Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  ἀστεροπῇ γαμίῃ κεκορυθμένος, ὄφρά τις εἴπῃ:

  250 ῾Ἥρης καὶ Σεμέλης νυμφοστόλοι εἰσὶ κεραυνοί.᾿

  ζηλήμων περ ἐοῦσα Διὸς δάμαρ οὔ σε χαλέψει:

  οὐ γὰρ ἐπιτρέψειε τεὸς μητρώιος Ἄρης.

  ὀλβίη Εὐρώπη Σεμέλης πλέον, ἣν ὑπὲρ ὤμων

  Ζεὺς κερόεις ἀνάειρε: ποθοβλήτοιο δὲ ταύρου

  255 ἄβροχος ἀκροτάτοιο δι᾽ ὕδατος ἔτρεχε χηλή,

  καὶ σκάφος ἦεν Ἔρωτος ὁ τηλίκος. ἆ μέγα θαῦμα,

  παρθένος ἡνιόχευε τὸν αἰθέρος ἡνιοχῆα.

  ὀλβίζω Δανάην Σεμέλης πλέον, ἧς διὰ κόλπου

  χρύσεος ἐξ ὀρόφοιο κατέρρεεν ὑέτιος Ζεὺς

  260 ἀφνειῇ ῥαθάμιγγι γυναιμανέος νιφετοῖο:

  οὐ μὲν χρύσεα δῶρα μακαρτάτη ᾔτεε νύμφη:

  εἶχε γὰρ ἕδνον Ἔρωτος ὅλον πόσιν. ἀλλά τις εἴη

  σιγὴ ἐφ᾽ ἡμείων, γενέτης μὴ Κάδμος ἀκούσῃ.’

  [247] “Or if as you say, Cronion is your bridegroom, let him come to your bed with amorous thunders, armed with bridal lightning, that people may say - `Hera and Semele both have thunders in waiting for the bedchamber!’ The consort of Zeus may be jealous, but she will not hurt you, for Ares your mother’s father will not allow it. Europa is more happy than Semele, for a horned Zeus carried her on his back; the hoof of the lovestricken bull ran unwetted on the top of the water, and one so mighty was Love’s boat. O what a great miracle! A maiden held the reins of him who holds the reins of heaven! I call Danaë happier than Semele, for into her bosom Zeus poured a shower of gold from the roof, torrents of mad love in abundant showers! But that most blessed bride asked no gifts of gold; her lovegift was her whole husband. But let us be quiet, or your father Cadmos will hear.”

  ὥς φαμένη λίπε δῶμα καὶ ἀχνυμένην ἔτι νύμφην,

  265 Ἥρης ζῆλον ἔχουσαν ἀμιμήτων ὑμεναίων,

  μεμφομένην Κρονίωνι: παλιννόστῳ δὲ κελεύθῳ

  αἰθέρος ἔνδον ἵκανε, καὶ οὐρανίῳ παρὰ θώκῳ

  κείμενα δερκομένη Διὸς ἔντεα νόσφι φορῆος,

  οἷά περ εἰσαΐοντα, φίλῳ μειλίξατο μύθῳ:

  270 ‘Βροντή, καὶ σὲ λέλοιπεν ἐμὸς νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς;

  τίς πάλιν ἁρπάξας σε τεὸν γύμνωσε φορῆα;

  βροντή, ἐσυλήθης — οὐκ αἴτιός ἐστι Τυφωεύς —

  Ἥρης ξυνὰ παθοῦσα παρήγορε: νυμφοκόμος γὰρ

  ἡμέας ἀμφοτέρους ἀπαναίνεται ὑέτιος Ζεύς.

  275 οὐ νιφετοῖο ἔτι γαῖα παλύνεται, ὑγροχύτου δὲ

  ὄμβρου λειπομένου περιβόσκεται αὐχμὸς ἀρούρης

  αὔλακα, καρπὸν ἔχων ἀχρήιον: ἀγρονόμοις δὲ

  ἀντὶ κελαινεφέος κικλήσκεται ἀννέφελος Ζεύς.

