IH 
 
 98
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 From the Library of 
 
 Henry Goldman, Ph.D. 
 
 1886-1972
 
 HORN'S CLASSICAL LIBRARY.
 
 "THE ARGONAUTICA" 
 
 OP 
 
 APOLLONIUS BHODIUS. 
 
 TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE FEOM THE 
 TEXT OF R. MEKKEL 
 
 EDWARD P. COLERIDGE, B.A. 
 
 E COLL. ORIEL, OXON. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 GEORGE BELL AND SONS, YORK STREET, 
 
 COVENT GARDEN. 
 
 1889.
 
 CHISWICK PRESS : c. WHITTINGHAM AND co., TOOKS COURT, 
 
 CHANCERY LANE.
 
 Stack 
 Annex 
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I. TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE ....... vii 
 
 II. LIFE OF AFOLLONIUS RHODIUS ix 
 
 III. Two ANCIENT ARGUMENTS OF THE " ARGONAUTICA ' . xv 
 
 IV. GENEALOGICAL TREE OF THE ^EOLID.E .... xix 
 V. ROUTE OF THE ARGONAUTS xx 
 
 VI. APOLLONIUS'S USE OF POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND PER- 
 SONAL PRONOUNS X xiv 
 
 VII. TRANSLATION OF THE POEM WITH NOTES 1
 
 SHORT LIFE OF APOLLONIUS RHODIUS, 
 
 WITH A FEW REMARKS ON HIS 
 
 " ARGONAUTICA." 
 
 A POLLONIUS RHODIUS was born about B.C. 235, in 
 JL\. the reign of Ptolemy Euergetes, either at Alexandria 
 or at Naucratis. Strabo is in favour of the former, while 
 Athenseus and ./Elian declare for the latter place. 
 
 He appears to have given himself up at an early age to- 
 literary pursuits, and his choice is scarcely to be wondered 
 at when we reflect upon the age in which he lived and 
 the literary atmosphere in which he found himself. We 
 are not expressly told whether it was choice or necessity 
 that led him to select the career he did, but from the fact 
 that the leading poet of that day took the young aspirant 
 in hand and instructed him in his art, we may fairly infer 
 that Apollonius was a man of some standing and position 
 in life. His studies, however, under his master Callimachus 
 were not destined to do either pupil or teacher much 
 credit ; no doubt he obtained some technical skill in his 
 art, but the tastes of Callimachus and Apollonius were so 
 diametrically opposed that the two poets quarrelled, and 
 allowed their professional jealousy to go to such lengths 
 that Apollonius lampooned the style of his teacher, while 
 Callimachus was weak enough to retaliate in a studied
 
 X SHORT LIFE OF APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. 
 
 retort under the title of *' Ibis," the character of which 
 poem, though lost to us, may be gathered from Ovid's 
 poem of the same name. 
 
 Callimachus was the leading exponent of the strained 
 and artificial poetry of his day. Apollonius, with more 
 true artistic instinct, revolted from the want of reality 
 characteristic of most of his contemporaries, and having a 
 genuine admiration for the straightforward simplicity of 
 the Epic age, set himself to imitate Homer. Naturally he 
 made many enemies among the host of poetasters who 
 took their cue from the animosity shown to him by the 
 " Laureate " of the Alexandrine court. Hence, when the 
 " Argonautica " appeared, it was at once condemned as 
 violating the accepted canons of style and composition, 
 and partly, perhaps, owing to certain youthful crudities 
 which were afterwards corrected. Great was the chagrin 
 of the young poet at the reception of his work, and fierce 
 was his anger against Callimachus. The position of the 
 latter, however, was unassailable, and so Apollonius, after 
 a fruitless wordy warfare, determined to seek some new 
 opening for his genius. Accordingly he bade farewell to 
 ungrateful Alexandria, and retired to Rhodes, then the 
 second great seat of literature, taking his poem with 
 him. 
 
 Possibly experience had taught him wherein his poem was 
 deficient. At any rate, he revised the whole of it; and 
 now, free from the cabals of jealous rivals, he received a 
 fair verdict, and at once rose to fame. So popular, indeed, 
 did he become on the reading of his poem, that the 
 Rhodians, it is said, rewarded him with extraordinary 
 honours, and conferred their franchise upon him. From
 
 SHORT LIFE OF APOLLONIUS RHODITTS. XI 
 
 this incident in his career he came to "be called "the 
 Ehodian," a name which has clung to him for ever. 
 
 It was only natural that in his hour of triumph he 
 should long to have his merit acknowledged in his native 
 city in Alexandria, the gathering place of the old world's 
 declining literature and art. Thither, therefore, he came, 
 with his honours upon him, and whether it was that 
 Callimachus and his followers were out of favour, or 
 whether the Alexandrines had relented towards their ill- 
 used poet, certain it is that he attained to great celebrity, 
 and was advanced to valuable posts of trust. Henceforth 
 he could afford to rest upon his hardly-won laurels, his 
 period of " Sturm und Drang " was over ; he had passed 
 through the fire, and it had done him no hurt weighed 
 in the balance he had not been found wanting. 
 
 Of his life henceforth we learn but little, beyond what 
 Suidas tells us as to his having become librarian in the 
 vast royal museum at Alexandria, about B.C. 194. It may 
 well be that this was so; for the PtDlemies, in whose 
 reigns Apollonius lived and wrote, were monarchs not 
 unlikely to bestow such an important literary post upon 
 a man of marked ability and studious habits. Assuming 
 that Suidas is correct in his statement, we find plenty of 
 internal evidence in the poem to suggest that the writer 
 must have been a man of vast erudition, or have had at 
 his command extensive stores of knowledge from which 
 to draw his materials. 
 
 During this period of his life the poet was not idle. 
 Imbued to some extent with the spirit of his age, he 
 produced works at a great pace; epigrams, grammars, 
 and the so-called KnVtic, i.e. poems on the origin and
 
 Ill SHORT LIFE OF APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. 
 
 foundation of towns, but all these are lost to us save a 
 few mutilated fragments and stray lines preserved in 
 other writers. 
 
 In the library at Alexandria he remained until his 
 death in B.C. 181, happy enough, no doubt, amongst the 
 endless treasures of that vast repository of art and 
 learning. 
 
 Of his work that has come down to us, too little notice 
 has beeu taken by English scholars ; for though his style 
 at times bears too evident traces of laboured study, the 
 structure of his poem is simple and straightforward. The 
 mind is not burdened by a multiplicity of episodes, the 
 descriptions are singularly beautiful, and the similes, 
 which are abundant and varied, show the hand of a master, 
 who, if he did sometimes imitate, had at least something 
 graceful of his own to add to what he borrowed, and not 
 infrequently paid back his loan with interest. 
 
 The work found numerous commentators in ancient 
 times, to whom we are indebted for the Florentine and 
 Parisian Scholia. Moreover, Apollonius was very popular 
 among the Romans; so much so that his poem was trans- 
 lated by Publius Terentius Varro Atacinus, and was 
 imitated by Valerius Flaccus and many others.
 
 EDITIONS. 
 
 (i.) J. Lascaris. A.D. 1496. Quarto. Florence. Con- 
 tains the Scholia. 
 
 (ii.) The Aldine edition. A.D. 1581. Octavo. Venice. 
 Little more than a reprint of the Florentine edition. 
 
 (iii.) Brunck. A.D. 1780. Quarto and octavo. Argen- 
 torat. First really critical edition. 
 
 (iv.) Beck. A.D. 1797. Octavo. Leipzig. Incomplete. 
 Text with Latin translation and a few critical notes. 
 
 (v.) G-. Schafer. A.D. 1810-13. 2 vols. octavo. Leipzig. 
 A better edition, and the first containing Paris Scholia. 
 
 (vi.) Wellauer. A.D. 1828. 2 vols. octavo. Leipzig. 
 Still better. Contains readings of thirteen MSS. ; also the 
 Scholia, and notes in Latin. 
 
 (vii.) E. Merkel. A.D. 1852. Teubner, Leipzig. A 
 careful revision of the Laurentine MS., with notes. 
 
 There are, besides these editions of the actual text, 
 certain German essays upon Apollonius, but in England 
 hitherto this author has received but scanty justice.
 
 THE ARGUMENT OF THE "ARGOXAU- 
 
 TICA," FROM THE GREEK OF 
 
 THE SCHOLIASTS. 
 
 , the daughter of Salmoneus, had two sons by 
 J_ Poseidon, Neleus and Pelias ; she afterwards wedded 
 Cretheus, son of ^iEolus, and bore to him j^Eson, Pheres, and 
 Amythaon. From .^Eson sprang Jason ; from Pheres, 
 Admetus ; from Amythaon, Melampus. 
 
 Now Jason was handed over to the Centaur Chiron to be 
 brought up and to learn the art of healing ; while J^son, his 
 father, left the kingdom to Pelias, his own brother, bidding 
 him rule Thessaly until Jason's return from Chiron. But 
 Pelias had received an oracle from Apollo, bidding him 
 beware of a man who should come with only one sandal ; 
 for by him should he be slain. 
 
 So Jason grew up, and came to his uncle, for to take his 
 share in his father's kingdom. But when he came to the 
 river Anaurus, which is in Thessaly, wishing to ford it, 
 there upon the bank he found Hera in the disguise of an 
 old dame, and she would cross, but was afraid. Then did 
 Jason take her upon his shoulders, and carry her safe over, 
 but one sandal left he in the mud in the middle of the 
 river. Thence he fared to the city with his one sandal, and 
 there he found an assembly of the folk, and Pelias doing 
 sacrifice to the gods. When Pelias saw him thus he 
 minded him of the oracle, and being eager to be rid of him 
 he set him this task, that he should go to Scythia in quest
 
 XVI ARGUMENT OF THE " ARGONATTTICA. 
 
 of the golden fleece, and then receive the kingdom. Now 
 this he did from no wish for the fleece, but because he 
 thought that Jason would be slain by some man in that 
 strange land, or be shipwrecked. 
 
 This is the story of the golden fleece.
 
 A SECOND ARGUMENT, GIVEN BY 
 
 BRUNCK, FROM AN UNKNOWN 
 
 ANCIENT SOURCE. 
 
 A THAMAS, the son of ^Eolus, and brother of Cre- 
 jfjL theus, had to Avife Nephele first, and begat two 
 children, Phrixus and Helle. When Nephele died, he 
 married Ino, who did plot against the children of Nephele, 
 and persuaded her country-women to roast the seed for 
 sowing ; but the earth, receiving roasted seed, would not 
 bear her yearly crops. So Athamas sent to Delphi to in- 
 quire about the barrenness ; but Ino bribed his messengers, 
 telling them to return and say, that the god had answered 
 that Helle and Phrixus must be sacrificed if they wanted 
 the barrenness to cease. Wherefore Athamas was per- 
 suaded, and placed them at the altar ; but the gods in pity 
 snatched them away through the air by means of the ram 
 with the golden fleece ; now Helle let go, and fell into the 
 sea that bears her name, while Phrixus landed safe in 
 Colchis. There he offered up the ram to Zeus, who helped 
 his flight, for that he had escaped the plot of his step- 
 mother. And having married Chalciope, daughter of 
 ^Eetes, king of the Scythians, he begat four sons, Argus, 
 Cytissorus, Melas, and Phrontis. And there he died.
 
 
 
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 THE KOUTE OF THE ARGONAUTS 
 
 TO ^EA, AND THEIR RETURN 
 
 THENCE TO IOLCHOS. 
 
 r I "HERE is no particular difficulty in following Argo on her 
 -L outward voyage, or in identifying the numerous places 
 mentioned by Apollonius along the route ; indeed, his knowledge 
 of the geography up to ^Ea, the goal of the enterprisers singularly 
 accurate. It is when we attempt to follow his account of the 
 return journey, which was made by a different route, that we 
 find ourselves utterly perplexed, and forced to the conclusion 
 that our author has been drawing purely from imagination, 
 without any idea of the impossibility of the course which he 
 assigns to the heroes. 
 
 However, we purpose to give the route as described by the 
 poet, noticing difficulties as they occur, though we shall not 
 attempt to correct geographical errors in an account which by 
 no conceivable theory can be reconciled with actual fact. 
 
 The expedition starts from lolchos in Thessaly (i. 523). The 
 ship Argo is moored in the river Anaurus (i. 320). Leaving the 
 harbour of Pagasse (i. 623), the Argonauts sail through the 
 Sinus Pelasgicus, past the promontory of Tisa (i. 568) and the 
 headland of Sepias (i. 582); then coasting between the island of 
 Sciathus (i. 583) and along the Thessalian coast, past the tomb 
 of Dolops (i. 584), Meliboea (i. 592), the mouth of the river 
 Amyrus (i. 596), Eurymenae (i. 597), and the spurs of Ossa and 
 Olympus (i. 598), they make right across the mouth of the Ther- 
 maic gulf to the promontory of Pallene (i. 599) ; 'thence, after 
 sighting Mount Athos (i. 601), they steer for Lemnos (i. 608). 
 After some stay in this island, they go out of their course to the 
 isle of Electra or Samothrace, for the sake of certain mysteries 
 (i. 916) ; then keeping Thrace on the left of the ship and Imbros 
 on the right, they sail across the ^Egean Sea (i. 923) to the
 
 THE ROUTE OF THE AKGONATJTS. XXI 
 
 mouth of the Hellespont (i. 928). Through the Hellespont they 
 sail past Bhoeteum, Ilium, Abydos, Percote, Abarnis, and so to 
 Cyzicus, then an island, now mainland (i. 929 sqq.) in the Pro- 
 pontis. Next they pass the mouth of the river ^Esepus (i. 940) 
 and come to the harbour and bay of Chytus (i. 987), but at this 
 point they are caught by contrary winds and driven back again 
 to Cyzicus (i. 1110). Halting here awhile they go inland to 
 ascend Mount Dindymus and spy out their further route ; then 
 go on again across the mouth of the river Rhyndacus in Mysia 
 (i. 1165) until they reach the headland of Posideum (i. 1279), 
 near to which live the savage Bebryces, whom they encounter 
 and defeat (ii. 1 sqq.) at the mouth of the Bosporus. Thence, 
 after meeting the blind prophet Phineus in Bithynia (ii. 177), 
 they pass through the dreadful Symplegades or Cyanean Bocks, 
 which guard the entrance to the Euxine Sea (ii. 560 sqq.) ; 
 coasting along Bithynia (ii. 621) they pass the mouth of the 
 river Bhebas (ii. 652), the rock of Colone, the Black Headland 
 (ii. 653), the river Phyllis (ii. 654), the river Calpe (ii. 661), and 
 anchor at the Thynian island (ii. 675). Next they cross the 
 mouth of the river Sangarius (ii. 724), passing the territory of 
 the Mariandyni (ii. 725), the river Lycus, lake Anthemous, the 
 river Acheron and its haven (ii. 726 sqq.) ; thence past river 
 Callichorus (ii. 906), the river Parthenius (ii. 938), Sesamus (ii. 
 943), Erythini, and the heights of Crobialus, Cromna, Cytorus 
 and Carambis in Paphlagonia (ii. 945) ; after this they pass 
 Sinope (ii. 948), the river Halys (ii. 965), the river Thermodon 
 (ii. 972), the Amazons and Chalybes (ii. 987 sqq.), the Tibareni, 
 Mossynoeci (ii. 1012 sqq.), land at the isle of Ares and rescue the 
 sons of Chalciope (ii. 1033); thence to the isle of Philyra (ii. 
 1234), past the territory of the Macrones, Becheiri, Sapeirse, 
 Byzeres, till they sight the range of Caucasus and the limit of 
 their voyage (ii. 1245 sqq.) ; they now enter the river Phasis, 
 the river of Colchis, wherein lies the isle of JEa (ii. 1264). 
 
 The Argonauts have thus reached ^Ea. Their voyage as 
 sketched by Apollonius is singularly accurate, and it is clear that 
 he must have been familiar with the geography to have given 
 such an exhaustive list of places, hills, and rivers. 
 
 Briefly the voyage amounts to this. The Argonauts leave the 
 Pelasgicus Sinus (Gulf of Volo), coast along Thessaly to Ther- 
 maicus Sinus (Gulf of Salonica), steer across ^Egaeum Mare 
 (Archipelago) to the Hellespont (Dardanelles) ; through this 
 strait into the Propontis (Sea of Marmara) ; through the Bos- 
 porus into the Euxine (Black Sea). 
 
 Except when they cross the Archipelago, their voyage is 
 almost entirely a coasting one, and is easy to follow on a map.
 
 XX11 THE ROUTE OF THE ARGONAUTS. 
 
 The return route retraces their steps as far as the river Halys- 
 in Paphlagonia ( iv. 245 ) , but then, instead of rounding the headland 
 of Carambis and following the coast-line (iv. 300), they strike 
 out a new course across the open sea to the mouth of the Ister 
 (Danube) (iv. 302). From this point very little information is 
 afforded us by Apollonius as to the places through which the 
 heroes passed. Certain names indeed are mentioned, but they 
 are difficult to identify or localize, e.g., Mount Auchurus (iv. 
 323), the rock of Cauliacus (iv. 324), the plain of Laurium (iv. 
 326), the Brygian isles (iv. 330). Apollonius was evidently 
 aware of the weakness of his own geography, and avoids all 
 details concerning this remarkable river-voyage ; he eventually 
 brings the heroes otit into the Adriatic near the peninsula of 
 Hyllis (iv. 524). It is scarcely necessary to remark on the 
 impossibility of this route, owing to rocks, rapids, cataracts, 
 and an impassable current ; nor are we told into what river the 
 Argonauts made their way out of the Ister in order to arrive at 
 the Adriatic at all. After this they steer towards the Italian 
 coast, passing the islands of Issa, Dusceladus, Pityeia, Corey ra 
 the Black (iv. 563), Melite, Cerossus, Nymphsea, and the 
 Ceraunian hills (iv. 570 sqq.) ; they come to the Eridanus (Po) 
 (iv. 594), and apparently sailing right across northern Italy, gain 
 by some unaccountable means the river Rhone (iv. 625). Here 
 again we are not informed how they achieved this remarkable 
 feat ; the poet seems to labour under the delusion that the 
 Eridanus and Ehone are connected, and that a continuous 
 voyage is possible. Next the heroes are somewhat vaguely said 
 to pass through the territory of the Celts and Ligyans (iv. 645), 
 but no further point on their course is mentioned until they 
 arrive at the Stcechades Insulse (Is. d'Hieres, off the southern 
 coast of Provence) (iv. 652) ; thence they sail across the open 
 sea (Mediterranean) to the isle of JEthalia, passing above 
 Corsica (iv. 652), and so by a long coasting voyage along Italy 
 they reach the yEsean harbour and the promontory of Circe (iv. 
 659) ; thence passing the island of the Sirens (iv. 890) they come 
 to the ^Eolian isles, run the gauntlet of Scylla and Charybdis in 
 the straits between Italy and Sicily (iv. 920 sqq.), coast round the 
 bottom of Italy, and land at Drepane, i.e. Corcyra, where the 
 Phseacians live (iv. 980 sqq.) ; from Drepane they coast along 
 Epirus, Ambracia, and Acarnania, till they reach the Echinades 
 Insulae (iv. 1228) ; but here they are caught by a violent tem- 
 pest and driven to the Syrtis Minor of Africa (iv. 1233). Being 
 unable to get out of the quicksands they carry Argo overland 
 to lake Tritonis (iv. 1389), and, launching her again, sail out to 
 sea. Apparently they now made a very circuitous voyage along 
 the coasts of Africa and Asia Minor until they were opposite to
 
 THE ROUTE OF THE ARGONAUTS. XX1I1 
 
 the island of Carpathus, which they are said to pass ; from 
 thence they came to Crete (iv. 1635) ; thence through the 
 Sporades into the ^Egean to ^Egina (iv. 1764) ; then along the 
 coast of Attica and between Eubcea and the Opuntian Locri (iv. 
 1779), through the Sinus Pelasgicus, to Pagasae, whence they 
 had started. 
 
 The return voyage teems with such insurmountable difficul- 
 ties, and is altogether so hopelessly confused and mythical, that 
 it would be a mere waste of time and patience to attempt to 
 follow it on a modern map. 
 
 We can only indicate briefly the course the heroes are said to 
 have taken. After crossing the Euxine (Black Sea), they rowed 
 through river-ways right across Dacia, Moesia, Illyria, and 
 Dalmatia (Bulgaria, Servia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina), into the 
 Adriatic ; sailing to Italy they cross the northern part by the 
 Eridanus (Po) ; sail into the Rhone, thence into the Mediter- 
 ranean ; right across to the west coast of Italy, along which they 
 pass ; through the Lipari islands and the strait of Messina ; up 
 the east coast of Italy to the Adriatic again ; thence driven by 
 storms they come to the African coast ; being caught in the 
 shoals of the Syrtis they carry Argo overland to lake Tritonis 
 (Bahr Faraouni in Tunis), and finding an outlet into the Medi- 
 terranean, sail along the African coast to the coast of Asia 
 Minor, and so into the ^Egean homewards.
 
 THE USE OF POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES 
 
 AND PERSONAL PRONOUNS IN 
 
 APOLLONIUS. 
 
 EPIC poets after Homer, and perhaps none more than Apol- 
 lonius, affect a singular licence in the use of possessive 
 adjectives, and to a less extent of personal pronouns, confusing 
 their strict meaning to such a degree, that it may he of some 
 service to collect in a short scheme examples of Apollonius 1 
 more notable divergences from classical usage. 
 
 I. fffuiinpoc, the possessive adj. of the 2nd person dual, does 
 duty for 
 
 (a) Possessive adj. of 2nd person singular. Cf. iii. 395. 
 (/3) Possessive adj. of 3rd person singular. Cf. i. 643 ; iii. 
 
 335, 600, 625. 
 (y) Possessive adj. of 3rd person plural. Cf. i. 1286. 
 
 II. ff(j>irfpo, the possessive adj. of 3rd person plural, does duty 
 for 
 
 (a) Possessive adj. of 3rd person singular. Cf. iii. 186, 
 
 622. 
 (/3) Possessive adj. of 2nd person plural. Cf. iv. 1325. 
 
 III. tor, the possessive adj. of 3rd person singular, does duty 
 for 
 
 (a) Possessive adj. of 2nd person singular. Cf. ii. 636 ; 
 
 iii. 140. 
 (3) Possessive adj. of 3rd person plural. Cf. i. 1113 ; iii. 327. 
 
 IV. The personal pronoun of 3rd person singular does duty 
 for 
 
 (a) 1st person singular. Cf. ii. 637 ; iii. 99. 
 (/3) 2nd person singular. Cf. i. 893.
 
 BOOK I. 

 
 AKGTJMENT. 
 
 Pelias, in alarm, sends Jason to Colchis to fetch the golden fleece. 
 So Jason gathers the chieftains, and is chosen captain himself. After 
 launching Argo they sail on without adventure as far as Lemnos, where 
 they stay awhile, and are hospitably received by Hypsipyle the queen. 
 Thence they come to the Doliones and their king Cyzicus, and are 
 kindlj- entertained. Giants withstand them at Dindymus, but these 
 are shot by Heracles. On the same night a storm drives the ship back 
 to Cyzicus, and in the darkness they and the J)olioncs come to blows, 
 and Cyzicus is slain. After mourning for him, they sail on to Mysia, 
 where Hylas is lost, and Heracles, who will not be comforted, is left 
 behind with Polyphemus.
 
 THE ARGONAUTICA OF APOLLONIUS 
 RHODIUS. 
 
 WITH thee, Phoebus, will I begin and record the 
 famous deeds of those men of old time, who, at the 
 bidding of king Pelias, rowed the good ship Argo past the 
 mouth of the Euxine and through the rocks Cyanean 1 to 
 fetch the golden fleece. 
 
 For Pelias had heard an oracle on this wise, that in the 
 latter days a hateful doom awaited him, even death at the 
 prompting of one whom he should see come forth from the 
 people with but one sandal. And not long after, according 
 to the sure report, came Jason on foot across the stream of 
 a swollen torrent, and one sandal did he save from 'neath 
 the mud, but the other left he there sticking in the river- 
 bed. So he came to Pelias forthwith to take a part in the 
 solemn feast, which he was offering to his father Poseidon 
 and the other gods, but to Pelasgian Hera 2 he paid no 
 heed. And the instant Pelias saw Jason, he was ware of 
 him, and made ready to his hurt a grievous task of seaman- 
 
 1 Kvaviai TrtTpai, elsewhere called IIXayKrai and Sv/jTrXr/yafoe. These 
 famous rocks, which are also mentioned by Homer and Euripides, were 
 said to guard the entrance to the Pontus. 
 
 2 The poet, whilst noticing the favour borne by Hera to Jason, gives 
 no reason for the neglect shown to her by Pelias. 
 
 TleXatrylSoc here = 9(T<ra\ucJje ; the Pelasgi inhabiting Phthiotis in 
 Thessaly. Cf. Horn. 11. ii. 681.
 
 4 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 ship, that so he might lose his return in the deep or haply 
 among strange folk. 
 
 Now minstrels even before my day do tell how Argus by 
 the counsels of Athene built a ship for him ; but mine 
 shall it now be to declare the lineage and name of the 
 heroes, and their passage of the long sea, and all that they 
 did in their wanderings ; and may the Muses be the 
 heralds of my song ! 
 
 First then let us make mention of Orpheus ; he it was, 
 whom, on a day, as rumour saith, Calliope bare beside the 
 peak of Pimpleia, her pledge of love to Thracian (Eager. 
 He, men say, did charm the stubborn rocks upon the hills 
 and the river streams by the strains of his minstrelsy. 
 And wild oaks, memorials yet of that his singing, which 
 he had led right on from Pieria by the spell of his lyre, 
 marched in ordered ranks, each behind his fellow, to range 
 themselves, with all their leaves, upon the fringe of the 
 Thracian shore. So mighty a man was Orpheus, whom 
 the son of JEson, by the counsels of Chiron, did persuade 
 and take to help him in his toils from his kingship over 
 Bistonian Pieria. 
 
 Anon came Asterion ; he it was whom Cometes did beget 
 by the waters of swirling Apidanus, when he dwelt in 
 Peiresia, hard by the Phylleian hill, where mighty Apidanus * 
 and divine Enipeus do unite, flowing into one stream from 
 their distant sources. 
 
 To these came Polyphemus, 2 son of Elatus, having left 
 Larissa ; who erst, what time the Lapithae armed against 
 
 1 The Apidanus and Enipeus, two rivers in Thessaly. The Phylleian 
 mountain is in Macedonia. Peiresia, or Pieria, name of a Macedonian 
 district and town. 
 
 2 The Polyphemus here mentioned is not the same as the giant 
 shepherd of Sicily, whom Odysseus blinded. This hero, who figures 
 afterwards as the loyal and trusty friend of Heracles, had already dis- 
 tinguished himself in the famous battle between the Lapithae and the 
 Centaurs at the wedding feast of Pirithous.
 
 L. 17-66.] THE AEGONAUTICA. 5 
 
 the Centaurs, joined the fray as the youngest of the mighty 
 Lapithse. Now on that day were his limbs weighed down 
 with wine, but firm abode his warlike spirit still, even as 
 aforetime. 
 
 No long space was Iphiclus, uncle of the son of ^Eson, 
 left behind in Phylace ; for ^iEson had wedded his sister, 
 Alcimede of Phylace ; whence the claims of blood and kith 
 bade him enrol himself in the muster. 
 
 Neither did Admetus, lord of Pherse, rich in sheep, abide 
 beneath the peak of the Chalcodonian mountain. 
 
 Erytus and Echion too, sons of Hermes, well skilled in 
 craftiness, and rich in broad cornlands, lingered not in 
 Alope ; and yet a third arrived to join them as they were 
 starting, .ZEthalides, their kinsman ; l him by the stream of 
 Myrniidonian Amphrysus did Eupolemeia, maid of Phthia, 
 bear ; but those other twain were sons of Antianeira, 
 daughter of Menetes. 
 
 Came too Coronus, son of Cseneus, 2 leaving rich G-yrton, a 
 goodly man, yet scarce his father's match. For minstrels 
 tell how Caeneus, though he liveth yet, was slain by the 
 Centaurs ; what time, alone and apart from the other 
 chiefs, he routed them ; and, when they suddenly rallied 
 again, they could not make him give way nor slay him ; 
 but he, unconquered and unflinching, passed beneath the 
 earth, smitten by the heavy pines they hurled on him. 
 
 Next came Mopsus, sprung from Titaron ; him the son 
 of Leto had taught the augury of birds beyond all men ; 
 
 1 yvwroe here as elsewhere in Apollonius Rhodius means " kinsman," 
 not " well-known." 
 
 2 Cseneus took part in the battle between the Lapithse and Centaurs. 
 Ovid, Metam. xii. 171 sqq., relates how Cseneus had originally been a 
 beautiful maiden named Csenis ; this maiden Poseidon loved and changed 
 into a man who should be invulnerable ; so when in the battle the Cen- 
 taurs could not kill Cseneus with sword or spear, they buried him alive 
 beneath a mass of trees, but even so his spirit sped away in the form of 
 a bird.
 
 6 APOLLONIUS KHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 likewise came Eurydamas, son of Ctimenus, who had his 
 dwelling in Dolopian Ctimene, nigh unto the Xunian 1 
 lake. 
 
 Moreover Actor sent forth his son Mencetius from Opus, 
 to go with the chieftains. 
 
 And Eurytion followed, and valiant Eribotes ; one the 
 son of Teleon, the other of Irus, son of Actor ; verily, 
 famous Eribotes was sprung from Teleon, and Eurytion 
 had Irus for his sire. With these went a third, Oileus, 
 matchless for chivalry, and skilled enow in rushing on the 
 rear of the foe, what time their ranks give way. 
 
 From Eubcea Canthus hied him forth ; he it was whom 
 Canethus, son of Abas, was sending with eager feet ; yet 
 was he never to turn again and reach Cerinthus. For his 
 fate it was with Mopsus, that skilled diviner, to wander to 
 his death in the utmost ends of Libya. For of evils none 
 is too far away for man to meet therewith; seeing that 
 men buried those twain even in Libya, as far from Colchis 
 as the rising and the setting of the sun are seen to be from 
 each other. 
 
 Next then gathered to the muster Clytius and Iphitus, 
 wardens of (Echalia, sons of Eurytus the harsh that 
 Eurytus, to whom the far-darting god gave a bow ; yet had 
 he no joy of the gift, for of his own choice he strove with 
 the giver himself. 
 
 After these the sons of JEacus joined the quest ; they 
 came not both together, nor from the same place ; for they 
 dwelt apart, keeping aloof from jiEgina, since the day, 
 when in their witlessness they slew their kinsman Phocus. 
 Now Telamon had settled in Salamis, isle of Attica ; while 
 Peleus went away and builded him a home in Phthia. 
 
 Next came the warrior Butes from Cecropia, the son of 
 
 1 The Xunian lake is in Thessaly. The Scholiast says it was so 
 called from being on the confines of Thessaly and Boeotia, and so common. 
 (vv6v = KOIVOV) to both ; it was not far from lake Bcebe.
 
 L. 67-111.] THE AEGONAUTICA. 7 
 
 goodly Teleon, and Phalerus of the stout ashen spear. 
 Alcon, his sire, had sent him forth, albeit he had no other 
 sons to nurse the evening of his life ; yet for all he was 
 his well-beloved, 1 yea, his only-begotten, still would he 
 send him to win renown among those heroes bold. 
 
 But Theseus, who far excelled all the sons of Erechtheus, 
 did an unseen 2 bond keep back beneath the land of Taenarus, 
 for thither had he gone along with Peirithous. Verily 
 these twain might 3 have made the accomplishment of their 
 toil lighter for them all. 
 
 And Tiphys, son of Hagnias, left his Thespian folk in 
 Siphas ; a cunning prophet he to foretell a rising tumult 
 amid the waves of the wide sea, and cunning to divine 
 storms of wind and the course of a ship from the sun and 
 the stars. Him did Tritonian Athene herself rouse to the 
 gathering of the chiefs, and he came amongst men eager for 
 his coming ; for it was Athene, too, that builded the swift 
 ship, and with her had Argus, son of Arestor, fashioned it 
 
 1 rr]\vytTO. Whatever be the derivation of this much-disputed word, 
 one meaning seems to cling to it throughout Apollonius Rhodius, and it 
 is to be remembered that the Alexandrine usage of words does not 
 necessarily correspond with that of earlier writers. The Alexandrine 
 etymology was not unfrequently very faulty ; and so in translating this 
 doubtful Homeric word as " well-beloved," from the idea of affection 
 naturally attaching to the last born child, we shall be following the 
 meaning of the author, although perhaps he misunderstood the word 
 himself. 
 
 2 air)\o. Apollonius greatly affects the use of Homeric words, 
 though not by any means always in their Homeric sense, which possibly 
 was misinterpreted by the critics of Alexandria. The word aiSrj\og is 
 used here and elsewhere by the poet in the sense of " unseen," probably 
 from a false etymology, though into a controversy upon Homeric words, 
 which are still in many cases " sub judice," we cannot here attempt to 
 enter. 
 
 Theseus, attempting to carry off Persephone from Hades, was over- 
 come and bound by an invisible agency to a rock from which he could 
 not rise. 
 
 3 An ellipse of " if they had been there."
 
 8 APOLLONIUS KHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 by her counsels. Wherefore was Argo far the best of all 
 the barques that ever crossed the sea with oars. 
 
 Next came Phlias from Araethyrea, where he dwelt in 
 plenty by the grace of Dionysus, his father, in his home 
 by the springs of Asopus. 
 
 From Argos came forth Talaus and Areius, two sons of 
 Bias; and mighty Leodocus, whom Pero, daughter of 
 Neleus, bare; for her sake Melampus, son of ^Eolus, 
 endured grievous misery in the steading of Iphiclus. 
 
 Nor are we told that mighty Heracles, stout of heart, 
 made light of the earnest prayer of the son of ^Eson. Nay, 
 when he heard the report that the heroes were gathering, 
 he changed his path anew from Arcadia and came to 
 Lyrceian Argos, whither he was bringing alive a boar that 
 battened in the glens of Lampeia l beside the vast marsh of 
 Erymanthus ; and he cast him down from off his mighty 
 back, fast bound in chains, at the entrance to the assembly 
 of the Mycenaeans, while himself started off as he listed 
 against the purpose of Eurystheus; and with him came 
 Hylas, his trusty squire, in the bloom of youth, to bear his 
 arrows and to keep his bow. 
 
 Next came the son of divine Danaus, Nauplius. Lo! 
 he was son of Clytoneus, the child of Naubolus ; and 
 Naubolus was the son of Lernus ; and of Lernus we are 
 told that he was the son of Prcetus, whom Nauplius begat ; 
 for the maid Amymone, daughter of Danaus, in days gone 
 by, bare, from the embraces of Poseidon, Nauplius, who far 
 excelled all men in seamanship. 
 
 And hist of those, who dwelt in Argos, came Idmon ; 
 for he would be there, although from augury he knew his 
 fate ; lest the people should grudge him a fair fame. He, 
 of a truth, was no son of Abas, but the child of Leto him- 
 self begat him to swell the number of the famous race of 
 
 1 A mountain in Arcadia, in which the river Erymanthus rises.
 
 L. 112-173.] THE ARGONATJTICA. 
 
 ; l yea, and himself did teach him divination, and to 
 heed the flight of birds, and to read signs in blazing fire. 
 
 Moreover, .ZEtolian Leda sent forth from Sparta strong 
 Polydeuces and Castor, skilled to curb fleet steeds ; these, 
 her well-beloved sons, she bare at one birth in the halls of 
 Tyndarus, and when they would go she said not nay, for 
 her thoughts were worthy the bride of Zeus. 
 
 From Arene came the sons of Apharetus, Lynceus and 
 Idas, of overweening pride, both too confident in their great 
 strength ; and Lynceus too excelled in the keenness of his 
 sight, if that is really a true legend, that he could see with 
 ease a man even beneath the earth. 
 
 And with them Periclynienus, son of Neleus, started to go, 
 eldest of all the children that were born to divine Neleus 
 in Pylos ; him Poseidon gifted with boundless might, and 
 granted that 2 whatsoever he should pray to be during the 
 fray, that should he become in the stress of battle. 
 
 Again, from Arcadia came Amphidamas and Cepheus, 
 who dwelt in Tegea, the heritage of Apheidas, the two sons 
 of Aleus ; and eke a third followed in their train, Ancaeus, 
 whom his own father Lycurgus was sending ; he was elder 
 brother to those twain, but was left behind in the city that 
 he might care for Aleus in his old age, but he sent his own 
 son to join his brethren. And the young man went on his 
 way, brandishing the skin of a bear of Maenalus, and in his 
 right hand a great two-edged axe. For his grandsire 
 Aleus had hidden his weapons in an inner closet, if haply 
 he might stay him even yet from setting out. 
 
 There came too Augeas, who, legend saith, is son to 
 Helios ; and over the men of Elis this prince held sway, 
 
 1 ./Eolus, the son of Hellen, had two sons, Cretheus and Athamas ; 
 JEson was the son of Cretheus ; Jason, the son of ./Eson. 
 
 2 Periclymenus had the power of changing his shape at will during 
 battle. 
 
 TJ here is demonstrative z=" that."
 
 10 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 glorying in his wealth ; but greatly did he long to see the land 
 of Colchis and vEetes in person, the leader of the Colchians. 
 
 And Asterius and Amphion, sons of Hyperasius, came 
 from Achaean Pellene, which on a day their grandsire 
 Pelles founded on the crags by the sea-shore. 
 
 To these, again, came Euphemus, leaving Tsenarus ; he 
 it was whom Europe, daughter of Tityus, of giant strength, 
 bare, outstripping all in speed of foot. He would run 
 upon the sea's gray swell, and never wet his swift feet; 
 but, moistening just the soles thereof, he sped along his 
 watery l path. 
 
 And there came two other sons of Poseidon ; the one, to 
 wit, Erginus, who had left the town of noble Miletus ; the 
 other, Ancaeus, the proud, who had come from Parthenie, 
 seat of Imbrasian 2 Hera ; both these boasted their knowledge 
 of seacraft and of war. 
 
 Next came valiant Meleager, son of (Eneus, having 
 started from Calydon, and Laocoon too, who was brother 
 of (Eneus ; yet were they not sons of one mother, but him 
 did a bondwoman bear ; he it was whom (Eneus sent, now 
 that he was grown up, to guard his child ; so while yet a 
 youth he entered that brave band of heroes, and none, me- 
 thinks, mightier than he had come, save Heracles alone, if 
 he had stayed but one year 3 longer there and been trained 
 
 1 citpfi. The meaning of this word in this passage at any rate is 
 clearer than its etymology. From the context it obviously = " wet," 
 but Homeric scholars will remember passages in which this rendering is 
 inadmissible. 
 
 2 'IpPpaoiTie, I.e. Samian. The Imbrasus is a river in Samos, near 
 which, according to one legend, Hera spent her early years. 
 
 i 3 \vKaftavra. It is difficult on etymological grounds to account for 
 this word. Both in Homer and in the Alexandrine imitators of his 
 style it seems to mean "a year." One derivation connects it with 
 \VKTI fiaivu = the path of light, i.e. the sun's course, i.e. the year ; but 
 this is scarcely less fanciful than the Scholiast's suggestion that it is a 
 variant form of Xvyufiav ra, from Xvyov, " an osier," the colour of which, 
 he says, is black, " and with blackness the year departs."
 
 L. 174-231.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 11 
 
 up amongst the ^Etolians. And lo ! his uncle Iphiclus, the 
 son of Thestius, bare him company on that journey, a, 
 spearman good, and skilled enow as well to match himself 
 with any in close fight. 
 
 And with him was Palaemonius, son of Leriius, of Olenus ; 
 son of Lernus men called him, but he drew his lineage from 
 Hephaestus, wherefore he was lame of foot ; but none would 
 have the hardihood to scorn his form and manliness, where- 
 fore he too was numbered amongst the other chiefs, swel- 
 ling the fame of Jason. 
 
 From the Phocians then came Iphitus, sprung from 
 Naubolus, son of Ornytus ; now he had been Jason's host 
 aforetime when he came to Pytho to ask an oracle about 
 his voyage ; for there did Iphitus receive him in his halls. 
 
 Next came the sons of Boreas, Calais and Zetes, whom, 
 on a day, Oreithyia, daughter of Erechtheus, bare to Boreas 
 at the verge of wintry Thrace ; thither it was that Thracian 
 Boreas had snatched her away from Cecropia, as she was 
 circling in the dance by the banks of the Ilissus. And 
 from afar he brought her to the spot men call Sarpedon's 
 rock, beside the stream of the river Erginus, and there he 
 shrouded her in dark clouds, and had his will of her. 
 These his two sons made strong pinions move on either 
 ancle as they rose, a mighty marvel to behold, radiant with 
 scales of gold ; and about their backs, from the crown of 
 the head and on" either side the neck, dark hair was waving 
 in the breeze. 
 
 Nor yet had Acastus, son of stalwart Pelias himself, any 
 longing to abide within his father's house ; nor Argus 
 either, servant of the goddess Athene ; nay, for they too, I 
 ween, were to be counted in the muster. 
 
 This, then, is the tale of those who gathered to the son 
 of Jilson to aid him with their counsel ; whom the neigh- 
 bouring folk called Minyan chieftains, one and all, since 
 most of them, and those the best, avowed them to be of the
 
 12 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 blood of the daughters of Minyas ; even so Alcimede, the 
 mother of Jason himself, was sprung from Clymene, a 
 daughter of Minyas. 
 
 Now when the thralls had made all things ready, where- 
 with ships are furnished for their freight, whenso business 
 calls men to make a voyage across the sea ; in that hour 
 they betook them to the ship through the city to the place 
 men call the headland of Pagasae, 1 in Magnesia ; and around 
 them a crowd of folk ran thronging eagerly ; but they 
 showed like bright stars amid clouds, and thus would each 
 man say as he gazed on them flashing in their harness : 
 " King Zeus, what is the intent of Pelias ? whither is he 
 sending such a muster of heroes from out the Panachsean 2 
 land ? They will sack the homes of JEetes with baleful fire 
 the very day they see them, if so be he give them not the 
 fleece of his own accord. But the voyage may not be 
 shunned, nor shall their toil be fruitless, if they go." 
 
 So spake they, one here, one there throughout the city ; 
 and the women lifted up their hands full oft toward 
 heaven to the immortal gods, praying that they would 
 grant the accomplishment of their return as their heart 
 desired. And one to another would thus complain through 
 her tears : " Ah, hapless Alcimede, to thee too hath sorrow 
 come, late though it be, nor hast thou finished thy course 
 with joy. Surely JSson is a man of sorrows, and that in no 
 small measure. Yea, better for him had it been, if ere this 
 he had been wrapped in his shroud 3 and were lying 'neath 
 the earth, a stranger still to evil enterprises. Would that 
 the black wave had engulfed Phrixus too, fleece and all, 
 
 1 Pagasae, the starting-point and also the landing-place on the return 
 of the expedition, is a headland of Magnesia ; there was a harbour there 
 in the historical days of the Greek states. 
 
 2 Thessaly is called Panachsean because it was first named Achaea, 
 from Achaeus, the son of Xuthas. 
 
 3 KTipia generally = possessions of any kind, here = shroud. Of. 
 Kr'tava.
 
 L. 232-281.] THE AKGONAUTICA. 13 
 
 on the day that the maiden Helle perished ! But no ! that 
 prodigy of ill uttered l a human voice, that it might bring 
 grief and countless woes to Alcimede, in days to come." 
 
 Thus would the women speak as the heroes went on their 
 way forth. And many thralls, both men and maids, were 
 already gathering, and his mother flung herself on Jason's 
 neck. For piercing grief had entered each woman's breast ; 
 and with her his father, bowed by baleful age, made moan 
 upon his bed, closely veiled from head to foot. 
 
 And Jason, the while, was soothing their grief with 
 words of comfort ; but he signed to the thralls to take up 
 his weapons of war, and they in silence and with downcast 2 
 look took them up. But his mother, so soon as she had 
 thrown her arms around her boy, so clung to him, while 
 her sobs 3 came ever more thick and fast ; as when a maiden 
 in her solitude is fain to cast her arms about her gray- 
 haired nurse and weep, one who hath none left to defend 
 her, but she leads a cruel life under a step-mother, who ill- 
 treats her tender years with many a flout ; and as she 
 weeps, her heart within her is held fast in misery, nor can 
 she utter 4 half the grief she yearneth to ; even thus was Al- 
 cimede weeping loud and long, as she held her son in her 
 arms. And in her affliction she spake this word : " Ah ! 
 would that I had straight given up the ghost and so for- 
 gotten my troubles, on the day I heard king Pelias declare 
 to my sorrow his evil hest, that thou, my child, with thine 
 
 1 The ram which rescued Phrixus and Helle from the cruelty of 
 their step-mother Ino had the power of human speech. 
 
 2 car?j0 literally =" with heads bowed down with woe." 
 
 3 icXaiovaa dSivtartpov. Another Homeric phrase. aSivog = thick, 
 close ; so the meaning seems to be " with sobs coming quicker and 
 quicker upon each other ; " perhaps " choking " is an English equiva- 
 lent. Homer uses the word frequently of " thronging sheep " (ddiva 
 
 4 tK<t>\vKai is literally the boiling and bubbling of water heated in a 
 cauldron.
 
 14 APOLLONIUS EHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 own dear hands mightest have buried me ; since that was 
 all I yet could wish of thee, for all else that thy nurture 
 owed I have long enjoyed. Now shall I, who erst was so 
 admired by the Achaean women, be left like a slave in my 
 empty halls, miserably wasting away in longing for thee, 
 over whom 1 once had much joy and glory, my only son for 
 whom I loosed my maiden zone l for the first time and the 
 last. For the goddess Eileithyia 2 exceedingly did grudge 
 me many children. Ah me ! for my blind folly ! Little I 
 recked of this, even in dreams, that Phrixus would be an 
 evil for me to shun." 
 
 Thus was she, poor lady, sobbing and wailing, and the 
 women her handmaids took up the wail in turn, but Jason 
 spake to her softly with words of comfort : " Mother mine, 
 lay not such piteous grief on me thus all too much, for by 
 thy tears shalt thou not keep from suffering ; nay, thou 
 wilt join sorrow on to sorrow. For the gods allot to 
 mortals woes they cannot see. Take heart to bear the lot 
 of mortals for all thy heaviness of soul, and cheer thee with 
 the solemn promise of Athene and with the god's answer, 
 for very favourable was the word of Phoebus, and after 
 these with the aid of the chieftains. But now do thou 
 with thy handmaidens abide quietly within the house, and 
 be not a bird of ill omen to our ship ; for my clansmen and 
 my thralls shall lead me on my way thither." 
 
 He spake, and forth from the house started on his path. 
 Even as Apollo goes forth from his fragrant shrine through 
 holy Delos, or Claros, or through Pytho, in his might, or 
 wide Lycia by the streams of Xanthus ; in such beauty 
 went he through the throng of folk, and there arose a shout 
 
 1 The poetical allusion is to the custom of young married women 
 dedicating the fjurpa or U>I>T] to Artemis after the birth of their first 
 child. 
 
 a Eileithyia, i.e. the goddess who comes to aid women in childbirth; 
 the Romans called her Lucina, afterwards identified with Diana.
 
 L. 282-342.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 15 
 
 of men giving commands all together. And there met him 
 Iphias, the aged priestess of Artemis, protectress of the 
 city ; and she clasped him by his right hand but could not 
 say a word for all her longing, since the crowd went hasting 
 on ; so she turned aside and left him there, as an old dame 
 must before younger folk ; and lo ! he passed by and was 
 gone far away. 
 
 Now when he had left the streets of the town with their 
 fair buildings, and was come to the headland of Pagasse ; 
 there did his comrades welcome him, abiding together be- 
 side the ship Argo. There she stood at the river mouth, 
 and they were gathered over against her ; when lo ! they 
 saw Acastus and with him Argus coming forth from the 
 city to them, and they marvelled to see them hasting thither 
 with all speed, against the will of Pelias. And the one, 
 Argus, son of Arestor, had fastened about his shoulders a 
 bull's hide, reaching to his feet, black, with the hair upon 
 it ; but the other had a fair mantle of double woof, which 
 his sister Pelopeia gave to him. But Jason refrained for 
 all that from questioning the pair on each point, but bade 
 them seat themselves at the assembly ; for there were they 
 sitting one and all in rows on furled sails and the mast 
 that lay upon the ground. And amongst them the son of 
 jiEson spake with good intent, " For the rest, whatsoever a 
 ship should be furnished withal lies ready against our start, 
 for all hath been done well and in order ; therefore no long 
 space will we hold back from our voyage on that account, 
 when but the winds blow fair. Nay but, friends, since our 
 return to Hellas again is for all of us, and for all is the 
 voyage to the land of ^etes, choose ye therefore now un- 
 grudgingly the best of you for leader, to whom each thing 
 shall be a care, to take upon him our quarrels and our 
 covenants with strangers." 
 
 So spake he : and the young men looked round at bold 
 Heracles sitting in their midst ; and with one shout they
 
 16 APOLLONIUS KHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 bade Jason declare him leader ; but he forthwith, from 
 where he sat, stretched out his right hand and uttered his 
 voice, " Let none offer this honour to me. For I will never 
 consent ; wherefore I will even stay another from rising up. 
 Let him who gathered us together, also lead the throng." 
 
 So spake he in the greatness of his heart; and they 
 would have it as Heracles bade. Then arose warlike Jason 
 himself in his gladness, and to his eager listeners thus made 
 harangue : "If then 'tis your will that your fame be in my 
 hands, no longer let the voyage be delayed as hitherto. 
 Now forthwith let us appease Phoebus with sacrifice and 
 make a feast at once ; and whilst my thralls, the overseers 
 of my steadings, go forth, whose business it is to make good 
 choice of oxen and drive them hither from the herd ; mean- 
 time will we drag the ship to sea, and do ye place all the 
 tackling therein and allot the oars amongst the benches ; 
 and let us the while build an altar on the strand to Apollo, 
 lord of embarkation, who in answer to my prayer hath 
 promised to declare and show the passage o'er the sea, if 
 haply by sacrifice to him I may begin my contest with the 
 king." 
 
 So spake he, and was the first to turn him to the work, 
 and they rose up obedient to him ; and they piled up their 
 garments apart in rows on a smooth ledge of rock, over 
 which the sea burst not with its waves, but long ago the 
 stormy brine had washed it clean. First then by the coun- 
 sels of Argus they lashed the ship stoutly with a well- 
 twisted cable from within, stretching it on either side, that 
 the timbers might hold fast by their bolts and have strength 
 to meet the breakers. 1 And quickly they scooped out a 
 
 1 The account of the launching of Argo is by no means easy to 
 understand in all its details. It seems that the heroes dug a trench in 
 front of the bows of the ship and a little way beneath her ; then, as she 
 tilted forward of her own weight, they placed rollers under her keel, 
 and continued their trench at a somewhat greater depth, and so on, at a
 
 L. 343-395.] THE AKGONAUTICA. 17 
 
 space as wide as the ship's girth encompassed, and about 
 the prow into the deep they dug out all that she would 
 take to run in, when they hauled her down. And ever in 
 front of the keel they kept hollowing deeper in the ground, 
 and in the furrow did they lay smooth rollers, and on to 
 the first of these they tilted her forward, that she might 
 slide along them and be carried on. And above, on this 
 side and on that, they laid the oars across the ship, so as to 
 project a cubit, and they bound them to the tholes ; while 
 they stood there on either side at alternate oars and pushed 
 with hand and chest together. And amongst them went 
 Tiphys to encourage the young men to push in time. 
 Loudly he shouted to urge them, and they at once leant on 
 with all their might, and thrust her with one rush right 
 from out her place, while with their feet they strained 
 and strove ; and lo ! Pelian Argo went with them very 
 swiftly, and they darted from her sides with a cheer. Be- 
 neath her heavy keel the rollers groaned at the friction, and 
 around them dark smoke and flame leapt l up beneath the 
 weight, and into the sea she slid. Then did they check her 
 onward course and held her with a rope. And they fitted 
 oars on both sides to the tholes, and laid the mast and 
 shapely sails and stores within her. 
 
 Now when they had taken careful heed to each thing, 
 first they portioned out the benches by lot, two men being 
 
 lower and lower grade, until they eased her down to the water's edge. 
 After this, apparently (cf. 1. 278), they placed oars right across the ship 
 from side to side, so that the blades protruded on one side, the handles 
 on the other, alternately ; then making these fast with cords to the 
 tholes, they used them to push against, and so thrust Argo into deep 
 water with a rush. 
 
