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Table of contents
THE FORE WORD.
A GLIMPSE OF THE WORLD.
A VOYAGE ON THE SEA.
THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH.
THE SILVER-BOWED APOLLO.
THE KING OF CATTLE THIEVES.
TWO FAMOUS BOAR HUNTS.
AT OLD CHEIRON'S SCHOOL.
THE GOLDEN APPLE.
THE SWINEHERD.
THE SEA ROBBERS OF MESSENE.
THE BOW OF EURYTUS.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD.
A RACE FOR A WIFE.
HOW A GREAT HERO MET HIS MASTER.
LONG LIVE THE KING!
THE CHILDREN OF PROMETHEUS.
A CAUSE OF WAR.
AN UNWILLING HERO.
HEROES IN STRANGE GARB.
BECALMED AT AULIS.
THE LONG SIEGE.
THE FORE WORD.
You
have heard of Homer, and of the two wonderful poems, the Iliad and
the Odyssey, which bear his name. No one knows whether these poems
were composed by Homer, or whether they are the work of many
different poets. And, in fact, it matters very little about their
authorship. Everybody agrees that they are the grandest poems ever
sung or written or read in this world; and yet, how few persons,
comparatively, have read them, or know any thing about them except
at
second-hand! Homer commences his story, not at the beginning, but
"in
the midst of things;" hence, when one starts out to read the
Iliad without having made some special preparation beforehand, he
finds it hard to understand, and is tempted, in despair, to stop at
the end of the first book. Many people are, therefore, content to
admire the great masterpiece of poetry and story-telling simply
because others admire it, and not because they have any personal
acquaintance with it.Now,
it is not my purpose to give you a "simplified version" of
the Iliad or the Odyssey. There are already many such versions; but
the best way for you, or any one else, to read Homer, is
to read Homer. If
you do not understand Greek, you can read him in one of the many
English translations. You will find much of the spirit of the
original in the translations by Bryant, by Lord Derby, and by old
George Chapman, as well as in the admirable prose rendering by
Butcher and Lang; but you can get none of it in any so-called
simplified version.My
object in writing this "Story of the Golden Age" has been
to pave the way, if I dare say it, to an enjoyable reading of
Homer,
either in translations or in the original. I have taken the various
legends relating to the causes of the Trojan war, and, by assuming
certain privileges never yet denied to story-tellers, have woven
all
into one continuous narrative, ending where Homer's story begins.
The
hero of the Odyssey--a character not always to be admired or
commended--is my hero. And, in telling the story of his boyhood and
youth, I have taken the opportunity to repeat, for your enjoyment,
some of the most beautiful of the old Greek myths. If I have, now
and
then, given them a coloring slightly different from the original,
you
will remember that such is the right of the story-teller, the poet,
and the artist. The essential features of the stories remain
unchanged. I have, all along, drawn freely from the old tragedians,
and now and then from Homer himself; nor have I thought it
necessary
in every instance to mention authorities, or to apologize for an
occasional close imitation of some of the best translations. The
pictures of old Greek life have, in the main, been derived from the
Iliad and the Odyssey, and will, I hope, help you to a better
understanding of those poems when you come to make acquaintance
directly with them.Should
you become interested in the "Story of the Golden Age," as
it is here related, do not be disappointed by its somewhat abrupt
ending; for you will find it continued by the master-poet of all
ages, in a manner both inimitable and unapproachable. If you are
pleased with the discourse of the porter at the gate, how much
greater shall be your delight when you stand in the palace of the
king, and hearken to the song of the royal minstrel!
A GLIMPSE OF THE WORLD.
