No More Learning

The Strong Man entered, but his fellow stayed Leaning against a tree trunk as they deemed.
They faltered now, and yet all things being weighed Went on again ; and thought they must have dreamed Of the old man, for now the sunlight streamed
Full on the tree he had been leaning on, And him they saw not go, yet was he gone :
Only a slim green lizard flitted there
Amidst the dry leaves ; him they noted naught,
But, trembling, through the doorway 'gan to peer,
And still of strange and dreadful saw not aught,
Only a garden fair beyond all thought.
And there, 'twixt sun and shade, the Strong Man went On some long-sought-for end belike intent.
They 'gan to follow down a narrow way
Of greensward that the lilies trembled o'er,
And whereon thick the scattered rose leaves lay ; But a great wonder weighed upon them sore,
And well they thought they should return no more ; Yet scarce a pain that seemed ; they looked to meet Before they died things strange and fair and sweet.
So still to right and left the Strong Man thrust The blossomed boughs, and passed on steadily,
As though his hardy heart he well did trust,
Till in a while he gave a joyous cry,
And hastened on, as though the end drew nigh ; And women's voices then they deemed they heard, Mixed with a noise that made desire afeard.
Yet through sweet scents and sounds on did they bear Their panting hearts, till the path ended now
In a wide space of green ; a streamlet clear
THE GOLDEN APPLES.
From out a marble basin there did flow,
And close by that a slim-trunked tree did grow, And on a bough low o'er the water cold
There hung three apples of red-gleaming gold.
About the tree, new risen e'en now to meet
The shining presence of that mighty one,
Three damsels stood, naked from head to feet
Save for the glory of their hair, where sun
And shadow flickered, while the wind did run
Through the gray leaves o'erhead, and shook the grass Where nigh their feet the wandering bee did pass.
But 'midst their delicate limbs and all around
The tree roots, gleaming blue black could they see The spires of a great serpent, that, enwound
About the smooth bole, looked forth threateningly, With glittering eyes and raised crest, o'er the three Fair heads fresh crowned, and hissed above the speech Wherewith they murmured softly each to each.
Now the Strong Man amid the green space stayed, And, leaning on his club, with eager eyes
But brow yet smooth, in voice yet friendly said :
" O daughters of old Hesperus the Wise,
Well have ye held your guard here ; but time tries The very will of gods, and to my hand
Must give this day the gold fruit of your land. "
Then spake the first maid — sweet as the west wind Amidst of summer noon her sweet voice was :
" Ah, me ! what knows this place of changing mind
Of men or gods ? here shall long ages pass,
And clean forget thy feet upon the grass,
Thy hapless bones amid the fruitful mold ; "
Look at thy death envenomed swift and cold !
Hiding new flowers, the dull coils, as she spake, Moved near her limbs : but then the second one,
In such a voice as when the morn doth wake
To song of birds, said, " When the world foredone Has moaned its last, still shall we dwell alone Beneath this bough, and have no tales to tell
Of things deemed great that on the earth befell. "
THE GOLDEN APPLES.
Then spake the third, in voice as of the flute That wakes the maiden to her wedding morn :
" If any god should gain our golden fruit,
Its curse would make his deathless life forlorn. Lament thou, then, that ever thou wert born ;
Yet all things, changed by joy or loss or pain,
To what they were shall change and change again. "
" So be it," he said, " the Fates that drive me on Shall slay me or shall save ; blessing or curse
That followeth after when the thing is won
Shall make my work no better now nor worse ;
And if it be that the world's heart must nurse
Hatred against me, how then shall I "
choose
To leave or take ? — let your dread servant loose !
E'en therewith, like a pillar of black smoke, Swift, shifting ever, drave the worm at him ;
In deadly silence now that nothing broke,
Its folds were writhing round him trunk and limb, Until his glittering gear was naught but dim
E'en in that sunshine, while his head and side And breast the fork-tongued, pointed muzzle tried.
Closer the coils drew, quicker all about
The forked tongue darted, and yet stiff he stood, E'en as an oak that sees the straw flare out
And lick its ancient bole for little good :
Until the godlike fury of his mood
Burst from his heart in one great shattering cry, And rattling down the loosened coils did lie ;
And from the torn throat and crushed dreadful head Forth flowed a stream of blood along the grass ;
Bright in the sun he stood above the dead,
Panting with fury ; yet as ever was
The wont of him, soon did his anger pass, And with a happy smile at last he turned To where the apples o'er the water burned.
Silent and moveless ever stood the three ;
No change came o'er their faces, as his hand
Was stretched aloft unto the sacred tree ;
Nor shrank they aught aback, though he did stand So close that tresses of their bright hair, fanned
THE GOLDEN APPLES.
By the sweet garden breeze, lay light on him,
And his gold fell brushed by them breast and limb.
He drew adown the wind-stirred bough, and took The apples thence ; then let it spring away,
And from his brow the dark hair backward shook, And said : " O sweet, O fair, and shall this day
A curse upon my life henceforward lay — This day alone ? Methinks of coming life Somewhat I know, with all its loss and strife.
" But this I know, at least : the world shall wend Upon its way, and, gathering joy and grief
And deeds done, bear them with it to the end ;
So shall though lie as last year's leaf
Lies 'neath a summer tree, at least receive My life gone by, and store with the gain That men alive call striving, wrong, and pain.
