February 15, 2025 • 41 mins
Drift away with the Greek myth of Hero, a maiden trapped in a tower with a prophecy warning her against venturing out. With the guidance of her loyal nurse, Hero dares to defy destiny and attend the feast of Aphrodite, hoping to find freedom and perhaps even appease the goddess herself. She meets Leander, whose nightly swims guided by Hero's torch symbolize a love that braves both myth and marine fury.
The music in this episode is Frankel by Syntropy.
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Dreamful is produced and hosted by Jordan Blair. Edited by Katie Sokolovska. Theme song by Joshua Snodgrass. Cover art by Jordan Blair. ©️ Dreamful LLC
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Welcome to Dreamful Podcast bedtime stories for
slumber.
In this bonus episode, I willbe reading Kiro and Leander.
So snuggle up in your blanketsand have sweet dreams.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
One sunny day in April, long ago, a maiden sat in
a lonely tower looking outacross the Hellspont At her feet
.
The blue ripples lapped lazilyon the beach and played a
soothing lullaby upon the stones, and the wide-sailed ships
floated slowly down the streamfrom Sestos, carrying their rich
(01:40):
freights of corn andmerchandise To the north.
She could see the port ofSestos with the great walls
running down from the city tothe harbor and the masts of the
ships as they lay at anchor bythe quay Across the water.
Facing the tower stood Abydos,with its palaces and houses
(02:04):
nestling white at the foot ofthe low green hills.
So narrow is the sea that runsbetween Sestos and Abydos, and
so swiftly does the current flowthat the ancients used to think
it was a great river, runningdown from Propontis and the
(02:24):
stormy Eusine and emptying theiroverflowing waters into the
wide Aegean mean, so they calledit the broad Hellespont, for
the rivers of Greece were butnarrow streams beside it.
As she looked across thesunlight waters, the maiden
(02:44):
sighed and turned warily to anold dame who sat spinning in a
corner of the room.
Good mother, she said.
How many years didst thou saywe have lived in this
wave-washed tower?
Tis close on.
Twenty years, my dear, since Ibrought thee here.
Twenty years, sighed the maiden.
(03:08):
"'twenty centuries have passedby more swiftly.
"'in the bright, busy world outyonder.
"'i am tired, tired of thislonely life' sobbed the maiden.
"'why am I shut up here allalone'?
"'thou knowest the reason fullwell, my child.
If thou goest forth into theworld, a great sorrow will come
(03:33):
upon thee and drive thee todeath in the flower of thy youth
.
Such was the oracle of the godsconcerning thee.
Thy mother, poor young thing,scarce, lived to hold thee to
her breast, and when she diedshe put thee in my arms.
Take her away, nurse, far fromthe haunts of men, and never let
(03:58):
her out into the cruel world.
Go live with her as some lonelytower by the sea and make her a
priestess to Pitellus,foam-born Aphrodite, night and
day.
As soon as she can lisp a babyprayer, let her burn incense
before the altar of the goddess.
(04:19):
And perchance she will havemercy on her and save her from
her fate.
And she stroked the girl'scheek tenderly.
And perchance she will havemercy on her and save her from
her fate.
And she stroked the girl'scheek tenderly and sighed as she
thought how, for many monthspast did grow paler, week by
week.
O think me not ungrateful,great hero.
(04:40):
Thou knowest that I love theeand would never leave thee.
But my heart is restless and Ilong to set foot beyond this
tower and see a great town andstreets and the faces of my
fellow men.
But the old nurse was verytroubled at her words, very
(05:02):
troubled at her words.
My child, thou hast thine ownshrine within the house where
thou can burn incense and offerup flowers to Aphrodite.
She will answer thy prayers aswell from here as from the
crowded temple in the town.
Then why do men build her greatpillar temples and throng from
(05:24):
far and near to keep her feast,if the fireside shrine and the
simple prayer would please heras well?
Nay, she loveth rich gifts andmusic and singing and the heads
of many bowing as one man beforeher.
Image O nurse, let me go.
Image O nurse, let me go.
(05:50):
My child, why wast thou go whenthou knowest the world can only
bring thee sorrow?
Stay here with me in peace.
Nay, there is no peace here forme.
Aphrodite is angry and she willslay me by a slow and cruel
death if I do not keep her facethis year.
Should I, her priestess, say,away when even the meanest of
(06:12):
folk gather together in herhonor?
Thou thyself shalt go with meand stay by my side till I join
the procession of priestessesand maidens.
Then I will go up with them tothe temple and in their midst I
shall be as far from the worldas in this tower.
I long to stand within thegreat white temple and hear the
(06:35):
chanting of the priests.
I long to see the gleamingimage of the goddess and the
statue of the risen Adonis andthe altar sweet with incense and
flowers.
Ah, nurse, let me go.
And all the rest of the year,till the glad season comes round
once more, I will stay withthee in this tower and pine no
(06:59):
more.
So, piteously did she beg that.
The old nurse had not the heartto refuse, though she feared
what may come of it, but shetried to comfort herself with
the thought that perchance,after all, the maiden was right
and that Aphrodite was killingher by a slow and cruel death
(07:22):
because she had never kept hersolemn feast day.
