_Theseus:_ On swiftly flying wheel Ixion turns; 750 And on the neck of Sisyphus a stone Weighs heavily. There stands in middle stream, With throat thirst-parched, the poor old man, and seeks To catch the cooling waves which wash his chin. He, oft deceived, hopes now at last to drink; As often fails the water at his lips. 755 So also do the fruits his hunger fail. There Tityos eternal banquets gives Unto the greedy vulture; and in vain Do Danaüs' daughters bear their brimming urns. There wander, raging still, the Cadmeids; And greedy birds still fright old Phineus. _Amphitr.:_ Now tell the noble struggle of my son. 760 Does he bring back his uncle's willing gift, Or does he lead the dog as spoil of war? _Theseus:_ A gloomy cliff o'erhangs the sluggish shoals, Whose waves are dead, and waters motionless. This stream is guarded by a grim old man, Of squalid garb and aspect hideous, Who carries o'er the pool the quaking shades. 765 His long beard hangs unkempt; his shapeless robe Is knotted into place; his fierce eyes gleam From sunken cheeks; and he, as ferryman, With his long pole propels his bark across. He now his empty boat unto the shore Was turning to receive the waiting souls, 770 When Hercules requested to be borne Across the stream. The throng of shades give way; But fiercely Charon cries: "Whither so bold Dost thou haste on? Stay there thy hurrying steps." Alcmena's son would no delay endure, But with the pole itself the boatman tamed, And climbed aboard the boat. The roomy craft, 775 For nations ample, groaned beneath his weight; And as he sat, the heavy-weighted skiff With rocking sides drank in the Lethe stream. Then quaked the conquered monsters at the sight: The Centaurs, fierce and wild, the Lapithae, Inflamed to strife by copious draughts of wine; And, seeking out the farthest pools of Styx, 780 The beast of Lerna hid his fertile heads. Soon there appeared the home of greedy Dis, Where the fierce Stygian dog affrights the shades, Who, tossing back and forth his triple heads, With mighty bayings watches o'er the realm. Around his head with damp corruption foul, 785 Writhe deadly serpents, and his shaggy mane With vipers bristles; while a twisting snake Forms his long, hissing tail. His wrath and form Are both alike terrific. When he heard The sound of coming feet, straightway he raised His hackles, bristling with their darting snakes, And with erected ears caught at the sound 790 (For even noiseless spirits can he hear). When Jove's son nearer came, within his cave The dog stood hesitant, and nameless fear Each of the other felt. Then suddenly The silence shudders with his bayings deep,