Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  πῆχυν ἐπικλίνων διδυμάονος αὐχένι Βάκχης

  μεσσοφανής, εὔοδμον ἀναβλύζων χύσιν οἴνου:

  285 καὶ μέλος ἀκρήδεμνος ἐπεσμαράγησε Μιμαλλών,

  ἴχνιον ἀείδουσα παλιννόστου Διονύσου.

  [278] Such words as these the loudvoiced herald heard, and departed. He found the Seilenoi in high glee: Dionysos had come up out of the waters and joined the Oread Nymphs. The Satyrs skipt, the Bacchants danced about, Maron with his old legs led the music between two Bacchants, with his arms laid round their necks, and bubbles of fragrant wine at his lips. The Mimallon unveiled trilled a song, how the footstep of Dionysos had come that way again.

  καὶ θεὸς ἀμπελόεις προτέρας ἔρριψε μερίμνας,

  τερπωλῆς δ᾽ ἐπέβαινεν, ἐπεὶ μάθεν ἔνδοθι πόντου

  πάντα Τορωναίοιο παρὰ Πρωτῆος ἀκούων,

  290 ἀξείνων Ἀράβων ἐνοσίχθονα παλμὸν ἀρούρης,

  καὶ σφαλερὸν Λυκόοργον ἑῷ ποδὶ τυφλὸν ἀλήτην:

  ἔκλυε καὶ νομίης θανατηφόρον οἶστρον ἀνάγκης,

  πῶς χορὸς ἀγρονόμων ἐλελίζετο, πῶς ἐνὶ βήσσαις

  σφωιτέρας ὠδῖνας ἐδαιτρεύσαντο γυναῖκες:

  295 ἔκλυε δ᾽ αἰθερίων Ὑάδων χορόν, ἔκλυεν αὐτὴν

  ἀμβροσίην μετὰ γαῖαν ἐπαντέλλουσαν Ὀλύμπῳ,

  ἀμβροσίην ἀκάμαντι κορυσσομένην Λυκοόργῳ,

  καὶ μόθον εὐόρπηκα καὶ ἀμπελόεσσαν Ἐνυώ.

  [287] Then the vinegod threw off his earlier cares, and entered upon rejoicing; for he had heard in the sea the whole story from Torone’s lord Proteus, the earthshaking shock in Arabia the inhospitable, and how Lycurgos wandered blind with stumbling feet. He heard also the deathbringing madness of the herdsmen’s duress, how the company of countrymen went raging about, how the women in the dells gorged the fruit of their own travail; heard also of the company of Hyades in heaven, heard that Ambrosia had left earth and risen as a star in Olympos, Ambrosia who had attacked undaunted Lycurgos, the battle of the twigs and the war with vines.

  τοῖσι δὲ τερπομένοισι παλίνδρομος ἤιε κῆρυξ,

  300 ἀσκηθὴς πολύευκτος ἀγαλλομένῳ Διονύσῳ,

  ἀφροσύνην ἐνέπων ὑψαύχενα Δηριαδῆος,

  δίζυγα δέλτον ἔχων ἐγκύμονα δηιοτῆτος.

  [299] They were enjoying themselves as the herald came back, safe and sound, and greatly desired by Bacchos rejoicing. He reported the highnecked folly of Deriades, and carried the double tablets pregnant with war.

  οὐ μέν ἄναξ ἀμέλησεν: ἐς ὑσμίνην δὲ μαχητὰς

  θαρσήεις ἐβόησε, προάγγελα Δηριαδῆος

  305 σύμβολα γινώσκων κεχαραγμένα μάρτυρι δέλτῳ.

  καὶ καλέσας Ῥαδαμᾶνας ἀλήμονας, οὕς ποτε γαίης

  Κρηταίης ἀέκοντας ἀπὸ χθονὸς ἤλασε Μίνως

  Ἀρραβίης ἐπὶ πέζαν, ἐπέφραδε νεύματι Ῥείης

  πῆξαι νήια δοῦρα θαλάσσιον εἰς μόθον Ἰνδῶν.

