Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  καί μιν ἰδὼν Σατύρων τις ἐθέλγετο θέσπιδι μορφῇ,

  καὶ κρυφίην ἐρόεσσαν ὑποκλέπτων φάτο φωνήν:

  280 ‘ Ἀνδρομέης κραδίης ταμίη, φιλοτήσιε Πειθώ,

  μοῦνος ἐμοὶ νέος οὗτος ἐπήρατος ἵλαος εἴη:

  καί μιν ἔχων, ἅτε Βάκχος, ὁμέψιον οὐ μενεαίνω

  αἰθέρα ναιετάειν μετανάστιος, οὐ θεὸς εἶναι

  ἤθελον, οὐ Φαέθων φαεσίμβροτος, οὐ πόθον ἕλκω

  285 νέκταρος, ἀμβροσίης δ᾽ οὐ δεύομαι: οὐκ ἀλεγίζω,

  ἄμπελος εἰ φιλέει με καὶ ἐχθαίρει με Κρονίων.’

  [278] A Satyr saw the boy, and enchanted with his divine beauty he whispered, concealing his words – “Allfriendly Persuasion, manager of the human heart! Grant only that this lovely boy be gracious to me! If I can have him to play with me like Bacchos, I wish not to be translated into the sky, I would not be a god – not Phaëthon the light of mankind, I covert not the nectar, I want no ambrosia! I care nothing, if Ampelos loves me, even if Cronion hates me!”

  ὣς ὁ μὲν ἀμφιέπων ὑποκάρδιον ἰὸν Ἐρώτων

  κρυπτὸν ἀνηΰτησεν ἔπος ζηλήμονι φωνῇ,

  θαύματι φίλτρον ἔχων κεκερασμένον. ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς

  290 Εὔιος, ἠιθέου βεβολημένος ἡδέι κέντρῳ,

  ἴαχε μειδιόων Κρονίδῃ, δυσέρωτι τοκῆι:

  [287] So much he said to himself in envious tone, hugging the lovepoison in his heart, drunk with the magic potion of adoration. But Euios himself, periced by the sting of the young man’s sweetness, smiled as he cried out to Cronides his father, another unhappy lover:

  ‘Νεῦσον ἐμοὶ φιλέοντι μίαν χάριν, ὦ Φρύγιε Ζεῦ:

  νηπιάχῳ μὲν ἔειπεν ἐμὴ τροφὸς εἰσέτι Ῥείη,

  ὡς στεροπὴν Ζαγρῆι πόρες, προτέρῳ Διονύσῳ

  295 εἰσέτι παππάζοντι, τεὴν πυρόεσσαν ἀκωκήν,

  καὶ βροντῆς κελάδημα καὶ ἠερίου χύσιν ὄμβρου,

  καὶ πέλε δεύτερος ἄλλος ἔτι βρέφος ὑέτιος Ζεύς:

  σεῖο δ᾽ ἐγὼ πρηστῆρος ἀναίνομαι αἰθέριον πῦρ,

  οὐ νέφος, οὐ βροντῆς ἐθέλω κτύπον: ἢν δ᾽ ἐθελήσῃς,

  300 Ἡφαίστῳ πυρόεντι δίδου σπινθῆρα κεραυνοῦ,

  Ἄρης σῶν νεφέων ἐχέτω θώρηκα καλύπτρην,

  δὸς χάριν Ἑρμάωνι Διιπετέος χύσιν ὄμβρου,

  καὶ στεροπὴν γενετῆρος ἀερτάζοι καὶ Ἀπόλλων:

  μεῖον ἐμοί, φίλε, λῆμα, φιλοσκάρθμῳ Διονύσῳ:

  305 καλὸν ἐμοὶ Σεμέλης στεροπὴν ἐλάχειαν ἀείρειν,

  μητροφόνοι σπινθῆρες ἀτερπέες εἰσὶ κεραυνοῦ.

