ABSTRACT
Teogapen’s sweet song was not yet ended when, with the two other beautiful ladies present, Lia arose with a merry gesture to honor two more who had gaily come up–either to flee the heat, or to follow their companions, or because they were quickly drawn by the unusual sound. When they had been welcomed with festive greetings and kind words, Ameto, who was by no means asleep, raised his head to a still more admirable sight. Looking at the first two, and then at the second two with no less marvel, he believed he was in heaven and not on earth; and he deemed them not humans but goddesses. One of them placed her bow, arrow, and quiver down upon the flowers and grass and sat down in the highest spot, which was offered to her repeatedly and conceded to her by the others. And when with her fine veil and graceful hand she had cleansed her fair face, which was lined with shining drops from the heat, she looked like a rose in the fresh dawn. The other maiden had laid down similar arms and had dried the perspiration from her brow with a white band; and also honored by the others, she sat wrapped in a white mantle beside the first; and with the other nymphs they listened with eager ear to the singing Teogapen. But Ameto, who took pleasure in exercising the eye as well as the ear, culled what he could of the song without taking his glance from the newcomers. He admired the first maiden, whan he thought was Diana at her arrival–and not undeservedly. He observed her very long blond hair, worthy of comparison to any splendor, which was gathered in part on top of her head without any artifice, and bound with a lovely knot of her same hair; and other locks, either shorter or not bound in the knot, were still more beautifully dispersed and twisted in a laurel wreath, while still others were blown by the wind around her temples and around her delicate neck, making her even more delightful.
