“Give somewhat also, friend. Thou dost not seem One of the humbler rank among the Greeks, But of the highest. Kingly is thy look; It therefore will become thee to bestow More freely than the rest, and I will sound Thy praise through all the earth.
Mine too was once A happy lot, for I inhabited A palace filled with goods, and often gave To wanderers, whosoever they might be That sought me out, and in whatever need. And I had many servants, and large store Of everything by which men live at ease And are accounted rich.
Saturnian Jove— Such was his pleasure—brought me low; for, moved By him, I joined me to a wandering band Of pirates, and to my perdition sailed Upon a distant voyage to the coast Of Egypt. In the river of that land I stationed my good ships, and bade my men Remain with them and watch them well. I placed Sentries upon the heights. Yet confident In their own strength, and rashly giving way To greed, my comrades ravaged the fair fields Of the Egyptians, slew them, and bore off Their wives and little ones.
The rumor reached The city soon; the people heard the alarm And came together. With the dawn of day All the great plain was thronged with horse and foot, And gleamed with brass, while Jove, the Thunderer, sent A deadly fear into our ranks, where none Dared face the foe.
On every side was death. The Egyptians hewed down many with the sword, And some they led away alive to toil For them in slavery.
Me my captors gave Into a stranger’s hands, upon his way To Cyprus, where he reigned, a mighty king, Demetor, son of Jasus. Thence at last I came through many hardships to this isle.”