the Golden Touch

midas，son of the GREat goddess of ida，by a hero whosename is not remembered ，was a pleasureloving king of macedonian bromium，where he ruled over the brigians and planted his famous rose gardens．

one day，the old hero silenus，dionysus'' former teacher，happened to straggle from the main body of the dionysian army as it marched out of thrace into boeotia，and was found sleeping and drunken in the rose gardens．the gardeners tied him and ledhim before midas，to whom he told wonderful tales of a big continent lying beyond the ocean''s stream ——altogether separatefrom the united mass of europe，asia，or africa——where gigantic，happy，and longlived people lived in splendid cities，enjoying a wonderful law system．midas，delighted with silenus'' fictions，entertained him for five days and nights，and then ordered a guide to lead him to dionysus'' headquarters．

dionysus，who had been worrying about silenus，sent toask how midas wished to be rewarded．he replied without hesitation：‘please turn all i touch into gold．'' however，not onlystones，flowers，and the furnishings of his house turned to gold but，when he sat down to table，so did the food he ate and the water he drank ．midas soon begged to be freed from his wish，because he was fast dying of hunger and thirst．highlyamused ，dionysus told him to visit the source of the river pactolus and there wash himself．he obeyed，and was at oncefreed from the golden touch，but the sands of the river pactolusare bright with gold to this day．

點金術

彌達斯是伊達山大女神和一位姓名不詳的英雄的兒子。他是馬其頓勃洛彌恩的好尋歡作樂的國王。他統治勃里癸亞人民，種植聞名遐邇的玫瑰花。

一天，狄俄尼索斯酒神和追隨者從色雷斯出發去維奧蒂亞。狄俄尼索斯以前的老師森林之神老西勒諾斯不巧跟隊伍走散了。他喝得醉醺醺的，躺在彌達斯的花園里酣然大睡。園丁發現了他，把他捆起來領去見彌達斯。他給彌達斯講述有關大洋河彼岸的、與連成一片的歐羅巴、亞細亞或阿非利加完全脫離的一個大洲的奇妙的故事。大洲上座落著神奇的城市，居住著身材高大、幸福而長壽的人民，擁有值得贊頌的法律制度。西勒諾斯的故事使彌達斯聽得欣喜若狂。他盛情款待老山神五天五夜，然后派向導護送他回到狄俄尼索斯的大本營。

狄俄尼索斯一直在為西勒諾斯擔心。現在，他派人問彌達斯有什么要求，他應該怎樣報答他。彌達斯毫不遲疑地回答說，“請恩準使我摸到的一切都變成金子。”然而，變成金子的不僅僅是石塊、花朵和屋內的陳設。他坐下吃飯時，他吃的食物和喝的水也都變成金子。過了不久，彌達斯懇求狄俄尼索斯使他從他那愿望中解脫開來，因為他饑渴交加，快死了。狄俄尼索斯逗弄彌達斯，開心得很。他叫彌達斯前往帕克托羅斯河的源頭，在河里洗個澡。彌達斯依法行事，立即解除了點金術，但帕克托羅斯河的沙子至今因含金而閃閃發光。