To
the simple-hearted folk who dwelt in that island three thousand
years
ago, there was never a sweeter spot than sea-girt Ithaca. Rocky and
rugged though it may have seemed, yet it was indeed a smiling land
embosomed in the laughing sea. There the air was always mild and
pure, and balmy with the breath of blossoms; the sun looked kindly
down from a cloudless sky, and storms seldom broke the quiet ripple
of the waters which bathed the shores of that island home. On every
side but one, the land rose straight up out of the deep sea to meet
the feet of craggy hills and mountains crowned with woods. Between
the heights were many narrow dells green with orchards; while the
gentler slopes were covered with vineyards, and the steeps above
them
gave pasturage to flocks of long-wooled sheep and mountain-climbing
goats.On
that side of the island which lay nearest the rising sun, there was
a
fine, deep harbor; for there the shore bent inward, and only a
narrow
neck of land lay between the eastern waters and the western sea.
Close on either side of this harbor arose two mountains, Neritus
and
Nereius, which stood like giant watchmen overlooking land and sea
and
warding harm away; and on the neck, midway between these mountains,
was the king's white palace, roomy and large, with blossoming
orchards to the right and the left, and broad lawns in front,
sloping
down to the water's edge.Here,
many hundreds of years ago, lived Laertes--a man of simple habits,
who thought his little island home a kingdom large enough, and
never
sighed for a greater. Not many men had seen so much of the world as
he; for he had been to Colchis with Jason and the Argonauts, and
his
feet had trod the streets of every city in Hellas. Yet in all his
wanderings he had seen no fairer land than rocky Ithaca. His eyes
had
been dazzled by the brightness of the Golden Fleece, and the kings
of
Argos and of Ilios had shown him the gold and gems of their
treasure-houses. Yet what cared he for wealth other than that which
his flocks and vineyards yielded him? There was hardly a day but
that
he might be seen in the fields guiding his plough, or training his
vines, or in his orchards pruning his trees, or gathering the
mellow
fruit. He had all the good gifts of life that any man needs; and
for
them he never failed to thank the great Giver, nor to render
praises
to the powers above. His queen, fair Anticleia, daughter of the
aged
chief Autolycus, was a true housewife, overseeing the maidens at
their tasks, busying herself with the distaff and the spindle, or
plying the shuttle at the loom; and many were the garments, rich
with
finest needlework, which her own fair fingers had fashioned.To
Laertes and Anticleia one child had been born,--a son, who, they
hoped, would live to bring renown to Ithaca. This boy, as he grew,
became strong in body and mind far beyond his playfellows; and
those
who knew him wondered at the shrewdness of his speech no less than
at
the strength and suppleness of his limbs. And yet he was small of
stature, and neither in face nor in figure was he adorned with any
of
Apollo's grace. On the day that he was twelve years old, he stood
with his tutor, the bard Phemius, on the top of Mount Neritus;
below
him, spread out like a great map, lay what was to him the whole
world. Northward, as far as his eyes could see, there were islands
great and small; and among them Phemius pointed out Taphos, the
home
of a sea-faring race, where Anchialus, chief of warriors, ruled.
Eastward were other isles, and the low-lying shores of Acarnania,
so
far away that they seemed mere lines of hazy green between the
purple
waters and the azure sky. Southward beyond Samos were the wooded
heights of Zacynthus, and the sea-paths which led to Pylos and
distant Crete. Westward was the great sea, stretching away and away
to the region of the setting sun; the watery kingdom of Poseidon,
full of strange beings and unknown dangers,--a sea upon which none
but the bravest mariners dared launch their ships.The
boy had often looked upon these scenes of beauty and mystery, but
to-day his heart was stirred with an unwonted feeling of awe and of
wonder at the greatness and grandeur of the world as it thus lay
around him. Tears filled his eyes as he turned to his tutor. "How
kind it was of the Being who made this pleasant earth, to set our
own
sunny Ithaca right in the centre of it, and to cover it all over
with
a blue dome like a tent! But tell me, do people live in all those
lands that we see? I know that there are men dwelling in Zacynthus
and in the little islands of the eastern sea; for their fishermen
often come to Ithaca, and I have talked with them. And I have heard
my father tell of his wonderful voyage to Colchis, which is in the
region of the rising sun; and my mother often speaks of her old
home
in Parnassus, which also is far away towards the dawn. Is it true
that there are men, women, and children, living in lands which we
cannot see? and do the great powers above us care for them as for
the
good people of Ithaca? And is there anywhere another king so great
as
my father Laertes, or another kingdom so rich and happy as
his?"Then
Phemius told the lad all about the land of the Hellenes beyond the
narrow sea; and, in the sand at their feet, he drew with a stick a
map of all the countries known to him.A
GLIMPSE OF THE WORLD.The
Map which Phemius drew in the Sand."We
cannot see half of the world from this spot," said the bard,
"neither is Ithaca the centre of it, as it seems to you. I will
draw a picture of it here in the sand, and show you where lies
every
land and every sea. Right here in the very centre," said he,
heaping up a pile of sand into the shape of a mountain,--"right
here in the very centre of the world is Mount Parnassus, the home
of
the Muses; and in its shadow is sacred Delphi, where stands
Apollo's
temple. South of Parnassus is the Bay of Crissa, sometimes called
the
Corinthian Gulf. The traveller who sails westwardly through those
waters will have on his right hand the pleasant hills and dales of
Ætolia and the wooded lands of Calydon; while on his left will rise
the rugged mountains of Achaia, and the gentler slopes of Elis.