  ἀστεροπαί, Κρονίωνι πυρώδεα ῥήξατε φωνήν,

  280 Ζηνὶ γυναιμανέοντι, φίλοι, φθέγξασθε, κεραυνοί.

  ἀλλὰ βαρυζήλων ἀχέων ποινήτορες Ἥρης

  εἰς Σεμέλην ἔρχεσθε γαμοστόλοι, ἕδνα δὲ μίτρης

  λισσομένη φλογόεντας ἑοὺς δέξαιτο φονῆας.’

  [264] With these words Hera left the house, and the girl still in her grief, jealous of the inimitable state of Hera’s marriage and unsatisfied with Cronion. Hera returned to heaven and went indoors. There beside the heavenly throne she saw the weapons of Zeus lying without their owner; and as if they could hear, she addressed them in friendly cajoling words: “Dear Thunder, has Zeus my cloudgatherer deserted you too then? Who has stolen you again and left your owner naked? Thunder, you have been plundered! But Typhoeus has nothing to do with it. The same has happened to Hera, my comforter: Rainy Zeus ahs a bride to look after and neglects us both. The earth is no more sprinkled with showers: the downfall of rain has ceased, drought feeds on the plowland furrows and makes the crops worthless, the countryman speaks not more of Cloudy Zeus but Zeus Cloudless. My dear Lightnings, utter your fiery appeal to Cronion, call upon womanmad Zeus, my thunderbolts! Avenge the jealous pain of Hera, attend upon Semele’s wedding! Let her pray for a wedding-gift and receive her own fiery destroyers!”

  τοῖα μὲν ἀφθόγγοις Διὸς ἔντεσιν ἴαχεν Ἥρη

  285 ἀχνυμένη, φθονερῷ δὲ χόλῳ κυμαίνετο δαίμων.

  [284] Such was the appeal of sorrowing Hera to the voiceless weapons, while the goddess was boiling with jealousy and fury.

  καὶ Σεμέλη βαρύδεσμος ἐῷ νεοπενθέι θυμῷ

  ἀστεροπὴν ποθέουσα, πυραυγέα πομπὸν Ἐρώτων,

  μεμφομένοις στομάτεσσιν ἑὸν λιτάνευεν ἀκοίτην,

  Ἡραίης ἐθέλουσα πυριστεφέος τύπον εὐνῆς:

  290 ‘Πρὸς Δανάης λίτομαί σε ῥυηφενέων ὑμεναίων,

  δὸς χάριν, Εὐρώπης κερόεις πόσις: αἰδέομαι γὰρ

  κικλήσκειν Σεμέλης σε, τὸν ὡς ὄναρ εἶδον, ἀκοίτην.

  Ἀκρίσιος Κάδμοιο μακάρτερος: ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ

  ἤθελον, εἰ χρύσειον ἴδον γάμον, ὑέτιε Ζεῦ,

  295 εἰ μὴ τοῦτο γέρας σέο Περσέος ἥρπασε μήτηρ:

  ἤθελον, εἴ με κόμισσας ἐν ὕδασι ταῦρος ὁδίτης

  ὤμοις ὑμετέροισιν, ἵνα πλάζοιτο καὶ αὐτὸς

  γνωτὸς ἐμὸς Πολύδωρος, ἀλήμονος ἅρπαγα νύμφης

  μαστεύων, ἅτε Κάδμος, ἐμὸν Κρονίωνα φορῆα.

  300 ἀλλὰ τί μοι βοέοιο γάμου τύπος ἢ νιφετοῖο;

  οὐκ ἐθέλω γέρας ἶσον, ὅ περ χθονίη λάχε νύμφη.

