by Theocritus
οὐδ᾽ οὕτως σβέσσω τὸν ἐμὸν χόλον. ἄρτι δὲ χαίρειν
τοῖσι τεοῖς προθύροις ἐπιτέλλομαι. οἶδα τὸ μέλλον.
καὶ τὸ ῥόδον καλόν ἐστι, καὶ ὁ χρόνος αὐτὸ μαραίνει:
καὶ τὸ ἴον καλόν ἐστιν ἐν εἴαρι, καὶ ταχὺ γηρᾷ:
λευκὸν τὸ κρίνον ἐστί, μαραίνεται ἁνίκα πίπτῃ: 30
ἁ δὲ χιὼν λευκά, καὶ τάκεται ἁνίκα πασθῇ.
καὶ κάλλος καλόν ἐστι τὸ παιδικόν, ἀλλ᾽ ὀλίγον ζῇ.
ἥξει καιρὸς ἐκεῖνος, ὁπανίκα καὶ τὺ φιλάσεις,
ἁνίκα τὰν κραδίαν ὀπτεύμενος ἁλμυρὰ κλαύσῃ.
ἀλλὰ τὺ παῖ καὶ τοῦτο πανύστατον ἁδύ τι ῥέξον: 35
ὁππόταν ἐξενθὼν ἠρτημένον ἐν προθύροισι
τοῖσι τεοῖσιν ἴδῃς τὸν τλάμονα, μή με παρένθῃς,
στᾶθι δὲ καὶ βραχὺ κλαῦσον, ἐπισπείσας δὲ τὸ δάκρυ
λῦσον τῶ σχοίνω με καὶ ἀμφίθες ἐκ ῥεθέων σῶν
εἵματα καὶ κρύψόν με, τὸ δ᾽ αὖ πύματόν με φίλασον,
κἂν νεκρῷ χάρισαι τὰ σὰ χείλεα. μή με φοβαθῇς:
οὐ δύναμαι λυπεῖν σε, διαλλάξεις με φιλάσας.
χῶμα δέ μοι χῶσόν τι ὅ μευ κρύψει τὸν ἔρωτα.
κἂν ἀπίῃς, τόδε μοι τρὶς ἐπαίασον: ὦ φίλε κεῖσαι.
ἢν δὲ θέλῃς, καὶ τοῦτο: καλὸς δέ μοι ὤλεθ᾽ ἑταῖρος. 45
γράψον καὶ τόδε γράμμα, τὸ σοῖς τοίχοισι χαράξω:
‘τοῦτον ἔρως ἔκτεινεν. ὁδοιπόρε, μὴ παροδεύσῃς,
ἀλλὰ στὰς τόδε λέξον: ἀπηνέα εἶχεν ἑταῖρον.’’
[26] And lo! now I bid this thy door farewell or ever I go. I know what is to be. The rose is fair and Time withers it, the violet is fair in the year’s spring and it quickly growth old; the lily is white, – it fades when its flowering’s done; and white the snow, – it melts all away when the wind blows warm: and even so, the beauty of a child is beautiful indeed, but it liveth not for long. The day will come when you shall love like me, when your heart shall burn like mine, and your eyes weep brinish tears. So I pray you, child, do me this one last courtesy: when you shall come and find a poor man hanging at your door, pass him not by; but stay you first and weep awhile for a libation upon him, and then loosing him from the rope, put about him some covering from your own shoulders; and give him one last kiss, for your lips will be welcome even to the dead. And never fear me; I cannot do thee any mischief; thou shalt kiss and there an end. Then pray thee make a hole in some earthy bank for to hide all my love of thee; and ere thou turn thee to go thy ways, cry over me three times ‘Rest, my friend,’ and if it seem thee good cry also ‘My fair companion’s dead.’ And for epitaph write the words I here inscribe upon thy wall: Here’s one that died of love; good wayfarer, stay thee and say: his was a cruel fere.”