  ναίω Μαιονίην: τί γὰρ αἰθέρι καὶ Διονύσῳ;

  κάλλος ἐμοῦ Σατύροιο φιλαίτερόν ἐστιν Ὀλύμπου.

  εἰπέ, πάτερ, μὴ κρύπτε: τεὸς νέος ὅρκιος ἔστω:

  310 αἰετὸς ὁππότε κοῦρον ὑπὸ σφυρὰ Τευκρίδος Ἴσης

  φειδομένῳ κούφιζες ἐς οὐρανὸν ἅρπαγι ταρσῷ,

  τηλίκον ἔλλαχε κάλλος ὁ βουκόλος, ὃν σὺ τραπέζῃ

  αἰθερίῃ ξύνωσας ἔτι πνείοντα βοαύλων;

  Ζεῦ πάτερ, ἱλήκοις, τανυσίπτερε: μή μοι ἐνίψῃς

  315 Τρώιον οἰνοχοῆα τεῶν δρηστῆρα κυπέλλων,

  ὅττι φαεινοτέροιο φέρων ἀμάρυγμα προσώπου

  ἄμπελος ἱμερόεις Γανυμήδεος εἶδος ἐλέγχει:

  Τμώλιος Ἰδαίου πέλε φέρτερος. εἰσὶ δὲ πολλαὶ

  ἄλλων ἠιθέων ἐραταὶ στίχες, οὓς ἅμα πάντας,

  320 ἢν ἐθέλῃς, ἀγάπαζε λιπὼν ἕνα παῖδα Λυαίῳ.’

  [292] “Grant one grace to me the lover, O Phrygian Zeus! When I was a little one, Rheia who is still my nurse told me that you gave lightning to Zagreus, the first Dionysos, before he could speak plain – gave him your fiery lance and rattling thunder and showers of rain out of the sky, and he was another Rainy Zeus while yet a babbling baby! But I do not ask the heavenly fire of your lightning, nor the cloud, nor the thunderclap. If it please you, give fiery Hephaistos the spark of your thunderbolt; let Ares have a corselet of your clouds to cover his chest with; give the pouring rainshower of Zeus as largess to Hermaon; let Apollo, if you will, wield his father’s lightning. My ambition is not so high, dear father! I am springheel Dionysos! A fine thing it would be for me to wield Semele’s manikin lightning! The sparks of thunderbolt that killed my mother are no pleasure to me. Maionia is my dwelling-place; what is the sky to Dionysos? My Satyr’s beauty is dearer to me than Olympos. Tell me, father, do not hide it, swear by your own young friend – when you were an Eagle, when you picked up the boy on the slopes of Teucrian Ida with greedy gentle claw, and brought him to heaven, had the clown such beauty as this, when you made him one of the heavenly table still smelling of the byre? Forgive me, Father Longwing! Don’t talk to me of your Trojan winepourer, the servant of your cups. Lovely Ampelos outshines Ganymedes, he has a brilliancy in his countenance more radiant – the Tmolian beasts the Idaian! There are plenty more beautiful lads in troops – court them all if you like, and leave one boy to Lyaios!”

  τοῖον ἔπος κατέλεξε πόθου δεδονημένος οἴστρῳ:

  οὐχ οὕτω λασίης Μαγνησσίδος ἔνδοθεν ὕλης

  βουκόλος Ἀδμήτοιο βόας ποίμαινεν Ἀπόλλων,

  παιδὸς ἐρωτοτόκου βεβολημένος ἡδέι κέντρῳ,

  325 ὅσσον ἐπ᾽ ἠιθέῳ φρένα τέρπετο Βάκχος ἀθύρων.