  Εὐρώπῃ λίπε ταῦρον, ἔα Δανάῃ χύσιν ὄμβρου:

  Ἥρης μοῦνος ἔχει με γάμων φθόνος. εἴ με γεραίρεις,

  παστὸν ἐμὸν κόσμησον ἐπουρανίῳ σέο πυρσῷ

  305 αἰθύσσων νεφέων ἐρόεν σέλας, ἀστεροπὴν δὲ

  ἕδνον ἐμῆς φιλότητος ἀπειθέι δεῖξον Ἀγαύῃ:

  Αὐτονόη φρίξειεν ἐμῷ παρὰ γείτονι παστῷ

  νυμφοκόμων ἀίουσα μέλος βρονταῖον Ἐρώτων,

  σύμβολον αὐτοβόητον ἀκηρύκτων σέο λέκτρων.

  [286] But Semele heavily fettered with this new distress for her temper, longed for the lightning to be the fiery escort of their loves; and she complained to Zeus, as the prayed for a show of fires about her bed like Hera: “By Danaë’s opulent wooing I pray, grant me this grace, horned husband of Europa! for I dare not call you Semele’s husband, when I have seen you only like a dream! Acrisios was more blessed than Cadmos; but I too should have been glad t
o see a wedding of gold, Zeus of the Rain, if the mother of Perseus had not first stolen that honour from thee. I should have been glad if you had carried me on your shoulders in the waters as a travelling bull, and my brother Polydoros like Cadmos could have hunted the robber of the wandering bride, Cronion who carried me. But what have I to do with wedlock in shape of a bull or a shower? I want no honour equal to some earthly bride. Leave Europa her bull, leave Danaë her shower of gold: Hera’s state is the only one I envy. If you hold me worthy of honour, deck out my chamber with your heavenly fire! Kindle a lovelight in the clouds, show incredulous Agauë the lightning as my lovegift. Let Autonoë in her room close by hear the thunderous tune of our attendant Loves, and tremble at the selfannouncing token of our unpublished marriage.

  310 δὸς δέ, περιπτύξαιμι φίλην φλόγα καὶ φρένα τέρψω

  ἀστεροπῆς ψαύουσα καὶ ἀμφαφόωσα κεραυνούς.

  δός μοι σῶν θαλάμων ζυγίην φλόγα: πᾶσα δὲ νύμφη

  πυρσὸν ἔχει πομπῆα τελεσσιγάμων ὑμεναίων.

  ἦ ῥα τεῶν γαμέων οὐκ ἄξιός εἰμι κεραυνῶν

  315 Ἄρεος αἷμα φέρουσα καὶ ὑμετέρης Ἀφροδίτης;

  δειλὴ ἐγώ: Σεμέλης μὲν ἔχει γάμος ὠκύμορον πῦρ

  καὶ χθονίους λαμπτῆρας, ἐφαπτομένη δὲ κεραυνοῦ

  καὶ στεροπῆς ψαύουσα τεὴ νυμφεύεται Ἥρη.

  νυμφίε τερπικέραυνε, σὺ μὲν πολυφεγγέι παστῷ

  320 ἔνθεον εἶδος ἔχων ἐπὶ δέμνιον ἔρχεαι Ἥρης

  ἀστεροπαῖς γαμίῃσι καταυγάζων σέο νύμφην

  Ζεὺς πυρόεις, Σεμέλῃ δὲ δράκων ἢ ταῦρος ἱκάνεις:

  κείνη μὲν βαρύδουπον Ὀλύμπιον ἦχον Ἐρώτων

  εἰσαΐει, Σεμέλη δὲ τύπῳ σκιοειδέι μορφῆς

  325 ταύρου ψευδαλέοιο νόθον μυκηθμὸν ἀκούει:

  ἄψοφος εἰς ἐμὰ λέκτρα κατέρχεται ἀννέφελος Ζεύς,

  καὶ νεφεληγερέτης ὑψαύχενι μίγνυται Ἥρῃ.

  κούρης δ᾽ αἰνογάμοιο πατὴρ ἐμὸς αἴσχεα φεύγων

  ἐνδόμυχος σέο Κάδμος ἀλυσκάζει πάτον ἀνδρῶν,

  330 αἰδόμενος ναέτῃσι φανήμεναι, ὅττι πολῖται

  πάντες ἐφυβρίζουσι τεοῖς κρυφίοις ὑμεναίοις

  μεμφόμενοι Σεμέλην, ὅτι φώριον ἔσχεν ἀκοίτην.

