he fire; bitter sorrow for me and
lamentation."

So spake she, wailing, and the lady Goddess heard her. Then in wrath did
the fair-garlanded Demeter snatch out of the fire with her immortal hands
and cast upon the ground that woman's dear son, whom beyond all hope she
had borne in the halls. Dread was the wrath of Demeter, and anon she
spake to fair-girdled Metaneira. "Oh redeless and uncounselled race of
men, that know not beforehand the fate of coming good or coming evil.
For, lo, thou hast wrought upon thyself a bane incurable, by thine own
witlessness; for by the oath of the Gods, the relentless water of Styx, I
would have made thy dear child deathless and exempt from age for ever,
and would have given him glory imperishable. But now in nowise may he
escape the Fates and death, yet glory imperishable will ever be his,
since he has lain on my knees and slept within my arms; [but as the years
go round, and in his day, the sons of the Eleusinians will ever wage war
and dreadful strife one upon the other.] Now I am the honoured Demeter,
the greatest good and gain of the Immortals to deathly men. But, come
now, let all the people build me a great temple and an altar thereby,
below the town, and the steep wall, above Callichorus on the jutting
rock. But the rites I myself will prescribe, that in time to come ye may
pay them duly and appease my power."

Therewith the Goddess changed her shape and height, and cast off old age,
and beauty breathed about her, and the sweet scent was breathed from her
fragrant robes, and afar shone the light from the deathless body of the
Goddess, the yellow hair flowing about her shoulders, so that the goodly
house was filled with the splendour as of levin fire, and forth from the
halls went she.

But anon the knees of the woman were loosened, and for long time she was
speechless, nay, nor did she even mind of the child, her best beloved, to
lift him from the floor. But the sisters of the child heard his pitiful
cry, and leapt from their fair-strewn beds; one of them, lifting the
child in her hands, laid it in her bosom; and another lit fire, and the
third ran with smooth feet to take her mother forth from the fragrant
chamber. Then gathered they about the child, and bathed and clad him
lovingly, yet his mood was not softened, for meaner nurses now and
handmaids held him.

They the long night through were adoring the renowned Goddess, trembling
with fear, but at the dawning they