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bolts of the darksome hollows and rouse the Titans^a from the nether pit and destroy the heaven, the seat of Zeus, who rules on high. Fain would she brandish the roaring thunderbolt of fire, yet gave way, for all her age, to Hephaestus, keeper of quenchless fire and of iron. And she thought to rouse the heavy-clashing din of shields, if haply they might leap up in terror at the noise. But from her later crafty counsel, too, she withdrew in fear of iron Ares, the shielded warrior.

And now she bethought her of the golden apples of the Hesperides.^b Thence Strife took the fruit that should be the harbinger of war, even the apple,^c and devised the scheme of signal woes. Whirling her arm she hurled into the banquet the primal seed of turmoil and disturbed the choir of goddesses. Hera, glorying to be the spouse and to share the bed of Zeus, rose up amazed, and would fain have seized it. And Cypris,^d as being more excellent than all, desired to have the apple, for that it is the treasure of the Loves. But Hera would not give it up and Athena would not yield. And Zeus, seeing the quarrel of the goddesses, and calling his son Hermaon,^e who sat below his throne, addressed him thus:

ãIf haply, my son, thou hast heard^f of a son of Priam, one Paris, the splendid youth, who tends his herds on the hills of Troy, give to him the apple;

NOTES

^a Sons of Uranus and Ge.

^b The Garden of he Hesperides lay in the far West. There the Hesperides, daughters of Night, guard the golden apple; along with a dragon, son of Phorkys, and Ceto; cf. Hes. Th. 215 ff.

^c The apple was a love-symbol and the presentation or throwing of an apple (Susan note Greek Text) was a declaration of love (schol. Arist. Nub. 997, Lucian, Dial. Mer. xii. 1, Theocr. v. 88). Cf. the story of Acontius and Cydippe and Solonâs enactment — (Susan note Greek text) (Plut. Praec. Coni. 138 d).

^d Aphrodite.

^e = Hermes (Hesiod fr. 46).

^f For the type of expression cf. Ap. Rh. iv. 1560, iii. 362.

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