 If this is what the poet intends, we should have to assume that the 
 beach was naturally a sloping one ; otherwise the plan of the graduated 
 trench would have been a matter of some difficulty. 
 
 1 Kt]Kit. Strictly this word means " to ooze " of juices from burnt 
 flesh.
 
 18 APOLLONIUS RHODIU8. [BOOK I. 
 
 told off to one bench, but the midmost bench, apart from 
 the other heroes, did they select for Heracles and Ancaeus, 
 who dwelt in the citadel of Tegea. For them alone they 
 left the middle seat, at once, without casting lots ; and 
 with one accord they entrusted Tiphys to mind the helm of 
 their ship with her good keel. 
 
 Next, hard by the sea, they raised a pile of shingle, and 
 builded an altar there upon the strand to Apollo, naming 
 it after him who holds the shore and favours those who go 
 aboard. And quickly they laid thereon logs of dry olive ; 
 meantime, the herdsmen of the son of .^Eson drove before 
 them from the herd two oxen ; these the young men of his 
 crew dragged to the altar, while others then held the lustral l 
 water and meal for sprinkling nigh. And Jason called 
 upon Apollo, the god of his fathers, and prayed, " Hearken, 
 O king, who dwellest in Pagasae and the city of ^Eson, that 
 is called after my sire, thou who didst promise me when I 
 sought to thee at Pytho to show me the accomplishment 
 and end of my journey. For 'twas thou thyself that wast 
 the cause 2 of the enterprise. Do thou then bring my ship 
 with my comrades safe and sound hither back to Hellas- 
 Then in thy honour will we lay hereafter on thy altar noble 
 sacrifices of bulls for all of us who shall return, and other 
 gifts will I bring to Pytho, and others to Ortygia in count- 
 less number. Come then and receive this sacrifice at our 
 hands, far-darting god ; which we have set before thee ; a 
 first gift, as an offering for our embarking on this ship ; 
 and may I loose my cables with a harmless destiny through 
 
 = water for washing the hands of those who offered the 
 sacrifice. 
 
 ovXvxvrai = the bruised barley for sprinkling upon the victim and 
 the altar as a beginning of the ceremony. Cf. the phrase OV\VXVTO. 
 KUTopxeffBai, 7rpo\VTai in 1. 425 is used in the same sense. 
 
 3 Apollo was answerable, because he had given the oracle which 
 frightened Pelias into sending Jason on his dangerous voyage, to get 
 rid of him.
 
 L. 396-453.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 19 
 
 thy guidance, and may soft breezes blow, wherewith we may 
 go in fair weather across the sea." 
 
 He spake, and, as he prayed, cast the barley-meal. And 
 those twain, Ancaeus the proud and Heracles, girt them- 
 selves to slay the steers. Now the one smote with his club 
 the middle of the head about the forehead, and forthwith 
 the ox lay fallen in a heap upon the earth. But Ancseus 
 struck the other on his broad neck with a brazen axe and 
 cleft the strong sinews, and down he tumbled, doubled up l 
 upon his horns. Quickly then their comrades cut the 
 oxen's throats, and flayed their hides ; next broke them up 
 and carved them, cutting out the sacred thighs, which they 
 wrapped closely in fat all together and burnt upon firewood. 
 Next the son of ./Eson poured pure libations ; and Idmon 
 was glad, when he saw the flame blaze up on every side 
 from the sacrifice and the smoke thereof leaping up favour- 
 ably in dark- gleaming wreaths ; and forthwith he declared 
 outright the will of the son of Leto. 
 
 " Lo ! it is the will of heaven and your destiny to come 
 hither again bringing the fleece with you, but countless 
 toils meantime await you as you come and go. But for 
 me 'tis fated to die by the hateful doom of a god, some- 
 where far away on Asia's strand. Even so came I forth 
 from my fatherland, though I knew my doom a while ago 
 from evil omens, that I might embark upon the ship, and 
 fair fame be left me in my home for my embarking." 
 , So spake he : and the young warriors heard his prophecy 
 and were glad for their return, though grief seized them 
 for the fate of Idmon. Now when the sun had passed the 
 still hour of noon, and the plough-lands were just shadowed 
 by the rocks, as the sun declined beneath the evening dusk ; 
 in that hour all strewed a deep couch of leaves upon the 
 
 Cf. Homer, Od. xxii. 84, where one of the suitors 
 when shot by Odysseus " falls doubled up over a table " (which he was 
 using as a shield) irepipprjdris Se Tpcnrey
 
 20 APOLLONIUS BHODITJS. [BOOK I. 
 
 sand and laid them down in order before the gray sea's 
 edge, and beside them lay vast stores of food and sweet 
 mead, which cupbearers drew forth in beakers ; next they 
 told each other tales in turn, such tales as young men oft 
 love to tell for their pastime l o'er the feast and wine, what 
 time the spirit of insatiate violence is far away. Now the 
 son of Jilson the while was lost in wonder, and was ponder- 
 ing each matter within himself like to one downcast, when 
 lo ! Idas noted him askance, and with loud voice railed upon 
 him, " Thou son of ^Eson, what plan is this thou turnest 
 over in thy heart ? Speak out thy will here in the midst. 
 Is it fear, that bugbear of cowards, that is coming upon 
 thee and mastering thee ? Be witness 'twixt us now, my 
 impetuous spear, wherewith I win myself renown far be- 
 yond other men in the wars, nor is it Zeus that helpeth me 
 the half as much as this my spear, yea, let it witness that 
 there shall come no deadly woe, and that no task shall re- 
 main unaccomplished while Idas is with thee, even though 
 a god should rise up against us. Such a man am I whom 
 thou art bringing from Arene to thy aid." 
 
 He spake ; and grasping in both hands a full goblet drank 
 off the pure sweet mead, and his lips and dark cheeks were 
 wet with wine ; but those others raised a din all together, 
 and Idmon lifted up his voice and spake, " God help thee, 2 
 fool ! deadly are thy thoughts, even beforehand, for thyself. 
 Is it that the pure mead makes thy bold heart to swell 
 within thy breast to thy undoing, and hath driven thee to 
 slight the gods ? Other are the words of comfort where- 
 with a man might cheer his fellow, but thou hast spoken 
 altogether presumptuously. Such a speech, 'tis said, the 
 
 i literally = to play with pebbles then = to amuse oneself 
 in any way. 
 
 2 caipovie almost = my good sir, with a tone of irony and rebuke, 
 and so always both in Homeric and Platonic Greek. A mild oath 
 perhaps gives the force of it most nearly.
 
 L. 454-504.] THE ABGONATJTICA. 21 
 
 sons of Aloeus, 1 men of old time, did sputter forth against 
 the blessed gods ; and to them thou art nowise equal in 
 manhood ; yet were they both laid low by the swift arrows 
 of the son of Leto, for all their bravery." 
 
 He ended ; and Idas, son of Aphareus, laughed aloud his 
 fill ; and, with blinking " eyes, answered him with mocking 
 words, " Come now, tell me this by thy divination, whether 
 for me too the gods are fulfilling such another doom, as 
 that father of thine gave unto the sons of Aloeus. And 
 devise thee how thou mayest safely escape from my hands, 
 else shalt thou die for telling a prophecy light 3 as the 
 winds." 
 
 Thus in his wrath he upbraided him ; and the quarrel 
 would have gone further, had not their comrades and the 
 son of ^Eson himself called to them with one accord and 
 stayed them from their strife. Then too Orpheus lifted 
 up his lyre in his left hand and made essay to sing. He 
 sang how earth, and heaven, and sea, once all joined 
 together in unity, were separated, each apart, after a 
 deadly quarrel; and how, for ever in heaven, the stars, 
 and moon, and the paths of the sea have their steadfast 
 goal ; and how the mountains rose up, and how rivers 
 rushing noisily with their nymphs, and all creeping things 
 came into being. Next he sang how, at the first, Ophion 
 and Eurynome, daughter of Oceanus, held sway o'er snow- 
 
 1 The sons of Aloeus were Otus and Ephialtes, two enormous giants, 
 who at the age of nine were twenty-seven cubits high. They were 
 remarkable for their strength and daring ; they attempted to scale 
 heaven by piling Pelion on Ossa, which, says Homer, they would have 
 done had they grown to manhood, but Apollo slew them whilst yet in 
 their childhood. 
 
 2 t7nXAiwv = winking with the eyes so of the blinking gaze of a 
 drunkard. 
 
 3 nfTap.wmov = /taraiov, " idle," " vain ; " the old derivation, fiera 
 avipoQ = " that which the wind carries away with it," is not to be 
 credited.
 
 22 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK i. 
 
 capped Olympus, and how the one yielded up his honours 
 to the mighty hands of Cronus, while she gave way to 
 Rhea, and they plunged 'neath the waves of ocean. Awhile 
 did these lord it over the blessed Titan gods, whilst Zeus 
 was yet a child and thought as a child in his home beneath 
 the Cave 1 of Dicte, for not yet had the earth-born Cyclopes 
 made strong his hands with bolts of flashing lightning, 
 for 'tis these that bring glory to Zeus. 
 
 He ended, and checked his lyre and voice divine ; but 
 they, as he ceased, still leant their heads towards him with 
 eager ears, one and all hushed but hungry still by his en- 
 chantment, so strong a spell of music had he left within 
 their hearts. But not long after did they mix libations for 
 Zeus, as was his due, and piously poured them on the 
 blazing tongues, 2 and so bethought them of sleep for the 
 night. 
 
 Now when the radiant Dawn with bright eyes looked 
 forth upon the high mountain-tops of Pelias, and the 
 headlands of the tossing main were swept into clear view 
 before the breeze ; in that hour uprose Tiphys, and at 
 once he bade his comrades go aboard and make ready the 
 oars. And strangely did the harbour of Pagasse, yea, and 
 Pelian Argo herself cry aloud, urging them to set forth. 
 For within Argo was laid one beam 3 divine ; this it was 
 that Athene made of oak from Dodona, and fitted all along 
 the keel. So they went up upon the benches one after 
 another, as before they had allotted to each in his place to 
 row, and sat them down in order beside their gear. And 
 in the midst sat Ancaeus and Heracles, that mighty man, 
 
 1 AtKTdiov, i.e. Cretan, from the cave Dicte in Crete, where Zeus 
 was brought up. 
 
 2 The tongues of the victims were burnt as a sacrifice to Hermes at 
 the very end of the feast. Cf. Homer, Od. iii. 332. 
 
 3 " One beam divine." This was the oaken keel cut from Dodona, 
 home of prophetic utterance, by Athene, who gifted it with human 
 speech.
 
 L. 505-564.] THE ABGONAUTICA. 23 
 
 and nigh to him he set his club, and beneath his tread the 
 ship's keel sank deep. And now were the cables drawn in, 
 and they poured a cup of mead upon the sea. And Jason 
 with a tear turned his eyes away from his fatherland. 
 
 But they, like young men who range themselves to 
 dance to Phcebus, either in Pytho, or haply in Ortygia or 
 by the waters of Ismenus, and all together and in time 
 they beat the ground with nimble feet to the sound of the 
 lyre round his altar ; even so they in time to the lyre of 
 Orpheus smote with their oars the boisterous water of the 
 deep, and the waves went dashing by, while on this side 
 and on that the dark brine bubbled up in foam, boiling 
 terribly 'neath the might of those strong men. And their 
 harness flashed like flame in the sunlight as the ship sped 
 on, while ever far behind their course was white with foam, 
 like a track seen over a grassy plain. 
 
 On that day all the gods looked down from heaven at 
 the ship, and those men of courage half divine, who then 
 were sailing o'er the sea, a picked crew ; and upon the tops 
 of peaks stood the Pelian nymphs, marvelling to see the 
 work of Itonian Athene, and the heroes too, wielding their 
 oars in their hands. Yea, and from a mountain-top came 
 another nigh unto the sea, Chiron, 1 son of Philyra, and he 
 wetted his feet where the gray waves break, and with his 
 weighty hand he waved them on full oft, chanting the 
 while as they went a returning free from sorrow. And 
 with him his wife, bearing on her arm Achilles, son of 
 Peleus, sent a greeting to his dear father. 
 
 But when they had left the rounded headland of the 
 harbour by the cunning and skill of Tiphys, wise son of 
 Hagnias, who deftly handled the polished helm to guide 
 the ship stedfastly, then did they set up the mighty mast 
 in the cross-plank, and made it fast with stays, drawing 
 
 1 Peleus had entrusted his child to Chiron to be brought up, on the 
 day Thetis, his goddess wife, left him in anger for ever.
 
 24 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 them taut on either side, and they spread the sails upon 
 it, stretching them along the yard-arm. Therewith a fresh 
 fair wind fell on them, so they fastened the ropes on the 
 deck to polished pins, set at intervals, and quietly they 
 sped beneath the long headland 1 of Tisa. And for them the 
 son of (Eager touched his lyre and sang in rhythmic song 
 of Artemis, daughter of a noble sire, protectress of ships, 
 who keepeth 'neath her care those peaks by the sea and 
 the land of lolchos ; and the fishes darting beneath the 
 deep sea, great and small together, followed bounding 
 through the watery ways. As when, in the track of the 
 shepherd, countless sheep follow to the fold filled to the 
 full with grass, while he goeth before them gaily piping 
 some shepherd's madrigal on his shrill pipe ; even so did 
 the fishes follow with them, and ever onward the steady 
 wind bare Argo. 
 
 Anon the misty 2 land of the Pelasgi, with its many corn- 
 fields, sank out of sight ; and past the Pelian cliffs they 
 went, speeding ever onward; then the Sepian 3 headland 
 opened to them, and Sciathus 4 by the sea came in view, and 
 in the distance were seen the Peiresian headlands and the 
 headland of Magnesia, calm and clear upon the mainland, 
 and the cairn of Dolops ; there they beached their ship 
 at eve, as the wind veered round, and in honour of Dolops 
 they burnt victims at nightfall by the swell of the heaving 
 deep. And two days they rested on the beach, but on the 
 third they put forth the ship, stretching the wide canvas 
 aloft ; wherefore men still call that beach the loosing 
 place of Argo. 
 
 1 " Headland of Tisa " a promontory either of Thessaly or 
 Thesprotia. 
 
 2 tjipia = either " misty," or " land of the dawn." The same epithet 
 is used of Egypt. IltXairywj' = QiaaciXuv. 
 
 3 A promontory in lolehos, so called because Thetis changed herself 
 into a cuttle-fish there when pursued by Pcleus. 
 
 4 An island not far from Eubcea.
 
 L. 565-615.] THE ABGONAtTTICA. 25 
 
 Thence onward they sped past Melibcea, 1 seeing its black 
 and stormy strand. And at dawn they saw Homole close 
 to them lying on the deep, and past it they steered, nor 
 was it long before they were to sail away from the streams 
 of the river Amyrus. From thence they beheld Eurymenae, 
 and the sea-beat ravines of Ossa and Olympus ; and then 
 speeding on by the breath of the wind they reached at 
 night the slopes of Pallene, beyond the headland of 
 Canastra. 2 Now, as they fared on in the morning, the 
 Thracian hill of Athos 3 rose before them, which over- 
 shadows with its crest Lemnos, lying as far away as a well- 
 found merchantman could make by noon, even unto 
 Myrine. On the self-same day the wind blew on for them 
 till nightfall, exceeding fresh, and the sails of the ship 
 strained to it. But at sunset, when the wind fell, they 
 rowed, and came to Sintian Lemnos, 4 rugged isle. 
 
 There had all the men-folk together been ruthlessly slain 
 by the women's wanton violence in the past year ; for the 
 men had rejected their wedded wives from dislike, and had 
 had. a wild passion for captive maids, whom they brought 
 from the mainland opposite from their forays in Thrace ; 
 for the dire wrath of Cypris was upon them, for that they 
 
 1 A city in Thessaly. Homole, a mountain in Thessaly. Amyrus, 
 a river in Thessaly. 
 
 2 Canastra, a promontory of Pallene. 
 
 3 The highest point of the mountainous peninsula of Athos rises to 
 over 6,000 feet ; its shadow falls as far as Lemnos, which is half way 
 between Mount Athos and the Hellespont. 
 
 4 The men of Lemnos, called by Homer Thracian Sinties, had all 
 been massacred by the women on account of their infidelity to the 
 marriage vow ; this fact, however, was concealed from the Argonauts, 
 who remained there some time and became the fathers of a new race, 
 called Minyse, after their sires. Hypsipyle alone, the queen of the 
 island, had saved her aged father, Thoas, from the massacre by sending 
 him secretly over the sea. She now married Jason, and bore him twin 
 sons ; afterwards the other Lesbian women, discovering that she had 
 spared her father alive, drove her from the island.
 
 26 APOLLONIUS KHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 long had grudged her her honours. Ah ! hapless wives, 
 insatiate in jealousy to your own grief. Not only did they 
 slay their husbands with those captives for their guilty 
 love, but the whole race of men as well, that they might 
 exact no vengeance thereafter for the pitiful murder. Alone 
 of all the women Hypsipyle spared Thoas her aged father, 
 who indeed was king over the people ; but him she sent to 
 drift o'er the sea in a hollow ark, if haply he might escape. 
 Him did fisher-folk bring safe to an island, formerly called 
 (Enoe, but afterwards Sicinus, from that Sicinus whom 
 (Enoe, the water-nymph, bare from the embraces of Thoas. 
 Now to these Lemnian women, one and all, the herding of 
 cattle, and the donning of bronze harness, and ploughing 
 the wheat-bearing tilth was an easier lot than the toils l of 
 Athene, whereat ever aforetime they busied them. Yet 
 for all that full oft would they peer across the broad sea in 
 grievous dread against the coming o the Thracians. Where- 
 fore when they saw Argo rowing near the island, forth- 
 with in all speed they did on their warlike gear, and 
 poured down to the beach from out the gates of Myrine, 
 like to Thyades who eat raw flesh, for they thought that 
 surely the Thracians were come ; and amongst them, she, 
 the daughter of Thoas, Hypsipyle, did on her father's 
 harness ; and they poured forth speechless with dismay ; 
 such dread was in their fluttering hearts. Meantime forth 
 from the ship the chieftains sent jEthalides, 2 their swift 
 herald, to whose care they entrusted their message and 
 the wand of Hermes, his own sire, who gave to him a 
 memory for all things, that waxed not old ; for even when 
 
 1 " The toils of Athene,'' i.e. the work of the distaff, embroidery, 
 weaving, and other elegant arts, of which Athene was patroness. 
 
 * yKt halides. son of Hermes and Eupolemia, herald of the Argonauts, 
 exemplified the doctrine of niTi^vxwotc. His soul, after passing 
 through numerous phases, at length took possession of the body of 
 Pythagoras, in which it still recollected its former migrations.
 
 L. 616-679.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 27 
 
 he crossed the dreadful whirlpools of Acheron forgetf ulness 
 rushed not o'er his soul, but its portion is ever to change 
 to and fro, now counted amongst those beneath the earth, 
 now amongst living men in the sun-light. But why need 
 I tell out in full the tale of ^Ethalides ? He it was who 
 then persuaded Hypsipyle to receive the heroes, as they 
 came at dusk, toward the close of day ; nor did they loose 
 the cables of their ship at dawn to the breath of the north- 
 wind. 
 
 Now the women of Lemnos went through the city and 
 sat themselves in the assembly ; for such was the bidding 
 of Hypsipyle herself. And when they were gathered, one 
 and all, and come together, forthwith amongst them she 
 made eager harangue. 
 
 " My friends, come now, let us give the men gifts in 
 plenty, all that men should have to carry on a ship, food 
 and sweet mead, that so they may abide steadfastly outside 
 our battlements, and may not in pursuit of their business 
 get to know us too well, and a foul report spread far and 
 wide ; for we have wrought a great deed, which will not be 
 wholly to their liking, if they should learn it. Let this be 
 our plan now in this matter. But if any of you can devise 
 better counsel, let her arise, for to this end did I call you 
 hither." , 
 
 So spake she, and sat down on her father's seat of stone. 
 And next 'uprose her dear nurse Polyxo, limping on feet 
 shrivelled with age, I trow, and leaning on a staff ; and 
 she longed exceedingly to have her say. And by her, with 
 her white hair about her head, sat four unmarried maidens. 
 So she stood in the midst of the assembly, and raising ever 
 so little her bent and skinny back, she spake thus : 
 
 " Gifts let us send to the strangers, as is pleasing 
 to Hypsipyle herself, for 'tis better to send them. But for 
 you, what plan have ye to keep your life, if a Thracian 
 army fall on you, or any other foe, as happeneth oft
 
 28 APOLLONIUS RHODITTS. [BOOK I. 
 
 'mongst men ? since even now yon host is come unex- 
 pectedly. And if any one of the blessed gods turn this 
 aside, yet hereafter there await us countless other woes 
 worse than battle, when the aged women are dead, and ye 
 younger maidens reach a cheerless old age, childless. How 
 then will ye live, poor creatures ? shall the oxen, yoked of 
 their own accord for you, drag the plough, that cleaves the 
 fallow, through the deep tilth, and straightway in the 
 f ulness of the year reap the harvest ? Of a truth o'er me, 
 methinks, the earth shall lie this very year that cometh, 
 albeit the Fates have hitherto shrunk away from me, and 
 I shall get my meed of burial even thus, as is right, or 
 ever misfortune arrive. 1 But I bid you younger women 
 heed these things well. For now before you open stands 
 the door of escape, if but ye will give over to the care of 
 strangers your homes and all your booty and your glorious 
 town." 
 
 So spake she, and through the assembly ran a murmur 
 of assent. For her saying pleased them well. But after 
 her at once Hypsipyle, again uprising, took up her parable 
 and said : 
 
 " Why, then, if unto you all this purpose is pleasing, at 
 once will I send forth even a messenger to find their 
 ship." 
 
 She spake, and called to Iphinoe sitting near, " Eouse 
 thee, Iphinoe, I pray, and beg yon man who leads their 
 company to come unto us, that I may tell to him the word 
 that finds favour with my people, and bid his company, if 
 they will, set foot within our land and city boldly and with 
 a good heart." 
 
 She spake, and broke up the assembly ; and then started 
 to go to her own house. And so Iphinoe came unto the 
 
 1 \jt. it matters little to me what happens, for I feel assured my end 
 is very uear, although the Fates have shrunk away so long from my 
 hideous form, avrwg ^ ovruig .
 
 L. 680-738.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 29 
 
 Minyse, who questioned her on what business bent she 
 came amongst them. And forthwith she thus made answer 
 with all haste to their questions, " Verily, 'twas the daughter 
 of Thoas, Hypsipyle, who sent me on my journey hither to 
 call the captain of the ship, whosoever he is, that she may 
 tell him somewhat that hath found favour with her folk ; 
 moreover she bids you, an you list, at once now set foot 
 within her land and city with a good heart." 
 
 So spake she ; and welcome to all was her fair message. 
 Now they imagined that Hypsipyle, the well -beloved 
 daughter of-^Thoas, did reign in his stead ; so quickly sent 
 they Jason on his way, yea, and themselves made ready 
 to go. 
 
 Now he had buckled on his shoulders a purple mantle 
 of double woof, the handiwork of the Tritonian goddess, 
 which Pallas gave him, on that first day she laid down the 
 props for the ship Argo, and taught him to measure 
 cross-planks with the rule. More easily might you gaze 
 on the sun at his rising than on that mantle, or face the 
 sheen thereof. For lo ! the middle was red, and the top 
 was all of purple, and on either end many cunning things 
 were worked passing well. On it were the Cyclopes sitting 
 at their work, that never decayeth, fashioning the thunder- 
 bolt for king Zeus ; lo ! it was all but made * in its bright 
 splendour, but yet it lacked one single flash, which they 
 with their hammers of iron were forging, with its breath 
 of fierce fire. 
 
 On it were the two sons of Antiope, daughter of Asopus, 
 Amphion and Zethus ; near by lay Thebes, as yet ungirt 
 with towers, whereof they were just laying the foundations 
 in eager haste. Zethus was bearing shoulder-high the top 
 
 1 i.e. the bolt was all but finished ; it only wanted one ray of light- 
 ning to complete its composition ; and so natural was the embroidery, 
 that the Cyclopes seemed to be in the very act of adding it. 
 
 The Cyclopes were Brontes and Steropes, i.e. Thunder and Lightning.
 
 30 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 of a steep mountain, like unto a man that toiled ; and be- 
 hind him came Amphion, 1 singing aloud to his golden lyre, 
 while in his track twice as large a rock followed. 
 
 Next was worked thereon Cytherea, of the thick tresses, 
 carrying the nimble shield of Ares ; and from her shoulder, 
 from beneath her bosom, hung her girdle loosely over her 
 left arm ; and there as she stood one seemed to see her 
 sure reflection thrown upon the brazen shield. And there 
 was a shaggy herd upon it ; and the Teleboans 2 and the 
 sons of Electryon were fighting about the cattle ; these in 
 their defence, but those others, Taphian pirates, longing to 
 rob them ; and the dewy meadow was wet with their blood, 
 and the many had the mastery of the few, even of the 
 herdsmen. 
 
 Two chariots racing were fashioned there. Pelops drove 
 the one that was in front, shaking the reins, and with him 
 was Hippodamia for his companion ; while hard upon him 
 Myrtilus urged his steeds, and with him was (Enomaus, 
 gripping in his hand his couched lance, but down he fell as 
 the axle of the wheel break sideways in the nave, in his 
 eagerness to wound Pelops in the back. 
 
 There too was broidered Phoebus Apollo, a big boy not 
 yet grown up, shooting at Tityos 3 as he tried, with bold 
 hand, to snatch away his mother's veil, great Tityos, 
 whose mother indeed was divine Elare, but the earth gave 
 him second birth, and brought him up. 
 
 1 The legend was that Amphion, by playing on his lyre, drew the stones 
 after him till they ranged themselves in order on the battlements of Thebes. 
 
 2 The Teleboans lived in the island of Taphos, one of the Echinades 
 group. They are notable pirates in Homer's Odyssee. 
 
 3 The legend is given in two ways about the birth of the giant 
 Tityos. His mother Elare, the daughter of Orchomenus, was buried 
 alive when pregnant by Zeus, on account of the jealousy of Hera, but 
 Earth brought the child to birth. The other legend says that Elare 
 could not be delivered, so great was the child, and died in the effort ; 
 whereon Earth bore the babe and reared him.
 
 1. 739-796.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 31 
 
 Yea, and Minyan Phrixus was there, even as though he 
 were really listening to the ram, while it was like to one 
 that spoke. Ah ! shouldst thou see them, thou wouldst 
 be silent and deceive thy soul, expecting haply to hear 
 their voice aloud ; and long mightest thou gaze thereon in 
 that hope. 
 
 Such then were the presents of the Tritonian goddess 
 Athene. And in his right hand he held a spear, far-dart- 
 ing, which on a day Atalanta gave to him in Msenalus as a 
 gift to a stranger, what time she met him graciously ; for 
 greatly did she long to join him on that voyage ; but yet of 
 himself and willingly he held her back, for he feared 
 grievous quarrels for her love. 
 
 So he went on his way toward the city like a bright star, 
 which maidens through their curtains, newly made, do see, 
 when they awake, rising o'er their home, and through the 
 dark mist it charms their eyes with its lovely blush ; and 
 the maiden is cheered in her longing for the youth who is 
 amongst strange folk, for whom her parents are keeping 
 her to be his wedded wife ; like to that star the hero 
 stepped along the path before the city. Now when they 
 were come within the gates of the city, the maidens of the 
 people surged behind them, glad to see the stranger ; but 
 he, with his eyes upon the ground, kept straight on, until 
 he reached the glorious halls of Hypsipyle ; and at his 
 appearing maids threw wide the folding-doors, fitted with 
 planks well wrought. Then did Iphinoe lead him hastily 
 through a fair hall, and seat him on a shining couch before 
 her mistress ; but that lady cast down her eyes, and a 
 .blush stole o'er her maiden cheek ; yet for all her modesty 
 found she wheedling word to address him withal : " Strange 
 sir, why sat ye thus so long outside our battlements ? for 
 our husbands abide not now within the city, but they are 
 sojourners awhile upon the Thracian mainland, and do 
 plough the wheat-bearing tilths. And I will tell thee
 
 32 APOLLONIUS RHOD1TJS. [BOOK I. 
 
 truly all our trouble, that ye may know it surely for your- 
 selves. When my father Thoas was king over the burghers, 
 then did bands of our folk start forth and plunder from 
 their ships the folds of the Thracians who dwell over 
 against us, and hither they brought endless booty and 
 maidens too. But Cypris, deadly goddess, schemed a 
 scheme, which cast upon them a fatal curse. For lo! 
 they loathed their wedded wives, and chased them from 
 their homes, yielding to their folly, and they took for con- 
 cubines the captives of their spears, luckless wights ! Long 
 time did we endure, if haply they might change their mind 
 again at last ; but ever the evil went on and doubled, for 
 they dishonoured their true children in their halls, and 
 there grew up a bastard race. And so maids unwed, and 
 widowed mothers with them, went wandering in neglect 
 through the city. Nor did a father care ever so little for 
 his daughter, though he saw her done to death before his 
 eyes by the hand of an insolent step-mother ; nor did chil- 
 dren ward off unseemly outrage from their mother as 
 before, nor had brothers any thought for a sister. But 
 only captive maidens found favour at home and in the 
 dance, in the place of assembly, and at festivals, till some 
 god put overweening boldness in our hearts, that we 
 would no more receive them in our battlements on their 
 return from the Thracians, that so they might either be 
 minded aright, or start and go elsewhither, captive maids 
 and all. Thereon did they demand all the male children 
 that were left within the city, and went back again to the 
 place where still they dwell on the snowy ploughlands of 
 Thrace. Wherefore tarry ye here and sojourn ; and if, 
 indeed, thou wilt dwell here, and it find favour with thee, 
 verily then shalt thou have the honour of my father 
 Thoas. And methinks thou canst not scorn my land, 
 for very fruitful is it beyond all other isles that lie in 
 the JSgean sea. Nay, come now, get thee to thy ship,.
 
 L. 797-864.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 33 
 
 and tell our words unto thy crew, and abide not outside 
 the city." 
 
 So spake she, glozing over the murderous end that had 
 been worked upon the men ; and Jason said to her in 
 answer, " Hypsipyle, lo ! so shall we gain a request that is 
 very dear unto our hearts, which thou dost offer to our de- 
 sire. But I will return again unto the city, when I have 
 told each thing in order. But thine, and thine alone be 
 the lordship of the island ; 'tis from no scorn that I shrink 
 therefrom, but upon me grievous toils press hard." 
 
 He spake, and took her right hand, and at once went on 
 his way back ; while about him throngs of maidens danced 
 on every side for very joy, till he passed outside the gates. 
 Next they went unto the shore, bearing on smoothly- 
 running wains gifts full many for the strangers, as soon 
 as he had told them all the message from beginning to 
 end, even the word that Hypsipyle declared when she 
 summoned him. Yea, and they led the heroes to their 
 houses to entertain them, willingly. For Cypris stirred up 
 sweet desire 1 for the sake of Hephaestxis, the crafty ; that so 
 Lemnos might again be inhabited by men in time to come 
 and get no hurt. 
 
 Then did he, the son of ^Eson, start for the royal home 
 of Hypsipyle, but those others went whither chance led 
 each, all save Heracles, for he stayed by the ship of his 
 own free will, and with him a few chosen comrades. Anon 
 the city made merry with dance and feast, filled with the 
 smoke of steaming sacrifice ; and beyond the rest of the 
 immortal gods did they propitiate the famous son of Hera, 
 yea, and Cypris too, with song and sacrifice. And ever 
 day by day was their voyage delayed, and long time would 
 they have tarried and rested there, had not Heracles assem- 
 bled his companions, apart from the women, and thus up- 
 
 1 Lemnos was sacred to Hephaestus, the husband of Aphrodite ; so 
 she would not allow the island to remain for ever void of males.
 
 34 APOLLONITJS BHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 braided them : " God help you, sirs ! is it a kinsman's 
 murder that keeps us from our country ? "Was it for want 
 of weddings that we came from that land to this, scorning 
 the maidens of our people ? or is it your pleasure to dwell 
 here and till the fat glebes of Lemnos ? No fair fame shall 
 we win, I trow, from this our long sojourn with strange 
 women ; nor will some god of his own accord take the 
 fleece and give it us at our prayer. Let us go each man to 
 his own again ; but leave ye that other to spend the live- 
 long day in the arms of Hypsipyle, till he people Lemnos 
 with male children, and so there come to him great 
 fame." 
 
 Thus did he chide the company, and none durst look 
 him in the face or make answer to him, but, even as they 
 were, hasting from the assembly they made readv to be 
 gone. But the women ran to them, when they learnt 
 thereof. And as when bees hum round fair lilies, pouring 
 forth from their hive in the rock, and around the dewy 
 meadow is glad, and they the while flit from flower to 
 flower, and gather their sweet food ; even so, I ween, did 
 those women pour forth eagerly around the men, with loud 
 lament, while with hand and word they greeted each one, 
 praying to the blessed gods to grant them a safe return. 
 So too Hypsipyle prayed, taking the son of ^Eson by the 
 hands, and the tears that she shed were for the loss of him 
 departing, " Go, and heaven guide thee hither again with 
 thy comrades all unmaimed, bearing the golden fleece to 
 the king, even thus as thou wilt and as is thy desire. 
 And this mine isle and my father's sceptre shall be thine, 
 if some day hereafter thou wilt yet return and come again; 
 and easily couldst thou gather for thyself a countless host 
 from other cities. Nay, but thou wilt never hare this eager 
 desire, and of myself I foresee that thus it will not come to 
 pass; still I pray thee, though thou art far away, and 
 when thou art returning, remember Hypsipyle ; and leave
 
 :L. 865-927.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 35 
 
 me now thy bidding, which I will fulfil gladly, if, as may 
 be, the gods grant me to bear thy child." 
 
 But the son of Mson, with a look of admiration answered 
 her : " Hypsipyle, may all these things turn out luckily by 
 the will of the blessed gods. But do thou devise some 
 better thought for me, for 'tis enough for me to dwell in 
 my fatherland by the grace of Pelias ; only may heaven 
 loose me from my toils ! But if it is not destined that I 
 should come to the land of Hellas after my far journey, 
 and thou do bear a boy, send him, when he is grown, 
 within Pelasgian lolchos, to my father and mother, to 
 soothe their grief, if haply he find them yet alive, that they 
 may sit within their halls and be cared for, though I, the 
 king, be far away." 
 
 Therewith he went aboard before them all, and in like 
 manner went the other chiefs, and, sitting in rows, they 
 grasped the oars in their hands, and Argus loosed for them 
 the stern-cables from beneath the sea-beat rock. Then did 
 they smite the water lustily with the long oars. At eve, by 
 the counsel of Orpheus, they beached the ship at the isle 1 of 
 Electra, daughter of Atlas, that they might learn the secret 
 rites through gentle initiation, and so might fare more 
 safely over the chilling sea. Of these things will I speak 
 no further ; nay, farewell to yon isle itself, and farewell to 
 the gods who dwell there, whose mysteries these are ; of 
 them 'tis not right for us to sing. 
 
 Hence did they row over the depths of the Black sea, 
 speeding on, with the land of Thrace on the one side, and 
 on the other side to starboard Imbros over against Thrace ; 
 and just at sunset they reached the promontory of Cher- 
 sonese. Then did the swift south- wind blow upon them ; 
 so they set the sails to the breeze and entered the rushing 
 
 1 " The isle of Electra," i.e. Samothrace. Initiation into the sacred 
 mysteries of the Cabiri in this island was supposed to insure safety to 
 mariners. Odysseus took this precaution, according to tradition.
 
 36 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 stream l of the daughter of Athamas. At dawn the open 
 sea to the north was left behind, and at night were they 
 measuring their way over that which lies within the head- 
 land of Rhceteum, keeping the land of Ida on the right. 
 Leaving Dardania they steered for Abydos, and on that 
 night passed by Percote and the sandy beach of Abarnis 
 and sacred Pityeia. Yea, on that night, as the ship sped 
 on with oar and sail, 2 they passed right through the Helles- 
 pont with its dark eddies. 
 
 Now there is within Propontis a hilly isle, 3 a little from 
 the Phrygian mainland with its rich corn-fields, sloping to 
 the sea, and there is an isthmus in front of the mainland 
 stretching across the sea, but the waves just wash over it. 
 And there are there two beaches, and they lie beyond the 
 waters of the JEsepus ; and they who dwell around call the 
 hill Arctos. On it a wild and lawless race of earth-born 
 men ever had their home, a great wonder to their neigh- 
 bours to behold ; for each hath six masterful hands hang- 
 ing from him, twain from his strong shoulders, and other 
 four joined below upon his fearsome sides. About the 
 isthmus and the plain the Doliones had their dwelling, and 
 amongst them Cyzicus, son of -5neus, held sway, whom 
 jEnete, daughter of divine Eusorus, bare. But these the 
 earth-born race in no wise harried, for all their fearsome- 
 ness, for Poseidon guarded them ; for from him were the 
 Doliones first sprung. Thither Argo pressed forward, 
 driven by the winds of Thrace, and a fair haven received 
 the speeding ship. There too by the advice of Tiphys they 
 loosed and left their light anchor-stone below a fountain, 
 even the Artacian fountain ; and they chose another, which 
 suited them, a ponderous stone ; but that old one did the 
 
 1 The Hellespont, so called from Helle, the daughter of Athamas. 
 
 2 diav&xa = in two ways, i.e. by oar and sail. 
 
 3 Cyzicus, afterwards mainland. Apparently there was a bar of land, 
 just covered by surf, joining Cyzicus to the mainland; eventually this 
 bar rose clear from the water, and Cyzicus was no longer an island.
 
 L. 928-985.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 37 
 
 lonians, 1 sons of Neleus, in the after time, in obedience to 
 the oracle of Hecatus, set up as holy, as was right, in the 
 temple of Athene, who was with Jason. 
 
 Now the Doliones, yea, and Cyzicus himself, came forth 
 to meet them in a body, and treated them with kindness and 
 hospitality, when they heard of their expedition and knew 
 their lineage, and who they were, and they persuaded them 
 to row on a space and moor the ship in the harbour of the 
 city. There they builded an altar to Apollo, god of em- 
 barkation, and set it by the beach and busied themselves 
 with sacrifice. And the king of his own bounty gave them 
 in their need sweet mead and sheep as well ; for lo ! there 
 came a voice from heaven which said, that when there 
 should arrive a goodly expedition of heroes, he should 
 straightway meet them graciously, and take no thought 
 for war. Now he was about Jason's age ; his beard was 
 just sprouting, nor yet had he gotten children to his joy, 
 but his bride within his house had not yet known travail, 
 the daughter of Percosian Merops, Cleite with the fair 
 tresses, whom he had but lately brought thither from the 
 mainland opposite, with wondrous gifts of wooing to her 
 father. Yet even so he left his bridal bed and chamber, 
 and made ready a banquet amongst them, 2 casting all fear 
 from his heart. And they questioned one another in turn ; 
 and he asked them of the end of their voyage and of the 
 commands of Pelias, while they enquired about the cities 
 of the folk around and about the whole gulf of wide 
 Propontis ; but he knew not how to tell them when they 
 were anxious to know aught far ahead. So at dawn they 
 went up to mighty Dindymus, 3 that they might spy out 
 for themselves the passage of that sea, and they drave forth 
 
 1 Ionian colonists led by Neleus, son of Codrus, from Attica. 
 
 2 An oracle had warned king Cyzicus of the fate awaiting him at the 
 liands of the Argonauts. 
 
 3 A mountain in Cyzicus, sacred to Rhea. Chytns is the harbour of 
 Cyzicus.
 
 38 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK I.. 
 
 the ship from the outer basin of the harbour of Chytus ;. 
 wherefore this way they went is called Jason's way. 
 
 But the earth-born men, rushing from both sides of the 
 mountain, blocked the sea- ward mouth of boundless Chytus 
 with rocks at the bottom, lying in wait as though for a- 
 wild beast inside. Now Heracles had been left there with 
 the younger men ; so quickly he stretched his curved bow 
 against them and brought them to the ground one after 
 another ; and they for their part caught up jagged rocks 
 and hurled them. For lo ! Hera, goddess wife of Zeus, 
 I wis, had raised those fearful monsters too, a labour for 
 Heracles ; and the other warlike heroes turned back anon 
 to meet them, or ever they had mounted to their place of 
 outlook, and joined in the slaughter of the earth-born men,. 
 receiving them with arrows and swords till they had slain 
 them all as they rushed to meet them impetuously. 
 
 As when wood-cutters throw down in rows upon the 
 beach long beams just hewn by their axes, that they 
 may soak and so receive the strong bolts ; even so those 
 monsters lay stretched there l in the entrance to the gray 
 haven, some with head and chest plunged all at once into 
 the salt water, and their limbs below spread out upon the 
 strand ; others again were resting their heads upon the 
 sand of the beach and their feet in the deep water, both 
 alike to be a prey to birds and fishes. 
 
 But the heroes, as soon as there was nought to fear for 
 their enterprise, at once loosed the cables of the ship to the 
 breath of the wind, and voyaged on across the ocean-swell. 
 And the ship sped on the live-long day under canvas ; but, 
 as night came on, the rushing wind no longer abode stead- 
 fast, but contrary blasts caught and swept them backward, 
 till they drew nigh again to the hospitable Doliones. And 
 they disembarked that self-same night ; and that rock is 
 
 i.e. not merely the entrance to the harbour, but also all the 
 circumference of it.
 
 L. 986-1046.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 39 
 
 still called the sacred rock, whereto they bound the cables 
 of the ship in their haste. Nor did any man surely know 
 that it was really the island, nor did the Doliones by night 
 perceive for certain that it was the heroes again coming to 
 them ; but they supposed maybe some band of Pelasgian 
 warriors from the Macrians l was landing. Wherefore they 
 did on their harness and stretched forth their hands against 
 them. And they drove their ashen spears and shields 
 against each other, like a swift rush of fire, which falling 
 on a dry thicket rears its head; and withal upon the 
 Dolionian folk fell the din of battle, terrible and furious. 
 Nor was he, their king, to rise above the doom of battle 
 and come again home to his bridal chamber and bed. Nay, 
 him did the son of JEson, with one bound, smite through 
 the middle of the breast as he turned to face him, and the 
 bone splintered about his spear, and he grovelling on the 
 sand wound up his clew of fate. For mortal man may not 
 escape his fate, but on all sides is spread a mighty snare 
 around him. Thus upon that night it caught him in its 
 toils, as he thought, maybe, to avoid the bitter doom dealt 
 out by the chieftains, what time he fought with them ; and 
 many other champions were slain. Heracles slew Telecles 
 and Megabrontes ; and Acastus stript Sphodris of his arms ; 
 and Peleus laid Zelys low, and Gephyrus, that fleet warrior. 
 And Telamon of the stout ashen spear killed Basileus. 
 Idas slew Promeus, and Clytius Hyacinthus ; and the two 
 sons of Tyndarus slew Megalossaces and Phlogius. 
 
 Besides these the son of (Eneus smote bold Itymoneus, 
 yea, and Artaces, a leader of men ; all these do the inhabi- 
 tants still honour with the worship due to heroes. 
 
 But the rest gave way and fled in terror, even as doves 
 
 1 The Macrians or Macrones were colonists from Eubcea, and neigh- 
 bours of the Doliones. 
 
 " Pelasgic," because Eutcea was close to Peloronnesus, the old name 
 of which was Pelasgia.
 
 40 APOLLONIUS KHODITJS. [BOOK I. 
 
 in flocks fly cowering from swift hawks, and they rushed 
 headlong to the gates with loud cries ; then straight was 
 the city filled with cries and groans as the battle was 
 turned backward. But at daybreak did both sides per- 
 ceive their grievous, cureless error; and bitter anguish 
 seized the Miiiyau heroes when they saw before them 
 Cyzicus fallen mid the dust and blood. Three whole days 
 they mourned, they and the folk of the Doliones together, 
 tearing out their hair. And then thrice about his tomb 
 they marched in their bronze harness and made his funeral, 
 and instituted trial of games, as was right, on the meadow 
 plain, where to this day is his tomb heaped up for men 
 that shall be hereafter to see. 
 
 Nor could his bride Cleite survive her husband's death, 
 but in her grief she wrought a deed more awful still, what 
 time she fastened the noose about her neck. And the 
 wood nymphs mourned her death, and all the tears they 
 let fall to earth from their eyes for her, of these did the 
 goddesses make a spring, which men call Cleite, the storied 
 name of that poor maid. Tea, that was the direst day 
 that Zeus ever sent upon the men and women of the 
 Doliones ; for none of them could bear to taste of food, and 
 for a long time after their trouble they minded them not of 
 the work of grinding ; but they dragged on their life, eating 
 the food, as it was, uncooked. There to this day, whenso 
 the lonians, that dwell in Cyzicus, pour the yearly libation 
 to the dead, they ever grind their meal l at the public mill. 
 
 From thenceforth for twelve whole days and nights 
 arose tempestuous winds, which kept them there from 
 their voyage. But on the next night, all the other chiefs, 
 ere this, I ween, o'ercome by sleep, were resting there for 
 
 j'oi, literally any half-liquid mixture of various consistency. Not 
 unfrequently a mixture of meal, honey, and oil offered to the gods, such 
 as Circe (cf. infra, Bk. iv. 1. 7 1 2) offers when purifying Jason and Medea. 
 Here apparently = ir^ara, i.e. any kind of cooked food or sweetmeats.
 
 L. 1047-1111.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 41 
 
 the last time, while Acastus and Mopsus, son of Arnpycus, 
 guarded their sound slumbers. When lo ! above the 
 yellow head of the son of jEson there flew a king-fisher, 
 boding by her shrill note an end of the violent winds ; and 
 Mopsus, directly he heard the lucky cry of that bird of the 
 shore, marked it well ; and the goddess brought it back 
 again, and it darted aloft and perched above the carved 
 stern ; then did Mopsus stir Jason, where he lay upon the 
 soft fleeces of sheep, and roused him instantly, and thus 
 unto him spake : " Son of ^Eson, to yonder temple on 
 rugged Dindymus thou must go up and seek the favour 
 of the fair-throned queen, 1 mother of all the blessed gods ; 
 then shall cease the stormy winds. For such was the 
 voice I heard but now of the halcyon, bird of the sea, which 
 flew above about thy sleeping form and told me all. For 
 this goddess hath experience of the winds and the sea and 
 all the earth beneath and the snow-capped seat of Olym- 
 pus ; and before her Zeus himself, the son of Cronos, doth 
 somewhat yield, when from her mountains she ascendeth 
 to the wide heaven. And hence it is the other blessed 
 deathless gods do reverence to this dread goddess." 
 
 So spake he, and welcome to Jason's ear was his word. 
 And he roused him from his bed with joy, and hasted to 
 awake all his crew ; and, when they were risen, he declared 
 to them the heavenly message of Mopsus, son of Ampycus. 
 Then straight did the young men drive up oxen from the 
 byres there to the steep mountain-top. And the rest 
 meantime loosed the cables from the sacred rock and rowed 
 to the Thracian 2 harbour, and themselves went forth, leav- 
 ing but a few of their fellows in the ship. Now upon their 
 
 1 Rhea was called the mother of all the gods. 
 
 2 i.e. the harbour of Cyzicus, which is here called Thracian because the 
 old inhabitants of Cyzicus had been Thracian. It is clear that the heroes 
 did not sail across to Thrace, because Mount Dindymus is a considerable 
 distance inland in Galatia, and it was hither they meant to come.
 
 42 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 right hand the Macrian cliffs and all the Thracian main- 
 land rose clear in view, and the dim entrance to the Bos- 
 porus l and the hills of Mysia appeared ; while upon their 
 left was the stream of the river vEsepus, and the city and 
 plain of Nepeia, which is called Adresteia. Now there was 
 a sturdy stump of a vine growing in a wood, an exceeding 
 old tree ; this they cut out, for to make a sacred image of 
 the mountain goddess, and Argus polished it neatly, and 
 there upon that rugged hill they set it up beneath a canopy 
 of towering oaks, trees that have their roots deepest of all, 
 I trow. Next heaped they an altar of stones, and wreathed 
 it with oak-leaves, and busied themselves with sacrifice, 
 calling on the name of the Dindymian mother, queen re- 
 vered, that dwelleth in Phrygia, and on Titias 2 too and 
 Cyllene, who alone are called the dispensers of destiny and 
 assessors of the Idaean mother of all that band, who in 
 Crete are the Dactylian priests of Ida ; them on a day the 
 nymph Anchiale brought forth in the Dictsean 3 grotto, 
 clutching with both hands the CEaxian land. And the son 
 of JEson besought her with many prayers to turn away the 
 hurricane, pouring libations the while on blazing sacrifices ; 
 and therewith young men, by the bidding of Orpheus, 
 danced a measured step in full harness, 4 smiting swords and 
 
 1 Bosporus, the narrow part of Propontis, so called, according to 
 legend, from lo, who in the form of a cow swam across it. 
 
 a Titias and Cyllenus, the Dactylian priests of Cybele in Crete. They 
 were wizards, or, more probably, men skilled in medicine and metallurgy 
 who lived on Mount Ida, surrounding themselves carefully, no doubt, 
 with a certain air of mystery. They were the children of the nymph 
 Anchiale, so called because their mother in her travail clutched the 
 earth in her fingers (MicrvXoi). 
 
 3 DicUean, i.e. Cretan, from Mount Dicte in Crete. 
 
 * The Great Mother was always worshipped in Crete with the sound 
 of cymbals, drums, and other loud music; which custom Apollonius 
 dates from the time of the Argonauts, who, to drown the unlucky sound 
 of lamentation raised by the Cyzicenes for their dead king, clashed their 
 weapons together.
 
 L. 1112-1167.] THE ARGONAITTICA. 43 
 
 bucklers, that the ill-omened cry might lose itself in wan- 
 dering through the air, even the lamentation, which the 
 folk were still raising at the funeral of their king. Whence 
 the Phrygians do ever seek the favour of Khea with tam- 
 bourine and drum. And now, I ween, the goddess turned 
 her ear to hearken to their pious worship ; and signs, that 
 are favourable, did appear. Trees shook down countless 
 fruits, and around their feet the earth of herself brought 
 forth the flowers of tender plants. Wild creatures left 
 their lairs in the thickets and came wagging their tails. 
 And yet another marvel she produced ; for aforetime Din- 
 dymus had no running water, but now they saw it gush 
 forth there and cease not from the thirsty hill ; wherefore 
 neighbouring folk in after time called that water Jason's 
 spring. Then did they make a feast in honour of the god- 
 dess on Mount Arctos, singing the praise of Rhea, august 
 queen ; and at dawn the wind ceased and they rowed away 
 from the island. 
 
 Then rivalry stirred each chieftain's heart to be the last 
 to leave his rowing. For around them the still air had 
 laid the tumbling waves and lulled the sea to rest. So they, 
 trusting to the calm, drave on the ship mightily, nor would 
 even Poseidon's steeds, that are swift as wind, have caught 
 her as she sped through the sea. Yet as the salt waves 
 began to rise beneath violent gusts, which toward evening 
 were just beginning to get up from the rivers, then were 
 they for ceasing, foredone with toil; but Heracles with 
 mighty hands pulled those tired rowers along all together, 
 making the joints of the ship's timbers to quiver. 
 
 But when, in their haste past the mainland of the 
 Mysians, they had sighted and sailed by the mouth of the 
 river Rhyndacus 1 and the great cairn of ^Egseon, a little 
 away from Phrygia ; in that hour did Heracles break his 
 
 1 A river of Phrygia.
 
 44 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 oar in the middle as lie heaved aside the furrows of the 
 roughened surge. And backward fell he, grasping in both 
 hands one fragment, while the sea swept the other away on 
 its wash. And there he sat glaring round in silence, for 
 his hands knew not to be idle. 
 
 At the hour when some delver or ploughman cometh 
 from the field joyfully to his cottage, longing for his supper ; 
 and there on his threshold, all squalid with dust as he is, 
 he droops his weary knees, and, gazing on his toil-worn 
 hands, many a bitter curse he flingeth at that belly of his ; 
 in that hour, I trow, came those heroes to the abodes of 
 the land Ciauian about the Arganthonian mountain and the 
 mouth of the river Cios. And the Mysians welcomed them 
 with all hospitality and kindness on their coming, for they 
 dwelt in that land, and they gave them at their need $heep 
 and mead in plenty. So then some brought dry logs, and 
 others mowed the plenteous herbage of the meadows for 
 beds to strew withal, and others twirled sticks to get fire ; 
 and they mixed wine in bowls, and made ready a feast, 
 after sacrificing to Apollo, god of embarkation, as darkness 
 fell. 
 
