spite of his beggar’s rags and sightless eyes, there was a majesty about
his face and form that marked him as no common man. “Men of Colonus,” he
said, “ye judge by the evil I have done, and not by the good. Have ye
forgotten the days when the name of Œdipus was honored throughout the
land? Of a truth the days of darkness came, and the stain of my sin found
me out. But now is my wrathful spirit curbed, and the gods will make me
once more a blessing to men. Go, tell your king Theseus, who rules in
Athena’s sacred citadel, that Œdipus is here, and bid him come with all
speed if he would win a guardian for this land, an everlasting safeguard
for his city in the days of storm and stress.”
So they sent off a messenger in hot haste, for there was a mysterious
power about the aged wanderer that none could withstand. And soon Theseus
arrived, himself a mighty hero, who had made Athens a great city and rid
the country of many a foul pestilence. And he greeted Œdipus courteously
and kindly, as befitted a great prince, and offered him hospitality.
But Œdipus said, “The hospitality I crave, O king, is for no brief
sojourn in this land. Nay, ’tis an everlasting home I ask. For the hand
of Heaven is upon me, and full well I know that this day my soul shall
leave this frail and broken body. And to thee alone is it given to know
where my bones shall rest—to thee and thy seed after thee. As long as my
bones shall remain in the land, so long shall my spirit watch over it,
and men shall call upon my name to turn the tide of battle and stay the
flood of pestilence and war. Wilt thou come with me, O king, whither the
gods shall lead, and learn the secret of my grave?”
Then Theseus bowed his head, and answered, “Show thou the way, and I will
come.”
So Œdipus turned and led the way into the grove, and Theseus and Antigone
followed after. For a mysterious power seemed to guide him, and he walked
as one who could see, and his steps were strong and firm as those of a
man in his prime. Straight into the grove did he go till they came to
the heart of the wood, where there was a sacred well beneath a hollow
pear-tree. Close by was a great chasm going deep down into the bowels of
the earth, and men called it the Gate of Hades, the Kingdom of the Dead.
When they reached the well, Œdipus sat down upon a rock and called his
daughter to his side, and said, “Antigone, my child, thy hand hath
ministered to me in exile, and smoothed the path for the wanderer’s feet.
Go now, fetch water, and pour libation and drink-offering to the gods
below. It is the last thing thou canst do for me on earth.”
So Antigone fetched water from the well, and dressed and tended him, and
poured libation to the gods.
And when she had finished, Œdipus drew her to him and kissed her
tenderly, and said, “Grieve not for me, my child. Well I know that thy
heart will ache, for love hath made light the burden of toil. But for me
life’s day is done, and I go to my rest. Do thou seek thy brethren, and
be to them as thou hast been to me. My child, my child, hard is the way
that lies before thee, and my soul yearneth over thee for the evil day
that shall come. But look thou to thine own pure heart, on which the gods
have set the seal of truth that changeth not with passing years, and heed
not the counsels of men.”
And he held her closely to him, and she clung weeping about his neck. As
they sat a hush fell upon the grove, and the nightingales ceased their
song, and from the depths of the grove a voice was heard like the voice
of distant thunder. “Œdipus, Œdipus, why dost thou tarry?”
When they heard it they were afraid. But Œdipus rose up and gently put
his daughter from him, saying, “Lo! the voice of Zeus, who calleth me.
Fare thee well, my child; thou canst go no further with me. For Theseus
only is it meet to see the manner of my death, and he and I must go
forward alone into the wood.”
With firm, unfaltering steps he led the way once more, and Theseus
followed after. And what happened there none can tell, for Theseus kept
the secret to his dying day. But men say that when he came out of the
wood his face was as the face of one who had seen things passing mortal
speech.
As for Œdipus, the great twin Brethren Sleep and Death carried his bones
to Athens, where the people built him a shrine, and for many a long year
they honored him as a hero in the land of Attica. For though the sin that
he sinned in his wrath and ignorance was great and terrible, yet his life
had brought joy to many men and prosperity to more lands than one. For
with wisdom and love he guided his days, and with sorrow and tears he
wiped out the stain of his sin, so that, in spite of all he suffered, men
love to tell of the glory and wisdom of Œdipus, and of how he solved the
riddle of the Sphinx.
