aight roads are cleft for your
fair deeds to go forth, beyond the springs of Nile, and through the
Hyperboreans' midst: neither is any town so barbarous and strange
of speech that it knoweth not the fame of Peleus, that blissful
son-in-law of gods, or of Aias son of Telamon, and of Aias' sire; whom
unto brazen war an eager ally with Tirynthian men Alkmene's son took
with him in his ships to Troy, to the place of heroes' toil, to take
vengeance for Laomedon's untruth.

There did Herakles take the city of Pergamos, and with help of Telamon
slew the nations of the Meropes, and the herdsman whose stature was as
a mountain, Alkyoneus whom he found at Phlegrai, and spared not of his
hands the terrible twanging bowstring.

But when he went to call the son of Aiakos to the voyage he found the
whole company at the feast. And as he stood there in his lion's skin,
then did Telamon their chief challenge Amphitryon's son of the mighty
spear to make initiative libation of nectar, and handed on unto him
the wine-cup rough with gold.

And Herakles stretched forth to heaven his invincible hands and spake
on this wise: 'If ever, O father Zeus, thou hast heard my prayer with
willing heart, now, even now, with strong entreaty I pray thee that
thou give this man a brave child of Eriboia's womb, that by award of
fate my friend may gain a son of body as staunch[7] as this hide that
hangeth about me, which was of the beast that I slew at Nemea, first
of all my labours; and let his soul be of like sort.'

And when he had thus spoken, the god sent forth the king of birds,
a mighty eagle, and sweet delight thrilled him within, and he spake
aloud as a seer speaketh: 'Behold, the son whom thou askest shall
be born unto thee, O Telamon:' also after the bird's name that had
appeared unto them he said that the child's name should be the mighty
Aias[8], terrible in the strife of warring hosts: so he spake, and
sate him down straightway.

But for me it were long to tell all those valiant deeds. For for
Phylakidas am I come, O Muse, a dispenser of thy triumphal songs, and
for Pytheas, and for Euthymenes[9]; therefore in Argive fashion my
tale shall be of fewest words.

Three victories have they won in the pankration of Isthmos, and others
at leafy Nemea, even these noble sons and their mother's brother: how
fair a portion of song have they brought to light! yea and they water
with the Charites' delicious dew their clan of the Psalychidai, and
hav