Here
to the south of Elis are Messene, and sandy Pylos where godlike
Nestor and his aged father Neleus reign. Here, to the east, is
Arcadia, a land of green pastures and sweet contentment, unwashed
by
any sea; and next to it is Argolis,--rich in horses, but richest of
all in noble men,--and Lacedæmon in Laconia, famous for its
warriors
and its beautiful women. Far to the north of Parnassus is Mount
Olympus, the heaven-towering home of Zeus, and the place where the
gods and goddesses hold their councils."Then
Phemius, as he was often wont to do, began to put his words into
the
form of music; and he sang a song of the world as he supposed it to
be. He sang of Helios the Sun, and of his flaming chariot and his
four white steeds, and of the wonderful journey which he makes
every
day above the earth; and he sang of the snowy mountains of Caucasus
in the distant east; and of the gardens of the Hesperides even
farther to the westward; and of the land of the Hyperboreans, which
lies beyond the northern mountains; and of the sunny climes where
live the Ethiopians, the farthest distant of all earth's dwellers.
Then he sang of the flowing stream of Ocean which encircles all
lands
in its embrace; and, lastly, of the Islands of the Blest, where
fair-haired Rhadamanthus rules, and where there is neither snow nor
beating rains, but everlasting spring, and breezes balmy with the
breath of life."O
Phemius!" cried the boy, as the bard laid aside his harp, "I
never knew that the world was so large. Can it be that there are so
many countries and so many strange people beneath the same
sky?""Yes,"
answered Phemius, "the world is very broad, and our Ithaca is
but one of the smallest of a thousand lands upon which Helios
smiles,
as he makes his daily journey through the skies. It is not given to
one man to know all these lands; and happiest is he whose only care
is for his home, deeming it the centre around which the world is
built.""If
only the half of what you have told me be true," said the boy,
"I cannot rest until I have seen some of those strange lands,
and learned more about the wonderful beings which live in them. I
cannot bear to think of being always shut up within the narrow
bounds
of little Ithaca.""My
dear boy," said Phemius, laughing, "your mind has been
greatly changed within the past few moments, When we came here, a
little while ago, you thought that Neritus was the grandest
mountain
in the world, and that Ithaca was the centre round which the earth
was built. Then you were cheerful and contented; but now you are
restless and unhappy, because you have learned of possibilities
such
as, hitherto, you had not dreamed about. Your eyes have been opened
to see and to know the world as it is, and you are no longer
satisfied with that which Ithaca can give you.""But
why did you not tell me these things before?" asked the boy."It
was your mother's wish," answered the bard, "that you
should not know them until to-day. Do you remember what day this
is?""It
is my twelfth birthday. And I remember, too, that there was a
promise
made to my grandfather, that when I was twelve years old I should
visit him in his strong halls on Mount Parnassus. I mean to ask my
mother about it at once."And
without waiting for another word from Phemius, the lad ran
hurriedly
down the steep pathway, and was soon at the foot of the mountain.