THE GIFT OF ATHENE[2]
By Sir George W. Cox
Near the banks of the stream Kephisos, Erechtheus had built a city in a
rocky and thin-soiled land. He was the father of a free and brave people;
and though his city was proud and humble, yet Zeus by his wisdom foresaw
that one day it would become the noblest of all cities throughout the
wide earth, and there was a quarrel between Poseidon the lord of the sea
and Athene the child of Zeus, to see by whose name the city of Erechtheus
should be called. So Zeus appointed a day in the which he would judge
between them in presence of the great gods who dwell on high Olympus.
When the day was come, the gods sat each on his golden throne on the
banks of the stream Kephisos. High above all was the throne of Zeus, the
great father of gods and men, and by his side sat Here the queen. This
day even the sons of men might gaze upon them, for Zeus had laid aside
his lightnings, and all the gods had come down in peace to listen to his
judgment between Poseidon and Athene. There sat Phœbus Apollo with his
golden harp in his hand. His face glistened for the brightness of his
beauty; but there was no anger in his gleaming eyes, and idle by his side
lay the unerring spear with which he smites all who deal falsely and
speak lies. There beside him sat Artemis, his sister, whose days were
spent in chasing the beasts of the earth and in sporting with the nymphs
on the reedy banks of Eurotas. There by the side of Zeus sat Hermes ever
bright and youthful, the spokesman of the gods, with staff in hand to do
the will of the great father. There sat Hephaistos the lord of fire, and
Hestia who guards the hearth. There, too, was Ares, who delights in war;
and Dionysos, who loves the banquet and the wine-cup, and Aphrodite, who
rose from the sea-foam to fill the earth with laughter and woe.
Before them all stood the great rivals, awaiting the judgment of Zeus.
High in her left hand, Athene held the invincible spear; and on her
shield, hidden from mortal sight, was the face on which no man may gaze
and live. Close beside her, proud in the greatness of his power, Poseidon
waited the issue of the contest. In his right hand gleamed the trident
with which he shakes the earth and cleaves the waters of the sea.
Then from his golden seat rose the spokesman Hermes, and his clear voice
sounded over all the great council. “Listen,” he said, “to the will of
Zeus, who judges now between Poseidon and Athene. The city of Erechtheus
shall bear the name of that god who shall bring forth out of the earth
the best gift for the sons of men. If Poseidon do this, the city shall
be called Poseidonia; but if Athene brings the higher gift, it shall be
called Athens.”
Then King Poseidon rose up in the greatness of his majesty, and with his
trident he smote the earth where he stood. Straightway the hill was
shaken to its depths, and the earth split asunder, and forth from the
chasm leaped a horse, such as never shall be seen again for strength
and beauty. His body shone white all over as the driven snow; his mane
streamed proudly in the wind as he stamped on the ground and scoured in
very wantonness over hill and valley. “Behold my gift,” said Poseidon,
“and call the city after my name. Who shall give aught better than the
horse to the sons of man?”
But Athene looked steadfastly at the gods with her keen gray eye; and she
stooped slowly down to the ground, and planted in it a little seed which
she held in her right hand. She spake no word, but still gazed calmly
on that great council. Presently they saw springing from the earth a
little germ, which grew up and threw out its boughs and leaves. Higher
and higher it rose, with all its thick green foliage, and put forth fruit
on its clustering branches. “My gift is better, O Zeus,” she said, “than
that of King Poseidon. The horse which he has given shall bring war and
strife and anguish to the children of men; my olive tree is the sign of
peace and plenty, of health and strength, and the pledge of happiness
and freedom. Shall not, then, the city of Erechtheus be called after my
name?” Then with one accord rose the voices of the gods in the air, as
they cried out, “The gift of Athene is the best which may be given to the
sons of men; it is the token that the city of Erechtheus shall be greater
in peace than in war, and nobler in its freedom than its power. Let the
city be called Athens.”