  310 καὶ ταχὺς ἤλασε δίφρον Ἑώιον εἰς κλίμα γαίης

  τεύχεσιν ἀστράπτων ἅτε Φωσφόρος: ἀμφὶ δὲ πέτρην

  Καυκασίην λοφόεντα διαστείχων κενεῶνα

  Ἠῴης παράμειβε φεραυγέα πέζαν ἀρούρης,

  ἠελίου βαλβῖδα μεσημβρίζουσαν ὁδεύων.

  [303] The Lord lost no time. He read the lines engraved on the witnessing tablet, and resolute, he summoned his warriors to the fray. He called the Rhadamans, whom Minos once sent on their wanderings unwilling from the land of Crete to the Arabian soil; and bade them by Rheia’s advice to build wooden ships for an attack upon India by sea. Quickly he drove his car to the eastern clime of the earth, gleaming in his armour like the Morning Star, crossed over the rocky crest of Caucasos and through the valleys, and over the lightbringing region of the dawnland he went on towards the midday goal of the sun.

  315 ὄφρα μὲν εὐθύρσοιο μάχης ἠκούετο φωνὴ

  καὶ στρατὸς ἀγχικέλευθος ὀρεσσινόμου Διονύσου,

  τόφρα δὲ Δηριάδης πυκινὸν λόχον ἵδρυεν Ἰνδῶν,

  γαῖαν ἐς ἀντιπέραιαν ἑὸν στρατὸν ἄζυγα πέμπων,

  πᾶσαν ἐπιτρέψας δολομήχανον ἐλπίδα χάρμης

  320 Ἄρεϊ χαλκοχίτωνι: καὶ ἔπλεεν ὑψόθι νηῶν

  λαὸν ἐρετμώσας πεπερημένον Ἰνδὸν Ὑδάσπην.

  καὶ στρατιαῖς διδύμῃσι μερίζετο φύλοπις Ἰνδῶν

  ἀμφοτέρην παρὰ πέζαν ἀκοντοφόρου ποταμοῖο:

  Θουρεὺς μὲν Ζεφύροιο παρὰ σφυρά, Δηριάδης δὲ

  325 ἀντιπόρου σχεδὸν ἦλθε παρὰ πτερὸν αἴθοπος Εὔρου.

  [315] When Deriades heard the rumour of battle with the thyrsus, that the army of mountainranging Dionysos was near at hand, he stationed in ambush his Indians in serried ranks, and sent a detached force across the river, resting all hope for the conflict in the craft and skill of bronze-armoured war. He rowed all these men on shipboard across Indian Hydaspes. So the Indian host was divided into two armies, one on each bank of the river bristling with lances. Thureus was on the edge of the West Wind, Deriades opposite by the wing of the burning East Wind.

  ἦν δέ τις αὐτόθι χῶρος ἐύσκιος, ὁππόθι πυκνοῖς

  ἔρνεσι παντοίοισιν ἐμιτρώθη ῥάχις ὕλης

  εὐρυτενής, καὶ κοῖλον ἔην σπέος: ἱπτάμενος δὲ

  οὔ ποτε δένδρεα κεῖνα κατέγραφεν ἰὸς ἀλήτης,

  330 εἴ τις ὀιστεύσειε, καὶ οὔ ποτε μεσσόθι θάμνων

  ἠέλιος πεφόρητο κατάσσυτος ὀξέι παλμῷ

  ἐνδομύχοις ἀκτῖσιν ὁμόπλοκα φύλλα χαράξας,

  οὐ χύσις ἠερόφοιτος ἐδύσατο δάσκιον ὕλην

  ἐκ Διὸς ὑετίοιο, μόγις δέ οἱ ὕδατος ὁλκῷ

  335 ὑψιφανὴς Διὸς ὅμβρος ἐπέβρεχεν ἄκρα πετήλων.