 Now Heracles bade his comrades give good heed unto 
 the feast, while he went on his way to the wood, that son 
 of Zeus, that he might first fashion for himself an oar to 
 suit him. And in his wandering he found a pine that was 
 not burdened with many branches, nor had much foliage 
 thereon, but it was like some tall poplar sapling to look at 
 both in height and girth. Quickly then upon the ground 
 he laid his quiver, arrows and all, and doffed his lion-skin. 
 And when he with his heavy club of bronze had made it 
 totter from its base, then did he grip it low down about the 
 stump with both hands, trusting to his strength, and plant- 
 ing himself firmly he leant his broad shoulder against it, 
 and so clinging to it he dragged it from the ground, deep- 
 rooted though it was, clods of earth and all. As when a
 
 L. 1168-1233.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 45 
 
 sudden squall of wind strikes aloft a ship's mast unex- 
 pectedly, just at the time of baleful Orion's winter setting, 
 and tears it from its stays, 1 wedges and all ; even thus the 
 strong man dragged it out. And at once he caught up his 
 bow and arrows, and his skin and club, and hasted to go 
 back. 
 
 Meantime Hylas with a brazen pitcher went apart from 
 the company, in quest of a sacred running spring, that he 
 might ere his return draw for him water against supper- 
 time, and get all else ready and in order for him at his 
 coming. For Heracles had with his own hands brought 
 him up in such habits from his earliest childhood, having 
 robbed him from his father's house, goodly Theiodamas, 
 whom he slew ruthlessly amongst the Dryopes, because he 
 withstood him about a steer for ploughing. Now Theio- 
 damas was ploughing up a fallow field, when the curse fell 
 on him ; and Heracles bade him give up the steer he was 
 ploughing with, and he would not. For he longed to find 
 some grim pretext for war against the Dryopes, for there 
 they dwelt without regard for justice. But this would 
 send me straying far from my story. Quickly came Hylas- 
 to the spring, which they who dwell around and near call 
 Pegse. Now it chanced that lately choirs of nymphs had 
 settled there ; their care it was ever to hymn Artemis with 
 midnight song, as many of them as dwelt there round the 
 lovely peak. All those, whose lot it is to watch o'er hill- 
 tops and mountain-streams, and they who guard the woods,, 
 were all drawn up apart ; but she, the nymph of the water, 
 was just rising from her lovely spring, when she marked 
 him near with the blush of his beauty and sweet grace 
 upon him. For on him the full moon from heaven was 
 shedding her light. And Cypris made the nymph's heart: 
 flutter, and scarce in her confusion could she collect her- 
 
 , wedges to block the mast firmly in its hole. 
 stays from the top of the mast to the deck to keep it still firmer.
 
 46 APOLLONIUS BHODIUS. [BOOK I. 
 
 self. But he, so soon as he had dipped his pitcher in the 
 stream, leaning aslant over it, and good store of water was 
 flowing into the sounding brass and bubbling round it, lo ! 
 in that instant the nymph from below the water laid her 
 left arm on his neck, longing to kiss his soft lips ; while 
 with her right hand she plucked him by the elbow and 
 plunged him amid the ripple. 
 
 And as he cried out, Polyphemus, son of Elatus, alone 
 of his comrades, heard him, as he came on along the path. 
 For he would welcome mighty Heracles, whensoever he 
 might come. Away rushed he towards Pegse like some 
 wild beast, to whom from afar hath come the bleating of 
 sheep, and furious with hunger he goeth to find them and 
 yet cometh not upon the flocks, for shepherds before have 
 penned them with their own hands within the fold ; but 
 he howls and roars unceasingly till he is tired. So then 
 did the son of Elatus cry aloud, and went to and fro about 
 the place shouting, and piteous was his voice. Anon drew 
 he his mighty sword and started to go forth, for fear that 
 the boy might be a prey to beasts, or men have taken him. 
 in ambush as he was alone, and be leading him away, an 
 easy booty. Then did he meet Heracles himself in the 
 way, as he was brandishing his naked sword in his hand, 
 and right well he knew him as he hasted toward the ship 
 through the darkness. At once he told the grievous news, 
 gasping hard for breath, " God help thee ! friend, a bitter 
 grief shall I be the first to tell thee. Hylas went unto the 
 spring, but he cometh not again in safety ; but robbers 
 have attacked him and are leading him away, or beasts are 
 tearing him, for I heard his loud cry." 
 
 So spake he ; and, as the other listened, there broke out 
 great beads of sweat upon his forehead, and beneath his 
 heart the dark blood surged. Down upon the ground in 
 wrath he cast the pine, and hasted along the path whither 
 his feet carried him in his hurrv. As when a bull some-
 
 :L. 1234-1292.] THE ABGONATTTICA. 47 
 
 where, stung by the gadfly, rushes along, leaving the 
 meadows and marsh-lands, and heedeth not the herdsmen, 
 nor the herd, but passes on his way, at one time without 
 stopping, and again standing still, and lifting up his broad 
 neck he bellows aloud, 'neath the sting of that cursed 
 fly ; even so Heracles in his eagerness now made his swift 
 knees move without a check, and now again, ceasing from 
 his toil, he would make his loud shout peal afar. 
 
 Anon uprose the morning star above the topmost heights, 
 and down came the breeze ; quickly then did Tiphys urge 
 them go aboard and take advantage of the wind. So they 
 at once embarked eagerly, and they hauled in the anchor- 
 ropes of the ship and backed her out. 1 And the sails were 
 bellied out by the wind, and they were borne far from the 
 beach past the headland of Posideum, glad at heart. Now 
 when bright-eyed dawn, arising from the east, shed its 
 light from heaven, and the paths stood out clearly, and 
 the dew- spangled plains shone in the bright gleam, then 
 knew they those whom they had left behind in ignorance. 
 And there arose a fierce strife amongst them, and brawl- 
 ing unspeakable, to think that they had gone and left the 
 best of all their crew. But he, the son of ^Eson, mazed 
 and at a loss, had nought to say one way or the other, but 
 there he sat, inly consuming his soul with heavy woe ; but 
 Telamon 2 was seized with wrath and thus spake he, " Sit 
 thee then in silence thus, since it pleased thee well to leave 
 Heracles behind ; far from thee is any counsel, that so his 
 fame may not o'ershadow thee in Hellas, 3 if haply the gods 
 
 1 The ancient mode of landing was to beach the ship, if possible, and 
 then fasten by cables to the land, and by anchors from the stern in the 
 sea. Hence, to put to sea it was necessary first to haul up the anchor 
 stones, and then back the ship out. 
 
 2 Telamon had joined Heracles in his expedition against the Amazons, 
 and had also sailed with him to Ilium, so that they had become close 
 -comrades. 
 
 3 Telamon's taunt against Jason certainly gathers some weight from
 
 48 APOLLONIUS RHODITJS. [BOOK I. 
 
 grant a return home again. But what joy is there in 
 words ? for I will go even apart from thy crew, who helped 
 thee to devise this guile." 
 
 He spake, and sprung toward Tiphys, son of Hagnias, 
 and his two eyes were like the flash of glowing fire. And 
 now woxild they have come back to the Mysian land in 
 spite of the wide sea and the ceaseless roaring blast, had 
 not the two sons of Thracian Boreas held back the son of 
 ^Eacus with harsh words, poor wights ; l verily upon them 
 came a grievous vengeance in the aftertime from the hands 
 of Heracles, for that they stayed the search for him. For 
 he slew them in sea-girt Tenos as they returned from the 
 games after the slaughter of Pelias, and he piled the earth 
 about them, and set up two pillars above them, whereof 
 the one, an exceeding marvel for men to see, is stirred by 
 the breath of the noisy north-wind. Thus were these 
 things to be brought to pass in days to come. But to them 
 appeared G-laucus 2 from the depth of the sea, wise ex- 
 pounder of the will of godlike Nereus ; and he raised aloft 
 his shaggy head and chest from the hollow depths, and 
 laid hold upon the ship's keel with his stalwart hand and 
 cried to them as they hastened, " Why against the will of 
 mighty Zeus are ye eager to take bold Heracles to the 
 city of JEetes ? His lot it is to toil in Argos for insolent 
 
 the poet's treatment of Jason's character ; not enough prominence is 
 given to him, who should be the central hero of all. Again and again 
 Jason is overshadowed by his comrades ; he fails to excite our lively in- 
 terest in anything like the way that Medea's beautiful portrait stirs it. 
 
 1 Heracles heard afterwards how the sons of Boreas had checked the 
 proposed search for him, and, as he thought (not knowing the will of 
 the gods), prevented his sharing the farther adventures of the Argonauts ; 
 so in his rage he slew them in Tenos as they were returning from the 
 games held at the funeral of Pelias. 
 
 8 Glaucus, the son of Polybus, a sea-god endowed with prophetic 
 powers, explains the divine will in separating Polyphemus, Heracles, 
 and Hylas from their comrades to fulfil other destinies.
 
 L. 1293-1346.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 49 
 
 Eurystheus till he complete twelve labours in all, and then 
 to dwell amongst the deathless gods, if haply he accom- 
 plish yet a few. Wherefore let there be no regret for him. 
 Yea, and even thus it is decreed that Polyphemus found a 
 famous town amongst the Mysians at the mouth of the 
 river Cios, and then wind up his clew of fate in the bound- 
 less country of the Chalybes. 1 And Hylas hath a goddess 
 nymph taken as her husband for love of him, and this was 
 why they wandered away and were left behind." 
 
 Therewith he dived below and wrapped the restless 
 wave around him, and the dark water seethed and foamed 
 in eddies about him, and he let the hollow ship go on 
 through the sea. Then were the heroes glad ; and he, 
 Telamon, son of ^acus, made haste to come to Jason, and 
 he grasped his hand in his own and embraced him, with 
 these words, " Son of JEson, be not angered with me, if in 
 my folly I was somewhat blinded, for exceeding grief 
 urged me to speak a haughty word I could not stay. Nay, 
 let us give our error to the winds, and be good friends even 
 as before." 
 
 Him in answer the son of Json cautiously addressed, 
 "Yea, good friend, that was a grievous word enough, I 
 trow, wherewith thou didst revile me, making me to be a 
 sinner against a comrade kind amongst all these. Yet no 
 long time will I nurse bitter wrath against thee, though 
 before distressed, for it was not for flocks of sheep nor 
 for possessions that thou wert angered into fury, but for a 
 man that was thy comrade. Yea, fain would I have thee 
 stand up for me too against another, if ever there come 
 such need." 
 
 He spake, and they sat them down, united as of old ; 
 and so by the counsel of Zeus, the one was destined to 
 found and build a city called after the river, namely 
 
 1 The Chalybes were a Scythian race, famous for working in iron, 
 which their country yielded in plenty.
 
 50 APOLLONIU3 BHODIUS. [BOOK I., L. 1347-END. 
 
 Polyphemus, son of Elatus, while the other returned and 
 performed the labours of Eurystheus. Now he threatened 
 at once to ravage the Mysian land, since they could not 
 discover for him the fate of Hylas, either alive or dead. 
 But they chose out the noblest sons of the people, and 
 gave them as pledges for him, and took an oath that they 
 would never cease from the toil of seeking him. Where- 
 fore to this day the men of Cios ask after Hylas, the son 
 of Theiodamas, and take care of the stablished town of 
 Trachin, 1 for there it was that Heracles did place the boys, 
 whom they sent to him from Cios to take as hostages. 
 
 And all day long and all that night the wind bare on 
 the ship, blowing in its strength ; but as the dawn broke, 
 never a breath stirred. So they, having marked a head- 
 land, broad enow to look upon, stretching out from a bend 
 in the land, took to their oars and anchored there at sun- 
 rise. 
 
 1 A city in Thessaly, where Heracles placed the boys sent to him as 
 hostages for lost Hylas by the Mysians.
 
 BOOK II.
 
 AKGUMENT. 
 
 They reach Bithynia. Amycus, king of the Bfbryccs, having chal- 
 lenged any of them to box with him, is slain by Polydeuces, and in the 
 subsequent fight many of the Bebryces fall. At Salmydessa in Thrace 
 they find blind Phineus, whom the sons of Boreas relieve from the 
 attacks of the Harpies. In return he tells them of their voyage. Hence 
 they come to the Symplegades, and, after escaping through them, are 
 received by Lycus, king of the Mariandyni. Idmon and Tiphys die 
 there. They meet with strange adventures among the Chalybes, Tiba- 
 reni, and Mossynceci. Coming to an island infested by " the birds of 
 Ares," they pick up the shipwrecked sons of Chalciope, who henceforth 
 serve them as guides to Colchis.
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 HEEE were the steadings and the farm of Amycus, 
 proud king of the Bebryces, whom on a day the 
 Bithynian nymph, Melie, bare from the embraces of Posei- 
 don, 1 lord of birth, to be the haughtiest of men, for he laid 
 this unseemly ordinance even on his guests, that none 
 should go away, till he had made trial of his boxing ; and 
 many of his neighbours had he slain. So then he came to 
 the ship, but scorned to ask the object of their voyage and 
 who they were, in his exceeding insolence ; but this word 
 at once spake he amongst them all : " Hearken, ye rovers 
 o'er the deep ; 'tis right ye should know these things. Of 
 stranger folk none may get him hence, whoso draweth nigh 
 to the Bebryces, ere he have lifted up his hands to fight 
 with me. Wherefore set the best man of your company 
 alone and apart to do battle with me in boxing on the spot. 
 But if ye neglect and trample on my decrees, verily some 
 hard necessity shall follow you to your sorrow." 
 
 So spake he in his great pride. But savage anger seized 
 them as they listened. And most of all his chiding smote 
 Polydeuces. Quickly he stood up as champion of his fel- 
 lows, and spake, " Hold thee now, and show no coward 
 violence, whoever thou boastest to be ; for we will yield to 
 thy ordinance, as thou declarest it. I myself willingly do 
 undertake to meet thee in this very hour." 
 
 1 Poseidon is called " Lord of Creation " because he had power over 
 all moisture, without which nothing could come into being.
 
 54 APOLLONIUS KHODIUS. [BOOK II. 
 
 So spake he bluntly ; but the other rolled his eyes and 
 gazed at him, as when a lion is wounded by a spear, and 
 men encompass him upon the hills ; but he, hemmed in, 
 though he be, by the press, yet recketh no more of them, 
 but only mindeth in his solitude that man who first did 
 wound him and slew him not. Then did the son of Tyn- 
 darus lay aside his fine close- woven robe, that robe which 
 one of the Lemnian maidens had given him for a stranger's 
 gift, and he threw down his dark cloak of double woof with 
 the brooches thereupon, and the rough shepherd's crook of 
 wild mountain olive that he was carrying. Anon they 
 looked about for a convenient spot near, and made their 
 comrades all sit down in two bands upon the beach ; nor 
 were they in form or stature like each other to behold. The 
 one was like some monstrous birth of baleful Typhoeus l or 
 haply of Earth herself, such as she aforetime bare to Zeus 
 in her displeasure ; 2 while the other, the son of Tyndarus, 
 was like a star of heaven, whose twinklings are most lovely 
 when he shineth in the gloaming. So fair was the son of 
 Zeus, with the young down still sprouting on his face and 
 the glad light yet in his eyes. But his might and his spirit 
 waxed as doth a beast's ; and he swung his arms, testing 
 them to see if they moved nimbly as of yore, or lest they 
 might be stiff withal from toil and rowing. Amycus how- 
 ever made no trial of himself ; there he stood apart in 
 silence, and kept his eyes on him, and his heart beat high 
 with eagerness to dash the other's life-blood from his breast. 
 Betwixt them Lycoreus, henchman of Amycus, laid at their 
 feet two pairs of thongs, 3 rough, dry, and wrinkled all about. 
 
 1 Typhoeus, a fearful giant slain by Zeus, and buried by him in 
 Cilicia. 
 
 2 The legend was that when Zeus slew the Titans, children of Earth, 
 their mother in anger and revenge produced the Giants. 
 
 3 tfiavraf , lit. " thongs," which were bound round the hands and arms 
 of boxers, sometimes loaded with metal as well, to increase the effect of 
 the blows. They were called
 
 L. 25-84.] THE AKGONAUTICA. 55 
 
 And Amycus with haughty words addressed the other : 
 "Here will I freely give thee without casting lots which- 
 ever of these thou wilt, that thou mayst not find fault with 
 me hereafter. Come, bind it about thy hand ; and, when 
 thou hast learnt, thou mayst tell another, how far I excel 
 in cutting the hides of oxen when they are dry, and in 
 dabbling men's cheeks with blood." 
 
 He spake ; but the other answered him with never a taunt, 
 but, lightly smiling, readily took up the thongs that lay at 
 his own feet ; and Castor came to be his squire, and mighty 
 Talaus, the son of Bias ; and quickly they bound the thongs 
 about his arms, very earnestly exhorting him to show his 
 prowess ; while for that other Aretus and Ornytus did the 
 like, and little they knew, poor fools, that they had bound 
 them for the last time, with ill luck to boot. 
 
 But they then, when they were ready with their thongs, 
 face to face, at once held out before their bodies their 
 weighty fists, and brought their might to meet each other. 
 Then the king of the Bebryces, like a wave of the sea that 
 rears its rugged crest against a swift ship that only just 
 avoids it by the skill of the crafty pilot, as the billow is 
 eager to sweep her away within its wall of water ; even so 
 the king pressed hard the son of Tyndarus to frighten him, 
 nor would he give him any respite. But the other, un- 
 wounded ever, kept avoiding his rush by his skill ; and 
 quickly he noted his rough boxing, to see if he were invin- 
 cible in his strength or haply his inferior ; so there he stood 
 continually, 1 and gave him blow for blow. As when car- 
 penters, urgently laying on, do strike with hammers and 
 nail together ship-timbers with sharp mortices, while blow 
 on blow re-echoes round unceasingly ; so their cheeks and 
 jaws on both sides resounded, and the gnashing of teeth 
 arose incessantly, and they ceased not to smite each in turn, 
 
 1 aporov. A word of uncertain derivation, frequently occurring in 
 Apollonius in the sense of " insatiably."
 
 56 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK II. 
 
 till sore gasping o'ercame them both. Then stood they a 
 little apart, wiping from their faces great drops of sweat, 
 with grievous panting and hard breathing the while. Once 
 more they roused them to the encounter, like two bulls that 
 furiously battle for a grazing heifer. Then did Amycus, 
 rising on tiptoe, like a butcher, strain to his full height and 
 shot forth his heavy fist at him, but he stooped his head 
 and went under his rush, but caught his blow just on the 
 shoulder ; then did he come up to Amycus, and advancing 
 his knee past him dashed in and smote him above the ear, 
 crashing the bones inward ; and the other fell on his knees 
 in agony, but the Minyan heroes cheered ; and away sped 
 his spirit at once. 
 
 But the Bebryces, I trow, left not their king thus ; no, 
 at once they caught up rough clubs and spears and made 
 straight for Polydeuces. But his comrades drew their keen 
 swords from the scabbards and stood up before him. 'Twas 
 Castor first that smote a man upon the head as he rushed 
 at him, and his skull was cleft in twain on either shoulder. 
 Likewise he smote the giant Itymoneus and Mimas ; the 
 one he smote beneath the breast, having rushed on him with 
 speedy foot, 1 and hurled him in the dust ; the other, as he 
 drew nigh, he struck with his right hand above the left 
 eye-brow and tore off the lid, and the eye was left uncovered. 
 And Oreides too, daring squire of Amycus, wounded Talaus, 
 the son of Bias, in the loins, but he slew him not, for the 
 bronze sped beneath his belt merely along the skin, and 
 touched not his belly. In like manner Aretus sprang at 
 Iphitus, steadfast son of Eurytus, and smote him with a 
 seasoned club, not yet doomed to die miserably ; Aretus 
 indeed was soon to fall beneath the sword of Clytius. 
 
 'Twas then that Ancseus, bold son of Lycurgus, uplifted 
 his great axe right speedily, holding his black bear skin in 
 
 1 \d, an adverb, = "with the heel or foot," on the same analogy as 
 = " with the teeth," from 5aKv<a, with euphon. o.
 
 L. 85-154.] THE ARGONA.UTICA. 57 
 
 his left hand, and sprang furiously into the thick of the 
 Bebryces, and the sou of ^Eacus charged with him, and 
 Jason too rushed on with them. 
 
 As when, on a day in winter, grizzled wolves attack and 
 terrify countless sheep in the fold without the knowledge 
 of the keen-scented dogs and the shepherds themselves, 
 and they seek how they may at once spring on them and 
 take them, oft peering over the pens withal, while the sheep 
 from every side huddle as they are, tumbling over one an- 
 other ; even so, I ween, the heroes grievously affrighted 
 the overweening Bebryces. As shepherds or bee-keepers 
 smoke a mighty swarm of bees in a rock, and these the 
 while, all huddled in their hive, buzz round confusedly ; 
 and far from the rock they dart, smoked right through by 
 the sooty fumes ; so these men no longer abode steadfastly, 
 but fled routed within Bebrycia, carrying the news of the 
 death of Amycus ; poor fools, for they knew not of another 
 unseen woe that was very nigh to them. For their orchards 
 and villages were wasted by the hostile spear of Lycus and 
 the Mariandyni, now that their king was gone. For there 
 was ever a feud twixt them about the land that yielded 
 iron ; for these at once began to pillage the farms and 
 steadings, while the heroes forthwith plundered and 
 carried off their countless sheep ; and thus some man 
 amongst them would say : " Bethink you what they would 
 have brought upon themselves by their craven deeds, if 
 haply some god had. brought Heracles too hither. Very sure 
 am I, had he been here, there would have been not so much 
 as a trial of boxing ; no, but when he came to tell his ordi- 
 nances, forthwith the club would have made him forget his 
 pride and the ordinances too which he declared. Yea, we 
 have left him yonder on the shore without a thought and 
 gone our way across the sea, but every man amongst us 
 shall know that fatal mistake, now that he is far away." 
 
 Thus spake he; but all these things were wrought by
 
 58 APOLLONIUS BHODIUS. [BOOK II. 
 
 the counsels of Zeus. There they abode that night, and 
 set to curing the wounds of those who were smitten, and 
 they offered sacrifices to the deathless gods, and made 
 ready a great supper ; and sleep o'ertook no man beside 
 the wine-bowls and the blazing sacrifices. And the'y 
 wreathed their yellow locks with bay that groweth by the 
 sea, whereto also were fastened the cables, and sang in sweet 
 harmony to the lyre of Orpheus; and as they sang the 
 headland round grew calm and still, for their song was of 
 the son of Zeus, 1 who dwelleth in Therapnse. 
 
 Now when the sun, rising from the east, shone upon the 
 dewy hills, and awoke shepherds, in that hour they loosed 
 their cables from the stem of the bay-tree, and, putting 
 their booty on board, even all that they had need to carry, 
 they steered with the wind along the swirling Bosporus. 
 Then did a wave like to a steep mountain rush upon them 
 in front, as though it were charging them, rearing itself 
 ever above the clouds, and never wouldst thou have said 
 they would escape a horrid fate, for it hung arching right 
 over the middle of the ship in all its fury ; but yet even 
 this grows smooth, if but you possess a clever pilot. So 
 then they too came forth, unscathed, though much afeard, 
 through the skill of Tiphys. And on the next day they 
 anchored over against the Bithynian land. 
 
 Here Phineus, son of .Agenor, had his home beside the 
 sea ; he who, by reason of the divination that the son of 
 Leto granted him aforetime, suffered most awful woes, far 
 beyond all men ; for not one jot did he regard even Zeus 
 himself, in foretelling the sacred purpose to men unerringly. 
 Wherefore Zeus granted him a weary length of days, but 
 reft hie eyes of the sweet light, nor suffered him to have 
 any joy of all the countless gifts, which those, who dwelt 
 around and sought to him for oracles, were ever bringing to 
 
 1 "The Therapnaean son of Zeus," i.e. Apollo, so called from 
 Therapnse, a part of Sparta, which was sacred to this god.
 
 L. 155-220.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 59 
 
 his house. But suddenly through the clouds the Harpies 
 darted nigh, and kept snatching them from his mouth or 
 hands in their talons. Sometimes never a morsel of food 
 was left him, sometimes a scrap, that he might live and 
 suffer. And upon his food they spread a fetid stench ; 
 and none could endure to bring food to his mouth, but 
 stood afar off ; so foul a reek breathed from the remnants 
 of his meal. At once, when he heard the sound and noise 
 of a company, he perceived that they were the very men 
 now passing by, at whose coming an oracle from Zeus had 
 said that he should enjoy his food. Up from his couch he 
 rose, as it were, a lifeless phantom, and, leaning on his 
 staff, came to the door on his wrinkled feet, feeling his 
 way along the walls ; and, as he went, his limbs trembled 
 from weakness and age, and his skin was dry and caked 
 with filth, and nought but the skin held his bones together. 
 So he came forth from his hall, and sat down with heavy 
 knees on the threshold of the court, and a dark mantle 
 wrapped him, and seemed to sweep the ground below all 
 round ; and there he sank with never a word, in strength- 
 less lethargy. 
 
 But they, when they saw him, gathered round, and were 
 astonied. And he, drawing a laboured breath from the 
 bottom of his chest, took up his parable for them and said : 
 " Hearken, choice sons of all the Hellenes, if 'tis you in 
 very truth, whom now Jason, at the king's chill bidding, is 
 leading on the ship Argo to fetch the fleece. 'Tis surely 
 you. Still doth my mind know each thing by its divining. 
 Wherefore to thee, my prince, thou son of Leto, do I give 
 thanks eyen in my cruel sufferings. By Zeus, the god of 
 suppliants, most awful god to sinful men, for Phoebus' sake 
 and for the sake of Hera herself, who before all other gods 
 hath had you in her keeping as ye came, help me, I im- 
 plore ; rescue a hapless wretch from misery, and do not 
 heedlessly go hence and leave me thus. .For not only hath
 
 60 APOLLONIUS BHODITJS. [BOOK II. 
 
 the avenging fiend set his heel upon my eyes, not only do I 
 drag out to the end a tedious old age, but yet another most 
 bitter pain is added to the tale. Harpies, swooping from 
 some unseen den of destruction, that I see not, do snatch the 
 food from my mouth. And I have no plan to help me. But 
 lightly would my mind forget her longing for a meal, or 
 the thought of them, so quickly fly they through the air. 
 But if, as happens at times, they leave me some scrap of 
 food, a noisome stench it hath, and a smell too strong to 
 bear, nor could any mortal man draw nigh and bear it even 
 for a little while, no, not though his heart were forged of 
 adamant. But me, God wot, doth necessity, cruel and in- 
 satiate, constrain to abide, and abiding to put such food in 
 my miserable belly. Them 'tis heaven's decree that the 
 sons of Boreas l shall check ; and they shall ward them off, 
 for they are my kinsmen, if indeed I am that Phineus, who 
 in days gone by had a name amongst men for my wealth 
 and divination, whom Agenor, my sire, begat ; their sister 
 Cleopatra 2 did I bring to my house as wife with gifts of 
 wooing, what time I ruled among the Thracians." 
 
 So spake the son of Agenor ; and deep sorrow took hold 
 on each of the heroes, but specially on the two sons of 
 Boreas. But they wiped away a tear and drew nigh, and 
 thus spake Zetes, taking in his the hand of the suffering 
 old man : " Ah ! poor sufferer, methinks there is no other 
 man more wretched than thee. Why is it that such woes 
 have fastened on thee ? Is it that thou hast sinned against 
 the gods in deadly f oily through thy skill in divination ? 
 Wherefore are they so greatly wroth against thee ? Lo ! 
 our heart within us is sorely bewildered, though, we yearn 
 to help thee, if in very truth the god hath reserved for us 
 
 1 The sons of Boreas were Zetes and Calais. 
 
 2 Phineus in his happier days had married Cleopatra, daughter of 
 Boreas and Orithyia ; he was therefore uncle of Zetes and Calais, his 
 destined deliverers.
 
 L. 221-284.] THE ABGONAUTICA. 61 
 
 twain this honour. For plain to see are the rebukes that 
 the immortals send on us men of earth. Nor will we check 
 the coming of the Harpies, for all our eagerness, till that 
 thou swear that we shall not fall from heaven's favour in 
 return for this." So spake he, and straight that aged man 
 opened his sightless eyes and lifted them up, and thus 
 made answer : " Hush ! remind me not of those things, my 
 son. The son of Leto be my witness, who of his kindness 
 taught me divination ; be witness that ill-omened fate, that 
 is my lot, and this dark cloud upon my eyes, and the gods 
 below, whose favour may I never find if I die perjured 
 thus, that there shall come no wrath from heaven on you 
 by reason of your aid." 
 
 Then were those twain eager to help him by reason of 
 the oath, and quickly did the young men make ready a 
 feast for the old man, a last booty for the Harpies ; and 
 the two stood near to strike them with their swords as they 
 swooped down. Soon as ever that aged man did touch the 
 food, down rushed those Harpies with whirr of wings at 
 once, eager for the food, like grievous blasts, or like 
 lightning darting suddenly from the clouds ; but those 
 heroes, when they saw them in mid air, shouted ; and they 
 at the noise sped off afar across the sea after they had 
 devoured everything, but behind them was left an intoler- 
 able stench. And the two sons of Boreas started in pur- 
 suit of them with their swords drawn ; for Zeus inspired 
 them with tireless courage, and 'twas not without the will 
 of Zeus that they followed them, for they would dart past 
 the breath of the west wind, what time they went to and 
 from Phineus. As when upon the hill-tops dogs skilled 
 in the chase run on the track of horned goats or deer, and, 
 straining at full speed just behind, in vain do gnash their 
 teeth upon their lips ; even so Zetes and Calais, darting 
 very nigh to them, in vain grazed them with their finger- 
 tips. And now, I trow, they would have torn them in
 
 62 APOLLONIUS RHODITTS. [BOOK II. 
 
 pieces against the will of the gods on the floating islands, 1 
 after they had come afar, had not swift Iris seen them, 
 and darting down from the clear heaven above stayed them 
 with this word of rebuke : " Ye sons of Boreas, 'tis not or- 
 dained that ye should slay the Harpies, the hounds of 
 mighty Zeus, with your swords ; but I, even I, will give 
 you an oath that they will come no more nigh him." 
 
 Therewith she sware by the stream of Styx, most dire 
 and awful oath for all the gods, that these should never 
 again draw near unto the house of Phineus, son of Agenor, 
 for even so was it fated. So they yielded to her oath and 
 turned to hasten back to the ship. And so it is that men 
 call those isles, " the isles of turning," though aforetime 
 they called them " the floating isles." And the Harpies 
 and Iris parted ; they entered their lair in Crete, the land 
 of Minos, but she sped up to Olympus, soaring on her 
 swift pinions. 
 
 Meantime the chieftains carefully washed the old man's 
 squalid skin, and chose out and sacrificed sheep, which 
 they had brought from the booty of Amycus. Now when 
 they had laid a great supper in his halls, they sat them 
 down and feasted, and with them Phineus fell afeasting 
 ravenously, cheering his heart as in a dream. Then when 
 they had taken their fill of food and drink, they sat up all 
 night awaiting the sons of Boreas. And in their midst 
 beside the hearth sat that ancient one himself, telling 
 them of the ends of their voyage and the fulfilment of 
 their journey : " Hearken then. All ye may not learn of a 
 surety, but as much as is heaven's will I will not hide. 
 Aforetime I went astray in my folly by declaring the mind 
 of Zeus in order to the end. For he willeth himself to 
 make plain to men oracles that need divination, to the 
 
 " The Floating Isles " in the Sicilian sea. They were supposed to 
 be capable of movement. After the flight of the Harpies here, they were 
 called the Strophades, i.e. '' Isles of turning."
 
 L. 285-345.] THE AKGONATTTICA. 63 
 
 end that they may have some need of the mind of the 
 gods. 
 
 " First of all, when ye have gone hence from me, ye shall 
 see the two Cyanean l rocks at the place where two seas 
 meet. Through these, I trow, none can win a passage. 
 For they are not fixed on foundations below, but oft they 
 clash together upon each other, and much salt water boils 
 up from beneath, rearing its crest, and loud is the roar 
 round the bluff headland. 
 
 " Wherefore now give heed to my exhorting, if in sooth ye 
 make this voyage with cautious mind and due regard for 
 the blessed gods ; perish not then senselessly by a death 
 of your own choosing, nor rush on at the heels of youthful 
 rashness. First I bid you let loose from the ship a dove, 
 and send her forth before you to try the way. And if she 
 fly safely on her wings through those rocks to the sea, no 
 longer do ye delay your voyage for any time, but stoutly 
 ply the oars in your hands and cleave through the strait 
 of sea, for now your life will depend, not so much on your 
 prayers, as on your stalwart arms. Wherefore leave all 
 other things alone and exert 2 yourselves bravely to the 
 utmost ; yet ere you start, I do not forbid you to entreat 
 the gods. But if the dove be slain right in mid passage, 
 fare ye back again, for far better it is to yield to the death- 
 less gods. For then could ye not escape an evil doom at 
 the rocks, no, not if Argo were made of iron. Ah ! hapless 
 wights ! dare not to go beyond my warning, although ye 
 think me thrice as much the foe of the lords of heaven, 
 aye and even more hateful to them than I really am ; dare 
 not to sail yet further against the omen. And these things 
 shall be even as they may. But if ye escape the clashing 
 
 1 irirpag, i.e. the Symplegades, or " dashers,' 3 stood at the mouth of 
 Pontus. 
 
 2 i.e. do not think prayers alone will save you, but, on the other 
 hand, do not neglect to pray as well as to do your utmost as men.
 
 64 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK II. 
 
 of the rocks and come scatheless inside Pontus, forthwith 
 keep the Bithynian l land upon your right, and sail cautiously 
 amid the breakers, till that ye round the swift current of 
 the river Rhebas and the Black headland, and be come to a 
 haven in the Thynian isle. Thence return a short stretch 
 across the sea, and beach your ship on the opposite shore 
 of the Mariandyni. There is a path down to Hades, and 
 the headland 2 of Acherusia juts out and stretches itself on 
 high, and swirling Acheron, cutting through the foot of 
 the cliff, pours itself forth from a mighty ravine. Very 
 nigh to it shall ye pass by many hills of the Paphlagonians, 
 over whom Pelops first held sway in Enete, 3 of whose blood 
 they avow them to be. Now there is a certain cliff that 
 fronts the circling 4 Bear, on all sides steep ; men call it 
 Carambis ; above it the gusty north is parted in twain ; in 
 such wise is it turned toward the sea, towering to heaven. 
 At once when a man hath rounded it a wide beach stretches 
 before him, and at the end of that wide beach nigh to a 
 jutting cliff the stream of the river Halys 5 terribly dis- 
 charges, and after him, but flowing near, the Iris rolls into 
 the sea, a lesser stream with clear ripples. Here in front 
 a great and towering bend stands out 6 ; next, Thermodon's 
 mouth flows into a sleeping bay near the Themiscyrean 
 headland, from its meandering through a wide continent. 
 
 1 The Bosporus is bounded on the right by Bithynia, on the left by 
 the Thracian land. Rhebas is a river of Bithynia. 
 
 2 This headland was near Heraclea, 
 
 3 'Evtrfjiof, so called from Enete, a city of Paphlagonia, the native 
 place of Pelops. 
 
 4 "EXi'oj, another name for "the Bear," i.e. the North, so called be- 
 cause the Bear was supposed to be ever wheeling round so as to escape 
 Orion, who was in pursuit. 
 
 6 The Halys is a river of Paphlagonia, falling into the Pontus near 
 the city Sinope. 
 
 6 i.e. stands up high from the surrounding land and juts out into the 
 sea, forming an angle. " The mouth of the Thermodon " is only a pre- 
 cise way of saying " the Thermodon."
 
 L. 346-395.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 65 
 
 There is the plain of Doias, and hard by are the triple 
 cities of the Amazons ; and after them the Chalybes : in- 
 habit a rough and stubborn land, of all men most wretched, 
 labourers they, busied with working of iron. Near them 
 dwell the Tibareni, rich in sheep, beyond the G-enetaean head- 
 land, where is a temple of Zeus, lord of hospitality. Next 
 beyond this, but nigh thereto, the Mossynceci 2 hold the 
 woody mainland and the foot of the mountain, men that 
 have builded houses of timber with wooden battlements 
 and chambers deftly finished, which they call ' Mossynse,' 
 and hence they have their name. Coast on past them, and 
 anchor at a smooth isle, 3 after ye have driven off with all 
 the skill ye may those ravening birds, which, men say, do 
 roost upon this desert isle in countless numbers. Therein 
 the queens of the Amazons builded a temple of stone to 
 Ares, even Otrere and Antiope, what time they went forth 
 to battle. Now here shall there come to you from out the 
 bitter sea a help 4 ye looked not for, wherefore of good will I 
 bid you there to stay. But hold ; why should I once more 
 offend by telling everything from beginning to end in my 
 divining ? In front of the island, on the mainland oppo- 
 site, dwell the Philyres ; 5 higher up, beyond them, are the 
 
 1 The Chalybes, a Scythian race, so called from Chalybs, a son of 
 Ares, great workers in iron. The Amazons, a warlike and savage race 
 of women, living near the Doian plain in three separate cities, Lycastia, 
 Themiscyra, and Chalybia. Their queens were Otrere and Antiope. 
 
 2 The Mossynceci, or dwellers in wooden houses, fioaavvat being = 
 wooden houses. Some account of their curious customs is given infra, 
 bk. ii. 1. 1016, sqq. 
 
 3 vr}ff(fi, the isle of Ares, on which were the terrible Stymphalian birds 
 with feathers which could be shot by the birds themselves like arrows. 
 
 4 i.e. just when you are becoming desperate and sick of your enter- 
 prise, there shall come to you an unexpected relief from the sea in the 
 shape of shipwrecked mariners, viz., the sons of Chalciope, who had 
 lately left JEa, but had been wrecked on the isle of Ares ; they shall 
 serve to guide you on your voyage to Colchis. Cf. infra, bk. ii. 1. 1090, sqq. 
 
 6 The various tribes now mentioned are Scythian, then comes Sar- 
 
 F
 
 66 APOLLONIUS RHODITTS. [BOOK II. 
 
 Macrones ; and yet beyond these, the countless tribes of 
 the Becheiri. Next to them dwell the Sapeires, and their 
 neighbours are the Byzeres, and right beyond them come 
 next the warlike Colchians themselves. But cleave on your 
 way, until ye come nigh to the inmost sea. There across 
 the Cytaean 1 mainland, from the Amarantian hills afar, and 
 the plain of Circe, 2 the swirling Phasis rolls his broad 
 stream into the sea. Drive your ship into the mouth of 
 that river, and ye shall see the towers of Cytaean ^Eetes 
 and the shady grove of Ares, where a dragon, dire monster 
 to behold, watches from his ambush round the fleece as it 
 hangs on the top of an oak ; nor night nor day doth sweet 
 sleep o'ercome his restless eyes." 
 
 So spake he ; and as they hearkened, fear fell on them 
 forthwith. Long were they struck with speechlessness ; at 
 last spake the hero, the son of JSson, sorely at a loss, " Old 
 man, lo ! now hast thou rehearsed the end of our toilsome 
 voyage, and the sure sign, which if we obey we shall pass 
 through those loathed rocks to Pontus ; but whether there 
 shall be a return again to Hellas for us, if we do escape 
 them, this too would I fain learn of thee. How am I to 
 act, how shall I come again over so wide a path of sea, in 
 ignorance myself and with a crew alike ignorant ? for 
 Colchian M& lieth at the uttermost end of Pontus and the 
 earth." 
 
 So spake he, and to him did that old man make answer, 
 " My child, as soon as thou hast escaped through those 
 rocks of death, be of good cheer, for a god will guide thee 
 on a different route from J3a; and toward JEa, there 
 shall be plenty to guide thee. Yea, friends, bethink you of 
 the crafty aid of the Cyprian goddess. For by her is pre- 
 
 matia about the lake Maeotis, while beyond this lies the Arctic 
 Ocean. 
 
 1 Colchian, Cytaea being a city in Colchis. 
 
 a Circe was sister of -ffietes.
 
 I.. 396-454.] THE ARGONATJTICA. 67 
 
 pared a glorious end to your toils. But question me no 
 further of these matters." 
 
 So spake the son of Agenor, and the two sons of 
 Thracian Boreas came glancing down from heaven, and 
 set their rushing feet upon the threshold beside them. Up 
 sprang the heroes from their seats, when they saw them 
 corning near. And among the eager throng Zetes made 
 harangue, drawing great gasps for breath after his toil, and 
 told them how far they had journeyed, and how Iris pre- 
 vented them from slaying the Harpies, and how the 
 goddess in her favour gave them an oath, and those others 
 slunk away in terror 'neath the vast cavern of the cliff of 
 Dicte. Glad then were all their comrades in the house, 
 .and Phineus himself, at the news. And quickly did the 
 son of jJEson address the old man with right good will : " It 
 iseems then, Phineus, some god there was who pitied thy 
 grievous misery, and brought us, too, hither from afar, that 
 the sons of Boreas might help thee ; if but he would grant 
 the light unto thine eyes, methinks I would be even as glad 
 as if I were on my homeward way." 
 
 So spake he ; but the other, with downcast face, answered 
 him : " Ah ! son of JBson, that may never be recalled, nor 
 is there any remedy for that hereafter ; for blasted l are my 
 sightless eyes. Instead thereof God grant me death 2 at 
 once, and after death shall I share in all festive joys." 
 
 Thus these twain held converse together. And anon, in 
 no long space, as they talked, the dawn appeared ; and the 
 neighbouring folk came round Phineus, they who even 
 aforetime gathered thither day by day, ever bringing a 
 
 ai literally = are smouldering away, a forcible word to 
 express the blinding of the eyes by lightning. 
 
 2 A wish. God grant me death ; then shall I have the same chances 
 as other men of happiness. The legend was that Phineus, being given 
 a choice of anything he pleased, asked for long life. This was granted ; 
 but, to punish his folly, it was accompanied with blindness.
 
 68 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK II, 
 
 portion of food for him in spite of all. And unto all of 
 them that aged man with good will gave oracles, whatso 
 feeble man might come ; and he loosed many of their woes 
 by his divination ; wherefore they would visit and care for 
 him. With these came Paraebius, the man most dear to 
 him, and glad was he to hear them in his house. For long 
 before had he himself declared that an expedition of chief- 
 tains, on its way from Hellas to the city of ^Eetes, should 
 fasten its cables to the Thynian 1 land, and they should re- 
 strain by Zeus' s will the Harpies from coming to him. So 
 then that old man sent these men forth, winning them with 
 words of wisdom ; only Paraebius he bade stay there with 
 the chieftains ; and quickly he sent him forth, bidding him 
 bring thither the pick of all his sheep ; and as he went out 
 from the hall, Phineus made harangue graciously amongst 
 the throng of rowers : " Friends, all men, I trow, are not 
 overweening, nor forgetful of a kindness. Thus yonder 
 man, brave soul as he is, came hither that he might learn 
 his fate. 2 For when he toiled his best and worked his 
 hardest, even then above all repeated want of food would 
 waste him, and day on day was ever more miserable, nor 
 was there any respite from his suffering. But he was pay- 
 ing a sad return for his father's sin ; for he, cutting trees 
 alone on a day in the hills, slighted the prayer of a tree- 
 nymph, who besought him with tears and earnest entreaty 
 not to cut the trunk of an oak that had grown up with her, 
 whereon she had passed many a long year together, but he, 
 in the senseless pride of youth, cut it down. Wherefore 
 did the nymph make her death unprofitable to him and his 
 children afterwards. Now I knew the sin, when he came 
 to me; so I bade him build an altar to the Thynian 
 nymph, and offer upon it sacrifice to cleanse the guilt, 
 praying for an escape from his father's doom. Then when 
 
 1 Thynis, a part of Thrace upon the Bosporus. 
 * fwpov here = " fate, destiny," not " death."
 
 1. 455-514.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 69 
 
 he escaped the doom sent by the goddess, he never forgat 
 nor ceased to care for me ; and scarce can I send him to 
 the door, unwilling to depart, for he is fain to abide even 
 here with me in my distress." 
 
 So spake the son of Agenor ; and the other anon drew 
 nigh, driving two sheep from the fold. Then up stood 
 Jason, and up stood the sons of Boreas as the old man 
 bade them. Quickly they called on the name of prophetic 
 Apollo, and did sacrifice upon the hearth just as the day 
 was waning, and the young men of the crew made ready a 
 plenteous feast. Then when they had well feasted, some 
 laid them to rest by the cables of the ship, and some in 
 knots there in the house. At morn the steady summer 
 winds l began to blow, which breathe o'er the whole earth 
 equally, for such is the command of Zeus. 
 
 There runs a legend that Cyrene 2 once was herding sheep 
 along the marsh of the Peneus amongst the men of former 
 times, for her heart rejoiced in her maidenhood and virgin 
 couch. But Apollo caught her up from her shepherding 
 by the river far from Hsemonia, and set her down among 
 the maidens of the country who dwelt in Libya beside the 
 Myrtosian height. There she bare Aristaeus unto Phoebus, 
 whom the Hsemonians, with their rich corn -lands, call " the 
 Hunter " and " the Shepherd." For the god, for the love 
 of the nymph, granted her length of days and a home in 
 the country there, and brought her infant son to be reared 
 'neath the cave of Chiron. And when he was grown, the 
 divine Muses found for him a wife, and taught him the 
 
 avpai. According to the legend, a great drought prevailed 
 once in the Cyclades, when an oracle told the people to call in to their 
 aid Aristaeus, the son of Apollo and Cyrene, from Phthia. He came to 
 Cos, and appeased Zeus with sacrifice ; whereon that god sent a cool 
 breeze to blow upon the isle for forty days. Henceforth these winds 
 became annual during the summer, beginning when the sun is in the 
 last chamber of the Crab, and lasting until he enters the Lion. 
 2 The mother of Aristams just mentioned.
 
 70 APOLLONIUS RHODITJS. [BOOK II. 
 
 arts of healing and prophecy; and they made him the 
 keeper of their flocks, all that feed along the plain of 
 Athamas in Phthia, and around steep Othrys, and the 
 sacred stream of the river Apidanus. Now when the Dog- 
 star l from heaven scorched up the islands of Minos, 2 and for 
 a long space the inhabitants found no relief, then by the 
 advice of Hecatus they called him in to stay the plague. 
 So he left Phthia at the bidding of his father, and came to- 
 dwell in Cos, having gathered thither the Parrhasian 3 folk, 
 who are of the lineage of Lycaon ; and he builded a mighty 
 altar to Zeus, the god of rain, 4 and did fair sacrifice upon 
 the mountains to Sirius, that baleful star, and to Zeus 
 himself, the son of Cronos. Wherefore it is that the 
 Etesian winds blow cool across the earth for forty days 
 from Zeus ; and even now in Cos priests offer sacrifices; 
 before the rising of the Dog. 
 
 So runs this legend ; and the chiefs abode there by con- 
 straint ; 5 and every day the Thynians sent forth good store 
 .of gifts for the strangers, out of favour for Phineus. After 
 this, when they had builded an altar to the twelve blessed 
 gods on the edge of the sea opposite, and had offered 
 sacrifice upon it, they went aboard their swift ship to row 
 away, nor did they forget to take with them a timorous 
 dove, but Euphemus clutched her in his hand, cowering 
 with terror, and carried her along, and they loosed their 
 double cables from the shore. 
 
 Nor, I ween, had they started, ere Athene was ware of 
 
 1 2'pioc, i.e. the Dogstar, " the scorching star." 
 
 * Mtj'uw"ar, i.e. the Cyclades, for Minos, king of Crete, held the 
 supremacy of the sea (cf. Thuc. i.) in early times, and consequently of 
 all the islands. 
 
 3 Parrbasian, i.e. Arcadian. Parrhasia, a city of Arcadia. 
 
 4 '\Kfiaioio, " Lord of rain," Zeus being appealed to as the controller 
 of the atmosphere. 
 
 6 ipvKOfuvoi, i.e. holden there by the Etesian winds, which were not 
 favourable to their sailing.
 
 L. 515-574.] THE ARGONATTTICA, 71 
 
 them, and forthwith and hastily she stepped upon a light 
 cloud, which should bear her at once for all her weight ; 
 and she hasted on her way seaward, with kindly intent to 
 the rowers. As when a man goes wandering from his 
 country, as oft we men do wander in our hardihood, and 
 there is no land too far away, for every path lies open 
 before his eyes, when lo ! he seeth in his mind his own 
 home, and withal there appeareth a way to it over land or 
 over sea, and keenly he pondereth this way and that, and 
 searcheth it out with his eyes ; even so the daughter of 
 Zeus, swifty darting on, set foot upon the cheerless strand 
 of Thynia. 
 
 Now they, when they came to the strait of the winding 
 passage, walled in with beetling crags on either side, while 
 an eddying current from below washed up against the ship 
 as it went on its way ; and on they went in grievous fear, 
 and already on their ears the thud of clashing rocks smote 
 unceasingly, and the dripping cliffs roared ; in that very 
 hour the hero Euphemus clutched the dove in his hand, 
 and went to take his stand upon the prow, while they, at 
 the bidding of Tiphys, son of Hagnias, rowed with a will, 
 that they might drive right through the rocks, trusting in 
 their might. And as they rounded a bend, they saw those 
 rocks opening for the last time of all. And their spirit melted 
 at the sight ; but the hero Euphemus sent forth the dove 
 to dart through on her wings, and they, one and all, lifted 
 up their heads to see, and she sped through them, but at 
 once the two rocks met again with a clash ; and the foam 
 leapt up in a seething mass like a cloud, and grimly roared 
 the sea, and all around the great firmament bellowed. 
 And the hollow caves echoed beneath the rugged rocks as 
 the sea went surging in, and high on the cliffs was the 
 white spray vomited as the billow dashed upon them. 
 Then did the current spin the ship round. And the rocks 
 cut off just the tail-feathers of the dove, but she darted
 
 72 APOLLONIUS RHODITJS. [BOOK II. 
 
 away unhurt. And loudly the rowers cheered, but Tiphys 
 himself shouted to them to row lustily, for once more the 
 rocks were opening. Then came trembling on them as 
 they rowed, until the wave with its returning wash came 
 and bore the ship within the rocks. Thereon most awful fear 
 seized on all, for above their head was death with no 
 escape ; and now on this side and on that lay broad Pontus 
 to their view, when suddenly in front rose up a mighty 
 arching wave, like to a steep hill, and they bowed down 
 their heads at the sight. For it seemed as if it must indeed 
 leap down and whelm the ship entirely. But Tiphys was 
 quick to ease her as she laboured to the rowing, and the 
 wave rolled with all his force beneath the keel, and lifted 
 up the ship herself from underneath, far from the rocks, 
 and high on the crest of the billow she was borne. Then 
 did Euphemus go amongst all the crew, and call to them 
 to lay on to their oars with all their might, and they smote 
 the water at his cry. So she sprang forward twice as far 
 as any other ship would have yielded to rowers, and the 
 oars bent like curved bows as the heroes strained. In that 
 instant the vaulted wave was past them, and she at once 
 was riding over the furious billow like a roller, plunging 
 headlong forward o'er the trough of the sea. But the 
 eddying current stayed the ship in the midst of " the 
 dashers," and they quaked on either side, and thundered, 
 and the ship-timbers throbbed. Then did Athene with her 
 left hand hold the stubborn rock apart, while with her 
 right she thrust them through upon their course ; and the 
 ship shot through the air like a winged arrow. Yet the 
 rocks, ceaselessly dashing together, crushed off, in passing, 
 the tip of the carved stern. And Athene sped back to 
 Olympus, when they were escaped unhurt. But the rocks 
 closed up together, rooted firm for ever ; even so was 
 it decreed by the blessed gods, whenso a man should have 
 passed through alive in his ship. And they, I trow,
 
 Ii. 575-639.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 73 
 
 drew breath again after their chilling fear, as they gazed 
 out upon the sky, and the expanse of sea spreading far and 
 wide. For verily they deemed that they were saved from 
 Hades, and Tiphys first made harangue : " Methinks we 
 have escaped this danger sure enough, we and the ship, 
 and there is no other we have to thank so much as Athene, 
 who inspired the ship with divine courage, when Argus 
 fastened her together with bolts ; and it is not right that 
 she should be caught. Wherefore, son of ^son, 110 more 
 fear at all the bidding of thy king, since Grod hath granted 
 us to escape through the rocks, for Phineus, sou of Agenor, 
 declared that, after this, toils, easy to master, should be ours." 
 Therewith he made the ship speed past the Bithynian 
 coast across the sea. But the other answered him with 
 gentle words : " Ah ! Tiphys, why comfort my heavy heart 
 thus ? I have sinned, and upon me has come a grievous 
 blindness I may not cope with ; for I should have refused 
 this journey outright at once when Pelias ordained it, even 
 though I was to have died, torn ruthlessly limb from limb ; 
 but now do I endure l exceeding terror, and troubles past 
 bearing, in deadly dread to sail across the chill paths of 
 the deep, in deadly dread whene'er we land. For on all 
 sides are enemies. And ever as the days go by, I watch 
 through the dreary night, and think of all, since first ye 
 mustered for my sake ; and lightly dost thou speak, caring 
 only for thine 2 own life, while I fear never so little for my- 
 self, but for this man and for that, for thee and the rest of 
 my comrades do I fear, if I bring you not safe and sound 
 to Hellas." 
 
