“Up, Vulcan; up, my son; for we had deem’d That eddying Xanthus stood to thee oppos’d: Haste thee to aid; thy fiery strength display; While from the sea I call the stormy blast Of Zephyr and brisk Notus, who shall drive The raging flames ahead, and burn alike The Trojans and their arms: do thou the while Burn down the trees on Xanthus’ banks; himself Assail with fire, nor by his honey’d words Nor by his menaces be turn’d aside; Nor, till thou hear my voice, restrain thy pow’r; Then stay the raging flames’ unwearied course.” Thus Juno spoke; and Vulcan straight prepar’d The heav’nly fire; and first upon the plain The flames he kindled, and the dead consum’d, Who lay, promiscuous, by Achilles slain: The plain was dried, and stay’d the wat’ry flood. As when the breath of Boreas quickly dries In Autumn-time a newly-water’d field, The tiller’s heart rejoicing: so was dried The spacious plain; then he, the dead consum’d, Against the river turn’d the fiery glare: Burnt were the willows, elms, and tamarisk shrubs, The lotus, and the reeds, and galingal, Which by the lovely river grew profuse. The eels and fishes, ’mid the eddying whirl, ’Mid the clear wave were hurrying here and there, In dire distress from Vulcan’s fiery breath: Scorch’d by the flames, the mighty River spoke: “Vulcan, no God against thy pow’r can stand, Nor with thy fiery flames will I contend; Restrain thy wrath; though Peleus’ godlike son Should from their city drive the Trojans straight, With rival parties what concern have I?” All scorch’d he spoke; his fair stream bubbling up, As when a caldron on a blazing fire, Fill’d with the melting fat of well-fed swine, Boils up within, and bubbles all around, With well-dried wood beneath, so bubbling up The waters of the lovely River boil’d: Nor onward would he flow, but check’d his course, By the hot blast o’er-borne, and fiery strength Of skilful Vulcan; and to Juno thus, Imploring, he his winged words address’d: “Juno, what cause impels thy son, my stream, O’er all the rest, to visit with his wrath? E’en less than others who the Trojans aid, Have I offended; yet at thy command Will I withdraw; but bid that he too cease; And this I swear, no Trojan more to save, Though to devouring flames a prey, all Troy Were blazing, kindled by the valiant Greeks.” This when the white-arm’d Goddess Juno heard, To Vulcan straight she thus address’d her speech: “Vulcan, my glorious son, restrain thy hand: In mortal men’s behalf, it is not meet To press thus hardly an Immortal God.”