The Argonautica

of his head, around his back and sides down to his belly,

looked exactly like deathless gods, astonishing in form;

his flanks trailed a sea-beast's deeply divided tail

stretched long to either side; with its spines he struck

the surface water with fins that curved to points beneath

and divided, appearing like the two horns of a crescent moon.

He led the hollow ship until at last he sent her gliding

over the sea, then plunged into the mighty depth; the heroes

shouted together when their eyes saw the terrible portent.

There are the Harbor of Argo and signs left by the ship,

and altars of Poseidon and of Triton both still remain,

because they paused throughout that day. When next dawn came,

with canvas spread, they kept the desert land on their right

and sped ahead beneath the strong, breathing western wind.

Next morning they saw at once the headland and the innermost

reach of the sea bending beyond the jutting cape.

At once the west wind dropped, and then a breeze came

from the clear south wind; their hearts rejoiced in its sound.

When the sun sank down, the homeward-leading star arose,

the star that brings the suffering ploughmen rest from labor,

The wind fell dead amid the utter black of night;

they loosed the sails and lowered the great towering mast,

and pressed ahead with polished oars of mountain fir

all night and day, then onward through a second night;