  ἄμφω δ᾽ ἑψιόωντο συνήλυδες ἔνδοθι λόχμης,

  πῇ μὲν ἀκοντίζοντες ἐς ἠέρα θύρσον ἀλήτην,

  πῇ δὲ παρὰ πλαταμῶνα λιπόσκιον, ἄλλοτε πέτραις

  ἔστιχον ἀγρώσσοντες ὀρίτροφα τέκνα λεόντων:

  330 καί ποτε μουνωθέντες ἐρημάδος ὑψόθεν ὄχθης,

  ἐν ψαμάθοις παίζοντες ἐυκροκάλου ποταμοῖο,

  ἀμφῖ παλαισμοσύνης φιλοπαίγμονος εἶχον ἀγῶνα:

  τοῖσι μὲν οὐ τρίπος ἦεν ἀέθλιον, οὐδ᾽ ἐπὶ νίκῃ

  ἀνθεμόεις παρέκειτο λέβης, οὐ φορβάσες ἵπποι,

  335 ἀλλὰ λιγυφθόγγων διδυμόθροος αὐλὸς Ἐρώτων.

  ἀμφοτέροις δ᾽ ἔρις ἦεν ἐπήρατος: ἐν δ᾽ ἄρα μέσσῳ

  ἵστατο μάργος Ἔρως, πτερόεις ἐναγώνιος Ἑρμῆς,

  στέμμα πόθου νάρκισσον ἐπιπλέξας ὑακίνθῳ.

  [321] So he spoke, shaken by the sting of desire. Not Apollo in the thick Magnesian woods, w
hen he was herdsman to Admetos and tended his cattle, was pierced by the sweet sting of love for a winsome boy, as Bacchos rejoiced in heart sporting with the youth. Both played in the woods together, now throwing the thyrsus to travel through the air, now on some unshaded flat, or again they tramped the rocks hunting the hillbred lion’s cubs. Sometimes alone on a deserted bank, they played on the sands of a pebbly river and had a wrestling-bout in friendly sport; no tripod was their prize, no flowergraven cauldron lay ready for the victory, no horses from the grass, but a double pipe of love with clearsounding notes. It was a delightsome strife for both, for mad Love stood between them, a winged Hermes in the Ring, wreathing a lovegarland of daffodil and iris.

  ἄμφω δ᾽ εἰς μέσον ἦλθον ἀεθλητῆρες Ἐρώτων,

  340 καὶ παλάμας στεφανηδὸν ἑλιξάμενοι διὰ νώτου,

  ἀμφοτέρων σφίγξαντες ἐπ᾽ ἰξύι δεσμὸν ἀγοστῶν,

  πλευρὰ διεσφήκωσαν ὁμόζυγι πήχεος ὁλκῷ,

  καὶ δέμας ἀλλήλων ἀνεκούφισαν ὑψόθι γαίης

  χερσὶν ἀμοιβαίῃσι: καὶ ἥπτετο Βάκχος Ὀλύμπου

  345 ἀμφὶ παλαισμοσύνης μελιηδέος, εἶχε δὲ δισσὴν

  τερπωλὴν ἐρόεσσαν, ἀειρόμενος καὶ ἀείρων...

  καὶ παλάμην Βρομίου παλάμης περὶ καρπὸν ἑλίξας,

  χερσὶ συναπτομέναις ἑτερόζυγον ἅμμα πιέζων,

  διχθαδίῳ συνέεργεν ἀρηρότα δάκτυλα δεσμῷ,

  350 δεξιτερὴν ἐθέλοντος ἐπισφίγγων Διονύσου.

  ἔνθα μὲν ἡβητῆρος ἐπ᾽ ἰξύι χεῖρας ἑλίσσων,

  Βάκχος ἐρωμανέεσσι δέμας παλάμῃσι πιέζων,

  ἄμπελον ἠέρταζεν, ὁ δὲ Βρομίοιο τυχήσας

  κόψε ποδὸς κώληπα: καὶ Εὔιος ἡδὺ γελάσσας,

  355 ἥλικος ἠιθέοιο τυπεὶς ἁπαλόχροϊ ταρσῷ,

  ὕπτιος αὐτοκύλιστος ἐπωλίσθησε κονίῃ:

