by Theocritus
ἠὲ σέ: δέρμα δὲ θηρὸς ἀριφραδέως ἀγορεύει 175
χειρῶν καρτερὸν ἔργον, ὅ τοι περὶ πλευρὰ καλύπτει.
εἴπ᾽ ἄγε νῦν μοι πρῶτον, ἵνα γνώω κατὰ θυμόν,
ἥρως, εἴτ᾽ ἐτύμως μαντεύομαι εἴτε καὶ οὐκί,
εἰ σύγ᾽ ἐκεῖνος, ὃν ἧμιν ἀκουόντεσσιν ἔειπεν
οὑξ ῾Ελίκηθεν ᾿Αχαιός, ἐγὼ δέ σε φράζομαι ὀρθῶς.
εἰπὲ δ᾽ ὅπως ὀλοὸν τόδε θηρίον αὐτὸς ἔπεφνες,
ὅππως τ᾽ εὔυδρον Νεμέης εἰσήλυθε χῶρον:
οὐ μὲν γάρ κε τοσόνδε κατ᾽ ᾿Απίδα κνώδαλον εὕροις
ἱμείρων ἰδέειν, ἐπεὶ οὐ μάλα τηλίκα βόσκει,
ἀλλ᾽ ἄρκτους τε σύας τε λύκων τ᾽ ὀλοφώιον ἔρνος. 185
τῷ καὶ θαυμάζεσκον ἀκούοντες τότε μῦθον:
οἱ δέ νυ καὶ ψεύδεσθαι ὁδοιπόρον ἀνέρ᾽ ἔφαντο
γλώσσης μαψιδίοιο χαριζόμενον παρεοῦσιν.’
[174] Now methinks there is but one of those men-o’-the-shore could do a deed like that, and you are he; moreover the wild-beast-skin your frame is clad in signifieth clearly enough the prowess of your hands. Come on, my lord, have me well to wit, first whether my boding be true or no, whether you be he the Achaean of Helicè told us of, and I know you for what you are; and then tell me, pray, how yourself destroyed that same pestilent beast and how he came to be dwelling in the well-watered vale of Nemea; for I ween you shall not find such a creature as that if you would, the Apian lands around, seeing they breed not anything so huge, but only the bear and the boar and the fell wolf. Therefore, also did they wonder that heard that tale; indeed they said the traveller lied with intent to pleasure the company with an idle tongue.”
῝Ως εἰπὼν μέσσης ἐξηρώησε κελεύθου
Φυλεύς, ὄφρα κιοῦσιν ἅμα σφίσιν ἄρκιος εἴη, 190
καί ῥά τε ῥηίτερον φαμένου κλύοι ῾Ηρακλῆος,
ὅς μιν ὁμαρτήσας τοίῳ προσελέξατο μύθῳ:
‘̂̓Ω Αὐγηιάδη, τὸ μὲν ὅττί με πρῶτον ἀνήρευ,
αὐτὸς καὶ μάλα ῥεῖα κατὰ στάθμην ἐνόησας.
ἀμφὶ δέ σοι τὰ ἕκαστα λέγοιμί κε τοῦδε πελώρου 195
ὅππως ἐκράανθεν, ἐπεὶ λελίησαι ἀκούειν,
νόσφίν γ᾽ ἢ ὅθεν ἦλθε: τὸ γὰρ πολέων περ ἐόντων
᾿Αργείων οὐδείς κεν ἔχοι σάφα μυθήσασθαι:
οἶον δ᾽ ἀθανάτων τίν᾽ ἐίσκομεν ἀνδράσι πῆμα
ἱρῶν μηνίσαντα Φορωνείδῃσιν ἐφεῖναι. 200
πάντας γὰρ πισῆας ἐπικλύζων ποταμὸς ὣς
λῖς ἄμοτον κεράιζε, μάλιστα δὲ Βεμβιναίους,
οἵ ἑθεν ἀγχόμοροι ναῖον πασχόντες ἄτλητα.