The next day broke bright andfair, and Hiro, as she looked
out from the window, was filledwith joy.
Nurse, nurse, she cried.
The sun is shining and theworld has awakened from sleep.
(07:46):
It is time to pick the rosesand the lilies, fresh with dew,
and weave them into garlands.
For the goddess, come up and goout with me to the garden.
Without waiting for an answer,she tripped down the turret
stair and out into the garden,and the old nurse sighed and
(08:08):
followed slowly behind.
In the golden morning, theygathered the roses and lilies
and wove them into garlands andposies and heaped up the loose
flowers and baskets.
When all was ready, they setout for the town.
Though it was yet early, thestreets were thronged with
(08:29):
pilgrims and folk purring thisway and that to the houses of
their friends and kinsmen.
Yet despite the bustle andconfusion, there were few who
had not leisure to turn andwatch the maiden hastening along
.
It is Hebe.
Come down from the courts ofheaven, they said, she who
(08:52):
giveth to the deathless godseternal youth and joy.
None can look on her face andbe sad, and indeed all the
sunshine of the morning seemedreflected in Hero's face, so
glad at heart was she.
It was small wonder that menturned and looked at her, for
(09:15):
she walked as one of theimmortals, full of dignity and
grace.
No evil thing had ever touchedher or left its mark upon her
soul.
And now, though she know it not, the call of life had come to
her.
In the midst of that bustlingcity crowd, she was like a fair
(09:38):
flower that brings into somerestless, sick room the scent of
sunlit meadows and the murmurof dancing streams.
As she went, she laughed andtalked merrily to the old nurse
beside her, and ever and anon, aflower would fall to the ground
from the laden basket she wascarrying, and one of the crowd
(09:59):
would quickly pick it up andplace it in his bosom and carry
away in his heart something ofthe music of her laughter and
the sunshine of her eyes.
The old nurse, when she saw it,was filled with fear and
hastened faster along.
But Hero saw none of thesethings, nor knew that she was
(10:23):
different from other folk ofthese things, nor knew that she
was different from other folk.
At length they reached thetemple on the hill and went into
the chamber where Aphrodite'spriestesses and maidens were to
meet.
Little children scattered roseleaves in the path, and behind
them followed maidens playingupon pipes and singing the hymn
(10:46):
to Adonis and Aphrodite.
Next came the priest, and oneither side of him two maidens
walked and held above his headgreat fans of peacock's plumes.
After him followed the longprocession of priestesses and
maidens, incense bearers and thekeepers of the sacred doves.
(11:08):
Last of all came Hero, bearingin her hands a garland of roses
and lilies to lay at the feet ofthe great white statue of the
goddess.
As they sang, the choir ofmaidens parted this way and that
, when she had laid it at thefeet of the statue, the
(11:29):
procession formed once more andwith music and singing they
marched round the colonnade tothe shrine of Adonis, and all
the people followed after still,hero walked as one in a dream,
and when the procession halted,she turned into a small recess
(11:50):
and leaned against a pillar torest.
For her part was done.
With her eyes closed, she drankin the sweet scent of the
incense and flowers and listenedto the chanting of the choir,
as they sang, of the love ofAdonis and Aphrodite.
As Hero listened to thewell-known tale, her heart was
(12:18):
moved and she felt that if sheever loved, her love would be,
as the love of Adonis andAphrodite, stronger than death.
And she sighed as sheremembered how she must live
lonely all her days, in thetower by the sea, as though in
(12:41):
answer to her sigh, she felt alight touch upon her arm and,
raising her head, she foundherself face to face with the
young man.
She was about to turn away inanger and return to her place in
the procession, but the look ofhis eyes held her spellbound.
So full of fire and yet so sadwere they.
(13:06):
For a moment she stood gazingat him and the fire of his eyes
seemed to light another in herheart.
The hot blood rushed to herface and she lowered her eyes in
confusion and her limbstrembled beneath her so that she
leaned back against the pillarfor support.
(13:29):
I ask your pardon, gentle lady,said the man.
Forgive my rudeness.
Though thou knowest me not, Ihave known thee for many a long
year, and day and night I haveprayed to the gods that I might
meet thee face to face this day.
Aphrodite has heard my prayer.
(13:49):
If I have seemed presumptuous,forgive me.
T'was the goddess nerved my armto touch thee and he stood with
bowed head before her awaitingher reply.
Who art thou stranger, askedHero.
My name is Leander, said thestranger, and I dwell in white
(14:13):
abydos across the water.
Full well do I know thy lonelytower, for as I ply to and fro
between Sestos and Abydos on myfather's business.
I pass close beneath his wallsand day by day I have seen thee
sitting at thy window lookingout across the sea.
(14:34):
The first day I saw thee, thybeauty set my heart aflame, and
since then I have lived for theealone.
As he raised his eyes full ofhope and joy, to her face, she
turned aside her head to hidethe answering fire of her eyes.
(14:54):
Alas, sir, she said, mine is aheart that must never beat for
any living man.
