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Io was of divine ancestry. Her father was the river-god Inachus, son of Oceanus. It is said that Juno one day, perceiving the skies suddenly overcast, surmised that her husband had raised a cloud to hide some escapade. She brushed away the darkness and saw him on the banks of a glassy river with a beautiful heifer standing near. Juno suspected, with reason, that the heifer`s form concealed some fair nymph of mortal mold. It was Io, whom Jupiter, when he became aware of the approach of his wife, had changed into that form.
The ox-eyed goddess joined her husband, noticed the heifer, praised its beauty, and asked whose it was and of what herd. Jupiter, to stop questions, replied that it was a fresh creation from the earth. Juno begged it as a gift. What could the king of gods and men do? He was loath to surrender his sweetheart to his wife; yet how refuse so trifling a present as a heifer? He could not, without exciting suspicion, and he therefore consented. The goddess delivered the heifer to Argus, to be strictly watched.
Now Argus had a hundred eyes in his head, and never went to sleep with more than two at a time, so that he kept watch of Io constantly. He suffered her to graze through the day and at night tied a rope round her neck. She would have stretched out her arms to implore freedom of Argus, but that she had no arms to stretch out and her voice was a bellow. She yearned in vain to make herself known to her father. At length she bethought herself of writing, and inscribed her name-it was a short one-with her hoof on the sand. Inachus recognized it, and, discovering that his daughter whom he had long sought in vain was hidden under this disguise, mourned over her. While he thus lamented, Argus, observing, drove her away and took his seat on a bank from whence he could see in every direction.
Jupiter, grieved by the sufferings of his mistress, sent Mercury to dispatch Argus. Mercury took his sleep-producing wand and presented himself on earth as a shepherd driving his flock. As he strolled, he blew upon his syrinx or Pandean pipes. Argus listened with delight. "Young man," said he, "com and take a seat by me on this stone. There is no better place for your flock to graze in than hereabouts, and here is a pleasant shade such as shepherds love." Mercury sat down, talked, told stories till it grew late, and played upon his pipes his most soothing strains, hoping to lull the watchful eyes to sleep, but in vain; for Argus still contrived to keep some of his eyes open, though he shut the rest.
But among other stories, Mercury told him how the instrument on which he played was invented.
Before Mercury had finished this deeply soothing story he saw the eyes of Argus all asleep. At once he slew him and set Io free. The eyes of Argus Juno took and scattered as ornaments on the tail of her peacock, where they remain to this day.
But the vengeance of Juno was not yet satiated. She sent a gadfly to torment Io, who, in her flight, swam through the sea, named after her, Ionian. Afterward, roaming over many lands, she reached at last the banks of the Nile. Then Jupiter interceded for her; and upon his engaging not to pay her any further attention, Juno consented to restore her to her form..
伊俄－－朱庇特的情人
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伊俄出身于神祗世家，父亲是俄刻阿诺斯的儿子，河神伊那科斯。据说有一天朱诺看到天空突然乌云密布，就料想这一定是她丈夫兴起一团云来遮盖自己的放荡勾当。她拨开云层见到他正呆在一条明镜般的小河岸上，身旁有一头美丽的小母牛。朱诺怀疑这母牛的形体里隐藏着一个人间美女的身躯，她的猜测确乎合理。这个美女正是伊俄。朱庇特觉察到自己的夫人正接近这个地方，便把她变成了牛的模样。
大眼女神走到丈夫身边，注目于那头小母牛，夸奖它的俊美，又问主人是谁，属于哪个牛群。朱庇特唯恐她再追问下去就答说这是大地的新造物。朱诺请求朱庇特把牛送给她做礼物，众神和人类之王有什么办法可想呢？他实在不想将情人交给自己的老婆；但是他又怎好拒绝象一头母牛这样的区区小意思呢？要是他不肯赠送的话，她准会引起怀疑，因此他只好答应了。那女神就把这头小母牛交给阿尔戈斯严加看管。
且说，阿尔戈斯头上长了一百只眼睛，每逢睡觉时，只闭上一、两只眼睛就够了。因此伊俄无时无刻不在他的监视之中。白天他赶她去放牧，晚上用绳子拴住她的脖颈。她多么想伸出双臂乞求阿尔戈斯放了她啊。可是她却没有可伸出的双臂，发出的声音也只是牛的吼叫。她绞尽了脑汁想不出办法能使她的父亲认出她来；最后她终于想到了写字，用一只蹄子把她的名字－－很短的一个名字－－划在沙地上。伊那刻斯辩认出这个名字，发现他寻找多日而未得见的女儿原来竟被伪装失去了原形，他不禁悲恸起来。正在这时，阿尔戈斯发现了他们，他赶开了伊俄，自己坐在河堤上，监视着四周的一切动静。
朱庇特见到情人受苦，很是伤心，打发墨丘利去除掉阿尔戈斯。墨丘利拿着他那根睡杖下降到人间，装扮成一个牧羊人。他一路赶着牲口一路吹着他的绪任克斯笛（或称做潘箫）。阿尔戈斯听得心旷神怡。“小伙子，”他说：“过来，跟我一起坐在这块石头上。在这附近放牧是再合适不过的了；这里有块宜人的树荫，牧羊人没有不喜欢的。”墨丘利在岩石上坐下来，谈个不停，大说故事，直到天色渐渐地暗了下来；这时他又吹起了箫，奏着最能安神的乐曲，企图催那些警觉的眼睛进入梦乡，但没有奏效；因为阿尔戈斯虽然闭上了其中一些眼睛，但总有别一些还是睁着的。
然而墨丘利在众多故事之中又讲了一个关于他吹奏的这根箫的来历的。这个深深温抚人心的故事还没有讲完，墨丘利就看到阿尔戈斯的眼睛一只只地昏昏睡去。他立刻杀死了阿尔戈斯，放掉了伊俄。朱诺取下阿尔戈斯的眼睛，撒在她的孔雀的尾巴上作为装饰，直到今天这些眼睛还呆在老地方。
但是朱诺报复之心不死。她派遣了一只牛虻去折磨伊俄。伊俄四处躲藏，游过了大海，这海从些就以她命名叫伊奥尼亚海。后来她又到过许多国家，最后来到了尼罗河畔。这时候朱庇特出面替她求情，答应和她从此一刀两断。朱诺这才同意恢复伊俄的原来面目。
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