wn on
the valley which lay beneath her. Then Selene was indeed astonished,
for she had never seen anything so beautiful before, even in a dream.
She had fancied that nothing could be more lovely than the vale of the
Meander, and now she saw something far more beautiful than the rocks
and stones and clear bright water of that winding river. It was a
small valley, at the bottom of which a lake shone like silver in the
light of the setting sun. All around it beautiful trees covered the
sloping banks; and their long branches drooped down over the water.
Not a breath of wind was stirring the dark leaves--not a bird was
flying in the air. Only the large green dragon-fly floated lazily on
the lake, while the swan lay half asleep on the silvery waters. On one
side, in the loveliest corner of the valley, there was a marble
temple, whose pillars shone like the white snow; and, leading down to
the lake, there were steps of marble, over which the palm trees spread
their branches, and everywhere were clusters of all beautiful flowers,
amongst which mosses, and ferns, and the green ivy were tangled. There
was the white narcissus and the purple tulip--the dark hyacinth and
the soft red rose. But more beautiful than all the trees and flowers,
a man lay sleeping on the marble steps of the temple. It was Endymion,
who lived in this quiet valley, where the storms never came, and where
the dark rain-clouds never covered the sides of the mountain. There he
lay in the still evening hour; and at first Selene thought that it
could scarcely be a living man whom she saw, for he lay as still as
if he were made of marble himself. And as she looked upon him, Selene
drew in her breath for wonder; and she went gently down the valley
till she came to the steps where Endymion lay asleep. Presently the
sun sank behind the hill, and the rich glow of the evening made the
silvery lake gleam like gold; and Endymion awoke and saw Selene
standing near him. Then Selene said, "I am wandering over the earth;
and I may not stay here. Come away, and I will show you larger lakes
and more glorious valleys than these." But Endymion said, "Lady, I can
not go. There may be lakes which are larger, and valleys more splendid
than this, but I love this still and quiet place, where the storms
never come, and the sky is never black with clouds. You must not ask
me to leave the cool shade of these sleeping trees, and the myrtles
and roses which twine under the tall elms, and t