" So for my part rather bless than curse, And bless this fateful land good be with
Nor for this deadly thing's death worse, Nor for the lack of gold still shall ye sit Watching the swallow o'er the daisies flit
Still shall your wandering limbs ere day done Make dawn desired by the sinking sun.
" And now, behold in memory of all this Take ye this girdle that shall waste and fade As fadeth not your fairness and your bliss, That when hereafter 'mid the blossoms laid Ye talk of days and men now nothing made, Ye may remember how the Theban man,
The son of Jove, came o'er the waters wan. "
Their faces changed not aught for all they heard; As though all things now fully told out were,
They gazed upon him without any word
Ah craving kindness, hope, or loving care,
Their fairness scarcely could have made more fair, As with the apples folded in his fell
He went, to do more deeds for folk to tell.
Now as the girdle on the ground was cast, Those fellows turned and hurried toward the door And as across its broken leaves they passed
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THE GOLDEN APPLES. 373
The old man saw they not, e'en as before ;
But an unearthed blind mole bewildered sore Was wandering there in fruitless, aimless wise, That got small heed from their full-sated eyes.
Swift gat they to their anxious folk ; nor had More time than just to say, "Be of good cheer, For in our own land may we yet be glad,"
When they beheld the guests a drawing near ; And much bewildered the two fellows were
To see the old man, and must even deem
That they should see things stranger than a dream.
" But when they were aboard the elder cried, Up sails, my masters, fair now is the wind ;
Nor good it is too long here to abide,
Lest what ye may not loose your souls should bind. " And as he spake, the tall trees left behind
Stirred with the rising land wind, and the crew, Joyous thereat, the hawsers shipward drew.
Swift sped the ship, and glad at heart were all, And the Strong Man was merry with the rest, And from the elder's lips no word did fall
That did not seem to promise all the best ;
Yet with a certain awe were men oppressed, And felt as if their inmost hearts were bare, And each man's secret babbled through the air.
Still oft the old man sat with them and told Tales of past time, as on the outward way ;
And now would they the face of him behold
And deem it changed ; the years that on him lay Seemed to grow naught, and no more wan and gray He looked, but ever glorious, wise and strong,
As though no lapse of time for him were long.
At last, when six days through the kindly sea Their keel had slipped, he said : " Come hearken now, For so it is that things fare wondrously
E'en in these days ; and I a tale can show
That, told by you unto your sons shall grow
A marvel of the days that are to come :
Take heed and tell it when ye reach your home.
THE GOLDEN APPLES.
" Yet living in the world a man there is
Men call the Theban King Amphitryon's son, Although perchance a greater sire was his ;
But certainly his lips have hung upon
Alcmena's breasts : great deeds this man hath won Already, for his name is Hercules,
And e'en ye Asian folk have heard of these.
" Now ere the moon, this eve in his last wane, Was born, this Hercules, the fated thrall
Of King Eurystheus, was straight bid to gain Gifts from a land whereon no foot doth fall
Of mortal man, beyond the misty wall
Of unknown waters ; pensively he went
Along the sea on his hard life intent.
" And at the dawn he came into a bay
Where the sea, ebbed far down, left wastes of sand, Walled from the green earth by great cliffs and gray ; Then he looked up, and wondering there did stand, For strange things lay in slumber on the strand ; Strange counterparts of what the firm earth hath
Lay scattered all about his weary path :
" Sea lions and sea horses and sea kine,
Sea boars, sea men strange skinned, of wondrous hair And in their midst a man who seemed divine
For changeless eld, and round him women fair,
Clad in the sea webs glassy green and clear,
With gems on head and girdle, limb and breast,
Such as earth knoweth not among her best.
" A moment at the fair and wondrous sight He stared ; then, since the heart in him was good, He went about with careful steps and light
Till o'er the sleeping sea god now he stood ;
And if the white-foot maids had stirred his blood As he passed by, now other thoughts had place Within his heart when he beheld that face.
" For Nereus now he knew, who knows all things , And to himself he said, ' If I prevail,
Better than by some god-wrought eagle wings
Shall I be holpen ; ' then he cried out : ' Hail,
O Nereus ! lord of shifting hill and dale !
THE GOLDEN APPLES. 375
Arise and wrestle ; I am Hercules !
Not soon now shalt thou meet the ridgy seas. '
" And mightily he cast himself on him;
And Nereus cried out shrilly ; and straightway
That sleeping crowd, fair maid with half-hid limb, Strange man and green-haired beast, made no delay, But glided down into the billows gray,
And, by the lovely sea embraced, were gone,
While they two wrestled on the sea strand lone.
" Soon found the sea god that his bodily might Was naught in dealing with Jove's dear one there ; And soon he 'gan to use his magic sleight:
Into a lithe leopard, and a hugging bear,
He turned him ; then the smallest fowl of air
The straining arms of Hercules must hold,
And then a mud-born wriggling eel and cold.
