The Argonautica

Originally written in Ancient Greek sometime in the 3rd Century B.C. by the Alexandrian poet Apollonius Rhodius (“Apollonius the Rhodian”). Translation by R.C. Seaton, 1912.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY: ORIGINAL TEXT—
Seaton, R.C. (Ed. & Trans.): “Apollonius Rhodius: Argonautica” (Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA, 1912). Original Greek text with side-by-side English translation.
OTHER TRANSLATIONS—
Rieu, E.V. (Trans.): “Apollonius of Rhodes: The Voyage of the Argo” (Penguin Classics, London, 1959, 1971).
RECOMMENDED READING—
Euripides: “Medea”, “Hecabe”, “Electra”, and “Heracles”, translated by Philip Vellacott (Penguin Classics, London, 1963). Contains four plays by Euripides, two of which concern characters from “The Argonautica”.
The Tale of the Argonauts had been told often before in verse and prose, and many authors’ names are given in the Scholia to Apollonius, but their works have perished. The best known earlier account that we have is that in Pindar’s fourth Pythian ode, from which Apollonius has taken many details. The subject was one for an epic poem, for its unity might have been found in the working out of the expiation due for the crime of Athamas; but this motive is barely mentioned by our author.
Beginning with thee, O Phoebus, I will recount the famous deeds of men of old, who, at the behest of King Pelias, down through the mouth of Pontus and between the Cyanean rocks, sped well-benched Argo in quest of the golden fleece.
Such was the oracle that Pelias heard, that a hateful doom awaited him to be slain at the prompting of the man whom he should see coming forth from the people with but one sandal. And no long time after, in accordance with that true report, Jason crossed the stream of wintry Anaurus on foot, and saved one sandal from the mire, but the other he left in the depths held back by the flood. And straightway he came to Pelias to share the banquet which the king was offering to his father Poseidon and the rest of the gods, though he paid no honour to Pelasgian Hera. Quickly the king saw him and pondered, and devised for him the toil of a troublous voyage, in order that on the sea or among strangers he might lose his home-return.