Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  πατρίδα γαῖαν ἔλειπε καὶ Αἰακός, ὃν νόθος ὄρνις

  ἁρπαμένῃ σπέρμηνε μιγεὶς Ἀσωπίδι νύμφῃ,

  αἰετὸς Αἰγίνης πτερόεις πόσις ὑψιπέτης Ζεύς:

  ἐκ δὲ γάμου πεφάτιστο καὶ Αἰακός: ἔξοχα δ᾽ ἄλλων

  205 χραισμῆσαι μενέαινε κασιγνήτῳ Διονύσῳ:

  Μυρμιδόνων δὲ φάλαγγας ἐκόσμεεν ἴδμονι τέχνῃ,

  οἳ πρὶν ἔσαν μύρμηκες ἐφερπύζοντες ἀρούρῃ,

  ποσσὶ πολυσπερέεσσι μεμηλότες, εἰσόκεν αὐτῶν

  ἐκ χροὸς οὐτιδανοῖο χαμαιγενὲς εἶδος ἀμείψας

  210 φέρτερον εἰς δέμας ἄλλο μετέπλασεν ὑψιμέδων Ζεύς,

  καὶ στρατὸς ἐβλάστησεν ἐνόπλιος: ἐξαπίνης γὰρ

  ἀλλοφυής, ἄφθογγος, ἀπόσπορος ἑσμὸς ἀρούρης

  εἰς βροτὸν αὐδήεντα δέμας μορφώσατο μύρμηξ:

  τῶν πρόμος Αἰακὸς ἦρχεν, ἐν εὐτύκτῳ δὲ βοείῃ

  215 Ζῆνα νόθον σοφὸν ὄρνιν ἐπέγραφε, σῆμα γενέθλης,

  φειδομένοις ὀνύχεσσιν ἐλαφρίζοντα γυναῖκα,

  καὶ ποταμὸς πυρίκαυτος ἔην σχεδόν, ἄγχι δὲ κούρη

  οἰκτρὰ κατηφιόωσα, καὶ εἰ πέλεν ἄπνοος εἰκών,

  δόχμιον ὄμμα τίταινεν, ἅτε στενάχουσα τοκῆα

  220 Ἀσωπὸν βαρύγουνον, ἔοικε δὲ τοῦτο βοῆσαι.

  ‘καλὸν ἐμοὶ πόρες ἕδνον ἐμὸν γενετῆρα δαμάσσας.’

  [201] Aiacos also left his native land, whom the sham bird begot, mingling with the daughter of Asopos whom he carried off, the eagle, highsoaring of Zeus the feathered husband of Aigina. He was named Aiacos from this marriage; and most of all he was eager to help his brother Dionysos. He mustered his companies of Myrmidons with competent skill. These once were ants crawling over the earth with their many busy feet, until Zeus in the Highest changed them from their insignificant clayborn shape to a better body, and up grew an armed host: for in a moment a speechless swarm of ants bred in the clay changed their shape and nature into mortals with speech. These were the host that Aiacos led as captain, and he graved on his wellwrought shield, as a token of their origin, Zeus the sham bird with a mind, carrying a woman in gentle talons. Near it was a river god on fire, and a girl beside him sad and downcast, even if she was a lifeless image; she turned her eye aside as if mourning for her father stiffknee Asopos, and she seemed to be crying – “A fine bridegift you have brought me, in destroying my father!”

  Κρήτης δ᾽ ἡγεμόνευε πολυγλώσσων ναετήρων

  Ἀστέριος φαιδρωπὸν ἔχων δέμας, ἀμφότερον δὲ

  ὅσσον ἔην ἐρόεις, τόσον ἄλκιμος, ὅν ποτε νύμφη

  225 λυσαμένη Μίνωι σαόφρονος ἅμμα κορείης

  Φαιστιὰς Ἀνδρογένεια Κυδωναίῃ τέκεν εὐνῇ:

  ὃς τότε λαὸν ἄγων ἑκατόμπολιν οἴνοπι Βάκχῳ

  ἵκετο κυδαίνων ἐμφύλιον αἷμα γενέθλης

  πατρὸς ἑοῦ: Σεμέλης γὰρ ἀνεψιὸς ἔπλετο Μίνως,

  230 Κάδμου ξυνὰ γένεθλα: πολυσπερέες δὲ μαχηταὶ

  πάντες ἑνὶ σπεύδοντι συνέρρεον ἡγεμονῆι,

  οἱ μὲν ἀπὸ Κνωσσοῖο μαχήμονες, οἱ δ᾽ ἀπὸ Λύκτου

  Μιλήτου στρατιῇσι συνήλυδες: οἷς ἅμα πολλοὶ

  ὑψιλόφου Γόρτυνος ἐθωρήσσοντο πολῖται

  235 καὶ ναέται Ῥυτίοιο καὶ εὐκάρποιο Λυκάστου...

  καὶ χθόνα Νωδαίοιο Διὸς καὶ ἐδέθλια Βοίβης

  καὶ δάπεδον Κισάμοιο, καὶ ἄστεα καλὰ Κυταίου.

  τοῖος ἀπὸ Κρήτης πρόμος ἤλυθεν: ἐρχομένῳ δὲ

  θερμοτέραις ἀκτῖσι χέων μαντήιον αἴγλην

  240 Ἀστερίῳ σελάγιζεν ὁμώνυμος Ἄρεος ἀστήρ,

  νίκης ἐσσομένης πρωτάγγελος: ἀλλ᾽ ἐνὶ χάρμῃ

  νικήσας νόθον οἶστρον ἀήθεος ἔσχεν ἀρούρης

  νηλής: οὐ γὰρ ἔμελλεν ἰδεῖν μετὰ φύλοπιν Ἰνδῶν

  πάτριον Ἰδαίης κορυθαιόλον ἄντρον ἐρίπνης,

  245 ἀλλά βίον προβέβουλε λιπόπτολιν, ἀντὶ δὲ Δίκτης

  Κνώσσιος ἐν Σκυθίῃ μετανάστιος ἔσκε πολίτης,

  καὶ πολιὸν Μίνωα καὶ Ἀνδρογένειαν ἐάσας

  ξεινοφόνων σοφὸς ἦλθεν ἐς ἔθνεα βάρβαρα Κόλχων,

  Ἀστερίους δ᾽ ἐκάλεσσε καὶ ὤπασεν οὔνομα Κόλχοις

  250 Κρητικόν, οἷς ξένα θεσμὰ φύσις πόρε, παιδοκόμου δὲ

  πάτριον Ἀμνισοῖο ῥόον Κρηταῖον ἐάσας

  αἰδομένοις στομάτεσσι νόθον πίε Φάσιδος ὕδωρ.

  [222] Crete with its peoples of many tongues was commanded by Asterios, one of brilliant beauty, one as lovely as he was strong, both together; his mother was Phaistian Androgeneia, who loosed the girdle of maiden modesty for Minos, and bore her son in a Cydonian bed. He came bringing the people of the hundred cities for wineface Bacchos to honour the blood of his own father’s family; for Minos was cousin of Semele and of Cadmos’s kin. All the farscattered warriors gathered to one stirring leader; men of war from Cnossos, other from Lyctos joined with troops from Miletos. With them was a large body of armed burghers from hilly Gortyn, and others from Rhytion and fertile Lycastos, and the country of Nodaian Zeus and the habitations of Boibe and the lands of Cisamos and the fair cities of Cytaios. Such was the captain from Crete; and as he came the star of Ares shone upon his starry namesake Asterios, first harbinger of victory to come, pouring forth a prophetic radiance with hotter beams. But after victory in battle he conceived a bastard passion for the strange country, being hard of heart. For after the Indian War he was not to see his native land the cave of the Idaian mount shimmering with helmets; he preferred a life of exile, and instead of Dicte he became a Cnossian settler in Scythia. He left greyheaded Minos and Androgeneia; the civilized man joined the barbaric tribes of guest-murdering Colchians, called them Asterians and gave a Cretan name to Colchians whose nature provided them with outlandish customs. He left his own country and the Cretan river of Amnisos which nourished his childhood, and with shamefast lips drank the foreign water of Phasis.