Then Zeus, the mighty son of Kronos, bowed his head in sign of judgment
that the city should be called by the name of Athene. From his head the
immortal locks streamed down, and the earth trembled beneath his feet as
he rose from his golden throne to return to the halls of Olympus. But
still Athene stood gazing over the land which was now her own; and she
stretched out her spear toward the city of Erechtheus, and said: “I have
won the victory and here shall be my home. Here shall my children grow up
in happiness and freedom; and hither shall the sons of men come to learn
of law and order. Here shall they see what great things may be done by
mortal hands when aided by the gods who dwell on Olympus; and when the
torch of freedom has gone out at Athens, its light shall be handed on to
other lands, and men shall learn that my gift is still the best, and they
shall say that reverence for law and the freedom of thought and deed has
come to them from the city of Erechtheus, which bears the name of Athene.”
[2] In this Greek tale, the Greek names are preserved. In the
Latin mythology Zeus is Jupiter, Poseidon is Neptune, Athene
is Minerva, Artemis is Diana, Hermes is Mercury, Hephaistos is
Vulcan, Dionysos is Bacchus, Hestia is Vesta, Ares is Mars, and
Aphrodite is Venus.
DAPHNE, CHILD OF THE MORNING
By Sir George W. Cox
In the vale of Tempe, where the stream of Peneios flows beneath the
heights of Olympus towards the sea, the beautiful Daphne passed the days
of her happy childhood. She climbed the crags to greet the first rays of
the rising sun, and when he had driven his fiery horses over the sky, she
watched his chariot sink behind the western mountains. Over hill and
dale she roamed, free and light as the breeze of spring. Other maidens
round her spoke each of her love, but Daphne cared not to listen to the
voice of man, though many a one sought her to be his wife.
One day, as she stood on the slopes of Ossa in the glow of early morning,
she saw before her a glorious form. The light of the new-risen sun fell
on his face with a golden splendor, and she knew that it was Phœbus
Apollo. Hastily he ran towards her, and said, “I have found thee, Child
of the Morning. Others thou hast cast aside, but from me thou canst not
escape. I have sought thee long, and now will I make thee mine.” But
the heart of Daphne was bold and strong; and her cheek flushed and her
eye sparkled with anger, as she said, “I know neither love nor bondage.
I live free among the streams and hills; and to none will I yield my
freedom.” Then the face of Apollo grew dark with anger, and he drew near
to seize the maiden; but swift as the wind she fled away. Over hill and
dale, over crag and river, the feet of Daphne fell lightly as falling
leaves in autumn; but nearer yet came Phœbus Apollo, till at last the
strength of the maiden began to fail. Then she stretched out her hands,
and cried for help to the goddess Ceres; but she came not to her aid. Her
head was dizzy, and her limbs trembled in utter feebleness as she drew
near to the broad river which gladdens the plains of Thessaly. She almost
felt the breath of Phœbus, and her robe was almost in his grasp. With a
wild cry, she said, “Father Peneios, receive thy child,” and she rushed
into the stream, whose waters closed gently over her.
She was gone; and Apollo mourned for his madness in chasing thus the free
maiden. And he said, “I have punished myself by my folly; the light of
the morning is taken out of the day. I must go on alone till my journey
shall draw towards its end.” Then he spake the word, and a laurel came up
on the bank where Daphne had plunged into the stream; and the green bush
with its thick clustering leaves keeps her name forever.
THE VENGEANCE OF APOLLO
By Sir George W. Cox
In the cool evening time King Darius walked in his royal garden, and the
noblest of the Persians were around him. Then came there a messenger from
the western land in haste and said, “O king, the men of Athens with the
sons of Javan have taken the city of Sardes, and the temple of the great
goddess Kybele has been burnt.” And King Darius answered quickly and
said, “What sayest thou, O messenger, that men of whom I have never heard
the name, have come with my slaves against the land of the great king?”
Then he bade them bring a bow and arrows; and while some one went for
them, the Persians stood round him in silence, for they feared to speak
while the king was angry. He took the bow, fitted an arrow to it and shot
it up into the sky, and prayed, “O Jupiter, that dwellest in the high
heavens, suffer me to be avenged upon the men of Athens. The sons of
Javan are my slaves, and sorely shall they be smitten for the deeds which
they have done.” Then he gave command, and each day, when the banquet
was spread in the gilded hall and the king sat down to meat, there stood
forth one who said with a loud voice, “O king, forget not the men of
Athens.”
