The torrent Acheloös, river-God,
Come from Œniadæ,[1]
And one from Thebes which Bacchos owns as his,510
Wielding his pliant bow,
His spear and club, the son of Zeus supreme.
So they in conflict met,
Urged on by hot desire;
And She, of Kypros queen,
Alone stood by, fair source of marriage joy,
Wielding her rod of umpire's sovereignty.
Epode.
Clash of hands and darts,
And, mingling with them both,
The din of horns, were there,
Limbs intertwined with limbs,
Fierce blows from butting head,520
And loud deep cries on either side were heard.
And she in beauty delicate and fair,
Sat still awaiting her appointed lord,
Where from the hill the prospect far was seen.
Such is the tale we tell,
*E'en as her mother saw;
And lo! the bride's fair face,
The prize of all the strife,
Still piteously abides,
And from her mother's care
She, like lorn heifer, strays.530
Enter Deianeira.
Deian. While, Ο my friends, the stranger speaks within,
To those poor captives, as about to start,
I come without to see you secretly,
- ↑ Œniadæ, at the mouth of the Acheloös in Acarnania.