  καὶ χθονὶ κεκλιμένοιο θελήμονος ὑψόθι Βάκχου

  γυμνῇ νηδύι κοῦρος ἐφίζανεν: αὐτὰρ ὁ χαίρων

  ἐκταδὸν ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα χυθεὶς ἐπεκέκλιτο γαίῃ

  360 γαστέρι κουφίζων γλυκερὸν βάρος: ἰθυτενὲς δὲ

  ἄκρον ὑπὲρ ψαμάθοιο πεδοτριβὲς ἴχνος ἐρείσας

  νῶτον ἀνῃώρησε μετάτροπον, ἠνορέην δὲ

  φειδομένην ἀνέφηνεν, ἁμιλλητῆρι δὲ παλμῷ

  χειρὸς ἀναινομένης ἀπεσείσατο φόρτον Ἐρώτων:

  365 πλευρὰ δὲ δοχμώσας, πελάσας δ᾽ ἀγκῶνα κονίῃ,

  ἡβητὴρ πολύιδρις ἐπ᾽ ἀντιπάλου θόρε νώτου

  λοξὸς ἐπὶ πλευρῇσιν, ὑπὲρ λαγόνων δὲ καθάψας

  ἄκρα ποδὸς κώληπι, παρὰ σφυρὸν ἴχνος ἐρείσας,

  γαστέρα διχθαδίῳ μεσάτην μιτρώσατο δεσμῷ,

  370 πλευρὰ περιθλίβων, ὑπὸ γούνατι ταρσὸν ἑλίξας

  ὄρθιον ἁπλωθέντα: κυλινδομένων δὲ κονίῃ

  ἀμφοτέρων καμάτοιο προάγγελος ἔρρεεν ἱδρώς.

  [339] Both stood forward as love’s athletes. They joined their palms garlandwise over each other’s back, packed at the waist with a knot of the hands, squeezed the ribs tight with the muscles of their two forearms, lifted each other from the ground alternately. Bacchos was in heaven amid this honeysweet wrestling, and love gave him a double joy, lifting and lifted . . . Ampelos enclosed the wrist of Bromios in his palm, then joining hands and tightening that intruding grip interlaced his fingers and brought them together in a double knot, squeezing the right hand of willing Dionysos. Next Bacchos ran his two hands round the young man’s waist squeezing his body with a loving grip, and lifted Ampelos high; but the other kicked Bromios neatly behind the knee; and Euios laughing merrily at the blow from his young comrade’s tender foot, let himself fall on his back in the dust. Thus while Bacchos lay willingly on the ground the boy sat across his naked belly, and Bacchos in delight lay stretched at full length on the ground sustaining the sweet burden on his paunch. Now raising on of his legs he set the sole of the foot firmly upon the sand and raised his overturned back; but he showed mercy in his strength, as with a rival movement of a reluctant hand he dislodged the beloved burden. The young man, no novice at the game, turned sideways and rested his elbow on the ground, then jumped across on his adversary’s back, then over his flanks with a foot behind one knee and another set on the other ankle he encircled the waist with a double bond and squeezed the ribs and pressed flat and straight out the lifted leg under his knee. Both rolled in the dust, and the sweat poured out to tell that they were tired.

  ὀψὲ δὲ νικηθέντος, ἀνικήτου περ ἐόντος,

  Ζηνὸς ἀεθλητῆρος ἔχων μίμημα τοκῆος

  375 νικήθη Διόνυσος ἑκούσιος, ὅττι καὶ αὐτὸς

  Ζεὺς μέγας αὐτοκύλιστος ἐπ᾽ Ἀλφειοῖο παλαίων

  ὤκλασεν, Ἡρακλῆι θελήμονα γούνατα κάμψας.

  [373] Thus Dionysos was conquered with his own consent, like his father as an athlete, who was conquered at last though invincible: for mighty Zeus himself, wrestling with Heracles beside the Alpheios, bent willing knees and fell of his own accord.

  τοῖος ἀγὼν τετέλεστο φιλέψιος: ἠιθέου δὲ

  δίθροον αὐλὸν ἄεθλον ἐκούφισε τερπομένη χείρ.

