Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  ὄρθιον ἀκροτάτου τετανυσμένον ἄχρι σιδήρου

  εἰς σκοπὸν εἷλκε βέλεμνον: ἀριστοτόκῳ δ᾽ ἐπὶ νύμφῃ

  νίκης ἐλπίδα πᾶσαν ἐπέτρεπε Καλλιοπείῃ.

  ἐννέα μὲν προέηκε τανυγλώχινας ὀιστούς,

  325 ἐννέα δ᾽ ἄνδρας ἔπεφνεν: ἔην δέ τις ἶσος ἀριθμὸς

  πεμπομένοις βελέεσσι καὶ ὀλλυμένοισι μαχηταῖς:

  ὧν ὁ μὲν ἄκρα μέτωπα διέσχισεν ἰὸς ἀλήτης,

  ὃς δὲ δασυστέρνοιο κατέγραψεν ἄντυγα μαζοῦ,

  ἄλλος ὑπὲρ λαγόνων, ἕτερος δ᾽ ἐπὶ νηδύι πίπτων

  330 μεσσατίῃ πεφόρητο χαρασσομένου κενεῶνος,

  ὃς δὲ διὰ πλευροῖο διέδραμεν, ὅς δὲ φυγόντος

  ὀρθὸς ἀελλήεντι ποδῶν ἐνεπήγνυτο ταρσῷ

  καὶ χθονίῳ σφήκωσεν ὁμοζεύκτῳ πόδα δεσμῷ.

  ἠνεμόεν δὲ βέλεμνον ἀνείρυσεν: ἐκ δὲ φαρέτρης

  335 ἄλλου πεμπομένοιο κατέδραμεν ἄλλος ἐπ᾽ ἄλλῳ

  ἠερίῃ στροφάλιγγι κατάσσυτος ὄμβρος ὀιστῶν.

  ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε χαλκείῳ τις ἐπ᾽ ἄκμονι χαλκὸν ἐλαύνων

  ἀκαμάτῳ ῥαιστῆρι πυρίβρομον ἦχον ἰάλλει,

  τύπτων γείτονα μύδρον, ἀποθρῴσκουσι δὲ πολλοὶ

  340 ἁλλόμενοι σπινθῆρες ἀρασσομένοιο σιδήρου,

  ἠέρα θερμαίνοντες, ἀμοιβαίῃσι δὲ ῥιπαῖς

  ὅς μὲν ἔην προκέλευθος, ὁ δὲ σχεδόν, ἅλλος ὀρούσας

  ἄλλον ἔτι θρῴσκοντα κιχάνεται αἴθοπι παλμῷ:

  ὣς ὅ γε τοξεύων στρατιὴν ἀντώπιον Ἰνδῶν

  345 μαρναμένων ἐκέδασσεν ἀλωφήτων ἀπὸ τόξων,

  κτείνων ἄλλοθεν ἄλλον ἐπασσυτέροισι βελέμνοις.

  μεσσατίης δὲ φάλαγγος ἀλευαμένης νέφος ἰῶν

  χῶρος ἐγυμνώθη, κεραῆς ἴνδαλμα Σελήνης,

  ἀμφιφαής ὅτε βαιὸν ἀποστίλβουσα κεραίης

  350 ἄκρα διαπλήσασα δύω νεοφεγγέος αἴγλης

  κεκλιμέναις ἀκτῖσι μέσον κύκλοιο χαράσσει,

  δίζυγι κεκριμένῳ μαλακῷ πυρί: μεσσατίης δὲ

  γυμνὰ χαρασσομένης ἔτι φαίνετο κύκλα Σελήνης.

