Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  ἀμβολίῃ πολέμοιο: φόβῳ δ᾽ ἐλελίζετο Γάγγης

  οἰκτείρων ἑὰ τέκνα: νεοφθιμένων δ᾽ ἐπὶ πότμῳ

  275 πᾶσα πόλις δεδόνητο: φιλοθρήνων δὲ γυναικῶν

  πενθαλέοις πατάγοισιν ἐπεσμαράγησαν ἀγυιαί.

  [271] So on the fertile slopes of the Indian forest sat the host of Bacchos, at home on the lonely rocks, during this pause in the war. Ganges was shaken with fear, pitying his children; all the city was moved at the fate of the lately dead; the streets resounded with the mournful noise of the women’s dirge.

  Δηριάδην δ᾽ ἐλέλιζε φόβος καὶ θαῦμα καὶ αἰδώς:

  ἤδη γὰρ κλύε πάντα: τὸ δὲ πλέον ὄμματι λοξῷ

  ἄχνυτο παπταίνων, ὅτι θέσκελον εἶδος ἀμείψας

  280 οἴνῳ κυματόεντι μέλας κελάρυζεν Ὑδάσπης.

  [277] Deriades was shaken with fear and wonder and shame, for he had already heard all; and most deeply was he grieved when he saw by a glance aside that Hydaspes had lost his divine aspect, and murmured black with waves of wine.

  κεῖθι καὶ εὐρυγένειος ἑὸν πόδα νωθρὸν ἑλίσσων

  κάμμορος ἀχλυόεσσαν ἔχων ἀλαωπὸν ὀμίχλην,

  ξανθὴν λυσιπόνοιο μέθης ἔρραινεν ἐέρσην

  ὄμμασι κολλητοῖσιν: ἀρυομένου δὲ προσώπου

  285 οἰνωπὰς ῥαθάμιγγας ἀνωίχθησαν ὀπωπαί:

  τερπομένοις δὲ πόδεσσι γέρων ἐχόρευε λιγαίνων

  ἰκμάδα φοινίσσουσαν ἀλεξικάκου ποταμοῖο:

  χερσὶ δὲ γηραλέῃσι ῥόον νεφεληδὸν ἀφύσσων

  πορφυρέης ἔπλησε μέθης εὐώδεας ἀσκούς,

  290 καὶ Διὶ βωμὸν ἀνῆψε καὶ οἰνοχύτῳ Διονύσῳ,

  ἀθρήσας Φαέθοντος ἀήθεος ὄψιμον αἴγλην.

  καὶ κύνας οἰνωθέντας ἐπ᾽ ᾐόνι κοῦρος ἐάσας

  λαρὸν ὕδωρ λάπτοντας ἐρευθομένου ποταμοῖο

  θηρητὴρ ὁμόφοιτος ὀρειάδος ἰοχεαίρης

  295 εἰς πόλιν ἴχνος ἔκαμψεν, ἀπειθέι Δηριαδῆι

  ἀγγέλλων γλυκὺ χεῦμα μεθυσφαλέος ποταμοῖο.

  [281] In that place was an old broadbeard moving with a slow step, since the hapless man was in the dark shadow of blindness. He sprinkled the yellow drops of the no-more-pain liquor upon his fast-closed eyes; and as his face felt the drops of wine, his eyes were opened. The old man danced for joy, and praised the purple juice of the evil-averting river; then with his old hands he ladled up the purple liquor in torrents, and filled his fragrant skins, and kindled the altar for Zeus and Dionysos giver of wine, now he had seen at last the sun which he had not seen for so long. A lad hunting on the mountains with the Archeress left his dogs on the river bank, drunken and lapping the rich water of the reddening river, and returned to the city, to tell incredulous Deriades about the sweet stream of the drunk-reeling river.

  ἤδη δ᾽ ἀμπελόεσσα δι᾽ ἄστεος ἔτρεχεν ὀδμὴ

  καὶ λιαροῖς ἀνέμοισιν ὅλας ἐμέθυσσεν ἀγυιάς,

  νίκην Ἰνδοφόνοιο προθεσπίζουσα Λυαίου:

  300 πύργοις δ᾽ ἠλιβάτοισιν ἐναυλίζοντο πολῖται

  δειδιότες, καὶ τεῖχος ἐμιτρώσαντο βοείαις

  ἄστεος ὑψιλόφοιο φυλάκτορες. ὲν δὲ κολώναις

  ἀσχαλόων Διόνυσος ἐμέμφετο πολλάκις Ἥρῃ,

  ὅττι πάλιν φθονέουσα μάχην ἀνεσείρασεν Ἰνδῶν,

  πλησαμένης δέκα κύκλα παλιννόστοιο Σελήνης

  μετρήσασα μόθοιο τριηκοστῆς δρόμον Ἠοῦς:

  305 νίκης δ᾽ ἐλπίδα πᾶσαν ἀνερρίπιζον ἀῆται.