  μοῦνος Ἀρισταῖος βραδὺς ἤιε λοίσθιος ἄλλων,

  ὅσσοι γαῖαν ἔναιον ὁμούριον Ἑλλάδι γαίῃ,

  255 ὃς μέλιτος γλυκεροῖο πολυτρήτων ἀπὸ σίμβλων

  αὐχένα γαῦρον ἄειρε, καὶ οἰνοχύτῳ Διονύσῳ

  ἤρισεν ἀπρήκτῳ μελιηδέος ἐλπίδι νίκης:

  ἀμφοτέροις δ᾽ ἐδίκαζον, ὅσοι ναετῆρες Ὀλύμπου:

&nbs
p; ἀλλὰ πάις Φοίβοιο νεόρρυτα χεύματα σίμβλων

  260 ἀθανάτοις ὀρέγων μελιηδέος ἤμβροτε νίκης,

  ὅττι θεοὶ παχὺ χεῦμα φιλοπτόρθοιο μελίσσης

  δεξάμενοι κόρον ὀξὺν ἀτερπέος εἶχον ἐέρσης:

  καὶ κόρος ἦν μακάρων τρίτατον δέπας, οὐ δὲ τετάρτου

  κιρναμένου γεύσαντο παλιννόστοιο κυπέλλου,

  265 καὶ μάλα διψώοντες: ἀρυομένοιο δὲ Βάκχου

  ὄμβρῳ ἐυρραθάμιγγι νόον τέρποντες ἐέρσης

  εἰς ὅλον ἦμαρ ἔπινον ἀλωφήτου χύσιν οἴνου:

  καὶ μεθύων γλυκὺν οἶνον ἐθάμβεεν ἄλλος ἐπ᾽ ἄλλῳ

  ἐξ ἑτέρου ποθέων ἕτερον δέπας ἡδέι θυμῷ,

  270 εὐφροσύνην ἀκόρητον ἔχων θελξίφρονος οἴνου:

  Ζεὺς δὲ μελιρραθάμιγγος ἐθάμβεεν ἔργα μελίσσης,

  δαιδαλέην δ᾽ ὠδῖνα φιλοσμήνου τοκετοῖο,

  δῶρον Ἀρισταίοιο, καὶ οἰνοχύτῳ Διονύσῳ

  ὤπασε λυσιπόνοιο φέρειν πρωτάγρια νίκης.

  275 ἔνθεν Ἀρισταῖος βραδὺς ἤιεν εἰς μόθον Ἰνδῶν,

  ὄψιμος εὐνήσας πρότερον χόλον ἅρπαγος ἥβης,

  ἔνδιον Ἑρμείαο λιπὼν Κυλλήνιον ἕδρην:

  οὐ πω γὰρ προτέρῃ Μεροπηίδι νάσσατο νήσῳ,

  οὔ πω δ᾽ ἀτμὸν ἔπαυσε πυρώδεα διψάδος ὥρης

  280 Ζηνὸς ἀλεξικάκοιο φέρων φυσίζοον αὔρην,

  οὐδὲ σιδηροχίτων δεδοκημένος ἀστέρος αἴγλην

  Σείριον αἰθαλόεντος ἀναστέλλων πυρετοῖο

  ἐννύχιον πρήυνε, τὸν εἰσέτι διψαλέον πῦρ

  θερμὸν ἀκοντίζοντα δι᾽ αἰθέρος αἴθοπι λαιμῷ

  285 ἄσθμασι λεπταλέοισι καταψύχουσι ἀῆται:

