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Surely when they came to the sea again; and spread the sail and held the 

oars   in   their   hands;   their   sacred   ship   would   make   swift   course   to   their 

native land! 



                            VIII。 The Carrying of the Argo 

     With the terrible weight of the ship upon their shoulders the Argonauts 

made     their   way   across    the  desert;   following    the   tracks   of  Poseidon's 

golden…maned horse。 Like a rounded serpent that drags with pain its length 

along; they went day after day across that limitless land。 

     A day came when they saw the great tracks of the horse no more。 A 

wind   had   come   up   and   had   covered   them   with   sand。   With   the   mighty 

weight of the ship   upon their shoulders; with  the sun beating upon  their 

heads;  and   with   no   marks   on   the  desert to   guide them;  the  heroes   stood 

there; and it seemed to them that the blood must gush up and out of their 

hearts。 

     Then   Zetes   and   Calais;   sons   of   the   North   Wind;   rose   up   upon   their 

wings to strive to get sight of the sea。 Up; up; they soared。 And then as a 

man sees; or thinks he sees; at the month's beginning; the moon through a 

bank of clouds; Zetes and Calais; looking over the measureless land; saw 

the gleam of water。 They shouted to the Argonauts; they marked the way 

for them; and wearily; but with good hearts; the heroes went upon the way。 

     They came at last to the shore of what seemed to be a wide inland sea。 

They set Argo down from off their over…wearied shoulders and they let her 

keel take water once more。 

     All salt and brackish was that water; they dipped their hands into and 

tasted the salt。 Orpheus was able to name the water they had come to; it 

was that lake that was called after Triton; the son of Nereus; the ancient 



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one     of  the   sea。   They     set  up    an   altar  and    they   made     sacrifices    in 

thanksgiving to the gods。 

     They  had   come   to   water   at   last;   but   now   they   had   to   seek   for   other 

waterfor   the   sweet   water   that   they   could   drink。  All   around   them   they 

looked; but they saw no sign of a spring。 And then they felt a wind blow 

upon     thema     wind    that  had    in  it  not  the   dust   of  the   desert   but   the 

fragrance   of   growing   things。   Toward   where   that   wind   blew   from   they 

went。 

     As   they   went   on   they   saw   a   great   shape   against   the   sky;   they   saw 

mountainous   shoulders   bowed。   Orpheus   bade   them   halt   and   turn   their 

faces with reverence toward that great shape: for this was Atlas the Titan; 

the   brother   of   Prometheus;   who   stood   there   to   hold   up   the   sky   on   his 

shoulders。 

     Then they were near the place that the fragrance had blown from: there 

was a garden there; the only fence that ran around it was a lattice of silver。 

〃Surely there are springs in the garden;〃 the Argonauts said。 〃We will enter 

this fair garden now and slake our thirst。〃 

     Orpheus bade them walk reverently; for all around them; he said; was 

sacred   ground。   This   garden   was   the   Garden   of   the   Hesperides   that   was 

watched      over    by  the   Daughters      of  the   Evening     Land。    The    Argonauts 

looked through the silver lattice; they saw trees with lovely fruit; and they 

saw three maidens moving through the garden with watchful eyes。 In this 

garden grew the tree that had the golden apples that Zeus gave to Hera as a 

wedding gift。 

     They saw the tree on which the golden apples grew。 The maidens went 

to it and then looked watchfully all around them。 They saw the faces of the 

Argonauts looking through the silver lattice and they cried out; one to the 

other; and they joined their hands around the tree。 

     But   Orpheus   called   to   them;   and   the   maidens   understood   the   divine 

speech   of   Orpheus。   He   made   the   Daughters   of   the   Evening   Land   know 

that they who stood before the lattice were men who reverenced the gods; 

who   would   not   strive   to   enter   the   forbidden   garden。   The   maidens   came 

toward them。 Beautiful as the singing of Orpheus was their utterance; but 



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what they said was a complaint and a lament。 