 1 ayicfijuai. Whether this reading is what the poet originally wrote 
 cannot now be ascertained ; it has been tacitly accepted, and from the 
 context seems to mean " I bear, sustain," but what authority there is 
 for giving the word such a meaning it is difficult to say. 
 
 2 i ije for the 2nd person = rfje atavrov. do for 1/igTo, 3rd person for 
 1st. roio icai TOV, much as we might say A and B, meaning any two in- 
 definite persons, used as instances.
 
 74 APOLLONIUS BHODIUS. [BOOK II. 
 
 So spake he, making trial of the chieftains ; but they 
 cried out with words of cheer. And his heart was glad 
 within him at their exhorting, and once more he spake to 
 them outright, " My friends, your bravery makes me more 
 bold. Wherefore now no more will I let fear fasten on 
 me, even though I must voyage across the gulf of Hades, 
 since ye stand firm amid cruel terrors. Nay, since we have 
 sailed from out the clashing rocks, I trow there will be no 
 other horror in store such as this, if we surely go our way, 
 following the counsel of Phineus." 
 
 So spake he, and forthwith they ceased from such words, 
 and toiled in rowing unceasingly, and soon they passed by 
 Rhebas, that swiftly-rushing river, and the rock of Colone, 
 and, not long after, the Black headland, and, next, the 
 mouth of the river Phyllis, 1 where aforetime Dipsacus 
 received the son of Athamas in his house what time he 
 was flying, together with the ram, from the city of Orcho- 
 menus ; his mother was a meadow-nymph, and he loved 
 not wanton deeds, but gladly dwelt with his mother by the 
 waters of his father, feeding flocks upon the shore. And 
 quickly they sighted and passed by his shrine, and the 
 river's broad banks and the plain and Calpe with its deep 
 stream ; and day by day, the calm night through, they bent 
 to their unresting oars. As ploughing oxen do toil in 
 cleaving a moist fallow-field, and the sweat trickles in great 
 drops from their flanks and neck, and they keep turning 
 their eyes askance from under the yoke, while the parched 
 breath from their mouths comes ever snorting forth, and 
 they planting their hoofs firmly in the ground go toiling 
 on the livelong day ; like unto them the heroes tugged their 
 oars through the brine. 
 
 Now when the dawn divine was not yet come, nor yet 
 was it exceeding dark, but o'er the night was spread a 
 
 1 A river in Bithynia.
 
 L. 640-701.] THE AEGONAUTICA. 75 
 
 streak of light, the hour when men arise and call it twilight ; 1 
 in that hour they rowed into the harbour of the desert 
 Thynian isle with laboured toil, and went ashore. And 
 to them appeared the son of Leto, coming up from far 
 Lycia, on his way to the countless race of the Hyperboreans ; 
 and clustering locks of gold streamed down his cheeks as 
 he came ; and in his left hand he held his silver bow, while 
 about his back was slung his quiver from his shoulders ; 
 beneath his feet the island quaked throughout, and on the 
 shore the waves surged up. And they were filled with 
 wild alarm when they caught sight of him, and none dare 
 gaze into the god's fair eyes. But there they stood with 
 heads bowed low upon the ground, till he was far on his 
 way to sea through the air ; then at last spake Orpheus, 
 thus declaring his word to the chieftains, " Come now, let 
 us call this island the sacred isle of Apollo, god of dawn, 
 for that he was seen by all passing over it at dawn, and let 
 us sacrifice such things as we may, when we have raised 
 an altar on the strand ; but if hereafter he grant us a safe 
 return to the land of Hsemonia, then surely will we lay 
 upon his altar the thighs of horned goats. And now, as ye 
 may, I bid you win his favour with the steam of sacrifice. 
 Be gracious, O be gracious in thy appearing, prince ! " 
 
 So spake he ; and some at once made an altar of shingle, 2 
 while others roamed the island in quest of fawns or wild 
 goats if haply they might see aught of either, such beasts 
 as oft do seek their food in a wood's depths. And for 
 them the son of Leto found a quarry ; then with pious rites 
 they wrapped the thigh bones 3 of them all in a roll of fat 
 
 1 a/j,<f>i\vKri, an adj. agreeing with vvZ, understood, i.e. the gray 
 dawn, morning twilight. 
 
 2 Xtppamv, i.e. small stones or pebbles such as can be grasped in tWe 
 hand (xf'p), *' they made the best altar they could with the materials 
 they could find. 
 
 3 Stir\6a /iijpuz. Cf. Horn. Odyss. iii. 458, and passim. The thigh-
 
 76 APOLLONITTS RHODITJS. [BOOK II. 
 
 and burned them on the sacred altar, calling on the name 
 of Apollo, god of dawn. And they stood in a wide ring 
 around the burning sacrifice, chanting this hymn to Phoebus, 
 " Hail, all hail ! fair healing god ; " l while the goodly son 
 of (Eager led for them their clear song on his Bistonian 2 
 lyre, telling how on a day beneath Parnassus' rocky ridge 
 he slew the monster snake Delphine with his bow, while 
 yet a beardless youth, proud of his long locks. " O be 
 gracious, ever be thy hair uncut, 3 my prince, ever free from 
 hurt, for thus 'tis right. Only Leto herself, daughter of 
 Cceus, fondles it in her hands." And the Corycian 4 
 nymphs, daughters of Pleistus, oft took up the cheering 
 strain, crying, " Hail, all hail ! " s This then was the fair 
 refrain they chanted to Phoebus. 
 
 Now when they had celebrated 6 him with song and dance, 
 they took an oath by the holy drink-offering, that verily 
 they would help one another for ever in unity of purpose, 
 laying their hand upon the sacrifice ; and still to this day 
 there stands a temple there to cheerful Unity, the temple 
 
 bones were specially reserved for sacrifice to the gods; they were 
 wrapped up in fat and then burnt, after which feasting began. 
 
 1 'lT)iran')ora, probably connected with iao/<ai, Apollo being the god 
 of healing, no less than the sender of disease, as he is represented at the 
 opening of the Iliad. Another etymology connects the word with 'iijp, 
 i.e. the darting god, from his archery, like t/c7;/3o\oc, but not so well. 
 
 2 Thracian, the Bistones being a Thracian tribe. 
 
 3 With this line cf. the epithet atctpaiKoprjc; = with hair unshorn, a 
 title of Apollo from his long, flowing locks. 
 
 4 The Corycian cave is on Mount Parnassus. The Pleistus is a river 
 at Delphi. 
 
 * 'Ifjte literally = O god saluted with the cry iij 117. 
 
 6 fiiX-^/av xpt'V AoiSy. Here we have both song and dance specifically 
 mentioned, butfrequently//o\:r?'; is used alone to express both the chant and 
 the rhythmic dance which always accompanied it; e.g. in the Odyssee, 
 Nausicaa's game at ball with her handmaids is described as //o\7n;, 
 which really means " anything done in time," and so often the combina- 
 tion of singing and dancing.
 
 L. 702-752.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 77 
 
 their own hands then built to the honour of a deity most 
 potent. 
 
 Now when the third day was come, then did they leave 
 that steep isle with a fresh west wind. Thence they sighted 
 over against them the mouth of the river Sangarius, 1 and 
 the fruitful land of the Mariandyni and the streams of 
 Lycus and the lake of Anthemoisia, and by them they 
 passed. And as they ran before the breeze, the ropes and 
 tackling throughout the ship were shaken ; at dawn, for 
 the wind dropped during the night, they were glad to 
 reach the haven of the Acherusian headland, which rises 
 up with steep beetling crags, facing the Bithynian sea ; 
 beneath it are rooted smooth sea-washed rocks, and round 
 them the billow rolls and thunders loud, but above, upon 
 the top, grow spreading plane trees. Further inland from 
 this lieth a glen in the hollow, where is the cave of Hades, 2 
 roofed in with trees and rocks, whence an icy blast, 
 breathing always from the chill den within, ever freezeth 
 the sparkling rime, that thaws again beneath the noonday 
 sun. Never spreads silence o'er that grim 3 headland, but 
 there is a confused murmur of the booming sea, and of 
 leaves rustling in the wind within. There too is the mouth 
 of the river Acheron, which discharges through the head- 
 land and falleth into the sea eastward; a hollow chasm 
 brings it down from above. The Megarians of Nissea 
 called it in after-times " Saviour of Mariners," when they 
 were about to settle in the land of the Mariandyni. For 
 lo ! it saved them and their ships when they were caught 
 by a foul tempest. So now at once the heroes passed 
 
 1 A river of Phrygia. 
 
 2 This description of the cave of Hades may be well compared with 
 Vergil's account of the cavern of the Sybil. 
 
 3 jSXoffvprjv, here, in its primary sense, " grim, stern ;" it also comes 
 to mean " sturdy, strong," in which sense Plato employs it in the 
 Republic.
 
 78 APOLLONIUS KHODITTS. [BOOK II. 
 
 through the Acherusian headland and anchored inside, 1 just 
 as the wind was dropping. 
 
 No long time,* I trow, could the slayers of Amycus, as 
 report had told, anchor without the knowledge of Lycus, 
 lord of that mainland, or of the Mariandyni ; but they made 
 even a league with them on that account. And they wel- 
 comed Polydeuces himself as he had been a god, gathering 
 from all sides, for long time had they warred bitterly 
 against the overweening Bebryces. And so it was that 
 at once within the halls of Lycus they made ready a feast 
 that day with all good will, going to the city, and rejoiced 
 their hearts with converse. 
 
 And the son of ^Eson declared his lineage and the name 
 of each of his crew, and the commands of Pelias, and how 
 they were entertained by the women of Lemnos, and all 
 that they did in Cyzicus, city of the Doliones, and how 
 they came to Mysia and CKios, where they left the hero 
 Heracles against their will ; also he declared the message 
 of Glaucus, and told how they smote the Bebryces and 
 Aniycus, and of the prophecies and misery of Phineus, and 
 how they escaped the Cyanean rocks, and met the son of 
 Leto at the island. And the heart of Lycus was charmed 
 at listening to his tale, and thus spake he amongst them 
 all : " My friends, what a man is he whose aid ye have lost 
 in your long, long voyage to JSetes ! For well I mind seeing 
 him here in the halls of my father Dascylus, what time he 
 came hither afoot through the mainland of Asia, bringing 
 the girdle of Hippolyte, 3 the warrior queen ; but me he found 
 
 1 tt'ffWTToi, i.e. they passed through the ravine at the mouth of the 
 Acheron till they were behind the wall of rock, and so (etVwiroi = 
 ivavTiot) facing the back of it. 
 
 2 i.e. the fame of Polydeuces and the Argonauts, as public bene- 
 factors, had preceded them, and insured them a ready welcome from 
 Lycus and the Mariandyni, the hereditary enemies of Amycus and the 
 Bebryces. 
 
 3 To fetch the girdle of Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons, daughter
 
 L. 753-808.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 79 
 
 with the down just sprouting on my chin. Then l when our 
 brother Priolaus was slain by the Mysians, whom from 
 that day forth the people mourn in piteous elegies, he 
 entered the lists with Titias the mighty, and vanquished 
 him in boxing, a man who excelled all our young men in 
 build and might ; and he dashed his teeth upon the ground. 
 Moreover he subdued to my father Phrygians and Mysians 
 together, who inhabit the lands nigh to us, and took for 
 his own the tribes of the Bithynians with their land, as 
 far as the mouth of the Rhebas and the rock of Colone ; 
 next the Paphlagonians, sprung from Pelops, yielded with- 
 out fight, all whom the black water of Billaeus breaks 
 around. But now the Bebryces and the violence of 
 Amycus did separate me from Heracles, who dwells afar, 
 for they have long cut great slices from my land, till they 
 set their boundaries at the water-meadows of the Hypius. 
 Yet have they paid the penalty to you, and I trow that he, 
 the son of Tyndarus, brought not death this day upon the 
 Bebryces without the will of heaven, what time he slew 
 yon man. Wherefore now whatso thanks I can return, 
 that will I right gladly. For that is right for weaklings, 
 when others that be stronger than them begin to help 
 them ; so with you all and in your company I charge 
 Dascylus my son to follow ; 2 and if he go, verily ye shall 
 meet with friends on your voyage as far as the mouth of 
 Thermodon itself. Moreover I will dedicate to the sons of 
 Tyndarus 3 a temple high upon the Acherusian hill ; to it 
 
 of the giant Briareus, was the ninth of the labours laid upon Heracles 
 by his task-master Eurystheus. 
 
 1 6?ri Oavovros, "at the time of the death," a frequent use of kirl with 
 the genit. Cf. ITTI Kupov fiaaiXtvovros = "in the reign of Cyrus." 
 
 2 i.e. I will send my son Dascylus with you ; his presence will insure 
 you hospitable treatment as far as the Thermodon. voatyi, " apart from 
 this," i.e. over and above this. 
 
 3 The sons of Tyndarus, Castor and Pollux, were the special pro- 
 tectors of sailors.
 
 80 APOLLONIUS RHomrrs. [BOOK n. 
 
 shall all sailors seek when they see it in the far distance 
 o'er the sea ; yea, and hereafter will I set apart for them 
 before the city, as for gods, fat lands on the well-tilled 
 plain." 
 
 So then, the livelong day, they took their pastime at the 
 feast, but at dawn they went down in haste unto the ship, 
 yea, and with them went Lycus too, bringing countless 
 gifts to bear away, for with them was he sending from his 
 house his son to fare. 
 
 There the doom of his fate smote Idmon, son of 
 Abas, most excellent seer ; yet could not his divining 
 save him, for fate led him on to die. For within the water- 
 mead beside the reedy river lay a boar, with white tusks, 
 cooling his flanks and huge belly in the mud, a deadly 
 monster, whereof even the nymphs that haunt the meads 
 were afraid ; and no man knew of his being there, for all 
 alone along the broad marsh he browsed. Now he, the son 
 of Abas, was passing by the springs of that muddy river, 
 when lo ! the boar leapt up from some unseen lair among 
 the reeds and charged and smote him on the thigh, cutting 
 sinews and bone right in twain. And with one bitter cry l 
 down fell he upon the ground, and his comrades flocking 
 round cried o'er their smitten fellow. But Peleus made 
 one quick lunge with his hunting-spear at the boar as he 
 darted in flight into the marsh, and out he rushed again 
 to charge them, but Idas smote him, and with one grunt 
 he fell grovelling about the sharp spear. And there they 
 left him on the ground where he fell, and sorrowfully bare 
 their swooning comrade to the ship, but he died in his 
 companions' arms. 
 
 So they stayed them from all thought of sailing, and 
 abode in bitter grief for the burial of the dead man. Three 
 full days they mourned, and on the fourth made him a 
 
 1 6v K\dya(, " with one sharp cry." Notice the true force of the 
 aorist excellently exemplified instantaneous action.
 
 L. 809-865.] THE AEGONAUTICA. 81 
 
 splendid funeral ; and the people, with Lycus their king as 
 well, joined in the funeral rites ; and at the grave- side they 
 cut the throats of countless sheep, as is the meed of the 
 departed. So in that land this warrior's cairn was heaped, 
 and upon it is a sign l for those who may yet be born, to see, 
 a log of wild olive such as ships are builded of, which 
 putteth forth her leaf a little below the Acherusiaii head- 
 land. Yea, and if I must needs declare this also clearly in 
 my song, Phoebus bade the Bceotians, who came from Nisaea, 
 worship him, nothing doubting, as the protector of their 
 city, and found a town about that log of ancient olive ; 
 but 2 these to-day do honour to Agamestor instead of Idmon, 
 god-like son of ^Eolus. 
 
 Who next did die ? that 3 must I tell ; for yet again the 
 heroes piled a barrow for a comrade dead. For verily there 
 are yet two tombs of those two men to be seen. 'Tis said 
 that Tiphys, son of Hagnias, died, for it was not appointed 
 him to voyage further. Nay, a short illness closed there 
 his eyes far from his fatherland, 4 while his company were 
 burying the dead son of Abas. And bitter was the grief 
 they felt at this cruel woe. For when they had buried him 
 too beside the other there, they threw themselves down in 
 their distress before the sea, closely wrapped from head to 
 foot, and never a word they spake nor had they any thought 
 for meat or drink, but sorrow made their spirit droop ; for 
 very far from their hopes was their return, and in their 
 
 1 ff/ifia, i.e. the monument to mark his grave. 
 
 2 i.e. Phrebus commanded the Nisseans to found a city near the 
 tomb of Idmon and pay him honour, but they in lapse of time con- 
 fused Idmon with Agamestor, a native hero, and worshipped the latter 
 instead. 
 
 3 yap cri " you must know," introducing something new ; collo- 
 quially we might say " to continue." yap ovv = " for indeed," giving a 
 reason for what has immediately preceded, i.e. "I should not have 
 mentioned this fact unless . . . ." 
 
 4 ilffort iv Qay xp6v<f>, " whilst." 
 
 G
 
 82 APOLLONIUS RHODItJS. [BOOK II. 
 
 anguish would they have stopped from going any further, 
 had not Hera put exceeding courage in the breast of 
 Ancaeus, whom Astypalaea bare to Poseidon by the waters 
 of Imbrasus ; l for a right good steersman was he. So he 
 did up anon, and spake to Peleus, " Son of ^Eacus, how can 
 this be well to linger on in a strange land, neglectful of our 
 enterprise ? Jason hath in me, whom he is leading from 
 Parthenie away to fetch the fleece, a man whose skill in 
 war is only second to his knowledge of ships ; wherefore I 
 pray you, let this fear for the ship be short-lived. Yea, and 
 there be others here, men of skill ; and whomso of these we 
 shall set over the helm, none shall harm our voyaging. 
 But quickly tell all this comfort out; then boldly rouse 
 them to a remembrance of their labour." 
 
 So spake he, and the heart of the other went out to ' him 
 in gladness ; and anon, without delay, he made harangue 
 in their midst, " God help us, sirs ! why nurse we thus our 
 grief in vain ? The dead, I trow, have died the death that 
 fell to their lot, but there are amongst us, methinks, helms- 
 men in our company, aye, plenty of them. Wherefore 
 delay we no more our attempt, but up to your work, cast- 
 ing sorrow to the winds." 
 
 To him the son of .JSson made answer, much perplexed : 
 " Son of ^acus, where then be these steersmen ? For they 
 whom aforetime we boasted were men of skill, hang down 
 their heads, more vexed at me than ever. Wherefore I fore- 
 see a sorry fate for us as well as for the dead, if indeed it 
 be our lot neither to come to the city of baleful -Setes, nor 
 ever again to pass the rocks and reach the land of Hellas ; 
 for here will a miserable doom hide us without fame, till 
 we grow old for nought." So spake he ; but right speedily 
 
 1 A river in Samos, formerly called Parthenius. 
 
 2 opi^aro opeyw, literally '' I reach out ; " perhaps our phrase '' went 
 out to" may keep the meaning; in connexion with yrjBoavrymi' it means 
 little more than " was exceeding glad, yearned for joy."
 
 L. 866-913.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 83 
 
 Ancseus took upon him to steer the swift ship, for verily lie 
 was turned thereto by the prompting of the goddess. And 
 after him arose Erginus and Nauplius and Euphemus, all 
 eager for to steer. But these did they hold therefrom, for 
 many of the crew would have Ancseus. 
 
 So they went aboard on the twelfth day at dawn ; for 
 lo ! a strong west wind did blow for them, and quickly they 
 passed through the Acheron with rowing ; and, trusting to 
 the wind, they shook out their sails, and so sped calmly on 
 a goodly stretch under canvas. Quickly came they past 
 the mouth of the river Callichorus, 1 where, men say, the 
 Nysean son of Zeus, what time he left the tribes of India 
 and came to dwell in Thebes, held his revels and led the 
 dance before the cave, wherein he would sleep away the 
 gloomy 2 hours of sacred night, wherefore they who dwell 
 around do call that river " Stream of fair dancing," and 
 that cave " the Bedchamber," 3 after him. 
 
 Sailing thence they saw the tomb of Sthenelus, 4 son of 
 
 1 A river in Paphlagonia sacred to Dionysus, because he had held 
 revels here and danced. 
 
 2 afjLEiSrjTovG, " gloomy," either an ordinary epithet of the darkness of 
 night, or possibly with an allusion to the secret mysteries of the opyia. 
 
 3 'AvXiov = " resting-place." It seems better to give an English 
 equivalent for these Greek names ; otherwise the point of the appella- 
 tion is apt to be lost. 
 
 4 The tomb of Sthenelus, the son of Actor, is in Paphlagonia ; he had 
 gone with Heracles against the Amazons, but had been wounded, and 
 had died on the way home. His wraith now appears to the heroes, 
 having been allowed by the queen of Hades to gaze a little space upon 
 his fellow-men. 
 
 It is but a grim picture the ancient Greek poets draw of life in the 
 other world. Everyone will remember the famous passage in Homer, 
 where Achilles' spirit declares that he would sooner be a bondman to a 
 poor man on earth than lord it over all the souls in Hades. This passage 
 here portrays the soul of another brave man craving, with many tears, 
 the scanty boon of seeing for a moment men in the flesh as he was once 
 Jiimself.
 
 84 APOLLONIUS KHODIUS. [BOOK II. 
 
 Actor, who on his way back from the bold fight with the 
 Amazons for thither had he gone with Heracles died 
 there upon the beach, of an arrow wound. So then they 
 sailed on no further. For Persephone herself sent forth 
 the spirit of the son of Actor, at his piteous prayer, to gaze a- 
 little on men of like passions with himself. So he took his 
 stand on the summit of his tomb and watched for the ship, 
 in form even as when he went to the war, and on his head 
 shone his four-plumed helmet with the blood-red crest. 
 And then he passed once more beneath the mighty gloom j 
 but they marvelled at the sight, and Mopsus, son of 
 Ampycus, did prophesy, and bade them anchor there and 
 appease the spirit with drink-offerings. So they quickly 
 furled the sails, and making fast the cables on the strand 
 were busied about the tomb of Sthenelus, pouring libations 
 to him, and offering sheep as victims. Moreover they did 
 build, besides pouring libations, an altar to Apollo, pro- 
 tector of ships, and burnt sheep thereon; and there 
 Orpheus dedicated his lyre, whence that place is called 
 " the Lyre." 
 
 Anon, as the wind blew strong, they went aboard ; and 
 set the sail and made it taut to either sheet ; l and Argo was 
 carried at full speed to sea, even as when a falcon aloft 
 through the air spreading his wings to the blast goes 
 swiftly on his way, swerving not in his swoop, as he poises 
 on steady pinions. And so they passed by the streams of 
 Parthenius, 2 murmuring to the sea, gentlest of rivers, 
 wherein the virgin child of Leto doth cool her limbs in its 
 lovely waters, whenso she ascendeth to heaven from the 
 chase. Then speeding ever onward through the night 
 
 1 vodac, " the sheets," i.c. the ropes by which the sails are tightened 
 and slackened. 
 
 a ITapOtvioto, i.e. the Maiden's stream, so called because Artemis, the 
 virgin goddess, bathed therein, or because of the pureness of its water. 
 It is a river in Paphlagonia, falling into the sea near the city Sesamus.
 
 li. 914-971.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 85 
 
 they sailed out past Sesamus and the steep Erythinian 
 hills, Crobialus, and Cromne, and wooded Cytorus. Next 
 after doubling Carambis, as the sun was rising, they rowed 
 all day and all night too along a vast stretch of sand. 
 
 Anon they set foot on the soil of Assyria, where Zeus, 
 tricked by his own promise, set down Sinope, daughter of 
 Asopus, and granted her her virgin state. For verily he 
 longed for her love ; so the great god promised to give her 
 whatsoever her heart desired; and she in her cunning 
 asked her maidenhood. So too did she beguile Apollo, 
 eager for her love, and after them the river Halys ; nor did 
 any man ever subdue her in love's embrace. There were 
 dwelling even yet at that day the sons of noble Deimachus, 
 prince of Triccse, Deileon and Autolycus and Phlogius, 
 after they had wandered away from Heracles. Now these, 
 when they marked the expedition of the chieftains, came 
 forth to meet them, and told them truly who they were ; 
 for they had no wish to abide there any longer, but went 
 aboard the ship, soon as ever the clear l south- wind blew. 
 So in their company they sped before the swift breeze, and 
 left the river Halys, and Iris, that flows hard by, yea, and 
 that part 2 of Syria that these have formed ; and on that day 
 they rounded the distant headland of the Amazons, that 
 shutteth in their harbour. 
 
 There on a day the hero Heracles laid in ambush for 
 Melanippe, daughter of Aretius, as she came forth ; and, 
 in ransom for her sister, Hippolyte gave him her dazzling 
 girdle ; so he set her free unhurt. 
 
 o, from dpyoe, " bright, shining," the same word that appears 
 in the Homeric apytupovrriQ. Hence the wind that clears the sky of 
 clouds and makes it bright, i.e. the South-wind. 
 
 2 irpoxvnv -xQuvos, " alluvial deposit " such as most great rirers wash 
 down in their course, e.g. the Delta of the Nile is entirely formed by the 
 earth brought down by the stream and deposited at its mouth. In this 
 case the Halys and Iris have formed what was called afterwards Leuco- 
 syria.
 
 86 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK II.. 
 
 They then anchored in a bay behind the headland, at the 
 mouth of the Thermodon, for the sea was rising against 
 their going. This river hath no counterpart, nor is there 
 any other that sendeth forth from itself upon the earth so 
 many streams. If a man should count each up, there 
 would lack but four of a hundred. 1 Yet is there only one 
 real spring, which cometh down from high mountains unto 
 the land. Men say these are called the Amazonian moun- 
 tains. Thence it spreads straight over a somewhat hilly 
 country far inland, wherefore it hath a winding course, and 
 ever it twists in different directions, wheresoever it can 
 best find a flat country ; one branch far away, another near 
 at hand ; and there be many of them, of which no man 
 knoweth, where they lose themselves in the sand ; but it, 
 mingling with a few openly, discharges its arching 2 flood of 
 foam into cheerless Pontus. And now would they have 
 stayed to do battle with the Amazons ; nor would they, I 
 trow, have striven without bloodshed, for the Amazons are 
 no gentle folk, and cared not for justice in their dwellings 
 on the plain of Doias ; nay, their thoughts were set on 
 deeds of grievous violence, and the works of Ares ; for they, 
 indeed, drew their stock from Ares and the nymph Har- 
 monia, who bare these warrior daughters unto him, what 
 time she won his love in the dells of the Acmonian grove ;. 
 but once more, from Zeus mayhap, came the breath of the 
 clear south-wind. And Argo left the round headland 
 before the wind, where the Themiscyrean Amazons were 
 doing on their harness. 
 
 These dwelt not all together in one city, but were 
 scattered over the land by tribes in three bodies ; apart 
 
 1 A curiously roundabout way of saying that there are ninety-six dis- 
 tinct streams, all starting, however, from one source. 
 
 2 Kvprijv d^vriv. If this reading be accepted, it means apparently the 
 volume of water discharged by the river in foaming, arching billows into- 
 the sea.
 
 L. 972-1032.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 87 
 
 were those over whom Hippolyte was then queen ; and 
 apart dwelt the Lycastise, and apart the Chadesiae, who 
 hurl the spear. On the next day, as night drew on, they 
 came unto the land of the Chalybes. These take no thought 
 for ploughing with oxen, nor for any planting of luscious 
 fruit ; neither do they, strange folk, herd cattle in the 
 dewy pasture. But cleaving open the stubborn earth with 
 her store of iron, they do take therefrom a wage to barter 
 for food ; for them dawn never riseth without toil, but mid 
 soot and flame and smoke * they endure their heavy labour. 
 
 Anon, after these, they doubled the headland of Zeus, 
 the great father, and sailed safely by the land of the 
 Tibareni. Here it is that when the women bear children 
 to the men, 'tis the men that throw themselves upon their 
 beds and groan, with their heads veiled, while the women 
 tend them carefully with food, and get ready for them the 
 bath they use after child-birth. 2 
 
 Next they passed the Holy mountain and land, wherein 
 upon the hills dwell the Mossynoeci in wooden houses, and 
 hence they have their name. Strange is their justice ; 
 strange their ordinances. All that men may do openly, 
 either among the people or in the market-place, all this they 
 perform at home ; but all that we do in our houses, that 
 do they out of doors in the midst of the streets, with none 
 to blame. In love is there no modesty among this people, 
 but like swine that feed in herds, caring not a jot for the 
 presence of any, they lie with their women upon the ground. 
 Now their king sitteth in a house of wood, high above the 
 rest, and declareth just judgment to the throng of folk. 
 Poor wretch ! for if haply he do err at all in his judging, 
 they keep him shut up that day without food. 
 
 By these they passed, and, rowing all day long, cleft 
 
 1 Xiyw is properly smoke with flame showing through it. 
 
 2 Travellers assert that the extraordinary customs here alluded to as 
 practised by the Tjbareni may still be witnessed amongst the Chinese.
 
 88 APOLLONIXJS RHODIUS. [BOOK n. 
 
 their way, till they were almost opposite to the isle of 
 Ares, for towards dusk the light breeze failed. Already 
 they saw one of those birds of Ares that haunt the isle 
 come swooping through the air from above, which did 
 stretch his pinions o'er the speeding ship and shoot against 
 her a sharp feather, and it fell on the left shoulder of 
 goodly Oileus ; and he let his oar fall from his hands, for 
 he was wounded ; but they marvelled to see the feathered 
 shaft. And Eribotes from his seat hard by drew forth the 
 feather and bound up the wound, having loosed the baldric 
 hanging from his own scabbard ; and lo ! there appeared 
 another swooping down after the former, but the hero 
 Clytius, the son of Eurytus slew it, for he had ere this 
 stretched his bended bow, and he shot a swift arrow at the 
 bird, even as it flew above ; and it fell with a rush hard by the 
 swift ship ; then amongst them spake Amphidamas, the 
 son of Aleus : " Nigh to us is the isle of Ares ; be sure of 
 that from seeing these birds with your own eyes. And I 
 think that arrows will not help us much to disembark ; 
 but let us provide some other counsel for our help, if haply 
 ye mean to anchor here, mindful of the bidding of Phineus. 
 For not even Heracles, when he came to Arcadia, was able 
 to drive away with his arrows the birds that swam l on the 
 Stymphalian mere ; that saw I with mine own eyes. But 
 he, shaking his rattling bronze armour in his hands, did 
 raise a din upon a lofty height, and they were scared afar, 
 screaming in frightful terror. Wherefore now let us too 
 devise some such plan, and I will tell you myself, since I 
 have ere this thought upon it. Put on your heads your 
 high-crested helmets, and half of you take turns at rowing, 
 and the other half guard 2 the ship with polished spears and 
 
 1 irXwi'cac, so called because they swam about the Stymphalian lake 
 in Arcadia, whence Heracles had chased them. 
 
 1 apatre, Ionic future from apapioKti), i.e. from the notion of joining 
 conies that of roofing in the ship, as it were, with a penthouse of shields.
 
 L. 1033-1099.] THE ARUONAUTICA. 89 
 
 bucklers. And at .once raise a mighty shout all together, 
 that they may be scared by the uproar, from being unused 
 thereto, and the nodding plumes and uplifted spears. And 
 if we reach the island itself, then shout and raise a hideous 
 din by smiting on your shields." 
 
 So spake he ; and his helpful counsel pleased them all ; 
 so about their heads they put their brazen helmets, dread- 
 fully flashing, and upon them waved the blood- red plumes. 
 And part took turns at rowing, while the rest with sword 
 and shield did guard the ship. As when a man doth roof 
 a house with tiles, an ornament to his house and a defence 
 against the rain, as one tile is fitted firmly on another ; so 
 they covered in the ship with a pent-house of shields. And 
 as the clash that goeth up from a warlike throng of men in 
 motion, what time the lines of battle meet, even such was 
 the sound that rose into the air on high from the ship. 
 Nor could they see any of the birds the while, but when 
 they drew nigh the island and smote upon their bucklers, 
 forthwith those birds rose in thousands, flying this way and 
 that. As when the son of Cronos sends a heavy hailstorm 
 from the clouds on city and houses, and they who dwell 
 beneath them hear the rattle on their roofs and sit in 
 silence, for the wintry season is not come upon them un- 
 awares, but ere its coming have they made fast the roof ; 
 even so the birds let loose on them, a thick shower of shafts, 
 as they darted high o'er the sea to the hills on the farther 
 shore. 
 
 What did Phineus mean, (that must I tell,) in bidding 
 the divine company of heroes anchor here ? or what help 
 was to come to them at their desire ? The sons of Phrixus 
 had gone on board a Colchian ship, and were faring to the 
 city of Orchomenus from ^Ea, at the direction of Cytaean 
 JEetes, that they might take unto themselves the boundless 
 wealth of their father, for he, as he lay a-dying, laid this 
 journev on them. And very nigh were they to the island
 
 90 APOLLONIUS BHODIUS. [BOOK II. 
 
 on that day. But Zeus stirred up thejnighty north-wind 
 to blow, marking the wet path of Arcturus in the waves ; 
 so all day long he shook the leaves upon the mountains a 
 little, blowing lightly on the topmost branches, but at night 
 came he seaward in his giant strength, roaring and stirring 
 the billow with his breath ; and a dark mist veiled the sky, 
 nor were the bright stars to be seen from the clouds, but a 
 curtain of gloom settled over all. And they, the sons of 
 Phrixus, dripping and in terror of a fearsome death, were 
 drifting thus before the waves. And the furious wind rent 
 their sails, yea, and brake their ship in pieces, shaken as it 
 was by the breakers. Then by heaven's guidance those 
 four men seized hold upon a mighty beam, such as were 
 scattered in plenty, after the wreck, held together by sharp 
 bolts. And them did the waves and the breath of the wind 
 drive in sore distress unto the island, within a little of death. 
 Anon there burst on them a wondrous l storm of rain, and 
 it rained over the sea and the island, and all the coast over 
 against the island, where dwelt the haughty Mossynceci. 
 And the onset of the wave hurled them, the sons of Phrixus, 
 together with the stout beam, upon the beach of the island 
 in the gloom of night ; but at sunrise it ceased, that heaven- 
 sent torrent, and quickly they drew nigh and met one an- 
 other, and Argus first made harangue : 
 
 " By Zeus, who seeth all, we do entreat you, whosoever 
 ye be, to be favourable and help us at our need. For rough 
 tempests, grievously buffeting the sea, have scattered piece- 
 meal the timbers of our shameful barque, 2 wherein we were 
 
 1 d9iff<t>arof. Etymol. a negat., 6t6c, <j>dvai, i.e. impossible for even 
 gods to tell, i.e. marvellously great. 
 
 2 dttKi\ii]c vriog = " that sorry ship of ours/' ^Eetes, wishing to get 
 rid of the sons of Phrixus, had encouraged them to undertake their 
 voyage to Orchomenus, but had purposely given them an unseaworthy 
 ship that they might be wrecked. He was afraid of them, because an oracle 
 had warned him of dangers to come from his own family. He failed to guess 
 that Medea, not Chalciope and her sons, was the real cause of danger.
 
 L. 1100-1161.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 91 
 
 cleaving our way, on business bent. Wherefore now we 
 implore you, if ye will hearken, give us some rag to wrap 
 around our skin and take us hence, in pity for companions 
 in adversity. Yea, reverence suppliant strangers for the 
 sake of Zeus, the god of strangers and suppliants ; for we 
 are both suppliants of Zeus and strangers. And, I trow, 
 he hath his eye even upon us." 
 
 Him in answer did the son of yEson question carefully, 
 for he thought that the prophecies of Phineus were being 
 accomplished, " Anon will we provide all these things with 
 good will. But come now, tell me truly, in what country 
 ye dwell, and the business that bids you fare across the sea, 
 and your own famous name and lineage." 
 
 And Argus answered him in helpless misery, " Haply ye 
 have heard yourselves even aforetime, I deem, and of a 
 surety, how one Phrixus, son of ^Eolus, came from Hellas 
 unto ^Ea, that Phrixus, who came to the town of ^Eetes, 
 sitting astride a ram, the ram that Hermes made of gold ; 
 yea, and even now might ye see the fleece fluttering on the 
 rough branches of an oak. For afterwards, by the ram's 
 own counsel, Phrixus sacrificed him to Zeus, the son of 
 Cronos, who helpeth fugitives, 1 before all other gods. Him 
 did Metes receive into his house and gave to him his 
 daughter Chalciope without gifts of wooing in the gladness 
 of his heart. From these twain are we sprung. But he, 
 even Phrixus, died long ago, full of years, in the halls of 
 JEetes ; and we, obeying our father's command, set out at 
 once to Orchomenus to take the possessions of Athamas. 
 And if, as thou sayest, thou hast a mind to learn our name, 
 lo ! this man is called Cytisorus, and this Phrontis, and 
 that Melas, and me myself shall ye call Argus." 
 
 So spake he ; and the chieftains were glad at the meet- 
 ing, and they crowded round them in wonder. But Jason 
 
 1 *i>iof. Zeus was worshipped under this title amongst the Thes- 
 salians.
 
 92 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK II. 
 
 again made answer thus, as was fitting : " Why, lo ! ye 
 come as kinsmen l of my father and beg our kindly aid in 
 your wretchedness. For Cretheus and Athamas were 
 brothers ; and I, the grandson of Cretheus, am on my way 
 with these my comrades from Hellas itself into the city of 
 ^]etes. But we will speak of these matters yet again to 
 each other ; but first put on raiment ; for by heaven's 
 guidance, I ween, have ye come to my hands in your 
 need." 
 
 Therewith he gave them raiment from the ship to put 
 on. And at once thereafter made they for the temple of 
 Ares, to offer sacrifice of sheep, and right eagerly they set 
 themselves about the altar, which stood outside the roofless 
 temple, built of pebbles ; within is a black stone planted, 
 the holy stone whereto in days gone by all the Amazons 
 did pray, nor was it lawful, when these did come from the 
 mainland opposite, to burn sacrifices of oxen and sheep 
 upon this altar, but they kept great herds of horses and 
 sacrificed them. Now when the heroes had done sacrifice 
 and eaten the feast they had prepared, then did the son of 
 JEson take up his parable and begin to speak : " Zeus hath 
 still his eye on all things, I trow ; and of a surety we men 
 escape not his ken, those of us who be god-fearing, nor yet 
 those who be just ; for even so he rescued your father from 
 a murderous step-mother, 2 and gave him boundless wealth 
 away from her ; and even so hath he also rescued you un- 
 hurt from the destroying storm. And ye may fare upon 
 this ship this way or that, whither ye list, either to JEa, or 
 to the rich city of goodly Orchomenus. For 'twas Athene 
 
 1 yvwrot = ffvyytviie. The relationship comes thus : Cretheus and 
 Athamas were brothers. ^Eson was the son of Cretheus, Jason the son 
 of ^Eson. Phrixus was the son of Athamas, Argus the son of Phrixus. 
 Jason and Argus were therefore cousins. 
 
 1 <t>6voio firjrpvirj^, " murder by a stepmother," i.e. Ino, who was 
 jealous of her step-children.
 
 L. 1162-1218.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 93 
 
 that built this ship and cut with brazen axe her timbers 
 about the peak of Pelion ; and with the goddess worked 
 Argus. But that ship of yours hath the angry wave riven 
 asunder, or ever she came nigh to the rocks which clash to- 
 gether the livelong day in the sea's narrow channel. But 
 come now, even ye, and help us in our struggle to bring the 
 fleece of gold to Hellas, and be our pilots, for I am sent to 
 make full atonement for the attempted sacrifice 1 of Phrixus, 
 that stirred the wrath of Zeus against the sons of ^Eolus." 
 
 So spake he to comfort them, but they would none of it 
 when they heard ; for they thought they would find J^etes 
 no gentle host, if they desired to take the ram's fleece. 
 Thus spake Argus, sore vexed that they were bent on such 
 a quest, " My friends, the strength that is in us shall never 
 be withheld from helping you, no, not one jot, when any 
 need arise. But terribly is J3etes furnished with deadly 
 cruelty. Wherefore I do greatly fear to voyage thither. 
 He avows him 2 to be the son of Helios, and around him 
 dwell countless tribes of Colchians, and he might match 
 even with Ares his dread war cry and mighty strength. 
 Yea, and 'twere no easy task to take the fleece away from 
 7?Eetes ; so huge a serpent keepeth guard around and about 
 it, a deathless, sleepless snake, which earth herself did rear 
 in the wolds of Caucasus, by the rock of Typhon, where 
 they say Typhon, smitten by the bolt of Zeus, the son of 
 Cronos, what time he stretched out his strong hands against 
 him, did drop warm gore from his head ; and he came with 
 this wound to the mountains and plain of Nysa ; where to this 
 day he lies, deep beneath the waters of the Serbonian 3 mere." 
 
 1 i.e. Pelias had sent Jason ostensibly to fetch the golden fleece, for 
 an oracle had said that there should be no peace for the sons of JEolus 
 until the fleece was brought to lolchos, for Zeus was wroth at the treat- 
 ment Phrixus had received ; Ovr)\ag 4>pioio is therefore = the attempted 
 sacrifice of Phrixus. 
 
 3 ffTivTcti, Lat. jactare, " avows himself, boasts." 
 
 3 " The Serbonian lake " is near Pelusium in Egypt.
 
 94 APOLLONIUS EHODIUS. [BOOK II. 
 
 So spake he ; and o'er the cheek of many did paleness 
 spread at once, when they heard the greatness of their 
 labour. But Peleus quickly answered and said, with brave 
 words, " Be not so exceeding fearful at heart, my trusty 
 friend. 1 For we are not so wanting in valiancy, as to be no 
 match for a bout in arms with ^Eetes ; nay, methinks we 
 too came hither knowing somewhat of war, for we are near 
 in blood to the blessed gods. Wherefore if he give us not 
 the fleece of gold for love, I trow his tribes of Colchians 
 shall not much avail him." 
 
 Thus did they hold converse together, until, satisfied 
 with food, they fell asleep. And when they woke at dawn, 
 a gentle breeze was blowing ; so they set the sails, which 
 did strain before the rushing wind ; and swiftly they left 
 the isle of Ares on the lee. 
 
 On the following night they passed the isle of Philyra, 2 
 where Cronos, son of Uranus, lay with Philyra, having 
 deceived E-hea, when he ruled the Titans on Olympus, and 
 that other, Zeus, was yet being reared in a cave in Crete by 
 the Idsean Curetes ; but the goddess caught them in the 
 midst of their dalliance ; and he sprang up and sped away 
 in the semblance of a horse with flowing mane, but she, 
 that child of Oceanus, Philyra, left that country and those 
 haunts in shame, and came to the distant hills of the 
 Pelasgi, where she bare to him in return for his love huge 
 Chiron, half horse, half god in appearance. 
 
 Thence they sailed on past the Macrones and the bound- 
 less coast of the Becheiri, and the lawless Sapeirae, and the 
 Byzerse next to them ; for ever onward they cleft their wav 
 
 1 riOtit, mostly an address of respect by a younger man to an elder, 
 though often, as here, the address of one friend to another. 
 
 3 So called from Philyra, the daughter of Ooeanus, who lived there. 
 Cronos, when he ruled over the Titans, formed a connexion with Philyra, 
 but being discovered by bis wife Khea, he changed himself into a stallion 
 and fled, while Philyra retired to Thessaly and there gave birth to Chiron 
 the Centaur, who was half man, half horse.
 
 i. 1219-1279.] THE ARGOXATTTICA. 95 
 
 in haste, borne forward by the gentle wind. And as they 
 sailed, there came in sight a bay of the sea, and before 
 them rose up the steep cliffs of the Caucasian mountains, 
 where Prometheus was feeding with his liver an ea^le, 
 swooping back again and again, his limbs fast bound to the 
 hard rocks with bands of brass, unbreakable ; that eagle 
 did they see at eve skimming right above the ship with 
 loud rush of wings nigh to the clouds, and yet he made all 
 the sails to shake as he flapped his pinions. For he had 
 not the form of a bird of the air, but, when he moved bis 
 swift feathers, they were like to polished oars. And no 
 long time after, they heard a bitter cry, as the liver of 
 Prometheus was torn, and the welkin rang with his screams, 
 until again they marked the savage eagle soaring on his 
 way from the mountain ; and at night, by the skill of 
 Argus, came they to the broad stream of the Phasis. and 
 the uttermost ends of the sea. 
 
 Anon they furled and put away the sails and the yard- 
 arm within the hollow niast-hold. and they let down the 
 mast too along the deck, and quickly rowed into the river's 
 broad current ; and he dashed all round them, yet gave 
 way. Upon their left hand they kept steep Caucasus and 
 the Cytsean town of JE&, and next the plain of Ares and 
 that god's sacred grove, where the serpent keepeth watch 
 and ward o'er the fleece as it hangs on the oak's rough 
 branches. Then did the son of _son with his own hand 
 pour a libation sweet as honey, of unmixed wine, from a 
 golden chalice into the river to Earth and the gods of that 
 land, 1 and the spirits of heroes dead and gone ; and he be- 
 sought them to be his kindly helpers graciously, and to 
 Allow a fair anchoring of the ship. And forthwith Ancaeus 
 
 1 ivvaireuf = ty^wpioic, " gods of the country ;" a precaution usual 
 amongst Greeks to sacrifice to the gods and heroes of any new country 
 in which they might find themselves. In the same way Alexander of 
 Macedoa went out of his way to sacrifice to Zeus Ammon.
 
 6 APOLLONIUS BHODIUS. [BOOK II., L. 1280-8. 
 
 spake this word amongst them, " Lo ! we are come to the 
 Colchian land and the stream of Phasis ; 'tis high time to 
 make plans for ourselves, whether indeed we will try ./Eetes 
 with gentleness, or whether haply some different attempt 
 shall win the day." 
 
 So spake he ; and Jason, by the advice of Argus, bade 
 them row the ship into a shaded backwater ' and let her ride 
 at anchor in deep water, and that they found close by ; 
 so there they bivouacked for the night ; and no long time 
 after appeared the dawn to their longing eyes. 
 
 1 t'Aoe = properly " a marsh, water meadow," but this scarcely fits the 
 context ; possibly "a backwater''' is meant. Here they would run less 
 risk of being observed.
 
 BOOK III.
 
 AKGUMENT. 
 
 Hera and Athene persuade Aphrodite to send Eros to Medea. Mean- 
 time Jason comes to ./Eetes, king of Colchis, and begs the fleece ; but 
 the king was exceeding wroth, and set him great labours to perform, 
 namely, to yoke two fire-breathing bulls, and sow the dragon's teeth 
 upon Ares' acre, and then to slay the earth-born giants who should rise 
 o'er the lea. 
 
 But Medea is in love with Jason, and gives him drugs to tame those 
 bulls, telling him how to accomplish all. Wherefore Jason finished the 
 appointed task, to the grief and wonder of JEetes.
 
 BOOK III. 
 
 COME now, Erato, 1 stand at my side and tell, how Jason 
 brought the fleece hence to lolchos by the love of 
 Medea. For thou too hast a share in all that the Cyprian 
 queen decrees, and by thy cares dost charm maidens yet 
 unwed ; wherefore is joined to thee a name that tells of 
 love. 
 
 Thus those chieftains abode in their ambush, unseen 
 among the thick reeds, and the goddesses, Hera and Athene, 
 were ware of them ; so they came unto a chamber, apart 
 from Zeus himself and the other immortal gods, and took 
 counsel together ; and first did Hera make trial of Athene : 
 " Do thou now first begin with thy plan, daughter of Zeus. 
 What is to be done ? wilt thou devise some crafty wile, 
 whereby they shall take the golden fleece from ^etes and 
 carry it to Hellas, or shall they haply persuade him with 
 gentle words and so prevail? For surely he is terribly 
 haughty. And yet it is not right that any attempt of ours 
 should be turned aside." 
 
 So spake she ; and Athene answered her at once : " I was 
 even pondering these very things myself, Hera, when thou 
 didst question me outright ; but not yet, methinks, have I 
 
 1 'Eparw, the Muse of dancing. The name of this Muse at first sight 
 seems introduced here merely to bring in a weak play upon words tptas, 
 'Eparu, sirtiparov. But as this third book is to relate Jason's wooing and 
 winning of Medea, there is a certain appropriateness in an address to 
 the Muse who presided over such festivities as were customary at 
 weddings. 'Eparai vocat. = 'Eparol Attice.
 
 100 APOLLONIUS EHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 devised a plan to help those chieftains brave, though many 
 are the schemes my mind revolves." 
 
 Therewith those goddesses fixed their eyes upon the 
 ground before them, pondering separately in their hearts. 
 Anon, when she had thought thus awhile, Hera broke the 
 silence : " Let us hence to Cypris ; and, when we are come, 
 let us both urge her to speak unto her boy, if haply he can 
 be persuaded to shoot an arrow at the daughter of .^Eetes, 
 mighty sorceress, and bewitch her with love of Jason. 
 For, methinks, he would by her helping counsel bear the 
 fleece to Hellas." 
 
 So spake she ; and her sage plan pleased Athene, and 
 once more she answered her with winning words : " Ah ! 
 Hera, my sire begat me to know nought of the darts of 
 love, nor wot I of any magic spell of desire. But if this 
 word pleaseth thee thyself, surely I will follow ; but thou 
 must speak when thou comest before her." 
 
 Therewith went they darting to the great house of Cypris, 
 the house which her lord of the strong arms had builded 
 for her, when first he brought her from Zeus to be his 
 bride. So they entered the courtyard and stood beneath 
 the corridor that led to her chamber, where the goddess 
 used to make ready the couch of Hephaestus. But he had 
 gone to his smithy 1 and anvils at dawn, a cavern vast 
 within a floating island, wherein he would forge all manner 
 of cunning work with the blast of fire ; so she was sit- 
 ting alone in her house on her rounded chair, facing the 
 door, and she was combing her hair with a golden comb, 
 letting it cover her white shoulders on either side, and she 
 was in the act of plaiting her long tresses when she saw them 
 before her, and stopped; and she bade them enter, and 
 arose from her throne and made them sit on seats ; then 
 sat she down herself and bound up her uncombed hair 
 
 1 Hephaestus' forge was said to be in Lipara, one of the isles of JEolus, 
 not far from Sicily.
 
 L. 20-76.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 101 
 
 with her two hands. And thus with a smile she spake to 
 them in wheedling words, " Fair ladies, what purpose or 
 business doth bring you hither after so long a time ? and 
 why are ye twain come that came not very often aforetime 
 to visit me ? for ye are far above all other goddesses." 
 
 Thus then did Hera answer her in turn : " Thou dost 
 mock us ; but the heart of us twain is stirred by sore mis- 
 chance. For even now in the river Phasis the son of ^Eson 
 stays his ship, and those others who come with him to 
 fetch the fleece. Verily for them all do we fear exceedingly, 
 since their work is nigh, but most of all for the son of 
 ^]son. Him will I save, though he sail even to Hades, to 
 free Ixion 1 there below from his fetters of brass, so far as 
 there is any strength in my limbs, that Pelias may not 
 mock if he escape his evil doom ; he who in his haughtiness 
 left me without my meed of sacrifice. Yea, and, beyond all 
 that, Jason was ever dear to me aforetime, from that day 
 when he met me at the mouth of the swollen Anaurus, as 
 he came up from hunting, and I did test the righteousness 
 of men ; and all the hills and towering crags were coated 
 with snow, and their torrents came rushing down from 
 them with loud roar. But he had compassion on me in 
 the likeness of an old hag, and took me up upon his 
 shoulders and bore me through the headlong flood. Where- 
 fore he hath honour of me unceasingly, nor shall Pelias 
 work outrage upon him, even though thou grant him not 
 his return." 
 