" Then as the firm hands mastered this, forth brake A sudden rush of waters all around,
Blinding and choking : then a thin green snake
With golden eyes ; then o'er the shell-strewn ground Forth stole a fly, the least that may be found ;
Then earth and heaven seemed wrapped in one huge flame, But from the midst thereof a voice there came :
"'Kinsman and stout heart, thou hast won the day, Nor to my grief : what wouldst thou have of me ? ' And therewith to an old man small and gray
Faded the roaring flame, who wearily
Sat down upon the sand and said, ' Let be !
I know thy tale ; worthy of help thou art ; Come now, a short way hence will there depart
" ' A ship of Tyre for the warm southern seas, Come we aboard ; according to my will
Her way shall be. ' Then up rose Hercules, Merry of face, though hot and panting still ;
But the fair summer day his heart did fill With all delight ; and so forth went the twain, And found those men desirous of all gain.
" Ah, for these gainful men — somewhat indeed Their sails are rent, their bark beat ; kin and friend Are wearying for them ; yet a friend in need
THE GOLDEN APPLES.
They yet shall gain, if at their journey's end, Upon the last ness where the wild goats wend To lick the salt-washed stones, a house they raise Bedight with gold in kindly Nereus' praise. "
Breathless they waited for these latest words, That like the soft wind of the gathering night
Were grown to be : about the mast flew birds
Making their moan, hovering long-winged and white ; And now before their straining anxious sight
The old man faded out into the air,
And from his place flew forth a sea mew fair.
Then to the Mighty Man, Alcmena's son,
With yearning hearts they turned till he should speak. And he spake softly : " Naught ill have ye done
In helping me to find what I did seek :
The world made better by me knows if weak
My hand and heart are : but now, light the fire
Upon the prow and worship the gray sire. "
So did they ; and such gifts as there they had Gave unto Nereus ; yea, and sooth to say,
Amid the tumult of their hearts made glad,
Had honored Hercules in e'en such way ; "
But he laughed out amid them, and said, Nay, Not yet the end is come ; nor have I yet
Bowed down before vain longing and regret.
" It may be — who shall tell, when I go back There whence I came, and looking down behold
The place that my once eager heart shall lack,
And all my dead desires a lying cold,
But I may have the might then to enfold
The hopes of brave men in my heart ? — but long life Lies before first with its change and wrong. "
So fair along the watery ways they sped
In happy wise, nor failed of their return ;
Nor failed in ancient Tyre the ways to tread, Teaching their tale to whomsoe'er would learn,
Nor failed at last the flesh of beasts to burn
In Nereus' house, turned toward the bright day's end On the last ness, round which the wild goats wend.
ODE ON A GRECIAN URN. 377
ODE ON A GRECIAN URN. By JOHN KEATS.
[John Keats : An English poet, sometimes called " The Poets' Poet "; born at Moorsfield, London, October 31, 1795 ; died at Rome, Italy, February 23, 1821. His first poem, " Endymion," was issued when he was twenty-three. It has beautiful passages, but the story is very difficult to follow, and is mainly a vehicle for luscious verbal music. Its promise was more than fulfilled in his second volume, published in 1820, and containing many noble sonnets, the im mortal "Ode on a Grecian Urn," "The Eve of St. Agnes," etc. His highest flight was reached in the sublime " Hyperion," but he had no constructive im agination and let it drop after the first canto. He had enormous effect on the coming poets of his time, and Tennyson was his thoroughgoing disciple. The " Love Letters to Fanny Brawne " appeared in 1878 ; his " Letters to his Family and Friends " in 1891. ]
Thou still unravished bride of quietness, Thou foster child of silence and slow time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme :
What leaf-fringed legend haunts about thy shape Of deities or mortals, or of both,
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady ?
What men or gods are these ? What maidens loath ?
What mad pursuit ? What struggle to escape ? What pipes and timbrels ? What wild ecstasy ?
Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter ; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on ;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endeared, Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone :
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal — yet, do not grieve ; She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
Forever wilt thou love, and she be fair !
Ah, happy, happy boughs ! that cannot shed Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu ;
And, happy melodist, unwearied, Forever piping songs forever new ;
More happy love ! more happy, happy love ! Forever warm and still to be enjoyed,
Forever panting, and forever young ;
878
HYMN TO MINERVA.
All breathing human passion far above,
That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloyed,
A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.
Who are these coming to the sacrifice ?
To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
And all her silken flanks with garlands drest ?
What little town by river or seashore,
Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn ? And, little town, thy streets for evermore
Will silent be ; and not a soul to tell Why thou art desolate, can e'er return.
O Attic shape ! Fair attitude ! with brede Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed ; Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity : Cold Pastoral !
When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
" Beauty is truth, truth beauty," — that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.
HYMN TO MINERVA.
Attributed to Homer; Translated by PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY.
1 sing the glorious power with azure eyes,
Athenian Pallas, tameless, chaste, and wise, Tritogenia, town-preserving maid,
Revered and mighty from his awful head
Whom Jove brought forth, in warlike armor dressed, Golden, all radiant. Wonder strange possessed
The everlasting Gods that shape to see,
Shaking a javelin keen, impetuously
Rush from the crest of aegis-bearing Jove. Fearfully heaven was shaken, and did move Beneath the might of the cerulean-eyed ;
Earth dreadfully resounded, far and wide ;
And, lifted from his depths, the Sea swelled high
THE GORGON'S HEAD.
