The musical hero Orpheus weds Eurydice, but soon a snake bites her and she dies. Orpheus travels to the underworld and soothes its inhabitants with his music and begs to retrieve Eurydice. Pluto and Proserpine grant his wish, provided that “he look not back or else the gift would fail” (226). On his way out, Orpheus looks at Eurydice. She returns to the underworld forever, and Orpheus rejects all future women.

Orpheus sings in a grove with one tree that used to be the boy Cyparissus. Cyparissus loved a friendly stag, but one day accidentally killed him, leading Cyparissus to kill himself. Apollo takes pity on Cyparissus and turns him into a cypress tree.

Orpheus sings of Ganymede. Jupiter loves Ganymede, a Trojan prince. He disguises himself as a bird and kidnaps Ganymede to be his cupbearer on Olympus.