ZEUS

Come now, Ganymede. We’ve got there, so you can give me a kiss right away, and you’ll know I’ve no crooked beak now, or sharp claws or wings, as you thought when you took me for a bird.

GANYMEDE

Mister man, weren’t you an eagle just now? Didn’t you swoop down, and carry me away from the middle of my flock? How, then, have your feathers moulted? You look quite different now.

ZEUS

It’s no man you see here, my lad, nor eagle either. No, I’m the king of all the gods, but I’ve changed my shape for the moment.

GANYMEDE

What’s that? Are you Pan himself? How is it, then, you’ve no pipe or horns or shaggy legs?

ZEUS

Is he your only god?

GANYMEDE

Yes, and we sacrifice one of our best billies to him, taking it to the cave where he has his statue. But you’re just a kidnapper, if you ask me.

ZEUS

Tell me, have you never heard the name of Zeus? Never seen his altar on Gargaron ¹ —the one who sends rain, thunder and lightning?

GANYMEDE

Oh, sir, do you mean you’re the one that poured down that tremendous hailstorm on us the other day, the one they say lives up top and makes all the noise, the one my father sacrificed the ram to? What harm have I done you, mister king of the gods, that you’ve carried me off up here? Perhaps the wolves will fall on my sheep now that they’re unprotected, and tear them to pieces.

ZEUS

What? Still worrying about your sheep? You’re an immortal now and will be living up here with us.

GANYMEDE

What’s that? Won’t you be taking me back to Ida today?

ZEUS

Of course not. That would mean I’d changed from god to eagle all for nothing.

GANYMEDE

Then my daddy will be looking everywhere for me and getting cross if he doesn’t find me, and I’ll get a thrashing by and by for leaving my flock.

ZEUS

How so? Where will he see you?

GANYMEDE

Please don’t go on with it, for I miss him already. If only you take me back, I promise you you’ll get another ram from him, sacrificed as my ransom. We have the three-year-old one, the big one that leads the way to the pasture.

ZEUS

How simple the child is, how innocent he is! Still just a child, that’s what he is. Look here, Ganymede, you can say good-bye to all those things and forget all about them—about your flock and about Ida. You’re one of heaven’s company now, and can do a lot of good to your father and country from here. Instead of your cheese and milk, you’ll have ambrosia to eat and nectar to drink, only you’ll have to serve the nectar to the rest of us too with your own fair hand. And most important of all, you won’t be human any more, but immortal, and I’ll make your own star—the prettiest one shining in the sky—and you’ll enjoy perfect happiness.

GANYMEDE

But what if I want to play? Who will play with me? There were a lot of us who were of my age on Ida.

ZEUS

You have someone to play with here too—there’s Eros over there—and lots and lots of knucklebones ² as well. Only you must cheer up and be a bit more pleased with life, and stop longing for things below.

GANYMEDE

But how could I possibly be any use to you? Will I have to look after a flock here too?

ZEUS

No, you’ll pour wine, and be in charge of the nectar, looking after us at table.

GANYMEDE

That’s quite simple. I know how to pour milk, and hand round the milk bowl.

ZEUS

There he goes again. Keeps harping on his milk! Think’s he’ll be waiting on men! This is heaven, let me tell you, and, as I said just now, our drink is nectar.

GANYMEDE

Is that nicer than milk, Zeus?

ZEUS

You’ll know very soon, and once you’ve tasted it, you won’t miss your milk any more.

GANYMEDE

Where shall I sleep at night? With Eros, my playmate?

ZEUS

No, that’s why I carried you off up here; I wanted us to sleep together.

GANYMEDE

Can’t you sleep alone? Will you prefer sleeping with me?

ZEUS

Yes, when it’s with a beautiful boy like you.

GANYMEDE

But how will you sleep better because of my beauty?

ZEUS

It’s sweet and soothing, and brings softer sleep.

GANYMEDE

But Daddy would get annoyed with me when I slept with him, and kept telling us first thing in the morning how he couldn’t sleep for me tossing and turning, kicking out and talking in my sleep; so he usually sent me to sleep with mummy. So, if that’s why you brought me up here, as you say it is, the sooner you put me back down on earth again, the better, or you’ll have a terrible time with sleepless nights. For I’ll be an awful nuisance to you, tossing and turning all night long.

ZEUS

That’s just what I’ll like best—staying awake with you, kissing and hugging you again and again.

GANYMEDE

You can find out by yourself. I’ll go to sleep and leave the kissing to you.

ZEUS

We’ll find out how to manage, when the time comes. Take him off now, Hermes, and let him have a draught of immortality, and when you’ve shown him how to offer the cup, bring him back to serve our wine.

Aphrodite

What is this I hear about you, Selene? When your car is over Caria, you stop it to gaze at Endymion sleeping hunter-fashion in the open; sometimes, they tell me, you actually get out and go down to him.

Selene

Ah, Aphrodite, ask that son of yours; it is he must answer for it all.

Aphrodite

Well now, what a naughty boy! he gets his own mother into all sorts of scrapes; I must go down, now to Ida for Anchises of Troy, now to Lebanon for my Assyrian stripling;—mine? no, he put Persephone in love with him too, and so robbed me of half my darling. I have told him many a time that if he would not behave himself I would break his artillery for him, and clip his wings; and before now I have smacked his little behind with my slipper. It is no use; he is frightened and cries for a minute or two, and then forgets all about it.

Aphrodite

But tell me, is Endymion handsome? That is always a comfort in our humiliation.

Selene

Most handsome, I think, my dear; you should see him when he has spread out his cloak on the rock and is asleep; his javelins in his left hand, just slipping from his grasp, the right arm bent upwards, making a bright frame to the face, and he breathing softly in helpless slumber. Then I come noiselessly down, treading on tiptoe not to wake and startle him— but there, you know all about it; why tell you the rest? I am dying of love, that is all.