Delphi (Extinct city) -- Fiction; Greece -- History -- Persian Wars, 500-449 B.C. -- Fiction; Historical fiction
All were in action. Achilles on horseback and his beloved young Patroclos
running beside the horse and gazing up at him. Apollo and Heracles both
grasping the tripod (for they had once had a quarrel over it). The mother
Leto and sister Artemis were trying to quiet the angry god, and Athena
was quieting the boisterous hero. The eyes of these statues were set with
living coloured stones and looked in anger, command, compassion, whatever
they willed. No wonder Theria shrank from them a little afraid.
Suddenly Theria was aware beyond the statues of the great depth of
vale—the Pleistos a silver ribbon visible for miles, the hills away and
away, and ah! the direct golden sunlight in long level shafts flooding
the vale. The sun had risen high over the mountain. Her time was almost
spent. She fairly ran up to the remaining Way to the platform of the
great Temple.
She stood breathless, awed before the greatest temple of all Hellas. It
was pure Doric. Grandeur spoke from its mighty columns, repose from its
perfect roof. It was at once solemn and tender—man’s thought of God made
visible. And indeed the god breathed forth in every line of it. No mere
thing of white marble was this. Gorgeous it faced the sunrise, crimson of
column, blue and orange of architrave, and golden griffined at eaves and
peak.
The doors were newly opened and he who had opened them was busily
brushing the threshold with a laurel branch for broom. He was singing
softly to himself. Happy young priest at his happy task!
Theria came softly nearer. She knew what was in the temple, every bit of
sacred furniture and age-old thing. She wanted to see each object, to
treasure it in her heart for ever. The young priest saw her and stopped
his sweeping in amazement.
“May I go in?” she asked.
“You know very well you may not,” was his answer. Unlike the rude porter
he knew that Theria was a lady. “I cannot imagine, Despoinia, how you
managed to come up here.”
“I cannot imagine either,” she answered. The joy of it overcame her and
she laughed a gay ripple of laughter. This angered the young man.
“You had no business to come here,” he said severely. “You have disobeyed
in coming, that I know, or you would not be alone.”
Just at this moment an eagle circling down from the cliffs above made a
swoop like a falling stone for the altar where the early sacrifice lay.
Instantly the young man seized a bow, near at hand for such adventure,
lifted it Apollo-wise, and shot the bird. The he bounded down the temple
steps to seize it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account