But Jupiter hearkened not to the prayer of the great king, for the ships
were made ready, and his chieftains and warriors hastened away to the
Athenian land and fought in Marathon. They fared not well in the battle,
for the men of Athens strove mightily for their country. So in great
fear the Persians fled to the seashore, while the men of Athens slew
them on the land and in the water as they struggled to reach the ships.
And when the fight was over, they spoiled the Persians who lay dead
on the seashore and took rich plunder, for scattered about they found
embroidered turbans and bright swords and daggers, and golden bits and
bridles, and silken robes and jewels.
Thus sped the hosts of King Darius; and the messenger came again in
haste, as he sat on his golden throne in Susa, while the nobles of Persia
did obeisance before him. Then the king said, “Speak, O man, hast thou
brought good tidings that my slaves have chastised the people of the
strange city?” And the messenger answered, saying, “O King, the men of
Athens have slain thy mighty men with the sword, and burned thy ships;
and few come back of all the great army which thou didst send against
them.”
Great and fierce was the wrath of King Darius when he heard the tidings,
and he hastened to make ready ships and men and horses, that he might
go forth himself against the men of Athens. Then in every city of the
Persian land was heard the noise as of men who have a great work to
do; and the armorers wrought spears and swords and shields, and in the
harbors they built countless ships to sail over the dark sea. But Jupiter
hearkened not yet to the prayer of the king; so Darius died, and Xerxes
his son sat upon his throne, and the chief men of the Persians were
gathered round him. Then the king spake and said, “Be ready, O Persians,
every one of you, for I will go forth with all my great power, and make
slaves of the men of Athens; and so may the gods do to me, and more also,
if I burn not the temples of their gods with fire, and bring not hither
the golden treasures which lie in the house of Phœbus Apollo at Delphi.”
Then, with all his great hosts, King Xerxes set forth from Susa, and his
governors and warriors and slaves followed him, with a great multitude of
every nation and people; and they crossed over from the land of Asia by a
bridge which was built over the sea of Helle. Thus they journeyed on in
pomp and glory, and King Xerxes thought that they had done great things
when his host slew Leonidas and three hundred men of Sparta who guarded
the passes of Thermopylæ. So his heart was filled with pride, and he
chose out the bravest of his warriors, and charged the men of Thessaly to
lead them to Delphi and the temple of Phœbus Apollo.
There was great fear and terror in Delphi. A messenger came and said,
“The hosts of King Xerxes are coming to slay the men of this land and
take away the treasures which lie in the house of King Apollo.” So the
Delphians went in great sorrow to the temple, and bowed their heads to
the earth and prayed, saying, “Child of the light, who dwellest here in
thy holy temple, thieves and robbers are coming against us, and they are
purposed to take away thy sacred treasures; tell us, then, what we shall
do, for at thy bidding we are ready to bury them deep in the earth till
the storm of war be overpast.” Then came there a voice from the inmost
shrine, but it was not the voice of the priestess, for Phœbus Apollo
himself came down to speak his will, and said, “Move them not, men of
Delphi. I will guard my holy place, and none shall lay hand on my sacred
things.”
So they went away in gladness of heart, and made ready for the coming
of the Persians. All the men of Delphi left the city, saving only sixty
men and the prophet Aceratos, and these sat down before the steps of the
temple. In silence they waited till the Persians should come, and they
marvelled at the great stillness on the earth and in the heaven. There
was not a cloud in the sky, and the two peaks of Parnassus glistened in
the blazing sunshine. Not a breath lifted the green leaves of the sacred
laurels, not a bird sang in the breathless air. Presently, as he turned
round to look, the prophet saw the sacred weapons of Phœbus, which no
mortal man might touch, lying on the temple steps; and he said to the
sixty men who tarried with him, “Lo, now will Phœbus fight for his holy
temple, for his own hand hath made ready the weapons for the battle.”
Soon in the deep valley and along the bank of the Castalian stream were
seen the hosts of the Persians, as they came on with their long spears
flashing in the bright sunshine. Far away the men of Delphi saw the blaze
of their burnished armor, and heard the tramp of their war-horses. Onward
they came, and they said one to another, “The gods have fought for us,
and the prize is won already. See, yonder is the home of Phœbus, and none
remain of the men of Delphi to do battle for his holy temple.”