[189] With these words Phyleus bent him sidelong from the midst of the road both to make room enough for them twain to go together, and that he might the easier hear what Heracles had to say. Who now came abreast of him, and “Son of Augeas” quoth he, “your former question you have answered yourself, readily and aright; but of this monster, being you so desire it, I will tell you how it all fell out every whit, save whence he came; for not one man in all Argos can speak certainly to that; only were we persuaded it was some god sent him to vex the children of Phoroneus because he was wroth concerning some sacrifices. For all the lowlanders were whelmed with him as he had been a river in flood; he plundered them all without cloy or surfeit, but most of all the people of Bembina, whose borders to their very great and intolerable misfortune marched with his.
τὸν μὲν ἐμοὶ πρώτιστα τελεῖν ἐπέταξεν ἄεθλον
Εὐρυσθεύς, κτεῖναι δέ μ᾽ ἐφίετο θηρίον αἰνόν. 205
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ κέρας ὑγρὸν ἑλὼν κοίλην τε φαρέτρην
ἰῶν ἐμπλείην νεόμην, ἑτέρηφι δὲ βάκτρον
εὐπαγὲς αὐτόφλοιον ἐπηρεφέος κοτίνοιο
ἔμμητρον, τὸ μὲν αὐτὸς ὑπὸ ζαθέῳ ῾Ελικῶνι
εὑρὼν σὺν πυκινῇσιν ὁλοσχερὲς ἔσπασα ῥίζαις. 210
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τὸν χῶρον, ὅθι λῖς ἦεν, ἵκανον,
δὴ τότε τόξον ἑλὼν στρεπτὴν ἐπέλασσα κορώνῃ
νευρειήν, περὶ δ᾽ ἰὸν ἐχέστονον εἶθαρ ἔβησα.
πάντῃ δ᾽ ὄσσε φέρων ὀλοὸν τέρας ἐσκοπίαζον,
εἴ μιν ἐσαθρήσαιμι, πάρος γ᾽ ἐμὲ κεῖνον ἰδέσθαι. 215
ἤματος ἦν τὸ μεσηγύ, καὶ οὐδέ πῃ ἴχνια τοῖο
φρασθῆναι δυνάμην οὐδ᾽ ὠρυγμοῖο πυθέσθαι.
οὐδὲ μὲν ἀνθρώπων τις ἔην ἐπὶ βουσὶ καὶ ἔργοις
φαινόμενος σπορίμοιο δι᾽ αὔλακος, ὅντιν᾽ ἐροίμην:
ἀλλὰ κατὰ σταθμοὺς χλωρὸν δέος εἶχεν ἕκαστον. 220
οὐ μὴν πρὶν πόδας ἔσχον ὄρος τανύφυλλον ἐρευνῶν,
πρὶν ἰδέειν ἀλκῆς τε παραυτίκα πειρηθῆναι.
[204] Now this did Eurystheus make my very first task; he charged me to slay that direful beast. So I took with me my supple bow and a good quiverful of arrows, and in the other hand a stout cudgel, made, without peeling or pithing, of a shady wild-olive which myself had found under holy Helicon and torn up whole and complete with all her branching roots; and so forth and made for those parts where the lion was. Whither when I was come, I took and tipped my string, and straightway notched a bearer of pain and grief, and fell a-looking this way and that way after the pestilent monster, if so be I might espy him ere he should espy me. ’Twas midday now, yet could I nowhere mark his track nor hear his roaring; neither was there any man set over a plough-team and the toil of the seed-furrow that I could see and ask of him, seeing pale wan fear kept every man at the farmstead. Howbeit, I never gave over to search the leafy uplands till I should behold him and put my strength speedily to the test.
ἤτοι ὁ μὲν σήραγγα προδείελος ἔστιχεν εἰς ἥν,
βεβρωκὼς κρειῶν τε καὶ αἵματος, ἀμφὶ δὲ χαίτας
αὐχμηρὰς πεπάλακτο φόνῳ χαροπόν τε πρόσωπον 225
στήθεά τε, γλώσσῃ δὲ περιλιχμᾶτο γένειον.
