Читать книгу The Tale of the Argonauts онлайн

39 страница из 84

And before them at dawn on-speeding the pillar of Athos rose,

The Thracian mountain: its topmost peak’s dark shadow it throws

Far as a merchantman goodly-rigged in a day might win,

Even to Lemnos’ isle, and the city Myrinê therein.

And the wind blew all that day till the folds of the darkness fell,

Blew ever fresh, and the sail strained over the broad sea-swell.

Howbeit the wind’s breath failed them at going down of the sun:

So to Lemnos the craggy, the Sintian isle, by rowing they won.

There all the men of the nation together pitilessly

By the violent hands of the women were slain in the year gone by;{610}

Forasmuch as the hearts of the men from their lawful wives had turned,

And in love for their captive handmaids with baleful passion they burned,

Maids that themselves from the Thracian land in foray had brought

Oversea:—’twas the wrath of the Cyprian Queen that curse had wrought,

Because that for long they had left her unhonoured by sacrifice:—

Ah hapless, whose hungering jealousy craved that woeful price!