“Thus to the goddess mild my suit I end. Then she: ‘Obedient to my rule attend: When through the zone of heaven the mounted sun Hath journeyed half, and half remains to run; The seer, while zephyrs curl the swelling deep, Basks on the breezy shore, in grateful sleep, His oozy limbs. Emerging from the wave, The Phocas swift surround his rocky cave, Frequent and full; the consecrated train Of her, whose azure trident awes the main; There wallowing warm, the enormous herd exhales An oily steam, and taints the noontide gales. To that recess, commodious for surprise, When purple light shall next suffuse the skies, With me repair; and from thy warrior-band Three chosen chiefs of dauntless soul command; Let their auxiliar force befriend the toil; For strong the god, and perfected in guile. Stretch’d on the shelly shore, he first surveys The flouncing herd ascending from the seas; Their number summ’d, reposed in sleep profound The scaly charge their guardian god surround; So with his battening flocks the careful swain Abides pavilion’d on the grassy plain. With powers united, obstinately bold, Invade him, couch’d amid the scaly fold; Instant he wears, elusive of the rape, The mimic force of every savage shape; Or glides with liquid lapse a murmuring stream, Or, wrapp’d in flame, he glows at every limb. Yet, still retentive, with redoubled might, Through each vain passive form constrain his flight But when, his native shape renamed, he stands Patient of conquest, and your cause demands; The cause that urged the bold attempt declare, And soothe the vanquish’d with a victor’s prayer. The bands releas’d, implore the seer to say What godhead interdicts the watery way. Who, straight propitious, in prophetic strain Will teach you to repass the unmeasured main.’ She ceased, and bounding from the shelfy shore, Round the descending nymph the waves resounding roar. “High wrapp’d in wonder of the future deed, with joy impetuous to the port I speed: The wants of nature with repast suffice, Till night with grateful shade involved the skies, And shed ambrosial dews. Fast by the deep, Along the tented shore, in balmy sleep, Our cares were lost. When o’er the eastern lawn, In saffron robes, the daughter of the dawn Advanced her rosy steps, before the bay Due ritual honours to the gods I pay; Then seek the place the sea-born nymph assign’d, With three associates of undaunted mind. Arrived, to form along the appointed strand For each a bed, she scoops the hilly sand; Then, from her azure cave the finny spoils Of four vast Phocae takes, to veil her wiles; Beneath the finny spoils extended prone, Hard toil! the prophet’s piercing eye to shun; New from the corse, the scaly frauds diffuse Unsavoury stench of oil, and brackish ooze; But the bright sea-maid’s gentle power implored, With nectar’d drops the sickening sense restored.