  [320] (Oiagros was still fighting.) He bent his bow, fitted a shaft to the string, and drew it right back to the tip of the iron and let fly at the mark, trusting all hopes of victory to his bride Calliopeia, mother of a noble son. Nine longbarbed arrows he shot, nine men he slew — one number for the arrows let fly and the warriors killed. One flying shaft pierced a forehead, one cut the round of a hairy breast, another fell on a flank, another upon a belly and dug deep into the hollow middle. Again one went through a side, another caught a running man on the sole of his storming foot and nailed the foot close fastened to the earth. Again he drew back a windswift shaft: and from that quiver another flew, and a shower of arrows went one after another hurtling through the air. As when a man hammers metal on a smith’s anvil, and rings the fiery clinks with unwearied sledge beating the mass below, the sparks leap out in showers, spurting when the iron is struck, and heat the air; under blow after blow first one goes up then another, one leaps after another and catches it leaping in its fiery course: so he shooting at the Indian host before him scattered the warriors with arrows without respite, slaying on all sides with the incessant shafts. The centre of the line gave way before this cloud of arrows and a space was left clear, like the crescent moon when it shines dim at either horn and fills the two ends with new-lighted sheen, marking off the middle of the orb with receding beams, and the two horns apart gleaming softly, but the middle orb of the moon marked off is yet seen to be bare.

  οὐδὲ μάχης ἀπέληγε συναιχμάζων Διονύσῳ

  355 Αἰακὸς ἀπτοίητος, ἐβακχεύθη δὲ κυδοιμῷ

  κτείνων ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα: καὶ ἐκ πεδίοιο διώκων

  εἰς προχοὰς ποταμοῖο μετήγαγε λαὸν ἀλήτην.

  συμφερτοὶ δ᾽ ἕνα μοῦνον ἐκυκλώσαντο μαχηταὶ

  τυπτόμενον ξιφέεσσι καὶ οὐκ ἀλέγοντα μαχαίρης,

  360 οὐ βέλεος πτερόεντος: ἐπασσυτέρῃσι δὲ ῥιπαῖς

  κυανέης ἤμησε σιδήρεα λήια χάρμης

  κραιπνὸς ἀνὴρ καὶ πᾶσιν ἐμάρνατο, τοὺς μὲν ἐπ᾽ ὄχθαις,

  τοὺς δὲ κάτω ποταμοῖο μαχήμονι χειρὶ δαΐζων:

  καὶ νεκύων ἔπλησεν ὅλον ῥόον: ὀλλυμένων δὲ

  365 αἵματι μορμύρων ἐρυθαίνετο λευκὸς Ὑδάσπης.

  καί τις ἀνήρ προμάχοιο φυγὼν ἀνεμώδεα ῥιπὴν

  κύμβαχος αὐτοκύλιστος ἐπωλίσθησε ῥεέθρῳ,

  καὶ πολὺς ἀρτιδάικτος ἀκοντιστῆρι σιδήρῳ

  σύρετο κυματόεντι νέκυς πεφορημένος ὁλκῷ

  370 οἰδαλέοις μελέεσσιν: ὑποβρυχίοιο δὲ λύθρου

  νηιάδες λούσαντο δαφοινήεντι ῥεέθρῳ,

  καὶ φονίαις λιβάδεσσιν ἐφοινίχθη μέλαν ὕδωρ.

  πολλοὶ δ᾽ ἐν προχοῇσιν ἀπορρίψαντες ἀκωκὴν

  ἱκεσίην ἀνέφαινον ἀτευχέες, ὅς μὲν ἐπ᾽ ὄχθαις,

  375 ὃς δὲ παρὰ ψαμάθοις τετανυσμένος, ὅς δ᾽ ἐπὶ γαίῃ

  ὄρθιος ὀκλάζων, κυρτούμενον αὐχένα κάμπτων:

  ἀλλὰ λιτὰς ἀπέειπεν ἄνω νεύοντι προσώπῳ

  Αἰακὸς ἀντιβίοισιν ἀκαμπέα μῆνιν ἀέξων:

  αἰχμητὴν δ᾽ ἀσίδηρον ἔτι ψαύοντα λιτάων

  380 οὐχ ἕνα μοῦνον ἔπεφνε Λυκάονα, δυσμενέας δὲ

  χερσὶν ἀθωρήκτοισι κυλινδομένους ἐπὶ γαίῃ

  νηρίθμους κεράιζε, ῥόον ποταμοῖο μιαίνων:

  καὶ πολὺν Ἀστεροπαῖον ἐδέξατο νεκρὸν Ὑδάσπης.