  [310] “Give it – let me embrace the dear flame and rejoice my heart, touching the lightning and handling the thunderbolts! Give me the bridal flame of your own chamber; every bride has torches to escort her in the marriage procession. Am I not worthy of your bridal thunderbolts, when I have the blood of Ares and your Aphrodite? How wretched I am! Semele’s wedding has quickfading fire and earthly torches, – your Hera is a bride who grasps the thunderbolt and touches the lightning! Thunderhurling bridegroom! You go to Hera’s bed in divine shape, illuminating your bride with bridal lightnings until the chamber shines with many lights – fiery Zeus! but to Semele you come as dragon or a bull. She hears for her love the heavy Olympian rolling boom – Semele hears the sham bellow of a false bull under a vague shadowy shape. Soundless, cloudless, Zeus comes to my bed: Cloudgatherer he mingles with Hera. Well may she hold up her head! My father shrinks from insults for a daughter unhappily married, hides in the corners of the house – your Cadmos! avoids the place where men tread, ashamed to show himself to his people, because all the people deride this secret union with you, and blame Semele for having a furtive bedmate.

  καλὸν ἐμοὶ πόρες ἕδνον ὀνείδεα θηλυτεράων:

  καὶ χορὸς ἀμφιπόλων ἐμὲ μέμφεται, ἔξοχα δ᾽ ἄλλων

  335 δειμαίνω στόμα λάβρον ἀσιγήτοιο τιθήνης.

  μνώεο, τίς Τυφῶνι δολόφρονα πότμον ὑφαίνων

  σοὶ πόρεν ἁρπαμένοιο πάλιν σπινθῆρα κεραυνοῦ:

  δεῖξον ἐμῷ γενετῆρι, τά περ πόρε: γηραλέος γὰρ

  Κάδμος ἀπαιτίζει με τεῆς σημήιον εὐνῆς.

  340 οὔ πω ἐγὼ Κρονίωνος ἀληθέος εἶδον ὀπωπήν,

  οὐ βλεφάρων ἀκτῖνα σελασφόρον, οὐδὲ προσώπου

  μαρμαρυγὰς ἐνόησα καὶ ἀστράπτουσαν ὑπήνην:

  οὔ πω ἴδον τεὸν εἶδος Ὀλύμπιον, ἀλλὰ δοκεύω

  πόρδαλιν ἠὲ λέοντα, θεὸν δ᾽ οὐκ εἶδον ἀκοίτην.

  345 ὡς βροτὸν εἰσορόω σε θεὸν μέλλουσα λοχεύειν.

  ἄλλον ἐγὼ πυθόμην φλογερὸν γάμον: ἠέλιος γὰρ

  δὺν πυρὶ νυμφιδίῳ Κλυμένην ἠγκάσσατο νύμφην.’

  [333] “A fine wedding-fit you have found me – the sneers of women! The attendants about me slander me, and far above the rest I fear the rough tongue of this garrulous nurse. Remember who wove the wilywitted fate for Typhon, and brought back to you the stolen spark of your thunder! Show it to my father, who got it back, for old Cadmos demands of me a proof of your bed. Never yet have I seen the countenance of the true Cronion, never beheld the flashing gleam from his eyelids, or the rays from his face, or the lustrous beard! Your Olympian shape I have never seen, but I expect a panther or lion – I have seen no god as a husband. I see you something mortal, and I am to bring forth a god! Yet I heave heard of another fiery wedding: did not Helios embrace his bride Clymene with fiery nuptials?”

  ἔννεπεν αἰτίζουσα φίλον μόρον: ἶσα γὰρ Ἥρῃ

  εἰς γάμον ἀθρῆσαι μινυώριος ἔλπετο νύμφη

  350 μειλίχιον σπινθῆρα γαληναίοιο κεραυνοῦ.

