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It would be granted them no mortal ever gained such privilege before to leave, both together, the world of the dead, and to abide for another space in the world of the living. One condition there would be that on their way up through the valley of Acherusia neither Orpheus nor Eurydice should look back. They went through the gate and came amongst the watchers that are around the portals.
These showed them the path that went up through the valley of Acherusia. That way they went, Orpheus and Eurydice, he going before her. Up and up through the darkened ways they went, Orpheus knowing, that Eurydice was behind him, but never looking back upon her.
Here is a downward path to the abode of Hades, and the headland of Acherusia stretches aloft, and eddying Acheron cleaves its way at the bottom, even through the headland, and sends its waters forth from a huge ravine. And near it ye will sail past many hills of the Paphlagonians, over whom at the first Eneteian Pelops reigned, and of his blood they boast themselves to be.
For as he went along Orpheus played upon his lyre and sang, and the trees heard his song and they were moved by his grief, and with their arms and their heads they showed him the way to the deep, deep valley of Acherusia. Down, down by winding paths through that deepest and most shadowy of all valleys Orpheus went. He came at last to the great gate that opens upon the world of the dead.
But in that instant she slipped back into the depths of the valley. And all he heard spoken was a single word, "Farewell!" Long, long had it taken Eurydice to climb so far, but in the moment of his turning around she had fallen back to her place amongst the dead. Down through the valley of Acherusia Orpheus went again. Again he came before the watchers of the gate.
And now they were nearing the place where the valley of Acherusia opened on the world of the living. Orpheus looked on the blue of the sky. A white-winged bird flew by. Orpheus turned around and cried, "O Eurydice, look upon the world that I have won you back to!" He turned to say this to her. He saw her with her long dark hair and pale face. He held out his arms to clasp her.
It is said by the poets that while they floated in midstream the lyre gave out some mournful notes and the head of Orpheus answered the notes with song. And now that he was no longer to be counted with the living, Orpheus went down to the world of the dead, not going now by that steep descent through the valley of Acherusia, but going down straightway.
Then Orpheus went on his way to the valley of Acherusia which goes down, down into the world of the dead. He would never have found his way to that valley if the trees had not shown him the way.
Originating at a little crater under the north- east wall of great ring-plain Posidonius, it follows a winding course across the Mare toward the south, throwing out many minor branches, and ultimately dies out under a great rocky promontory the Promontory Acherusia, at the western termination of the Haemus range.
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