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ θάμνοισιν ἄφαρ σκιεροῖσιν ἐκρύφθην
ἐν ῥίῳ ὑλήεντι δεδεγμένος ὁππόθ᾽ ἵκοιτο,
καὶ βάλον ἆσσον ἰόντος ἀριστερὸν ἐς κενεῶνα
τηϋσίως: οὐ γάρ τι βέλος διὰ σαρκὸς ὄλισθεν 230
ὀκριόεν, χλωρῇ δὲ παλίσσυτον ἔμπεσε ποίῃ.
αὐτὰρ ὁ κρᾶτα δαφοινὸν ἀπὸ χθονὸς ὦκ᾽ ἐπάειρε
θαμβήσας, πάντῃ δὲ διέδρακ�
�ν ὀφθαλμοῖσι
σκεπτόμενος, λαμυροὺς δὲ χανὼν ὑπ᾽ ὀδόντας ἔφηνε.
τῷ δ᾽ ἐγὼ ἄλλον ὀιστὸν ἀπὸ νευρῆς προΐαλλον 235
ἀσχαλόων, ὅ μοι ὁ πρὶν ἐτώσιος ἔκφυγε χειρός:
μεσσηγὺς δ᾽ ἔβαλον στηθέων, ὅθι πνεύμονος ἕδρη.
ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ὣς ὑπὸ βύρσαν ἔδυ πολυώδυνος ἰός,
ἀλλ᾽ ἔπεσε προπάροιθε ποδῶν ἀνεμώλιος αὔτως.
[223] Now towards evening he came his ways unto his den full fed both of flesh and gore, his tangled mane, his grim visage and all his chest spattered with blood, and his tongue licking his chaps. To waylay him I hid myself quickly in a brake beside the woody path, and when he came near let fly at his left flank. But it availed me not; the barbèd shaft could not pass the flesh, but glanced and fell on the fresh green sward. Astonied, the beast lift suddenly up his gory head, and looked about him and about, opening his mouth and showing his gluttonous teeth; whereupon I sped another shaft from the string (for I took it ill that the fist had left my hand to no purpose), and smote him clean in the middle of the chest where the lungs do lie. But nay; not even so was the hide of him to be pierced by the sore grievous arrow; there it fell vain and frustrate at his feet.
τὸ τρίτον αὖ μέλλεσκον ἀσώμενος ἐν φρεσὶν αἰνῶς 240
αὐερύειν: ὁ δέ μ᾽ εἶδε περιγληνώμενος ὄσσοις
θὴρ ἄμοτος, μακρὴν δὲ περ᾽ ἰγνύῃσιν ἕλιξε
κέρκον, ἄφαρ δὲ μάχης ἐμνήσατο: πᾶς δέ οἱ αὐχὴν
θυμοῦ ἐνεπλήσθη, πυρσαὶ δ᾽ ἔφριξαν ἔθειραι
σκυζομένῳ, κυρτὴ δὲ ῥάχις γένετ᾽ ἠύτε τόξον, 245
πάντοθεν εἰληθέντος ὑπὸ λαγόνας τε καὶ ἰξύν.
ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἁρματοπηγὸς ἀνὴρ πολέων ἴδρις ἔργων
ὄρπηκας κάμπτῃσιν ἐρινεοῦ εὐκεάτοιο,
θάλψας ἐν πυρὶ πρῶτον, ἐπαξονίῳ κύκλα δίφρῳ:
τοῦ μὲν ὑπὲκ χειρῶν ἔφυγεν τανύφλοιος ἐρινεὸς 250
καμπτόμενος, τηλοῦ δὲ μιῇ πήδησε σὺν ὁρμῇ:
ὣς ἐπ᾽ ἐμοὶ λῖς αἰνὸς ἀπόπροθεν ἀθρόος ἆλτο
μαιμώων χροὸς ἆσαι: ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἑτέρηφι βέλεμνα
χειρὶ προεσχεθόμην καὶ ἀπ᾽ ὤμων δίπλακα λώπην,
τῇ δ᾽ ἑτέρῃ ῥόπαλον κόρσης ὕπερ αὖον ἀείρας 255
ἤλασα κὰκ κεφαλῆς, διὰ δ᾽ ἄνδιχα τρηχὺν ἔαξα
αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ λασίοιο καρήατος ἀγριέλαιον
θηρὸς ἀμαιμακέτοιο: πέσεν δ᾽ ὅγε πρὶν ἔμ᾽ ἱκέσθαι
ὑψόθεν ἐν γαίῃ, καὶ ἐπὶ τρομεροῖς ποσὶν ἔστη
νευστάζων κεφαλῇ: περὶ γὰρ σκότος ὄσσέ οἱ ἄμφω 260
ἦλθε, βίῃ σεισθέντος ἐν ὀστέῳ ἐγκεφάλοιο.
