Alexandra

ALEXANDRA INTRODUCTORY PINDARIC ODE BY O.C. Alexandra ! Alexandra ! Lege ! non ero Cassandra. Ego scribam quæ me decet : Xenophon non nimis fecit. Alexandra ! Alexandra ! Non ero mala Cassandra. De te poetam, fac, ver, me ! Regne ! Vive ! Ama ! Germe ! Alexandra ! me inerme ! Regne ! Ama ! Germe ! Vive ! Ex ad te it cupido cive. Gratiam Deo demus mutuam In cubili si te futuam. Non ero mala Cassandra, Alexandra ! Alexandra !1 Mrs Cox’s Latinity is sometimes not quite up to Fleet Street mark : and these lines are decidedly not regular hexameters : Professor Jibb, to whom I submitted the point, was quite at one with me upon it, after a days’ consideration. But the acros- tic is beautifully carried out : and the sentiment is throughout loyal, enthusiastic, generous, delicate, forceful, noble, svelte, admirable, delicate, rever- ently amorous, respectfully familiar (Mrs Cox is in the very best set at Shanghai) and as I have else- where observed, above all, delicate. In particular the male vigour of, 11. 11-13 is all her own : there is nothing like it in Sappho, at