I am doomed to dwell in myyonder tower, lonely, all my
days, for if I go forth, amixedwith the world, I shall die by
(15:15):
the curse of heaven before mytime.
I have heard thy tale, lady, foreven the most secret things are
noised abroad by rumor.
Far be it from me to bring thecurse upon thy head.
If thou couldst give me thylove, there would be no need for
thee to come forth into theworld.
I have thought of that Each day.
(15:39):
We would live our lives as wehave done till now, but at night
, when none would miss me, Iwould come to thee.
No living soul should know mysecret, no, nor yet the lifeless
bores of my boat, for even dumbwood can tell a tale.
If need be, nay, these two armsshall bear me.
(16:02):
Look not fearful lady, full.
Often have they borne me to andfro across this narrow sea from
mere love of sport with thee,as I prize, they would bear me
twice as far as he spoke, heheld them out towards her and
(16:22):
indeed they were goodly arms tolook upon, and his face and form
did them no shame either.
Then Hero raised her eyes andlooked him full in the face.
Leander, she said, though oneshort hour ago I had never seen
(16:53):
thee, yet now I feel that I haveknown thee always and that life
apart from thee were worse thandeath.
A hero, he cried and took herhand in his Twas, an answer to
my call that thou didst cometoday to the feast, for I prayed
Aphrodite to move thy heart,for I knew not how I should ever
speak to thee.
This very night I will come tothee, and the light which thou
(17:15):
burnest in thy chamber shall bemy guiding star.
How carefully I will trim thattorch tonight, she said that it
may burn brightly for thee andfor thee alone.
Now the service was endedbefore the shrine and the train
(17:35):
of people began to move oncemore.
With one last look and apressing of hands, they parted
and Hiro returned to her placein the procession.
In the crowd inside the temple,the nurse had lost sight of Hiro
(17:56):
and her heart was full of fearsfor the maiden.
As she helped her to lay asideher festival robes and garland,
she gazed anxiously at her.
"'art thou content to come homewith me, my child', she asked.
"'or has the glamour of theworld ensnared thee'?
"'ah, nurse', she criedjoyously.
(18:21):
Never, never, have I loved mytower so well.
Let us hasten home, and in thequiet of the evening, I will
tell thee that of which my heartis full.
The old dame was glad when shefound her so ready to go home
and they hastened silentlythrough the crowded streets as
(18:43):
the sun was setting behind thehills and the shadows fell cool
and long across the gardenslopes.
Hero sat at her nurse's feetand told her the story of
Leander's love and how thatnight would make them man and
wife.
Hero, she said, this thing cannever be.
(19:06):
I have failed in my trust.
Think no more of him.
Let this day be to thee asthough it had never been, and
thou mayst yet escape thy doom.
But Hero sprang to her feet.
What she cried?
(19:26):
Thou wouldst take away the onlyjoy of my life.
Now when I have just found it,never curse or no curse, leander
shall be my wedded husband.
Nothing that the old dame couldsay availed to change her
(19:50):
purpose, but with her heart fullof joy, she put on her
brightest robes and sat by thelighted torch in her chamber,
looking out across the sea andwaiting for the night.
True to his word, leander cameas soon as darkness fell and the
(20:12):
old dame led him in by theturret door.
Carefully, she shaded her lampwith her hand so that the light
fell upon his face, that shemight see what manner of man he
was.
He had dried himself as best hemight with leaves and grass
from the garden, but his hairhung in damp clusters about his
(20:34):
head and his tunic clung wetabout him.
Yet in spite of all that, hewas full fair to look upon a
very god for strength and beauty.
The old dame led him upstairsand gave him a change of clothes
, and when he was ready she tookhim to Hero's chamber.
(20:58):
There, before the shrine ofAphrodite, they plighted the
troth with but one faithful soulto witness their vows and the
music of the wind and the wavesfor their marriage.
Hymn To the two lovers.
The night fled by on wings oflightning, and too soon they had
(21:22):
to say farewell, for every daydawned, leander must have
reached the further shore.
So for many a day, their livesran smoothly on.
Each night, hero lighted hertorch.
Each night, leander was guidedby its light.
(21:45):
Each night, Leander was guidedby its light and, true to his
word, swam across the narrow seathat divided him from his wife.
Yet for all his secrecy, therewas one who each night watched
(22:11):
for him with a longing as greatas hero's own.
In the depths of the blue waters, the daughters of Nereus dwell,
the fair nymphs of the ocean.
All day long they play beneaththe waters and dance hand in
hand along the yellow sands andthe shell-strewn hollows of the
(22:32):
sea.
But at night, when the eyes ofmen are darkened, they come up
above the water and, cradled inthe bosom of the waves, swing
gently to and fro in the softsummer air.
In the white gleam of theirarms is a glint of ripples in
the moonlight.
But when the wild storm windshrieks over the sea and the
(22:52):
skies are dark and lowering,they forget their fears and are
filled with madness.
Then they chase each otheracross the black waters with
wild locks flying in the wind.
And woe to those who are outupon the high seas when the
Nereids dance in the storm, fortheir dance is the dance of
(23:16):
death.