[240] At this I waxed exceedingly distempered and made to draw for the third time. But, ere that, the ravening beast rolled around his eyes and beheld me, and lashing all his tail about his hinder parts bethought him quickly of battle. Now was his neck brimming with ire, his tawny tresses an-end for wrath, his chine arched like a bow, as he gathered him up all together unto flank and loin. Then even as, when a wainwright, cunning man, takes the seasoned wild-fig boughs he hath warmed at the fire and bends them into wheels for an axled chariot, the thin-rinded figwood escapes at the bending from his grasp and leaps at one bound afar, even so did that direful lion from a great way off spring upon me, panting to be at my flesh. Then it was that with the one hand I thrust before me the cloak from my shoulders folded about my bunched arrows, and with the other lift my good sound staff above my head and down with it on his crown, and lo! my hard wild-olive was broke clean in twain on the mere shaggy pate of that unvanquishable beast. Yes as for him, or ever he could reach me he was fallen from the midst of his spring, and so stood with trembling feet and wagging head, his two eyes being covered in darkness because the brains were all-to-shaken in the skull of him.
τὸν μὲν ἐγὼν ὀδύνῃσι παραφρονέοντα βαρείαις
νωσάμενος, πρὶν αὖτις ὑπότροπον ἀμπνυνθῆναι,
αὐχένος ἀρρήκτοιο παρ᾽ ἰνίον ἤλασα προφθάς,
ῥίψας τόξον ἔραζε πολύρραπτόν τε φαρέτρην: 265
ἦγχον δ᾽ ἐγκρατέως στιβαρὰς σὺν χεῖρας ἐρείσας
ἐξόπιθεν, μὴ σάρκας ὑποδρύψῃ ὀνύχεσσι,
πρὸς δ᾽ οὖδας πτέρνῃσι πόδας στερεῶς ἐπίεζον
οὐραίους ἐπιβάς, μηροῖσί τε πλεύρ᾽ ἐφύλασσον,
μέχρί οἱ ἐξετάνυσσα βραχίονας ὀρθὸν ἀείρας 270
ἄπνευστον, ψυχὴν δὲ πελώριος ἔλλαχεν ῞Αιδης.
[262] Perceiving now that he was all abroad with the pain and grief of it, ere he might recover his wits I cast my bow and my broidered quiver upon the ground and let drive at the nape of that massy neck. Then from the rear, lest he should tear me with his talons, I gat my arm about his throat, and treading his hind-paws hard into the ground for to keep the legs of them from my sides, held on with might and main till at length I could rear him backward by the foreleg, and vasty Hades received his spirit.
καὶ τότε δὴ βούλευον, ὅπως λασιαύχενα βύρσαν
θηρὸς τεθνειῶτος ἀπὸ μελέων ἐρυσαίμην,
ἀργαλέον μάλα μόχθον, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἔσκε σιδήρῳ
τμητὴ οὐδὲ λίθοις πειρωμένῳ, οὐδὲ μὲν ἄλλῃ 275
ἔνθά μοι ἀθανάτων τις ἐπὶ φρεσὶ θῆκε νοῆσαι
αὐτοῖς δέρμα λέοντος ἀνασχίζειν ὀνύχεσσι.
