Hold thou thy peace.  Else, if my glorious hands
Once reach thee, the Olympian Powers combined
To rescue thee, shall interfere in vain. 
He said,—­whom Juno, awful Goddess, heard 700
Appall’d, and mute submitted to his will. 
But through the courts of Jove the heavenly Powers
All felt displeasure; when to them arose
Vulcan, illustrious artist, who with speech
Conciliatory interposed to sooth 705
His white-armed mother Juno, Goddess dread. 
Hard doom is ours, and not to be endured,
If feast and merriment must pause in heaven
While ye such clamor raise tumultuous here
For man’s unworthy sake:  yet thus we speed 710
Ever, when evil overpoises good. 
But I exhort my mother, though herself
Already warn’d, that meekly she submit
To Jove our father, lest our father chide
More roughly, and confusion mar the feast. 715
For the Olympian Thunderer could with ease
Us from our thrones precipitate, so far
He reigns to all superior.  Seek to assuage
His anger therefore; so shall he with smiles
Cheer thee, nor thee alone, but all in heaven. 720
So Vulcan, and, upstarting, placed a cup
Full-charged between his mother’s hands, and said,
My mother, be advised, and, though aggrieved,
Yet patient; lest I see thee whom I love
So dear, with stripes chastised before my face, 725
Willing, but impotent to give thee aid.[37]
Who can resist the Thunderer?  Me, when once
I flew to save thee, by the foot he seized
And hurl’d me through the portal of the skies. 
“From morn to eve I fell, a summer’s day,” 730
And dropped, at last, in Lemnos.  There half-dead
The Sintians found me, and with succor prompt
And hospitable, entertained me fallen. 
So He; then Juno smiled, Goddess white-arm’d,
And smiling still, from his unwonted hand[38] 735
Received the goblet.  He from right to left
Rich nectar from the beaker drawn, alert
Distributed to all the powers divine. 
Heaven rang with laughter inextinguishable
Peal after peal, such pleasure all conceived 740
At sight of Vulcan in his new employ. 
So spent they in festivity the day,
And all were cheered; nor was Apollo’s harp
Silent, nor did the Muses spare to add
Responsive melody of vocal sweets. 745
But when the sun’s bright orb had now declined,
Each to his mansion, wheresoever built
By the lame matchless Architect, withdrew.[39]
Jove also, kindler of the fires of heaven,
His couch ascending as at other times 750
When gentle sleep approach’d him, slept serene,
With golden-sceptred Juno at his side.

* * * * *