379
In purple billows ; the tide suddenly
Stood still; and great Hyperion's Son long time Checked his swift steeds : till, where she stood sublime, Pallas from her immortal shoulders threw
The arms divine. Wise Jove rejoiced to view.
Child of the aegis bearer, hail to thee !
Nor thine nor others' praise shall unremembered be.
THE GORGON'S HEAD. By NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE.
[Nathaniel Hawthorne : American story-writer ; born at Salem, Mass. , July 4, 1804; died at Plymouth, N. H. , May 19, 1864. His official positions, in the customhouse at Salem and as United States consul at Liverpool, furnished him with many opportunities for the study of human nature. His literary popularity was of slow growth, but was founded on"the eternal verities. His most famous novels are "The Scarlet Letter," 1850; The House of the Seven Gables," 1851; " The Blithedale Romance," 1852; "The Marble Faun," 1860; " Septimius Felton," posthumous. He wrote a great number of short stories, inimitable in style and full of weird imagination. "Twice-told Tales," first series, appeared in 1837; "The Snow Image and Other Twice-told Tales," in 1852 ; " Tanglewood Tales," in 1853. ]
Perseus was the son of Danae, who was the daughter of a king, and when Perseus was a very little boy some wicked people put his mother and himself into a chest and set them afloat upon the sea. The wind blew freshly and drove the chest away from the shore, and the uneasy billows tossed it up and down, while Danae clasped her child closely to her bosom, and dreaded that some big wave would dash its foamy crest over them both. The chest sailed on, however, and neither sank nor was upset, until, when night was coming, it floated so near an island that it got entangled in a fisherman's nets and was drawn out high and dry upon the sand. The island was called Seriphus, and it was reigned over by King Polydectes, who happened to be the fisherman's brother.
This fisherman, I am glad to tell you, was an exceedingly humane and upright man. He showed great kindness to Danae and her little boy, and continued to befriend them until Per seus had grown to be a handsome youth, very strong and active and skillful in the use of arms. Long before this time King Polydectes had seen the two strangers — the mother and her
380 THE GORGON'S HEAD.
child — who had come to his dominions in a floating chest. As he was not good and kind like his brother the fisherman, but extremely wicked, he resolved to send Perseus on a dangerous enterprise in which he would probably be killed, and then to do some great mischief to Danae herself. So this bad-hearted king spent a long while in considering what was the most dan gerous thing that a young man could possibly undertake to perform. At last, having hit upon an enterprise that promised to turn out as fatally as he desired, he sent for the youthful Perseus.
The young man came to the palace, and found the king sitting upon his throne.
" Perseus," said King Polydectes, smiling craftily upon him, "you are grown up a fine young man. You and your good mother have received a great deal of kindness from myself, as well as from my worthy brother the fisherman, and I suppose you would not be sorry to repay some of it. "
"Please, your majesty," answered Perseus, "I would will ingly risk my life to do so. "
" Well, then," continued the king, still with a cunning smile on his lips, " I have a little adventure to propose to you ; and, as you are a brave and enterprising youth, you will doubtless look upon it as a great piece of good luck to have so rare an opportunity of distinguishing yourself. You must know, my good Perseus, I think of getting married to the beautiful Prin cess Hippodamia, and it is customary on these occasions to make the bride a present of some far-fetched and elegant curi osity. I have been a little perplexed, I must honestly confess, where to obtain anything likely to please a princess of her exquisite taste. But this morning, I flatter myself, I have thought of precisely the article. " "
cried
" You can, if you are as brave a youth as I believe you to be," replied King Polydectes, with the utmost graciousness of manner. " The bridal gift which I have set my heart on pre senting to the beautiful Hippodamia is the head of the Gorgon Medusa with the snaky locks, and I depend on you, my dear Perseus, to bring it to me. So, as I am anxious to settle affairs with the princess, the sooner you go in quest of the Gorgon the better I shall be pleased. "
" And can I assist your majesty in obtaining it ? Perseus, eagerly.
" I will set out to-morrow morning," answered Perseus.
The Gorgon's Head
THE GORGON'S HEAD. 381
" Pray do so, my gallant youth," rejoined the king. " And, Perseus, in cutting off the Gorgon's head be careful to make a clean stroke, so as not to injure its appearance. You must bring it home in the very best condition in order to suit the exquisite taste of the beautiful Princess Hippodamia. "
Perseus left the palace, but was scarcely out of hearing before Polydectes burst into a laugh, being greatly amused, wicked king that he was, to find how readily the young man fell into the snare. The news quickly spread abroad that Per seus had undertaken to cut off the head of Medusa with the snaky locks. Everybody was rejoiced, for most of the inhabit
ants of the island were as wicked as the king himself, and would have liked nothing better than to see some enormous mischief happen to Danae and her son. The only good man in this unfortunate island of Seriphus appears to have been the fisherman. As Perseus walked along, therefore, the people pointed after him, and made mouths, and winked to one another, and ridiculed him as loudly as they dared.