     Their  lament   was   for   the  dragon   Ladon;   that   dragon   with   a   hundred 

heads   that   guarded   sleeplessly   the   tree   that   had   the   golden   apples。   Now 

that dragon was slain。 With arrows that had been dipped in the poison of 

the Hydra's blood their dragon; Ladon; had been slain。 

     The Daughters of the Evening Land sang of how a mortal had come 

into the garden that they watched over。 He had a great bow; and with his 

arrow   he   slew   the   dragon   that   guarded   the   golden   apples。   The   golden 

apples he had taken away; they had come back to the tree they had been 

plucked   from;   for   no   mortal   might   keep   them   in   his   possession。   So   the 

maidens sang Hespere; Eretheis; and Aegleand they complained that now; 

unhelped by the hundred…headed dragon; they had to keep guard over the 

tree。 

     The    Argonauts     knew     of  whom     they   told  the   taleHeracles;    their 

comrade。 Would that Heracles were with them now! 

     The    Hesperides     told  them   of   Heraclesof     how   the   springs   in  the 

garden dried up because of his plucking the golden apples。 He came out of 

the garden thirsting。 Nowhere could he find a spring of water。 To yonder 

great rock he went。 He smote it with his foot and water came out in full 

floe。。 Then he; leaning on his hands and with his chest upon the ground; 

drank and drank from the water that flowed from the rifted rock。 

     The Argonauts looked to where the rock stood。 They caught the sound 

of water。 They carried Medea over。 And then; company after company; all 

huddled together; they stooped down and drank their fill of the clear good 

water。 With   lips   wet   with   the   water   they   cried   to   each   other;   〃Heracles! 

Although he is not with us; in very truth Heracles has saved his comrades 

from deadly thirst!〃 

     They saw his footsteps printed upon the rocks; and they followed them 

until they led to the sand where no footsteps stay。 Heracles! How glad his 

comrades would have been if they could have had sight of him then! But it 

was long ago before he had sailed with themthat Heracles had been here。 

     Still hearing their complaint they turned back to the lattice; to where 

the Daughters of the Evening Land stood。 The Daughters of the Evening 



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         THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE HEROES WHO LIVED BEFORE ACHILLES 



Land bent their heads to listen to what the Argonauts told one another; and; 

seeing them bent to:listen; Orpheus told a story about one who had gone 

across the Libyan desert; about one who was a hero like unto Heracles。 



                        THE STORY OF PERSEUS 



    Beyond where Atlas stands there is a cave where the strange women; 

the   ancient   daughters   of   Phorcys;   live。   They   have   been   gray   from   their 

birth。 They have but one eye and one tooth between them; and they pass 

the eye and the tooth; one to the other; when they would see or eat。 They 

are called the Graiai; these two sisters。 

    Up to the cave where they lived a youth once came。 He was beardless; 

and the garb he wore was torn and travel…stained; but he had shapeliness 

and beauty。 In his leathern belt there 

    was an exceedingly bright sword; this sword was not straight like the 

swords we carry; but it was hooked like a sickle。 The strange youth with 

the   bright;   strange   sword   came   very   quickly   and   very   silently   up   to   the 

cave where the Graiai lived and looked over a high boulder into it。 

     One was sitting munching acorns with the single tooth。 The other had 

the eye in her hand。 She was holding it to her forehead and looking into 

the back of the cave。 These two ancient women; with their gray hair falling 

over them like thick fleeces; and with faces that were only forehead and 

cheeks and nose and mouth; were strange creatures truly。 Very silently the 

youth stood looking at them。 

     〃Sister; sister;〃 cried the one who was munching acorns; 〃sister;  turn 

your eye this way。 I heard the stir of something。〃 

     The other turned; and with the eye placed against her forehead looked 

out to the opening of the cave。 The youth drew back behind the boulder。 

〃Sister; sister; ther

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