Across the fields he hastened, and through the vineyards where the
vines, trained by his father's own hand, were already hanging heavy
with grapes. He found his mother in the inner hall, sitting before
the hearth, and twisting from her distaff threads of bright
sea-purple, while her maidens plied their tasks around her. He
knelt
upon the marble floor, and gently clasped his mother's
knees."Mother,"
he said, "I come to ask a long-promised boon of you.""What
is it, my son?" asked the queen, laying aside her distaff. "If
there be any thing in Ithaca that I can give you, you shall surely
have it.""I
want nothing in Ithaca," answered the boy; "I want to see
more of this great world than I ever yet have known. And now that I
am twelve years old, you surely will not forget the promise, long
since made, that I should spend the summer with my grandfather at
Parnassus. Let me go very soon, I pray; for I tire of this narrow
Ithaca."ODYSSEUS
AND HIS MOTHER.The
queen's eyes filled with tears as she answered, "You shall have
your wish, my son. The promise given both to you and to my father
must be fulfilled. For, when you were but a little babe, Autolycus
came to Ithaca. And one evening, as he feasted at your father's
table, your nurse, Dame Eurycleia, brought you into the hall, and
put
you into his arms. 'Give this dear babe, O king, a name,' said she.
'He is thy daughter's son, the heir to Ithaca's rich realm; and we
hope that he will live to make his name and thine
remembered.'"Then
Autolycus smiled, and gently dandled you upon his knees. 'My
daughter, and my daughter's lord,' said he, 'let this child's name
be
Odysseus; for he shall visit many lands and climes, and wander long
upon the tossing sea. Yet wheresoever the Fates may drive him, his
heart will ever turn to Ithaca his home. Call him by the name which
I
have given; and when his twelfth birthday shall have passed, send
him
to my strong halls in the shadow of Parnassus, where his mother in
her girlhood dwelt. Then I will share my riches with him, and send
him back to Ithaca rejoicing!' So spake my father, great Autolycus;
and before we arose from that feast, we pledged our word that it
should be with you even as he wished. And your name, Odysseus, has
every day recalled to mind that feast and our binding
words.""Oh
that I could go at once, dear mother!" said Odysseus, kissing
her tears away. "I would come home again very soon. I would stay
long enough to have the blessing of my kingly grandfather; I would
climb Parnassus, and listen to the sweet music of the Muses; I
would
drink one draught from the Castalian spring of which you have so
often told me; I would ramble one day among the groves and glens,
that perchance I might catch a glimpse of Apollo or of his huntress
sister Artemis; and then I would hasten back to Ithaca, and would
never leave you again.""My
son," then said Laertes, who had come unheard into the hall, and
had listened to the boy's earnest words,--"my son, you shall
have your wish, for I know that the Fates have ordered it so. We
have
long looked forward to this day, and for weeks past we have been
planning for your journey. My stanchest ship is ready to carry you
over the sea, and needs only to be launched into the bay. Twelve
strong oarsmen are sitting now upon the beach, waiting for orders
to
embark. To-morrow, with the bard Phemius as your friend and guide,
you may set forth on your voyage to Parnassus. Let us go down to
the
shore at once, and offer prayers to Poseidon, ruler of the sea,
that
he may grant you favoring winds and a happy voyage."Odysseus
kissed his mother again, and, turning, followed his father from the
hall.Then
Anticleia rose, and bade the maidens hasten to make ready the
evening
meal; but she herself went weeping to her own chamber, there to
choose the garments which her son should take with him upon his
journey. Warm robes of wool, and a broidered tunic which she with
her
own hands had spun and woven, she folded and laid with care in a
little wooden chest; and with them she placed many a little
comfort,
fruit and sweetmeats, such as she rightly deemed would please the
lad. Then when she had closed the lid, she threw a strong cord
around
the chest, and tied it firmly down. This done, she raised her eyes
towards heaven, and lifting up her hands, she prayed to Pallas
Athené:--"O
queen of the air and sky, hearken to my prayer, and help me lay
aside
the doubting fears which creep into my mind, and cause these tears
to
flow. For now my boy, unused to hardships, and knowing nothing of