" Ho, ho ! " cried they ; " Medusa's snakes will sting him soundly ! "
Now, there were three Gorgons alive at that period, and they were the most strange and terrible monsters that had ever been seen since the world was made, or that have been seen in after days, or that are likely to be seen in all time to come. I hardly know what sort of creature or hobgoblin to call them. They were three sisters, and seem to have borne some distant resemblance to woman, but were really a very frightful and mischievous species of dragon. It is indeed difficult to imagine what hideous beings these three sisters were. Why, instead of locks of hair, if you can believe me, they had each of them a hundred enormous snakes growing on their heads, all alive, twisting, wriggling, curling, and thrusting out their venomous tongues with forked stings at the end. The teeth of the Gor gons were terribly long tusks ; their hands were made of brass ; and their bodies were all over scales, which, if not iron, were something as hard and impenetrable. They had wings, too, and exceedingly splendid ones, I can assure you, for every feather in them was pure, bright, glittering, burnished gold, and they looked very dazzling, no doubt, when the Gorgons were flying about in the sunshine.
But when people happened to catch a glimpse of their glit tering brightness aloft in the air, they seldom stopped to gaze,
382 THE GORGON'S HEAD.
but ran and hid themselves as speedily as they could. You will think, perhaps, that they were afraid of being stung by the serpents that served the Gorgons instead of hair, or of hav ing their heads bitten off by their ugly tusks, or of being torn all to pieces by their brazen claws. Well, to be sure, these were some of the dangers, but by no means the greatest nor the most difficult to avoid. For the worst thing about these abominable Gorgons was that if once a poor mortal fixed his eyes full upon one of their faces, he was certain that very instant to be changed from warm flesh and blood into cold and lifeless stone.
Thus, as you will easily perceive, it was a very dangerous adventure that the wicked King Polydectes had contrived for this innocent young man. Perseus himself, when he had thought over the matter, could not help seeing that he had very little chance of coming safely through and that he was far more likely to become stone image than to bring back the head of Medusa with the snaky locks. For, not to speak of other difficulties, there was one which would have puzzled an older man than Perseus to get over. Not only must he fight with and slay this golden-winged, iron-scaled, long-tusked, brazen-clawed, snaky-haired monster, but he must do with his eyes shut, or at least without so much as a glance at the enemy with whom he was contending. Else, while his arm was lifted to strike, he would stiffen into stone, and stand with that uplifted arm for centuries, until time and the wind and weather should crumble him quite away. This would be very sad thing to befall young man who wanted to perform great many brave deeds and to enjoy a great deal of happiness in this bright and beautiful world.
So disconsolate did these thoughts make him that Perseus could not bear to tell his mother what he had undertaken to do. He therefore took his shield, girded on his sword, and crossed over from the island to the mainland, where he sat down in a solitary place and hardly refrained from shedding tears.
But while he was in this sorrowful mood he heard voice close beside him. "
" Perseus," said the voice, "why are you sad?
He lifted his head from his hands, in which he had hidden it, and, behold all alone as Perseus had supposed himself to be, there was stranger in the solitary place. It was brisk, intelligent, and remarkably shrewd-looking young man, with
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THE GORGON'S HEAD.
383
a cloak over his shoulders, an odd sort of cap on his head, a strangely twisted staff in his hand, and a short and very crooked sword hanging by his side. He was exceeding light and active in his figure, like a person much accustomed to gym nastic exercises and well able to leap or run. Above all, the stranger had such a cheerful, knowing, and helpful aspect (though it was certainly a little mischievous into the bargain) that Perseus could not help feeling his spirits grow livelier as he gazed at him. Besides, being really a courageous youth, he felt greatly ashamed that anybody should have found him with tears in his eyes, like a timid little schoolboy, when, after all, there might be no occasion for despair. So Perseus wiped his eyes and answered the stranger pretty briskly, putting on as brave a look as he could.
" I am not so very sad," said he ; " only thoughtful about an adventure that I have undertaken. "
" Oho ! " answered the stranger. " Well, tell me all about it, and possibly I may be of service to you. I have helped a good many young men through adventures that looked difficult enough beforehand. Perhaps you may have heard of me. I have more names than one, but the name of Quicksilver suits me as well as any other. Tell me what your trouble is, and we will talk the matter over and see what can be done. "
The stranger's words and manner put Perseus into quite a different mood from his former one. He resolved to tell Quick silver all his difficulties, since he could not easily be worse off than he already was, and very possibly his new friend might give him some advice that would turn out well in the end. So he let the stranger know, in few words, precisely what the case was —how that King Polydectes wanted the head of Medusa with the snaky locks as a bridal gift for the beautiful Princess Hippodamia, and how that he had undertaken to get it for him, but was afraid of being turned into stone.
" And that would be a great pity," said Quicksilver, with his mischievous smile. "You would make a very handsome marble statue, it is true, and it would be a considerable number of centuries before you crumbled away, but, on the whole, one would rather be a young man for a few years than a stone image for a great many. "
" Oh, far rather ! " exclaimed Perseus, with the tears again standing in his eyes. " And, besides, what would my dear mother do if her beloved son were turned into a stone ? "
384
THE GORGON'S HEAD.
