Satire, Greek -- Translations into English; Voyages, Imaginary -- Early works to 1800
As soon as the day appeared, the scouts told them they had descried
a ship, which by that time was got far off into the sea. Then
Rhadamanthus set out a vessel made of one whole piece of timber of
asphodelus wood, manned with fifty of the Heroes to pursue after them,
which were so willing on their way, that by noon they had overtaken
them newly entered into the milky ocean, not far from Tyroessa, so near
were they got to make an escape. Then took we their ship and hauled it
after us with a chain of roses and brought it back again.
Rhadamanthus first examined Cinyras and his companions whether they
had any other partners in this plot, and they confessing none, were
adjudged to be tied fast by the privy members and sent into the place
of the wicked, there to be tormented, after they had been scourged with
rods made of mallows. Helena, all blubbered with tears, was so ashamed
of herself that she would not show her face. They also decreed to
send us packing out of the country, our prefixed time being come, and
that we should stay there no longer than the next morrow: wherewith
I was much aggrieved and wept bitterly to leave so good a place and
turn wanderer again I knew not whither: but they comforted me much
in telling me that before many years were past I should be with them
again, and showed me a chair and a bed prepared for me against the time
to come near unto persons of the best quality.
Then went I to Rhadamanthus, humbly beseeching him to tell me my future
fortunes, and to direct me in my course; and he told me that after
many travels and dangers, I should at last recover my country, but
would not tell me the certain time of my return: and showing me the
islands adjoining, which were five in number, and a sixth a little
further off, he said, Those nearest are the islands of the ungodly,
which you see burning all in a light fire, but the other sixth is the
island of dreams, and beyond that is the island of Calypso, which you
cannot see from hence. When you are past these, you shall come into the
great continent, over against your own country, where you shall suffer
many afflictions, and pass through many nations, and meet with men of
inhuman conditions, and at length attain to the other continent.
When he had told me this, he plucked a root of mallows out of the
ground, and reached it to me, commanding me in my greatest perils to
make my prayers to that: advising me further neither to rake in the
fire with my knife, nor to feed upon lupins, nor to come near a boy
when he is past eighteen years of age: if I were mindful of this, the
hopes would be great that I should come to the island again.
Then we prepared for our passage, and feasted with them at the usual
hour, and next morrow I went to Homer, entreating him to do so much as
make an epigram of two verses for me, which he did: and I erected a
pillar of berylstone near unto the haven, and engraved them upon it.
The epigram was this:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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