Roman poet Ovid imagined how Leander, the young man who according to legend used to swim the Hellespont to meet his lover Hero, might have written to her when a storm made the crossing impossible, remembering sentimentally the night when he first plunged into the sea, and called on the moon-goddess to bless his errand of love.
In his letter, Leander recalled his crossing in detail. He was all alone except for the moonlight and the swirl of the waters, though he fancied he heard the song of the legendary kingfishers Halcyon and Ceyx. His arms began to tire, but he drew new strength from the faint glimmer of Hero’s candle on the far shore.
At last, Leander came in sight of the shore. His eye caught Hero running down to meet him, in defiance of her nurse, and he exaggerated his manly stroke. As he crawled up the beach, Hero smothered him with kisses and dried him with her own robe, and Leander felt it had all been worthwhile.
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