τοῖσι θοῶς ἀπέδειρα, καὶ ἀμφεθέμην μελέεσσιν
ἕρκος ἐνυαλίου ταμεσίχροος ἰωχμοῖο.
[272] That done, I fell a-pondering how I might flay me off the dead beast’s shag-neckèd skin. ‘What a task!’ thought I; for there was no cutting that, neither with wood nor with stone nor yet with iron. At that moment one of the Immortals did mind me I should cut up the lion’s skin with the lion’s talons. So I to it, and had him flayed in a trice, and cast the skin about me for a defence against he havoc of gashing war.
οὗτός τοι Νεμέου γένετ᾽ ὦ φίλε θηρὸς ὄλεθρος, 280
πολλὰ πάρος μήλοις τε καὶ ἀνδράσι κήδεα θέντος.’
[280] Such, good friend, was the slaying of the Lion of Nemea, that had brought so much and sore trouble both upon man and beast.”
IDYLL XXVI. Λῆναι ἢ Βάκχαι
IDYLL XXVI. THE BACCHANALS
This poem was probably written in honour of the initiation of a boy of nine into the mysteries of Dionysus by a mock slaying-rite. That young children were initiated into these mysteries is clear from a poem by Antistius in the Anthology, which may have been written for a similar occasion; and in Callimachus Artemis asks that her maiden attendants shall be nine years old. In th
is poem the father describes the slaying of Pentheus by his mother, and takes credit to himself for following her example. The slaying of the boy is the bringing of him to Dionysus, even as the eagles made Ganymede immortal by bringing him to Zeus. The poem is almost certainly not by Theocritus, but such poems may well have figured in the competitions mentioned in line 112 of the Ptolemy.
᾿Ινὼ καὐτονόα χἁ μαλοπάραυος ᾿Αγαύα
τρεῖς θιάσως ἐς ὄρος τρεῖς ἄγαγον αὐταὶ ἐοῖσαι.
χαἱ μὲν ἀμερξάμεναι λασίας δρυὸς ἄγρια φύλλα
κισσόν τε ζώοντα καὶ ἀσφόδελον τὸν ὑπὲρ γᾶς
ἐν καθαρῷ λειμῶνι κάμον δυοκαίδεκα βωμούς, 5
τὼς τρεῖς τᾷ Σεμέλᾳ, τὼς ἐννέα τῷ Διονύσῳ.
ἱερὰ δ᾽ ἐκ κίστας ποπανεύματα χερσὶν ἑλοῖσαι
εὐφάμως κατέθεντο νεοδρέπτων ἐπὶ βωμῶν,
ὡς ἐδίδασχ᾽, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐθυμάρει Διόνυσος.
Πενθεὺς δ᾽ ἀλιβάτου πέτρας ἄπο πάντ᾽ ἐθεώρει, 10
σχῖνον ἐς ἀρχαίαν καταδύς, ἐπιχώριον ἔρνος.
Αὐτονόα πράτα νιν ἀνέκραγε δεινὸν ἰδοῖσα,
σὺν δ᾽ ἐτάραξε ποσὶν μανιώδεος ὄργια Βάκχου,
ἐξαπίνας ἐπιοῖσα, τὰ δ᾽ οὐχ ὁρέοντι βέβηλοι.
μαίνετο μέν θ᾽ αὕτα, μαίνοντο δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ εὐθὺ καὶ ἄλλαι.
Πενθεὺς μὲν φεῦγεν πεφοβημένος, αἱ δ᾽ ἐδίωκον,
πέπλως ἐκ ζωστῆρος ἐπ᾽ ἰγνύαν ἐρύσαισαι.
Πενθεὺς μὲν τόδ᾽ ἔειπε: ‘τίνος κέχρησθε γυναῖκες;’
Αὐτονόα τόδ᾽ ἔειπε ‘τάχα γνώσῃ πρὶν ἀκοῦσαι.’
μάτηρ μὲν κεφαλὰν μυκήσατο παιδὸς ἑλοῖσα, 20
