Again the chariot was borne up to an immeasurable height and the earth was relieved of the terrible heat. But now the firmament was in danger of being destroyed by fire. Curses and prayers rose to heaven from the suffering people on earth, and cries of fright resounded through Olympos.
Zeus heard the sighs and wailings and cries, and to save the world from destruction he hurled his thunder-bolt at the unfortunate Phaethon, who fell from the dizzy heights to earth. With tears and lamentations his mother searched for the body of her wayward son. She found him near the mouth of a great river which had been burned dry.
There she buried him, and the sisters of the unfortunate youth shed bitter tears over his grave. They could not bear to go away from the tomb and leave him lying there alone, so they remained kneeling and motionless until Zeus took pity on them and changed them into weeping willows. Even then they kept on weeping, but their tears were dried by the sun and carried away by the streams into the great sea, where they became jewels of amber.
Kyknos, too, a friend of Phaethon’s, mourned his loss and could not be comforted; so Zeus, in kindness, changed him into a swan. Helios, in his fatherly grief, refused to drive the chariot of the Sun any longer, and the earth was left in darkness for a whole day. But the gods entreated him to take the reins again and men prayed for light, and from that time on the Sun has kept its true course through the heavens, under his wise guidance.
VOCABULARY
Ad mē' tos.
Æ gē' us.
Æ thra (ē' thra).
A kris' i os.
Alk mē' ne.
An tæ os (an tē' os).
A res (ā' rēs).
A ri ad' ne.
As klep' i os, or Æs cu la' pi us.
Ath' a mas.
Au gei as, or Au ge as (au gī' as, or au gē' as).
Bœ o' ti a.
Ca' cus, or Ka' kos.
Cer' be rus, or Ker' be ros.
Da' nä e (dă).
Da' na æ.
Da na' i des, or Da' na ids.
Da´ na os.
Dæ' da los.
De' los.
De me' ter.
Deu ka' li on.
Di o me' des.
E leu' sis.
Eu rys theus (ū rys' thuse).
Glau' ke.
Hĕ´ ka te.
Hē' li os.
He phæs tos (hĕ fēs' tos), or Vulcan.
Her' a kles or Her' cu les.
He si o ne (hĕ see' o ne).
Hip po da mei a (hip po da mī' a).
Hip pol' y te.
Hy met' tos.
Hy per bo rē' ans.
I bē' ri a.
I´ ka ros, or Ic' a rus.
I o la os (ē ō' la os).
I ol kos (ē ol' kos).
Jap e tos, or I ap e tus (yap' e tos, or ē ap' e tus).
Kē´ le os.
Ke pheus (kē' fuse).
Kre ū' sa.
Krom' my on.
La ri' sa.
Li nos (lē' nos).
Lo cri (lo' crē).
Ly ka' on.
Me de a (mĕ dē' a).
Mĕ' ga ris.
Me le a gros (mĕ le ah' gros).
Met a nei ra (met a nī ra).
My ke´ næ, or My cē' næ.
Myr' til os.
Ne me' an.
Ne reus (nē' ruse).
Πno' ma os.
O ke' a nos.
Or pheus (or' fuse).
Pe leus (pē' luse).
Pe li as (pē' li as).
Pe lop' i des.
Pe lop on nes' os, or Pe lop on nes' us.
Per i phe' tes or Kor y ne' tes.
Per seph' o ne, or Pro serp' i ne.
Pha ë thon (fā' e thon).
Phin' e us.
Pit' theus.
Po sei don (po sī' don).
Se' ri phos (sĕ).
Stym phā´ los.
Sym ple gä' des (sym ple gah' des).
Ta' los.
The seus (the´ suse).
Trip tol e mos (trip tol' a mos).
Trœ ze ne (tre zē´ ne).
Vale of Tem pe (tem' pe).
Zeus (zuse).
Transcriber’s Note
Variant spelling is preserved as printed.
Minor punctuation errors have been repaired. Hyphenation has been made consistent.