  κεῖθι τανυπρέμνοισιν ἐν ἄλσεσι φώριος Ἄρης

  ἠλιβάτων χλοεροῖσι φυτῶν κεκάλυπτο κορύμβοις,

  ἀπροϊδής, ἀτίνακτος, ἐνὶ δρυόεντι δὲ κόλπῳ

  εἶχεν ἀδουπήτων πεφυλαγμένον ἴθμα πεδίλων,

  340 οὐδὲ διαξαίνων κρυφίῳ ποδὶ φυλλάδα λόχμην,

  οὐ ποδὸς ὀκλάζοντος ἔχων φόβον, οὐ λάλον ἠχὼ

  χείλεϊ βαμβαίνοντι, καὶ οὐ χλόον ἀμφὶ προσώπῳ:

  ἀλλὰ νόον θρασὺν εἶχε καὶ ἔμπεδον, ἐν δὲ χαμεύναις

  μετρητὸν βλεφάροισιν ἐνόπλιο�
� ὕπνον ἰαύων ...

  345 δέγμενος ἐρχομένης στρατιῆς εὔρυθμον Ἐνυώ.

  [326] There was on the spot a shady place, where the rocks were surrounded by a wide mass of all kinds of trees and left an empty hollow. No wandering arrow in flight could pierce those trees, if one were shot, and the sun never came down through the midst of those thick branches with sharp thrust, cutting the closewoven leaves with penetrating rays; no deluge of rain from heaven falling through the air passed into those woodland shades, but the showers of Zeus on high scarce wetted the surface of the leaves with their rushing water. There in the spinneys an ambush was hidden among the tall trunks covered with green clusters of highgrowing leafage, unexpected, unshaken, and in the bosom of the forest kept noiseless its moving shoes. No hidden foot tore the leafy bushes, none feared a crouching foot, or sounds of words upon a chattering lip, or pallor on the face; but each had a mind bold and firm, and enjoyed his measured sleep on the ground in his armour with eyelids..., waiting for the march in step of the enemy at hand.

  BOOK 22

  δεύτερον εἰκοστὸν Βρομίου μόθον ἔργά τε μέλπει

  Αἰακὸς ὄσσα τέλεσσε καὶ ἐν πεδίῳ καὶ Ὑδάσπῃ.

  ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ πόρον ἷξον ἐυκροκάλου ποταμοῖο

  Βάκχου πεζὸς ὅμιλος, ὅπῃ βαθυδίνεϊ κόλπῳ

  πλωτὸν ὕδωρ, ἅτε Νεῖλος, ἐρεύγεται Ἰνδὸς Ὑδάσπης,

  δὴ τότε Βασσαρίδων ἐμελίζετο θῆλυς ἀοιδὴ

  Νυκτελίῳ Φρύγα κῶμον ἀνακρούουσα Λυαίῳ,

  5 καὶ λασίων Σατύρων χορὸς ἔβρεμε μύστιδι φωνῇ:

  γαῖα δὲ πᾶσα γέλασσεν, ἐμυκήσαντο δὲ πέτραι

  νηιάδες δ᾽ ὀλόλυξαν, ὑπὲρ ποταμοῖο δὲ Νύμφαι

  σιγαλέοις ἑλικηδὸν ἐμιτρώσαντο ῥεέθροις

  10 καὶ Σικελῆς ἐλίγαινον ὁμόζυγα ῥυθμὸν ἀοιδῆς,

  οἷον ἀνεκρούοντο μελιγλώσσων ἀπὸ λαιμῶν

  ὑμνοπόλοι Σειρῆνες: ὅλη δ᾽ ἐλελίζετο λόχμη,

  καὶ μέλος ἐφθέγξαντο σοφαὶ δρύες εἴκελον αὐλῷ,

  Ἁδρυάδες δ᾽ ἀλάλαζον, ἐπ᾽ εὐπετάλοιο δὲ Νύμφη

  15 ἡμιφανὴς ἤειδεν ὑπερκύψασα κορύμβου.

  BOOK XXII

  The twenty-second celebrates the battle and feats of Bromios, all the deeds of Aiacos both on the plain and in the Hydaspes.

