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第14部分

the heroes-第14部分

小说: the heroes 字数: 每页4000字

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ed the heroes; for his father had been one of Cheiron's  scholars; so he welcomed them; and feasted them; and stored  their ship with corn and wine; and cloaks and rugs; the songs  say; and shirts; of which no doubt they stood in need。

But at night; while they lay sleeping; came down on them  terrible men; who lived with the bears in the mountains; like  Titans or giants in shape; for each of them had six arms; and  they fought with young firs and pines。  But Heracles killed  them all before morn with his deadly poisoned arrows; but  among them; in the darkness; he slew Cyzicus the kindly  prince。

Then they got to their ship and to their oars; and Tiphys  bade them cast off the hawsers and go to sea。  But as he  spoke a whirlwind came; and spun the ARGO round; and twisted  the hawsers together; so that no man could loose them。  Then  Tiphys dropped the rudder from his hand; and cried; 'This  comes from the Gods above。'  But Jason went forward; and  asked counsel of the magic bough。

Then the magic bough spoke; and answered; 'This is because  you have slain Cyzicus your friend。  You must appease his  soul; or you will never leave this shore。'

Jason went back sadly; and told the heroes what he had heard。   And they leapt on shore; and searched till dawn; and at dawn  they found the body; all rolled in dust and blood; among the  corpses of those monstrous beasts。  And they wept over their  kind host; and laid him on a fair bed; and heaped a huge  mound over him; and offered black sheep at his tomb; and  Orpheus sang a magic song to him; that his spirit might have  rest。  And then they held games at the tomb; after the custom  of those times; and Jason gave prizes to each winner。  To  Ancaeus he gave a golden cup; for he wrestled best of all;  and to Heracles a silver one; for he was the strongest of  all; and to Castor; who rode best; a golden crest; and  Polydeuces the boxer had a rich carpet; and to Orpheus for  his song a sandal with golden wings。  But Jason himself was  the best of all the archers; and the Minuai crowned him with  an olive crown; and so; the songs say; the soul of good  Cyzicus was appeased and the heroes went on their way in  peace。

But when Cyzicus' wife heard that he was dead she died  likewise of grief; and her tears became a fountain of clear  water; which flows the whole year round。

Then they rowed away; the songs say; along the Mysian shore;  and past the mouth of Rhindacus; till they found a pleasant  bay; sheltered by the long ridges of Arganthus; and by high  walls of basalt rock。  And there they ran the ship ashore  upon the yellow sand; and furled the sail; and took the mast  down; and lashed it in its crutch。  And next they let down  the ladder; and went ashore to sport and rest。

And there Heracles went away into the woods; bow in hand; to  hunt wild deer; and Hylas the fair boy slipt away after him;  and followed him by stealth; until he lost himself among the  glens; and sat down weary to rest himself by the side of a  lake; and there the water nymphs came up to look at him; and  loved him; and carried him down under the lake to be their  playfellow; for ever happy and young。  And Heracles sought  for him in vain; shouting his name till all the mountains  rang; but Hylas never heard him; far down under the sparkling  lake。  So while Heracles wandered searching for him; a fair  breeze sprang up; and Heracles was nowhere to be found; and  the ARGO sailed away; and Heracles was left behind; and never  saw the noble Phasian stream。

Then the Minuai came to a doleful land; where Amycus the  giant ruled; and cared nothing for the laws of Zeus; but  challenged all strangers to box with him; and those whom he  conquered he slew。  But Polydeuces the boxer struck him a  harder blow than he ever felt before; and slew him; and the  Minuai went on up the Bosphorus; till they came to the city  of Phineus; the fierce Bithynian king; for Zetes and Calais  bade Jason land there; because they had a work to do。

And they went up from the shore toward the city; through  forests white with snow; and Phineus came out to meet them  with a lean and woful face; and said; 'Welcome; gallant  heroes; to the land of bitter blasts; the land of cold and  misery; yet I will feast you as best I can。'  And he led them  in; and set meat before them; but before they could put their  hands to their mouths; down came two fearful monsters; the  like of whom man never saw; for they had the faces and the  hair of fair maidens; but the wings and claws of hawks; and  they snatched the meat from off the table; and flew shrieking  out above the roofs。

