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557


a city, repelling Hera and indignant Athena. And unhappy Paris, yearning with love and pursuing one whom he had not seen, gathered men that were skilled of Atrytone,a queen of handicraft, and led them to a shady wood. There the oaks from Ida of many tree-trunks were cut and felled by the excellent skill of Phereclus,b source of woe; who at that time, doing pleasure to his frenzied king, fashioned with the wood-cutting bronze ships for Alexander. On the same day he willed and on the same made the ships: ships which Athenac neither planned nor wrought.

And now he had just left the hills of Ida for the deep, and, after with many a sacrifice upon the shore he had besought the favour of Aphrodite that attended him to aid his marriage, he was sailing the Hellespont over the broad back of the sea, when to him there appeared a token of his laborious toils. The dark sea leapt aloft and girdled the heaven with a chain of dusky coils and straightway poured forth rain from the murky air, and the sea was turmoiled as the oarsmen rowed. Then when he had passed Dardania and the land of Troy and, coasting along, left behind the mouth of the Ismarian lake,d speedily, after the mountains of Thracian Pangaeon,e he saw rising into view the tomb of Phyllisf that loved her husband and the

NOTES

a Athena.

b The Trojan who built the Wooden Horse (Il. v. 59 ff.).

c Athena was patron of all carpentry, but in this case she withheld her blessing.

d In Thrace, between Maroneia and Stryma (Herod. vii. 109).

e Strabo 331 and 680; famous for its mines of gold and silver.

f Phyllis was daughter of the king of Thrace. When Demophoon son of Theseus (the same story is told of his brother Acamas) was on his way home from Troy to Athens he married Phyllis. When he left for Athens he promised to return for her soon. As he failed to return, she went nine journeys to the shore to look for his returning ship. Hence the place was called (Susan note Greek text), the site of the later colony of Amphipolis (cf. Aeschin. De fals. leg. 31). Phyllis cursed Demophoon and hanged herself; cf. Ov. Her. 2, Rem. Am. 605.








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