  WHEN the footforces of Bacchos came to the crossing of the pebbly river, where, like the Nile, Indian Hydaspes pours his navigable water into a deep-eddying hollow, then sounded the womanish song of the Bassarids, making Phrygian festival for Lyaios of the Night, and the hairy company of Satyrs rang out with mystic voice. All the earth laughed, the rocks bellowed, the Naiads sang alleluia, the Nymphs circled in mazes over the silent streams of the river, and sang a melody of Sicilian tune, like the hymns which the minstrel Sirens pour from their honeytongued throats. All the woodlands rang thereat: the trees found skill to make music like the hoboy, the Hadryades cried aloud, the Nymph sang, peeping up halfseen over her leafy cluster.

  Χιονέῳ δὲ γάλακτι χυτὴ λευκαίνετο πηγή,

  ὑδρηλή περ ἐοῦσα, χαραδραίῳ δ᾽ ἐνὶ κόλπῳ

  νηιάδες λούσατο γαλαξαίοισι ῥεέθροις,

  καὶ γάλα λευκὸν ἔπινον: ἐρευθιόωντι δὲ μαζῷ

  20 οἶνον ἐρευγομένη κραναὴ πορφύρετο πέτρη,

  γλεῦκος ἀμοσχεύτοιο διαβλύζουσα κολώνης

  ἡδυπότοις λιβάδεσσι: καὶ αὐτοχύτων ἀπὸ κόλπων

  λαρὰ μελιρραθάμιγγος ἐλείβετο δῶρα μελίσσης,

  σίμβλων οὐ χατέοντα: καὶ ἀρτιτόκων ἀπὸ θάμνων

  25 ἄγχνοον ὀξυέθειρος ἀνέδραμε μῆλον ἀκάνθης:

  αὐτομάτου δὲ χυθέντος ἐπ᾽ ἀκρεμόνεσσιν ἐλαίου

  ἰκμάσιν ἀθλιβέεσσιν ἐλούετο δένδρον Ἀθήνης.

  [16] The fountain, though but water, turned white and poured a stream of snowy milk; in the hollow of the torrent the Naiads bathed in milky streams and drank the white milk. The rough rock spilled out wine from red nipples, and stained itself deep, as the must welled over the unplanted hill in showers sweet to drink; the pleasant gifts of the honeydropping bee dribbled from holes of themselves without need of hives; from newsprouting bushes of spikyhair thorn sprang up softbloom apples; oil poured of itself on the twigs of Athena’s tree, and bathed it in unpressed drops.

  καὶ κύνας ὀρχηστῆρας ἐπηχύνοντο λαγωοί:

  μηκεδανοὶ δὲ δράκοντες ἐβακχεύοντο χορείῃ

  30 ἴχνια λιχμώοντες ἐχιδνοκόμου Διονύσου,

  αὐχένα δοχμώσαντες, ἀνήρυγε δ᾽ ἄλλος ἐπ᾽ ἄλλῳ

  μειλίχιον σύριγμα γεγηθότος ἀνθερεῶνος:

  τερπομένου δὲ δράκοντος ἔην τότε ῥυθμὸς ἐχέφρων,

  καὶ δολιχῆς ἐλέλικτο περίπλοκος ὁλκὸς ἀκάνθης

  35 ποσσὶν ἀδειμάντοισι περισκαίρων Διονύσου:

  Ἰνδῴην δ᾽ ἑλικηδὸν ἐπισκαίροντες ἐρίπνην

  τίγριδες ἑψιόωντο: πολὺς δέ τις ἔνδοθι λόχμης

  ἐσμὸς ἀνεσκίρτησεν ὀρεσσινόμων ἐλεφάντων.

  [28] Hares embraced the dancing dogs; long serpents joined in the merry dance, curving down their heads and licking the footprints of snake-hair Dionysos, and one after another blew out gentle hisses from glad throats; there was method in the movements of the happy reptiles, as the interlacing coils of their long spines skipt about Dionysos on fearless feet. Tigers jumped round and round in play on the Indian precipices; a great swarm of hillranging elephants went skipping in the forest glades.