Then Phineus beat his breast and cried; 'These are the  Harpies; whose names are the Whirlwind and the Swift; the  daughters of Wonder and of the Amber…nymph; and they rob us  night and day。  They carried off the daughters of Pandareus;  whom all the Gods had blest; for Aphrodite fed them on  Olympus with honey and milk and wine; and Hera gave them  beauty and wisdom; and Athene skill in all the arts; but when  they came to their wedding; the Harpies snatched them both  away; and gave them to be slaves to the Erinnues; and live in  horror all their days。  And now they haunt me; and my people;  and the Bosphorus; with fearful storms; and sweep away our  food from off our tables; so that we starve in spite of all  our wealth。'

Then up rose Zetes and Calais; the winged sons of the North… wind; and said; 'Do you not know us; Phineus; and these wings  which grow upon our backs?'  And Phineus hid his face in  terror; but he answered not a word。

'Because you have been a traitor; Phineus; the Harpies haunt  you night and day。  Where is Cleopatra our sister; your wife;  whom you keep in prison? and where are her two children; whom  you blinded in your rage; at the bidding of an evil woman;  and cast them out upon the rocks?  Swear to us that you will  right our sister; and cast out that wicked woman; and then we  will free you from your plague; and drive the whirlwind  maidens to the south; but if not; we will put out your eyes;  as you put out the eyes of your own sons。'

Then Phineus swore an oath to them; and drove out the wicked  woman; and Jason took those two poor children; and cured  their eyes with magic herbs。

But Zetes and Calais rose up sadly and said; 'Farewell now;  heroes all; farewell; our dear companions; with whom we  played on Pelion in old times; for a fate is laid upon us;  and our day is come at last; in which we must hunt the  whirlwinds over land and sea for ever; and if we catch them  they die; and if not; we die ourselves。'

At that all the heroes wept; but the two young men sprang up;  and aloft into the air after the Harpies; and the battle of  the winds began。

The heroes trembled in silence as they heard the shrieking of  the blasts; while the palace rocked and all the city; and  great stones were torn from the crags; and the forest pines  were hurled earthward; north and south and east and west; and  the Bosphorus boiled white with foam; and the clouds were  dashed against the cliffs。

But at last the battle ended; and the Harpies fled screaming  toward the south; and the sons of the North…wind rushed after  them; and brought clear sunshine where they passed。  For many  a league they followed them; over all the isles of the  Cyclades; and away to the south…west across Hellas; till they  came to the Ionian Sea; and there they fell upon the  Echinades; at the mouth of the Achelous; and those isles were  called the Whirlwind Isles for many a hundred years。  But  what became of Zetes and Calais I know not; for the heroes  never saw them again:  and some say that Heracles met them;  and quarrelled with them; and slew them with his arrows; and  some say that they fell down from weariness and the heat of  the summer sun; and that the Sun…god buried them among the  Cyclades; in the pleasant Isle of Tenos; and for many hundred  years their grave was shown there; and over it a pillar;  which turned to every wind。  But those dark storms and  whirlwinds haunt the Bosphorus until this day。

But the Argonauts went eastward; and out into the open sea;  which we now call the Black Sea; but it was called the Euxine  then。  No Hellen had ever crossed it; and all feared that  dreadful sea; and its rocks; and shoals; and fogs; and bitter  freezing storms; and they told strange stories of it; some  false and some half…true; how it stretched northward to the  ends of the earth; and the sluggish Putrid Sea; and the  everlasting night; and the regions of the dead。  So the  heroes trembled; for all their courage; as they came into  that wild Black Sea; and saw it stretching out before them;  without a shore; as far as eye could see。

And first Orpheus spoke; and warned them; 'We shall come now  to the wandering blue rocks; my mother warned me of them;  Calliope; the immortal muse。'

And soon they saw the blue rocks shining like spires and  castles of gray glass; while an ice…cold wind blew from them  and chilled all the heroes' hearts。  And as they neared they  could see them heaving; as they rolled upon the long sea… waves; crashing and grinding together; till the roar went up  to heaven。  The sea sprang up in spouts between them; and  swept round them in w

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