One of these same Nereids it waswho saw Leander as he swam
across the Hellespont each night, and she loved him for his
beauty and longed to have him asher playfellow.
So she swam near him on thecrest of the dancing waves and
(23:40):
called him softly O child of thegreen earth, come, come with me
and play with me and my sistersin the depths of the blue.
But he saw her not, norlistened to her pleading, for
his eyes were darkened.
To him, the gleam of her armswas a moonshine on the water and
(24:05):
the sound of her voice like thewest wind on the waves.
So she followed him in vainacross the channel, and when he
went up into the tower she satbelow upon a rock and watched
for him to appear at the window.
And she saw Hero sitting by thetorch waiting for her lover,
(24:29):
and heard her cry of joy as sheran to greet him when he came.
Then again she called to themsoftly.
Oh children of the green earth,come and play with me.
I will crown your heads withwhite sea pearls and you shall
sit on coral thrones beneath thewaves and be king and queen
(24:51):
over all the nymphs of the sea.
But as they stood hand in handat the window, they saw her not
and heard only the murmur ofripples on the beach.
So she sat calling in vain allthe night, long before the grey
(25:12):
morning dawned.
Leander came down and when hereached the shore he turned and
called Farewell Hero.
And Hero, leaning from herwindow, answered Leander
farewell.
So the sea nymph learned toknow their names and every night
(25:34):
she would sit sadly callingthem.
And they heard her not.
But one night all the winds ofheaven were loosed and they
rushed with a wild shriek overthe face of the waters and
(25:55):
lashed them to a fury of whitemain waves.
With white cheeks and a heartfull of fear, hero knelt before
the shrine in her chamber andprayed to the gods to have mercy
on the sailors out at sea andabove all to grant that Leander
(26:15):
had not set out where the stormbegan.
Meanwhile, leander on the otherside had seen the storm
approaching and he knew fullwell that when the seas ran high
, no man could swim the channeland reach the other shore alive
(26:36):
Across the stream.
He could see the torch burningfitfully in the gale.
God's grant, she thinks me notfaithless, he said, for not
going to her this night'.
"'as he sat and watched, "'thestorm grew wilder and more
terrible.
(26:56):
"'in the swirling seethingwaters, "'the nereid danced with
madness of the tempest in herheart.
"'in the gleam of the lightningflash, she held her arms out to
the shore and called Come anddance with me.
Leander, oh, leander, come, asshe called.
(27:20):
The east wind rushed with awild shriek across the water and
blew out the beacon light inHero's chamber.
Leander, at his window, saw thepale light disappear and return
no more.
A blinding flash of lightningrent the sky, and the rattle of
(27:41):
thunder sounded as though themountains of the earth were
falling.
Then the spirit of the stormcame upon him too, and he heard
the voice of the earth werefalling.
Then the spirit of the stormcame upon him too, and he heard
the voice of the sea nymphcalling with a wild shriek
Leander, oh, leander, come.
And he thought it was a voiceof hero calling him in deadly
(28:05):
peril.
Perchance, the thunderbolt hadstruck her tower In a mad frenzy
.
Scarce knowing what he did, heplunged into the seething waters
and struggled in the waves withthe strength of despair, with a
wild cry of joy, theysenevcaught him in her arms At last.
(28:30):
At last, thou hast heard mycall, she said, up and down
through the hissing wave.
She bore him, now plunging downdeep into the calm green water
below, now rushing round andround in a whirlpool, now
leaping from the crest of onewhite wave into the boiling foam
(28:53):
of the next, till he lay limpand breathless in her arms.
She heeded not, but bore him onacross the water till they came
beneath Hero's Tower, acrossthe water, till they came
beneath Hero's tower.
Then, rising on the crest ofthe waves that beat against the
wall, she called "'Come, joinwith us in the storm.
(29:17):
Dance, come, hero'.
In the breath of the east wind,the stinging foam beat against
the window and the echo of thesea.
Nymph's cry reached the maidenas she knelt before the shrine.
Filled with terror, she rushedto the window and looked down on
(29:38):
the seething water, on thebosom of a breaking wave.
She saw Leander, with his armstossed, helpless about him, and
his head throw back, pale andlifeless, and above him stood
the sea nymph in a robe offlashing foam.
With a cry of despair, heroleaped to the sill and plunged
(30:03):
into the roaring waves and, withher arms about Leander, she too
was tossed along in the danceof death till the storm died
away and the nymph bore themdown, side by side, to the floor
of the blue sea.
There, true to her word, sheset them on thrones of coral
(30:28):
entwined, white sea pearls intheir hair and, in time, the
winding seaweeds and clingingocean flowers wove a shroud of
beauty about them, and theirbodies slept side by side in the
fair ocean depths.
So did it come to pass that thecurse of the gods was fulfilled?
(30:50):
That the curse of the gods wasfulfilled.
But whether it was truly acurse or a blessing, who shall
say?
For they lived and loved with alove that has become famous
among men, and side by side,they died.
And does not the poet tell usof the islands of the blessed,
(31:14):
where the souls of the brave andtrue abide forever, where the
breeze blows away bright andfresh and the golden fruits are
glowing and the crimson-floweredmeadows before the city are
full of the shade of trees offrankincense?
