fallen into the bottomless abyss

For beneath me it lay still deep as mountains are high
In purple gloom
And if here all sleeps eternally to the ear,
The eye with horror looked down
As amongst lizards and Sea-snakes and dragons
It wandered in the murky throat of Hell.

Black swarmed there, in frightful confusion,
In hideous masses rolled,
The thorny ray, the-rock-fish
The terrific form of the Hammer-fish.
And threatening me with horrid teeth
The terrible shark, the Sea hyena.

There I hung, and I remembered with horror
That I was so far from human aid
Amongst all misshapen things the only reasoning Being
Alone in the grisly solitude
Far from the sound of human speech,
In the dreary haunt of monsters.

Shuddering I thought, what crawls towards me,
Moving a hundred arms together,
Will seize me: in the sense of terror
I let go the branch of coral,
The whirlpool seized me with impetuous force
It was the means of saving me, for it bore me to the surface

The king was astonished
He spoke — the cup is thine,
And this ring also I destine for thee
Adorned with costly gems,
If thou wilt venture once more and bring me tidings
Of what thou seest in the profoundest depths of the sea

The Daughter heard this with tender emotion,
And with caressing voice she implored
Cease Father! enough of this cruel game
He has achieved for you, what none ever achieved before
And if you cannot restrain the wish of your heart
At least let the knights now shame the vassals.

Thereupon the king seized the cup,
And hurled it into the whirlpool;
" If thou canst bring the cup again to this place
" Thou shalt be my best knight
And this day thou shalt embrace as a bridegroom
Her who now pleads thy cause with tender pity

The inspiration of Heaven seized his soul
And it flashed boldly out of his eyes
He sees that lovely face blush;
He sees her turn pale and sink away,
Then longs he the precious prize to win,
He springs down for life and Death.

The torrent is duly heard, duly it returns
The sound of thunder announces its coming
She stoops to gaze with the eye of love,
It comes!, the whole flood of water comes!
It roars above, it roars beneath —
But it brings not the young page with it.