Still the sun shone without a cloud in the sky, and no breeze broke the
stillness of the laurel groves. Still glistened the sacred arms as they
lay on the steps of the temple, and the opened doors showed the golden
treasures which were stored up within. There lay the throne of Midas, and
the golden lion of Crœsus. There lay the mighty mixing bowl, all of pure
gold, which at the bidding of Crœsus was wrought by the Samian Theodoros.
There lay all the rich gifts which the men of Hellas had offered up to
win the favor of the lord Apollo.
Then the leaders of the Persians stretched forth their hands, as though
all these things were given up to them by the god who had forsaken
his people; but even as they came near his holy ground, the lightning
flashed forth, and the crash of the thunder was heard in the blue heaven,
and the dark cloud fell on the peaks of Parnassus. Like the roar of a
raging torrent, the mighty wind burst forth. Down from the steps of
the Delphian hill thundered the huge rocks, and trees uptorn from their
roots were hurled on the hosts of the barbarians. Louder and fiercer grew
the din. Cries and shoutings were heard from the Alean chapel, for the
virgin Minerva fought against the men of Xerxes. Smitten by the fiery
lightnings, they fell on the quaking earth. Suddenly there was heard a
sound more fierce and terrible, and two cliffs were hurled down from the
mountain-top. Underneath this huge mass the mightiest of the Persians
lay still in the sleep of death; and all who yet lived fled with quaking
hearts and trembling steps from the great wrath of the lord Apollo.
So fought the god for his holy temple. When from their hiding places the
men of Delphi saw that the Persians fled they poured forth from the caves
and thickets to slay them. They smote them as sheep are slain before
the altar of sacrifice, for even the bravest of their warriors lifted
not their arms against them. Long time they followed after them in hot
haste; and among them were seen two giant forms, clothed in bright armor,
smiting down the hosts of the enemy. Then they knew that Phylacos and
Autonoös, the heroes of the place, had come forth to aid them, and they
smote the Persians more fiercely till the going down of the sun.
So the fight was ended; and the stars came forth in the cloudless sky,
and the laurel groves were stirred by the soft evening breeze. With songs
of high thanksgiving the men of Delphi drew near to the temple, and saw
that Phœbus had placed again within his shrine the sacred arms which no
mortal man may handle. Then was there rich spoil gathered, and the holy
place of Apollo shone with gifts of gold and silver, which the men of
Delphi offered in gladness of heart for all the great things which he had
done for them. And in every house of the Delphians were seen robes and
turbans rich with gold and silver and embroidery. On their walls hung
spears and shields and swords and daggers which the Persians bore when
they came to Delphi.
In after days they told their children the wondrous tale how Phœbus
Apollo smote down the hosts of Xerxes; and they showed them the spoils
which they took by the aid of the bright heroes, and the two rocks, lying
on the holy ground before his shrine, which Phœbus tore from the peaks of
Parnassus in the day of his great vengeance.
THE STORY OF ARION
By Sir George W. Cox
A long time ago, in the great city of Corinth, there lived a man whose
name was Arion, and he made beautiful music on a golden harp, which all
the people flocked to listen to. Men and women, boys and girls, all came
to hear Arion play and sing; and when his songs were ended they gave him
money, and Arion became a rich man. When he had lived for a long time in
the house of Periandros, who was called the tyrant of Corinth, he thought
that he would like to see some new places which he had never seen before.
So he went into a ship and asked the sailors to take him to Sicily and
Italy. They sailed over the blue sea a long way for many days and weeks,
and came to many towns, where Arion played and sang and got more money,
till at last he came to Taras. There he stayed a long time, because it
was a rich and beautiful city, and all the people who came to hear him
gave him plenty of money.
By and by Arion thought that he had enough and he began to wish to see
Corinth and his friend Periandros once more. He went down to the beach
and said that he wanted a ship to take him back to Corinth, and that he
would only go with Corinthians, because he thought the men of Corinth
better than the men of any other place. Just then there was drawn up
on the beach a ship which had come from Corinth, and the sailors told
him that they were Corinthians, and would take him home again. So Arion
promised to go with them, and he sent down his harp and all his boxes
full of fine clothes and gold and silver, to be put on board the ship.
When the sailors saw the boxes, and felt how heavy they were, they said
to each other, “What a rich man he must be! would it not be pleasant to
have only a little of all this money which has been given to Arion for
playing on a harp?”