Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-08
The Deaf Satyr.
BY RUBEN DARIO.

(Reuben Dario, l867-1916 was 8
Spanish-American writer, native Of
Nicaragua. He is the author Of "Azul,
a collection of stories; he has also writ
ten poetry and several books Of travel
The story printed here is translated
into English by Dr. Isaac Goldberg; II
is used here by permission OF the trans
lator)
There dwelt near Mount Olympus q
satyr and he was the ancient king OF
his forest. The gods had said to him
"Reioice, the woods are yours be a
merry rascal, hunt the nymphs and let
your flute be heard" And the satyr
took his pleasure.
On a day that Father Apollo was
playing his divine Tyre, the satyr left
his dominions, daring to ascend the
sacred mount and surprise the long
haired god. Whereupon the god punish
ed by turning him as deaf as a rock.
In vain from the denseness of the for
est filed with birds poured trills and
sounded gentle cooling. The satyr heard
nothing. Philomel, over his tangled
hair that was crowned with shoots, sang
songs that halted the streams in their
course and turned the pale roses a
hlushing red. He remained lmpaSslVe
or howled with savage laughter, leaping
in Joyous wantonness when, through
the openings of the branches he espied
a white round hip that the sun was
csressing with its golden light The ami
mails fawned upon him as master to
be obeyed.
Before his eyes, to divert him, danced
choruSes of bacchanteS afiame With
their mad fever; close by him, providing
the musical accompaniment, we're the
adolescent fauns, beautiful youths, who
caressed him fervently with their smiles
and though he heard no voice, nor the
sound of castanets, he found pleasure
after his own fashion. Thus did this
bearded king with the goatish feet pass
his days.
He was a capricious satyr. He had
two court counselors, lark and an ass
satyr went deaf. Formerly, when,
weary with lust, he softly played his
flute, the lark accompanied him. After
ward, in his great forest, where he
could not hear even the voice OF Olym-
plan thunder, the patient animal of the
long ears served him as mount, while
the lark, at break of dawn, flew out of
his hands, singing on her flight to the
skies.
The forest was vast To the lark be-
longed the treetopS, to the ass the pas
ture. The lark was greeted by the first
CLEANS of dawn; she drank dew in the
shoots: she awoke the oak, singing to 1t,
"Old oak, awake" She rejoiced in a
kiss from the sun; she was beloved by
the morning star. And the blue firnla-
ment so vast knew that she, SO tiny,
dwelt beneath the immensely. The ass
Though he had not yet conversed witk
Kant) was an expert In philosophy ac-
cording to common report. The Satyr,
who saw him browsing in the pasture,
swaying his ears with a solmen air,
held such a thinker in high esteem.
In those days the ass was not so Ia
NOUS as today. AS he moved his Jaws,
men yet would write In his praise:
Daniel Heinsius, In Latin; Passerat,
Button and the great Hugo, in French;
Posada and Valderrama, in Spanish.
Phlegmatically, If the flies bit him,
he would frighten them on with his
tail, kick from time to time and send
forth. under the vault of the woods, the
the petted favorite there. AS he took
his midday nap on the dark and CRATE
full earth the plants and flowers gave
out their sweetest scents. And the
great trees inclined their foliage to
lend him shade.
1t was In those days that Orpheus,
affrighted at the misery of mankind,
bethought himself to flee to the WOODS,
where the trunks and the stones would
understand him and listen in ecstasy
and where he could tremble with har-
mony and the fire of love and life to
the sounds of his instrument.
When Orpheus plucked his Tyre there
was a smile on the countenance OF
Apollo.
Demeter thrilled with pleasure. The
palm trees shed their pollen, the seeds
burst, the lions gently moved their
names. Once a carnation few from
its stem transformed into red butter
nv, and a star came down from the
heavens in thrall and became a fieur-
de-lis.
what forest better than the forest Of
the satyr, whom he would enchant,
where he would be held as demi-
god; a foest all Joy and dancing and
beauty, where there were grapes and
roses and the noise of the sistrum. and
where the goat-footed king danced
drunk before his fauns, making ges-
lures like Sflenus?
He went with his wreath of laurel,
his Tyre, his proud poets mien, erect
and radiant. He came to where the