第 20 节
作者:指点迷津      更新:2021-02-19 00:27      字数:9322
  upon the sea…beach。         And for a time they went no further; for Persephone
  herself sent forth the spirit of Actor's son which craved with many tears to
  behold men like himself; even for a moment。                And mounting on the edge
  of the barrow he gazed upon the ship; such as he was when he went to war;
  and round his head a fair helm with four peaks gleamed with its blood…red
  crest。    And      again   he   entered    the  vast   gloom;     and   they   looked    and
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  marvelled;   and   Mopsus;   son   of Ampycus;   with   word   of   prophecy   urged
  them to land and propitiate him with libations。 Quickly they drew in sail
  and   threw   out   hawsers;   and   on   the   strand   paid   honour   to   the   tomb   of
  Sthenelus; and poured out drink offerings to him and sacrificed sheep as
  victims。     And   besides   the   drink   offerings   they   built   an   altar   to Apollo;
  saviour of ships; and burnt thigh bones; and Orpheus dedicated his lyre;
  whence the place has the name of Lyra。
  (ll。   930…945)     And   straightway   they   went   aboard   as   the   wind   blew
  strong; and they drew the sail down; and made it taut to both sheets; then
  Argo was borne over the sea swiftly; even as a hawk soaring high through
  the air commits to the breeze its outspread wings and is borne on swiftly;
  nor swerves in its flight; poising in the clear sky with quiet pinions。                 And
  lo; they passed by the stream of Parthenius as it flows into the sea; a most
  gentle river; where the maid; daughter of Leto; when she mounts to heaven
  after   the   chase;   cools   her   limbs   in   its   much…desired   waters。   Then   they
  sped onward in the night without ceasing; and passed Sesamus and lofty
  Erythini; Crobialus; Cromna and woody Cytorus。                   Next they swept round
  Carambis at the rising of the sun; and plied the oars past long Aegialus; all
  day and on through the night。
  (ll。   946…965)     And   straightway   they   landed   on   the   Assyrian   shore
  where   Zeus   himself   gave   a   home   to   Sinope;   daughter   of   Asopus;   and
  granted her virginity; beguiled by his own promises。                   For he longed for
  her love; and he promised to grant her whatever her hearts desire might be。
  And she in her craftiness asked of him virginity。               And in like manner she
  deceived Apollo   too   who   longed to   wed her;   and   besides them  the   river
  Halys;   and   no   man   ever subdued her   in   love's   embrace。         And   there   the
  sons of noble Deimachus of Tricca were still dwelling; Deileon; Autolycus
  and Phlogius; since the day when they wandered far away from Heracles;
  and they; when they marked the array of chieftains; went to meet them and
  declared   in   truth   who   they   were;   and   they   wished   to   remain   there   no
  longer; but as soon as Argestes (6) blew went on ship…board。                   And so with
  them;   borne   along   by   the   swift   breeze;   the   heroes   left   behind   the   river
  Halys; and left behind his that flows hard by; and the delta…land of Assyria;
  and   on   the   same   day  they  rounded   the distant   headland   of the Amazons
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  that guards their harbour。
  (ll。   966…1001)     Here   once   when   Melanippe;   daughter   of   Ares;   had;
  gone   forth;   the   hero   Heracles   caught   her   by   ambuscade   and   Hippolyte
  gave him her glistening girdle as her sister's ransom; and he sent away his
  captive     unharmed。        In    the   bay   of   this   headland;     at  the   outfall    of
  Thermodon; they ran ashore; for the sea was rough for their voyage。                         No
  river is like this; and none sends forth from itself such mighty streams over
  the land。     If a man should count every one he would lack but four of a
  hundred; but the real   spring is   only one。            This flows   down to the  plain
  from      lofty   mountains;      which;     men     say;   are   called    the   Amazonian
  mountains。       Thence it spreads inland over a hilly country straight forward;
  wherefrom its streams go winding on; and they roll on; this way and that