 So spake she ; but speechlessness seized Cypris. For she 
 
 1 Ixion was bound to an ever-turning wheel by Zeus because he had in- 
 sulted Hera. " Even him," says Hera, " I would release if Jason required 
 it, for I remember how he showed kindness to me on the day I made 
 trial of men's hearts." Hera had assumed the form of an old woman, 
 in which guise Jason had found her on the banks of the swollen 
 torrent Anaurus; and when she would go over but dare not, Jason 
 carried her across upon his shoulders, and knew not that it was the 
 goddess.
 
 102 APOLLONIUS BHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 was awe-struck at seeing Hera ask a favour of her, and 
 she answered her with kindly words, " Dread goddess, may 
 nought worse than Cypris l ever come to thee, if I neglect 
 thy desire in word or deed, so far as these weak hands can 
 effect aught ; and let me have no thanks in return." 
 
 So spake she ; and Hera once again made prudent speech : 
 " We come not to thee through lack of might or strength 
 at all. But, as thou canst, softly bid thy boy bewitch the 
 daughter of ^Eetes 2 with passion for the son of JSson. For 
 if she do help him with friendly counsel, lightly, I trow, 
 will he take the golden fleece and return to lolchos ; for she 
 is very crafty." 
 
 So spake she; and Cypris said unto them both, " Hera, 
 and Athene, he will obey you rather than me. For shame- 
 less as he is, haply will he have some little reverence at 
 sight of you, but me he regardeth not, but ever and aye he 
 slighteth me, and striveth with me. And lo ! overcome by 
 his naughtiness, I have a mind to break his bow and ill- 
 sounding arrows before his eyes ; for in a burst of anger he 
 threatened me on this wise, that if I would not keep my 
 hands off him, whilst he was mastering his temper, I would 
 have only myself to blame hereafter." 
 
 So spake she ; and the goddesses smiled, and looked at 
 one another ; but Cypris answered with a sigh, " Others can 
 laugh at my sorrows, nor ought I to tell them to every 
 one ; enough that my own heart knows them. But now 
 since this is the will of both of you, I will try and coax 
 him, nor will he disobey." 
 
 So spake she ; and Hera stroked her dainty hand, and 
 with a soft smile spake to her in answer, " Yes, even so 
 accomplish this business now at once, as thou sayest, O 
 
 1 i.e. may all of whom you make requests be as easy to persuade as 
 Aphrodite, then will you ever gain your point. Merely a rhetorical way 
 of saying that she will do all she can. 
 
 a i.e. Medea.
 
 L. 77-137.] THE AEGONAUTICA. 103 
 
 Cytherea, and distress not thyself at all, nor wrathfully strive 
 with thy child, for he shall cease tormenting thee hereafter." 
 Therewith she left her seat, and Athene went with her. 
 So they twain went back again, and Cypris too went on her 
 way through the wolds of Olympus, to see if she could find 
 her son. And she found him far away in a blooming 
 orchard of Zeus, not alone, but Ganymede was with him ; 
 he it was whom Zeus on a day brought to dwell in heaven 
 with the immortals, eager for his beauty. And those 
 twain were sporting with golden dice, as youths alike in 
 habits will. Now the one, even greedy Eros, held the palm 
 of his left hand quite full already beneath his breast as he 
 stood there upright ; and a sweet blush was mantling, on 
 the skin of his cheeks ; but the other sat crouching near in 
 moody silence, and he held two dice, casting one forth upon 
 the other, where he sat, and he was angered at the loud 
 laughter of Eros. Now when he had lost these at once as 
 well as the first, away he went with empty hands, helpless, 
 and he was not ware of Cypris as she drew nigh ; so she 
 stood facing her child, and at once, laying her hand upon 
 his mouth, she spake to him : " Thou monstrous rogue, why 
 laughest thou ? surely thou didst cheat him, poor dupe, at 
 that game, and thou didst not fairly get the better of him/, 
 But come now, accomplish readily the business I shall tell 
 thee of, and verily I will give thee that fair plaything, 
 which his fond nurse, Adresteia, made for Zeus, in the 
 cave of Ida, while he was yet a little child, a ball well- 
 rounded, than which thou canst get no fairer toy from the 
 hands of Hephaestus. Of gold are his circles fashioned, 1 
 
 1 The description of the ball is rather puzzling on account of the 
 numerous allusions to the seams in it. KVK\U = the pieces of which the 
 ball was made ; di//ifcc are the fastenings which hold it together ; 
 j>a<t>ai are the stitches of these fastenings ; while over and around all the 
 fastenings runs a spiral (s'Xt) of blue, not as a fastening, but as an orna- 
 ment to the whole work.
 
 104 APOLLONIUS EHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 and round each runneth a double fastening, holding them 
 together, but the seams thereof are hidden, for a blue 
 spiral runneth over them all. And if thou toss it in thy 
 hands, it sends a track of flame through the air, like a star. 
 Yea, this will I give thee, but do thou shoot at the daughter 
 of ^letes and bewitch her with love for Jason, and let 
 there be no delay, for then would the gratitude be 
 fainter." 
 
 So spake she ; and 'twas a welcome word to him when 
 he heard. Down he threw all his toys, and caught hold of 
 the goddess's robe with both hands eagerly on either side. 
 And he besought her instantly to give it him at once ; but 
 she met him with gentle words, and drew his cheek to hers 
 and put her arms round him and kissed him, answering : 
 " Be witness 1 now thine own darling head and mine, that I 
 will surely give it thee, and will not deceive thee, if thou 
 fix thy shaft in the heart of the daughter of ^Eetes." 
 
 Thus she ; and he gathered his dice together, and, after 
 counting them all carefully, cast them into the fold of his 
 mother's bright robe. Next he slung about him with a 
 belt of gold his quiver, which was hanging on a tree- 
 trunk, and he took up his bended bow, and went on his 
 way from the halls of Zeus through the fruitful orchard. 
 Then came he forth from the heavenly gates of Olympus, 
 where is a path down from heaven ; for the world's two 
 poles, the highest points on earth, whereon the sun at his 
 rising rests with his earliest rays, uphold steep mountain- 
 tops ; while below, on the one side, Earth, the life-giver, 
 and the cities of men, and sacred river-streams, and, on 
 the other, hills and sea all round appeared to him, as he 
 passed through the wide upper air. 
 
 Now the heroes sat in council on the ship's benches, in 
 their ambush apart, in a backwater of the river. And 
 
 1 i.e. I swear by myself and by the love I bear you.
 
 L. 138-196.] THE ARGONATJTICA. 105 
 
 amongst them the son of ^Eson himself was speaking, 
 while they, sitting quietly in their place in order, did listen : 
 " My friends, surely I will tell you what seems good to me 
 myself ; but 'tis for you to bring it to pass. For all alike 
 share this quest, and all alike can speak; and he who 
 silently withholds his purpose and counsel, let him know, 
 that 'tis he and he alone who robbeth this expedition of its 
 return. Do ye others abide here quietly in the ship with 
 your arms ; but I will go to the halls of JEetes, taking the 
 sons of Phrixus and two comrades as well. And when I 
 meet him, I will first see what words may do, whether he 
 be willing to give us the golden fleece for love, or, if ' he 
 will not, but, trusting to his might, will not heed our 
 quest. For thus of himself shall we learn his ill-will afore 
 and devise, whether to meet him in the field, or whether 
 there shall be some other plan to help us, if we restrain our 
 battle-cry. But let us not deprive him of his possession 
 thus by force, till we have tried what words can do. Nay, 
 'twere better first to go and conciliate him with words. 
 Full oft, I wis, hath a word easily accomplished at need, 
 what might would scarce have won, in that it seemed 
 soothing. Yea, and this man too once welcomed gallant 2 
 .Phrixus as he fled from the wiles of a step-mother and the 
 sacrifice 3 his father had prepared. For all men in all lands, 
 even the most shameless, do reverence and regard the 
 ordinance of Zeus, the god of strangers." 
 
 So spake he ; and forthwith the young men agreed to the 
 word of the son of ^son, and^ there was not one who could 
 bid him do otherwise. So then he roused the sons of 
 
 1 }E icoi ov. The icai shows that the speaker does not anticipate that 
 JEetes will give up the fleece for love. 
 
 a dfivfjtova, purely an " epitheton ornans," without any reference to 
 the man's moral character or attributes, much as we say " my honourable 
 friend," " the noble lord," &c. 
 
 3 i.e. the sacrifice of his own son and daughter.
 
 106 APOLLONIUS RHODITJS. [BOOK III. 
 
 Plirixus and Telamon and Augeas to go with him ; and in 
 his hand he took the wand of Hermes ; l and anon forth 
 they went from the ship, beyond the reeds and water, 
 toward the country over a rising plain. This, they say, is 
 called the plain of Circe, and on it were growing in rows 
 many willows and osiers, 2 on whose branches hang dead 
 men, bound with cords. For to this day 'tis an abomina- 
 tion to Colchians to burn the corpses of men with fire ; 
 nor is it lawful to lay them in the earth, and heap a cairn 
 above them ; but two 3 men must roll them up in hides un- 
 tanned, and fasten them to trees afar from the town. And 
 yet the earth getteth an equal share with the air, for they 
 bury their women folk in the ground; for such is the 
 custom they have ordained. 
 
 Now as the heroes went through the city, Hera, with 
 friendly intent, shed a thick mist on them, that they might 
 reach the house of ^Eetes, unseen by the countless Colchian 
 folk ; but straight when they were come from the plain to 
 the city and house of JSetes, then again did Hera disperse 
 the cloud. And they stood at the entrance, astonied at the 
 king's fenced walls and wide gates and columns, which 
 stood in rows upholding the walls ; and above the house 
 
 1 ffKij-Trrpov 'Epfjfiao. This wand had been entrusted in the outset to 
 the herald ^Etbalides as the badge of his sacred office its presence 
 would insure the safety of the bearer. 
 
 2 Curious customs of the Cok-hians, who do not bury men, but hang 
 their corpses on trees. However, not to cheat the earth of its due, they 
 resign to it the dead bodies of women ; by which means they consider 
 that earth and air are both satisfied.- 
 
 3 KarnXvaavTf. If this reading is the true one, it seems an extraor- 
 dinary introduction of an unusual number, viz., the dual. This number 
 has not been previously used in this connexion, and the only possible ex- 
 planation of its meaning (" that tico men wrap up each corpse ") seems 
 exceedingly strained, to say the least of it. Many editions, previous to 
 Wellauer, read KaTtiXvaavng , with an absolute disregard of metre ; the 
 dual has now been substituted for the plural by subsequent editors, but 
 it is difficult to believe that Apollonius wrote it so.
 
 L. 197-246.] THE AEGONAUTICA. 107 
 
 was a coping of stone resting upon triglyphs J of bronze. 
 Then went they quietly over the threshold. And nigh 
 thereto were garden-vines in full blossom, shooting on 
 high, and covered with green young foliage. Beneath 
 them flowed those four eternal springs, which Hephaestus 
 digged, whereof the one did gush with milk, another with 
 wine, while a third flowed with fragrant unguents, and the 
 last gave a stream of water, which was warm at the setting 
 of the Pleiads, and in turn at their rising spouted up cold 
 as ice from the hollow rock. These were the wondrous 
 works that crafty Hephaestus did devise in the halls of 
 Cytaean JEetes. And he fashioned for him bulls with 
 brazen feet, and mouths of brass, wherefrom they breathed 
 the fearful blaze of fire ; yea, and he forged for him 
 besides a plough of stout adamant, all of one piece, in re- 
 turn for the kindness of Helios, 2 for he had taken him up 
 in his chariot, when he was weary at the battle on Phlegra's 
 plain. 
 
 Next was builded the inner court; and in the walls 
 thereof on either side were close-folding doors and rooms ; 
 and all along both walls ran a corridor of carved work ; 
 and across at either end stood higher buildings ; in one of 
 these, which towered over all, dwelt king ^Eetes with his 
 wife, and in the other lived Absyrtus, 3 son of JSetes, whom 
 Asterodia, nymph of Caucasus, bare, ere that Eidyia be- 
 came his wedded wife, last-born child of Tethys and 
 Oceanus ; him the sons of the Colchians did call by the 
 name of Phaethon, for he outshone all the young men. 
 
 1 yXii^ioec, properly " the notch of an arrow " which fits on the string, 
 here = rptyXv^oi, which in Doric architecture is the three-grooved tablet 
 placed at equal distances along the frieze. 
 
 2 Helios, the Sun-god, father of jEetes and Circe, took up Hephaestus, 
 who owing to his lameness was tired, and carried him in his chariot 
 away from the plain of Phlegra in Thrace, where the giants had done 
 battle with the gods. 
 
 3 Also called Phaethon.
 
 108 APOLLONIUS BHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 But the servants and the two daughters of yEetes, Chal- 
 ciope l and Medea, had the other rooms. Now they found 
 Medea going from chamber to chamber in quest of her 
 sister ; for Hera had kept her at home, though aforetime 
 she came not very often into the house, but all day long 
 was busied at the temple of Hecate, for 'twas she that 
 was priestess of the goddess. And when she saw them 
 near, she cried out, and quickly did Chalciope hear, and 
 the maid- servants threw down at their feet their yarn and 
 thread, and came running out all together. But Chalciope, 
 when she saw her sons with those others, lifted up her 
 hands for joy, and so too did they greet their mother, and 
 embraced her for joy when they saw her. And thus spake 
 she through her sobs : " So then, after all, ye were not to 
 wander very far, leaving me in my anguish 2 ; but fate 
 hath turned you back. Ah ! woe is me ! what a desire for 
 Hellas did ye feel, prompted by some pitiful infatuation, 
 at the bidding of your father Phrixus ! who dying did 
 ordain bitter sorrow for my heart. Why should ye go to 
 the city of Orchomenus, whoever this Orchomenus is, 3 for 
 the sake of the goods of Athamas, leaving your mother 
 behind in her sorrow ? " 
 
 So spake she ; and last of all came Metes forth to the 
 door, and forth came Eidyia in person, wife of JEetes, when 
 she heard Chalciope ; and anon that whole courtyard was 
 filled with a throng. Thralls in crowds were busy now, 
 
 1 Elder daughter of .ZEetes, sister of Medea ; she had I een married to 
 Phrixus, now dead, and had several sons, who were now in the company 
 of Jason. 
 
 2 dcr;cfi'y here, as infra, iii. 298, aicrjdfiyai vooio, is capable of two 
 meanings, (1)= d0povr<rru>e, "carelessly, without a thought," (2) = 
 iro\vicr)Stiaif, " in anguish." In the first case it would refer to the sons 
 of Chalciope ; in the second, which is rather favoured by the position of 
 the words, to Chalciope herself. 
 
 3 " Whoever this Orchomenus is." In her bitterness she purposely 
 assumes that Orchomenus is a man, not a city.
 
 L. 247-299.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 109 
 
 some about a mighty bull, while others were cleaving dry 
 wood with the axe, and others were heating at the fire 
 water for baths, and there was none who ceased from toil, 
 in obedience to the king. 
 
 Meantime Eros went through the clear air unseen, con- 
 fusing them, as when the gad-fly ariseth against grazing 
 heifers, the fly which herdsmen call the goad of cattle. 
 Quickly within the porch, beneath the lintel, he stretched 
 his bow and drew from his quiver a shaft of sorrow never 
 yet used. Then did he pass unseen across the threshold 
 with hasty steps, glancing quickly round, and gliding close 
 past the son of JEson himself, he laid the notch of the 
 arrow on the middle of the bow-string, and drawing 1 it to 
 the head with both hands he let it fly straight against 
 Medea ; and speechless amaze took hold upon her. But 
 lie sped away again from the high-roofed hall, laughing 
 loudly. And the shaft burnt beneath the maiden's heart, 
 like a flame, and ever she kept darting glances toward the 
 son of JEson, and her heart was wildly beating in her 
 breast in distress, and she remembered nought but him, 
 and her soul was melting with sweet sorrow. As when 
 some poor workwoman hath strewn dry chips about a 
 blazing brand one whose business is to spin wool that 
 she may make a blaze at night beneath her roof, waking 
 exceeding early ; which darting up wondrously from the 
 tiny brand doth consume all the chips with itself ; even so 
 love in his might, 2 couched beneath her heart, was burning 
 secretly ; and her soft cheeks would pale and blush by 
 turns, in the anguish of her soul. 
 
 Now when the thralls had made ready food for them, 
 
 1 i.e. drawing it to the full, when the arms would be wide apart. 
 
 2 oi}\oc, by some said to be a variant form in poets of oXoe, = Lat. 
 totus, i.e. " the god in all his might," which meaning it certainly bears 
 in some contexts. Others make it = oXooc, as ovXofitvog, Epic for 
 
 c, i.e. " destructive, baleful."
 
 110 APOLLONIUS RHODITTS. [BOOK III. 
 
 and they had washed themselves in warm baths, gladly 
 did they take their fill of food and drink. Then did 
 JEeies question the sons of his daughter, addressing them 
 with these words : " Sons of my daughter and of Phrixus, 
 whom I honoured above all strangers in our halls, how 
 came ye back again to ^Ea ? did some misfortune come be- 
 twixt you and your safety, preventing you ? Ye hearkened 
 not to me when I set before you the measure of the voyage. 
 For I knew it that day I whirled along in the car of Helios, 
 my father, when he was bringing my sister Circe into the 
 land of the west, 1 and we came to a headland of the Tyr- 
 senian mainland, where she dwelleth even now, very far 
 from the Colchian land. What pleasure, though, have I in 
 telling hereof ? Come tell me plainly what befell you, or 
 who these are who bear you company, and whence ye have 
 come from your hollow ship." 
 
 Somewhat afeard was Argus for the expedition of the 
 son of ^Eson when he questioned so straitly, but he 
 before his brethren made a gentle answer, for he was the 
 eldest : " ^Eetes, that ship of ours did raging winds soon 
 wreck ; but the wave cast us up, as we crouched on 
 timbers, on the dry land of the isle of Enyalius, in the 
 dead of night, for some god saved us. For not even were 
 the birds of Ares roosting on that desert isle, which were 
 there aforetime, nor did we find them any more. But 
 these men had driven them away, when they came forth 
 from their ship on the previous day, and the mind of 
 Zeus or some chance kept them there, in pity for us ; for 
 at once they gave us food and raiment in plenty, after 
 hearing the famous name of Phrixus and of thee thyself, 
 for to thy city were they faring. If thou wouldst surely 
 know their business, I will not hide it from thee. A 
 certain king, eager to drive yonder man far from his 
 
 1 i.e. Italy.
 
 L. 300-367.] THE ARGONAUTICA. Ill 
 
 country and his goods, for that he excelled very greatly in 
 his might all the sons of ^olus, is sending him hither on 
 a difficult voyage; for it is ordained that the race of 
 jiEolus shall not escape the grievous wrath and fury of 
 implacable Zeus, nor the awful pollution and the punish- 
 ment for the sake of Phrixus, until the fleece come to Hellas. 
 And Pallas Athene hath builded his ship, in no wise like the 
 ships amongst the Colchian folk, whereof we chanced 
 upon the vilest ; l for furious winds and waves tore it in 
 pieces enow. But that other holds fast unto her bolts, even 
 though all the winds fall heavy on her. And swift as the 
 wind she speeds, whenso her crew bend to their oars with 
 a will. And Jason hath gathered together in her the 
 chosen heroes from all Achsea, and is come to thy city, 
 after wandering to many towns, and over the face of the 
 loathly sea, to see if thou wilt give him the fleece. And as 
 it is pleasing to thee, so shall it be ; for he is not come to 
 use violence, but 'tis his desire to pay thee fair quittance 
 for the gift ; for he heareth from me that the Sauromatae 
 are thy grievous foes ; so he will subdue these to thy rule. 
 And if, as thou sayest, thou art anxious to know too their 
 name and lineage, who they be, verily let me tell thee all. 
 Him, for sake of whom the rest mustered from Hellas, men 
 call Jason, son of jiEson, whom Cretheus begat. Now if he 
 is really of the stock of Cretheus himself, so must he be a 
 kinsman on his father's side to us. For both Cretheus 
 and Athamas were sons of ^Eolus ; and Phrixus again was 
 son of Athamas, who was son of JSolus. Lo ! here dost 
 thou see Augeas, if ever thou dost hear of this son of 
 Helios, and this is Telamon, sprung from famous ^Eacus, 
 whom Zeus himself begat. So too all the rest, who follow 
 in his crew, are sons or scions of immortal gods." 
 
 This was the tale that Argus told. And the king was 
 1 JEetes had given the sons of Chalciope a bad ship in the hope of 
 their being wrecked.
 
 112 APOLLONIUS KHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 angered at his word, as he listened. And his heart swelled 
 high with rage, and he spake with a troubled mind, but 
 most of all was he wroth with the sons of Chalciope, 
 for he thought that Jason had come on this quest by 
 reason of them ; and his eyes flashed beneath his brows 
 in his fury : " Away, ye caitiff wretches, at once from my 
 sight ; depart from my land with your trickery, ere some 
 of you see the fleece and Phrixus to your sorrow. 'Twas 
 not to fetch the fleece, but to take my sceptre and my 
 kingly power, that ye banded together and came hither at 
 once from Hellas. But if ye had not tasted first of my 
 board, of a truth I would have cut out your tongues and 
 chopped off both your hands and sent you forth with feet 
 alone, that ye might be stayed from setting forth there- 
 after ; what lies too have ye told about the blessed gods ! " 
 
 So spake he in his fury ; and mightily was the heart of 
 the son of ^Eacus swelling in his breast ; and his spirit 
 within him longed to give him back a fatal answer, 1 but the 
 son of J3son checked him ; and, before he could speak, 
 himself made gentle answer : " JEetes, bear with me anent 
 this my coming. For we are in no wise come unto thy 
 town and home, as thou belike dost think, nor with any 
 such desire. For who would willingly venture to cross so 
 wide a gulf for the goods of another ? Nay, 'twas a god 
 and the chilling hest of a presumptuous king that sent us 
 forth. Grant thy favour to our prayer ; and I will carry 
 throughout Hellas a wondrous report of thee ; yea, and we 
 are ready even now to make thee quick recompense in thy 
 wars, if haply thou desirest to bring beneath thy sway even 
 the Sauromatse or some other folk." 
 
 So spake he, trying to win him with gentle speech. But 
 that other's heart was pondering a double design, either to 
 set upon them and slay them out of hand, or, strong king as 
 
 1 d\obv tTrof, i.e. an answer that would have had deadly consequences 
 to someone.
 
 L. 368-430.] THE ARGONATJTICA. 113 
 
 he was, to make trial of their might. And as he thought 
 thereon, this seemed the better plan ; and so he caught 
 him up and said, " Stranger, why shouldst thou tell me all 
 to the end ? For if ye are really of the race of gods, or 
 have set foot upon a foreign shore no ways my inferiors, 
 I will give thee the golden fleece to carry hence, if so thou 
 wilt, after trying thee. For in the case of good men I grudge 
 it noways, as yourselves declare he doth who is king in Hellas. 
 But to test your spirit and strength there shall be a task, 
 which I myself can compass with my hands, hard though 
 it be. Two bulls with brazen hoofs, breathing flame from 
 their mouths, do browse upon yon plain of Ares ; these do 
 I yoke and drive over the rough fallow of Ares of four 
 plough-gates, and when I have speedily turned it up with 
 the plough to the end I sow for seed in the furrows, not 
 the corn of Demeter, but the teeth of a dread serpent, 
 which grow into the form * of armed men. These do I next 
 utterly destroy with my spear as they stand round to meet 
 me. At early dawn I yoke my oxen, and at eventide I 
 cease from my harvesting. 
 
 " Now, if thou wilt accomplish the like, thou shalt bear 
 away to the king's palace the fleece upon the self-same 
 day. Ere that I will not give it thee ; so hope not so. 
 For it were shameful indeed for a good man born to yield 
 unto a worse." 
 
 So spake he ; but Jason fixed his eyes in front of him 
 and sat speechless, as he was, at a sore loss. Long time 
 turned he the plan over, and no way could he find to 
 accept the challenge courageously, for the task seemed a 
 great one ; but at last he made answer with crafty words : 
 "jEetes, very straitly dost thou shut me up within thy 
 right. Wherefore I will even endure that toil, passing 
 hard though it be ; yea, though it be my lot to die. For 
 there is nothing worse that cometh on men than dire neces- 
 
 used adverbially = " in form, appearance." 
 I
 
 114 APOLLONIUS KHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 sity, and 'twas it that forced me to come hither at the 
 king's command." 
 
 So spake he, smitten with dismay ; and the other answered 
 him in his distress with grim words : " Come now unto 
 the gathering, 1 since thou art even eager for the toil ; but if 
 thou art afraid to put the yoke upon the oxen's neck, or 
 if haply thou shrink from the deadly hai-vesting, these 
 things severally shall be my care, that so any other may 
 fear to come to a man that is better than he." 2 
 
 So spake he bluntly ; but the other, even Jason, leapt 
 up from his seat, and Augeas and Telamon by his side, but 
 only Argus 3 went with him, for he signed to his brothers, 
 whilst they were yet there, that they should stay behind. 
 But they went forth from the hall. And the son of jEson 
 shone out wondrously amongst them all for beauty and 
 grace, and the maiden cast shy glances at him, holding her 
 bright veil aside, consuming her heart with woe ; and her 
 thoughts stole after him like a dream, 4 and flitted in his 
 footsteps as he went. So they went forth from the house, 
 sore at heart. And Chalciope, avoiding the wrath of 
 ^letes, had gone swiftly to her chamber with her sons. 
 And in like manner came Medea after her ; and much she 
 brooded in her heart, even all the cares that love doth 
 
 1 /i0' ofii\ov, " to the place of gathering," ^ira = Trpoc. This usage 
 is very common in Apollonius. The phrase might also mean " come 
 after the crowd," but that suits the context less well, for the crowd 
 would naturally follow rather than precede men who were about to 
 hazard so dangerous an enterprise. 
 
 2 i.e. a dark threat of punishment for Jason's presumption in pre- 
 ferring such a request, = " I will take good care that for the future ad- 
 venturers like you think twice before they come with such impudent 
 proposals to me." 
 
 3 oloc 'Apyoc, i.e. Argus signed to his brothers to stay behind and 
 make what way they could with their mother Chalciope. 
 
 * vooc; JJVT* wfipog, a curiously bold expression, identifying the mind 
 of the dreamer with the vision dreamt. We should have to say " as in 
 a dream."
 
 L. 431-479.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 115 
 
 urge. For before her eyes everything yet seemed to be, 
 her lover's very form, the raiment that he wore, the words 
 he said, the way he sat upon his seat, and how he went 
 unto the door ; and, as she thought thereon, she dreamed 
 there never was such another man ; and ever in her ears 
 his voice was ringing and the sweet words he spake. And 
 she feared for him, that the oxen or haply jEetes with his 
 own hands might slay him ; and she mourned for him 
 as though he were already slain outright, and the tears ran 
 softly down her cheeks in her affliction from her exceeding 
 pity ; and, softly weeping, she uttered her voice aloud : 
 " Why doth this sorrow come o'er me to iny grief ? 
 Whether he be the best or worst of heroes that is now to 
 perish, let him die. Ah ! would that he might escape 
 unhurt. Yea, let that even come to pass, O dread goddess, 
 daughter of Perses l let him escape death and return 
 home. But if 'tis fated that he be slain by the oxen, let 
 him learn ere his doom, that I at least exult not in his 
 .cruel fate." 
 
 Even thus was that maiden weighed down with care. 
 Now when those others had gone outside the crowd and 
 the city along the path, which aforetime they had taken 
 from the plain ; in that hour did Argus speak to Jason 
 with these words, " Son of ^Eson, thou wilt scorn the 
 counsel I shall tell thee 2 ; and yet it is not right at all to 
 desist from any attempt in trouble. Haply thou too hast 
 somewhat heard before that one of my sisters useth sorcery 
 by the prompting of Hecate, daughter of Perses ; if we can 
 persuade her, no longer, methinks, shall there be any fear 
 
 1 Tlepffqi, another name of Hecate, the goddess to whom Medea as a 
 sorceress naturally prays ; she was so called as being a daughter of 
 Perses, or Perseus, though other legends declare her to have sprung 
 from Zeus. 
 
 2 i.e. you may not think much of my counsel in this particular case, 
 but I give it all the same, for one ought to neglect no precaution in 
 difficult circumstances.
 
 116 APOLLONIUS RHODITJS. [BOOK III. 
 
 that thoti be foiled in thy emprise ; but terribly I fear, 1 that 
 my mother will not undertake this for me. Yet will I go to 
 her again to entreat her ; for o'er the heads of all of us 
 hangeth joint destruction." 
 
 So spake he in kindliness, and the other thus made 
 answer : " Good friend, if now this finds favour in thine 
 own eyes, I have nought against it. Speed thee then and 
 hasten to implore thy mother with words of wisdom. Yet 
 wretched indeed is our hope, when we have entrusted our 
 return to women." 
 
 So spake he ; and quickly they came unto the backwater. 
 And their comrades questioned them with joy when they 
 saw them drawing near. But sorrowfully did the son of 
 JEson tell out his tale to them, " Friends, the heart of 
 cruel JDetes is angered at us outright. For never will the 
 goal be reached by me, nor yet by you who question me 
 on every point. Now he saith there are two bulls, with 
 hoofs of bronze, that range the plain of Ares, breathing 
 flame from their mouths. And he hath bidden me plough 
 with these a fallow-field of four plough-gates ; then, he 
 says he will give me seed of the jaws of a serpent, which 
 maketh earth-born men to rise in their bronze harness, 
 and on that very day must I slay them. Which thing I 
 did promise him outright, for no better plan could I 
 devise." 
 
 So spake he, and it seemed to them all a toil not to be 
 accomplished ; long time looked they on one another in 
 speechless silence, bowed down with anguish and dismay ; 
 but at the last spake Peleus bravely amongst all the chief- 
 tains : " "Tis time to devise what we are to do. I deem 
 there is not so much help in counsel as in strong arms. 
 If then, hero son of JSson, thou art minded thyself to yoke 
 
 )ir) bv = Lat. vereor ne non = vereor ut. royt, the service in 
 question, i.e. the enlistment of the sympathies of Medea for the enter- 
 prise by Chalciope.
 
 L. 480-537.] THE ARGONATJTICA. 117 
 
 the oxen of Metes, and art eager for the labour, lo ! keep 
 now thy promise and make thee ready ; but if thy spirit 
 hath no sure trust in thy valiancy, hasten not thyself, 
 nor sitting here look round for some other amongst these 
 men. For I myself will not hold back, for the worst grief 
 that can come will be but death." 
 
 So spake the son of ^Eacus ; and the spirit of Telamon 
 was stirred ; and he sprang up in hot haste, and with him 
 uprose Idas in his pride, and the two sons of Tyndarus as 
 well ; and with them the son of (Eneus, ranked among 
 men of prowess, 1 albeit the soft down scarce showed upon 
 his face ; so high rose the courage of his heart. But those 
 others gave way and kept silence. And anon spake Argus 
 this word to them in their eagerness for the enterprise, 
 " My friends, lo ! this is left us at the last. 2 But, methinks, 
 there shall come to us from my mother a very present 
 help. Wherefore, for all your eagerness, restrain your- 
 selves a little space in the ship, as heretofore ; for 'tis 
 better to hold back withal than recklessly to choose an 
 evil doom. There dwells a maid in Petes' halls, whom 
 Hecate hath taught exceeding skill in all simples, that the 
 land and flowing water do produce. By them is quenched 
 even the blast of tireless flame ; and in a moment she stays 
 the rush of roaring streams, and she can bind the stars 
 and the courses of the holy moon. Of her we bethought 
 us as we came hither along the path from the house, if 
 haply our mother, own sister to her, can persuade her to 
 aid our labour. Now if this finds favour in your sight too, 
 
 1 dt^ijof literally = " a vigorous, lusty man," then any man who has 
 come to his full strength, in which latter sense it is often employed by 
 Homer, though probably the idea of " manliness " ought in every case 
 to be kept prominent. 
 
 2 " This is left us at the last," i.e. if we can find no better way, we 
 will do and die in the attempt if necessary ; but, ere that, let us employ 
 all the means that offer, and despise no plan of escape, even if it do pro- 
 ceed from a woman.
 
 118 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 verily I will go this very day back to the house of 
 
 to make essay ; and perhaps some god will be with me in 
 
 my attempt." 
 
 So spake he ; and the gods of their good will gave unto 
 them a sign. A trembling dove, flying from a strong 
 hawk, came down and settled in her terror in the bosom of 
 the son of ^Eson ; but the hawk transfixed ' himself upon 
 the pointed stern. At once Mopsus took up his parable 
 and spake this word amongst them all, " My friends, here 
 is a sign for you by the will of the gods ; no otherwise could 
 they more clearly bid us go speak with the maiden and 
 seek to her with all our skill. And methinks she will not 
 slight us, if, that is, Phineus said truly, that our return 
 should depend on the Cyprian goddess. Yon gentle bird 
 just 'scaped her fate ; and even as my heart within me 
 foresees according to this omen, so shall it surely be. But 
 come, friends, call on Cytherea to help you, and in this 
 very hour hearken to the persuasion of Argus." 
 
 So spake he ; and the young men approved his words, 
 for they remembered the bidding of Phineus ; only Idas, 
 son of Aphareus, sprang up ; sore troubled was he, and he 
 cried aloud, "How now, pray, did we come hither in com- 
 pany with women, that our men call on Cypris to come and 
 help us, and no longer on the great War- god ? Will ye, for 
 the sight of doves and hawks, stay you from your enter- 
 prise ? get you gone, and take no thought for deeds of war, 
 but how to cajole weak girls by prayers." 
 
 So cried he in his hot anger ; and many of his comrades 
 muttered low, but there was none, I trow, that gave him 
 answer back. So down he sat much in wrath ; but Jason 
 forthwith cheered them, and declared his mind thus, "Let 
 Argus go forth from the ship, since this finds favour with 
 
 1 iripticd-iriTi ctv, literally " fell about it," i.e. fell on it and was pierced 
 by it. Cf. Soph. Aias, 7rpi7rrix')r tfaffjavift, literally " folded about his 
 sword," i.e. fallen upon it and pierced by it.
 
 L. 538-592.] THE AEGONAUTICA. 119 
 
 all, while we will now fasten our cables openly ashore out 
 from the river. For assuredly 'tis well to lie hid no longer, 
 crouching in fear from the battle-cry." 
 
 Therewith, sent he Argus forth at once to go swiftly a 
 second time unto the city ; but they hauled their anchors 
 aboard at the bidding of the son of J3son, and rowed the 
 ship a little space from out the backwater, and moored her 
 to the shore. 
 
 Anon jEetes held a gathering of the Colchians apart 
 from his house, where they sat aforetime, devising against 
 the Minyae treachery intolerable and troubles. For he 
 threatened ' that, so soon as the oxen should have torn that 
 fellow in pieces, who had taken upon him the performance 
 of the grievous labour, he would then cut down an oak- 
 thicket upon the wooded hill-top and burn their ship, 
 men and all, that they, with their over- weening schemes, 
 may splutter out 2 their grievous insolence. For he would 
 never have received Phrixus, son of ^Eolus, as a guest within 
 his halls, for all his craving, Phrixus who exceeded all 
 strangers in gentleness and holiness, had not Zeus sent to 
 him his own messenger Hermes, that so Phrixus might 
 meet with a kindly host. Verily were pirates to come to 
 his land, they would not long be without sorrows of their 
 own, folk who make it their business to stretch out their 
 hand upon the goods of strangers, and to weave secret 
 
 1 ffTtvru, " he threatened." From the sense of boasting that one is 
 so and so, or will do so and so, the transition to that of threatening is 
 not difficult. We find the word in three different significations : cf. ii. 
 1204, " he avows himself to be ; " iii. 337, " is it destined ; " iii. 579, " he 
 threatened." 
 
 2 diro(p\vK<affiv, a grim jest on the part of JEetes. The word means 
 " to boil up, splutter ;" then " to babble idly," used by the king in scorn 
 of the words Jason had spoken, and also with an allusion to the effect 
 the fire would have on the heroes " fire makes water boil away, per- 
 haps it may make these babblers splutter out all their presumption." 
 Cf. <f>\vapta = " nonsense."
 
 120 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 plots, and to harry the steadings of herdsmen in forays, 
 heralded by their dreaded shout. Moreover he said that 
 the sons of Phrixus, apart from this, should pay him a 
 proper penalty l for returning in the company of evil-doers 
 as their guides, that they might drive him from his honour 
 and his kingdom heedlessly ; for once on a time he had 
 heard a dismal warning from his father Helios, that he 
 must avoid the deep guile and plotting and the wily mis- 
 chief of his own race. Wherefore he sent them, according 
 to their father's bidding, eager as they were, to the land of 
 Achsea, a long journey. But small fear had he of his 
 daughters, or of his son Absyrtus, that they would ever 
 devise any baleful plan ; but he thought these fell deeds 
 were to be accomplished among the race of Chalciope ; and 
 so it was that terrible things did he pronounce 2 in his wrath 
 against those other folk ; and he made a mighty threat 
 that he would keep them from the ship and their comrades, 
 that none might escape destruction. 
 
 Meantime Argus came unto the house of ^Eetes, and 
 strove to win his mother with every argument he knew, 
 that she might entreat Medea's aid ; but she pondered the 
 matter first herself. For fear held her back, lest haply he 
 should win her over in vain, and contrary to fate ; so fear- 
 ful was she of her father's deadly anger, or lest, if she con- 
 sented to his prayer, her deed might get abroad and be 
 clearly known. 
 
 Now deep sleep relieved the maid Medea from her trou- 
 bles, as she lay upon her bed. But anon fearsome cheating 
 
 1 juti'Xia = anything that pleases; then a marriage portion ; here equiva- 
 lent to iroival, which, however, viewed from yEetes' point of view, would 
 be distinctly pleasing. The word is used above, iii. 135, for " a toy, 
 plaything." 
 
 2 m<j>avffKiro, " he declared " that he would bring to pass. SrifiorL 
 poimv literally = "common, vulgar." It is not quite clear who is 
 meant; possibly the rest of the heroes, as distinct from the sons of 
 Phrixus and Chalciope, who were to receive special punishment.
 
 L. 593-650.] THE AKGONAUTICA. 121 
 
 dreams assailed her, as they will a maiden in her woe. 
 She thought yon stranger had taken that toil upon him, 
 not because he greatly desired to carry off the ram's fleece, 
 nor at all, for its sake, had he come to the city of JEetes, 
 but that he might lead her to his home to be his own true 
 wife ; and she dreamed that she herself strove with the 
 oxen, and did the toil right easily ; but her parents made 
 light of their promise ; for they had set the yoking of the 
 oxen, not before their daughter, but before the stranger. 
 Then arose a strife of doubtful issue betwixt her father and 
 the strangers ; and both did entrust it unto her to be even 
 as she should direct. At once she chose that stranger, and 
 forgat her parents, and grievous was their anguish, and 
 they cried out in anger ; then did sleep forsake her, and 
 she awoke with a cry. And she arose quivering with terror, 
 and peered all round the walls of her chamber, and scarce 
 could she regain her courage as before in her breast, and 
 she uttered her voice aloud, " Ah ! woe is me ! how have 
 fearful dreams affrighted me ! I fear that this voyage of 
 the heroes is bringing some awful calamity. My heart is 
 in suspense l for the stranger. Let him woo some Achaean 
 maiden, far away among his own people, and let my virgin 
 state and my parents' home be my care. Verily, though I 
 have cast shame out of my heart, I will not yet make any 
 attempt without the advice of my sister, if haply she en- 
 treat me to help their enterprise, in sorrow for her sons ; 
 that would assuage the bitter grief in my heart." 
 
 Therewith she rose and opened the door of her chamber, 
 barefoot, in her shift alone ; and lo ! she longed to go to 
 her sister, and she passed over the threshold of her room. 
 And long time she waited there at the entrance of her 
 chamber, held back by shame, and she turned her back 
 once more ; and yet again she went from her room, and 
 
 1 f/tpiBovrai, a lengthened form of utipopai, = " to hang floating in 
 the air." Hence metaph. " to waver."
 
 122 APOLLONIUS RHomtrs. [BOOK in. 
 
 again stole back ; for her feet bore her in vain this way 
 and that ; yea, and oft as she was going straight on, 
 modesty kept her within ; then would bold desire urge 
 her against the curb of modesty. Thrice she tried, and 
 thrice she held back ; the fourth time she turned and threw 
 herself face down upon the bed. As when a bride doth 
 mourn within her chamber a strong young husband, to 
 whom her brethren and parents have given her, and she 
 holds no converse with all her attendants for very shame 
 and thinking of him ; but sitteth in a corner lamenting, 
 but him hath some doom destroyed, ere they twain have 
 had any joy each of the other's counsels ; while she, with 
 burning heart, looks on her widowed bed and sheds the 
 silent tear, that the women may not mock and scoff at 
 her ; like to her was Medea in her lamentation. Now on 
 a sudden, while she wept, a maid-servant coming forth 
 did hear her, one that had waited on her in her girlhood ; 
 and forthwith she told Chalciope ; now she was sitting 
 amongst her sons, devising how to win her sister to their 
 side. Yet not even so did she make light of it, when she 
 heard the maid's strange story, but she hasted in amaze 
 from room to room throughout the house to the chamber 
 wherein the maiden lay in her anguish, and tore her 
 cheeks ;. and when she saw her eyes all dimmed with tears, 
 she said to her, " Ah, woe is me ! Medea, and wherefore 
 dost thou shed these tears ? What has happened to thee ? 
 what awful grief hath come into thy heart? Has some 
 disease of heaven's sending fastened on thy limbs, or hast 
 thou learnt some deadly threat of my father concerning 
 me and my sons? Would that I no longer beheld this 
 house of my parents, nor their city, but dwelt in the utter- 
 most parts of the earth, where is not so much as heard the 
 name of Colchians." 
 
 So spake she, but a blush rose to her sister's cheeks, and 
 long time maiden modesty stayed her from answering, fain
 
 L. 651-714.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 123 
 
 as she was. At one moment the word would rise to the 
 tip of her tongue, at another it would speed back deep 
 within her breast. Oft her eager lips yearned to tell their 
 tale, but the words came no farther. At the last she 
 made this subtle speech, for love's bold hand was heavy on 
 her, " Chalciope, my heart is in sore suspense for thy sons, 
 for fear lest our father slay them outright with the 
 strangers. For as I fell asleep just now and slumbered 
 for a little space, I saw a fearful vision. May some god 
 make it of none effect, and mayest thou get no bitter grief 
 for thy sons !" 
 
 So spake she, making trial of her sister ; and the other 
 thus answered : " Lo ! I came to thee myself bent upon 
 this business entirely, to see if thou couldst help me with 
 counsel and devise some aid. Come, swear by heaven and 
 earth that thou wilt keep in thy heart what I shall say to 
 thee, and will help me in the work. I pray thee by the 
 blessed gods, by thyself, and by our parents, do not see 
 them piteously destroyed by some evil fate ; or else will I 
 die with my dear sons and be to thee hereafter a fearful 
 spirit of vengeance from Hades." 
 
 So spake she, and forthwith her tears gushed forth in 
 streams, and she clasped her hands below her knees, and 
 let her head sink on her bosom. Then did the two sisters 
 make piteous lament over each other, and there arose 
 through the house a faint ' sound of women weeping in their 
 sorrow. 
 
 But Medea first addressed the other, sore distressed: 
 " God help us, sister ! what cure can I work for thee ? 
 what a word is thine, with thy dread curses and spirits of 
 vengeance ! "Would that it were surely in niy power to save 
 thy sons ! Witness now that awful oath of the Colchians, 
 
 1 \tirTa\ET) 'nofj, properly "fine, delicate." In this connexion it would 
 seem to mean " subdued," so that their grief might not be noticed and 
 cause suspicion.
 
 124 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 which thyself wouldst have me swear ; great heaven and 
 earth beneath, mother of gods ! as far as in me lies I will 
 not fail thee, so thou ask aught I can perform." 
 
 So spake she, and Chalciope thus made answer : " Canst 
 thou then devise no trick, no help for the enterprise of the 
 stranger, even if his own lips ask it, for the sake of my 
 children ? lo ! Argus is come from him, urging me to try 
 and gain thy help ; him did I leave within the house the 
 while I came hither." 
 
 So she ; and the other's heart within her leapt for joy, 
 and a deep blush withal mantled o'er her fair skin, and a 
 mist came o'er her eyes as her heart melted, and thus she 
 answered : " Chalciope, I will do even as is dear and pleas- 
 ing to you. May the dawn shine no more upon mine eyes ; 
 mayst thou no longer see me in the land of the living, if I 
 hold aught before thy soul, or before thy sons, who verily 
 are my cousins, my kinsmen dear, and of mine own age. 
 Even so I do declare I am thy sister and thy daughter too, 
 for thou didst hold me to thy breast while yet a babe, 
 equally with those thy sons, as ever I heard in days gone 
 by from my mother. But go now, hide my service in silence 
 that I may make good my promise without the knowledge 
 of my parents, and at dawn will I carry to the temple of 
 Hecate drugs to charm the bulls." 
 
 So Chalciope went back again from the chamber ; while 
 she set to devising some help for her sister's sons. But 
 once more did shame and an horrible dread seize her when 
 she was alone, to think that she was devising such things 
 for a man, without her father's knowledge. 
 
 Then did night spread darkness o'er the earth, and they 
 who were at sea, the mariners, looked forth from their 
 ships toward the Bear and the stars of Orion ; and now did 
 every wayfarer and gatekeeper long for sleep ; and o'er 
 every mother, weeping for children dead, fell the pall of 
 deep slumber ; no more did dogs howl through the town ;
 
 L. 715-781.] THE AKGONAUTICA. 125 
 
 no more was heard the noise of men, but silence wrapped 
 the darkling gloom. Yet not at all did sleep shed its sweet- 
 ness o'er Medea ; for in her love for the son of ^son many 
 a care kept her awake, terrified at the mighty strength of 
 the bulls, before whom he was to die a shameful death on 
 Ares' acre. And her heart was wildly stirred within her 
 breast ; as when a sun-beam reflected from water plays 
 upon the wall of a house, water just poured into a basin 
 or a pail maybe ; hither and thither it darts and dances on 
 the quick eddy ; even so the maiden's heart was fluttering 
 in her breast, and tears of pity flowed from her eyes ; and, 
 ever within, the pain was wasting her, smouldering through 
 her body, and about her weakened nerves, and right be- 
 neath the back of her head, 1 where the keenest pain doth 
 enter in, when the tireless love-god lets loose 2 his tortures 
 on the heart. At one time she thought she would give 
 him drugs to charm the bulls, at another she thought nay, 
 but that she would die herself ; anon she would not die 
 herself, nor would she give him the drugs, but quietly even 
 so would endure her sorrow. So she sat halting between 
 two opinions, then spake, " Ah, woe is me ! am I now to 
 toss hither and thither in woe ? my mind is wholly at a 
 loss ; there is no help for my suffering, but it burneth ever 
 thus. Oh ! would that I had died by the swift arrows of 
 Artemis, or ever I had seen him, or ever the sons of Chal- 
 ciope started for the Achaean land ; some god or some 
 spirit of vengeance hath brought them hither from thence 
 to cause us tears and woe enow. Well, let him perish in 
 his attempt, if 'tis his lot to die upon the fallow. For how 
 can I contrive the drugs, and my parents know it not ? 
 what tale am I to tell about them ? What cunning, what 
 crafty scheme shall there be for their aid ? Shall I greet 
 him kindly if I see him alone apart from his comrades ? 
 
 1 iviov strictly is " the nape of the neck." 
 
 v, literally " to dash in or upon " (trans.).
 
 126 APOLLONITJS RHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 Unhappy maid am I ; inethinks I would not be quit of sor- 
 row even though he were dead and gone. For sorrow will 
 come upon me in the hour that he is bereft of life. Away 
 with shame, perish beauty ! he shall be saved, unhurt, and 
 by my help ; then let him go whithersoever his heart listeth. 
 But may I die the self -same day that he fulfilleth his 
 enterprise, either hanging by my neck from the roof-tree, 
 or tasting of drugs that rive body and soul asunder. But, 
 if I die thus, everv eye will wink l and mock at me, and 
 every city far away will ring with the tale of my death, 
 and the Colchian women will make a byword of me for 
 their unseemly gibes ; the maid who cared so dearly for a 
 stranger that she died for him, who shamed her home 
 and parents by yielding to her mad passion. What dis- 
 grace is there that will not be mine? Ah me! for my 
 infatuation! Far better will it be this very night to leave 
 life behind in my chamber by an unseen fate, avoiding 
 all ill reproaches, or ever I complete this infamous dis- 
 grace ! " 
 
 Therewith she went to fetch a casket, wherein were laid 
 many drugs for her use, some healing, others very deadly. 
 And she laid it on her lap, and wept. And her bosom was 
 wet with her ceaseless weeping, for the tears flowed in 
 streams as she sat there, making piteous lament for her 
 fate. Then she hasted to choose a deadly drug, that she 
 might taste thereof. And lo ! she was just loosing the 
 fastenings of the casket, eager to draw them forth, poor 
 unhappy lady, when in an instant passed across her mind 
 an awful horror of loathly Hades; and long time she 
 stayed her hand in speechless fear, and life with all its 
 cares seemed sweet to her. For she thought of all the 
 joyous things there are amongst the living, and of her 
 happy band of companions, as a maiden will ; and the sun 
 
 i = "to wink with the eye " in mockery. Cf. supra, i. 
 486, where it is used of the unsteady gaze of a drunken man.
 
 L. 782-844.] THE ARGONATJTICA. 127 
 
 grew sweeter to her than before to look upon, just to see ' 
 if really in her heart of hearts she longed for each of them. 
 So she laid the casket down again from off her knees, changing 
 her mind by the prompting of Hera, and no more did her 
 purpose waver otherwhither ; but she longed for the dawn 
 to rise and come at once, that she might give Jason her 
 magic drugs as she had covenanted, 2 and meet him face to 
 face. And oft would she loose the bolts of her door, as 
 she watched for the daylight ; and welcome to her was the 
 light, when Dawn sent it forth, and each man went on his 
 way through the city. 
 
 Now Argus bade his brethren abide there yet, that they 
 might learn the mind and plans of the maiden, but himself 
 went forth and came unto the ship again. 
 
 But the maid Medea, soon as ever she saw the light of 
 dawn, caught up her golden tresses in her hands, which 
 she had let hang about her in careless disarray, and wiped 
 clean her tear-stained cheeks ; and she cleansed her 
 skin with ointment of heavenly fragrance, and put on a 
 fair robe, fastened with brooches deftly turned ; and upon 
 her head, divinely fair, she cast a shining veil. Then she 
 passed forth from her chamber there, treading the ground 
 firmly, in forgetfulness of her sorrows, which were close 
 upon her in their countless legions, while others were yet 
 to follow afterward. And she bade her handmaids, who 
 passed the night in the entering in of her fragrant bower, 
 twelve maids in all of her own age who had not yet 
 found a mate, quickly to yoke mules to the wain, to bear 
 her to the lovely shrine of Hecate. Then did the maidens 
 make ready the wain ; but she, the while, chose from the 
 depth of her casket a drug, which men say is called the 
 
 1 "Just to see," &c., i.e. to see if she did not really long for them in 
 spite of her belief that they were nothing to her any more. 
 
 - auvOtaiyffi, " according to her covenant." Medea had promised her 
 sister Chalciope that she would give Jason the necessary drugs.
 