  [354] Nor did Aiacos slacken fight, that fearless ally of Dionysos, but he moved furious in the fray killing here and killing there; he chased the people away from the plain and drove them into the river flood. The warriors gathered around him, alone in their midst, struck by their swords and not caring for sabre-stroke nor winged shot. With incessant swoops he reaped the iron harvest of black battle, that stirring hero, and fought them all, slaying some on the banks, some down in the river with battling hand. He filled the whole stream with corpses; white Hydaspes turned red, boiling with the blood of the slain. One man to escape the champion, rushing like the wind, dived of himself, tumbling into the stream; many a corpse newly slain by that darting ste
el was carried floating upon the billowy flood with swollen limbs. The blood ran deep, and the Naiads washed in gory water, the black water reddened with clots of blood. Many threw away their spears in the river and offered supplication unarmed, this on the bank, that stretched on the sand, one again on land kneeling upright and bending an arched neck. But Aiacos threw up his head refusing their prayers, and let his unbending wrath grow against his adversaries. Not one Lycaon alone did he slay, a warrior unarmed and still praying for mercy; but innumerable enemies he destroyed, rolling over and over on the earth with unweaponed hands, and defiled the running river: many a dead Asteropaios Hydaspes received.

  Οὐδ᾽ ἀθεεὶ πολέμιζε καὶ Αἰακός: ἀντιβίους γάρ,

  385 ὡς γενέτης Πηλῆος, ἔσω ποταμοῖο δαΐζων

  ἰκμαλέον μόθον εἶχε καὶ ὑδατόεσσαν Ἐνυώ,

  οἷα προθεσπίζων ποταμοῦ περὶ χεῦμα Καμάνδρου

  φύλοπιν ἡμιτέλεστον ἐπεσσομένην Ἀχιλῆι:

  καὶ μόθον υἱωνοῖο μόθος μαντεύσατο πάππου.

  [384] Not without God’s help Aiacos also fought. As befitted the father of Peleus, he slew his enemies in the river, a watery battle, a conflict among the waves, as if to foretell the unfinished battle for Achilles in time to come at the river Camandros: the grandfather’s battle prophesied the grandson’s conflict.

  390 καί τις ἐνὶ προχοῇσιν ἀσάμβαλος ἴαχε Νύμφη

  νηιὰς ἀκρήδεμνος ὑπερκύψασα ῥοάων:

  [390] And a Naiad Nymph in the river unshod, unveiled, peeped out of the stream and cried —

  ‘Νηιάδων ὁμόφυλε, Διιπετὲς αἷμα κομίζων,

  ἁγνὸν ὕδωρ ἐλέαιρε Διιπετέος ποταμοῖο.

  ἄρκιον Ἰνδὸν ὄλεσσε τεὸν δόρυ: παύεο Νύμφαις

  395 δάκρυα Νηιάδεσσιν ἀδακρύτοισιν ἐγείρων:

  νηιὰς ὑδατόεσσα καὶ ὑμετέρη πέλε μήτηρ:

  κούρην γὰρ ποταμοῖο τεὴν Αἴγιναν ἀκούω.

  μνώεο, τίς σε λόχευσε, καὶ οὐκέτι χεῦμα μιαίνεις.

  ἵξομαι εἰς ῥόον ἄλλον ἀκήρατον, εἰς ἄλα βαίνω.

  400 καί με θαλασσαίη δέχεται Θέτις: ἀλλὰ μελέσθω

  αἱματόεις ῥόος οὗτος Ἐρινύι καὶ Διονύσῳ.’

  [392] “Kinsman of the Naiads! with the blood of Zeus in your veins! Pity the holy water of the river that fell from Zeus! Indians enough your spear has destroyed. Cease to call for the tears from the tearless Naiad Nymphs! A Naiad of the water was your own mother; yes, I hear that your Aigina was a river’s daughter. Think who brought you forth, and you will no longer defile a river. I will go away to another stream, one without stain, I will go down to the sea, and seaborn Thetis is ready to receive me. Let this river of blood be the care of Erinys and Dionysos.”