  ever    more;    wherever      best  they   can    reach   the   lower   ground;     one   at  a
  distance and another near at hand; and many streams are swallowed up in
  the sand and are without a name; but; mingled with a few; the main stream
  openly bursts with its arching crest of foam into the inhospitable Pontus。
  And   they   would   have   tarried   there   and   have   closed   in   battle   with   the
  Amazons; and would have fought not without bloodshed for the Amazons
  were     not   gentle   foes   and   regarded     not   justice;   those   dwellers     on  the
  Doeantian   plain;   but   grievous   insolence   and   the   works   of Ares   were   all
  their   care;   for   by   race   they   were   the   daughters   of   Ares   and   the   nymph
  Harmonia; who bare to Ares war…loving maids; wedded to him in the glens
  of the Acmonian wood had not the breezes of Argestes come again from
  Zeus;     and    with    the   wind    they    left   the   rounded     beach;     where     the
  Themiscyreian         Amazons       were    arming     for  war。     For    they   dwelt    not
  gathered together in one city; but scattered over the land; parted into three
  tribes。    In   one   part   dwelt   the   Themiscyreians;   over   whom   at   that   time
  Hippolyte   reigned;   in   another   the   Lycastians;   and   in   another   the   dart…
  throwing   Chadesians。          And   the   next   day   they   sped   on   and   at   nightfall
  they reached the land of the Chalybes。
  (ll。 1002…1008)       That folk have no care for ploughing with oxen or for
  any   planting   of   honey…sweet   fruit;   nor   yet   do   they   pasture   flocks   in   the
  dewy meadow。          But they cleave the hard iron…bearing land and exchange
  their    wages    for   daily   sustenance;     never    does   the   morn    rise   for  them
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  without toil;  but   amid   bleak   sooty  flames   and smoke   they  endure   heavy
  labour。
  (ll。   1009…1014)        And      straightway      thereafter    they    rounded     the
  headland of Genetaean Zeus and sped safely past the land of the Tibareni。
  Here when wives bring forth children to their husbands; the men lie in bed
  and   groan   with   their   heads   close   bound; but   the   women   tend   them  with
  food; and prepare child…birth baths for them。
  (ll。   1015…1029)     Next   they   reached   the   sacred   mount   and   the   land
  where   the   Mossynoeci   dwell   amid   high   mountains   in   wooden   huts;   (7)
  from which that people take their name。                And strange are their customs
  and laws。      Whatever it is right to do openly before the people or in the
  market place; all this they do in their homes; but whatever acts we perform
  at   home;   these   they   perform   out   of   doors   in   the   midst   of   the   streets;
  without blame。        And among them is no reverence for the marriage…bed;
  but; like swine that feed in herds; no whit abashed in others' presence; on
  the earth they lie with the women。             Their king sits in the loftiest hut and
  dispenses upright judgments to the multitude; poor wretch!                    For if haply
  he err at all in his decrees; for that day they keep him shut up in starvation。
  (ll。 1030…1046)       They passed them by and cleft their way with oars
  over against the island of Ares all day long; for at dusk the light breeze left
  them。     At last they spied above them; hurtling through the air; one of the
  birds of Ares which haunt that isle。          It shook its wings down over the ship
  as she sped on and sent against her a keen feather; and it fell on the left
  shoulder of goodly Oileus; and he dropped his oar from his hands at the
  sudden blow; and his comrades marvelled at the sight of the winged bolt。
  And Eribotes from his seat hard by drew out the feather; and bound up the
  wound when he had loosed the strap hanging from his own sword…sheath;
  and besides the first; another bird appeared swooping down; but the hero
  Clytius;   son   of   Eurytus      for   he   bent   his   curved   bow;   and   sped   a   swift
  arrow against the birdstruck it; and it whirled round and fell close to the
  ship。    And to them spake Amphidamas; son of Aleus:
  (ll。  1047…1067)        〃The     island   of   Ares    is  near   us;   you   know     it
  yourse