 128 APOLLONIUS KHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 drug of Prometheus. If a man should anoint his body 
 therewith, after appeasing Persephone, that maiden only- 
 begotten, with midnight sacrifice ; verily that man could 
 not be wounded by the blows of bronze weapons, nor 
 would he yield to blazing fire, but on that day l should his 
 valiancy and might master theirs. This first had its birth, 
 when the ravening eagle let drip to earth upon the wolds of 
 Caucasus the bleeding life-stream' of hapless Prometheus. 
 The flower thereof, as it were a cubit high, appeareth in 
 colour like the saffron of Corycus, growing upon a double 
 stalk, but its root within the ground resembleth flesh just 
 cut. Now she had gathered for her drugs the dark juice 
 thereof, like to the sap of a mountain oak, in a Caspian 
 shell, after she had washed herself in seven eternal springs, 
 and seven times had called on Brimo, 3 good nursing-mother, 
 who roams by night, goddess of the nether world, and 
 queen of the dead, in the murk of night, in sable raiment 
 clad. And, from beneath, the dark earth quaked and 
 bellowed, as the Titan root 4 was cut, and the son of lapetus 
 too did groan, frantic with pain. That simple drew she 
 forth and placed within her fragrant girdle, that was 
 fastened about her fair waist. And forth to the door she 
 came and mounted the swift car, and with her on either 
 side went two handmaids ; so she took the reins and the 
 shapely whip in her right hand, and drove through the 
 town ; while those others, her handmaids, holding to the 
 body of the wain behind, ran along the broad high-road, 
 having kilted their fine robes up to their white knees. 
 Fair as the daughter of Leto, 5 when she mounts her golden 
 car, and drives her fleet fawns o'er the downs across the 
 
 1 Ktlv' fipap, i.e. that day only. 
 
 * ix^ipn = the blood of a god. 3 Hecate. 
 
 4 The root sprang from the blood of Prometheus, who was a Titan, 
 that is, a primeval god. 
 
 5 Artemis, the chaste huntress.
 
 L. 845-909.] THE ARGONATJTICA. 129 
 
 calm waters of Parthenius, or haply from her bath in 
 Amnisus' stream, as she cometh from far to the rich 
 steam of a hetacomb ; and with her come the nymphs, that 
 bear her company, some gathering by the brink of the 
 Amnisian spring, others about the groves and rocks with 
 their countless rills ; and around her wild creatures fawn 
 and whimper, trembling at her approach. Even so the 
 maidens hasted through the city, and the people made 
 way on either side, shunning the eye of the princess. Now 
 when she had left the streets of the town, with their fair 
 buildings, and had come in her driving across the plain 
 unto the temple, then she lighted down quickly from the 
 smooth-running wain and spake thus amongst her maidens : 
 " Friends, verily I have sinned an awful sin, for I find no 
 cause to be wroth with yon strangers, who are roaming 
 about our land. The whole city is smitten with dismay ; 
 wherefore also none of the women hath come hither, who 
 aforetime did gather here day by day. Yet since we are 
 here, and none other conies forth against us, let us with 
 soothing song and dance satisfy our souls without stint, 
 and after we have plucked these fair blossoms of the tender 
 field, then in that very hour will we return. Yea, and ye 
 this day shall go unto your homes with many a rich gift, 
 an ye will grant me this my desire ; for Argus is urgent l 
 with me, and so too is Chalciope ; keep what ye hear of 
 me silent in your hearts, lest my words come to my father's 
 ears ; lo ! they bid me take yon stranger's gifts, who hath 
 taken on him to strive with the oxen, and save him from 
 his fell emprise. So I agreed unto their words, and I bade 
 him meet me here alone, apart from his comrades, that we 
 may divide amongst ourselves those gifts, if haply he bring 
 them with him, and we may give him in return a drug 
 
 1 iraparpiirti, not in its usual sense of " turning a person away from a 
 thing," but = TrporpfTrti, " urge on to." 
 
 X
 
 130 APOLLONIUS KHODITTS. [BOOK III. 
 
 more baleful 1 than lie knows. But do ye stand aloof from 
 me against his coming." 
 
 So spake she, and her cunning counsel pleased them all. 
 Anon Argus drew the son of ^JEson apart from the crew, as 
 soon as he heard from his brothers, that she had gone at 
 daybreak to the holy temple of Hecate, and across the 
 plain he led him ; and with them went Mopsus, son of 
 Ampycus, skilled in interpreting omens from birds when 
 they appeared, and skilled in giving the right advice when 
 they were gone. 
 
 Never was there such a man amongst the men of bygone 
 days, neither among all the heroes who sprang from Zeus 
 himself, nor among those who were of the blood of other 
 immortal gods, as the wife of Zeus made Jason on that 
 day, either to see face to face or to talk with. 2 Even his 
 comrades marvelled, as they gazed at him resplendent with 
 grace ; and the son of Ampycus was glad as they went, for 
 already, I trow, he boded, how each thing would be. 
 
 Now there is by the path along the plain, nigh to the 
 temple, a black poplar with a crown of countless leaves, 
 whereon, full oft, chattering crows would roost. And one 
 of these, as she flapped her wings aloft on the branches, 
 declared the will of Hera : " Here is a sorry seer, that hath 
 not so much knowing as children have ; for no sweet word 
 of love will the maid speak to yon youth, so long as there 
 be other strangers with him. Begone, thou sorry prophet, 
 dull-witted seer, for 'tis not thou, whom Cypris and her 
 gentle Loves inspire, in their kindness." 
 
 So spake the chiding crow, and Mopsus smiled to hear 
 the bird's inspired utterance, and thus spake he : " Son of 
 JEson, get thee now to the temple of the goddess, wherein 
 thou wilt find the maiden ; very kindly shall her greeting 
 
 1 More deadly than anyone else could give. 
 
 a i.e. he was not only noble to look upon, but he had also a shrewd 
 understanding.
 
 X. 909-976.] THE AROONAUTICA. 131 
 
 be to thee, thanks to Cypris, who will help thee in thy 
 labours, even as Phineus, son of Agenor, did say before. 
 But we twain, Argus and I, will stand in this very spot 
 aloof, awaiting thy coming ; and do thou thyself alone 
 entreat her, turning her heart by words *of wisdom." 
 
 So spake he very sagely ; and nigh at hand they both 
 agreed to wait. Nor, I trow, had Medea any thought but 
 this, for all her play ; for none of all the games she played 
 would serve for her amusement long. But she kept 
 changing them in confusion, nor could she keep her eyes 
 at rest towards her group of maids, but earnestly she would 
 gaze o'er the paths afar, turning her cheeks aside. Oft 
 her heart sank broken within her breast, whenever she 
 fancied a footfall or a breath of wind was hurrying by. 
 But very soon came Jason in sight before her longing eyes, 
 striding high o'er the plain, like Sirius when he rises from 
 ocean, very fair and clear to see, but bringing woe unspeak- 
 able to flocks ; so fair was the son of ^Eson to see as he 
 came nigh, but the sight of him brought hateful faintness 
 upon her. Her heart sank within her breast, and her eyes 
 grew dim withal, and o'er her cheeks rushed the hot blush ; 
 and her knees had no strength to move backward or for- 
 ward, but her feet were rooted to the ground under her. 
 Now her handmaids, the while, had withdrawn from them, 
 one and all ; so they twain stood facing one another without 
 word or sound, like oaks or lofty pines, which stand rooted 
 side by side in peace upon the mountains, when winds are 
 still ; but lo ! there comes a breath of wind to rustle them, 
 and sighs, that none can number, steal therefrom ; even 
 so those twain were soon to tell out all their tale before 
 the breath of Love. But the son of ^son perceived that she 
 was scared by some bewilderment from heaven, and with 
 a kindly smile he thus hailed her, " Why, maiden, art thou 
 so fearful of me when I come alone ? Verily I was never 
 aforetime, not even when I dwelt in mine own country,
 
 132 APOLLON1US BHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 one of those braggart fellows. Wherefore fear not ex- 
 ceedingly, maiden, either to question me or say what is in 
 thine heart. Nay, but since we are met together as friends 
 in this most holy place, where to sin were wrong, speak 
 openly and tell me' all ; and deceive me not with comfort- 
 able words, 1 for at first thou didst promise thine own sister 
 to give me the drugs my heart desired. By Hecate herself, 
 by thy parents, and by Zeus, whose hand is over strangers 
 and suppliants, I entreat thee. As stranger and as sup- 
 pliant both, am I come hither to thee to implore thee in 
 my sore need. For without thee never shall I achieve my 
 dismal task. And I will make thee recompense hereafter 
 for thy help, as is right, making thy name and fame 
 glorious, as becometh those who dwell apart 2 ; yea, and in 
 like manner shall the other heroes spread thy fame through 
 Hellas on their return ; and so shall the heroes' wives and 
 mothers, who now belike are sitting on the shore and 
 mourning for us, whose grievous sufferings thou wilt 
 scatter to the winds. In days gone by, Ariadne, 3 daughter 
 of Minos, did, of her good heart, free Theseus from his evil 
 task ; she it was whom Pasiphae, daughter of the Sun-god, 
 bore. Yea, 4 and she went aboard his ship with him and left 
 
 1 Smooth words which will not offend the ear, but yet will cause 
 trouble in the end from their being found untrue. 
 
 a i.e. I will make every return which a man in a far country can to a 
 benefactor, viz., speak well of you, and make others do the like. 
 
 3 Ariadne, daughter of Minos, king of Crete, helped Theseus to slay 
 the Minotaur and find his way out of a pathless maze ; so Theseus took 
 her away on his ship to sail to Athens, but abandoned her cruelly in 
 Naxos, where, however, the god Dionysus found her, and set her as a 
 star in heaven. 
 
 4 icaj, emphatic. Ariadne even went aboard the ship of Theseus at his 
 request ; I only ask for your aid without any further sacrifice. 
 
 tvvafft \6\ov. Either she fled because Minos had only lulled his 
 anger for a time, and would make her suffer for her share in the success 
 of Theseus later on, or else the expression might mean that Minos 
 having swallowed his vexation, allowed Ariadne to sail away with the
 
 L. 977-1026.] THE ARGONATTTICA. 133 
 
 her country, since Minos did lull his rage ; and the im- 
 mortal gods showed their love as well, for there in mid sky 
 is her sign, a crown of stars, which men call Ariadne's 
 crown, wheeling by night amid the heavenly constellations. 
 Such thanks shalt thou too have from the gods, if thou 
 wilt save this famous host of chieftains. For surely from 
 thy form, methinks, thou shouldst excel in gentle acts of 
 kindness." 
 
 So spake he praising her ; and she cast down her eyes 
 with a sweet smile, 1 and her heart within her melted, as 
 he extolled her. And she looked straight into his eyes, 
 and had no word to answer him withal at first, but longed 
 to tell him all at once together. And forth from her 
 fragrant girdle she drew the drug ungrudgingly, and he 
 with joy took it in his hands at once. And now would 
 she have drawn her whole soul forth from her breast and 
 given it him at his desire eagerly; so mightily did love 
 light up his sweet torch from the son of M son's yellow 
 locks, and snatched bright glances from her eyes ; and her 
 heart wasted and melted within her, as the dew upon roses 
 melts and wastes away in the sun's beams at morn. But 
 they would fix their eyes one time upon the ground in 
 modesty, and then again would cast a glance at each 
 other, with a smile of love in their glad eyes. At the last, 
 and scarcely then, the maiden thus did greet him : 
 
 " Take heed now, that I may devise some help for thee. 
 When my father hath given thee, at thy coming for them, 
 
 adventurer. This view is favoured, if not confirmed, by a remark of 
 Jason's (infra, 1099), where he speaks of the aid lent by Minos to 
 Theseus for the sake of his daughter. Homer styles him 6\o6<l>puv, 
 41 the man of baleful thoughts." Also, it would tend to increase the con- 
 fidence of Medea if she could be persuaded that her father would forgive 
 her in the end, and let her marry her lover as Ariadne had married 
 Theseus. 
 
 1 " A smile divinely sweet." vturapeov is mostly used of sweet smells, 
 then anything sweet that surpasses man's power.
 
 134 APOLLONIU8 RHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 the fell teeth from the snake's jaws to sow withal, then 
 watch for the hour when the night is evenly divided in 
 twain, and after washing thyself in the stream of the tire- 
 less river, dig a round hole, alone apart from the others, in 
 sable garb ; there slay a ewe and sacrifice her whole, having 
 heaped high the fire above the hole itself. And propitiate 
 Hecate, daughter of Perses, the only-begotten, pouring liba- 
 tions of honey from a chalice. Then when thou hast 
 taken heed to appease the goddess, draw back again from 
 the fire ; and let no sound of feet or howling of dogs 
 drive thee to turn round, lest haply thou cut all short and 
 come not thyself back duly to thy companions. At dawn 
 soak this drug ; then strip and with it anoint thy body as 
 it were with oil ; and there shall be in it boundless valiancy 
 and great strength, and thou wilt think thyself a match 
 for deathless gods, not for men. Moreover, let thy shield 
 and sword and spear be sprinkled therewith. Then shall 
 not the keen swords of the earth-born men cut thee, nor 
 shall the flame of those deadly bulls dart forth resistlessly 
 against thee. Yet shalt thou not be thus mighty for a 
 long space, but for that day only ; yet never shrink thou 
 from thy enterprise. And I will supply thee yet another 
 help. So soon as thou hast yoked the strong oxen, and by 
 thy might and manhood hast quickly ploughed the hard 
 fallow, and they, the giants, at once spring up along the 
 furrows when the teeth of the snake are sown over the 
 dark soil, if thou but watch them rising in crowds from 
 the lea, then cast secretly at them a heavy rock ; and they 
 will destroy one another upon it, like fierce dogs about 
 their food ; but be not thyself eager for the fray. Hereby 
 shalt thou carry yon fleece to Hellas, far from ^Ea, I trow. 
 Yet go, whither thou listest, when thou art gone hence." 
 
 So spake she, and dropping her eyes in silence before 
 her did wet her cheek, divinely fair, with warm tears, 
 mourning the day when he would wander far from her
 
 L. 1027-1093.] THE AEGOKAUTICA. 135 
 
 across the main. And once again she spake to him with 
 sad words, taking hold on his right hand, for lo ! shame 
 had left her gaze : " Eemember the name of Medea, if 
 haply thou return one day to thy home ; so will I remem- 
 ber thee when thou art gone. And tell me this in kind- 
 ness, where is thy home, where wilt thou fare from hence 
 in thy ship across the sea ? Wilt thou go haply nigh to 
 rich Orchomenus, or may-be toward the Jilaean isle ? And 
 tell me of the maid thou didst speak of, the far-famed 
 daughter of Pasiphae, 1 who is of my father's kindred." 
 
 So spake she, and, as the maiden wept, love in his 
 might stole o'er him as well, and thus he answered her, 
 " Yea, verily, if I escape my fate, methinks I will never 
 forget thee by night, nor yet by day, if indeed I shall 
 escape scatheless to Achaea, and ^etes set not before us 
 some other toil yet worse than this. But if it please thee 
 to learn of my country, I will tell thee, for much doth my 
 heart bid me myself as well. There is a land, ringed 
 round with steep hills, rich withal in sheep and pasture, 
 where Prometheus, son of lapetus, begat goodly Deuca- 
 lion, 2 who was the first to found cities and build temples 
 for the immortal gods, and the first too to lord it over 
 men. Haemonia, the folk who dwell around, do call that 
 land. Therein is lolchos itself, my city, and in it too are 
 many other cities, where men have not so much as heard 
 the name of the ^Esean isle 3 ; there is, indeed a legend that 
 Minyas, of the race of JEolus, once started from thence 
 and founded the town of Orchomenus, that borders on 
 
 1 Pasiphae was a daughter of Helios, and JEetes was a son of the same 
 god ; so that Ariadne and Medea were first cousins. 
 
 2 Deucalion was the son of Prometheus and Pandora ; he was king of 
 Thessaly, and with his wife Pyrrha was supposed to be the only sur- 
 vivor of a great deluge which flooded the earth in early times. Horace 
 alludes to the story in Odes I. ii. 5. 
 
 a " The isle of ^Ea" was a small island in the river Phasis, in which 
 the golden fleece was kept.
 
 136 APOLLONIUS EHODITJS. [BOOK III. 
 
 the Cadmeans. But why do I tell thee all these idle 
 tales, and of our home and of famous Ariadne, daughter 
 of Minos, for that was the glorious name men gave the 
 lovely maiden, of whom thou askest me ? Would that, as 
 Minos was then well pleased with Theseus for her sake, so 
 too thy father might be at one with us ! " 
 
 So spake he, caressing her with fond and tender words. 
 But grief, most bitter, stirred her heart, and in her distress 
 she hailed him with earnest speech : " It may be that in 
 Hellas these things are fair, to heed the ties of kin ; but 
 JEetes is not such another amongst men, as thou sayest 
 Minos, the husband of Pasiphae, was ; nor can I compare 
 with Ariadne ; wherefore tell me nought of hospitality. 
 Only do thou, when thou comest to lolchos, remember 
 me ; and I will remember thee even in spite of my parents. 
 And may there come to me from a far-off land some 
 voice, or some bird with tidings, when thou hast forgotten 
 me ; or may the swift winds catch me up and bear me 
 hence across the sea to lolchos, that I may remind thee that 
 thou didst escape by my aid, reproaching thee to thy 
 face ! Would I might then sit me down openly l in thy 
 halls ! " 
 
 So spake she, shedding piteous tears adown her cheeks, 
 but Jason caught her up a there and said : " God help thee, 
 lady ! leave the winds to wander emptily, and that bird 
 too to bring thee tidings, for thy words are light as wind. 
 For if thou ever come to those abodes and the land of Hellas, 
 thou shalt have honour and respect amongst men and 
 women, and they shall reverence thee even as a goddess, 
 since their sons did return home again by thy counsel, 
 yea, and many a brother of theirs and kinsman, and 
 strong young husband was saved. And in our bridal 
 
 1 i.e. " would that I might come openly and of right as thy wedded 
 wife." 
 
 * .. cutting her short, taking her up.
 
 L. 1094-1161.] THE ABGONAUTICA. 137 
 
 bower shalt thou make ready our couch, and nought shall 
 come 'twixt love and us, ere the doom of death o'er- 
 shadow us." 
 
 So spake he, and her heart within her melted as she 
 heard, and yet she shuddered at the thought of that dark l 
 enterprise, poor maiden ; but she was not long to refuse a 
 home in Hellas. For such was the mind of Hera, that 
 JEsean Medea should come to sacred lolchos, to the bane 
 of Pelias, leaving her own country. But now were her 
 handmaidens looking about for her silently at a distance, 
 much distressed, for the time of day demanded the 
 maiden's return home to her mother. But she thought 
 not yet of going, for her heart rejoiced both in his beauty 
 and his flattering words ; but the son of jEson, seeing that 
 it was now late, did say, " "Tis time to depart, lest the sun 
 sink before we know it, and some stranger get to know all ; 
 yet will we meet again at this tryst." 
 
 Thus far those twain made trial of each other with 
 gentle words ; and then again they parted ; Jason hasting 
 back in joy to his comrades and the ship, and she to her 
 handmaids ; and they came nigh to meet her in a body, 
 but she heeded them not as they gathered about her, for 
 her soul had winged its flight to soar amid the clouds. 
 With random steps she mounted the swift wain, and in 
 one hand took the reins and in the other the carven whip 
 to drive the mules withal, and they dashed swiftly city- 
 ward to her home. Now when she was come thither, 
 Chalciope, in agony for her sons, did question her ; but 
 she, at a loss through fear and doubt, heard never a word, 
 and made no haste to answer her questions. But she sat 
 her down on a low stool at the foot of the couch, leaning 
 her cheek on her left hand, and her eyes were wet with 
 tears, as she darkly pondered what an evil work she was 
 sharing by her counsels. 
 
 1 trf di5n\a, " works whose issue she could not see."
 
 138 APOLLONITJS EHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 But when the son of ^son was again come among his 
 comrades in the place where he had left them when he 
 went away, he started to go with them unto the gathering 
 of the heroes, telling them each thing ; and together they 
 drew nigh the ship. And the others did warmly greet 
 him, when they saw him, and questioned him. And he 
 amongst them all did tell the maiden's counsels, showing 
 them the awful drug ; only one sat alone apart from his 
 comrades, nursing his rage, even Idas ; but the rest in 
 gladness, with peaceful hearts, were busying themselves 
 the while about their beds, for dark night had stayed their 
 hands. But at dawn sent they to Metes two men, to ask 
 him for the seed, first of all Telamon, great warrior, and 
 with him ^Ethalides, Hermes' famous child. Forth on 
 their way went they, nor was their journey in vain, for 
 -<Eetes, the prince, gave them, at their coming, the fell 
 teeth for the task of that Aonian l dragon, which Cadmus 
 slew in Ogygian Thebes at its post by the Aretian spring, 
 what time he came thither in quest of Europa ; there he 
 dwelt, guided thither by a cow, 2 which Apollo vouchsafed 
 to go before him on his way according to his oracle. These 
 teeth the goddess Tritonis 3 had drawn from the serpent's 
 jaws, and given equally to JEetes and to Cadmus, who 
 himself slew the monster. Now he, even Cadmus, son of 
 Agenor, sowed his share upon the plains of Boaotia, and 
 founded a race of earth-born men from the remnant left 
 after the harvesting of Ares' spear ; but the rest yEetes at 
 that time readily gave them to bear unto the ship, for he 
 
 1 i.e. Boeotian. Bceotia originally was called Aonia. Thebes was 
 called Ogygian from a king Ogygus. 
 
 2 Apollo told Cadmus to found a city where the cow, which guided 
 him, should halt. Cadmus founded Thebes. 
 
 3 Athene. The goddess gave half the serpent's teeth to Cadmus and 
 half to ^Eetes. Cadmus sowed his share, and raised a nation from the 
 residue who remained after the deadly conflict which ensued.
 
 L. 1162-1220.] THE AROONAUTICA. 139 
 
 never thought that Jason would make an end of his toil, 
 even if he should cast the yoke upon the oxen. 
 
 Far in the west the sun was sinking beneath the dark 
 earth, beyond the farthest hills of the ^Ethiopians; and 
 night was yoking his steeds ; so those heroes made ready 
 their beds upon the ground by the hawsers. But Jason, 
 soon as ever the stars of Helice, the bright Bear, did set, 
 and all the firmament of heaven grew still, gat him to the 
 wilderness, like some stealthy thief, with all that was 
 needful, for by day had he taken thought for everything ; 
 and Argus went with him bringing a ewe and milk from 
 the flock, which things he took from the ship itself. But 
 when he saw a spot, far from the tread of man, in a clear l 
 water-mead beneath the open sky, then first of all he 
 washed his tender body devoutly in the sacred river, and 
 then put on a sable robe, which Hypsipyle of Lemnos erst 
 gave him, in memory of many a night of love. Next he 
 dug a hole in the ground, a cubit deep, and piled therein 
 cleft wood, and cut the throat of the sheep and laid it 
 carefully thereupon ; then did he kindle the logs by putting 
 fire under, and he poured upon the sacrifice mixed libations, 
 calling Hecate by her name Brimo to help him in his toil. 
 So then he called upon her and then stept back, and she, 
 that awful goddess, heard him and came to the sacrifice of 
 the son of .ZEson from the nethermost hell, and about her 
 on the branches of the oaks twined gruesome snakes, and 
 there was the flash of countless torches, and the dogs of 
 hell howled loudly round her. About her path all the 
 meadows quaked, and those nymphs, that haunt marshes 
 and rivers, and flit about that water-meadow of the Ama- 
 rantian Phasis, 2 cried out. Yea, and fear took hold upon 
 the son of ^Eson, but his feet brought him for all that 
 
 1 icaGapymv, i.e. an open space. 
 
 8 The Amarantians were a race of barbarians further inland beyond 
 the Colchians, in whose land the Phasis rises.
 
 140 APOLLONIITS EHODIXJS. [BOOK III. 
 
 without one glance backward, till he was amongst his 
 comrades ; and already Dawn, the child of morning, was 
 rising above snow-capped Caucasus and shedding his light 
 abroad. 
 
 ' In that hour ^Eetes buckled on his stiff l breast-plate, 
 which Ares gave him, after he had slain with his own 
 hand Phlegraean Mimas ; and on his head he put a golden 
 helmet, with four plumes, blazing like the sun's round ball 
 of light, when he first rises from ocean. In one hand he 
 wielded* a buckler of many hides, in the other a sword, 
 dreadful, irresistible ; that blade could none of the heroes 
 have withstood, now that they had left Heracles far 
 behind ; he alone could have stood up to battle against it. 
 And Phaethon 3 held his shapely chariot with the fleet 
 steeds nigh for him to mount ; so he went up thereon and 
 took the reins in his hands. Forth from the town he 
 drave along the broad high-road, to take his station in the 
 lists, and with him a countless throng hasted forth. Like 
 as when Poseidon, mounted on his car, goeth to the 
 Isthmian games, or to Taenarus, 3 or cometh in his might to 
 the waters of Lerna 4 or through the grove of Hyantian 
 Onchestus, and with his steeds he cometh even to Calaurea, 
 and the Haemonian rock, or to wooded Gersestum; such 
 was Metes, captain of the Colchians, for to behold. 
 
 Meantime Jason, by the advice of Medea, soaked the 
 
 v, " standing fast, firm, unyielding," so as epithet of VO/JLIVTI, 
 or alone (cf. i. 200) it means " close, hand-to-hand fight," Lat. pugna 
 stataria. 
 
 a The other name of Absyrtus, son of JEetes. 
 
 3 Taenarus, a promontory of Laconia, sacred to Poseidon. 
 
 4 Lerna, a fountain in Argos. "Tavriov, i.e. Bosotian. The Hyantes 
 were a Boeotian race, and Onchestus is a city in Bceotia. Calaurea is 
 an island near Troezen. Hsemonia, i.e. Thessaly ; Pindar uses the 
 epithet Utrpdlof of Poseidon. Geraestus, a promontory of Eubcea. 
 All the places here mentioned were sacred to the worship of Poseidon, 
 and several had temples in the god's honour.
 
 L. 1221-1273.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 141 
 
 drug, and sprinkled his shield and weighty spear and his 
 sword all over ; and his comrades around him tested his 
 harness with might and main ; but they were not able to 
 bend that spear ever so little, but it remained hard and 
 unbroken as before in their stalwart hands. Then did 
 Idas, that son of Aphareus, in furious anger, hack the 
 butt end thereof with his mighty sword, but the edge 
 leapt from it like a hammer from an anvil, beaten back, 
 and the others, the heroes, cheered in their joy, with good 
 hope for his emprise. Next did he sprinkle himself as 
 well, and into him there entered fearful valiancy, mar- 
 vellous, dauntless, and his hands on either side grew 
 stronger, swelling 1 with might. As when a war-horse, 
 eager for the battle, leaps and neighs and paws the ground, 
 and in his pride pricks up his ears and rears his neck ; in 
 like manner the son of ^son exulted in the strength of 
 his limbs. And oft he sprang into the air, hither and 
 thither, brandishing his shield of bronze and his ashen 
 spear in his hands. Thou wouldst have thought 'twas 
 lightning in winter-time, darting from the gloomy sky, and 
 leaping, flash on flash, from out the clouds, what time they 
 hurry in their wake the blackest storm. 
 
 Now would they hold back no longer from their enter- 
 prise, but, sitting them in rows upon the benches, very 
 quickly they rowed to yon plain of Ares. Now it lay over 
 against the entrance to the town, as far therefrom as is the 
 turning-post, which a chariot must win, from the starting- 
 place, when at a prince's death his friends appoint contests 2 
 
 1 ff^ptyowffat. The word literally = " to be full to bursting, to be 
 plump and full," Lat. turgere ; then " to be in full health and 
 strength," Lat. vigere ; lastly, " to swell with pride," e.g. ff<j>prywv 
 /j0oe = " an arrogant speech." It is an easy transition from one 
 meaning to the other. 
 
 2 Funeral games were a regular custom in ancient times. Cf. the 
 account, in Homer's Iliad ad fin., of the games instituted by Achilles in
 
 142 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK III. 
 
 for footmen and horsemen. There found they JEetes and 
 hosts of other Colchians ; these were stationed on the 
 Caucasian rocks, but he beside the river's winding bank. 
 
 Forth leapt the son of j3Eson from the ship, with spear 
 and shield, unto his task, so soon as his crew had fastened 
 the cables ; and with him he took a gleaming bronze 
 helmet, full of the sharp teeth, and his sword slung about 
 his shoulders, with naked l body, somewhat resembling Ares, 
 and haply somewhat Apollo with his sword of gold. One 
 glance he took along the lea, and saw the bulls' brazen 
 yoke and the plough, made of one piece of ponderous 
 adamant, upon it. So he drew nigh, and fixed his strong 
 sword upright to the hilt 2 hard by, and set the helmet down 
 resting against it. Then he set forward with shield alone, 
 tracking the countless traces of the bulls, and they from 
 some unseen den beneath the ground, where were their 
 strong stalls, all wrapt in smoke and flame, rushed forth 
 together, breathing flaming fire. Sore afraid were the 
 heroes at that sight ; but he, firmly planting himself, 3 
 awaited their onset, as a reef of rock awaits the billows 
 driven against it by the countless blasts. And in front he 
 held his shield to meet them ; and they together bellowing, 
 smote thereon with their strong horns ; yet they heft him 
 up never a jot by their attack. As when the good leathern 
 
 honour of his dead friend Patroclus, and Vergil's account of games at 
 the death of Anchises. 
 
 1 ytytvoe. Ares was represented in ancient art as a naked old man. 
 As far as his nakedness went, Jason resembled him, but in manly 
 beauty he was like Apollo. yvpvoQ here probably means " with only 
 a light undergarment," i.e. without his cloak, a common usage io 
 Greek. 
 
 2 i.e. he stuck his sword into the earth far enough to rest the helmet 
 against the hilt 
 
 3 i.e. planting himself firmly to meet the onset of the bulls. Cf. i. 
 1199, where the same expression is used of Heracles when he sets him- 
 self to pull up the tree by its roots.
 
 L. 1274-1324.] THE AROONATTTICA. 143 
 
 bellows of braziers now send forth a jet of flame through 
 the holes in the smelting pot, 1 kindling a consuming 
 fire, and now again do cease their blast, while an awful 
 roar goeth up therefrom, when it darts up from below ; 
 even so those two bulls did bellow as they breathed from 
 their mouths the rushing fire, and all about Jason ran the 
 consuming flame, striking him like lightning; but the 
 maiden's spells protected him. Then did he catch the ox 
 on his right hand by the top of his horn, and dragged him 
 with all his might and main, till he was near the brazen 
 yoke, and then ho threw him down upon the ground on his 
 knees with one quick kick a against his brazen hoof. In like 
 manner he tripped the other on his knees as he charged, 
 smitten with one stroke. And he cast from him his broad 
 shield on the earth, and kept those oxen twain where they 
 were fallen on their knees, stepping from side to side, now 
 here, now there, rushing headlong through the flame. But 
 JEetes marvelled at the might of the man. Meantime those 
 sons of Tyndarus, for so had it been long before ordained 
 for them, came near, and gave him the yoke from off the 
 ground to cast about them. And he bound it carefully 
 upon their necks, and lifting the brazen pole between them, 
 made fast its pointed tip unto the yoke. Then those twain 
 started back from the fire toward the ship ; but he once 
 more took up his shield, and slung it on his back behind, 
 and grasped the weighty helmet, full of sharp teeth, and 
 his resistless spear, wherewith, like some labourer with a 
 Pelasgian goad, he pricked them, thrusting beneath their 
 flanks ; and with a firm hand he guided the shapely plough- 
 handle, fashioned of adamant. But the bulls, the while, 
 
 1 on fiiv, answered by or' av. rpijrolQ \oavoi, the \odvos (%ew) is 
 the mould into which the liquid metal is poured for casting. Apparently 
 it had holes at the top (r(n]roig, i.e. bored through), through which jets 
 of flame leapt up at each blast of the bellows. 
 
 3 i.e. Jason kicked the bull's legs from under it.
 
 144 APOLLONIUS BHODIUS. [BOOK in. 
 
 were exceeding wroth, breathing against him furious 
 flaming fire ; and their breath was as the roar of bluster- 
 ing winds, in fear of which sea-faring folk do mostly furl 
 their wide sail. 
 
 But yet a little while, and they started in obedience to 
 the spear, and the grim fallow was cleft behind them, 
 broken up by the might of the bulls and the strong plough- 
 man. Terribly groaned the clods withal along the furrows 
 of the plough as they were broken, each a man's burden ; 
 and he followed, pressing down the left stilt with heavy 
 tread, while far from him he was casting the teeth along 
 the clods as each was tilled, with many a backward glance, 
 lest the fell crop of earth-born men should rise against him 
 ere he was done ; and on toiled those oxen, treading with 
 their brazen hoofs. Now when the third part of day, as it 
 waned from dawn, was still left, when swinked labourers 
 call the sweet unyoking hour to come to them at once, in 
 that hour the lea was finished ploughing by the tireless 
 ploughman, for all it was four plough-gates ; and he 
 loosed the plough from the oxen, and scared them in 
 flight o'er the plain. Then went he again unto the ship, 
 while yet he saw the furrows free of the earth-born men. 
 And he drew of the river's stream in his helmet, and 
 quenched his thirst with water ; and he bent his knees to 
 supple * them, and filled his mighty soul with courage, eager 
 as a wild boar, that whets his tusks against the hunters, 
 while from his angry mouth the foam runs in great flakes 
 to the ground. Lo ! now were those earth-born men spring- 
 ing up o'er all the tilth, and the acre of Ares the death- 
 dealer was all bristling with mighty shields and twy- 
 pointed 2 spears and gleaming helmets ; and the sheen 
 thereof went flashing through the air from earth beneath 
 
 k\a<ppd. The adjective is probably here a predicate, " bent 
 them into suppleness." 
 
 3 i.e. spears pointed at both enda.
 
 L. 1325-1388.] THE AKGONATJTICA. 145 
 
 to Olympus. As when, in the murk of night, after a heavy 
 storm of snow hath fallen on the earth, the winds do 
 scatter the wintry clouds once more, and all the heavenly 
 signs at once are seen shining through the gloom ; even so 
 those warriors shone as they grew up above the earth. But 
 Jason remembered the counsel of crafty Medea, and caught 
 up from the plain a great round rock, a fearful quoit for 
 Ares l the War-god ; four strong men could not have stirred 
 it ever so little from the ground. This did he take in his 
 hand, and threw it very far into their midst with one 
 swing, while himself did boldly couch beneath his shield. 
 And the Colchians gave a mighty cry, like the cry of the 
 sea when it roars on jagged rocks, but on the king JEetes 
 came dumb dismay at the hurtling of that mighty quoit. 
 Then did they like sharp-toothed 2 dogs leap upon it, and 
 with loud yells did rend each other ; and they were falling 
 on their mother earth 'neath their own spears, like pines 
 or oaks, which sudden gusts of wind do shake. Like as 
 when a fiery meteor shoots from heaven, with a trail of 
 light behind, a marvel to mankind, whoso see it dart and 
 flash through the darkling air ; in such wise rushed the son 
 of JEson on. the earth-born men, and he bared his sword 
 from the scabbard, and smote them, mowing them down 
 one upon another, many in the belly and flanks as they 
 were but half risen to the air, and some in the legs as they 
 were rising, others just standing upright, and some as they 
 were even now hastening to the fray. As when some yeo- 
 man, when a war hath broken out upon his boundaries, 
 fearful lest men will ravage his fields, seizes in his hand a 
 curved sickle, newly-sharpened, and hastes to cut his crop 
 
 1 ff6\ov "Aptof, i.e. a stone big enough to serre Ares for a quoit. 
 Enyalius, or the War-god, a Homeric epithet of Ares ; so Enjo is the 
 goddess of war, Lat. Bellona. 
 
 3 0ooi = (1) quick, swift, active; (2) sharp, pointed. It occurs in 
 both senses frequently in Apollonius.
 
 146 APOLLONIUS RHODITTS. [BOOK III. L. 1389-1496. 
 
 unripe, nor waiteth for it to ripen in its season by the 
 beams of the sun ; even so did he then cut the crop of 
 earth-born men, and the furrows were filled with blood, as 
 the channels of a spring are filled with water. There they 
 fell ; some on their faces, biting with their teeth the rough 
 clods ; some upon their backs ; others on the palms of their 
 hands and sides ; like sea-monsters in shape to behold. And 
 many wounded, or ever they had stept forth from the earth, 
 bowed their damp brows to the ground and rested there, 
 as much of them as had emerged to the air above. Even 
 so shoots newly-planted in an orchard do droop to the 
 ground, snapped from their roots, when Zeus sendeth a 
 torrent of rain, a toil to gardening folk ; and heavy grief 
 and bitter sorrow cometh on him who owns the plot of 
 ground and tends the plants. So then o'er the heart of 
 king JSetes stole heavy grief. And he gat him homeward 
 to his town together with his Colchians, musing darkly 
 how he might most quickly meet them. 1 
 
 And daylight died, and Jason's toil was ended. 
 
 1 i.e. devising some plan to overreach the heroes, and anticipate 
 their action. Oourtpov, i.e. more quickly than they expected.
 
 BOOK IV.
 
 AKGUMENT. 
 
 jEetes discovers all ; but meantime Medea has fled to the Argonauts ; 
 and by her aid they have taken the fleece and gone. Absyrtus, son of 
 jEetes, gives chase; but coming up with them is treacherously slain, at 
 the mouth of the Ister, by Jason and Medea ; whereat Zeus is angry, 
 but Hera ever befriends them. Thence they come to Circe to be purified 
 of the murder ; and they pass through " the Wandering Rocks," and 
 through Scylla and Charybdis, and past the Sirens, all save Butes ; and 
 come unto Corcyra, where Medea is saved by Alcinous from the pursuit 
 of the Colchians, and is wedded to Jason. Next they are driven to the 
 Syrtis off Libya, and suffer greatly from thirst. Here Canthus and 
 Mopsus meet their doom ; and the rest are saved by Triton and sent 
 upon their way to Crete, where Talus withstands them, only to fall 
 before Medea's magic. 
 
 After this they make a straight run to ^Egina, and so without further 
 adventure to their home in Thessaly.
 
 BOOK IV. 
 
 NOW tell, O Muse, child of Zeus, in thine own words, 
 the toil and plans of the Colchiau maiden. For 
 verily my mind within me is swayed perplexedly, as I 
 ponder thereon, whether I am to say, 'twas the sad out- 
 come of bitter infatuation or unseemly panic, that made 
 her leave the tribes of the Colchians. 
 
 JEetes, of a truth, amongst the chosen captains of his 
 people was devising sheer : treachery against the heroes all 
 night in his halls, in wild fury at the sorry ending of the 
 contest ; and he was very sure, that angry sire, that these 
 things were not being accomplished without the aid of his 
 own daughters. 
 
 But upon Medea's heart Hera cast most grievous fear, 
 and she trembled, like some nimble fawn, which the bark- 
 ing of hounds hath frighted in the thickets of a deep wood- 
 land. For anon she thought, that of a surety her help 
 would never escape her father's eye, and right soon would 
 she fill up her cup of bitterness. And she terrified her 
 handmaids, who were privy thereto ; and her eyes were full 
 of fire, and in her ears there rang a fearful sound ; and oft 
 would she clutch at her throat, and oft tear the hair upon 
 her head and groan in sore anguish. Yea, and in that hour 
 would the maid have overleapt her doom and died of a 
 poisoned cup, bringing to nought the plans of Hera ; but 
 the goddess drove her in panic to fly with the sons of 
 
 1 atiriv, strictly = steep, but metaphorically as here, "sheer, utter." 
 Cf. the expressions aiTrvg oXeOpog, aiiriiQ ^6\og.
 
 150 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 Phrixus. And her fluttering heart was comforted within 
 her. So she in eager haste poured from the casket all 
 her drugs at once into the folds of her bosom. And she 
 kissed her bed and the posts of the doors on either side, 
 and stroked the walls fondly, and with her hand cut off 
 one long tress and left it in her chamber, a memorial of 
 her girlish days for her mother ; then with a voice all 
 choked with sobs she wept aloud, " Ah, mother mine ! I 
 leave thee here this one long tress instead of me, and go ; 
 so take this last farewell as I go far from hence ; farewell 
 Chalciope, farewell to all my home ! Would that the sea 
 had dashed thee, stranger, in pieces, or ever thou didst 
 reach the Colchian land ! " 
 
 So spake she, and from her eyes poured forth a flood of 
 tears. Even as a captive maid stealeth forth from a 
 wealthy house, one whom fate hath lately reft from her 
 country, and as yet knoweth she nought of grievous toil, 
 but a stranger to misery and slavish tasks, she cometh in 
 terror 'neath the cruel hands of a mistress ; like her the 
 lovely maiden stole forth swiftly from her home. And the 
 bolts of the doors yielded of their own accord to her touch, 
 springing back at her hurried spells. With bare feet she 
 sped along the narrow paths, drawing her robe with her 
 left hand over her brows to veil her face and fair cheeks, 
 while with her right hand she lifted up the hem of her 
 garment. Swiftly along the unseen track she came in her 
 terror outside the towers of the spacious town, and none of 
 the guard marked her, for she sped on and they knew it 
 not. Then marked she well her way unto the temple, for 
 she was not ignorant of the paths, having wandered thither 
 oft aforetime in quest of corpses and the noxious roots of 
 the earth, as a sorceress must ; yet did her heart quake 
 with fear and trembling. Now Titania, goddess of the 
 moon, 1 as she sailed up the distant sky, caught sight of that 
 1 The Moon was the child of Hyperion the Titan and Theia.
 
 L. 23-86.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 151 
 
 maid distraught, and savagely she exulted o'er her in words 
 like these, " So I am not the only one to wander to the cave 
 on Latinos ; not I alone burn with love for fair Endymion ! 
 How oft have I gone hence before thy cunning spells, with 
 thoughts of love, that thou mightest work in peace, in the 
 pitchy night, the sorceries so dear to thee. And now, I 
 trow, hast thou too found a like sad fate, and some god of 
 sorrow hath given thee thy Jason for a very troublous 
 grief. Well, go thy way ; yet steel thy heart to take up 
 her load of bitter woe, for all thy understanding." 
 
 So spake she ; but her feet bare that other hasting on 
 her way. Right glad was she to climb the river's high 
 banks, and see before her the blazing fire, which all night 
 long the heroes kept up in joy for the issue of the enter- 
 prise. Then through the gloom, with piercing voice, she 
 called aloud to Phrontis, youngest of the sons of Phrixus, 
 from the further bank ; and he, with his brethren and the 
 son of -<Eson too, deemed it was his sister's voice, and the 
 crew marvelled silently, when they knew what it really was. 
 Thrice she lifted up her voice, and thrice at the bidding of 
 his company cried Phrontis in answer to her ; and those 
 heroes the while rowed swiftly over to fetch her. Not yet 
 would they cast the ship's hawsers on the mainland, but 
 the hero Jason leapt quickly ashore from the deck above, 
 and with him Phrontis and Argus, two sons of Phrixus, 
 also sprang to land ; then did she clasp them by the knees 
 with both her hands, and spake : " Save me, friends, me 
 most miserable, aye, and yourselves as well from Metes. 
 For ere now all is discovered, and no remedy cometh. 
 Nay, let us fly aboard the ship, before he mount his swift 
 
 1 Latmos is a hill in Caria, where Endymion dwelt in a cave. He 
 had incurred the anger of Zeus by becoming enamoured of Hera, 
 wherefore he was condemned to sleep for ever ; and the Moon saw him 
 asleep and was struck by his beauty, so that she came often to the 
 cavern on Latmos.
 
 152 APOLLONIUS KHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 horses. And I will give you the golden fleece, when I have 
 lulled the guardian snake to rest ; but thou, stranger, now 
 amongst thy comrades take heaven to witness to the pro- 
 mises thou didst make me, and make me not to go away 
 from hence in scorn and shame, for want of friends." 
 
 So spake she in her sore distress, and the heart of the 
 son of ^Eson was very glad ; at once he gently raised her 
 up, where she was fallen at his knees, and took her in his 
 arms and comforted her, " God help thee, lady ! Be Zeus 
 of Olympus himself witness of mine oath, and Hera, queen 
 of marriage, bride of Zeus, that I will of a truth establish 
 thee as my wedded wife in my house, when we are come on 
 our return to the land of Hellas." 
 
 So spake he, and therewith clasped her right hand in his 
 own. Then bade she them row the swift ship with all 
 speed unto the sacred grove, that they might take the fleece 
 and bear it away against the will of ^Eetes, while yet it was 
 night. Without delay deeds followed words ; for they 
 made her embark, and at once thrust out the ship from the 
 shore ; and loud was the din, as the heroes strained at their 
 oars. But she, starting back, stretched her hands wildly 
 to the shore ; but Jason cheered her with words, and stayed 
 her in her sore grief. 
 
 In the hour when huntsmen l were shaking sleep from 
 their eyes, men who trust unto their hounds and never 
 sleep away the end part of the night, but shun the light 
 of dawn, lest it smite them too soon with its clear beams, 
 and efface the track and scent of the game ; in that hour 
 the son of J<]son and the maiden stept from the ship into 
 a grassy spot, called " the Barn's couch," the spot where 
 first he rested his weary knees from bearing on his back 
 the Minyan son of Athamas. Nigh thereto are the founda- 
 tions of an altar, smirched with soot, which on a day 
 
 1 ayporai is here = aype vrai, " huntsmen," not " countrymen," as the 
 word properly means.
 
 L. 87-150.] THE ARGONAITTICA. 153 
 
 Phrixus, son of J^olus, did build to Zeus, who aideth 
 fugitives, offering that strange creature with his fleece of 
 gold, even as Hermes had bidden, when of his good will he 
 met him. There it was that the heroes set them down by 
 the counsel of Argus. So they twain went along the path 
 to the sacred grove, in quest of the wondrous oak, whereon 
 the fleece was hung, resting there like a cloud that turns 
 to red in the fiery beams of the rising sun. But right in 
 their way that serpent with his keen sleepless eyes, stretched 
 out his long neck, when he saw them coming, and horribly 
 he hissed, so that the long banks of the river and the 
 grove echoed strangely all around. Even they heard it, who 
 dwelt in the Colchian land very far from Titanian l Ma, by 
 the mouth of the Lycus, that stream that parteth from the 
 roaring river Araxes, and brings his sacred flood to join 
 the Phasis ; and they twain flow on together and pour into 
 the Caucasian 2 sea. And women in their travail arose in 
 terror, and cast their arms in agony about their new-born 
 babes, who cried in their mothers' arms, trembling at the 
 serpent's hiss. As when, above smouldering wood, count- 
 less sooty eddies of smoke do whirl, and one upon another 
 rises ever upward from below, hovering aloft in wreaths ; 
 so then that monster writhed his endless coils, covered 
 with hard dry scales. But, as he writhed, the maiden 
 came in sight, calling with sweet voice Sleep, highest 3 of 
 gods, to her aid, to charm the fearsome beast; and she 
 called on the queen of the nether world, who roams by 
 night, to grant her a favourable enterprise. And the son 
 of jEson followed in fear. But lo ! that snake, charmed 
 by her voice, loosened the giant coil of his long spine, and 
 
 1 The land was so called from the river Titan. 
 
 2 i.e. the Euxine, into which the Phasis falls, so called from its vicinity 
 to the Caucasus. 
 
 3 Sleep is first or highest of gods, inasmuch as all must obey its 
 dictates.
 
 154 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 stretched out his countless folds, like a dark wave, dumb 
 and noiseless, rolling o'er a sluggish sea ; but yet he held 
 his gruesome head on high, eager to seize them both in his 
 deadly jaws ; but the maiden dipt a spray of juniper just 
 cut in her thick broth, 1 and sprinkled charms unmixed 
 upon his eyes, chanting the while ; and all around him the 
 potent smell of the drug shed slumber, and he let his jaw 
 sink down upon that spot, and far behind him through the 
 trunks of the wood his endless coils were stretched. Then 
 did Jason take the golden fleece from the oak, at the 
 maiden's bidding ; while she stood staunchly by him and 
 rubbed the beast's head with her drug, until the voice of 
 Jason bade her turn and come unto the ship, for he was 
 leaving the dusky grove of Ares. As a maiden catches on 
 her fine-wrought robe the rays of the moon at her full, 2 
 when she soareth above the high-roofed chamber, and her 
 heart within her rejoices at the sight of the lovely light ; 
 so then was Jason glad, as he lifted the great fleece in his 
 hands, and o'er his sun-burnt cheeks and brow there 
 settled a flush as of flame from the flashing of the fleece ; 
 as is the hide of a yearling ox, or of a hind which hunters 
 call a brocket, even such was the skin of the fleece, 3 all 
 covered with gold and heavy with wool ; and the ground 
 sparkled exceedingly before his feet as he went. On strode he 
 with it thrown now over his left shoulder, and hanging from 
 his neck above down to his feet, and now again would he 
 gather it up in his hands ; for he feared exceedingly, lest 
 some god or man should meet him and take it from him. 
 Dawn was spreading o'er the earth, when they came 
 
 1 A thick hell-broth of magical drugs, such as the witches in 
 " Macbeth" are represented as brewing. 
 
 a To see the moon at her full was a lucky omen for a young bride. 
 
 3 dwrov is strictly the best or choicest of its kind, the pick of the 
 whole. Here it is used of the finest wool. Homer employs it in the 
 same sense, and also of the finest linen, XiVoto XtTrrov dwrov.
 
 L. 151-215.] THE AKGONAtTTICA. 155 
 
 unto their company ; and the young men were astonied at 
 sight of the great fleece, flashing like the lightning of 
 Zeus. And each man was eager to touch it and take it in 
 his hands. But the son of JEson checked them all, and 
 o'er it cast a new-made robe ; then he took and set the 
 maiden on the stern, and thus spake amongst them all : 
 "No longer, friends, shrink now from faring homeward. 
 For now is the need accomplished easily by the plans of 
 the maiden, for which we dared this grievous voyage in 
 toil and sorrow. Her of her own free will I will bear to my 
 home to be my wedded wife ; and do ye protect her, for 
 that she was a ready champion of all Achaea and of you. 
 For surely, an I think aright, Metes will come to stop us 
 with an armed throng from getting sea- ward from out the 
 river. So one half of you throughout the ship row at the 
 oars, seated man by man, while the other half hold up your 
 oxhide shields before them, a ready defence against the darts, 
 of the enemy, and fight ye for our return. For now, my 
 friends, we hold in our hands our children and our country 
 and our aged parents ; and the fate of Hellas hangeth on 
 our enterprise, to win deep shame or haply great renown." 
 
 So spake he, and did on his harness of war ; and they 
 cried aloud, filled with a strange desire. But he drew his 
 sword from the scabbard and cut the stern-cables of the 
 ship, and nigh to the maiden he set himself to fight by 1 
 the pilot Ancseus, with his helmet on his head ; then on 
 sped the ship, as they hasted to row her ever onward and 
 clear of the river. 
 
 But now was Medea's love and her work known to proud 
 jEetes and to all the Colchians, and they gathered to the 
 assembly in their harness. Countless as the waves, that 
 raise their crests before the wind on a stormy sea, or as the 
 
 1 napejSaaice, " set himself to fight by " = 77*' irapafSdnjf. The irapa- 
 j3a.TT]f was the warrior who stood beside the charioteer. Cf. Homer, 
 Iliad, ii. 104.
 
 156 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 leaves, that fall to earth through the wood with its thick 
 branches in the month when leaves are shed, and who 
 shall tell their number? in such countless throngs they 
 flocked along the river-banks, with eager cries ; but their 
 king jEetes towered o'er all with his steeds in his shapely 
 car, those steeds which Helios did give him, swift as the 
 breath of the wind ; in his left hand he held his round 
 shield, and in the other a long pine-torch, 1 and his huge 
 sword was ready drawn before him, and Absyrtus grasped 
 the reins of the horses. But the ship was cleaving her 
 way out to sea already, driven on by the stout rowers and 
 the downward current of the mighty river. Then the king 
 in sore distress raised his hands and called on Helios and 
 Zeus to witness their evil deeds ; and forthwith uttered he 
 fearful threats against all his people, if they should not 
 bring the maiden with their own hands, either upon shore or 
 finding the ship on the swell of the open sea, that he might 
 sate his eager soul with vengeance for all these things, 
 while they should know and endure in their own persons 
 all his fury and all his revenge. 
 
 So spake JEetes, and on the self-same day the Colchians 
 launched their ships and put the tackling in them, and the 
 self-same day sailed out to sea ; thou wouldst not have 
 thought it was a fleet of ships so much as a vast flight of 
 birds, screaming o'er the sea in flocks. 
 
