Oh, the torment bred in the race

(The results of the midterm elections in the U.S. reminded me of this passage from Aeschylus' THE LIBATION BEARERS)



Oh, the torment bred in the race,
      the grinding scream of death
         and the stroke that hits the vein,
   the hemorrhage none can staunch, the grief,
the curse no man can bear.

But there is a cure in the house,
      and not outside it, no,
         not from others but from them,
   their bloody strife.

We sing to you,
dark gods beneath the earth.
Now hear, you blissful powers underground—
   answer the call, send help.
Bless the children, give them triumph now.