  [253] Aristaios came slow by himself, last of all those who dwelt in the regions round about the Hellenic land. He lifted high his neck, proud of the sweet honey from his riddled hives. He had challenged Dionysos with his wine, and vainly hoped for the victory of his sweet honey. All the denizens of Olympos judged between them. Phoibos’s son offered the new-flowing juice from his hives to the immortals; but he failed to win the victory, because when the gods took the thick juice from the plantloving bee, they soon had enough and tired of the liquid. A third rummer was more than enough for the Blessed; when the cup came round with the fourth brew they would not taste it, thirsty though they were. But when Bacchos ladled out his glorious dewy drops, they were delighted, and drank his flowing wine all day long unceasing. Even drunken they admired the sweet wine, and called for cup after cup one after another with jolly glee, full of hearty good cheer for the bewitching stuff. Zeus admired Aristaios’s gift, the product of the honeydroppping bee and the curious artwork of the hiveloving brood, but he gave the first prize for troublesoothing victory to Dionysos and his wine. That is why Aristaios came slow to the Indian War. After so long he had only just quieted his old grudge of his greedy youth, and left Hermeias’s cave in Cyllene; for he had not yet migrated to the island formerly called Meropis: he had not yet brought there the lifebreathing wind of Zeus the Defender, and checked the fiery vapour of the parched season; he had not stood steelclad to receive the glare of Seirios, and all night long repelled and calmed the star’s fiery heat – and even now the winds cool him with light puffs, as he lances his hot parching fire through the air from glowing throat. But he still dwelt in the land of Parrhasia.

  ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι Παρρασίης πέδον ᾤκεεν. ἐρχομένῳ δὲ

  λαὸς ἐθωρήχθη βαλανηφάγος Ἀρκὰς ἀλήτης,

  οἵ τ᾽ εἶχον Λασιῶνα καὶ ἄλσεα καλὰ Λυκαίου

  καὶ κραναὴν Στύμφηλον, ἀειδομένην τε πολίχνην

  290 Ῥίπην καὶ Στρατίην καὶ Μαντινέην καὶ Ἐνίσπην

  Παρρασίην τ᾽ εὔδενδρον, ὅπῃ πέδον ἐστὶ θεαίνης

  ἀστιβὲς ἀρχεγόνοιο λεχώιον εἰσέτι Ῥείης,

  καὶ δάπεδον Φενεοῖο καὶ ὀρχηθμοῖο τοκῆα,

  Ὀρχομενὸν πολύμηλον, ἐδέθλιον Ἀπιδανήων,

  295 οἵ τ᾽ ἔχον Ἀρκαδίην πόλιν Ἀρκάδος, ὅν ποτε μήτηρ

  Καλλιστὼ Διὶ τίκτε, πατὴρ δέ μιν εἰς πόλον ἄστρων

  στηρίξας ἐκάλεσσε χαλαζήεντα Βοώτην:

  τόσσον Ἀρισταῖος στρατὸν ὥπλισεν Ἀρκάδι λόγχῃ

  ἀνδράσι μαρναμένοις νομάδας κύνας εἰς μόθον ἕλκων,

  300 τόν ποτε Κυρήνη, κεμαδοσσόος Ἄρτεμις ἄλλη,

  Φοιβείῃ φιλότητι λεοντοφόνος τέκε νύμφη,

  ὁππότε μιν Λιβύῃ ψαμαθώδεϊ καλὸς Ἀπόλλων

  ἤγαγε νυμφοκόμῳ μετανάστιον ἅρπαγι δίφρῳ.

  καί μιν ἐπισπεύδοντα λιπὼν μαντώδεα δάφνην

  305 αὐτὸς ἑαῖς παλάμῃσι πατὴρ θώρηξεν Ἀπόλλων:

  παιδὶ δὲ τόξον ἔδωκε, καὶ ἥρμοσε χειρὶ βοείην

  δαιδαλέην, γλαφυρὴν δὲ καθιεμένην διὰ νώτου

  ὠμαδίῳ τελαμῶνι κατεκλήισσε φαρέτρην.

  [286] He was followed by the vagabond acornfed Arcadians under arms, those that held Lasion, and the fine glades of Lycaios, and rocky Stymphalos, and Rhipe famous town; Stratia and Mantinea and Enispe, and woodland Parrhasia, where is still to be found the place untrodden in which primeval goddess Rheia was brought to bed; the region of Pheneos, and Orchomenos rich in sheep, only begetter of the dance, seat of Apidaneans. There were there also those of Arcadia, city of Arcas son of Callisto and Zeus, whose father fixed him in the starry firmament and called him Boötes Hailbringer. Such was the host which Aristaios armed with the Arcadian lance, and led sheepdogs to battle with warring men. He was the son of Cyrene, that deerchasing second Artemis, the girl lionkiller, who bore him to the love of Phoibos; when handsome Apollo carried her abroad to sandy Libya in a robber’s car for a bridal equipage. And as he came in haste, Apollo his father left the prophetic laurel and armed him with his own hands, gave his son a bow, and fitted his arm with a curiously wrought shield, and fastened the hollow quiver by a strap over the shoulder to hang down his back.