 Swift blew the wind by the counsels of the goddess 
 Hera, that so ^sean Medea might come most quickly to 
 the Pelasgian land to plague the house of Pelias ; and on 
 the third day at dawn they bound the cables of the ship 
 to the cliffs of the Paphlagones, at the mouth of the river 
 Halys ; for Medea bade them go ashore and appease Hecate 
 with sacrifice. Now that which the maiden did prepare 
 
 1 TTtvwj strictly = the fir-tree ; then anything made of it, as here 
 " a torch." JEetes intended to fire Argo first of all, and cut off all 
 escape.
 
 L. 216-272.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 157 
 
 and offer in sacrifice, let no man know, nor let my heart 
 urge me to sing thereof. I shudder to utter it. Verily 
 that altar which the heroes builded on the strand unto the 
 goddess, abideth from that day forth until now, for men 
 of later days to see. 
 
 Anon the son of ^Eson minded him of Phineus, and 
 likewise did the other heroes, how that he told them they 
 should find a different course from ^Ea, but his meaning 
 was hidden from them all. But to their eager ears did 
 Argus made harangue : " Let us now to Orchomenus, 
 whither that unerring seer, whom ye met aforetime, fore- 
 told that ye would come. For there is another course, 
 well known unto the priests of the immortal gods, who are 
 sprung from Tritonian Thebe. 1 While as yet the stars, 
 which wheel in the firmament, were not ; nor yet was any 
 sacred race of Danai to be heard of, but only Apidanean 
 Arcadians, those Arcadians who are said to have lived before 
 ever the moon was, feeding on acorns in the hills ; nor as yet 
 was the Pelasgian land ruled by the famed soms of Deucalion ; 2 
 in the days when Egypt, mother of primeval men, was 
 called the rich land of the morning, with that Tritonian 
 river 3 of seven streams, whereby all that land of the morn- 
 ing is watered ; for no rain 4 from Zeus doth wet the soil, 
 and yet do crops spring up abundantly at the river's 
 mouth. Yea, and they tell how a man 5 went forth from 
 
 1 Thebe in Egypt. The Egyptian priests were the great repository 
 of all occult knowledge in ancient times. 
 
 2 " The sons of Deucalion " were said to have founded a dynasty in 
 Thessaly, anciently called Pelasgia, from Pelasgus, one of its kings. 
 
 3 Is the Nile. 
 
 4 The theory that rain never falls in Egypt is not authenticated; 
 it does fall occasionally and heavily, though it is true that the rising of 
 the Nile is more to be depended on than the occasional showers. 
 
 6 The king Sesonchosis, sometimes called Sesostris. Herodotus in 
 his account of Egypt gives interesting details respecting this Egyptian 
 monarch.
 
 158 APOLLONIUS BHODItTS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 thence upon his travels through all Europe and Asia, 
 trusting in the might and strength of his people and in 
 Ms own courage ; and, as he went, he founded many a 
 town, some whereof men haply still inhabit, and some 
 maybe no longer ; for many a long age hath passed since 
 then. 
 
 But Ma. still abides steadfast, and the children of those 
 men, whom that king did plant therein to dwell there ; 
 these men preserve writings of their fathers, graved upon 
 pillars, whereon are all the ways and limits of sea and 
 dry land, far and wide, for those who come thither. Now 
 there is a river, farthest branch of Ocean, broad and very 
 deep for e'en a merchant ship to pass thereon ; they call it 
 Ister, 1 and far away they have traced it on their chart ; for 
 a while it cleaveth through the boundless tilth in one 
 solitary stream, for its springs roar and seethe far away 
 beyond the north wind's breath in the Khipaean mountains. 
 
 But when it enters the boundaries of Thrace and Scythia, 
 thenceforth in two streams it pours one half its waters by 
 one channel into the Ionian sea, while the residue it sends, 
 after the division, through a deep bay that openeth into 
 the Trinacrian 2 sea, which lieth along your coast, if 3 in very 
 truth the Achelous flows forth from your land." 
 
 So spake he ; and the goddess vouchsafed them a lucky 
 sign, at sight whereof all gave glory to her, that this was 
 their appointed path. For before them went a trail of 
 heavenly radiance, where they might pass. So there they 
 left the son of Lycus, and sailed in gladness of heart across 
 the sea, with canvas set, their eyes upon the hills of the 
 
 1 The Ister (modern Danube), according to Apollonius, passing 
 through Scythia and Thrace, becomes two streams, one of which falls 
 into the Euxine, the other into the Tyrrhenian sea. 
 
 2 TpivoKpiov, i.e. Sicilian, so called from the three headlands of Sicily, 
 Pachynus, Lilybaeum, and Pelorus (rpi-aicpat). 
 
 3 ' iribv $. Argus only knew of Hellas by hearsay ; he is not 
 therefore certain if he has heard aright about the river Achelous.
 
 L. 273-330.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 159 
 
 Paphlagones. But they did not round Carambis, for 
 the winds and the blaze of heavenly fire abode with them, 
 till they entered Ister's mighty stream. 
 
 Now some of the Colchians, after a vain search, had 
 sailed through the Cyanean rocks into Pontus, while others 
 had made for the river under the command of Absyrtus, 
 and he had withdrawn a space and entered the "fair 
 mouth." So he had just anchored before them beyond a 
 neck of land inside the furthest bay of the Ionian sea ; for 
 Ister floweth round an island by name Peuce, triangular 
 in shape, with its base unto the sea shore, and a narrow 
 angle toward the river's stream ; around it the river 
 branches into two channels. One they call the mouth of 
 Narex, the other below the bottom of the island, call they 
 the " fair mouth " ; and here it was that Absyrtus and his 
 Colchians put in and anchored in haste ; while the heroes 
 sailed further up-stream to the top of the island. And in 
 the water- meads the shepherds of the country left good 
 store of sheep, in fear of the ships, for they thought them 
 monsters coming forth from the teeming deep. For they 
 had never seen sea-faring ships anywhere before, nor yet 
 had the Scythians, who are mixed with the Thracians, nor 
 the Sigynni, nor yet the Graucenii, nor the Lindi who 
 dwell next to these on the great Laurian steppes. 
 
 Now when they had passed by the mountain of Anchurus 
 and the rock of Cauliacus, a little space from that moun- 
 tain, round which the Ister parts in twain and rolls his 
 full tide this way and that, and past that Laurian plain ; 
 then did the Colchians go forth into the Cronian l sea, and 
 cut off all the routes that they might not escape them. 
 Biit the heroes reached the river after them, and passed 
 close to the two Brygean 2 isles of Artemis, where on the 
 
 1 The Adriatic, so called because Cronos had lived upon its shores. 
 
 2 EpvyrjiSag. The Brygians were a savage Thracian tribe, worship- 
 ping Artemis.
 
 160 'APOLLONIUS RHODITJS. [BOOK iv. 
 
 one was a sacred building, and on the other they did land, 
 being ware of the host of Absyrtus ; for the Colchians had 
 left those islands within the river void of cities as they were, 
 in awe of the daughter of Zeus ; though the others, which 
 guarded the passages to the sea, were crowded with their 
 folk ; and so it was that Absyrtus left his host upon the 
 headlands, nigh to the isles, between the river Salangon 
 and the Thracian l land. 
 
 There would the handful of Minyae have yielded then in 
 pitiful fray to their more numerous foes ; but ere that they 
 made a treaty and covenant, avoiding the dire quarrel ; 
 they were still to keep fairly the golden fleece, since ^Eetes 
 himself had so promised them, if they should fulfil their 
 tasks, whether they did wrest it from him by guile or 
 haply in the open, against his will ; but for Medea, for 
 there was the quarrel, they were to deliver her to the 
 virgin child of Leto apart from their company, until one of 
 the kings, that defend justice, should decide whether she 
 must go again unto her father's house, or follow the 
 chieftains to the land of Hellas. 
 
 Now when the maiden inly mused on each thing, verily 
 sharp anguish shook her heart unceasingly, and she called 
 Jason apart from his crew and led him aside, till they were 
 far withdrawn ; then to his face she told her piteous tale, 
 " Son of .Sson, what is this purpose ye design together 
 about me ? hath thy triumph cast such exceeding f orget- 
 fulness on thee, and dost thou pay no heed to all that thou 
 didst promise in thine hour of need ? where are thy oaths 
 by Zeus, the god of suppliants ? where are all thy honied 
 promises fled ? for which, in shameful wise, with shame- 
 less will, I have put far from me my country, my glorious 
 home, my parents too, all that I held most dear ; and all 
 alone am I being carried far over the sea with the sad 
 
 c, i.e. Thracian. The Nestus is a small river in Thrace, 
 dividing it from Macedonia.
 
 L. 331-395.] THE ABGONAUTICA. 161 
 
 king-fishers, for the sake of thy troubles, that by mine aid 
 thou mightest accomplish in safety thy toils with the bulls 
 and the earth-born warriors. Lastly, 'twas by my foolish 
 help thou didst take the fleece when it was found. But I 
 have spread a foul reproach on the race of women. Lo ! I 
 thought I should come with thee to the land of Hellas as 
 thy bride, thy wife, and sister dear. Oh ! save me with all 
 good will ! leave me not apart from thee, whilst thou goest 
 to the kings. Nay, save me as I am, and let that just and 
 sacred bond, that we twain made, be firmly tied ; else do 
 thou here at once cleave through this throat with thy 
 sword, that I may receive the gift my mad passion has 
 deserved. Ah ! woe is me ! if yon king, whose judgment 
 ye await in this your bitter covenant, should decide that I 
 am my brother's. How shall I come before my father ? 
 Will not my fame be passing fair ? what vengeance, what 
 grievous torture shall I not endure in agony for the awful 
 deeds that I have done ? and thou, shalt thou find the 
 return thou longest for ? No, that may the bride of Zeus, 
 queen of the world, in whom is thy joy, never bring to 
 pass ! And some day mayest thou remember even me, 
 when thou art racked with anguish ; and may the fleece, 
 like a dream, float away from thee into darkness on the 
 wings of the wind. Yea, and may my avenging spirit 
 chase thee anon from thy fatherland ; so terrible is my 
 fate through thy cruelty. Nor is it ordained that these 
 curses fall fruitless to the ground, for thou hast sinned 
 indeed against a mighty oath, without pity ; nay, ye shall 
 not long at your ease wink the eye in mockery of me here- 
 after, for all your covenant." 
 
 So spake she, in the heat of her vehement rage ; for she 
 was longing to fire the ship, and tear it all asunder, and then 
 to throw herself upon the devouring flame. But Jason, 
 though somewhat afraid, made answer thus with soothing 
 words : " God help thee, lady ! stay thine hand. These 
 
 M
 
 162 APOLLONIUS BHODITJS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 things are not after mine own heart. But we seek some delay 
 from the conflict, so thick is the cloud of furious foes 
 around us for thy sake. For all who dwell in this land 
 are eager to help Absyrtus, that they may bring thee home 
 again unto thy father, like some captive maid. And we, if 
 we meet them in battle, shall all be slain ourselves by a 
 hateful doom ; and that surely will be a grief yet more 
 bitter, if we die and leave thee a prey in their hands. Now 
 this our covenant shall accomplish a cunning wile, whereby 
 we will bring Absyrtus to destruction. And they who dwell 
 around will never come against us for thy sake after all, to 
 pleasure the Colchians, without their prince, who is both 
 thy champion and thy brother ; nor will I shrink from 
 fighting them face to face, if so be they will not let us sail 
 forth." 
 
 So spake he, soothing her ; but she let fall a deadly : 
 speech : " Hearken now. Needs must one in sorry case 
 devise a sorry plan ; for at the first was I led astray by a 
 mistake, and evil were the desires I had from heaven. Do 
 thou in the turmoil ward off from me the spears of the 
 Colchians, and I will entice him 2 to come into your hands, 
 and do thou welcome him with gladdening gifts, if haply I 
 can persuade the heralds to depart and bring him all by 
 himself to agree to my proposals. Then, if this deed is to 
 thy mind, slay him and join in fray with the Colchians ; 
 'tis nought to me." 
 
 So they twain agreed and planned great treachery against 
 Absyrtus, and they gave him many a gift for stranger's 
 welcome, and amongst them that dark robe divine of Hyp- 
 sipyle ; the robe which the goddess Graces had made with 
 their own hands for Dionysus in sea-girt Naxos, and he 
 gave it afterwards to his son Thoas, who left it in turn 
 
 1 i.e. a speech that would bring death to someone in this case to 
 Absyrtus so that it comes to be predicative or prolative. 
 
 2 i.e. Absyrtus.
 
 I,. 396-457.] THE AEGONAUTICA. 163 
 
 to Hypsipyle, and she gave that robe too, a fair-wrought 
 stranger's gift with many another wonder, unto the son of 
 .jEson for to take with him. Never wouldst thou satisfy 
 thy sweet longing in stroking it or gazing thereupon. And 
 the smell thereof was likewise wondrous sweet, from the 
 day on which the prince of Nysa l himself lay down thereon, 
 flushed with wine and nectar, with the fair form of Minos' 
 daughter in his arms, whom on a day Theseus had left in 
 the isle of Naxos, when she followed him from Crete. 
 
 Now when Medea had declared her meaning to the 
 heralds, so as to persuade them to depart, as soon as 
 Absyrtus came by agreement to the temple of the goddess 
 and night's black pall was over all, that so she might de- 
 vise with him a cunning plan whereby to take the fleece of 
 gold, and come again unto the house of ^Eetes ; for, said 
 she, the sons of Phrixus gave her by force unto the 
 strangers to bear away. Thus did she persuade them, 
 sprinkling the air and the breeze with magic drugs, such 
 as can draw the wild beast from the pathless hill, be he 
 never so far away. 
 
 cruel Love, man's chief est bane and curse ! from thee 
 proceed deadly feuds and mourning and lamentation ; yea, 
 and countless sorrows beside all these are by thee stirred 
 up. Up, and arm thee against the foemen's sons, thou 
 deity, as in the day thou didst inspire Medea, with her fell 
 murderous thoughts. But how did she slay Absyrtus by 
 an evil doom when he came to her ? For that must our 
 song tell next. 
 
 When they had left her in the isle of Artemis, as had 
 been agreed, then did these anchor their ships apart from 
 one another ; but that prince, Jason, went unto an ambush 
 to await Absyrtus and his company. But he, tricked by 
 their promises so dire for him, rowed quickly in his ship 
 
 1 Dionysus, who found Ariadne on the island of Naxos, after her 
 desertion by Theseus.
 
 164 APOLLONITJS RHODITJS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 across the gulf of sea, as the night grew dark, and landed 
 on the sacred isle. Straight on his way he went alone, and 
 made trial of his sister with words, even as a tender child 
 tries a torrent in winter, which not even strong men can 
 pass ; if haply she would devise some guile against the 
 strangers. So they twain agreed together on all points, 
 when on a sudden the son of JEson leapt from the thick 
 ambush, clutching in his hand a naked sword ; quickly the 
 maiden turned away her eyes, covering them with her veil, 
 that she might not see the blood of her brother when he 
 was smitten. Him did Jason strike from his ambuscade, 
 as a butcher strikes a mighty bull with strong horns, hard 
 by the temple, which the Brygians, who dwell on the main- 
 land opposite, once had built for Artemis. There at its 
 threshold he fell upon his knees, but as the hero breathed 
 out his soul with his dying breath, he caught up in his 
 hands black blood from the wound, and dyed with crimson 
 his sister's silvery veil and robe, as she shrunk from him. 
 But a pitiless spirit of vengeance, irresistible, gave one 
 quick look askance at the murderous deed they wrought. 
 Then the hero, the son of ^Eson, first cut off some limbs l of 
 the murdered man, and thrice licked up some blood, and 
 thrice spat the pollution from his mouth, for so must they 
 make expiation who have murdered a man by treachery. 
 Then he buried the clammy corpse in the ground, where 
 to this day lie his bones amongst the Absyrtians. 2 
 
 In the same hour the heroes, seeing before them a 
 blazing torch, the signal which the maiden raised for them 
 
 1 Those who had committed murder cut off certain extremities of the 
 murdered one, by way of averting the curse of bloodshed. These they 
 hung as charms about their necks, and also performed certain other cere- 
 monies as here mentioned. 
 
 2 ' ' A-fyvprivmv. The followers of Absyrtus were afraid to return to 
 JEetea after the murder of his son, so they settled in Illyria, near the 
 Ceraunian mountains, under the name of Absyrtians.
 
 1. 458-517.] THE ARGOKAUTICA. 165 
 
 to cross, laid their ship alongside the Colchian barque, and 
 slew the crew thereof, as hawks drive flocks of doves in 
 confusion, or fierce lions a great flock of sheep, when they 
 have leapt upon the fold. Not one of them escaped death, 
 but they fell on the whole crew, destroying them as fire 
 doth ; at the last came Jason up, eager to help them, but 
 they had no need of his succour ; but were already anxious 
 on his account. Then they sat them down and took sage 
 counsel about the voyage ; and as they mused thereon 
 came the maiden to join them, and Peleus first made 
 harangue : " Lo ! I bid you embark now, while it is yet 
 night, upon the ship, and take the passage opposite to that 
 which the enemy hold ; for at dawn, as soon as they per- 
 ceive all, methinks there is no argument which will urge 
 them to pursue us further, so as to prevail with them ; 
 but they will part asunder in grievous quarrels, as men do 
 who have lost their king. And when once the folk are 
 divided, 'twill be an easy route for us, or indeed for any 
 who come hither hereafter." 
 
 So spake he, and the young men approved the word 
 of the son of ^Eacus. So they went quickly aboard and 
 bent to their oars unceasingly, until they came to the 
 sacred isle of Electra, chiefest of isles, nigh to the river 
 Eridanus. 
 
 Now the Colchians when they learnt the death of their 
 prince, were right eager to search the Cronian sea through- 
 out for Argo and the Minyse. But Hera restrained them 
 by fearful thunderings and lightnings from the sky. And 
 they ended by being afraid of their own homes in the 
 Cytsean land for fear of Petes' savage fury. So they came 
 to land in different places and settled there securely. 
 Some landed on those very islands, on which the heroes 
 had halted ; and there they dwell, called after Absyrtus ; 
 others built a fenced city by the deep black stream of the 
 Ulyrian river, where is the tomb of Harmonia and Cadmus,
 
 166 APOLLONIUS EHODITJS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 settling amongst the Encheleans ; and others dwell upon 
 the mountains, which are called " the Thunderers," from 
 the day that the thunder of Zeus the son of Cronos 
 stayed them from going to the island over against them. 
 
 But the heroes, when now their return seemed assured 
 them, did then bind their cables on the shore of the 
 Hylleans and go forth. For there be groups of islands scat- 
 tered there, making the passage through them hard for 
 sailors. But the Hylleans no more devised enmity against 
 them, as before ; but of themselves did further their 
 voyage, getting as their guerdon Apollo's mighty tripod. 
 For Phoebus gave to the son of JEson tripods twain, to 
 carry to that far country, when he journeyed thither in 
 obedience to an oracle, on the day when he came to sacred 
 Pytho to enquire about this very voyage ; and it was 
 ordained that wheresoever these were set up, that land 
 should never be ravaged by the attack of f oemen. Where- 
 fore to this day that tripod is buried in yon land near the 
 pleasant city of Hyllus, deep beneath the soil, that it may 
 ever be hidden from mortal ken. 
 
 But they found not king Hyllus still living there, whom 
 comely Melite bare to Heracles in the land of the Phaea- 
 cians. For Heracles came hither to the house of Nausithous 
 and to Maoris, the nurse of Dionysus, to wash away the awful 
 murder of his children ; there did that hero vanquish in 
 love's warfare the daughter of the river ^Egaeus, Melite, the 
 water-nymph, and she bare strong Hyllus. But he, when 
 he grew up, cared not to abide in the island itself, under 
 the eye of Nausithous, its prince, but went o'er the Cronian 
 sea, having gathered to him the people of the Phaeacians 
 who dwelt there ; for the hero Nausithous helped him on 
 his way ; there did he settle, and was slain by the 
 Mentores, as he stood up to do battle for the oxen of his 
 field. 
 
 But, ye goddesses, how came Argo's wondrous pennon in
 
 L. 518-578.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 167 
 
 clear view outside the sea, about the Ausonian 1 land and the 
 Ligystian islands, which are called " the line of isles ? " 
 what need, what business brought her so far away ? what 
 breezes bare them hither ? 
 
 Zeus, I trow, the king of gods, was seized with fury at 
 their deed, when Absyrtus was mightily o'erthrown ; but 
 yet he ordained that they should wash away the guilt 
 of blood by the counsels of JEsean Circe, and after first en- 
 during countless woes should return. Now none of the 
 chieftains was ware thereof ; but starting from the land of 
 Hyllus they hasted far on their way, and they left on the 
 lee those islands of the Liburni that lie in order on the sea, 
 peopled formerly by Colchians, Issa and Dusceladus and 
 lovely Pityeia. And, next to them, they came unto Corcyra, 
 where Poseidon had settled the daughter of Asopus, Cor- 
 cyra of the fair tresses, far from the land of Phlius, whence 
 he had snatched her in his love ; and sailors, seeing it rise 
 darkly from the main with black woodland all around, do 
 call it Corcyra the Black. Next passed they Melite, 
 rejoicing greatly at the gentle breeze, and steep Cerossus, 
 and Nymphaea on the far horizon, where queen Calypso, 
 daughter of Atlas, had her home ; and lo ! they deemed 
 they saw the shadowy " hills of thunder." Then was Hera 
 ware of the angry counsels and the heavy wrath of Zeus for 
 their sake ; and forasmuch as she was planning the fulfilment 
 of that voyage, she did stir up head-winds, 2 whereby they 
 were caught and carried back upon the rocky isle of Electra. 
 
 1 'Avaovirjv, i.e. Italy. As a matter of fact, Apollonius is guilty of 
 an anachronism in using this name for Italy in the time of the Argo- 
 nauts, for it took the title in later times from Anson, the son of Odys- 
 seus and Calypso. 
 
 AtyvirriSag. These islands are three in number, and lie in a row off 
 the coast of Italy. 
 
 2 Hera brought them by contrary winds to the island of Electra, in 
 order that Jason and Medsa might there be purified by Circe of the 
 blood of Absyrtus.
 
 168 APOLLONIUS BHODITTS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 Anon from out the hollow ship, in mid course, the oaken 
 beam from Dodona, which Athene had fitted down the 
 middle of the keel, found a tongue and cried out in human 
 voice. And deadly fear came on them as they heard the 
 voice, that told of Zeus's grievous wrath. For it said they 
 should not escape a passage o'er a lengthy sea, nor troublous 
 tempests, unless Circe purged them of the ruthless murder 
 of Absyrtus ; and it bade Polydeuces and Castor pray to the 
 deathless gods to grant a passage first across the Ausonian 
 sea, wherein they should find Circe, daughter of Perse and 
 Helios. 
 
 So cried Argo in the gloom ; and they, the sons of Tyn- 
 darus, arose, and raised their hands to the immortals, 
 praying for each and all ; for deep dismay was come upon 
 the other Minyan heroes. But the ship sped on apace ; 
 and they entered far into the stream of Eridanus, where on 
 a day Phaethon, smitten through the breast with a blazing 
 bolt, fell scorched from the chariot of Helios into the mouth 
 of that deep sheet of water, and it belches forth heavy 
 clouds of steam from his wound that still is smouldering. 
 No bird can spread his light pinions and cross that water, 
 but half-way it flutters and then plunges in the flame. 
 Eound about the daughters of the Sun l sadly raise their 
 dirge of woe, as they dance round the tall poplars; and from 
 their eyes they shed upon the ground bright drops of amber, 
 which dry up on the sand beneath the sun's heat ; but when 
 the swollen billows of the dark mere do dash against the 
 rocks before the blast of the noisy wind, then are they 
 rolled all together along the billowy tide into the Eridanus. 
 And the Celts have set this legend to them, how that they 
 
 1 The daughters of the Sun are represented as ever weeping for the 
 death of their brother Phaethon, who was slain by the thunderbolt of 
 Zeus, for Fhaethon had persuaded his father Helios to let him drive his 
 chariot for one day, but he had proved unable to manage the steeds, and 
 had endangered the safety of the universe.
 
 1. 579-640.] THE ABaONAUTICA. 169 
 
 are the tears of Apollo, son of Leto, hurried away in the 
 swirling stream, all those many tears he shed the day he 
 came to the sacred race of the Hyperboreans, 1 leaving 
 radiant heaven at the chiding of his father, wroth at the 
 slaying of his son, whom divine Coronis bare in rich 
 Lacereia by the mouth of the Amyrus. So runs the legend 
 'mongst those folk. But these felt no desire for meat or 
 drink, nor did their spirit turn to mirth. But all day, 
 I trow, were they worn out and grievously weakened by the 
 foul stench, which the streams of Eridanus sent up unceas- 
 ingly from smouldering Phaethon ; and all night too 
 they heard the shrill lament of the daughters of the Sun, 
 loudly wailing ; and as they mourned their tears were 
 borne along the waters, as it were drops of oil. 
 
 Thence they entered the deep stream of Rhodanus, 
 which comes to join the Eridanus ; and at their meeting 
 doth the water roar in wild commotion. Now that river, 
 rising in a land very far away, where are the portals and 
 the habitation of Night, doth pour himself on one side 
 upon the ocean's cliffs, on another doth he fall into the 
 Ionian sea, while by yet a third channel he casts his 
 stream through seven mouths into the Sardinian sea and 
 its boundless bay. Thence they sailed into stormy lakes, 
 which open out along the vast mainland of the Celts, and 
 there would they have met with a foul mishap. For a 
 certain off-stream was bearing them into the ocean-gulf, 
 and they not knowing were about to sail thereinto ; 
 whence they would never have won a safe return. But 
 Hera sped forth from heaven and shouted from the 
 Hercynian rock ; and one and all did quake with fear at 
 her shout, for terribly rumbled the wide firmament. So 
 
 1 Apollo left Olympus and went to live among the Hyperboreans, 
 the most remote of men, when Zeus had slain his son ^Esculapius, 
 because he, i.e. ,/Esculapius, by his physician's art had raised men to life 
 after death.
 
 170 APOLLONITJS EHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 they turned back before the goddess, noting now the way 
 along which they must go for their return. At last they 
 reached the sea-coast by the counsels of Hera, passing 
 through the coasts of countless Celtic and Ligyan tribes, 
 without being attacked. For about them the goddess 
 shed a thick mist all day as they went. So they sailed 
 through the river's midmost mouth and came unto " the 
 line of islands," saved through the intercession of the sons 
 of Zeus; wherefore are altars and temples builded there 
 for ever, for it was not that voyage alone they did attend 
 to succour ; but to them Zeus vouchsafed to aid the ships 
 also of future mariners. After leaving "the line of 
 islands" they sailed to the isle of ^thalia, and there 1 
 upon its shingly beach they wiped off in the lists much 
 sweat ; and the pebbles on the strand were strewn as it 
 were with skin ; and there lie their quoits and tattered 
 raiment, wondrous many ; so that the harbour therein is 
 called Argo's haven after them. 
 
 Quickly they sailed thence across the ocean swell with 
 their eyes upon the Tyrsenian cliffs of Ausonia, and came 
 unto the famous harbour of ^Esea, and they drew nigh and 
 fastened the ship's hawsers on the rocks. There they 
 found Circe washing her head in the sea-water, for greatly 
 was she scared by the visions of the night. Her chamber 
 and the walls of her house seemed to be all running with 
 blood, and fire was devouring her store of drugs, where- 
 with afore she bewitched strangers, whoso came hither ; 
 and she did quench the fire's bright blaze with blood of 
 
 1 It is far from clear what the meaning of these lines is. If we sup- 
 pose that the Argonauts held a contest of games, though this is not 
 definitely stated, it is possible to extract a meaning; i.e. Kapovrte = as 
 they strove in the lists, while the next line might refer to the practice 
 of using the strigil or body-scraper by athletes to remove dirt and 
 sweat after hard exercise. Lastly, the mention of croXot,;," quoits," then 
 becomes intelligible, and the allusion to Tpi>xea, " tattered garments,'' 
 is natural enough in the same connection.
 
 L. 641-692.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 171 
 
 murdered men, scooping it up in her hands ; and so she 
 ceased from deadly fear. 1 Wherefore so soon as dawn was 
 come, she arose and would wash her hair and raiment in 
 the waters of the sea. And beasts, that resembled not 
 ravening brutes of prey, nor yet had the form of men, but 
 each wore his fellow's limbs in medley strange, came 
 trooping forth, like sheep when they throng from the fold 
 at the heels of the shepherd. Such creatures earth herself 
 produced from the primeval mud, 2 compact of divers kinds 
 of limbs, when as yet she was not made solid by the 
 thirsty air, nor yet had gotten one drop of moisture from 
 the rays of the scorching sun ; but time put these forms 
 together and led them forth in rows ; e'en such were the 
 shapeless things that followed her. And exceeding wonder 
 seized the heroes ; and anon, as each man gazed upon the 
 form and face of Circe, easily he guessed she was a sister 
 of Jiletes. 
 
 Now when she had sent from her the terror of her 
 dream by night, at once she started back again, and she 
 bade them follow her in her subtlety, caressing them with 
 her hand. Now his company abode there steadfastly at 
 the bidding of the son of JSson, but he took with him the 
 Colchian maiden ; and they twain went with her along the 
 road, until they came to the hall of Circe ; then that lady 
 bade them sit on fair seats, in great amaze at their coming. 
 But those twain without a word or sound darted to her 
 hearth and sat them down, as is the custom of sad sup- 
 
 1 X^j&v oXoolo 0o/3oio. Xqyw is here intransitive. " she ceased from 
 deadly fear." But whether it means that her efforts to quench the 
 flame were successful and so she ceased to be afraid, or whether her 
 terror was so acute that she stopped from what she was doing in con- 
 sequence, is hard to determine. The Greek is in favour of the first 
 rendering, but the context points the other way, otherwise why did she 
 purify herself in the morning ? 
 
 2 7rpor/oijc i iXvoc, the primeral mud from which all things were 
 made in the beginning. Cf. " princeps limum " of Horace.
 
 172 APOLLONIUS RHODItJS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 pliants, and Medea buried her face in her hands, but 
 Jason fixed his great hilted sword in the ground, where- 
 with he slew the son of ^Eetes, but his eye would never 
 look her full in the face. In that moment Circe knew, 
 'twas murder and blood -guiltiness from which they fled. 
 Wherefore in reverence for the ordinance of Zeus, the sup- 
 pliants' god, who is a very jealous god, yet mightily suc- 
 coureth murderers, she offered the sacrifice, wherewith 
 ruthless suppliants purify themselves when they come to 
 the altar. First, to release them from the unatoned 
 bloodshed, she held above their heads the young of a sow, 
 whose dugs were still full of milk after her litter, and 
 wetted their hands in the blood when she had cut its 
 skin ; next made she atonement with other libations, call- 
 ing on Zeus the while to purify them ; for he is the 
 champion of blood-guilty suppliants. And all that she 
 used in the cleansing did attendant nymphs, who brought 
 each thing to her, bear forth from the house. But she 
 within stood by the hearth and burned thereon, praying 
 the while, a soothing sop of honey, oil, and meal with 
 nought of wine l therein, that she might stay the grim 
 spirits of vengeance from their fury, and that Zeus might 
 be propitious and favourable to them both, whether they 
 sought atonement for hands defiled with a stranger's 
 blood or haply for a kinsman, themselves his kith and 
 kin. 
 
 Now when all her task was duly done, then did she 
 raise them up, and seated them on polished chairs, and 
 herself sat near facing them. And straightway she ques- 
 tioned them straitly of their business and their voyage, 
 and whence they came to her land and house, to sit them 
 down as suppliants in such wise. For lo ! a hideous re- 
 
 1 Offerings to the Eumenides must contain no wine, being composed 
 of water, milk, and honey. The Erinnys of the murdered man had to 
 be appeased.
 
 L. 693-753.] THE ARGONATTTICA. 173 
 
 membrance of her dream came o'er her, as her heart 
 mused thereon ; and she yearned to hear the voice of the 
 maiden, her kinswoman, soon as ever she saw her lift her 
 eyes from the ground. For all the race of Helios was 
 manifest at sight, for they shot far in front of them a 
 gleam, as it had been of gold, from the twinkling of their 
 eyes. Then did she, the daughter of grave ^Eetes, make 
 soft answer in the Colchian tongue to all her questioning, 
 telling of the expedition and the journey of the heroes, 
 and all their suffering in their hurried toils, and how she 
 had sinned at the bidding of her sorrowing sister, and 
 how she fled with the sons of Phrixus from the awful 
 horrors her father might inflict; but of the murder of 
 Absyrtus she was careful not to speak. But nowise did it 
 escape the ken of Circe ; yet for all that she pitied the 
 weeping maiden, and thus unto her said, " Unhappy girl ! 
 verily an evil and a shameful return thou hast devised. 
 No long time, I trow, shalt thou escape Metes' fearful 
 wrath ; for soon will he go even to the homes in the land 
 of Hellas, to take vengeance for the murder of his son; 
 seeing that thou hast wrought a terrible deed. But, for- 
 asmuch as thou art my suppliant and of my race, I will 
 devise no further evil against thee at thy coming hither ; 
 but get thee from my house in company with this stranger, 
 this fellow whom thou hast taken unbeknown to thy 
 father ; entreat me not, sitting at my hearth, for I will 
 not consent to thy counsels and thy shameful flight." 
 
 So spake she; and grievous sorrow laid hold upon 
 Medea, and she wrapt her robe about her eyes and wept ; 
 till the hero took her by the hand and led her forth to the 
 door of the hall, quivering with terror ; so they left the 
 house of Circe. 
 
 But they escaped not the knowledge of the wife of Zeus, 
 the son of Cronos; but Iris told her, when she marked 
 them going from the hall. For Hera bade her watch them
 
 174 APOLLONIT78 KHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 closely, until they came unto the ship, and again she spake 
 and hailed her, " Dear Iris, now, if ever thou hast accom- 
 plished my bidding, come, speed thee on swift wings 
 and bid Thetis arise from out the deep, and come hither 
 to me. For need of her aid is come upon me ; and next 
 get thee to the cliffs, where the brazen anvils of Hephaestus 
 clang to the blows of his heavy hammers, and bid him lull 
 his fiery blasts to rest, until Argo has sailed by those cliffs. 
 Then go to ^lolus, ^Eolus who rules the wind, children of 
 the upper air, 1 and tell him this my mind, that he make all 
 wind to cease under heaven, and suffer no breeze to 
 roughen the sea; only let a favouring west-wind blow, 
 that the heroes may come to the Phaeacian isle of 
 Alcinous." 
 
 So spake she ; and forthwith Iris darted from Olympus, 
 cleaving her way, with her light wings outspread. And 
 she plunged into the ^Egean sea, just where the home of 
 Nereus is. And she came to Thetis first, and told her 
 tale as Hera bade, and roused her to go to her. Next went 
 she to Hephaestus ; and quickly stayed him from his iron 
 hammers, and his sooty bellows ceased from their blast. 
 Lastly came she to ^olus, famous son of Hippotas. And 
 even while she was telling him her message, and resting 
 her swift knees from her course, did Thetis leave Nereus 
 and her sisters and go from the sea to Olympus, unto the 
 goddess Hera, who made her sit beside her, and declared 
 her speech ; " Hearken now, lady Thetis, to that which I 
 fain would tell thee. Thou knowest how dear to my heart 
 is the hero son of ^Eson, and those others that do help him 
 in his toil ; for 'twas I alone, that saved them in their 
 passage through the wandering rocks, where erst dire 
 tempests roared and the billows boiled round the rugged 
 rocks. But now awaits them a journey past the mighty 
 
 1 ai9pr)ftvttff(Tiv either = " born in the clear air," or " making the 
 air clear."
 
 L. 754-815.] THE ARGONATJTICA. 175 
 
 rock of Scylla, and Charybdis, horribly belching. Nay, 
 hear me ; for lo ! 'twas I that with mine own hands tended 
 and caressed thee from thine infancy above all others, who 
 dwell within the sea, because thou wouldst not yield to 
 the importunities of Zeus. For he is ever bent on such 
 deeds, to lie with women, be they mortal or immortal. 
 But thou, from reverence of me and from fear, didst avoid 
 him ; wherefore he then did swear a mighty oath, that 
 thou shouldst never be called the wife of an immortal god. 
 Yet did he lie in wait for thee an unwilling mate, and 
 would not give thee up, until aged Themis told him all, 
 how that of a surety it was ordained that thou shouldst 
 bear a son better than his father ; wherefore he gave thee 
 up, for all his strong desire, in fear that another should be 
 his rival and rule the deathless gods, yea, and for ever 
 wrest away his power. But I gave thee the best l of mortal 
 men to be thy husband, that thou mightest find the joys of 
 wedlock and bear children ; and to thy marriage-feast I 
 bade the gods, one and all, and with mine own hand raised 
 the wedding torch, 2 to repay that thy generous respect. 
 But come now, I will tell thee a tale that lieth not ; whenso 
 thy son cometh to the Elysian plain, he, I mean, whom 
 water-nymphs now do tend in the home of the Centaur 
 Chiron, though he longeth for thy milk ; needs must 3 he be 
 the husband of Medea, daughter of .ZEetes ; do thou, then, 
 as a mother, help thy future daughter, and Peleus as well. 
 Why is thy wrath so firmly rooted ? 'Tis blindness ; for 
 even to gods will blindness come. Verily I do think that 
 
 1 i.e. Peleus, the father of Achilles. 
 
 2 I performed for you the most sacred rite of bearing the nuptial 
 torch at your marriage, a custom usually performed by the mother of 
 the bride. 
 
 3 An oracle had declared that in the after-world Achilles should wed 
 Medea, so Thetis, if she now lends her aid to them, will only be helping 
 her future daughter-in-law.
 
 176 APOLLONIUS BHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 at my bidding Hephaestus will cease to make his furious 
 fire burn, and Jilolus, son of Hippotas, will check the winds' 
 swift flight, all save the steady west, until they come to 
 the havens of the Phaeacians ; so do thou devise for them 
 a painless return. My only fear is for thy rocks and 
 mountainous billows, which, with the aid of thy other 
 sisters, thou canst turn aside. Oh ! leave them not to 
 drift helplessly into Charybdis, lest with one gulp she take 
 them all down, nor let them come to Scylla's foul lair, 
 murderous Scylla of Ausonia, whom Hecate that roameth 
 by night, bare to Phorcus, whom men call ' the Mighty 
 One,' lest haply she dart upon them with her fearful jaws 
 and slay the chosen heroes. But keep thou the ship just 
 in the course where there shall be a hair-breadth escape 
 from destruction." 
 
 So spake she ; and Thetis answered her thus ; " If, of a, 
 truth, the furious raging fire and the stormy winds shall 
 cease, verily I too will with confidence promise to save the 
 ship from the wave's attack too, while the west wind is 
 piping. But 'tis time to set out upon my long weary way, 
 till I shall come unto my sisters, who shall help me, and 
 to the place where the ship's cables are fastened, that at 
 dawn they may bethink them of winning their return." 
 
 Therewith she shot down from the sky and plunged 
 amid the eddies of the deep blue sea, and she called other 
 Nereids, her own sisters, to her aid, and they heard her 
 voice and came together. Then Thetis rehearsed the bid- 
 ding of Hera, and sent them all at once to the Ausonian 
 sea. But herself, swifter than the twinkling of an eye, or 
 the rays of the sun, when he riseth high above the horizon, 
 sped quickly on her way through the water, till she reached 
 the JDaean cliff of the Tyrsenian mainland. There she 
 found the heroes by the ship, taking their pastime with 
 quoits and archery, and she drew near and took Peleus, 
 son of jEacus, by the hand, for he was her husband, but
 
 L. 816-887.] THE A.RGONAUTICA. 177 
 
 no man might see her at all ; only to his eye did she appear, 
 and thus spake she : " Abide no longer now sitting on the 
 Tyrsenian strand, but at dawn loose the hawsers of the 
 swift ship, in obedience to Hera/your champion. For at her 
 command my Nereid maids are met, to send your ship in 
 safety, and with all speed through the rocks which are 
 called ' the Wanderers.' For that is your proper route. 
 But do thou point me out to no man, what time thou seest 
 me present with these ; lay that to heart, lest thou anger 
 me in more downright earnest than ever thou hast afore." 
 
 Therewith she plunged unseen into the depths of the 
 sea, and sore grief smote Peleus, for he had never seen her 
 come, since first she left her bridal chamber in anger, when 
 noble Achilles was yet a babe. For the goddess ever used to 
 wrap about his mortal body fiery flame through the night, 
 and by day she would anoint his tender skin with am- 
 brosia, that he might become immortal, and that she 
 might ward off hateful old age from his body. But Peleus 
 saw his dear son gasping in the flame, and he sprang from 
 his bed with a cry of horror at the sight, fond fool ! but 
 she, when she heard him, cast the screaming babe head- 
 long to the ground, and herself passed forth from the house 
 in haste, like to a breath of wind or as a dream, and leapt 
 into the sea in anger ; and she never came back again. So 
 blank dismay tied up his heart ; yet, for all that, he told to 
 his comrades all the bidding of Thetis. And they hurriedly 
 broke off in the midst and ceased their contests, and 
 busied themselves about supper and their pallet beds, 
 whereon, when they had eaten, they slept through the 
 night, as aforetime. 
 
 But when Dawn, giver of light, was touching the edge of 
 heaven, in that hour they went from the land to sit upon 
 the rowing benches, as the swift west-wind came down ; 
 and from the deep they hauled up the anchors, glad at 
 heart ; and made all the rest of the tackling taut as was 
 
 H
 
 178 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 needful ; and they set the sail, stretching it on the sheets 
 of the yardarm. And a gentle wind carried the ship 
 along. Anon they beheld an island, fair and full of 
 flowers, where the Sirens, clear-voiced daughters of Ache- 
 lous, used to charm with their sweet singing whoso cast 
 anchor there, and then destroy him. These are the chil- 
 dren that comely Terpsichore, one of the Muses, bare to 
 Achelous for his love; once they had the charge of 
 Demeter's noble daughter, 1 while she was yet unwed, sing- 
 ing to her in chorus ; at that time were they part bird, 
 part maiden to behold. Ever they keep watch from their 
 outlook, with its fair haven ; and many a one have they 
 reft of his joyous return, making him waste away slowly ; 
 forthwith then to the heroes they wafted their delicate 
 voice. And these would at once have cast their cables on 
 the rocks, had not Thracian Orpheus, son of ^ager, forth- 
 with strung his lyre in his hands, and let a hasty snatch 
 of quick music ring out loudly, that their ears might be 
 dinned as he at the same time swept the twanging chords ; 
 and his lyre did drown the voice of the maidens. And the 
 west-wind and the roaring wave, rushing astern, together 
 bore on the ship, while the Sirens raised their ceaseless 2 
 song. Yet even thus Teleon's goodly son, Butes, did alone 
 elude his fellows and leapt from the polished bench into 
 the sea, for his heart was melted by the clear singing of 
 the Sirens ; and he swum through the darkling swell to 
 reach that shore, unhappy mortal ! Quickly would they 
 rob him of his return then and there ; but the goddess 
 Cypris, who watcheth o'er Eryx, 3 did pity him, and 
 
 1 Proserpine, the daughter of Demeter, who was guarded in her 
 youth by the Sirens on the plains of Enna in Sicily, until Hades carried 
 her away to be his bride. 
 
 * aicpiTov either = " unceasing" or " unarranged." Cf. the Latin 
 " incompositnm," as applied to natural melody. 
 
 J In Sicily. Aphrodite had a temple there.
 
 Ii. 888-949.] THE AROONAUTICA. 179 
 
 caught him up, while he was yet in the eddying wave, 
 and with kindly aid brought him to a safe dwelling- 
 place on the headland of Lilybeum. So they left the 
 Sirens, holden with grief withal ; but other perils of 
 shipwreck, direr still, did await them in the strait, where 
 two seas meet. For on one side arose Scylla's sheer wall 
 of cliff, and on the other Charybdis did spout and roar 
 unceasingly ; while in another place " the Wandering rocks " 
 thundered at the buffet of mighty waves, there where in 
 front of them a blazing flame vomited from the top of the 
 crags, high o'er a red-hot rock. And the air was murky 
 with smoke ; nor couldst thou have seen the rays of the sun. 
 Moreover, though Hephaestus had ceased from his work, 
 the sea still sent up warm steam. Here the Nereids flocked 
 from all sides to meet them ; while the goddess, lady 
 Thetis, took hold of the rudder-blade behind to drag the 
 ship inside " the Wandering rocks." As when dolphins 
 come forth from the sea in fair weather, and gambol in 
 flocks round a speeding ship, now seen in front, and now 
 behind, and yet again alongside, to the joy of the sailors ; 
 even so the Nereids darted up and circled in their ranks 
 about the good ship Argo, while Thetis steered her course. 
 Now when they were just coming nigh unto the Wandering 
 rocks, in a moment they drew the edge of their robes up 
 above their white knees, and darting up to the very top of 
 the cliffs and on to the beach, ranged themselves in rows 
 on either side. And the stream smote upon the ship's 
 side, and the wave, rising furiously about them, broke 
 over the rocks. And these at one moment had their sharp 
 points covered as it were with mist, and at another their 
 base was seen far down beneath the nether depth, while 
 that wild surf poured in floods over them. But they, like 
 maids, who play at ball hard by a sandy beach, with the 
 folds of their dress rolled up to their waists out of their 
 way ; and one catcheth the ball from another and sends it
 
 180 APOLLONIUS RHODITJS. [BOOK IT. 
 
 soaring high into the air, and it never reaches the ground ; 
 even so they sent the ship on her way from hand to hand 
 o'er the crests of the waves, ever clear of the rocks, while 
 the water belched and seethed around them. There on the 
 top of a smooth rock stood king Hephaestus in person, 
 resting his heavy shoulder on the handle of his hammer, 
 and watching them ; and above the dazzling firmament 
 stood the wife of Zeus, with her arm about Athene's waist, 
 so mightily was she frightened at the sight. Long as is 
 a day's allotted space in spring-time, so long they toiled, 
 heaving the ship through the echoing rocks ; and the 
 heroes, catching the wind once more, sped onward, and 
 quickly they passed the meadow of Trinacria, where graze 
 the kine of Helios. Then did the Nereids plunge beneath 
 the depths like water-fowl, for they had performed the 
 commands of the wife of Zeus. Now did the bleating of 
 sheep come to them confusedly through the air, and a 
 lowing of kine smote upon their ears nigh at hand. The 
 sheep was Phaethusa, youngest of the daughters of Helios, 
 shepherding adown the dewy thickets, with a crook of 
 silver in her hand ; but Lampetie herded the kine, bran- 
 dishing a herdsman's staff of gleaming orichalcum. These 
 kine the heroes saw grazing by the waters of the river 
 along the plain and the water meadow ; there was not one 
 among them of dark colour, but all, white as milk, with 
 horns of gold, moved proudly on their way. By these they 
 passed in the day-time ; and in the coming night they cleft 
 their path o'er a wide gulf of sea, rejoicing ; till once again 
 Dawn, child of morning, shed his light upon their path. 
 Now there is in front l of the Ionian gulf a rich island, 
 
 1 irapoiTtpi} = tfnirpoffOtv. dn<f>i\a<f>t)c either = thickly covered with 
 shrubs and trees, or with a harbour on either side (Schol.). The word 
 is perhaps derived from a/i^i \a/3t1v. Apollonius uses it three times : 
 (1) in ii. 733, as epithet of "plane-trees;" (2) here of an island; (3) iv. 
 1366, of a horse. Possibly it means little more than " large," in which
 
 L. 950-999.] THE ABGONAUTICA. 181 
 
 thickly o'ergrown, in the Ceraunian sea, beneath which, 
 legend saith, there lies a sickle be gracious, ye Muses, for I 
 tell not willingly this tale of olden times wherewith Cronos 
 reft his sire of his manhood ruthlessly ; but others say it is 
 the reaping-hook of Demeter, goddess of the nether world. 
 For Demeter, they say, once dwelt in that land, and taught 
 the Titans to reap the corn-crop for her love of Macris ; 
 whence it was called " the Hook " l by name, and became 
 the sacred nursing-mother of the Phseacians, and so it is 
 that the Phseacians really are by lineage of the blood of 
 Uranus. To them came Argo, after stress of many toils, 
 driven by the wind from the Trinacrian sea ; and these, 
 Alcinous and his people, received them gladly at their 
 coming with gracious sacrifice ; and the whole city made 
 merry in their honour ; thou wouldst have said, 'twas their 
 own sons they were rejoicing over. And the heroes like- 
 wise rejoiced among the folk, even as if they had set foot 
 in the heart of Hsemonia. But soon were they to arm and 
 raise the battle-cry, so close behind them hove in sight a 
 
 sense it is used elsewhere, e.g. in Herodotus, of elephants. From 
 Homer's account we learn that this island, Corcyra, had a harbour on 
 both sides, so that it is not unlikely that Alexandrine grammarians 
 made use of this fact to account for the meaning of a difficult and un- 
 explained Homeric word. 
 
 1 Drepane, i.e. Corcyra, had had a variety of names, viz., Macris, 
 Drepane, Scheria, and lastly Corcyra. As the Phseacians, its early in- 
 habitants, had been, next to the Phoenicians, the earliest and most enter- 
 prising of sailors and colonists, it is not surprising to find it made the 
 centre of a mass of legend and myth, at a time when communication, 
 especially by sea, was difficult and dangerous. Drepane, otherwise 
 Corcyra, mentioned 1. 988 and 1221, is the modern Corfu, an island off 
 the coast of Epirus, famous in the history of Thucydides. It is only 
 called Drepane in Apollonius. It must not be confounded with Corcyra 
 Nigra (Kepicvpa piXaiva), modern Corzola, an island off the coast of 
 Dalmatia, passed by the Argonauts soon after they emerged from the 
 Rhone. The latter is several degrees further north. Cf. iv. 564- 
 569.
 
 182 APOLLONIUS BHODIUB. [BOOK IV. 
 
 countless host of Colchians, who had passed through the 
 mouth of Pontus and the rocks Cyanean in search of the 
 chieftains. Above all, they were eager to carry Medea, 
 without excuse, unto her father's home ; or else they 
 threatened to raise their dire war-cry both then and there- 
 after with savage cruelty, after the fashion of ^Eetes. 1 
 
 But king Alcinous restrained their eagerness for war, for 
 he would fain end their lawless quarrel for both sides without 
 going to battle. And the maiden, in deadly fear, earnestly 
 implored the companions of the son of ./Eson by their names, 
 and with suppliant hands she touched the knees of Arete, 
 wife of Alcinous : " I entreat thee, queen, and be thou 
 gracious ; give me not up to the Colchians to take unto 
 my father, if haply thou too art 2 only of the race of mortals, 
 whose heart rusheth headlong to their doom from trifling 
 slips. For I did lose my senses ; 'twas not mad passion led 
 me on. Witness the sacred light of Helios, witness the 
 rites of the maiden, who flieth by night, the daughter of 
 Perses ; 3 never of my own accord would I have started from 
 JEa with strange folk, but grievous terror urged me to plan 
 this flight, in the hour of my sin, for there was no other 
 remedy. Still is my honour pure and chaste, as in my 
 father's house. Oh ! pity me, great lady, and implore thy 
 
 1 ovv 'Airyrao wXivfly, i.e. not only would they do all they threatened, 
 but they would do it after the fashion of JEetes (if this is what this extraor- 
 dinary expression means). Kt\iv9o<; certainly is occasionally used in much 
 the same way as rpoiroQ. JEetes has the reputation of being cruel and re- 
 lentless, so it is as much as to say " relentlessly." av9i rt *ai ^.triirtira. 
 av9i = avroQi " at once on the spot and afterwards as well," i.e. they 
 would give them no peace from their vengeance, like true followers of 
 
 2 0tp/3fai, lit. " thou art fed," here = il, " thou art." 
 
 3 Hecate, the daughter of Perses and Asteria. As one who dealt in 
 sorcery and witchcraft, Medea would naturally swear by the queen of 
 darkness, who was supposed to have all black arts in her special 
 keeping.
 
