Apollo's herds;-the fourth day of the moon soon, Nor long could in his sacred cradle keep, IV. Out of the lofty cavern wandering, He found a tortoise, and cried out—“A (For Mercury first made the tortoise sing :) 66 V. "A useful god-send are you to me now, King of the dance, companion of the feast, Lovely in all your nature! Welcome, you Excellent plaything! Where, sweet mountain beast, Got you that speckled shell? Thus much I know, You must come home with me and be my You will give joy to me, and I will do VI. "Better to be at home than out of door ; So come with me, and though it has been said That you alive defend from magic power, I know you will sing sweetly when you're dead." Thus having spoken, the quaint infant bore, VII. Then scooping with a chisel of grey steel, The flashes of its torture and unrest VIII. And through the tortoise's hard stony skin At proper distances small holes he made, And fastened the cut stems of reeds within, And with a piece of leather overlaid The open space and fixed the cubits in, Fitting the bridge to both, and stretched o'er all Symphonious cords of sheep-gut rhythmical. IX. When he had wrought the lovely instrument, He tried the chords, and made division meet Preluding with the plectrum; and there went Up from beneath his hand a tumult sweet Of mighty sounds; and from his lips he sent A strain of unpremeditated wit, Joyous and wild and wanton-such you may Hear among revellers on a holiday. X. He sung how Jove and May of the bright sandal Dallied in love not quite legitimate; And his own birth, still scoffing at the scandal, And naming his own name, did celebrate; His mother's cave and servant-maids he planned all In plastic verse, her household stuff and state, Perennial pot, trippet, and brazen pan,But, singing, he conceived another plan. XI. Seized with a sudden fancy for fresh meat, He in his sacred crib deposited The hollow lyre, and from the cavern sweet Rushed with great leaps up to the mountain's head, Revolving in his mind some subtle feat Of thievish craft, such as a swindler might Devise in the lone season of dun night. XII. Lo! the great Sun under the ocean's bed has Driven steeds and chariot-the child mean while strode O'er the Pierian mountains clothed in shadows, XIII. He drove them wandering o'er the sandy way; But, being ever mindful of his craft, Backward and forward drove he them astray, So that the tracks which seemed before were aft; His sandals then he threw to the ocean spray, And for each foot he wrought a kind of raft Of tamarisk, and tamarisk-like sprigs, XIV. And on his feet he tied these sandals light, The trail of whose wide leaves might not betray His track; and then, a self-sufficing wight, Like a man hastening on some distant way, He from Pieria's mountain bent his flight; But an old man perceived the infant pass Down green Onchestus heaped like beds with 66 grass. XV. The old man stood dressing his sunny vine: Halloo! old fellow with the crooked shoulder! You grub those stumps? before they will bear wine Methinks even you must grow a little older: Attend, I pray, to this advice of mine, As you would 'scape what might appal a bolder Seeing, see not—and hearing, hear not-andIf you have understanding-understand." XVI. So saying, Hermes roused the oxen vast; Around his steps, grew grey, and morning fast cell Sea-strewn, the Pallantean Moon sublime Into her watch-tower just began to climb. XVII. Now to Alpheus he had driven all The broad-foreheaded oxen of the Sun; They came unwearied to the lofty stall And to the water troughs which ever run Through the fresh fields-and when with rushgrass tall, Lotus and all sweet herbage, every one Had pastured been, the great God made them move Towards the stall in a collected drove. XVIII. A mighty pile of wood the God then heaped, The bark, and rubbed them in his palms,on high Suddenly forth the burning vapour leapt, XIX. And fine dry logs and roots innumerous The strength of the fierce flame was breathed around: And whilst the might of glorious Vulcan thus Wrapped the great pile with glare and roaring sound, Hermes dragged forth two heifers, lowing loud, Close to the fire-such might was in the God. |