In that far land there is nodeath, nor parting, no sorrow or
(31:41):
tears, but those who have beentrue on earth dwell ever side by
side.
If the poet is right, hero andLeander are there together where
no storm can reach them and nosea no-transcript.
Welcome to Dreamful Podcast bedtime stories for
slumber.
In this bonus episode, I willbe reading Kiro and Leander.
So snuggle up in your blanketsand have sweet dreams.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
One sunny day in April, long ago, a maiden sat in
a lonely tower looking outacross the Hellspont At her feet
.
The blue ripples lapped lazilyon the beach and played a
soothing lullaby upon the stones, and the wide-sailed ships
floated slowly down the streamfrom Sestos, carrying their rich
(01:40):
freights of corn andmerchandise To the north.
She could see the port ofSestos with the great walls
running down from the city tothe harbor and the masts of the
ships as they lay at anchor bythe quay Across the water.
Facing the tower stood Abydos,with its palaces and houses
(02:04):
nestling white at the foot ofthe low green hills.
So narrow is the sea that runsbetween Sestos and Abydos, and
so swiftly does the current flowthat the ancients used to think
it was a great river, runningdown from Propontis and the
(02:24):
stormy Eusine and emptying theiroverflowing waters into the
wide Aegean mean, so they calledit the broad Hellespont, for
the rivers of Greece were butnarrow streams beside it.
As she looked across thesunlight waters, the maiden
(02:44):
sighed and turned warily to anold dame who sat spinning in a
corner of the room.
Good mother, she said.
How many years didst thou saywe have lived in this
wave-washed tower?
Tis close on.
Twenty years, my dear, since Ibrought thee here.
Twenty years, sighed the maiden.
(03:08):
"'twenty centuries have passedby more swiftly.
"'in the bright, busy world outyonder.
"'i am tired, tired of thislonely life' sobbed the maiden.
"'why am I shut up here allalone'?
"'thou knowest the reason fullwell, my child.
If thou goest forth into theworld, a great sorrow will come
(03:33):
upon thee and drive thee todeath in the flower of thy youth
.
Such was the oracle of the godsconcerning thee.
Thy mother, poor young thing,scarce, lived to hold thee to
her breast, and when she diedshe put thee in my arms.
Take her away, nurse, far fromthe haunts of men, and never let
(03:58):
her out into the cruel world.
Go live with her as some lonelytower by the sea and make her a
priestess to Pitellus,foam-born Aphrodite, night and
day.
As soon as she can lisp a babyprayer, let her burn incense
before the altar of the goddess.
(04:19):
And perchance she will havemercy on her and save her from
her fate.
And she stroked the girl'scheek tenderly.
And perchance she will havemercy on her and save her from
her fate.
And she stroked the girl'scheek tenderly and sighed as she
thought how, for many monthspast did grow paler, week by
week.
O think me not ungrateful,great hero.
(04:40):
Thou knowest that I love theeand would never leave thee.
But my heart is restless and Ilong to set foot beyond this
tower and see a great town andstreets and the faces of my
fellow men.
But the old nurse was verytroubled at her words, very
(05:02):
troubled at her words.
My child, thou hast thine ownshrine within the house where
thou can burn incense and offerup flowers to Aphrodite.
She will answer thy prayers aswell from here as from the
crowded temple in the town.
Then why do men build her greatpillar temples and throng from
(05:24):
far and near to keep her feast,if the fireside shrine and the
simple prayer would please heras well?
Nay, she loveth rich gifts andmusic and singing and the heads
of many bowing as one man beforeher.
Image O nurse, let me go.
Image O nurse, let me go.
(05:50):
My child, why wast thou go whenthou knowest the world can only
bring thee sorrow?
Stay here with me in peace.
Nay, there is no peace here forme.
Aphrodite is angry and she willslay me by a slow and cruel
death if I do not keep her facethis year.
Should I, her priestess, say,away when even the meanest of
(06:12):
folk gather together in herhonor?
Thou thyself shalt go with meand stay by my side till I join
the procession of priestessesand maidens.
Then I will go up with them tothe temple and in their midst I
shall be as far from the worldas in this tower.
I long to stand within thegreat white temple and hear the
(06:35):
chanting of the priests.
I long to see the gleamingimage of the goddess and the
statue of the risen Adonis andthe altar sweet with incense and
flowers.
Ah, nurse, let me go.
And all the rest of the year,till the glad season comes round
once more, I will stay withthee in this tower and pine no
(06:59):
more.
So, piteously did she beg that.
The old nurse had not the heartto refuse, though she feared
what may come of it, but shetried to comfort herself with
the thought that perchance,after all, the maiden was right
and that Aphrodite was killingher by a slow and cruel death
(07:22):
because she had never kept hersolemn feast day.
The next day broke bright andfair, and Hiro, as she looked
out from the window, was filledwith joy.
Nurse, nurse, she cried.
The sun is shining and theworld has awakened from sleep.
(07:46):
It is time to pick the rosesand the lilies, fresh with dew,
and weave them into garlands.
