
The Poems of Sappho, by John Myers O'Hara, [1910], at sacred-texts.com
Ares said he would drag
   Hephestus by force
 From Poseidon's palace
   Deep down in the sea;
   Where he had fashioned
 The cunning throne
   With the secret chains.
He presented the throne,
   Forsooth, as a gift
 To the queen of heaven;
   But Hera soon found
   For revenge on her
 Who had him cast
   From the home of Gods.
For secure in its clasp
   Of adamant gold
 She was held imprisoned,
   The prey of his guile;
   And Hephestus knew
 By him alone
   Could the queen be freed.
But the great God of war
   Made boast of his strength;
 He would bring the forger
   Of metals and tricks
   On high to release
 Hera, and end
   Her enraged despair.
Ares said he would drag
   Hephestus by force,
 But was made to waver
   And flee when assailed
   With a blazing brand
 By the dark God
   Of the underworld.