" Well, well !
let us hope that the affair will not turn out so very badly," replied Quicksilver in an encouraging tone. " I am the very person to help you, if anybody can. My sister and myself will do our utmost to bring you safe through the adventure, ugly as it now looks. "
" Yes, my sister," said the stranger. " She is very wise, I promise you ; and as for myself, I generally have all my wits about me, such as they are. If you show yourself bold and cautious and follow our advice, you need not fear being a stone image yet a while. But, first of all, you must polish your shield till you can see your face in it as distinctly as in a mirror. "
This seemed to Perseus rather an odd beginning of the adventure, for he thought it of far more consequence that the shield should be strong enough to defend him from the Gorgons' brazen claws than that it should be bright enough to show him the reflection of his face. However, concluding that Quick silver knew better than himself, he immediately set to work and scrubbed the shield with so much diligence and good will that it very quickly shone like the moon at harvest time. Quicksilver looked at it with a smile and nodded his approba tion. Then, taking off his own short and crooked sword, he girded it about Perseus, instead of the one which he had before worn.
"Your sister? " repeated Perseus.
" No sword but mine will answer your purpose," observed he ; " the blade has a most excellent temper, and will cut through iron and brass as easily as through the slenderest twig. And now we will set out. The next thing is to find the Three Gray Women, who will tell us where to find the Nymphs. "
" The Three Gray Women ! " cried Perseus, to whom this seemed only a new difficulty in the path of his adventure ;
" pray, who may the Three Gray Women be ? of them before. "
I never heard
" They are three very strange old ladies," said Quicksilver, laughing. " They have but one eye among them, and only one tooth. Moreover, you must find them out by starlight or in the dusk of the evening, for they never show themselves by the light either of the sun or moon. "
" But," said Perseus, " why should I waste my time with these Three Gray Women ? Would it not be better to set out at once in search of the terrible Gorgons ? "
THE GORGON'S HEAD. 385
" No, no," answered his friend. " There are other things to be done before you can find your way to the Gorgons. There is nothing for it but to hunt up these old ladies, and when we meet with them you may be sure that the Gorgons are not a great way off. Come, let us be stirring. "
Perseus by this time felt so much confidence in his com panion's sagacity that he made no more objections, and pro fessed himself ready to begin the adventure immediately. They accordingly set out and walked at a pretty brisk pace —. so brisk, indeed, that Perseus found it rather difficult to keep up with his nimble friend Quicksilver. To say the truth, he had a singular idea that Quicksilver was furnished with a pair of winged shoes, which of course helped him along marvelously. And then, too, when Perseus looked sideways at him out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to see wings on the side of his head, although, if he turned a full gaze, there were no such things to be perceived, but only an odd kind of cap. But, at all events, the twisted staff was evidently a great convenience to Quicksilver, and enabled him to proceed so fast that Perseus, though a remarkably active young man, began to be out of breath. "
" Here !
enough, rogue that he was, how hard Perseus found it to keep pace with him — " take you the staff, for you need it a great deal more than I. Are there no better walkers than yourself in the island of Seriphus? "
cried Quicksilver at last — for he knew well
" I could walk pretty well," said Perseus, glancing slyly at his companion's feet, "if I had only a pair of winged shoes. "
" We must see about getting you a pair," answered Quick silver.
But the staff helped Perseus along so bravely that he no longer felt the slightest weariness. In fact, the stick seemed to be alive in his hand, and to lend some of its life to Perseus. He and Quicksilver now walked onward at their ease, talking very sociably together, and Quicksilver told so many pleasant stories about his former adventures, and how well his wits had served him on various occasions, that Perseus began to think him a very wonderful person. He evidently knew the world, and nobody is so charming to a young man as a friend who has that kind of knowledge. Perseus listened the more eagerly in the hope of brightening his own wits by what he heard.
At last he happened to recollect that Quicksilver had spoken
386 THE GORGON'S HEAD.
of a sister who was to lend her assistance in the adventure which they were now bound upon.
"Where is she? " he inquired. "Shall we not meet her soon? "
I shall be afraid to say
" She is a very accomplished person, I assure you," con tinued Quicksilver, "and has all the arts and sciences at her fingers' ends. In short, she is so immoderately wise that many people call her wisdom personified. But, to tell you the truth, she has hardly vivacity enough for my taste, and I think you would scarcely find her so pleasant a traveling companion as myself. She has her good points, nevertheless, and you will find the benefit of them in your encounter with the Gor- gons. "
" All at the proper time," said his companion. " But this sister of mine, you must understand, is quite a different sort of character from myself. She is very grave and prudent, seldom smiles, never laughs, and makes it a rule not to utter a word unless she has something particularly profound to say. Neither will she listen to any but the wisest conversation. "
" Dear me ! " ejaculated Perseus ; " a syllable. "
By this time it had grown quite dusk. They were now come to a very wild and desert place, overgrown with shaggy bushes, and so silent and solitary that nobody seemed ever to have dwelt or journeyed there. All was waste and desolate in the gray twilight, which grew every moment more obscure. Perseus looked about him rather disconsolately, and asked Quicksilver whether they had a great deal farther to go.