For the goddess, come up and goout with me to the garden.
Without waiting for an answer,she tripped down the turret
stair and out into the garden,and the old nurse sighed and
(08:08):
followed slowly behind.
In the golden morning, theygathered the roses and lilies
and wove them into garlands andposies and heaped up the loose
flowers and baskets.
When all was ready, they setout for the town.
Though it was yet early, thestreets were thronged with
(08:29):
pilgrims and folk purring thisway and that to the houses of
their friends and kinsmen.
Yet despite the bustle andconfusion, there were few who
had not leisure to turn andwatch the maiden hastening along
.
It is Hebe.
Come down from the courts ofheaven, they said, she who
(08:52):
giveth to the deathless godseternal youth and joy.
None can look on her face andbe sad, and indeed all the
sunshine of the morning seemedreflected in Hero's face, so
glad at heart was she.
It was small wonder that menturned and looked at her, for
(09:15):
she walked as one of theimmortals, full of dignity and
grace.
No evil thing had ever touchedher or left its mark upon her
soul.
And now, though she know it not, the call of life had come to
her.
In the midst of that bustlingcity crowd, she was like a fair
(09:38):
flower that brings into somerestless, sick room the scent of
sunlit meadows and the murmurof dancing streams.
As she went, she laughed andtalked merrily to the old nurse
beside her, and ever and anon, aflower would fall to the ground
from the laden basket she wascarrying, and one of the crowd
(09:59):
would quickly pick it up andplace it in his bosom and carry
away in his heart something ofthe music of her laughter and
the sunshine of her eyes.
The old nurse, when she saw it,was filled with fear and
hastened faster along.
But Hero saw none of thesethings, nor knew that she was
(10:23):
different from other folk ofthese things, nor knew that she
was different from other folk.
At length they reached thetemple on the hill and went into
the chamber where Aphrodite'spriestesses and maidens were to
meet.
Little children scattered roseleaves in the path, and behind
them followed maidens playingupon pipes and singing the hymn
(10:46):
to Adonis and Aphrodite.
Next came the priest, and oneither side of him two maidens
walked and held above his headgreat fans of peacock's plumes.
After him followed the longprocession of priestesses and
maidens, incense bearers and thekeepers of the sacred doves.
(11:08):
Last of all came Hero, bearingin her hands a garland of roses
and lilies to lay at the feet ofthe great white statue of the
goddess.
As they sang, the choir ofmaidens parted this way and that
, when she had laid it at thefeet of the statue, the
(11:29):
procession formed once more andwith music and singing they
marched round the colonnade tothe shrine of Adonis, and all
the people followed after still,hero walked as one in a dream,
and when the procession halted,she turned into a small recess
(11:50):
and leaned against a pillar torest.
For her part was done.
With her eyes closed, she drankin the sweet scent of the
incense and flowers and listenedto the chanting of the choir,
as they sang, of the love ofAdonis and Aphrodite.
As Hero listened to thewell-known tale, her heart was
(12:18):
moved and she felt that if sheever loved, her love would be,
as the love of Adonis andAphrodite, stronger than death.
And she sighed as sheremembered how she must live
lonely all her days, in thetower by the sea, as though in
(12:41):
answer to her sigh, she felt alight touch upon her arm and,
raising her head, she foundherself face to face with the
young man.
She was about to turn away inanger and return to her place in
the procession, but the look ofhis eyes held her spellbound.
So full of fire and yet so sadwere they.
(13:06):
For a moment she stood gazingat him and the fire of his eyes
seemed to light another in herheart.
The hot blood rushed to herface and she lowered her eyes in
confusion and her limbstrembled beneath her so that she
leaned back against the pillarfor support.
(13:29):
I ask your pardon, gentle lady,said the man.
Forgive my rudeness.
Though thou knowest me not, Ihave known thee for many a long
year, and day and night I haveprayed to the gods that I might
meet thee face to face this day.
Aphrodite has heard my prayer.
(13:49):
If I have seemed presumptuous,forgive me.
T'was the goddess nerved my armto touch thee and he stood with
bowed head before her awaitingher reply.
Who art thou stranger, askedHero.
My name is Leander, said thestranger, and I dwell in white
(14:13):
abydos across the water.
Full well do I know thy lonelytower, for as I ply to and fro
between Sestos and Abydos on myfather's business.
I pass close beneath his wallsand day by day I have seen thee
sitting at thy window lookingout across the sea.
(14:34):
The first day I saw thee, thybeauty set my heart aflame, and
since then I have lived for theealone.
As he raised his eyes full ofhope and joy, to her face, she
turned aside her head to hidethe answering fire of her eyes.
(14:54):
Alas, sir, she said, mine is aheart that must never beat for
any living man.
I am doomed to dwell in myyonder tower, lonely, all my
days, for if I go forth, amixedwith the world, I shall die by
(15:15):
the curse of heaven before mytime.
I have heard thy tale, lady, foreven the most secret things are
noised abroad by rumor.
Far be it from me to bring thecurse upon thy head.
If thou couldst give me thylove, there would be no need for
thee to come forth into theworld.