the
world, is to be sent forth on a long and dangerous voyage. I
tremble
lest evil overtake him; but more I fear, that, with the lawless men
of my father's household, he shall forget his mother's teachings,
and
stray from the path of duty. Do thou, O queen, go with him as his
guide and guard, keep him from harm, and bring him safe again to
Ithaca and his loving mother's arms."Meanwhile
Laertes and the men of Ithaca stood upon the beach, and offered up
two choice oxen to Poseidon, ruler of the sea; and they prayed him
that he would vouchsafe favoring winds and quiet waters and a safe
journey to the bold voyagers who to-morrow would launch their ship
upon the deep. And when the sun began to sink low down in the west,
some sought their homes, and others went up to the king's white
palace to tarry until after the evening meal.Cheerful
was the feast; and as the merry jest went round, no one seemed more
free from care than King Laertes. And when all had eaten of the
food,
and had tasted of the red wine made from the king's own vintage,
the
bard Phemius arose, and tuned his harp, and sang many sweet and
wonderful songs. He sang of the beginning of things; of the
broad-breasted Earth, the mother of created beings; of the sky, and
the sea, and the mountains; of the mighty race of Titans,--giants
who
once ruled the earth; of great Atlas, who holds the sky-dome upon
his
shoulders; of Cronos and old Oceanus; of the war which for ten
years
raged on Mount Olympus, until Zeus hurled his unfeeling father
Cronos
from the throne, and seized the sceptre for himself.When
Phemius ended his singing, the guests withdrew from the hall, and
each went silently to his own home; and Odysseus, having kissed his
dear father and mother, went thoughtfully to his sleeping-room high
up above the great hall. With him went his nurse, Dame Eurycleia,
carrying the torches. She had been a princess once; but hard fate
and
cruel war had overthrown her father's kingdom, and had sent her
forth
a captive and a slave. Laertes had bought her of her captors for a
hundred oxen, and had given her a place of honor in his household
next to Anticleia. She loved Odysseus as she would love her own
dear
child; for, since his birth, she had nursed and cared for him. She
now, as was her wont, lighted him to his chamber; she laid back the
soft coverings of his bed; she smoothed the fleeces, and hung his
tunic within easy reach. Then with kind words of farewell for the
night, she quietly withdrew, and closed the door, and pulled the
thong outside which turned the fastening latch. Odysseus wrapped
himself among the fleeces of his bed, and soon was lost in
slumber.[1][1]
See
Note 1 at
the end of this volume.
A VOYAGE ON THE SEA.
Early the next morning, while yet
the dawn was waiting for the sun, Odysseus arose and hastened to
make ready for his journey. The little galley which was to carry
him across the sea had been already launched, and was floating
close to the shore; and the oarsmen stood upon the beach impatient
to begin the voyage. The sea-stores, and the little chest in which
the lad's wardrobe lay, were brought on board and placed beneath
the rowers' benches. The old men of Ithaca, and the boys and the
maidens, hurried down to the shore, that they might bid the
voyagers God-speed. Odysseus, when all was ready, spoke a few last
kind words to his mother and sage Laertes, and then with a swelling
heart went up the vessel's side, and sat down in the stern. And
Phemius the bard, holding his sweet-toned harp, followed him, and
took his place in the prow. Then the sailors loosed the moorings,
and went on board, and, sitting on the rowers' benches, wielded the
long oars; and the little vessel, driven by their well-timed
strokes, turned slowly about, and then glided smoothly across the
bay; and the eyes of all on shore were wet with tears as they
prayed the rulers of the air and the sea that the voyagers might
reach their wished-for port in safety, and in due time come back
unharmed to Ithaca.No sooner had the vessel reached the open sea, than Pallas
Athené sent after it a gentle west wind to urge it on its way. As
the soft breeze, laden with the perfumes of blossoming orchards,
stirred the water into rippling waves, Phemius bade the rowers lay
aside their oars, and hoist the sail. They heeded his behest, and
lifting high the slender mast, they bound it in its place; then
they stretched aloft the broad white sail, and the west wind caught
and filled it, and drove the little bark cheerily over the waves.