Ωδ᾽ εἰπὼν λίθον εἷλκεν, ἐρεισάμενος δ᾽ ἐπὶ τοίχω
ἄχρι μέσων οὐδῶν φοβερὸν λίθον ἅπτετ᾽ ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν, 50
τὰν λεπτὰν σχοινῖδα, βρόχον δ᾽ ἐνέβαλλε τραχήλῳ,
τὰν ἕδραν δ᾽ ἐκύλισεν ὑπὲκ ποδός, ἠδ᾽ ἐκρεμάσθη
[49] This said, he took a stone and set it up, that dreadful stone, against the wall in the midst of the doorway; then tied that slender string unto the porch above, put the noose about his neck, rolled that footing from beneath his feet, and lo! he hung a corpse.
νεκρός. ὁ δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ ὤιξε θύρας καὶ τὸν νεκρὸν εἶδεν
αὐλᾶς ἐξ ἰδίας ἠρτημένον, οὐδ᾽ ἐλυγίχθη
τὰν ψυχάν, οὐ κλαῦσε νέον φόνον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ νεκρῷ 55
εἵματα πάντ᾽ ἐμίανεν, ἐφαβικὰ βαῖνε δ᾽ ἐς ἄθλα
γυμναστῶν, καὶ τῆλε φίλων ἐπεμαίετο λουτρῶν,
καὶ ποτὶ τὸν θεὸν ἦλθε, τὸν ὕβρισε: λαϊνέας δὲ
ἵστατ᾽ ἀπὸ κρηπῖδος ἐς ὕδατα: τῷ δ᾽ ἐφύπερθεν
ἅλατο καὶ τὤγαλμα, κακὸν δ᾽ ἔκτεινεν ἔφαβον: 60
νᾶμα δ᾽ ἐφοινίχθη: παιδὸς δ᾽ ἐπενάχετο σῶμα.
χαίρετε τοὶ φιλέοντες: ὁ γὰρ μισῶν ἐφονεύθη.
στέργετε δ᾽ οἱ μισεῦντες: ὁ γὰρ θεὸς οἶδε δικάζειν.
[53] Soon that other, he opened the door and espied the dead hanging to his own doorway; and his stubborn heart was not bended. The new-done murder moved him not unto tears, nor would he be defiling all his young lad’s garments with a dead corpse; but went his ways to the wrestling-bouts and betook himself light of heart to his beloved bath. And so came he unto the god he had slighted. For there stood an image of him upon the margin looking towards the water. And lo! even the graven image leapt down upon him and slew that wicked lad; and the water went all red, and on the water floated the voice of a child saying “Rejoice ye that love, for he that did hate is slain; and love ye that hate, for the god knoweth how to judge.”
IDYLL XXIV. Ἡρακλίσκος
IDYLL XXIV. THE LITTLE HERACLES
This Epic poem, unlike the Hylas, is not an artistic whole. It tells first how the infant Heracles killed the two snakes sent by the outraged Hera to devour him, and next of the rites which the seer Teiresias advised his mother Alcmena to perform in order to avert her wrath. We are then told of the education of Heracles, and the poem breaks off abruptly in the MSS. After an account of his diet and clothing. Such a poem would doubtless be acceptable at the Alexandrian court in the early years of the child who was afterwards Ptolemy III. For the Ptolemies claimed descent from Heracles.
῾Ηρακλέα δεκάμηνον ἐόντα πόχ᾽ ἁ Μιδεᾶτις
᾿Αλκμήνα καὶ νυκτὶ νεώτερον ᾿Ιφικλῆα,
ἀμφοτέρους λούσασα καὶ ἐμπλήσασα γάλακτος,
χαλκείαν κατέθηκεν ἐς ἀσπίδα, τὰν Πτερελάου
᾿Αμφιτρύων καλὸν ὅπλον ἀπεσκύλευσε πεσόντος. 5
ἁπτομένα δὲ γυνὰ κεφαλᾶς μυθήσατο παίδων:
‘εὕδετ᾽ ἐμὰ βρέφεα γλυκερὸν καὶ ἐγέρσιμον ὕπνον,
εὕδετ᾽ ἐμὰ ψυχά, δύ᾽ ἀδελφεώ, εὔσοα τέκνα:
ὄλβιοι εὐνάζοισθε καὶ ὄλβιοι ἀῶ ἵκοισθε.’