  [348] Thus Semele prayed for her own fate: the shortlived bride hoped to be equal to Hera, and to see at her nuptials the spark of the thunderbolt gentle and peaceful.

  Ζεὺς δὲ πατὴρ ἀίων φθονεραῖς ἐπεμέμφετο Μοίραις,

  καὶ Σεμέλην ἐλέαιρεν ἀώριον: ἀμφὶ δὲ Βάκχῳ

  κερδαλέον γίνωσκεν ἀμειλίκτου χόλον Ἥρης.

  Ἑρμείῃ δὲ κέλευεν ἀπὸ φλογεροῖο κεραυνοῦ

  355 ἁρπάξαι νέον υἷα πυριβλήτοιο Θυώνης.

  καί τινα μῦθον ἔλεξε πατὴρ ὑψαύχενι κούρῃ:

  ‘ Ὦ γύναι, ἦ σε δόλοις φθονερὸς νόος ἤπαφεν Ἥρης:

  ἦ ῥα, γύναι, δοκέεις, ὅτι μείλιχοί εἰσι κεραυνοί;

  τλῆθι μένειν χρόνον ἄλλον, ἕως ἔτι φόρτον ἀείρεις,

  360 τλῆθι μένειν χρόνον ἄλλον, ἕως ἐμὸν υἷα λοχεύεις:

  μὴ πρὸ τόκου πυρόεντας ἀπαιτίζῃς με φονῆας:

  οὐ στεροπὴν μεθέπων Δανάης σύλησα κορείην,

  οὐ βροντῆς κελάδημα, καὶ οὐ Τυρίης σέο νύμφης

  Εὐρώπης ὑμέναιον ἐνυμφεύσαντο κεραυνοί,

  365 οὐκ ἴδεν Ἰναχίη δαμάλη σέλ�
�ς: ἀλλὰ σὺ μούνη

  θνητὴ ἀπαιτίζεις με, τὰ μὴ θεὸς ᾔτεε Λητώ.’

  [351] Father Zeus heard, and blamed the jealous Portioners, and pities Semele so soon to die; but he understood the scheming resentment of implacable Hera against Bacchos. Then he ordered Hermes to catch up his newborn son out of the thunderfire when it should strike Thyone. He spoke thus in answer to the highheaded girl: “Wife, the jealous mind of Hera has deceived you by a trick. Do you really think, wife, that my thunders are gentle? Be patient until another time, for now you carry a child. Be patient until next time, and first bring forth my son. Do not demand from me the murderous fire before that birth. I had no lightning in my hand when I took Danaë’s maidenhood; no booming thunder, no thunderbolts celebrated my union with your Europa, the Tyrian bride; the Inachian heifer saw no flames: you alone, a mortal, demand from me what a goddess Leto did not ask.”

  τοῖον ἔπος κατέλεξε καὶ οὐ μενέαινεν ἐρίζειν

  νήμασι Μοιριδίοισι: δι᾽ αἰθερίοιο δὲ κόλπου

  ἀστράπτων πεφόρητο καὶ ἱκεσίην ἕο νύμφης

  370 οὐκ ἐθέλων ἐτέλεσσε πόσις στεροπηγερέτα Ζεύς,

  εἰς Σεμέλην δ᾽ ἐχόρευε κατηφέι χειρὶ τιταίνων

  νυμφιδίους σπινθῆρας ἀμερσιγάμοιο κεραυνοῦ:

  καὶ θάλαμος στεροπῇσιν ἐλάμπετο, καὶ πυρὸς ἀτμῷ

  Ἰσμηνὸς σελάγιζεν, ὅλη δ᾽ ἀμαρύσσετο Θήβη.

  [367] So he spoke, but he had no though of fighting against the threads of Fate. He passed from the bosom of the sky shooting fire, and Flashlighning Zeus the husband unwillingly fulfilled the prayer of his young wife. He danced into Semele’s chamber, shaking in a reluctant hand the bridegift, those fires of thunder which were to destroy his bride. The chamber was lit up with the lightning, the fiery breath made Ismenos to glitter and all Thebes to twinkle.