Chapter 53

Hermes And Argus

 

 Argus was a watchman with a hundred eyes，set in a circleall around his head．When he slept，he closed only two eyes at a time；the other ninetyeight were always wideopen．So it could not have been easy to steal away anything that Argus was watching．

Now it happened that Hera，the wife of Zeus，was very jealous of a beautiful rivernymph，called Io．Zeus，in order to saveIo from the jealous anger of Hera，changed her into a whiteheifer ．Hera，suspecting that the white heifer was really Io，setArgus with his hundred eyes to watch her．

Poor Io was very unhappy．Her father， the rivergod，did not know her，neither did her sisternymphs；but they used topat the white heifer and give it grass from their hands． At last Iowrote her name with her hoof in the sands of the river bank，and then her father and sisters knew that the pretty white heifer was their own Io．

She had no sooner revealed herself to her family in this way than Argus drove her away to a field that lay far back from theriver ，where the rivergod and the nymphs could not come，and then set himself down on the top of a high hill，meaning to watch her more closely than ever．

Zeus felt sorry for Io，still he did not dare to change herback into her natural form  while Argus was watching her． But remembering how Hermes，when he was less than a day old，had stolen away the cattle of Apollo，he now set this prince ofthieves， this mischie flowing Hermes ，to steal Io away from Argus．

Hermes thought there could be no better fun． He laid asidehis winged cap and his winged shoes ，and dressed like the shepherds in that country，He carried his golden stick in his hand，and as he walked along，played carelessly on a shepherd's pipe；then，finding a few goats feeding at the side of the road，hedrove them slowly before him．

Argus found his watch rather dull，and was glad enough to talk to any one who happened to pass by． He was very glad when he saw Hermes coming with the goats，and he invited the pretended shepherd to come and sit by him，under the trees in the shade，and play on his pipe and tell stories．

Hermes sat down on a stone by the side of Argus，and began to play very softly，so softly that the music was like the sighing of the wind  through the branches of the trees． The day was warm， and it was quiet．Two of Argus's eyes soon closed．The others might have remained open if there had not been asleepy magic in Hermes'  piping．The soft notes came gently，slower and slower， and one after another Argus'  other eyes began to close， till only two remained open．These two eyes werevery bright；they fairly twinkled，and they kept their watch onIo through all Hermes' playing．Then Hermes began to tell stories，and at last the two twinkling eyes closed，like the others．Argus， with all his hundred eyes closed， was fast asleep．To make him sleep more heavily，Hermes just touched him lightly with the dream-giving stick，and then he successfully led Ioaway．

Hera was very angry when she found that her wonder ful watch man had slept at his post，slept with all his eyes at once．She said he did not deserve to have so many eyes，if he could notkeep some of them open．So she took all of his hundred eyesaway from him，and set them in the tail of her pet peacock ，who was very proud to wear them．Ever since that day all peacocks have had eyes in their tails．

53 海尔墨斯与阿刚斯

 

阿刚斯是个有100只眼睛的看守，他能看到头顶上一圈的任何东西。他睡觉时，一次只合上两只眼睛，其他98只眼睛总是睁着。所以要把阿刚斯看守的东西偷走是不容易的。

事情的发生是宙斯的妻子赫拉非常嫉妒一位漂亮、名叫伊娥的女河神。宙斯为了要救伊娥免遭赫拉的陷害，就把她变为一只白母牛。赫拉怀疑这只白母牛就是伊娥，就命令长着一百只眼睛的阿刚斯看守她。

可怜的伊娥非常苦闷，她父亲海神和姐妹们都不知道她的遭遇；不过他们还是轻抚这只白母牛并且拿草给它吃。伊娥最后用蹄把名字写在沙滩上。她父亲和姐妹们才知道这只可爱的白母牛就是伊娥。

没多久她就不能这样跟人交谈了，因为阿刚斯把她带到远离河水、河神和女河神无法到达的一处平原，他自己则坐在山顶上，这样他随时都能清楚地看到每一动静。

宙斯为伊娥感到很难过，可是在阿刚斯的看守下他还不敢把她变回原来的样子。不过他想起海尔墨斯在很小的时候就偷走阿波罗的牛群，他就叫这个小偷王、爱胡闹的海尔墨斯去把伊娥从阿刚斯那里偷走。

在海尔墨斯看来没有比这种事更好玩了。他脱掉带翼的羽毛帽子和鞋子，换上那个国家牧羊人的衣服。他手持金杖，一边走一边随心所欲的吹着牧羊笛。他发现路边有几只野山羊在吃草，就慢慢地把它们赶到他前面。

阿刚斯有点厌烦这种无聊的看守，因此很高兴跟路过的人谈谈天。他看到海尔墨斯赶羊路过时很高兴，就请这个假牧羊人到树荫下坐坐，吹吹笛子或讲故事。

海尔墨斯坐在阿刚斯身边的一块石头上，就开始吹一曲像微风吹拂树枝发出的飕飕声那样柔和的音乐，那天天气很暖和，也很安静。阿刚斯的两只双很快闭上了。假如不是海尔墨斯的笛声中有催眠的魔力的话，其他98只眼睛可能仍然会张开着。柔和的调子轻飘过来。阿刚斯的眼睛就一只一只慢慢地闭上，直到只有两只眼睛仍睁着。这两只眼睛很明亮，它们在海尔墨斯音乐的催眠下还可以明亮的眨着看守伊娥。海尔墨斯就开始讲故事，最后这两只闪烁的眼睛也像其他的眼睛闭上了。阿刚斯的100只眼睛都睡着了。为了让他睡得更沉，海尔墨斯轻轻地用那支赐梦的魔杖碰了他一下，然后胜利地把伊娥带走。

赫拉发现她最好的看守在工作时100只眼睛都睡着时很愤怒。她说如果他不能让一些眼睛张开着就不应该有这么多的眼睛。于是把他的100只眼睛全部拿走，放在她的宠物孔雀的尾巴上，孔雀很骄傲的戴着。从此以后，所有孔雀的尾巴上都有100只眼睛。