 L. 100Q-1057.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 183 
 
 lord ; and may the gods grant thee a perfect life, and joy, 
 and children, and the glory of a town unsacked." l 
 
 Thus did she implore Arete through her tears, and thus 
 each man of the chieftains in turn : " For you, ye peerless 
 princes, and for your toils wherein I have helped you, am 
 I sore afflicted ; for by my help ye yoked the bulls, and 
 reaped the deadly harvest of earth-born warriors, and by 
 my means will ye return to Haemonia anon, and bear with 
 you the golden fleece. Lo ! here am I, a maid who hath 
 lost country, parents, home, aye, all the joy in life ; while 
 for you I have contrived a return unto your country and 
 your homes ; and ye will yet see your parents with glad 
 eyes ; but from me god's heavy hand hath reft all joy, and 
 I wander accursed with strangers. Fear your covenant and 
 your oaths ; fear the spirit who avengeth suppliants, and 
 the resentment of the gods, if I fall into the hands of 
 JEetes to be slain with grievous outrage. I have no temple, 
 no tower of defence, no protection else, but on you, and you 
 alone, I cast myself. Woe to your cruelty, ye pitiless men ! 
 ye have no reverence in you for me, though ye saw me 
 helplessly stretch out my hands to supplicate the stranger 
 queen ; yet would ye, in your eagerness to get the fleece, 
 have met the whole Colchian nation and proud JEetes too 
 in battle ; but now have ye forgotten your chivalry, when 
 there be but these, and they severed from their people." 
 
 So prayed she ; and each of those she did entreat, 
 encouraged her, striving to stay her anguish. And they 
 brandished well-pointed lances in their hands, and swords 
 drawn from their sheaths ; for they declared they would 
 not hold their hands from her succour, if they should meet 
 with unrighteous judgment. But on the weary warriors, 
 thronging there, came down the night, that puts an end to 
 
 1 Not an unusual wish in heroic times, when life and property were 
 anything but safe. To become the prey of a conquering invader must 
 have been the constant dread of women in these disturbed times.
 
 184 APOLLONITJS EHODITJ3. [BOOK IV. 
 
 toil, and shed, calm o'er all the earth together ; but to the 
 maiden's couch came no sleep, no, never so little ; but her 
 heart within her breast was wrung with anguish. As when 
 a toiling woman winds her thread the livelong night, and 
 about her moan her orphan babes, now she is widowed ; 
 and the tear-drop courses down her cheek, as she weepeth 
 for the piteous lot that hath fallen to her ; even so Medea's 
 cheeks were wet, and her heart within her was throbbing, 
 pierced with sharp agony. 
 
 Now those twain, the lord Alcinous.and Arete, his wife 
 revered, were in their house within the city, as aforetime, 
 pondering the maiden's case, upon their bed by night ; and 
 thus the wife addressed her lord and husband with per- 
 suasive l words : " Dear husband, come, rescue this poor 
 maiden, I pray thee, from the Colchians, doing a favour to 
 the Minyae. For Argos and the men of Haemonia are very 
 nigh unto our island, but JEetes neither dwelleth near us, 
 nor know we aught of him save by hearsay ; and this poor 
 suffering maid hath broken my heart by her entreaties. 
 Give her not over to the Colchians to take to her father's 
 home, O king. 'Twas blindly done, when she did give him 
 at the first her drugs to charm the oxen ; and now, to cure 
 one evil by another close upon it, as oft we do through our 
 mistakes, she hath fled from the awful fury of her proud 
 father. Moreover Jason, as I hear, is bound by a mighty 
 oath of his own taking to make her his wedded wife within 
 his halls. Wherefore, dear husband, make not the son of 
 JEson to perjure himself, at least if thou canst help it ; 
 nor let the father in his fury do his child some terrible in- 
 jury, when thou canst stay it. For parents are exceeding 
 jealous of their children ; such punishment did Nycteus 
 
 i, etym. 6a\iiv, so = (1) blooming, fresh; vigorous, active; 
 (2) luxuriant, abundant. Apollonius uses it twice elsewhere, in iii. 
 114, as epithet of an orchard ; in iii. 1127, of young married men. The 
 transition from " vigorous " to " persuasive " is not difficult.
 
 L. 1058-1103.] THE ABGONA.TJTICA. 185 
 
 devise for Antiope, 1 fair of face ; so grievous were the woes, 
 again, that Danae 2 endured upon the deep, all through her 
 father's infatuate folly ; yea, and but lately, and not so far 
 away, did Echetus 3 in wanton cruelty thrust bronze spikes 
 into his daughter's eyeballs ; and now she wastes away by 
 a piteous fate, grinding bronze * for corn within a gloomy 
 hut." 
 
 Thus spake she in entreaty ; and his heart melted at the 
 words of his wife, and thus he answered, " Arete, I would 
 even drive out the Colchians with their harness for the 
 maiden's sake, doing a favour to the heroes. But I do fear 
 to slight the just ordinance of Zeus. Nor is it well to treat 
 J^etes lightly, as thou sayest; for there is no mightier 
 prince than he. And if he will, he will carry his quarrel 
 against Hellas, though he come from far. Wherefore it 
 behoveth me to give the judgment that shall seem best 
 amongst all men, and I will not hide it from thee. If she 
 
 1 Antiope, the daughter of Nycteus, was ravished by Zeus, who had 
 changed himself into a satyr for the purpose. Her father was so 
 enraged that she had to fly for her life, and came to Sicyon, where she 
 bore Zethus and Amphion, and suffered many hardships for her secret 
 love. 
 
 a Danae was the daughter of Acrisius. Her father had been told by 
 an oracle of Apollo that, if his daughter bore a son, this son would 
 cause his death. So Acrisius went to Argos, and there shut his daughter 
 up straitly in a tower of brass, but Zeus was enamoured of her beauty, 
 and introduced himself to her in a shower of gold, despite her keepers. 
 Perseus was the issue of their love. Acrisius, in his anger, set mother 
 and child adrift on the sea, but fishermen saved them. In after years, 
 when Perseus grew up, he engaged in some games at Larissa; and 
 there, by accident, threw a quoit upon the foot of Acrisius and slew 
 him, and so the oracle was fulfilled. 
 
 3 Echetus is also mentioned by Homer as the most savage of men, as 
 one who delighted in mutilating and torturing all who came within his 
 power. 
 
 * Apparently the barbarous Echetus had >coi9ai made of bronze for 
 his daughter to grind, in order to render her toil harder and more 
 thankless.
 
 186 APOLLONITJS RHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 be yet a maid, my decision is, that they carry her back to 
 her father ; but, if she share a husband's bed, I will not 
 separate her from her lord ; nor, if she carry a child within 
 her womb, do I give her up unto her enemies." 
 
 So spake he ; and forthwith fell asleep. But she laid 
 up in her heart his wise words, and at once arose from her 
 bed, and went about the house ; and the women, her hand- 
 maids, hastened together, bustling about their mistress. 
 Quietly she had her herald called, and told him her com- 
 mands, in her shrewdness eager that the son of ^JEson 
 should at once wed the maiden, and so avoid entreating 
 king Alcinous ; for this was the decision he would carry 
 with his own lips to the Colchians, that, if she were yet a 
 maid, he would deliver her to her father's house ; but, if 
 she were already some man's wife, he would sever her no 
 more from honourable love. 
 
 So spake Arete, and quickly his feet bare him from the 
 hall, that he might announce to Jason the fair speech of 
 Arete, and the plan of godlike Alcinous. And he found 
 them keeping watch by the ship in harness in the Hyllic 
 harbour, near to the town ; so he told them all his message, 
 and the heart of each hero was glad, for he spake a word 
 that pleased them right well. 
 
 At once they mixed a bowl for the blessed gods, as was 
 right, and dragged sheep to the altar with pious hands, 
 and made ready that very night for the maiden her bridal 
 bed in the holy cave, where Maoris once did dwell, the 
 daughter of Aristseus, the bee-keeper, who discovered the 
 use of honey and the fatness of the olive, prize of toil. 
 She it was, that at the first took to her breast the Nysean 
 son of Zeus in Euboea, home of the Abantes, 1 and with honey 
 she moistened his parched lips, when Hermes brought him 
 
 1 'Eu/3ojc ' 'A/3airioc. Euboea was anciently called Abantis, from 
 the Abantes who came from Phocis and settled there.
 
 L. 1104-1162.] THE AEGONAUTICA. 187 
 
 from out the fire; ' but Hera saw her, and in her rage drove 
 her right away from the island. So then she came to 
 dwell far away in the holy cavern of the Phaeacians, 
 and she granted to the folk around wondrous pros- 
 perity. There then they strewed a great couch, and 
 upon it did throw the glistering fleece of gold, that the 
 marriage might have honour and renown. And the 
 nymphs plucked every kind of blossom and brought them 
 in their white bosoms, and a blaze as of fire played round 
 them all ; so bright was the radiance gleaming from the 
 golden tufts. And it kindled in their eyes a sweet desire, 
 yet reverence prevented each one from laying hands 
 thereon, for all her longing. Of these some were called 
 the daughters of the river JEgseus ; others dwelt about the 
 peaks of the hill of Melite, and some came from the plains, 
 woodland nymphs. For Hera herself, the wife of Zeus, 
 had sent them, in honour of Jason. And that cave, to this 
 day, is called Medea's sacred grotto, where they spread fine 
 linen, very fragrant, and wedded those twain together. 
 Meantime the heroes brandished in their hands their war- 
 like spears, that no unseen host of foes might fall upon 
 them to fight withal, ere the deed was done ; and wreath- 
 ing their heads with leafy boughs, they sung in tune to the 
 clear music of Orpheus a marriage hymn at the entrance 
 to the bridal bower. Now the hero, the son of JUson, was 
 not minded to complete his marriage now, but in the halls 
 of his father, on his return to lolchos ; and Medea, too, 
 was of like mind with him. But needs must they wed 
 
 1 IK wpog. Dionysus, the son of Zeus and Semele, was saved when 
 his mother perished through her own folly in desiring to see Zeus 
 appear in all his majesty. The mother was killed by the blaze of the 
 lightning (cf. the opening of Euripides' "Bacchae"),but Hermes snatched 
 the untimely babe from her womb and carried it to Zeus, in whose side 
 it was sewn up until the proper time for its birth arrived. Zeus then 
 handed it over to the nymph Maoris to rear, but Hera's jealousy perse- 
 cuted Maoris relentlessly in consequence.
 
 188 APOLLONIUS EHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 then and there. Yea, for never do we tribes of suffering 
 mortals embark on happiness without alloy ; but ever 
 there cometh with our gladness some bitter grief. Where- 
 fore they too, for all their joy of sweet love, were holden 
 with fear, whether the decision of Alcinous would be 
 fulfilled. 
 
 Then came Dawn again with his light divine, and broke 
 up the gloom of night throughout the sky ; and the island 
 beach and the dewy paths across the plains laughed out 
 afar ; and in the streets was the noise of men ; for through 
 the city the inhabitants were astir, and the Colchians far 
 away at the end of the Macridian peninsula. Anon went 
 Alcinous to them, as he had agreed, to declare his purpose 
 concerning the maiden, and in his hand he held his golden 
 wand of judgment ; whereby the folk had righteous judg- 
 ment dealt them throughout the city. And with him came 
 the chiefs of the Phseacians in their warlike gear, drawn 
 up in ranks. And forth from the towers came the women 
 in crowds to see the heroes, and with them came the 
 country folk when they heard thereof, for Hera had sent 
 forth a sure report. One brought the chosen ram of his 
 flock, and another a heifer that never yet had worked, and 
 others set jars of wine nigh at hand for mixing ; and the 
 smoke and flame of sacrifice leapt up in the distance. But 
 the women brought fine linen, fruit of honest toil, as 
 women will, and toys of gold, and divers ornaments beside, 
 such as couples newly-wed are furnished with ; and they 
 were astonied to see the form and beauty of the noble 
 heroes, and the son of -Sager in their midst oft beating the 
 ground with his rich sandal in time to his ringing lyre and 
 song. And all the nymphs in chorus, whenever he made 
 mention of marriage, raised a joyous wedding hymn ; and 
 yet again would others sing alone, as they circled round in 
 the dance in thy honour, O Hera; for 'twas thou, who 
 didst put it in the heart of Arete to speak her word of
 
 T,. 1163-1224.] THE AEGONAUTICA. 189 
 
 wisdom to Alcinous. But he, so soon as lie had declared 
 the issue of his judgment, and when already the marriage 
 was declared complete, took good care that so it should 
 abide for ever ; for no deadly fear, nor the grievous threats 
 of ..Eetes touched him, but he held fast bound by the oath 
 he would not break. 
 
 So when the Colchians learnt that they were come to him 
 in vain, and he bade them either hold his ordinances 
 in honour or withdraw their ships far from the harbours of 
 his land; then but not before were they afraid of the 
 threats of their own king, and besought Alcinous to receive 
 them among his people ; so for a very long time afterward 
 they dwelt among the Phseacians, until the Bacchiadse, 1 a. 
 race of men that came from Corinth, settled among them 
 after a while ; then they crossed to the island over against 
 them, and from thence they were soon to go to the Cerau- 
 nian hills of the Abantes and the Nestseans 2 and to Oricum j 
 but these things happened after a long lapse of years. Yet 
 still do the altars, which Medea builded there to the Fates 
 and the Nymphs in the holy place of Apollo, god of shep- 
 herds, receive their yearly sacrifice. Now when the Minya& 
 went away, Alcinous gave them many a stranger's gift, and 
 Arete did the like; moreover she gave to Medea twelve 
 Phaeacian slave-girls from her house, to bear her company. 
 'Twas on the seventh day they left Drepane ; and a fresh 
 breeze came forth from Zeus at dawn, and they went hast- 
 ing onward before the breath of the wind. Still it was not 
 ordained for the heroes yet to set foot in Achsea, till they 
 
 Bacchius, a son of Dionysus, founded a dynasty at 
 Corinth, called the Bacchiadse, who held sway until an act of cruelty 
 roused the Corinthians to expel them. So they came to Corcyra, and 
 colonized it, driving out the Colchians, who were there already. 
 'EtyvfjriQev, i.e. from Corinth, Ephyra being its old name. 
 
 3 Another name for the Thracians, from the river Nestus in 
 Thrace.
 
 190 APOLLONIUS RHODITJS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 had toiled somewhat further, even in Libya's utmost 
 bounds. 
 
 Lo! they had even now left the bay behind, that is 
 named after the Ambracians ; even now had they left, with 
 all sail set, the land of ^Etolia l and next thereto the isles of 
 the Echinades with their narrow passage, and the land of 
 Pelops just hove in sight, when the baleful blast of the 
 north-wind caught them in mid course and swept them 
 nine whole nights and as many days towards the Libyan 
 sea, till they came right within the Syrtis, 2 whence cometh 
 no ship forth again, when once 'tis forced inside that gulf. 
 For all around are shoals, and masses of sea-weed on every 
 side, and thereon are bubbles of noiseless foam, while on 
 the dim horizon stretches a plain of sand. No creeping 
 thing nor winged creature moveth thereupon. 'Twas here 
 that the flood-tide thrust them far up the beach on a sud- 
 den, and only a little of the keel was left in the water, for 
 yon tide full oft recoils from the land, and then again with 
 furious onset discharges itself over the beach. 
 
 But they leapt forth from the ship, and sorrow seized 
 them, when they beheld the great wide stretch of misty 
 land, reaching on and on into the distance like a haze ; nor 
 could they see any place to water in, nor path, nor herds- 
 men's steading far away ; but all was wrapt in deathless 
 calm. And one would ask his neighbour sorrowfully, 
 " What land doth this call itself ? whither have the tem- 
 pests thrust us forth ? Would that we, setting deadly fear 
 aside, had dared to try the way even betwixt the rocks ! 
 Far better had it been to go even beyond the will of Zeus 
 and die, venturing some high resolve ! For now what can 
 we do, if we be forced here to abide holden by the winds, 
 
 1 Kowpi/nv, i.e. ^Etolia, from the Curetes who inhabited Pleuron in 
 JEtolk. 
 
 a Svprtv, a dangerous sandbank on the coast of Africa. There were 
 two of this name, called the Syrtis Major and Minor.
 
 1. 1225-1287.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 191 
 
 be it never so short a while ? so desolate is the strand of 
 this vast land, that looms before us." 
 
 Thus would he say ; and amongst them Ancaeus, the 
 helmsman, made harangue, sore grieved himself at the 
 hopelessness of their evil case : " We are undone, it seems, 
 by a most grievous fate, and there is no escaping from our 
 trouble, but now must we suffer ghastly woes where we 
 liave fallen on this wilderness, if haply the winds blow 
 steadily from the land, for I see on all sides a sea of shoals 
 after a wide look-out, and the water is fretted into long 
 lines of foam as it washes just the surface of the gray sand. 
 Yea, and long, long ago would yon sacred ship have been 
 miserably shattered far from the shore, unless the tide 
 itself had borne her high ashore from out the deep. But 
 now hath it rushed back sea- ward, and nought but spray 
 and spray alone, that covereth but the top of the ground, 
 breaks about us. Wherefore I deem that all hope of our 
 voyage and our return is utterly cut off. So let some other 
 shew his skill, for he may sit at the helm striving to win 
 our escape. But Zeus hath no great wish to bring about 
 the day of return, after all our toil." 
 
 So spake he through his tears ; and all they that knew 
 aught of ships spake with him in his distress; but the 
 heart of all, I trow, was cold and stiff, and paleness spread 
 o'er their cheeks. As when men move like lifeless spectres, 
 about a town, awaiting the end that war or famine bring, 
 or the issue of some fearful storm, which hath washed away 
 acres of the oxen's toil ; 1 or when images do sweat and 
 of themselves run down with blood, and bellowing is heard 
 in sacred shrines, or the sun maybe at noon brings 
 night from the sky, while through the gloom the stars 
 shine bright ; even so the chieftains wandered now, 
 groping their way along the weary strand. Anon dark eve 
 
 1 i.e. the tilled lands.
 
 192 AFOLLONIUS BHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 came down upon them ; and they, piteously embracing 
 each other, were fain to weep, that thereafter they might 
 lie down, each man apart, to die upon the sand. Hither 
 and thither they went their way to find a resting-place 
 further off ; and then they wrapped their heads in their 
 cloaks and laid them down without meat 1 or drink the whole 
 night and the dawn, waiting a death most miserable. 
 Apart from them beside the daughter of ^Eetes her 
 maidens moaned, huddled all together. As when in the 
 wilderness young birds unfledged fall from a hole in the 
 rock and loudly do they twitter ; or as when on the banks 
 of fair- flowing Pactolus 2 swans lift up their melody, and the 
 dewy meadow echoes around, and the river's fair streams ; 
 even so those maidens, casting their golden tresses in the 
 dust, wailed the livelong night a piteous lament. And all, 
 then and there, would have vanished from among the 
 living, out of the ken of mortal men, yea, those chosen 
 heroes on their aimless quest, had not the heroines, 3 who 
 watch o'er Libya, pitied them hopelessly wasting away; 
 these be the goddesses, who erst, when Athene sprang 
 in bright armour from her father's head, 4 met her at the 
 waters of Triton and bathed her. 'Twas noon, and terribly 
 the sun's piercing rays were scorching Libya ; when lo ! 
 they stood beside the son of <3<]son, and lightly drew his 
 
 1 dic/jirivoi, with accent proparoxytone = fasting, must be carefully 
 distinguished from aKfirivoi = full-grown. The derivation of the first 
 is uncertain ; the latter is from ae/ijj. 
 
 * A river in Lydia whose waters were said to flow with gold, from 
 the large amount of it washed down in the sand. 
 
 3 Apparently these are demi-goddesses or tutelary deities of the 
 country, who watch over Libya, and are honoured there with divine 
 rites. 
 
 * (K iraTpbf K{(f*&TJ. The legend was that Zeus, being troubled with 
 severe pains in his head, sent for Hephaestus, who with a blow of his 
 hammer cleft open the skull of Zeus, whence issued Athene, full-grown 
 and in full armour.
 
 L. 1288-1340.] THE ABGONAUTICA. 193 
 
 mantle from his head. But lie cast down his eyes and 
 looked aside, in reverence for the goddesses. And they 
 with gentle words spake unto him alone openly in his 
 affliction, " Poor wretch ! why art thou so cast down ? We 
 know ye went in quest of the golden fleece ; we know each 
 toil of yours, all the wondrous things that ye have done in 
 your wanderings o'er land and sea. We are the goddesses 
 of this land ; here tend we sheep, 1 and speak the speech of 
 men ; heroines we, daughters of Libya and warders of her 
 land. Up now ; no longer be so disquieted with grief, and 
 rouse 'thy comrades. But mark, when Amphitrite doth 
 loose anon the smooth-running car of Poseidon ; in that 
 very hour make recompense to your mother 2 for all her 
 travail in bearing you so long time in her womb ; and so 
 shall ye yet return to holy Achsea." 
 
 So spake they, and forthwith vanished from their place, 
 as their words died away. But Jason sat up on the 
 ground and looked about him, and thus spake he : " Be 
 gracious, noble goddesses, who dwell in this wilderness, 
 but I understand not very clearly what ye said about our 
 return. Verily I will gather my crew together and tell 
 them all, if haply we can find somewhat that points to 
 our escape; for the wisdom of many is better than the 
 wisdom of one." 
 
 Therewith he sprang up and cried aloud to his com- 
 rades, all squalid with dust, like a lion, who roars as he 
 seeks his mate through the woodland; and the glens in 
 the mountains far away tremble at his deep voice ; and 
 oxen in the field and they that herd them shudder horribly 
 
 1 oioTroXot, probably derived from oif, iroXftv, i.e. tenders of sheep, 
 cf. 1. 1411, infra. Another derivation is from oloj, TrtXo/tat = being 
 alone, solitary. The word is found in both significations, but the first 
 meaning suits the context of Apollonius best. 
 
 2 The ship which had carried them so long like a mother in her 
 womb. 
 
 O
 
 194 APOLLONIUS EHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 with fear. Yet had his voice nought to make them shud- 
 der, friend calling unto friends. So they gathered near 
 him with downcast looks, and he made them sit down in 
 their sorrow nigh to where the ship lay, together with 
 the women, 1 and made harangue, declaring each thing: 
 " Friends, hearken ; there stood above my head, very nigh 
 to me, as I lay grieving, three goddesses, girt in goat- 
 skins from the neck above about the back and waist, like 
 maidens ; and with light hand they drew aside my robe 
 and uncovered my head, bidding me rise up myself, and 
 go rouse you ; and they bid us pay bounteous recom- 
 pense unto our mother for all her travail in carrying us 
 this long time in her womb, whenso Amphitrite shall 
 loose the smooth-running car of Poseidon. Now I cannot 
 wholly understand this message divine. They said, in- 
 deed, that they were heroines, daughters of Libya and 
 warders of her land. Yea, and they declared that full well 
 they knew everything that we ourselves had endured ere 
 this on land and sea. Then I saw them no more in their 
 place, but some mist or cloud came betwixt us and veiled 
 their brightness." 
 
 So spake he, and they were all astonied as they lis- 
 tened. Then came unto the Minyae this wonder passing 
 strange.' From out the sea toward the land leapt forth a 
 monster horse ; a mighty 2 steed was he, with mane of gold 
 floating in the wind; lightly he spurned the salt foam 
 from his legs and started on his course with legs that 
 matched the wind. Then up spake Peleus with a cry of 
 joy among his comrades gathered there : " Verily I do 
 
 1 i.e. Medea and her twelve Phseacian handmaids, given her by 
 Arete. 
 
 2 ap(t>iXa<pt)c either = " vast, huge," its usual meaning in Herodotus, 
 or " having hair on both sides," i.e. " shaggy." Probably the former, 
 as the mane of the horse is also definitely mentioned, and to add another 
 similar epithet would be redundant.
 
 I,. 1341-1395.] THE ARGONATJTICA. 195 
 
 think that Poseidon's chariot hath already been loosed by 
 the hands of his dear wife, and I deem that our mother is 
 no other than the ship herself ; for surely she doth bear 
 us in her womb and groaneth unceasingly in hard travail. 
 Come, we will lift her up with unshaken might and tireless 
 shoulders and carry her within this sandy country, whither 
 yon swift steed is gone before us. For he, brave beast, 
 will not plunge beneath the dry ground, and I trow his 
 tracks will show us some bay of the sea far inland." 
 
 So spake he ; and his ready counsel pleased them all. 
 This is the tale the Muses told ; and I, the servant of the 
 Pierian maidens, do sing it ; and this is what I heard 
 in all honesty, that ye, brave sons of kings, exceeding 
 bold, did lift your ship and all ye took therein high 
 upon your shoulders and carried her in your might and 
 manhood o'er the desert sandhills of Libya twelve whole 
 days and as many nights. Yet who can tell the pain and 
 anguish these men endured in that toil ? Surely they were 
 of the blood of the immortals, so great was the work they 
 took upon them under the stress of need. Now when they 
 had carried her right gladly far to the waters of the lake 
 Tritonis, 1 straightway they waded in and set her down from 
 their stalwart shoulders. 
 
 Then like hounds, mad with thirst, they darted forth to 
 find a spring ; for to their misery and suffering was added 
 parching drought. But not in vain did they wander ; and 
 they came to the sacred plain,'where but yesterday Ladon, 2 
 
 1 A lake in Libya. 
 
 * Ladon was the huge serpent which guarded the apples of the Hes- 
 perides, and was slain by Heracles a few days before the arrival of the 
 Argonauts in Libya. The Hesperides were nymphs, daughters of 
 Phorcus and Ceto, who ministered to the wants of the guardian snake. 
 On the appearance of the Argonauts they changed into dust and ashes, 
 until Orpheus besought their aid, when they resumed their original 
 forms under the names Hespere, Erytheis, arid ./Egle, and showed the 
 Argonauts where to find water.
 
 196 APOLLONIUS BHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 a serpent of that land, did guard the golden apples in the 
 place of 'Atlas, while about him the Hesperides used to 
 busy themselves, singing their lovely song. But now, lo ! 
 he was fallen against the trunk of the apple-tree from the 
 wound that Heracles had given him ; only with the tip of 
 his tail was he still writhing, but from his head unto the 
 end of his dark spine lifeless he lay ; and where the arrows 
 had left their bitter gall in the blood of the Lernaean snake 
 flies were busy at his festering wounds. And near him 
 the Hesperides raised their loud lament, their fair white 
 arms clasped about their golden hair ; when on a sudden 
 came the heroes nigh to them, and lo ! at once those maidens 
 turned, as they stood, to dust and ashes, even while the 
 men came hasting on. But Orpheus was ware of the 
 divine marvel, and for his comrades' sake he lifted up a 
 prayer to the maidens: "Ye queens divine, so fair and 
 kind, be gracious, whether ye are counted amongst the 
 goddesses of heaven, or those of earth, or are called the 
 nymphs that tend the sheep-fold ; come, maidens, holy 
 race of Oceanus, appear to us face to face, and show us at 
 our desire some fount of water gushing from the rock, or 
 some holy stream bubbling up from the earth, whereat, 
 goddesses, to quench the thirst, that parches us un- 
 ceasingly. And if we come again some day o'er the sea to 
 the land of Achsea, then will we offer you gladly countless 
 gifts amongst the first of goddesses, with drink-offerings 
 and rich feasts." 
 
 So prayed he aloud ; and the goddesses from their sta- 
 tion nigh had pity on their suffering, and first of all they 
 made grass spring up from the earth, and above the grass 
 tall shoots sprang up ; and next young trees in bloom shot 
 high o'er the ground and stood upright. Hespere became 
 a poplar, Erytheis an elm, and JEgle a willow with sacred 
 trunk. And from these trees their forms looked out, even 
 as they were before, a wonder passing strange ; then spake
 
 L. 1396-1459.] THE A.RGONAUTICA. 197 
 
 to their longing ears a gentle answer, " Yea, verily 
 there hath come hither one that can succour your troubles 
 full well, that man accursed, 1 who robbed our guardian 
 snake of life, and is gone taking with him the golden 
 apples of the goddesses ; and grievous woe is left to us. 
 Yestreen there came a man, a very fiend in form and 
 wanton violence ; his eyes gleamed from under his grim 2 
 forehead ; a ruthless wretch ; and he was girt about with 
 the skin of a huge lion, rough and untanned, and he bare 
 a heavy bough of olive, and a bow, wherewith he shot to 
 death yon monster-snake. And he too came all parched with 
 thirst, as a wayfarer might ; and wildly he rushed about 
 this place in quest of water, but none was he likely to see, 
 I trow. Now here stood a rock nigh to the lake Tritonis, 
 which he, strong giant, smote with his foot below, on pur- 
 pose or mayhap by some god's prompting; and yonder 
 spring gushed out at once. Then did he, sprawling with 
 hands and chest upon the ground, drink a mighty draught 
 from the cleft in the rock, till, like a beast with head 
 thrown forward, he had filled his deep belly." 
 
 So spake she ; and gladly they hasted with joyful steps, 
 until they found the spot where ^Egle had told them of 
 the spring. As when burrowing ants crawl in swarms 
 about a narrow hole, or as when flies, lighting about a 
 tiny drop of sweet honey, do throng there in terrible 
 eagerness ; even so the Minyse then were thronging around 
 the spring in the rock ; and thus would one say in his 
 gladness as he moistened his lips, " Lo ! you now ; in very 
 sooth, Heracles, though far away, hath saved his comrades 
 dying of thirst. Aye, would that we might find him on 
 his way, as we pass through the mainland ! " 
 
 Therewith, when such as were ready for this work, 
 
 1 i.e. Heracles, who had slain the snake. 
 
 2 /3\offvpoG, a word of uncertain etymology with two meanings, 
 (1) grim, stern, (2) burly, manly.
 
 198 AfOLLONIUS BHODIITS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 had answered ; they started up and parted, hither and 
 thither, to search ; for on the night- wind a sound of steps 
 had come rolling to their ears, as the sand was stirred. 
 Forth sped the two sons of Boreas, trusting to their wings ; 
 and Euphemus, relying on his fleetness of foot ; and 
 Lynceus too, to cast his keen glance far and wide ; and 
 yet a fifth hurried to their side, even Canthus. Him, I 
 trow, did heaven's high will and his brave soul send forth 
 upon that journey, that he might learn for certain from 
 Heracles, where he had left Polyphemus, son of Elatus ; 
 for he was minded to question him on every point about 
 his comrade. But Polyphemus had founded a famous 
 town among the Mysians, and then, anxious to return, had 
 gone in quest of Argo afar across the mainland ; and he 
 came meantime to the land of the Chalybes, that live 
 beside the sea ; there did his fate o'ertake him. And his 
 tomb lieth beneath a tall poplar, facing the sea, a little 
 space therefrom. But now Lynceus thought he saw 
 Heracles alone, far away over the boundless shore, just as 
 a man seeth, or thinks he seeth, the new moon through a 
 mist. So he came, and told his companions, that no one 
 could ever track him further and o'ertake ' him on his way ; 
 and back those others also came, Euphemus, fleet of foot, 
 and the two sons of Thracian Boreas, after fruitless toil. 
 
 But on thee, Canthus, fate laid her deadly hold. Thou 
 didst come upon flocks at pasture ; but the man that did 
 shepherd them slew thee with the blow of a stone for sake 
 of his sheep to prevent thee from carrying them off to thy 
 needy comrades ; for Caphaurus was no feeble foe, that 
 grandson of Lycorean 2 Phoebus, and of the chaste maid 
 Acacallis, the daughter whom Minos on a day did bring to 
 
 1 fjifi . . . Ki\r}aifitv, i.e. no one would overtake him now at that 
 distance. 
 
 8 AvKwpttoto = AtX^DcoC, for the Delphians were originally called 
 Lycorians, from Lycoreia, a town in the neighbourhood of Delphi.
 
 L. 1460-1514.] THE ABGONAUTICA. 199 
 
 dwell in Libya, bearing in her womb a heavy load l from 
 the god ; and she bare a noble son to Phoebus, whom men 
 call Amphithemis, or Garamas. And Amphithemis in his 
 turn lay with a Tritonian nymph, who bare to him Nasa- 
 mon and strong Caphaurus ; he it was, who now slew 
 Canthus, in defence of his sheep. Yet was not he, strong 
 warrior, to escape the stern hands of the heroes, when they 
 learnt what he had done. For the Minyse, when they 
 knew it, took up his corpse and brought it back and buried 
 him ; but those sheep the heroes took unto themselves, 
 mourning the while. 
 
 There too upon the self -same day relentless Fate laid her 
 hand upon Mopsus, son of Ampycus, nor could his divina- 
 tion save him from his bitter doom. For there is no way 
 to hinder death. Now there was lying on the sand a fear- 
 some snake, seeking to avoid the noontide heat, too sluggish 
 indeed purposely to wound an unwitting foe, nor yet would 
 it have darted at one who shrunk from meeting it. But 
 on whomsoever it once should dart its black venom of all 
 living creatures that have breath, whom Earth the life- 
 giver doth nurture, for him is his road to Hades not so 
 much as a span long ; no, not even if the healing god 2 
 should be his leech (if I may speak openly), when that 
 snake hath but grazed him with its fangs. For when god- 
 like Perseus, whom his mother also called Eurymedon, 
 flew over Libya, carrying to king Polydectes the Gorgon's 
 head just severed, 3 all the drops of dark blood, that fell to 
 
 1 ia>na, by syncope for Kvq/jia. 
 
 * nairjwv, Ionic for Tlaiav, the physician of the gods. Later the 
 name was transferred to Apollo, who was invoked by the cry if]u 
 Jlaidv. 
 
 3 Perseus, called also Eurymedon, was commanded by Polydectes, 
 king of Seriphos, to bring to him the head of Medusa the Gorgon, 
 which had the power of turning all who gazed on it into stone. Perseus, 
 however, by the aid of Hermes and Athene, who gave him winged 
 sandals, a cap to render him invisible, and a bright shield in which he
 
 200 APOLLONIUS BHODItJS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 the ground, did breed a race of those serpents. Now Mopsus 
 trod upon the reptile's back with the sole of his left foot ; 
 but the snake, writhing round in pain, bit and tore the 
 flesh 'twixt his shin and calf. And Medea and the other 
 women, her handmaids, fled in terror ; but he bravely 
 handled the bleeding wound, for it did not vex him very 
 much, poor wretch ! Verily even now beneath the skin a 
 lethargy, that looseth the limbs, was spreading, and o'er 
 his eyes fell a thick mist. Anon his heavy limbs sank 
 upon the ground, and he grew cold and helpless ; and his 
 comrades gathered round him, and the hero son of JSson, 
 sore dismayed at this chain of disasters. Not even, when 
 dead, might he lie ever so short a time in the sun ; for the 
 venom at once began to rot the flesh within, and the hair 
 decayed and fell from the skin. So, quickly and in haste, 
 they dug a deep grave with brazen picks ; and themselves 
 and the maidens likewise tore their hair, bewailing the 
 dead man's piteous fate ; and thrice, in harness clad, they 
 marched round him, when he had gotten his fair meed of 
 burial ; and then heaped up the earth above him. 
 
 But when they were gone aboard, for the south wind 
 blew across the sea, and were determined to go on their 
 way across the lake Tritonis, no longer had they any plan, 
 and so were driven at random the livelong day. As a 
 serpent creeps along his crooked path, when the sun's 
 piercing heat doth scorch him, and twists his head from 
 side to side, hissing the while, and his eyes withal flash 
 like sparks of fire in his fury, till he hath crept to his 
 
 might see the Gorgon's reflection without meeting the monster face to 
 face and so being turned into stone, accomplished his quest. Then he 
 brought the head to Polydectes, and turned him and his people into 
 stone, because they had formerly refused him hospitality. After this, 
 Athene took the head, and placed it as a blazon on her shield. Legend 
 said that as Perseus flew over Libya with his spoil, the blood which 
 fell from the freshly -severed head turned into the most venomous 
 serpents.
 
 L. 1515-1573.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 201 
 
 hole through a cleft ; even so Argo long time was busy 
 seeking an outlet for ships from the lake. Anon Orpheus 
 bade bring out from the hold Apollo's mighty tripod, and 
 set it up before the gods of that land to be a propitiation 
 for their return. So they went and set up on the shore 
 the gift of Phoebus, and mighty Triton met them in the 
 semblance of a young man, and taking up a clod of earth 
 he offered it unto the chieftains as a stranger's gift with 
 these words, " Take this, good friends ; for no great gift have 
 I here by me to give to strangers at their request. But if ye 
 desire to know aught of the ways of this sea, as men oft 
 crave, when voyaging over strange waters, I will tell you. 
 For lo ! my father Poseidon made me very knowing in this 
 sea, and I am king of the sea-coast, if haply in your distant 
 home ye ever hear of Eurypylus, 1 born in Libya, home of 
 wild beasts." 
 
 So spake he ; and gladly Euphemus held out his hands 
 for the clod, and thus addressed him in reply, " Hero, if 
 haply thou knowest aught of Apis 2 and the sea of Minos, 
 tell us truly at our asking. For hither we are come, not of 
 our own will ; but, brought nigh to the bounds of this 
 land by tempestuous winds, we did carry our ship shoulder- 
 high to the waters of this lake across the mainland, groan- 
 ing 'neath the weight ; but we know not at all, where lies 
 the route for coming to the land of Pelops." 
 
 So spake he ; and the other stretched out his hand and 
 showed them far away the sea and the lake's deep mouth, 
 and thus he said, " Lo ! yonder is the outlet to the sea, just 
 where the deep water lies black and still, and on either side 
 white breakers seethe 3 with crests transparent ; betwixt the 
 
 1 Son of Poseidon and Celaeno, king of Gyrene in Libya. 
 
 2 An island off Crete, i. e. Mare Creticum, so called from Minos, a 
 legendary king of Crete, who had put down piracy and organized a naval 
 supremacy. 
 
 3 <f>p'uroovffi, etym. <f>pi%, i.e. the ruffling of a smooth surface the
 
 202 APOLLONIU8 EHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 breakers there is l your course, a narrow one to sail outside. 
 And yonder sea, that spreads to the horizon, 2 reaches above 
 Crete to the sacred land of Pelops ; but steer 3 toward the 
 right hand when ye enter the gulf of sea from the lake, keep- 
 ing close the while along the shore, till it extends inland ; 
 but when the coast-line bends the other way, then your 
 course lies safe and straight before you, starting from that 
 projecting angle. Now go in joy ; and as for toil let none 
 repine that limbs, still in their youthful vigour, have to 
 toil." 
 
 So spake he with good will ; and they went aboarcTquickly, 
 eager to row out from the lake. And on they sped in 
 their haste ; but he meantime, even Triton, took up the 
 mighty tripod and was seen to enter the lake, but after 
 that no man saw him, how he vanished so near them, 
 tripod and all. And their heart was cheered, for that one 
 of the blessed gods had met them in kindly mood. And 
 they bade the son of ^Eson offer in his honour the choicest 
 of their remaining sheep, and raise the song of praise, 
 when he had taken him. Quickly that hero chose him 
 out with haste, and, having taken him up to the stern, 
 there sacrificed him, and prayed, " God, who didst appear 
 upon the bounds of this lake, whether the daughters of 
 
 ruffling or ripple caused by a gust of wind sweeping over a smooth sea. 
 Qpiffotiv is also used of any rough appearance (cf. Lat horrescere), e.g. 
 of corn-fields, of a body of spearmen. Hence the meaning " to shudder 
 with fear, to dread a person," also " to thrill " with strong emotion, 
 e.g. i(f>pi' ifxitn. 
 
 1 TtXiGti merely = lari. 
 
 3 vTHitptov, i.e. with nothing but sky around : you lose sight of the 
 land altogether. 
 
 3 After leaving the Tritonian lake and making the sea, they are to 
 coast closely along the shore till they come to a gulf; then sail across 
 its mouth to a headland opposite ; after which they can make a straight 
 course across the ^Egaean. (A glance at a map will best explain the 
 directions here given ; they seem fairly accurate, and are not difficult to 
 identify.)
 
 -L. 1574-1621.] THE AKOONATJTICA. 203 
 
 ocean 1 call thee Triton, wonder of the deep, or Phorcys, or 
 Nereus, be favourable and grant the accomplishment of 
 our return, as we desire." 
 
 Therewith and as he prayed, he cut the throat of the 
 sheep and cast him from the stern into the water. And 
 lo ! the god appeared from out the deep in his own true 
 form. As when a man will train a fleet horse for the 
 wide race-course, holding the obedient creature by his 
 bushy mane, and running the while beside him, and the 
 horse, with proud arching neck, follows his guide, and in 
 his mouth the bright bit rattles in answer as he champs it 
 this way and that ; even so that strong god laid his hand 
 on the keel of hollow Argo and guided her seaward. Now 
 from the top of his head and about his back and waist as 
 far as the belly, he was wondrous like the blessed gods in 
 form ; but below the loins stretched the tail of a sea- 
 monster, forked this way and that, and with the spines 
 thereof he cleft the surface of the water, for these parted 
 below into two curved fins, like to the horns of the moon. 
 On he led the ship, till he brought her on her way into the 
 sea, and then suddenly he plunged beneath the mighty 
 depths ; and those heroes cried out, when they saw the 
 strange marvel with their eyes. There is the harbour of 
 Argo, and signs 2 left by the ship, and altars to Poseidon 
 and Triton ; for they stopped there that day. But at dawn 
 they set sail, keeping that desert land upon the right ; and 
 
 1 aXoffvSvcu, " children of the sea," a name mostly applied to Thetis 
 and Amphitrite. Etym. a\c ii^vjjc,-. 
 
 2 It is not clear what these signs were, possibly a pictorial design, or 
 a model of the ship, or some ship implement such as an oar, set up to 
 commemorate the coming of Argo to the place. We have frequent 
 mention made of ar\pa.ra. placed on the barrows of heroes' tombs, gene- 
 rally their weapons, or something that they prized in life, which should 
 tell their story to future ages. The phrase tr/j/wira vr\6^ occurs supra 
 1. 552, where possibly it means either the flag of Argo or her figure- 
 head.
 
 204 APOLLONIUS BHODITIS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 on they sped before the breath of the west wind. And on 
 the next morning they saw a projecting tongue of land 
 and an inland sea lying beyond it. Anon the west wind 
 ceased, and the breath of the clear south came on, and 
 they were glad at heart for the wind. But when the sun 
 sank, and rose the star, that bids the shepherd fold l and 
 stays the ploughman from his toil ; in that hour of pitchy 
 night the wind fell ; so they furled the sails and stooped 
 the tall mast, and took to their polished oars lustily all 
 night and day and the next night as well. And in the 
 distance craggy Carpathus 2 welcomed them ; thence were 
 they, strong rowers, soon to cross to Crete, which standeth 
 out above all other isles upon the sea. 
 
 But brazen Talos prevented them from mooring, when 
 they came to the roadstead of the Dictaean haven, by 
 breaking off rocks from the hard cliff. He was a descen- 
 dant of the brazen stock of men, who sprung from ash 
 trees, 3 ranking among demi-gods ; him the son of Cronos 
 gave to Europa, to be the warder of the island of Crete, 
 whereabouts he roameth with those brazen feet. Now 
 truly he is made of brass, unbreakable, in his limbs and 
 all the rest of his body ; only beneath the tendon by the 
 ancle was a vein 4 of blood, and thin was the skin that 
 
 avXiof, i.e. Hesperus, the evening star, aviiravatv oi 
 The adjective is perhaps predicative, so that the expression means 
 '' stays the ploughman from being wretched," i.e. by ending his toil. 
 a KapvaBoQ, one of the Sporades, not far from Cos. 
 
 3 After the golden age and the silver age came the brazen age. The 
 race of men then born were so hard, says Hesiod, that they were said 
 to have sprung from ash-trees (fieXia ylyvofiai). To this age belonged 
 Talos, the brazen giant who kept guard over Crete, and was absolutely 
 invulnerable save in one spot, where a vein of blood near the ancle held 
 all that was mortal in him. 
 
 4 m>piy is anything shaped like a pipe ; here a vein, o, Ionic for 
 t>C, demonstr. pronoun. The o XtTrroc iifiijv is only an expansion of 
 trvpiyZ, i.e. that one vein with its thin covering of skin held the issues of 
 life and death.
 
 L. 1622-1672.] THE AKGONAUTICA. 205 
 
 covered it with its issues of life and death. So the heroes, 
 though sore foredone with toil, quickly backed from the 
 land in grievous fear. And now would they have got them, 
 far from Crete sorrowfully, suffering both from thirst and 
 pain, had not Medea hailed them as they drew away : 
 " Hearken to me. For methinks I can by myself master 
 yon man for you, whoever he is, even though he hath his 
 body all of brass, seeing that his life is not to last for ever. 
 But keep the ship here, nothing loth, out of stone-throw, 1 
 till he yield himself my victim." 
 
 Thus spake she, and they held the ship out of range, 
 waiting to see what plan she would bring to work unex- 
 pectedly. Then did she wrap the folds of a dark cloak 
 about both her cheeks and went upon the deck ; and the 
 son of jEson, taking her hand in his, guided her steps 
 along the benches. Then did she make use of witching 
 spells, invoking the goddesses of death, 2 that gnaw the 
 heart, the fleet hounds of Hades, who hover all through 
 the air and settle on living men. Thrice with spells she 
 invoked their aid with suppliant voice, and thrice with 
 prayers; and, having framed her mind to evil, she be- 
 witched 3 the sight of brazen Talos with her hostile glance,, 
 and against him she gnashed 4 grievous fury and sent forth 
 fearful phantoms in the hotness of her rage. 
 
 father Zeus, verily my heart within me is moved with 
 amaze to see, how death o'ertakes us not merely by disease 
 
 1 pwj. ipwjj = any quick violent motion, e.g. the flight of a spear 
 and, as here, the rush of a missile stone. 
 
 2 K>jpa. Kjjp is the goddess of fate or death, usually employed in 
 the plural, for there were three Kijpf in ancient mythology, who ap- 
 peared to men on the eve of their death. 
 
 3 ifiiyrjptv b-jruitaQ literally := grudged him the sight of his eyes, so 
 that he was unable to see where he was going. 
 
 4 Ttpliv xo\ov, i.e. gnashed her teeth in her fury against Talos. Cf. 
 Lat. " stridere (or) frendere dentibus." vpita literally = " I saw, cut 
 in twain."
 
 206 APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 and wounds, but lo ! even from a distance a man may 
 harass us ; just as that giant, for all his brazen frame, 
 yielded himself a victim to the might of Medea, the 
 sorceress ; for, as he did heave great heavy stones to pre- 
 vent their coming to the haven, he scratched his ancle 
 against a sharp point of rock, and forth gushed the stream 
 of life like molten lead, nor could he stand any longer on 
 his pinnacle of jutting rock. But like some towering pine, 
 high on the hills, which wood-cutters have left half-cleft by 
 their sharp axes, when they came down from the wood ; at 
 first it quivers in the blast at night, then at last it snaps at 
 the bottom and falls ; even so that mighty giant stood 
 towering there awhile upright on his tireless feet, then fell 
 at last with mighty crash, a strengthless mass. So then 
 the heroes spent that night after all in Crete ; and after 
 that, just as dawn was growing bright, they built a temple 
 to Minoan Athene, and drew water and embarked, that 
 they might row as soon as possible beyond the headland of 
 Salmoneus. 1 
 
 Anon, as they were hasting o'er the wide gulf of Crete, 
 night scared them, that night men call " the shroud of 
 gloom." No stars nor any ray of the moon pierced through 
 its horror ; but it was black chaos come from heaven, or 
 haply thick gloom rising from the nethermost abyss. And 
 they knew not so much as whether they were drifting into 
 Hades or along the water, but to the sea they committed 
 their return, not knowing whither it would carry them. 
 Then Jason, with uplifted hands, cried aloud to Phoebus, 
 calling on him to save, and his tears ran down in his dis- 
 tress ; and he promised he would bring great store of gifts 
 to Pytho 2 and to Amyclae, and likewise to Ortygia. Lightly 
 didst thou come, son of Latona, from heaven, in ready re- 
 sponse, unto the rocks of Melas, which lie there in the sea, 
 
 1 A promontory of Crete. 
 
 3 Pytho, Amyclae, and Ortygia are various seats of Apollo's worship.
 
 L. 1673-1738.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 207 
 
 and on the top of one of the twin peaks thou didst settle, 
 holding thy golden bow on high in thy right hand ; and 
 the bow flashed a dazzling radiance all around. Then a 
 little island l of the Sporades appeared in sight of them , 
 fronting the tiny isle of Hippuris ; and there they cast 
 anchor and waited. Anon the dawn arose and showed his 
 light, and they made for Apollo a noble enclosure and an 
 altar, with trees above, in a shady grove, calling Phoebus 
 " radiant god " because of his far-seen radiance ; and the 
 bare isle called they "isle of appearing," for that Phcebus 
 did there appear to them at their sore need. And they 
 offered all that men can find to offer on a barren strand ; 
 and so it was that when Medea's Phaeacian damsels saw 
 them pouring libations of water on the blazing brands, 
 they could no longer keep back their laughter in their 
 breasts, for they had ever seen oxen in plenty slain in the 
 halls of Alcinous. But the heroes, glad at their jesting, 
 scoffed at them with words of abuse ; and among them 
 rose the merry sound of taunting gibe and raillery ; and 
 from that sport of the heroes the women do strive on this 
 wise with the men in the island, when they will appease 
 with sacrifice Apollo, " god of radiance," champion of his 
 " isle of appearing." 
 
 But when they had loosed their cables thence in calm 
 weather, then did Euphemus remember a vision he saw in 
 the night, in awe of the famous son of Maia ; 2 for it seemed 
 to him that that strange clod, held in the palm of his 
 hand, was being suckled at his breast with white streams 
 of milk ; and out of the clod, little though it was, grew a 
 woman, like to a virgin ; and he, o'ercome by strong desire, 
 lay with her in love's embrace ; but in the act he pitied 
 her as though she were a maiden, whom himself was feed- 
 ing with his milk ; but she comforted him with soothing 
 
 1 A little island called Anaphe, near Thera. 
 
 2 Hermes was the god who sent visions to men.
 
 208 APOLLONIUS KHODIUS. [BOOK IV. 
 
 words : " Dear husband, I am the daughter of Triton, thy 
 children's nurse, no maiden I ; for Triton and Libya are 
 my parents. But give me back to the maidens of Nereus, 
 to dwell within the deep nigh to ' the isle of appearing ' ; 
 and I will come back again to the sun-light, ready to help 
 thy children." l 
 
 Of this vision Euphemus now minded him, and he told 
 it to the son of yEson ; and he, when he had pondered 
 awhile the oracles of Hecatus, uttered his voice, and said : 
 " Lo ! you now ; verily there hath fallen to thee a great 
 and glorious fame. For of yon clod the gods will make an 
 island for thee, when thou hast cast it into the sea, where 
 thy children's children in days to come shall dwell ; for 
 Triton did vouchsafe to thee this clod of the Libyan main- 
 land as a stranger's gift ; 'twas none other than he of the 
 immortals, who met us and gave thee this." 
 
 So spake he, and Euphemus made not light of the 
 answer of the son of JSson, but flung the clod into the 
 deep, cheered at the word of prophecy. Therefrom rose 
 the isle Calliste, 2 holy nurse of the children of Euphemus, 
 who at first dwelt some time in Sintean Lemnos, but, 
 being driven from Lemnos by Tyrsenians, they came to 
 Sparta as suppliants ; and, when they left Sparta, Theras, 
 goodly son of Autesion, brought them to the isle of Calliste, 
 and it took the name of Thera from him in exchange for 
 its own. But these things happened after the time of 
 Euphemus. 
 
 And when they were gone hence, they sailed steadily 
 through the boundless swell, and stopped at the beach of 
 jEgina. Here on a sudden arose an innocent strife among 
 them about the drawing of water, who should be first to 
 
 = Tticvoic, in which sense this word is always used by 
 Alexandrine writers. 
 
 3 The isle of Calliste, afterwards called Thera, from Theras, son of 
 Autesion. who colonized it from Sparta.
 
 L. 1739-1779.] THE ARGONAUTICA. 209 
 
 draw his jar, and get him to the ship again ; for need 
 and the ceaseless breeze hurried them alike. There, to 
 this day, 1 the young men of the Myrmidons take up full 
 jars upon their shoulders, and at once dart off to race 
 striving for the victory. 
 
 Be gracious, race of blessed chieftains ! and from year 
 to year may these songs be sweeter to sing to men ! For 
 now am I come unto the end of your glorious toils ; for 
 there was no further adventure ordained you as ye came 
 from ^Egina, nor did hurricanes rise against you, but 
 calmly ye coasted by the land of Cecrops and past Aulis, 
 in under Euboea and the towns of the Opuntian Locri, till 
 with gladness ye stept forth upon the strand of Pagasse. 
 
 1 !vO' m vvv, i.e. the custom is still observed amongst their 
 descendants.
 
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