And the grateful crew sat down upon the benches, and with Odysseus
and Phemius the bard, they joined in offering heartfelt thanks to
Pallas Athené, who had so kindly prospered them. And by and by
Phemius played soft melodies on his harp, such as the sea-nymphs
liked to hear. And all that summer day the breezes whispered in the
rigging, and the white waves danced in the vessel's wake, and the
voyagers sped happily on their way.In the afternoon, when they had begun somewhat to tire of the
voyage, Phemius asked Odysseus what they should do to lighten the
passing hours."Tell us some story of the olden time," said Odysseus. And
the bard, who was never better pleased than when recounting some
wonderful tale, sat down in the midships, where the oarsmen could
readily hear him, and told the strange story of Phaethon, the rash
son of Helios Hyperion."Among the immortals who give good gifts to men, there is no
one more kind than Helios, the bestower of light and heat. Every
morning when the Dawn with her rosy fingers illumes the eastern
sky, good Helios rises from his golden couch, and from their
pasture calls his milk-white steeds. By name he calls
them,--"'Eos, Æthon, Bronté, Astrape!'"Each hears his master's voice, and comes obedient. Then
about their bright manes and his own yellow locks he twines wreaths
of sweet-smelling flowers,--amaranths and daffodils and asphodels
from the heavenly gardens. And the Hours come and harness the
steeds to the burning sun-car, and put the reins into Helios
Hyperion's hands. He mounts to his place, he speaks,--and the
winged team soars upward into the morning air; and all earth's
children awake, and give thanks to the ruler of the Sun for the new
day which smiles down upon them."Hour after hour, with steady hand, Helios guides his steeds;
and the flaming car is borne along the sun-road through the sky.
And when the day's work is done, and sable night comes creeping
over the earth, the steeds, the car, and the driver sink softly
down to the western Ocean's stream, where a golden vessel waits to
bear them back again, swiftly and unseen, to the dwelling of the
Sun in the east. There, under the home-roof, Helios greets his
mother and his wife and his dear children; and there he rests until
the Dawn again leaves old Ocean's bed, and blushing comes to bid
him journey forth anew."One son had Helios, Phaethon the Gleaming, and among the
children of men there was no one more fair. And the great heart of
Helios beat with love for his earth-child, and he gave him rich
gifts, and kept nothing from him."And Phaethon, as he grew up, became as proud as he was fair,
and wherever he went he boasted of his kinship to the Sun; and men
when they looked upon his matchless form and his radiant features
believed his words, and honored him as the heir of Helios Hyperion.