῝Ως φαμένα δίνασε σάκος μέγα: τοὺς δ᾽ ἔλαβ᾽ ὕπνος. 10
[1] Once upon a time when the little Heracles was ten months old, Alcmena of Midea took him and Iphicles that was his younger by a night, and laid them, washed both and suckled full, in the fine brazen buckler Amphitryon had gotten in spoil of Pterelaüs, and setting her hand upon their heads said “Sleep my babes, sleep sweetly and light; sleep, sweethearts, brothers twain, goodly children. Heaven prosper your slumbering now and your awakening to-morrow.” And as she spake, she rocked the great targe till they fell asleep.
ἆμος δὲ �
�τρέφεται μεσονύκτιον ἐς δύσιν ἄρκτος
᾿Ωρίωνα κατ᾽ αὐτόν, ὁ δ᾽ ἀμφαίνει μέγαν ὦμον,
τᾶμος ἄρ᾽ αἰνὰ πέλωρα δύω πολυμήχανος ῞Ηρη
κυανέαις φρίσσοντας ὑπὸ σπείραισι δράκοντας
ὦρσεν ἐπὶ πλατὺν οὐδόν, ὅθι σταθμὰ κοῖλα θυράων 15
εἶκεν, ἀπειλήσασα φαγεῖν βρέφος ῾Ηρακλῆα.
τὼ δ᾽ ἐξειληθέντες ἐπὶ χθονὶ γαστέρας ἄμφω
αἱμοβόρους ἐκύλιον: ἀπ᾽ ὀφθαλμῶν δὲ κακὸν πῦρ
ἐρχομένοις λάμπεσκε, βαρὺν δ᾽ ἐξέπτυον ἰόν.
ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ παίδων λιχμώμενοι ἐγγύθεν ἦνθον, 20
καὶ τότ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐξέγροντο, Διὸς νοέοντος ἅπαντα,
᾿Αλκμήνας φίλα τέκνα, φάος δ᾽ ἀνὰ οἶκον ἐτύχθη.
ἤτοι ὅγ᾽ εὐθὺς ἄυσεν, ὅπως κακὰ θηρί᾽ ἀνέγνω
κοίλου ὑπὲρ σάκεος καὶ ἀναιδέας εἶδεν ὀδόντας,
᾿Ιφικλέης, οὔλαν δὲ ποσὶν διελάκτισε χλαῖναν, 25
φευγέμεν ὁρμαίνων: ὁ δ᾽ ἐναντίος εἴχετο χερσὶν
῾Ηρακλέης, ἄμφω δὲ βαρεῖ ἐνεδήσατο δεσμῷ,
δραξάμενος φάρυγος, τόθι φάρμακα λυγρὰ κέκρυπται
οὐλομένοις ὀφίεσσιν, ἃ καὶ θεοὶ ἐχθαίροντι.
τὼ δ᾽ αὖτε σπείραισιν ἑλισσέσθην περὶ παῖδα 30
ὀψίγονον γαλαθηνόν, ὑπὸ τροφῷ αἰὲν ἄδακρυν:
ἂψ δὲ πάλιν διέλυον ἐπεὶ μογέοιεν ἀκάνθας,
[11] But what time the Bear swings low towards her midnight place over against the uplifted shoulder of mighty Orion, then sent the wily Hera two dire monsters of serpents, bridling and bristling and with azure coils, to go upon the broad threshold of the hollow doorway of the house, with intent they should devour the child Heracles. And there on the ground they both untwined their ravening bellies and went writhing forward, while an evil fire shined forth of their eyes and a grievous venom was spued out of their mouth. But when with tongues flickering they were come where the children lay, on a sudden Alcmena’s little ones (for Zeus knew all) awoke, and there was made a light in the house. Iphicles, he straightway cried out when he espied the evil beasts and their pitiless fangs above the target’s rim, and kicked away the woollen coverlet in an agony to flee; but Heracles made against them with his hands, and gripping them where lies a baneful snake’s fell poison hated even of the gods, held them both fast bound in a sure bondage of the throat. For a while thereat they two wound their coils about that young child, that suckling babe at nurse which never knew tears; but soon they relaxed their knots and loosed their weary spines and only strove to find enlargement from out those irresistible bonds.