" Hist ! hist ! " whispered his companion. " Make no noise. This is just the time and place to meet the Three Gray Women. Be careful that they do not see you before you see them, for, though they have but a single eye among the three, it is as sharp-sighted as half a dozen common eyes. "
" But what must I do," asked Perseus, " when we meet them ? "
explained to Perseus how the Three Gray Women managed with their one eye. They were in the habit, it seems, of changing it from one to another, as if it had been a pair of spectacles or — which would have suited them better — a quizzing glass. When one of the three had kept the eye a certain time, she took it out of the socket and passed it to one
of her sisters whose turn it might happen to be, and who im
Quicksilver
THE GORGON'S HEAD. 387
mediately clapped it into her own head and enjoyed a peep at the visible world. Thus it will easily be understood that only one of the Three Gray Women could see, while the other two were in utter darkness ; and, moreover, at the instant when the eye was passing from hand to hand neither of the poor old ladies was able to see a wink. I have heard of a great many strange things in my day, and have witnessed not a few, but none, it seems to me, that can compare with the oddity of these Three Gray Women all peeping through a single eye.
So thought Perseus likewise, and was so astonished that he almost fancied his companion was joking with him, and that there were no such old women in the world.
" You will soon find whether I tell the truth or no," observed
Quicksilver. now ! "
" Hark ! hush ! hist ! hist ! There they come,
Perseus looked earnestly through the dusk of the evening, and there, sure enough, at no great distance off, he descried the Three Gray Women. The light being so faint, he could not well make out what sort of figures they were, only he dis covered that they had long gray hair, and as they came nearer he saw that two of them had but the empty socket of an eye in the middle of their foreheads. But in the middle of the third sister's forehead there was a very large, bright, and piercing eye, which sparkled like a great diamond in a ring; and so penetrating did it seem to be that Perseus could not help thinking it must possess the gift of seeing in the darkest midnight just as perfectly as at noonday. The sight of three persons' eyes was melted and collected into that single one.
Thus the three old dames got along about as comfortably, upon the whole, as if they could all see at once. She who chanced to have the eye in her forehead led the other two by the hands, peeping sharply about her all the while, inso much that Perseus dreaded lest she should see right through the thick clump of bushes behind which he and Quicksilver had hidden themselves. My stars ! it was positively terrible to be within reach of so very sharp an eye.
But before they reached the clump of bushes one of the Three Gray Women spoke.
" Sister ! Sister Scarecrow ! " cried she, " you have had the eye long enough. It is my turn now ! "
" Let me keep it a moment longer, Sister Nightmare," an
388
THE GORGON'S HEAD.
swered Scarecrow. " I thought I had a glimpse of something behind that thick bush. "
"Well, and what of that? " retorted Nightmare, peevishly. " Can't I see into a thick bush as easily as yourself ? The eye is mine as well as yours, and I know the use of it as well as you, or maybe a little better. I insist upon taking a peep immediately. "
But here the third sister, whose name was Shakejoint, began to complain, and said that it was her turn to have the eye, and that Scarecrow and Nightmare wanted to keep it all to them selves. To end the dispute, old Dame Scarecrow took the eye out of her forehead and held it forth in her hand.
" Take it, one of you," cried she, " and quit this foolish quarreling. For my part, I shall be glad of a little thick dark ness. Take it quickly, however, or I must clap it into my own head again. "
Accordingly, both Nightmare and Shakejoint stretched out their hands, groping eagerly to snatch the eye out of the hand of Scarecrow. But, being both alike blind, they could not easily find where Scarecrow's hand was ; and Scarecrow, being now just as much in the dark as Shakejoint and Nightmare, could not at once meet either of their hands in order to put the eye into it. Thus (as you will see with half an eye, my wise little auditors) these good old dames had fallen into a strange per plexity. For, though the eye shone and glistened like a star as Scarecrow held it out, yet the Gray Women caught not the least glimpse of its light, and were, all three, in utter darkness from too impatient a desire to see.
Quicksilver was so much tickled at beholding Shakejoint and Nightmare both groping for the eye, and each finding fault with Scarecrow and with one another, that he could scarcely help laughing aloud. "
" Now is your time !
quick ! before they can clap the eye into either of their heads. Rush out upon the old ladies and snatch it from Scarecrow's hand. "
he whispered to Perseus. " Quick,
In an instant, while the Three Gray Women were still scolding each other, Perseus leaped from behind the clump of bushes and made himself master of the prize. The marvelous eye, as he held it in his hand, shone very brightly, and seemed to look up into his face with a knowing air, and an expression as if it would have winked had it been provided with a pair of
THE GORGON'S HEAD.
389
eyelids for that purpose. But the Gray Women knew nothing of what had happened, and, each supposing that one of her sisters was in possession of the eye, they began their quarrel anew. At last, as Perseus did not wish to put these respecta ble dames to greater inconvenience than was really necessary, he thought it right to explain the matter.