  380 καὶ νέος ἱδρώων φαιδρύνετο γυῖα ῥεέθρῳ

  καὶ κόνιν ἰκμαλέην ἀπενίψατο: λουομένου δὲ

  ἐκ χροὸς ἱδρώοντος ἐπήρατος ἔρρεεν αἴγλη.

  [378] Se ended the playful bout: the young man held out a happy hand and lifted his prize, the double pipes. He cleansed the sweat from his limbs in the river and washed off the damp dust; as he bathed, a pleasant brightness shone from the sweating skin.

  οὐδὲ παλαισμοσύνης τελέσας γυιαλκέα νίκην

  σύννομος ἡβητῆρος ἐπαύετο Βάκχος ἀθύρων,

  385 ἀλλὰ ποδωκείης ἀνεμώδεα θῆκεν ἀγῶνα.

  καὶ βαλίους ἐς ἔρωτα φέρων μνηστῆρας ἀγῶνος

  πρώτῳ μὲν θέτο δῶρα Κυβηλίδος ὄργανα Ῥείης,

  κύμβαλα χαλκεόνωτα καὶ αἰόλα δέρματα νεβρῶν:

  νίκης δ᾽ ἦεν ἄεθλα τὰ δεύτερα Πανὸς ἑταίρη,

  390 σύριγξ ἡδυέπεια καὶ ἠχήεσσα βοείη

  χαλκοβαρὴς: τριτάτῳ δὲ τίθει Διόνυσος ἀθύρων

  ψάμμον ἐρευθιόωσαν ἑτοιμοτάτου ποταμοῖο.

  [383] After the victory in wrestling strongi’thelimb, Bacchos did not cease his games with his young comrade, but proposed a windswift contest of footrunning. To bring in other fleet wooers of the game for love, he offered for the first, Cybelid Rheia’s instruments as a prize, bronzeplated cymbals and the speckled skins of fawns. The second priz
e for victory was Pan’s comrade, – panspipes sweet utterance, and a resounding tomtom in a heavy bronze frame. For the third in his games, Dionysos offered ruddy sand from the river so ready and willing.

  καὶ Βρόμιος σταδίῳ μεμερισμένον οὖδας ὁρίζων

  δισσὰ τιταινομένης διεμέτρεεν ἄκρα κελεύθου,

  395 ὀρθώσας δεκάδωρον ἐπὶ χθονὶ σῆμα πορείης,

  στήσας τέρμα δρόμου ταναὸν ξύλον: ἀντιπόρου δὲ

  πῆξε τύπον βαλβῖδος ἐπ᾽ ᾐόνι θύρσον ἀείρας:

  καὶ Σατύρους ὤτρυνεν ἀεθλεύειν περὶ νίκης.

  [393] Then Bromios measured the ground for the furlong race. He measured the stretch between the two ends of the course, and set up a tall stake in the ground, ten palms high, to make the finish of the race; at the other end he raised and planted a thyrsus on the river-bank to show the turning-point. Then he urged the Satyrs to go in and win.

  ὀξὺ δὲ κεκλομένοιο φιλοσκάρθμοιο Λυαίου

  400 Ληνεὺς πρῶτος ὄρουσε ποδήνεμος, ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ αὐτῷ

  κισσὸς ἀερσιπόδης καὶ ἐπήρατος Ἄμπελος ἔστη:

  καὶ ποδὸς ἰθυπόροιο πεποιθότες ὠκέι ταρσῷ

  κεκριμένοι στοιχηδὸν ἐφέστασαν: ἐκ δαπέδου δὲ

  ἄκρα χαρασσομένοιο μετάρσιον ἴχνος ἀείρας

  405 κισσὸς ἀελλήεντι ποδῶν κουφίζετο παλμῷ:

  τοῦ μὲν ἐπειγομένοιο μετάφρενον ἄσθματι θάλπων