δεσμοῦ ἀναγκαίου πειρώμενοι ἔκλυσιν εὑρεῖν.
᾿Αλκμήνα δ᾽ ἐσάκουσε βοᾶς καὶ ἐπέγρετο πράτα:
‘῎Ανσταθ᾽ ᾿Αμφιτρύων: ἐμὲ γὰρ δέος ἴσχει ὀκνηρόν: 35
ἄνστα, μηδὲ πόδεσσιν ἑοῖς ὑπὸ σάνδαλα θείῃς.
οὐκ ἀίεις, παίδων ὁ νεώτερος ὅσσον ἀυτεῖ;
ἢ οὐ νοέεις, ὅτι νυκτὸς ἀωρί που, οἱ δέ τε τοῖχοι
πάντες ἀριφραδέες, καθαρᾶς ἅπερ ἠριγενείας;
ἔστί τί μοι κατὰ δῶμα νεώτερον, ἔστι φίλ᾽ ἀνδρῶν.’ 40
῝Ως φάθ᾽. ὁ δ᾽ ἐξ εὐνᾶς ἀλόχῳ κατέβαινε πιθήσας:
δαιδάλεον δ᾽ ὥρμασε μετὰ ξίφος, ὅ οἱ ὕπερθεν
κλιντῆρος κεδρίνου περὶ πασσάλῳ αἰὲν ἄωρτο.
ἤτοι ὅγ᾽ ὠριγνᾶτο νεοκλώστου τελαμῶνος,
κουφίζων ἑτέρᾳ κολεὸν μέγα, λώτινον ἔργον. 45
ἀμφιλαφὴς δ᾽ ἄρα παστὰς ἐνεπλήσθη πάλιν ὄρφνας:
δμῶας δὴ τότ᾽ ἄυσεν ὕπνον βαρὺν ἐκφυσῶντας:
‘οἴσετε πῦρ ὅτι θᾶσσον ἀπ᾽ ἐσχαρεῶνος ἑλόντες,
δμῶες ἐμοί, στιβαροὺς δὲ θυρᾶν ἀνακόψατ᾽ ὀχῆας.’
‘ἄνστατε δμῶες ταλασίφρονες. αὐτὸς ἀυτεῖ.’
[34] Alcmena was the first to hear the cry and awake. “Arise, Amphitryon,” quoth she; “for as for me I cannot arise for fear. Up then you, and tarry not even till you be shod. Hear you not how the little one cries? and mark you not that all the chamber walls are bright as at the pure day-spring hour, thou sure ’tis the dead of night? Troth, something, dear lord, is amiss with us.” At these her words he up and got him down from the bed, and leapt for the damasked brand which ever hung to a peg above his cedarn couch, and so reached out after his new-spun baldric even as with the other hand he took up his great scabbard of lotus-wood. Now was the ample bower filled full again of darkness, and the master cried upon his bond-servants that lay breathing slumber so deep and loud, saying “Quick, my bondservants! bring lights, bring lights from the brazier,” and so thrust his stout door-pins back.
̂̓Η ῥα γυνὰ Φοίνισσα μύλαις ἔπι κοῖτον ἔχουσα.
οἱ δ᾽ αἶψα προγένοντο λύχνοις ἅμα δαιομένοισι
δμῶες: ἐνεπλήσθη δὲ δόμος σπεύδοντος ἑκάστου.