I have thought of that Each day.
(15:39):
We would live our lives as wehave done till now, but at night
, when none would miss me, Iwould come to thee.
No living soul should know mysecret, no, nor yet the lifeless
bores of my boat, for even dumbwood can tell a tale.
If need be, nay, these two armsshall bear me.
(16:02):
Look not fearful lady, full.
Often have they borne me to andfro across this narrow sea from
mere love of sport with thee,as I prize, they would bear me
twice as far as he spoke, heheld them out towards her and
(16:22):
indeed they were goodly arms tolook upon, and his face and form
did them no shame either.
Then Hero raised her eyes andlooked him full in the face.
Leander, she said, though oneshort hour ago I had never seen
(16:53):
thee, yet now I feel that I haveknown thee always and that life
apart from thee were worse thandeath.
A hero, he cried and took herhand in his Twas, an answer to
my call that thou didst cometoday to the feast, for I prayed
Aphrodite to move thy heart,for I knew not how I should ever
speak to thee.
This very night I will come tothee, and the light which thou
(17:15):
burnest in thy chamber shall bemy guiding star.
How carefully I will trim thattorch tonight, she said that it
may burn brightly for thee andfor thee alone.
Now the service was endedbefore the shrine and the train
(17:35):
of people began to move oncemore.
With one last look and apressing of hands, they parted
and Hiro returned to her placein the procession.
In the crowd inside the temple,the nurse had lost sight of Hiro
(17:56):
and her heart was full of fearsfor the maiden.
As she helped her to lay asideher festival robes and garland,
she gazed anxiously at her.
"'art thou content to come homewith me, my child', she asked.
"'or has the glamour of theworld ensnared thee'?
"'ah, nurse', she criedjoyously.
(18:21):
Never, never, have I loved mytower so well.
Let us hasten home, and in thequiet of the evening, I will
tell thee that of which my heartis full.
The old dame was glad when shefound her so ready to go home
and they hastened silentlythrough the crowded streets as
(18:43):
the sun was setting behind thehills and the shadows fell cool
and long across the gardenslopes.
Hero sat at her nurse's feetand told her the story of
Leander's love and how thatnight would make them man and
wife.
Hero, she said, this thing cannever be.
(19:06):
I have failed in my trust.
Think no more of him.
Let this day be to thee asthough it had never been, and
thou mayst yet escape thy doom.
But Hero sprang to her feet.
What she cried?
(19:26):
Thou wouldst take away the onlyjoy of my life.
Now when I have just found it,never curse or no curse, leander
shall be my wedded husband.
Nothing that the old dame couldsay availed to change her
(19:50):
purpose, but with her heart fullof joy, she put on her
brightest robes and sat by thelighted torch in her chamber,
looking out across the sea andwaiting for the night.
True to his word, leander cameas soon as darkness fell and the
(20:12):
old dame led him in by theturret door.
Carefully, she shaded her lampwith her hand so that the light
fell upon his face, that shemight see what manner of man he
was.
He had dried himself as best hemight with leaves and grass
from the garden, but his hairhung in damp clusters about his
(20:34):
head and his tunic clung wetabout him.
Yet in spite of all that, hewas full fair to look upon a
very god for strength and beauty.
The old dame led him upstairsand gave him a change of clothes
, and when he was ready she tookhim to Hero's chamber.
(20:58):
There, before the shrine ofAphrodite, they plighted the
troth with but one faithful soulto witness their vows and the
music of the wind and the wavesfor their marriage.
Hymn To the two lovers.
The night fled by on wings oflightning, and too soon they had
(21:22):
to say farewell, for every daydawned, leander must have
reached the further shore.
So for many a day, their livesran smoothly on.
Each night, hero lighted hertorch.
Each night, leander was guidedby its light.
(21:45):
Each night, Leander was guidedby its light and, true to his
word, swam across the narrow seathat divided him from his wife.
Yet for all his secrecy, therewas one who each night watched
(22:11):
for him with a longing as greatas hero's own.
In the depths of the blue waters, the daughters of Nereus dwell,
the fair nymphs of the ocean.
All day long they play beneaththe waters and dance hand in
hand along the yellow sands andthe shell-strewn hollows of the
(22:32):
sea.
But at night, when the eyes ofmen are darkened, they come up
above the water and, cradled inthe bosom of the waves, swing
gently to and fro in the softsummer air.
In the white gleam of theirarms is a glint of ripples in
the moonlight.
But when the wild storm windshrieks over the sea and the
(22:52):
skies are dark and lowering,they forget their fears and are
filled with madness.
Then they chase each otheracross the black waters with
wild locks flying in the wind.
And woe to those who are outupon the high seas when the
Nereids dance in the storm, fortheir dance is the dance of
(23:16):
death.
One of these same Nereids it waswho saw Leander as he swam
across the Hellespont each night, and she loved him for his
beauty and longed to have him asher playfellow.
So she swam near him on thecrest of the dancing waves and
(23:40):
called him softly O child of thegreen earth, come, come with me
and play with me and my sistersin the depths of the blue.
But he saw her not, norlistened to her pleading, for
his eyes were darkened.
