Arcas - Joe Ficklin

Where are you going, oh son of Callista? Carrying shield, arrows and bow? What are you hunting, oh king of Arcadia? What you do seek, the gods alone know Your mother a beauty, but sworn to the goddess Beloved by the goddess, that no man would dare But Zeus in the guise and appearance as Artemis Took her by force, and a son she did bear Now where are you going, oh son of Callista? Carrying shield, arrows and bow? What are you hunting, oh king of Arcadia? What you do seek, the gods alone know In jealousy fit for the queen of Olympus Callista, the beauty, transformed into bear To wander Arcadian wastelands and mountains Alone as a brute, knowing only despair Lycaon the old king raised the boy Arcas Made him a sacrifice, mocked Zeus as a fool Zeus in his anger clad Lycaon in wolf skin And Arcas was given the kingdom to rule Now where are you going, oh son of Callista? Carrying shield, arrows and bow? What are you hunting, oh king of Arcadia? What you do seek, the gods alone know Mighty the hunter, young king of Arcadia In all of the kingdom, no one could compare With bow and with arrows he set off for wasteland For rumors had reached him of a mighty she bear In tracking he followed the she bear to forest She, once of beauty, saw him so fair And went to embrace him, her son, but he knew not And readied an arrow and aimed it with care Now where are you going, oh son of Callista? Carrying shield, arrows and bow? What are you hunting, oh king of Arcadia? What you do seek, the gods alone know Oh, son see your mother, and mother your son! The gods intervened that both should be spared And placed them above in the crystal arched heavens The great star Arcturus and his mother, the bear