  BOOK 23

  εἰκοστῷ τριτάτῳ πεπερημένον Ἰνδὸν Ὑδάσπην

  καὶ κλόνον ὑδατόεντα καὶ αἰθαλόεντα λιγαίνω.

  ὣς φαμένη πατρῷον ἐδύσατο φοίνιον ὕδωρ

  νηιὰς ὑδατόεσσα διάβροχος αἵματι Νύμφη.

  αὐτὰρ ὁ βάρβαρα φῦλα παρ᾽ ᾐόνας ἄορι τύπτων

  εἰς προχοὰς ἔτρεψε: διωκόμενοι δὲ σιδήρῳ

  5 δυσμενέες κτείνοντο φόβῳ στείνοντες Ὑδάσπην.

  καὶ πολὺς ἐν ῥοθίοισι πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ἑλίσσων

  νηχομένους μιμεῖτο, καὶ ἤθελε πότμον ἀλύξαι

  χερσὶν ἀπειρήτοις ποταμήια χεύματα τέμνων:

  ἀλλὰ ῥόῳ κεκάλυπτο: καὶ ὕδασιν ἄλλος ἐπ᾽ ἄλλῳ

  10 ἔγκυος οἰδαίνων διερῷ τυμβεύετο πότμῳ.

  BOOK XXIII

  In the twenty - third I sing Indian Hydaspes crossed, and the affray of water and fire.

  So spoke the Nymph, the Naiad of the waters, and soaked in blood plunged into the bloodstained water of her father. But Aiacos drove the barbarian hordes along the banks into the flood, striking with his sword; the enemy pursued by the steel died in their rout and choked the river Hydaspes. Many a one in the flood stretched legs and arms in the manner of swimmers, and tried to escape his fate by cutting the stream with inexperienced hands, yet he was swallowed in the water; one upon another swollen big with water there found a floating grave.

  Οὐδ᾽ ἐπὶ δὴν παρὰ θῖνα φερεσσακέος ποταμοῖο

  πληθύι τοσσατίῃ φονίων κυκλούμενος Ἰνδῶν

  Αἰακὸς εἰσέτι μίμνεν, ἐπεὶ μογέοντι παρέστη

  Ἰνδοφόνος Διόνυσος ἀκαχμένα θύρσα τινάσσων.

  15 ἔνθα πολὺν στρατὸν ἄλλον ἀφειδέι δούρατι νύσσων

  Αἰακὸς ἐπρήνιξεν: ἐμαίνετο δ᾽ οἷά περ Ἄρης,

  σύνδρομος εὐθώρηκι κασιγνήτῳ Διονύσῳ.

  [11] But Aiacos had not long to wait on the bank of the shieldstrewn river, surrounded by all that multitude of deadly foes, for Dionysos Indianslayer was beside him at his need, shaking the sharpened wand. Then Aiacos laid low a great host besides, piercing them with unsparing spear; furious as Ares he was by the side of his corseleted brother Dionysos.

  καὶ διερῇ Διόνυσος ὁμίλεε σύζυγι χάρμῃ

  ὑγρὸν ἐπ᾽ ἀντιβίοισι φέρων μόρον. εἰ δέ τις ἀνὴρ

  20 νήχετο δαιδαλέης ὑπὲρ ἀσπίδος οἴδματα τέμνων,

  νηχομένων κεράιξε μετάφρενον: εἰ δέ τις Ἰνδῶν

  ἡμιφανὴς πολέμιζεν ἐπ᾽ ἰλύι ταρσὸν ἐρείσας,

  θύρσῳ στῆθος ἔτυψεν ἣ αὐχένα, κύματα τέμνων,

  δυομένων: βυθίων γὰρ ἐπίστατο κόλπον ἐναύλων,

  25 ἐξ ὅτε μιν φεύγοντα μόθον δασπλῆτα Λυκούργου

  δώματι κυμαίνοντι γέρων ὑπεδέξατο Νηρεύς.

