The Story of Arion

A long time ago, in the great city of Corinth, there lived a man whose name was Arion, and he made beautiful music on a golden harp, which all the people flocked to listen to. Men and women, boys and girls, all came to hear Arion play and sing; and when his songs were ended they gave him money, and Arion became a rich man. When he had lived for a long time in the house of Periandros, who was called the tyrant of Corinth, he thought that he would like to see some new places which he had never seen before. So he went into a ship and asked the sailors to take him to Sicily and Italy. They sailed over the blue sea a long way for many days and weeks, and came to many towns, where Arion played and sang and got more money, till at last he came to Taras. There he stayed a long time, because it was a rich and beautiful city, and all the people who came to hear him gave him plenty of money. By and by Arion thought that he had enough and he began to wish to see Corinth and his friend Periandros once more. He went down to the beach and said that he wanted a ship to take him back to Corinth, and that he would only go with Corinthians, because he thought the men of Corinth better than the men of any other place. Just then there was drawn up on the beach a ship which had come from Corinth, and the sailors told him that they were Corinthians, and would take him home again. So Arion promised to go with them, and he sent down his harp and all his boxes full of fine clothes and gold and silver, to be put on board the ship. When the sailors saw the boxes, and felt how heavy they were, they said to each other, “What a rich man he must be! would it not be pleasant to have only a little of all this money which has been given to Arion for playing on a harp?” The next day Arion came down to the shore and went into the ship. It was a beautiful day; there was scarcely a cloud in the sky, and there was a fresh breeze just strong enough to fill the sails and move the ship gently through the water. The waves danced and shone like gold in the bright sunshine, while the ship tossed up the white foam as she sailed merrily on towards Corinth. So they went on many days, for Arion sat at the head of the ship to see how it cut through the water, and as they passed one place after another, he thought that they would soon reach Corinth. But the sailors in the ship were wicked men. They had seen the large boxes full of money which Arion had brought with him into the ship, and now they made up their mind to kill him and take his gold and silver. So one day while he was sitting at the bow of the ship, and looking down on the dark blue sea, three or four of the sailors came up to him and said that they were going to kill him. Now Arion knew that they said this because they wanted his money; so he promised to give them all that he had if they would spare his life. But they would not. Then he asked them to let him play once more on his harp, and sing one of the songs which he loved the best, and he said that when it was finished he would leap into the sea. When they had given him leave to do this, Arion put on a beautiful dress, took his harp in his hand, and stood up to sing. And as he sang, the sailors began to feel sorry that they were going to kill him, because they would have no more of his sweet music when he was dead. But when they thought of all the gold and silver which Arion was taking to Corinth, they made up their minds that they would not let him live; and Arion took one last look at the bright and sunny sky, and then leaped into the sea, and the sailors saw him no more. The ship sailed on merrily over the dark water, just as though it were not carrying so many wicked men to Corinth. But Arion was not drowned. A great fish called a dolphin was swimming by the ship when Arion leaped over; and it caught him on its back and swam away with him towards Corinth much faster than the ship could sail. On and on the great fish swam, cutting through the foam of the sea which was tossed up over Arion; and by and by he saw at a distance the high cliffs and peaks which he knew were the cliffs and peaks above Corinth. So presently the fish came close to the shore and left Arion on the beach, and swam away again into the deep sea. Arion was cold and tired with being so long in the water, and he could hardly crawl up into the city as far as the house where Periandros the tyrant lived. At last he reached the house, and was taken into the great hall where Periandros was sitting. And when he saw Arion, Periandros rose up, and came to meet him, and said: “Why, Arion, what is all this? Your clothes are dripping with water; I thought you were coming to Corinth from Sicily in a ship, but you look more as if you had been in the sea than in a ship: did you swim here through the water?” Then Arion told him all the story; how he had left Taras in a ship with Corinthian men whom he had hired to bring him home, how they had tried to kill him that they might take his money, and how the dolphin had brought him to the shore when they made him leap from the ship into the sea. But Periandros did not believe the story, and said to Arion, “You cannot make me think that this strange tale is true: who ever swam on a dolphin’s back before?” So he told his servants to give Arion all that he wanted, but not to let him go until the ship in which he had left Taras came to Corinth. Two days afterwards, Arion was standing by the side of Periandros, and looking out over the sea. Presently he saw the white sails of a ship which was sailing into the harbor with a gentle breeze from the west. As it came nearer and nearer, Arion thought that it looked very like his own ship, until at last he was able to see from the colors on its prow that it was the very ship in which he had been sailing. Then he said to Periandros, “See, they are come at last, and now go and send for these sailors, and see whether I have not told you the truth.” So Periandros sent down fifty soldiers with swords and spears and shields, to bring up all the sailors from the ship. The ship was sailing in merrily towards the shore, and the soft west wind filled out its white sails as it cut through the water. As they looked on the beautiful land to which they were coming, they thought of all the things which they should be able to buy with Arion’s gold and silver; and how they would do nothing but eat and drink and be merry, as soon as they got out of the ship. So when they came to the beach, they let down the sails, lowered the masts, and threw out ropes from the stern to fasten the ship to the shore. They never thought that the fifty soldiers whose spears and shields were shining gaily in the sunshine had been sent on purpose to take them; and they could not make out why it was that, as soon as they came out from the ship upon the dry land, the soldiers said that they must all go as quickly as they could to the house of Periandros. Ten of the soldiers stayed behind to guard the ship, while the rest led the sailors to the palace. When they were brought before him, Periandros spoke to them kindly, and asked them from what place they had come; and the sailors said that they had come from Italy, from the great city of Taras. Then Periandros said, “If you have come from Italy, perhaps you can tell me something about my friend Arion. A long time ago he left Corinth, and said that he was going to Sicily and Italy; and I cannot think why he should be away so long, for if the people have given him as much money for his music as they did here, he must now be a very rich man.” Then the sailors said, “Yes, we can tell you all about Arion. We left him quite safe at Taras, where every one wanted to hear him sing; but he said that he should not come to Corinth, until they had given him more gold and silver and made him a richer man.” Just as they were telling this lie, the door of the room was opened, and Arion himself walked in; and Periandros turned round to the sailors, and said, “See, here is the man whom you left quite safe and well at Taras. How dare you tell me so great a lie? Now I know that Arion has told me the truth, and that you wished to kill him, and made him leap into the sea; but the dolphin caught him as he fell, and brought him here on its back. And now listen to me. Of all Arion’s gold and silver you shall have none; everything that was his you shall give back to him; and I shall take away your ship, and everything in it which belongs to you, because you wished to rob and kill Arion.” Then the soldiers came, and turned these wicked sailors into the street, and drove them on, calling to the people to come and see the men who had sought to murder Arion. And all came out of their houses, and hooted at the sailors as they passed by, until they were ready to sink down with fear and shame. So Periandros took their ship, and gave back to Arion all his gold and silver, and what he loved better than his riches—his golden harp. And every one came to hear the wonderful tale of Arion and the dolphin; and Arion made a large statue out of stone to look like a man on a dolphin’s back, and placed it on Cape Tainaron, that the people might never forget how the dolphin saved Arion when he leaped into the sea.