HALIEUTICA, V. 300-326 



shouting loud to the oarsmen the paean of victory 

 in a fight at sea, while the others against their will 

 sorrowfully follow their foe perforce : even so the 

 fishers take in tow the dread monster of the brine 

 and joyfully bring him ashore. But when he comes 

 nigh the land, then destruction real and final rouses 

 him, and he struggles and lashes the sea with his 

 terrible fins, like a bird upon the well-built altar 

 tossing in the dark struggle of death. Unhappy 

 beast ! verily many an effort he makes to reach the 

 waves but the strength of his valour is undone and 

 his limbs obey him not and panting terribly he is 

 dragged to land : even as a merchant ship, broad 

 and many-benched, which men draw forth from the 

 sea and haul up ° on the dry land when winter 

 comes, to rest from its seafaring toil, and heavy is 

 the labour of the sailors : so they bring the mighty- 

 limbed whale to land. And he fills all the beach 

 ^^^th his unapproachable limbs as they lie, and he is 

 stretched out dead, terrible to behold. Even when 

 he is killed and laid upon the land one still dreads 

 to approach his corpse of dread aspect and fears him 

 when he is no more, shuddering even when he is 

 gone at the mere teeth in his jaws. At last thev 

 take courage and gather * about him in a body, 

 gazing in astonishment at the ruins of the savage 

 beast. Then some marvel at the deadly ranks of 

 his jaws, even the dread and stubborn tusks, Uke 



\i$oiffi irdvTodev, 6<f>p' tcrx'^<f' aveixuiv /xefos vypbv devTuv, I 

 Xfi-pJipov e^epvcras, ha fj.j) irvdr) \ibi 6fxj3pos. 



* So when Achilles slays Hector, Horn. II. xxii, 369 dXXoi 

 5^ TTCpiSpa/jLov I'fes 'Axaiii*', | ot (cai OrirjaavTO <f>ur]v Kai eI5os d7TjT6j' 

 I'EAfxopoj ■ ov5' S.pa ol rtj OLVovrriTi ye vapean]. \ w8f 54 ris 

 elx{(TK€v idwv ej irXtjcriov &Wov " | " w irowoi, fj .udXa 8t) /uaXa^wrepoj 

 ilJi<f>a(f>daffdai | "E/crwp ij ore vijas eveTrprjdei' vvpi KifXiifi." 



483 



