Note 42 — III. THE MOUNTAINS IN GREEK POETRY

Ætna, whence purest springs of fire unapproachable burst forth from their caverns; springs which by day pour out a lurid river of smoke, but in the darkness the rocks are borne on eddies of blood-red flame to fall crashing upon the ocean-plain far below. So does that prone monster send forth torrents of fire most dread: a portent wondrous to look upon, a marvel even to hear from those at hand.