The Argonautica

and had gone there, following mighty Heracles himself,

and, struck by an arrow, met death on the seaward shore.

They measured no farther then: for the goddess herself,

Persephone, sent up Actor's son's much-weeping spirit,

who begged, though briefly, to behold men of his own kind.

He mounted the tomb's rim and watched the ship from its height,

wearing his warlike form; around his head the splendid

four-bossed helmet flashed with its beautiful crimson crest.

Then back into the great darkness the phantom descended;

the heroes marveled; then Mopsus, Ampycus' son, prophesying,

urged them to land and appease Sthenelus with poured libations.

Swiftly they furled the sail, then, casting the hawsers

out on the beach, they tended hero Sthenelus' tomb,

poured offerings for Sthenelus and burned the slaughtered sheep.

Apart from poured gifts, to Apollo, savior of ships,

they built an altar and burned thighbones; Orpheus also

dedicated his lyre, which gave the place its name Lyra.

At once, with urgent wind behind them, the heroes boarded

the ship, hauled down the sail, and stretched it tightly

to both its sheets; then Argo swept across the sea,

taut as a hawk high up in the air will sometimes

spread its pinions and ride the wind swiftly, never beating

a wing, but gliding, calm and smooth, on motionless feathers.

Now they drew level with Parthenius' salt-seaward streams,