Nemea (1940)

A song in the valley of Nemea:
Sing quiet, quiet quiet here.

Song for the brides of Argos
Combing the swarms of golden hair:
Quiet quiet, here.

Under the rolling comb of grass,
The sword outrusts the golden helm.

Agamemnon under tumulus serene
Outmiles the jury of skeletons:
Cool under tumulus the lion queen:

Only the drum can celebrate,
Only the adjective outlive them.

A song in the valley of Nemea:
Song quiet, quiet, here.

Tone of the frog in the empty well,
Drone of the bald bee on the cold skull,

Quiet. Quiet. Quiet.

Lawrence Durrell, Selected Poems, Peter Porter (ed.), Faber & Faber, 2006