ended
here, thou shalt go with me to the homes of the undying gods, and men
shall see the crown of Ariadne in the heavens when the stars look
forth at night from the dark sky. Nay, weep not, Ariadne, thy love for
Theseus hath been but the love of a day, and I have loved thee long
before the black-sailed ship brought him from poor and rugged Athens."
Then Ariadne wept no more, and in the arms of Dionysos she forgot the
false and cruel Theseus; so that among the matrons who thronged round
the joyous wine-god the fairest and the most joyous was Ariadne, the
daughter of Minos.

ARETHUSA.

On the heights of Maenalos the hunter Alpheios saw the maiden Arethusa
as she wandered joyously with her companions over the green swelling
downs where the heather spread out its pink blossoms to the sky.
Onward she came, the fairest of all the band, until she drew nigh to
the spot where Alpheios stood marveling at the brightness of her
beauty. Then, as she followed the winding path on the hill-side, she
saw his eye resting upon her, and her heart was filled with fear, for
his dark face was flushed by the toil of the long chase and his torn
raiment waved wildly in the breeze. And yet more was she afraid when
she heard the sound of his rough voice, as he prayed her to tarry by
his side. She lingered not to listen to his words, but with light foot
she sped over hill and dale and along the bank of the river where it
leaps down the mountain cliffs and winds along the narrow valleys.

Then Alpheios vowed a vow that the maiden should not escape him. "I
will follow thee," he said, "over hill and dale; I will seek thee
through rivers and seas, and where thou shalt rest, there will I rest,
also." Onward they sped, across the dark heights of Erymanthos and
over the broad plains of Pisa, till the waters of the western sea lay
spread out before them, dancing in the light of the midday sun.

Then with arms outstretched, and with wearied limbs, Arethusa cried
aloud, and said, "O daughters of the gentle Okeanos, I have played
with you on the white shore in the days of mirth and gladness, and now
I come to your green depths. Save me from the hand of the wild
huntsman." So she plunged beneath the waves of the laughing sea, and
the daughters of Okeanos bore her gently downwards till she came to
the coral caves, where they sat listening to the sweet song of the
waters. But there they suffered her not to rest, for they said, "Yet
further must thou fle