Canst thou lead on the savage enemy,
And fill thy native Thebes with blood and flame?
Hast thou so wild a heart within thy breast,
So hard and savage—and not yet a king?
Then what will't be when thou the scepter wield'st?
Oh, put aside thy spirit's swelling rage,
And give thyself once more to piety.585
Polynices: That I may wander still a fugitive?
That ever, banished from my native land,
Upon a stranger's bounty I may live?