who had his pick of the whole herd.
Daedalus told Talos to sweep
the sawdust away and waited till midnight
when they lugged the cow up the lush foothills
the royal herd ruminated.
Pasiphaë followed before sunrise,
and her robe brooded the raw dew,
and her maids eased her into the cow
and closed the barrel: she breathed freely.
As the morning progressed, moos announced
the ascending cattle. The cowherds already
were looking forward to their lunch and a nap.
The maids led them into a little grove
while their charges chomped the glaring grass.
The white bull noticed the newcomer,
whom his eyes considered a succulent beauty
till his nostrils caught a nauseous whiff:
human sinews hiding in perfume.