  καὶ τότε παιπαλόεντα κατ᾽ ἄγκεα Πᾶνες ἀλῆται

  40 δύσβατα λεπταλέῃσι διέτρεχον οὔρεα χηλαῖς

  φρικτά, τά μὴ θρασὺς ὄρνις ἐπέπτατο κοῦφος ὁδίτης...

  ὑψιπόρων πτερύγων διεμέτρεε δίζυγι παλμῷ

  καὶ δονέων πλοκαμῖδα παρήορον ἀνθερεῶνος

  σύννομος ἀντεχόρευε λέων βητάρμονι κάπρῳ:

  45 ἀνδρομέης δ᾽ ὄρνιθες ἀνέκλαγον εἰκόνα μολπῆς

  μιμηλὴν ἀτέλεστον ὑποκλέπτοντες ἰωήν,

  νίκην Ἰνδοφόνοιο προθεσπίζοντες ἀγῶνος,

  καὶ χλοεροῖς μελέεσσι παρήορον ὄρθιον οὐρὴν

  ἐκταδὸν αἰθύσσοντες: ὁμοζήλῳ δὲ χορείῃ

  50 πόρδαλις ὑψιπότητος ἐπέτρεχε σύνδρομος ἄρκτῳ.

  καὶ βαλίων σκυλάκων ἀνεσείρασεν Ἄρτεμις ὁρμὴν

  μειλιχίης ὁρόωσα χοροίτυπον ἅλμα λεαίνης:

  αἰδομένη δ᾽ εὔκυκλον ἑὴν ἀνελύσατο νευρή
ν,

  τερπομένους μὴ θῆρας ὀιστεύσειε βελέμνοις.

  [39] The Pans then, roaming about the craggy ravines sped on nimble hooves through the trackless hills; in terrible places, where even that light traveller the bird would not dare to fly, or traverse with his pair of beating wings in his lofty course. The lion shook the mane hanging about his jaws, and danced in partnership with the tripping boar. Birds squawked an image of human speech, and borrowing the war-cry half mimicked, they prophesied victory in the Indian struggle, and shook the tail straight out along their green bodies. The panther dancing with equal spirit, leapt high with a bear for partner. Artemis checked the rush of her swift hounds, when she saw the romping leaps of a lioness now tame, and slackened for very shame the string of her bended bow, that she might not shoot the happy beasts with her arrows.

  55 καί τις ἐσαθρήσας ἑτερότροπα θαύματα Βάκχου,

  ὄμμα βαλὼν πυκινοῖο δι᾽ ἀκροτάτοιο κορύμβου,

  φύλλα περιστείλας θηήτορα κύκλον ὀπωπῆς,

  τόσσον ἰδεῖν μεθέηκεν, ὅσον περιδέρκεται ἀνὴρ

  ὄμμασι ποιητοῖσι διοπτεύων τρυφαλείης,

  60 ἢ ὁπότε τραγικοῖο χοροῦ δεδαημένος ἀνήρ,

  φρικτὸν ἔχων μύκημα τανυφθόγγων ἀπὸ λαιμῶν,

  ἐνδόμυχον τυκτοῖο δι᾽ ὄμματος ὄμμα τιταίνει,

  ψευδαλέον βροτέοιο φέρων ἴνδαλμα προσώπου.

  ὣς ὅ γε θαύματα πάντα λαθὼν ὑπὸ δάσκιον ὕλην

  65 ἀπροϊδὴς ἐδόκευεν ὑποκλέπτοντι προσώπῳ:

  ἀντιβίοις δ᾽ ἤγγειλε: φόβῳ δ᾽ ἐλελίζετο Θουρεὺς

  μεμφόμενος Μορρῆι καὶ ἄφρονι Δηριαδῆι.

  ἔτρεμε δ᾽ Ἰνδὸς ὅμιλος, ἀφειδήσας δὲ κυδοιμοῦ