But one Epaphos, a son of Zeus, sneered."'Thou a child of Helios!' he said; 'what folly! Thou canst
show nothing wherewith to prove thy kinship, save thy fair face and
thy yellow hair; and there are many maidens in Hellas who have
those, and are as beautiful as thou. Manly grace and handsome
features are indeed the gifts of the gods; but it is by godlike
deeds alone that one can prove his kinship to the immortals. While
Helios Hyperion--thy father, as thou wouldst have it--guides his
chariot above the clouds, and showers blessings upon the earth,
what dost thou do? What, indeed, but dally with thy yellow locks,
and gaze upon thy costly clothing, while all the time thy feet are
in the dust, and the mire of the earth holds them fast? If thou
hast kinship with the gods, prove it by doing the deeds of the
gods! If thou art Helios Hyperion's son, guide for one day his
chariot through the skies.'"Thus spoke Epaphos. And the mind of Phaethon was filled with
lofty dreams; and, turning away from the taunting tempter, he
hastened to his father's house."Never-tiring Helios, with his steeds and car, had just
finished the course of another day; and with words of warmest love
he greeted his earth-born son."'Dear Phaethon,' he said, 'what errand brings thee hither at
this hour, when the sons of men find rest in slumber? Is there any
good gift that thou wouldst have? Say what it is, and it shall be
thine.'"And Phaethon wept. And he said, 'Father, there are those who
say that I am not thy son. Give me, I pray thee, a token whereby I
can prove my kinship to thee.'"And Helios answered, 'Mine it is to labor every day, and
short is the rest I have, that so earth's children may have light
and life. Yet tell me what token thou cravest, and I swear that I
will give it thee.'"'Father Helios,' said the youth, 'this is the token that I
ask: Let me sit in thy place to-morrow, and drive thy steeds along
the pathway of the skies.'"Then was the heart of Helios full sad, and he said to
Phaethon, 'My child, thou knowest not what thou askest. Thou art
not like the gods; and there lives no man who can drive my steeds,
or guide the sun-car through the skies. I pray thee ask some other
boon.'"But Phaethon would not."'I will have this boon or none. I will drive thy steeds
to-morrow, and thereby make proof of my birthright.'"Then Helios pleaded long with his son that he would not
aspire to deeds too great for weak man to undertake. But wayward
Phaethon would not hear. And when the Dawn peeped forth, and the
Hours harnessed the steeds to the car, his father sadly gave the
reins into his hands."'My love for thee cries out, "Refrain, refrain!" Yet for my
oath's sake, I grant thy wish.'"And he hid his face, and wept."And Phaethon leaped into the car, and lashed the steeds with
his whip. Up they sprang, and swift as a storm cloud they sped high
into the blue vault of heaven. For well did they know that an
unskilled hand held the reins, and proudly they scorned his
control."The haughty heart of Phaethon sank within him, and all his
courage failed; and the long reins dropped from his nerveless
grasp."'Glorious father,' he cried in agony, 'thy words were true.
Would that I had hearkened to thy warning, and obeyed!'"And the sun-steeds, mad with their new-gained freedom,
wildly careered in mid-heaven, and then plunged downward towards
the earth. Close to the peopled plains they dashed and soared,
dragging the car behind them. The parched earth smoked; the rivers
turned to vaporous clouds; the trees shook off their scorched
leaves and died; and men and beasts hid in the caves and rocky
clefts, and there perished with thirst and the unbearable
heat."'O Father Zeus!' prayed Mother Earth, 'send help to thy
children, or they perish through this man's presumptuous
folly!'"Then the Thunderer from his high seat hurled his dread
bolts, and unhappy Phaethon fell headlong from the car; and the
fire-breathing steeds, affrighted but obedient, hastened back to
the pastures of Helios on the shores of old Ocean's
stream."Phaethon fell into the river which men call Eridanos, and
his broken-hearted sisters wept for him; and as they stood upon the
banks and bewailed his unhappy fate, Father Zeus in pity changed
them into tall green poplars; and their tears, falling into the
river, were hardened into precious yellow amber. But the daughters
of Hesperus, through whose country this river flows, built for the
fair hero a marble tomb, close by the sounding sea. And they sang a
song about Phaethon, and said that although he had been hurled to
the earth by the thunderbolts of angry Zeus, yet he died not
without honor, for he had his heart set on the doing of great
deeds."As Phemius ended his story, Odysseus, who had been too intent
upon listening to look around him, raised his eyes and uttered a
cry of joy; for he saw that they had left the open sea behind them,
and were entering the long and narrow gulf between Achaia and the
Ætolian land. The oarsmen, who, too, had been earnest listeners,
sprang quickly to their places, and hastened to ply their long
