One king alone,
Acrisius, the son of Abas, born
of the same stock as Cadmus (but the line
that stemmed from Belus, rather than Agenor),
still warred upon the new god, still denied
that Bacchus was a son of Jove—divine.
Within Acrisius’ city, his walled Argos,
the new god was not welcome—even as
Acrisius held that Perseus, born of Danae,
Acrisius’ daughter, was no son of Jove,
conceived within a godly shower of gold.
But soon enough—such is the force of truth—
the king reversed himself, accepting Bacchus
as deity, and Perseus’ claim as just.
Latin [594–614]
By then, the first had been received in heaven;
the other, Perseus, was already cleaving
the soft air with his whirring wings, returning
triumphant, bearing Gorgon’s head; and as
the son of Danae flew above the desert sands
of Libya, from the memorable spoils
of serpent-haired Medusa, drops of blood
fell to the earth; and these the ground absorbed,
and then gave life to snakes of varied sorts.
And that’s why Libya is snake-infested.