The Shade of Orpheus descends beneath the earth. The poet knows each place that he had visited before; and searching through the fields of pious souls, he finds Eurydice. And there they walk together now: at times they are side by side; at times she walks ahead with him behind; at other times it's Orpheus who leads - but without any need to fear should he turn round to see his own Eurydice.
King Sleep was father of a thousand sons - indeed a tribe - and of them all, the one he chose was Morpheus, who had such skill in miming any human form at will...it's another Dream who can become a quadruped, a bird, or a long snake; that Dream the gods call Icelos - but when he's named by common mortals, he's Phobetor. And still another Dream can claim quite special gifts: his name is Phantasos; the forms that he assumes deceive, intrigue: the shapes of earth and rocks, and water, trees- in sum, of lifeless things. And there are Dreams who show themselves by night to kings and chiefs, while others roam among the common folk.
Orpheus is finally reunited with his wife and lover. Though not by the prettiest means. Those damn Bacchantes are always tearing people apart.
I really liked this description of Dreams, the personification. One of my favorite passages in the book.
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