oars; for now the breeze had begun to slacken, and the sail hung
limp and useless upon the ship's mast. Keeping close to the
northern shore they rounded capes and headlands, and skirted the
mouths of deep inlets, where Phemius said strange monsters often
lurked in wait for unwary or belated seafarers. But they passed all
these places safely, and saw no living creature, save some flocks
of sea-birds flying among the cliffs, and one lone, frightened
fisherman, who left his net upon the sands, and ran to hide himself
in the thickets of underbrush which skirted the beach.Late in the day they came to the mouth of a little harbor
which, like one in Ithaca, was a favored haunt of old Phorcys the
elder of the sea. Here the captain of the oarsmen said they must
tarry for the night, for the sun was already sinking in the west,
and after nightfall no ship could be guided with safety along these
shores. A narrow strait between high cliffs led into the little
haven, which was so sheltered from the winds that vessels could
ride there without their hawsers, even though fierce storms might
rage upon the sea outside. Through this strait the ship was guided,
urged by the strong arms of the rowers; and so swiftly did it glide
across the harbor that it was driven upon the shelving beach at the
farther side, and stopped not until it lay full half its length
high upon the warm, dry sand.Then the crew lifted out their store of food, and their
vessels for cooking; and while some took their bows and went in
search of game, others kindled a fire, and hastened to make ready
the evening meal. Odysseus and his tutor, when they had climbed out
of the ship, sauntered along the beach, intent to know what kind of
place it was to which fortune had thus brought them. They found
that it was in all things a pattern and counterpart of the little
bay of Phorcys in their own Ithaca.[1][1] See the description of this bay, in the Odyssey, Book
xiii. l. 102.Near the head of the harbor grew an olive tree, beneath whose
spreading branches there was a cave, in which, men said, the Naiads
sometimes dwelt. In this cave were great bowls and jars and
two-eared pitchers, all of stone; and in the clefts of the rock the
wild bees had built their comb, and filled it with yellow honey. In
this cave, too, were long looms on which, from their spindles
wrought of stone, the Naiads were thought to weave their purple
robes. Close by the looms, a torrent of sweet water gushed from the
rock, and flowed in crystal streams down into the bay. Two doorways
opened into the cave: one from the north, through which mortal man
might enter, and one from the south, kept as the pathway of Phorcys
and the Naiads. But Odysseus and his tutor saw no signs of any of
these beings: it seemed as if the place had not been visited for
many a month.After the voyagers had partaken of their meal, they sat for a
long time around the blazing fire upon the beach, and each told
some marvellous story of the sea. For their thoughts were all upon
the wonders of the deep."We should not speak of Poseidon, the king of waters," said
the captain, "save with fear upon our lips, and reverence in our
hearts. For he it is who rules the sea, as his brother Zeus
controls the land; and no one dares to dispute his right. Once,
when sailing on the Ægæan Sea, I looked down into the depths, and
saw his lordly palace,--a glittering, golden mansion, built on the
rocks at the bottom of the mere. Quickly did we spread our sails
aloft, and the friendly breezes and our own strong arms hurried us
safely away from that wonderful but dangerous station. In that
palace of the deep, Poseidon eats and drinks and makes merry with
his friends, the dwellers in the sea; and there he feeds and trains
his swift horses,--horses with hoofs of bronze and flowing golden
manes. And when he harnesses these steeds to his chariot, and
wields above them his well-wrought lash of gold, you should see, as
I have seen, how he rides in terrible majesty above the waves. And
the creatures of the sea pilot him on his way, and gambol on either
side of the car, and follow dancing in his wake. But when he smites
the waters with the trident which he always carries in his hand,
the waves roll mountain high, the lightnings flash, and the
thunders peal, and the earth is shaken to its very core. Then it is
that man bewails his own weakness, and prays to the powers above
for help and succor.""I have never seen the palace of Poseidon," said the
helmsman, speaking slowly; "but once, when sailing to far-off
Crete, our ship was overtaken by a storm, and for ten days we were
buffeted by winds and waves, and driven into unknown seas. After
this, we vainly tried to find again our reckonings, but we knew not
which way to turn our vessel's prow. Then, when the storm had
ended, we saw upon a sandy islet great troops of seals and
sea-calves couched upon the beach, and basking in the warm rays of
the sun."'Let us cast anchor, and wait here,' said our captain; 'for
surely Proteus, the old man of the sea who keeps Poseidon's herds,
will come erewhile to look after these sea- [...]