  τῷ δ᾽ ἐπὶ Σικελίηθεν ἑκηβόλος ἦλθεν Ἀχάτης,

  310 καί οἱ ἐφωμάρτησαν ὁμήλυδες ἀσπιδιῶται,

  Κιλλυρίων τ᾽ Ἐλύμων τε πολὺς στρατός, οἵ τε Παλίκων

  ἕδρανον ἀμφενέμοντο, καὶ οἵ Κατάνην πάρα λίμνην

  γείτονα Σειρήνων πόλιν ᾤκεον, ἃς Ἀχελῴῳ

  Τερψιχόρη ῥοδόεσσα βοοκραίρων ἀπὸ λέκτρων

  315 τίκτεν ἀελλήεντι συναπτομένη παρακοίτῃ:

  οἵ τ᾽ εἶχον Καμά
ριναν, ὅπῃ κελάδοντι ῥεέθρῳ

  Ἵππαρις ἀστήρικτος ἐρεύγεται ἀγκύλον ὕδωρ,

  Ὕβλης θ᾽ ἱερὸν ἄστυ, καὶ οἳ σχεδὸν ᾤκεον Αἴτνης,

  ἧχι πυρὸς κρητῆρες ἀναπτομένης ἀπὸ πέτρης

  320 θερμὸν ἀναβλύζουσι Τυφαονίης σέλας εὐνῆς,

  οἵ τε δόμους ἐδάσαντο παρ᾽ ὀφρυόεντι Πελώρῳ,

  καὶ δάπεδον νησαῖον ἁλιρροίζοιο Παχύνου,

  καὶ Σικελὴν Ἀρέθουσαν, ὅπῃ μετανάστιος ἕρπει

  στέμματι Πισαίῳ κομόων Ἀλφειὸς ἀλήτης,

  325 πορθμεύων βατὸν οἶδμα, καὶ ἀκροτάτου διὰ πόντου

  ἕλκει δοῦλον Ἔρωτος ὑπέρτερον ἄβροχον ὕδωρ,

  θερμὸν ἔχων ψυχροῖο δι᾽ ὕδατος ἁπτόμενον πῦρ.

  τοῖς ἔπι Φαῦνος ἵκανε πυρισφρήγιστον ἐάσας

  Σικελίης τριλόφοιο Πελωρίδα πέζαν ἐρίπνης,

  330 τὸν βυθίῳ Κρονίωνι συναπτομένη τέκε Κίρκη,

  σύγγονος Αἰήταο πολύθρονος, ἣ παρὰ λόχμῃ

  ᾤκεε πετραίοιο βαθύσκια κύκλα μελάθρου.

  [309] To him came from Sicily longshot Achates, and shieldbearing comrades with him, a great host of Cillyrioi and Elymoi, and those who lived round the seat of the Palicoi; those who had a city by the lake Catana near the Sirens, whom rosy Terpsichore brought forth by the stormy embraces of her bull-horned husband Acheloös; those who possessed Camarina, where the wild Hipparis disgorges his winding water in a roaring flood; those form the sacred citadel of Hybla, and those dwelling near Aitna, where the rock is alight and kettles of fire boil up the hot flare of Typhaon’s bed; those who scattered their houses along the beetling brow of Peloros and the island ground of sea-resounding Pachynos; and Sicilian Arethusa, where after his wandering travels Alpheios creeps proud of his Pisan chaplet – he crosses the deep like a highway, and draws his water, the slave of love, unwetted, over the surface of the sea, for he carries a burning fire warm through the cold water. After these Phaunos came, leaving the firesealed Pelorian plain of threepeak Sicily the rocky, whom Circe bore embraced by Cronion of the Deep, Circe the witch of many poisons, Aietas’s sister, who dwelt in the deepshadowed cells of a rocky palace.