Chapter 3, The Poet's Tale Summary

The barge is now in Naiad, where everything in sight is destroyed, including the Shrike Temple. The pilgrims are calm and quiet, thinking over Kassad's story. Silenus volunteers to tell his story, since he has drawn the next number.

He starts by explaining his entry to Hyperion, accompanying Sad King Billy along with more than two thousand other artists of various crafts. They ascended upon the City of Poets. It was also the place for Hyperion's own Grendel, the Shrike. The Shrike was indestructible, and the artists could do nothing but keep making their ballets and works of art, while the murders continue . Silenus at this time, almost completes his Cantos, which is the accumulation of his life's work.

Silenus realizes at this point in the story that the other pilgrims may become confused, and reverts back...