  πολλοὶ δ᾽ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα περικλείοντο ῥεέθρῳ,

  υἷα Διὸς τρομέοντες ὀρίδρομον, ὧν ὁ μὲν αὐτῶν

  ὄρθιος ἰλυόεντι πόδας σφηκώσατο πηλῷ,

  30 αὐτοπαγὴς δ᾽ ἀτίνακτος ἀπ᾽ ἰξύος ἄχρι καρήνου

  ἡμιφανὴς ἀνέτελλε καλυπτομένην πτύχα μηροῦ:

  καὶ Βρομίῳ πολέμιζεν ἐν ὕδασι μᾶλλον ἀρούρης

  ἀμφοτέραις παλάμαις διδυμάονα δούρατα πάλλων:

  καὶ τὸ μὲν αἰχμάζεσκεν ἐς ᾐόνας ὑψόσε πέμπων,

  35 Αἰακὸν ἀντικέλευθον ἔχων σκοπόν, ἄλλο δὲ σείσας

  ἔγχος ἀνουτήτοιο κατηκόντιζε Λυαίου.

  καί τις ἐνεστήρικτο μέσον κενεῶνα καλύπτων,

  ὃς δὲ φυγεῖν οὐχ εὗρε, τετυμμένος ὀξέι θύρσῳ,

  ἴχνια πηλώεντι φέρων πεπεδημένα δεσμῷ,

>   40 ταρσὸν ἔχων ψαμάθοισι κατάσχετον: ἵστατο δ᾽ ἄλλος

  κνήμης βαλλομένης: ὁ δὲ γούνατος ἄκρα διαίνων

  ὑγρὴν αἱμαλέοιο δι᾽ ὕδατος εἶχεν Ἐνυώ:

  ἄλλος ἐνερρίζωτο δεδυκότος ἄχρι γενείου,

  καὶ πόδας ᾐώρησε λελουμένον ὦμον ἀείρων,

  45 φεύγων φρικτὰ ῥέεθρα καταΐσσοντα προσώπου:

  ἄλλος ἐνὶ προχοῇσιν ὅλον δέμας ἐκ ποδὸς ἄκρου

  ἄχρι μέσου στέρνοιο κατάρρυτος, ὃς δὲ διαίνων

  ὤμους διχθαδίους, ὁ δὲ βόστρυχον ἄκρον ἐρεύσας

  δέχνυτο κυματόεσσαν ἐπαΐσσουσαν ἀπειλήν.

  50 εἰς βυθὸν ἄλλος ἔδυνε διάβροχα χείλεα σείων

  ἀνδροφόνον παρὰ χεῦμα σεσηρότος ἀνθερεῶνος.

  [18] Then Dionysos joined with him in the watery battle, and brought a drowning death to his foes. If some man swam by cutting through the waves on his wellmade shield, he thrust him through the back as he swam. If an Indian showed fight half under water and standing on the mud, he struck breast or neck with his wand, wading in among the drowning men; for he knew the deep bosom of the waters, ever since he fled from the murderous attack of Lycurgos, and ancient Nereus had entertained him in his billowy dwelling. Many on this side and that plunged into the stream in fear of the hillranging son of Zeus. One stood upright with feet held firmly in the slimy mud, selfstuck, immovable, half-visible from loins to head; then lifting the hidden fork of the thigh he fought better against Bromios in water than on land, for he cast two lances from his two hands; one he let fly towards the bank, sending it up high, with Aiacos as his target, who was approaching; the other he poised and threw at Lyaios the invulnerable. Another stood firmly, covered to midbelly; and he could not escape, but the sharp wand struck him as he dragged his clogged feet through the fettering mud, and his soles were stayed in the sands. There was another, stopt by a wound in the calf; the river just reached his knee, and fought a wet warfare through the bloody water. Another rooted to the bottom was submerged over the chin, and tried to lift his feet so as to get a shoulder clear of the water, trying to escape the terrible flood which dashed in his face. Others with the whole body covered from the toes to the middle of the chest, or with both shoulders in the wet, or with red on the hair of his head, awaited the threatening attack of the waves. Another with wet lips palpitating and grinning teeth sank into the deathdealing stream.