The Greek Romances of Heliodorus, Longus and Achilles Tatius: Comprising the Ethiopics; or, Adventures of Theagenes and Chariclea; The pastoral amours of Daphnis and Chloe; and the loves of Clitopho and LeucippeLongus
General
The Greek Romances of Heliodorus, Longus and Achilles Tatius: Comprising the Ethiopics; or, Adventures of Theagenes and Chariclea; The pastoral amours of Daphnis and Chloe; and the loves of Clitopho and Leucippe
Longus
Romance fiction, Greek -- Translations into English
the sight of Chloe, reviving a little owing to the force of his former
love, he exclaimed, "I shall shortly be no more, dear Chloe; I fought
in defence of my oxen, and some of the rascally pirates have beaten me
as they would have done an ox. Save your beloved Daphnis, revenge me,
and destroy them. I have taught my cows to follow the sound of this
pipe, and to obey its melody, even if they be feeding at the greatest
distance. Take this pipe; breathe in it those notes, in which I once
instructed Daphnis, and in which Daphnis instructed you. Do this, and
leave the issue to the pipe and the cows. Moreover I make you a present
of the pipe; with it I have obtained the prize from many a shepherd and
many a herdsman. In return give me but one kiss, while I yet live; and
when I am dead, shed a tear over me: and when you see another tending
my flocks, remember Dorco."
Here he ceased, gave her a last kiss, and with the kiss resigned his
breath. Chloe put the pipe to her lips, and blew with all her might.
The cows began to low at hearing the well-known note, and leaped all at
once into the sea. As they all plunged from the same side, and caused
a mighty chasm in the waters the vessel lurched, the waves closed over
it, and it sank. The crew and Daphnis fell into the sea, but they had
not equal chances for preservation. The pirates were encumbered with
their swords, scaled breast-plates, and greaves reaching to mid-leg:
whereas Daphnis, who had been feeding his flocks in the plains, had
not even his sandals on; and the weather being still very warm, he
was half-naked. All swam for a little time, but their armour soon sunk
the foreigners to the bottom. Daphnis easily threw off the garments
which remained to encumber him, but, accustomed to swim only in
rivers, buoyed himself up with great difficulty: at length, taught by
necessity, he struck forward between two of the cows, grasped a horn of
each of them, and was carried along as securely and as easily, as if
he had been riding in his own wain. Oxen, be it observed, are better
swimmers than men, or indeed than any animals, except aquatic birds and
fish, nor are they in any danger of drowning unless their hoofs become
softened by the water. The fact of many places being still called
_Ox-fords_,[34] will bear out the truth of my assertion.
Thus was Daphnis delivered from two perils--from the pirates and from
shipwreck, and in a manner beyond all expectation. When he reached the
shore, he found Chloe smiling through her tears: he fell on her bosom,
and inquired, what had led her to play that particular tune.--She
related everything which had occurred--her running to Dorco--the habit
of his cows--HIS ordering her to pipe that tune, and finally his death,
but through a feeling of shame she said nothing of the kiss.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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