O C ASTALIAN Apollo, make me musically tell
Of thy servant Polyidus, and what fortune him befell.
Silent in his marble dungeon, round with awful darkness closed,
Sat the seer, the head of Glaucus, lifeless, on his knees reposed —
Glaucus, son of Minos, Creta ruling and all Cyclades,
Tribute-gatherer, with his navies spreading whiteness over seas.
When the boy was lost and vanished, far and wide the father sought
For the soothsayer most skilful — straight was Polyidus brought.
Thoughtfully the sage ascended where the columned temple crowns.
Gnossus' wave-worn headland, lifted high o'er seas and isles and towns,
Saw the gull in ether, twirling shining wings with sea-baths wet,
Saw the cormorant on the billow, on the shore the avocet,
And one brown-plumed eagle, coming fleetly through the azure air,
Till aloft o'er Minos' palace, then it stooped and rested there.
" Search these halls," the seer commanded — long they searched like men at fault;
Polyidus grasped a taper, down he went into a vault;
There he saw an active people, burnished body, glimmering wing,
Bees in airy mazes blended with an ireful murmuring;
Round a honey-cask they gathered, o'er that cask an owl had place,
Snapping beak and clutching talons warring with the stinged race.
Bees and owl he scared, the lidless cask explored, and then saw he
Glaucus, sweet 'mid sweets, in sweetness dead and stifled bitterly.
Silent in a trance lethargic sat the miserable king,
Hearing not the warriors' weeping, not the women's cymballing
Wild they flew with hair dishevelled, wild with faces torn they ran,
Crying " Woe for youthful Glaucus, dead a deedless, songless man!"
Slow at length the King awakened, royally gave he command: —
" Build a marble mausoleum, stately as in Memphian land."
Swift his thought was overtaken, for the self-same sun that fell
Early on the young foundation, set behind the pinnacle.
There, within an inner chamber, prisoned he both son and seer,
" Bring him back into existence, or thyself continue here."
" King, thou doest ill, requiting good with injury." But then
Clashed the unpersuaded portals, severing his complaint from men.
Sad the augur sat in darkness, loud and tearfully he prayed: —
" Lord of Delphos and of Delos, Pythian, bring thy servant aid!"
From the wall a snake came gliding, huge and terrible and loth,
Bronzed its scales with fire and duskness, from its jaws flowed violet froth,
And its eyes the cell illumined. Up to Glaucus, with dire hiss,
Crept it, round his bosom coiling. Polyidus, seeing this,
Grasped his augur-staff, snake-twisted — two great strokes, the serpent, slain,
Lay upon the coloured pavement with snapped spine and scattered brain.
Lo! another snake enormous! To that slaughtered one it went,
Licked it, writhed itself around it, hissing forth its discontent.
Threateningly did Polyidus raise his staff, but yet his blow
Checked the augur mild and pious, reverencing that serpent's woe;
So the snake departed, scatheless. Suddenly it came again,
Straining on with horrid whistlings, in its jaws a leaf was lain.
Round its lifeless mate it twisted, laid the chewed leaf upon it —
Straight the outpoured brain was gathered, straight the sundered spine reknit.
'Live with giant wreaths resplendent, making all the vault to shine,
Rose that formidable dragon. " Phaebus, the portent is thine,"
Cried the sage, and, forward bending, half despair and half belief,
Touched the lifeless youth's pale forehead with the serpent-given leaf.
Lo, the rigid nostril quivered, warmly ran each thawing vein,
Light the unglazing eye environed — Glaucus stirred and spoke again.
Talents ten of gold, of silver vases ten, a lovely slave
Bearing each, Sidonian curtains, Libyan fleeces, Minos gave
To the augur, for his guerdon. Thus returned he to his friends,
Blithe in triumph, rich and honoured. Such the boons Apollo sends.