“So he spoke, but the boy would not listen ; he prodded his father and wetted his tunic with hotter tears. He put out his hands and touched his father’s fiery beard ; kneeling on the ground he bent his arched neck, pleading, and when the father saw, he pitied the boy. Clymene cried and begged too. Then although he knew in his heart the immovable inflexible spinnings of Fate, he consented regretful, and wiped with his tunic the rain of tears from the unsmiling face of sad Phaethon, and kissed the boy’s lips while he said :
“There are twelve houses in all the fiery ether, set in the circle of the rounded Zodiac, one close after another in a row, each separate ; through these alone is the inclined winding path of the restless planets rolling in their courses. All round these Cronos crawls from house to house on his heavy knees along the seventh zone upon the circle, until at last with difficulty he completes thirty circuits of returning Selene. On the sixth, quicker than his father, Zeus has his course opposite, and goes his round in a Lichtgang. By the third, fiery Ares passes [one sign that is, of the Zodiac ] in sixty days, near your father. I myself rise in the fourth, and traverse the whole sky garland-wise in my car, following the winding circles of the heavenly orbits. I carry the measures of time, surrounded by the four Seasons, about the same centre, until I have passed through a whole house and fulfilled one complete month as usual ; I never leave my journey unfinished and change to a backward course, nor do I go forward again ; since the other stars, the planets, in their various courses always run contrary ways : they check backwards, and go both to and fro ; when the measures of their way are half done they run back again, thus receiving on both sides my one-sided light.” One of these planets is the horned moon whitening the sky ; when she has completed all her circuit, she brings forth with her wise fire the month, being at first half seen, then curved, then full moon with her whole face. Against the moon I move my rolling ball, the sparkling nourisher of sheafproducing growth, and pass on my endless circuit about the turning-point of the Zodiac, creating the measures of time. When I have completed one whole circle passing from house to house I bring off the lichtgang. Take care of the crossing-point itself, lest when you come close, rounding the cone of darkness with your car, it should steal all the light from your overshadowed chariot. And in your driving do not stray from the usual circuit of the course, or be tempted to leave your father’s usual goal by looking at the five parallel circles with their multiple bond of long encompassing lines, or your horses may run away and carry you through the air out of your course. Do not, when you look about on the twelve circles as you cross them, hurry from house to house. When you are driving your car in the Ram, do not try to drive over the Bull. Do not seek for his neighbour, the Scorpion moving among the stars, the harbinger of the plowtree, when you are driving under the Balance, until you complete the thirty degrees.
Just listen to me, and I will tell you everything. When I reach the Ram, the centre f of the universe, the navel-star of Olympos, I in my exaltation let the Spring increase ; and crossing the herald of the west wind, the turning-line which balances night equal with day, I guide the dewy course of that Season when the swallow comes. Passing into the lower house, opposite the Ram, I cast the light of equal day on the two hooves ; and again I make day balanced equally with dark on my homeward course when I bring in the leafshaking course of the autumn Season, and drive with lesser light to the lower turning-point in the leafshedding month. Then I bring winter for mankind with its rains, over the back of fishtailed Capricorn, that earth may bring forth her gifts full of life for the farmers, when she receives the bridal showers and the creative dew. I deck out also corn-tending summer the messenger of harvest, flogging the wheatbearing earth with hotter beams,, while I drive at the highest point of my course in the Crab, who is right opposite to the cold Capricorn : both Nile and grapes together I make to grow.
“’ When you begin your course, pass close by the side of Cerne, and take Lucifer as guide to lead the way for your car, and you will not go astray ; twelve circhng Hours in turn will direct your way.’
“After this speech, he placed the golden helmet on Phaethon’s head and crowned him with his own fire, winding the seven rays like strings upon his hair, and put the white kilt girdlewise round him over his loins ; he clothed him in his own fiery robe and laced his foot into the purple boot, and gave his chariot to his son. The Seasons brought the fiery horses of Helios from their eastern manger ; Lucifer came boldly to the yoke, and fastened the horses’ necks in the bright yokestraps for their service.
“Then Phaethon mounted, Helios his father gave him the reins to manage, shining reins and gleaming whip : he shook in trembling silence, for he understood that his son had not long to Live. Clymene his mother could be half seen near the shore, as she watched her dear son mounting the flaming car, and shook with joy.
“Already Lucifer was sparkling, that dewy star, and Phaethon rose traversing the eastern ambit, after his bath in the waters of Oceanos his grandsire. The bold driver of brilliant horses, running on high, scanned the heavens dotted with the company of the stars, girdled about by the seven Zones ; he beheld the planets moving opposite, he saw the earth fixed in the middle like a centre, uplifted on tall cliffs and fortified on all sides by the winds in her caverns, he scanned the rivers, and the brows of Oceanos, driving back his own water into his own stream.
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