ἤτοι ἄρ᾽ ὡς εἴδοντ᾽ ἐπιτίτθιον ῾Ηρακλῆα
θῆρε δύω χείρεσσιν ἀπρὶξ ἁπαλαῖσιν ἔχοντα, 55
συμπλήγδην ἰάχησαν: ὁ δ᾽ ἐς πατέρ᾽ ᾿Αμφιτρύωνα
ἑρπετὰ δεικανάασκεν, ἐπάλλετο δ᾽ ὑψόθι χαίρων
κουροσύνᾳ, γελάσας δὲ πάρος κατέθηκε ποδοῖιν
πατρὸς ἑοῦ θανάτῳ κεκαρωμένα δεινὰ πέλωρα.
᾿Αλκμήνα μὲν ἔπειτα ποτὶ σφέτερον βάλε κόλπον 60
ξηρὸν ὑπαὶ δείους ἀκρόχλοον ᾿Ιφικλῆα:
᾿Αμφιτρύων δὲ τὸν ἄλλον ὑπ᾽ ἀμνείαν θέτο χλαῖναν
παῖδα, πάλιν δ᾽ ἐς λέκτρον ἰὼν ἐμνάσατο κοίτου.
Then “Rouse ye,” quoth the Phoenician woman that had her sleeping over the mill, “rouse ye, strong-heart bondservants; the master cries:” and quickly forth came those bondservants with lamps burning every one, and lo! all the house was filled full of their bustling. And when they espied the suckling Heracles with the two beasts in the clutch of his soft little fingers, they clapped their hands and shouted aloud. There he was, showing the creeping things to his father Amphitryon and capering in his pretty childish glee; then laughing laid the dire monsters before his father’s feet all sunken in the slumber of death. Then was Iphicles clipped aghast and palsied with fright to Alcmena’s bosom, and the other child did Amphitryon lay again beneath the lamb’s-wool coverlet, and so gat him back to bed and took up his rest.
ὄρνιθες τρίτον ἄρτι τὸν ἔσχατον ὄρθρον ἄειδον:
Τειρεσίαν τόκα
μάντιν ἀλαθέα πάντα λέγοντα 65
᾿Αλκμήνα καλέσασα τέρας κατέλεξε νεοχμόν,
καί νιν ὑποκρίνεσθαι, ὅπως τελέεσθαι ἔμελλεν,
ἠνώγει. ‘μηδ᾽ εἴ τι θεοὶ νοέοντι πονηρόν,
αἰδόμενος σύ με κρύπτε: καὶ ὣς οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλύξαι
ἀνθρώποις ὅ τι Μοῖρα κατὰ κλωστῆρος ἐπείγει. 70
ἀλλ᾽ Εὐηρείδα μάλα σε φρονέοντα διδάσκω.’
τόσσ᾽ ἔλεγεν βασίλεια: ὁ δ᾽ ἀνταμείβετο τοίως:
‘θάρσει ἀριστοτόκεια γύναι, Περσήιον αἷμα.
θάρσει: μελλόντων δὲ τὸ λώιον ἐν φρεσὶ θέσθαι.
ναὶ γὰρ ἐμὸν γλυκὺ φέγγος ἀποιχόμενον πάλαι ὄσσων, 75
πολλαὶ ᾿Αχαιιάδων μαλακὸν περὶ γούνατι νῆμα
χειρὶ κατατρίψοντι ἀκρέσπερον ἀείδοισαι
᾿Αλκμήναν ὀνομαστί, σέβας δ᾽ ἔσῃ ᾿Αργείαισι.
τοῖος ἀνὴρ ὅδε μέλλει ἐς οὐρανὸν ἄστρα φέροντα
ἀμβαίνειν τεὸς υἱός, ἀπὸ στέρνων πλατὺς ἥρως, 80
οὗ καὶ θηρία πάντα καὶ ἀνέρες ἥσσονες ἄλλοι.
δώδεκά οἱ τελέσαντι πεπρωμένον ἐν Διὸς οἰκεῖν
μόχθους, θνητὰ δὲ πάντα πυρὰ Τραχίνιος ἑξεῖ.
γαμβρὸς δ᾽ ἀθανάτων κεκλήσεται, οἳ τάδ᾽ ἐπῶρσαν
κνώδαλα φωλεύοντα βρέφος διαδηλήσασθαι. 85