  παπταίνων δὲ λέοντας ἀεργηλῇ παρὰ φάτνῃ,

  οἶα λέων βρυχᾶτο καὶ ἔστενεν ἔνδοθι λόχμης

  310 ὄμμασιν ἀκλαύτοισι: κατηφιόωντι δὲ Βάκχῳ

  ἑλκεχίτων Σκυθικοῖο δι᾽ οὔρεος ἄσπορος Ἄττις

  ἵκετο μαστίζων μετανάστιον ἄρμα λεόντων,

  Ῥείης θεσπεσίης ταχὺς ἄγγελος, ὅς ποτε χαλκῷ

  φοινίξας γονόεντα τελεσσιγάμου στάχυν ἥβης

  315 ῥῖψεν ἀνυμφεύτων φιλοτήσιον ὄγμον ἀρότρων,

  ἄρσενος ἀμητοῖο θαλύσιον, αἱμαλέῃ δέ

  παιδογόνῳ ῥαθάμιγγι περιρραίνων πτύχα μηροῦ

  θερμὸν ἀλοιητῆρι δέμας θήλυνε σιδήρῳ:

  ὃς τότε διφρεύων Κυβεληίδος ἅρμα θεαίνης

  320 ἄγγελος ἀσχαλόωντι παρήγορος ἦλθε Λυαίῳ:

  καί μιν ἰδὼν Διόνυσος ἀνέδραμε, μὴ σχεδὸν ἔλθῃ

  Ῥείην πανδαμάτειραν ἄγων ἐπὶ φύλοπιν Ἰνδῶν.

  στήσας δ᾽ ἄγριον ἅρμα, δι᾽ ἄντυγος ἡνία τείνας,

  καὶ ῥοδέης ἀχάρακτα γενειάδος ἄκρα φαείνων

  325 Βάκχῳ μῦθον ἔλεξε, χέων ὀξεῖαν ἰωήν:

  [297] Already the scent of the vine was spreading through the city on the soft warm breeze, and intoxicating all the streets, foretelling victory for Indian-slaying Lyaios. The people spent the night on the lofty towers in fear, and the guards of the highcrested citadel lined its wall with their shields. On the hills, Dionysos often angrily reproached Hera, that she had again checked his battle with the Indians for jealousy, having measured a course of thirty dawns for the battle after the moon returning again and again had fulfilled ten circuits, while the winds scattered all his hopes of victory. When he saw the lions idle beside their manger, he roared like a lion and mourned in the woods with tearless eyes. But while Bacchos was thus despondent, came a messenger in haste through the Scythian mountains from divine Rheia, sterile Attis in his trailing robe, whipping up the travelling team of lions. He once had stained with a knife the creative stalk of marriage-consecrating youth, and threw away the burden of the plowshare without love or wedlock, the man’s harvest-offering; so he showered upon his two thighs the bloody generative drops, and made womanish his warm body with the shearing steel. This was the messenger who came driving the car of goddess Cybele, to comfort discouraged Lyaios. Seeing him Dionysos sprang up, thinking perchance he might have brought the allconquering Rheia to the Indian War. Attis checked the wild team, and hung the reins on the handrail, and disclosing the smooth surface of his rosy cheeks, called out a flood of loud words to Bacchos —

  ‘ἀμπελόεις Διόνυσε, Διὸς τέκος, ἔγγονε Ῥείης,

  εἰπέ μοι εἰρομένῳ, πότε νόστιμος εἰς χθόνα Λυδῶν

  ἵξεαι οὐλοκάρηνον ἀιστώσας γένος Ἰωδῶν;

  οὔ πω ληιδίας κυανόχροας ἔδρακε Ῥείη,

  330 οὔ πω σοὶ μετὰ δῆριν ὀρεσσαύλῳ παρὰ φάτνῃr />
  Μυγδονίων ἔσμηξε τεῶν ἱδρῶτα λεόντων

  Πακτωλοῦ παρὰ χεῦμα ῥυηφενές: ἀλλὰ κυδοιμοῦ

  ἄψοφον ἀενάων ἐτέων στροφάλιγγα κυλίνδεις:

  οὔ πω θηροκόμῳ θεομήτορι σύμβολα νίκης

  335 Ἰνδῴων ἐκόμισσας ἑώια φῦλα λεόντων.

  ἀλλὰ παρ᾽ Ἡφαίστοιο καὶ ἀθανάτης σέο Ῥείης

  δέχνυσο τεύχεα ταῦτα, τά περ κάμε Λήμνιος ἄκμων,

  σὺν χθονὶ πόντον ἔχοντα καὶ αἰθέρα καἰ χορὸν ἄστρων.’

  [326] “Dionysos of the vine, son of Zeus, offspring of Rheia! Answer me: when will you destroy the woollyheaded nation of Indians and come back to the Lydian land? Not yet has Rheia seen your blackskin captives; not yet has she wiped off the sweat from your Mygdonian lions after the war, beside the highland manger, where the rich river of Pactolos runs; but without a sound you roll out the conflict through circuits of everlasting years! Not yet have you brought a herd of eastern lions from India as a token of victory for the breeder of beasts, the mother of gods! Very well, accept from Hephaistos and your immortal Rheia this armour which the Lemnian anvil made b; you will see upon it earth and sea, the sky and the company of stars!”