To him, the gleam of her armswas a moonshine on the water and
(24:05):
the sound of her voice like thewest wind on the waves.
So she followed him in vainacross the channel, and when he
went up into the tower she satbelow upon a rock and watched
for him to appear at the window.
And she saw Hero sitting by thetorch waiting for her lover,
(24:29):
and heard her cry of joy as sheran to greet him when he came.
Then again she called to themsoftly.
Oh children of the green earth,come and play with me.
I will crown your heads withwhite sea pearls and you shall
sit on coral thrones beneath thewaves and be king and queen
(24:51):
over all the nymphs of the sea.
But as they stood hand in handat the window, they saw her not
and heard only the murmur ofripples on the beach.
So she sat calling in vain allthe night, long before the grey
(25:12):
morning dawned.
Leander came down and when hereached the shore he turned and
called Farewell Hero.
And Hero, leaning from herwindow, answered Leander
farewell.
So the sea nymph learned toknow their names and every night
(25:34):
she would sit sadly callingthem.
And they heard her not.
But one night all the winds ofheaven were loosed and they
rushed with a wild shriek overthe face of the waters and
(25:55):
lashed them to a fury of whitemain waves.
With white cheeks and a heartfull of fear, hero knelt before
the shrine in her chamber andprayed to the gods to have mercy
on the sailors out at sea andabove all to grant that Leander
(26:15):
had not set out where the stormbegan.
Meanwhile, leander on the otherside had seen the storm
approaching and he knew fullwell that when the seas ran high
, no man could swim the channeland reach the other shore alive
(26:36):
Across the stream.
He could see the torch burningfitfully in the gale.
God's grant, she thinks me notfaithless, he said, for not
going to her this night'.
"'as he sat and watched, "'thestorm grew wilder and more
terrible.
(26:56):
"'in the swirling seethingwaters, "'the nereid danced with
madness of the tempest in herheart.
"'in the gleam of the lightningflash, she held her arms out to
the shore and called Come anddance with me.
Leander, oh, leander, come, asshe called.
(27:20):
The east wind rushed with awild shriek across the water and
blew out the beacon light inHero's chamber.
Leander, at his window, saw thepale light disappear and return
no more.
A blinding flash of lightningrent the sky, and the rattle of
(27:41):
thunder sounded as though themountains of the earth were
falling.
Then the spirit of the stormcame upon him too, and he heard
the voice of the earth werefalling.
Then the spirit of the stormcame upon him too, and he heard
the voice of the sea nymphcalling with a wild shriek
Leander, oh, leander, come.
And he thought it was a voiceof hero calling him in deadly
(28:05):
peril.
Perchance, the thunderbolt hadstruck her tower In a mad frenzy
.
Scarce knowing what he did, heplunged into the seething waters
and struggled in the waves withthe strength of despair, with a
wild cry of joy, theysenevcaught him in her arms At last.
(28:30):
At last, thou hast heard mycall, she said, up and down
through the hissing wave.
She bore him, now plunging downdeep into the calm green water
below, now rushing round andround in a whirlpool, now
leaping from the crest of onewhite wave into the boiling foam
(28:53):
of the next, till he lay limpand breathless in her arms.
She heeded not, but bore him onacross the water till they came
beneath Hero's Tower, acrossthe water, till they came
beneath Hero's tower.
Then, rising on the crest ofthe waves that beat against the
wall, she called "'Come, joinwith us in the storm.
(29:17):
Dance, come, hero'.
In the breath of the east wind,the stinging foam beat against
the window and the echo of thesea.
Nymph's cry reached the maidenas she knelt before the shrine.
Filled with terror, she rushedto the window and looked down on
(29:38):
the seething water, on thebosom of a breaking wave.
She saw Leander, with his armstossed, helpless about him, and
his head throw back, pale andlifeless, and above him stood
the sea nymph in a robe offlashing foam.
With a cry of despair, heroleaped to the sill and plunged
(30:03):
into the roaring waves and, withher arms about Leander, she too
was tossed along in the danceof death till the storm died
away and the nymph bore themdown, side by side, to the floor
of the blue sea.
There, true to her word, sheset them on thrones of coral
(30:28):
entwined, white sea pearls intheir hair and, in time, the
winding seaweeds and clingingocean flowers wove a shroud of
beauty about them, and theirbodies slept side by side in the
fair ocean depths.
So did it come to pass that thecurse of the gods was fulfilled?
(30:50):
That the curse of the gods wasfulfilled.
But whether it was truly acurse or a blessing, who shall
say?
For they lived and loved with alove that has become famous
among men, and side by side,they died.
And does not the poet tell usof the islands of the blessed,
(31:14):
where the souls of the brave andtrue abide forever, where the
breeze blows away bright andfresh and the golden fruits are
glowing and the crimson-floweredmeadows before the city are
full of the shade of trees offrankincense?
In that far land there is nodeath, nor parting, no sorrow or
(31:41):
tears, but those who have beentrue on earth dwell ever side by
side.
If the poet is right, hero andLeander are there together where
no storm can reach them and nosea no-transcript.
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