" My good ladies," said he, " pray do not be angry with one another. If anybody is in fault, it is myself, for I have the honor to hold your very brilliant and excellent eye in my own hand. " "
" You ! you have our eye ? And who are you ?
the Three Gray Women all in a breath, for they were terribly frightened, of course, at hearing a strange voice and discover ing that their eyesight had got into the hands of they could not guess whom. " Oh, what shall we do, sisters ? what shall we do ? We are all in the dark ! Give us our eye ! Give us our one precious, "solitary eye ! You have two of your own ! Give us our eye !
screamed
" Tell them," whispered Quicksilver to Perseus, " that they shall have back the eye as soon as they direct you where to find the Nymphs who have the flying slippers, the magic wallet, and the helmet of darkness. "
" My dear, good, admirable old ladies," said Perseus, address ing the Gray Women, " there is no occasion for putting your selves into such a fright. I am by no means a bad young man. You shall have back your eye, safe and sound and as bright as ever, the moment you tell me where to find the Nymphs. "
" The Nymphs ! Goodness me ! sisters, what Nymphs does he mean? " screamed Scarecrow. "There are a great many Nymphs, people say — some that go a hunting in the woods, and some that live inside of trees, and some that have a comfortable home in fountains of water. We know nothing at all about them. We are three unfortunate old souls that go wandering about in the dusk, and never had but one eye among us, and that one you have stolen away. Oh, give it back, good stranger ! whoever you are, give it back ! "
All this while the Three Gray Women were groping with their outstretched hands and trying their utmost to get hold of Perseus, but he took good care to keep out of their reach.
"My respectable dames," said he — for his mother had taught him always to use the greatest civility — "I hold your eye fast in my hand, and shall keep it safely for you until you please to
390 THE GORGON'S HEAD.
tell me where to find these Nymphs — the Nymphs, I mean, who keep the enchanted wallet, the flying slippers, and the —. what is it ? — the helmet of invisibility. " "
" Mercy on us, sisters ! what is the young man talking about? exclaimed Scarecrow, Nightmare, and Shakejoint one to another, with great appearance of astonishment. " A pair of flying slip pers, quoth he ! His heels would quickly fly higher than his head if he were silly enough to put them on. And a helmet of invisibility ! How could a helmet make him invisible unless it were big enough for him to hide under it ? And the enchanted wallet ! What sort of a contrivance may that be, I wonder ? No, no, good stranger ! we can tell you nothing of these mar velous things. You have two eyes of your own, and we but a single one among us three. You can find out such wonders better than three blind old creatures like us. "
Perseus, hearing them talk in this way, began really to think that the Gray Women knew nothing of the matter, and, as it grieved him to have put them to so much trouble, he was just on the point of restoring their eye and asking pardon for his rudeness in snatching it away. But Quicksilver caught his hand.
"Don't let them make a fool of you," said he. "These Three Gray Women are the only persons in the world that can tell you where to find the Nymphs, and unless you get that information you will never succeed in cutting off the head of Medusa with the snaky locks. Keep fast hold of the eye and all will go well. "
As it turned out, Quicksilver was in the right. There are but few things that people prize so much as they do their eye sight, and the Gray Women valued their single eye as highly as if it had been half a dozen, which was the number they ought to have had. Finding that there was no other way of recover ing it, they at last told Perseus what he wanted to know. No sooner had they done so than he immediately and with the utmost respect clapped the eye into the vacant socket in one of their foreheads, thanked them for their kindness, and bade them farewell. Before the young man was out of hearing, however, they had got into a new dispute because he happened to have given the eye to Scarecrow, who had already taken her turn of it when their trouble with Perseus commenced.
It is greatly to be feared that the Three Gray Women were very much in the habit of disturbing their mutual harmony by
THE GORGON'S HEAD. 391
bickerings of this sort, which was the more pity as they could not conveniently do without one another, and were evidently intended to be inseparable companions. As a general rule, I would advise all people, whether sisters or brothers, old or young, who chance to have but one eye among them, to culti vate forbearance, and not all insist upon peeping through it at once.
Quicksilver and Perseus in the mean time were making the best of their way in quest of the Nymphs. The old dames had given them such particular directions that they were not long in finding them out. They proved to be very different persons from Nightmare, Shakejoint, and Scarecrow, for instead of being old they were young and beautiful, and instead of one eye among the sisterhood each Nymph had two exceedingly bright eyes of her own, with which she looked very kindly at Perseus. They seemed to be acquainted with Quicksilver, and when he told them the adventure which Perseus had undertaken they made no difficulty about giving him the valuable articles that were in their custody. In the first place, they brought out what appeared to be a small purse, made of deerskin and curiously embroidered, and bade him be sure and keep it safe. This was the magic wallet. The Nymphs next produced a pair of shoes or slippers or sandals with a nice little pair of wings at the heel of each.
" Put them on, Perseus," said Quicksilver. " You will find yourself as light-heeled as you can desire for the remainder of our journey. "
So Perseus proceeded to put one of the slippers on, while he laid the other on the ground by his side. Unexpectedly, however, this other slipper spread its wings, fluttered up off the ground, and would probably have flown away if Quicksilver had not made a leap and luckily caught it in the air.
" "Be more careful," said he as he gave it back to Perseus.
It would frighten the birds up aloft if they should see a flying slipper amongst them. "
When Perseus had got on both of these wonderful slippers he was altogether too buoyant to tread on earth. Making a step or two, lo and behold ! upward he popped into the air, high above the heads of Quicksilver and the Nymphs, and found it very difficult to clamber down again. Winged slippers and all such high-flying contrivances are seldom quite easy to manage until one grows a little accustomed to them.
Quicksilver
392 THE GORGON'S HEAD.
laughed at his companion's involuntary activity, and told him that he must not be in so desperate a hurry, but must wait for the invisible helmet.