  οὕ πω μῦθος ἔληγε, καἰ ἴαχε Βάκχος ἀγήνωρ:

  [339] Before he had finished, Bacchos called out angrily —

  340 ‘σχέτλιοί εἰσι θεοί, ζηλήμονες: ἐν πολέμοις μέν

  εἰς μίαν ἠριγένειαν ἀιστῶσαι πόλιν Ἰωδῶν

  ἔγχεϊ κισσήεντι δυνήσομαι: ἀλλά με νίκης

  μητρυιῆς ἀέκοντα παραπλάζει φθόνος Ἥρης.

  ἀμφαδὰ Δηριάδῃ πρόμος ἵσταται ἄγριος Ἄρης

  345 μαρνάμενος Σατύροισιν: ἐγὼ δέ ἑ πολλάκι θύρσῳ

  οὐτῆσαι μενέαινον: ἀπειλήσας δὲ Κρονίων

  βρονταίοις πατάγοισιν ἐμὴν ἀνεσείρασεν ὁρμήν.

  ἀλλὰ βαρυσμαράγων νεφέων κτύπον οὐράνιος Ζεὺς

  σήμερον εὐνήσειε, καὶ αὔριον Ἄρεα δήσω,

  350 εἰσόκεν εὐπήληκα διατμήξω στάχυν Ἰωδῶν.’

  [340] “Hard are the gods, and jealous! In my war I can destroy the Indian city in one day with my ivy-bound spear: but the jealousy of stepmother Hera keeps me back from victory, do what I will. Furious Ares openly stands up as champion for Deriades, and assails my Satyrs. Often I have meant to wound him with my wand, but Cronion menacing with claps of thunder has checked my attack. Just let heavenly Zeus for this day give rest to the noise of his heavy-rattling clouds, and to-morrow I will shackle Ares until I cut down the harvest of helmeted Indians!”

  ὣς φάμενον Διόνυσον ἀμείβετο Λύδιος Ἄττις:

  [351] Lydian Attis answered these words of Dionysos:

  ‘αἰθέρος ἀστερόεσσαν ἀνούτατον ἀσπίδα πάλλων,

  ὦ φίλος, οὐ τρομέοις χόλον Ἄρεος, οὐ φθόνον Ἤρης;

  355 οὐ στρατὸν ἀγκυλότοξον, ὅπως μὴ δούρατα πέμπων

  ἠέλιον πλήξειεν ἢ οὐτήσειε Σελήνην.

  τίς ξίφος Ὠρίωνος ἀμαλδύνειε μαχαίρῃ,

  ἢ χθονίοις βελέεσσιν ὀιστεύσειε Βοώτην;

  ἀλλ᾽ ἐρέεις γενέτην κεραελκέα Δηριαδῆος:

  360 ὠκεανὸν φορέοντι τί σοι ῥέξειεν Ὑδάσπης;

  [352] “If you carry this starry shield of the sky inviolate, my friend, you need not tremble before the wrath of Ares, or the jealousy of Hera, or all the company of the Blessed, while Allmother Rheia is with you; you need fear no army with bended bows, lest they cast their spears and strike Helios or wound Selene! Who could blunt the sword of Orion with a knife, or shoot the Waggoner with earthly arrows? Perhaps you will name the hornstrong father of Deriades: but what could Hydaspes do to you, when you can bring in Oceanos?

  θαρσήεις πολέμιζε τὸ δεύτερον, ὅττι κυδοιμοῦ

  νίκην ὀψιτέλεστον ἐμὴ μαντεύσατο Ῥείη:

  οὐ γὰρ πρὶν πολέμου τέλος ἔσσεται, εἰσόκε χάρμης

  ἕκτον ἀναπλήσωσιν ἔτος τετράζυγες Ὧραι:

  365 οὕτω γὰρ Διὸς ὄμμα καἰ ἀτρέπτου λίνα Μοίρης

  νεύμασιν Ἡραίοισιν ἐπέτρεπον: ἐσσομένῳ δὲ

  ἑβδομάτῳ λυκάβαντι διαρραίσεις πόλιν Ἰνδῶν.’

  [361] “Be of good courage: to the battle again! for my Rheia has prophesied victory for you at last. The war shall not end until the four Seasons complete the sixth year. So much the eye of Zeus and the threads of the unturning Fate have granted to the will of Hera; in the seventh lichtgang which follows, you shall destroy the Indian city.”

  ὥς εἰπὼν Βρομίῳ πόρεν ἀσπίδα: καὶ φρένα τέρπων

  οἴνου λυσιπόνοιο φιλακρήτοισι κυπέλλοις

  370 εἰλαπίνης ἔψαυσεν: ἀρεσσάμενος δέ τραπέζῃ

  θυμὸν ἑὸν παλίνορσος ἐμάστιε νῶτα λεόντων,

  νόστιμον εἰς Φρυγίην ὀρεσίδρομον ἄρμα νομεύων.

  Καυκασίων δ᾽ ἤλαυνε παρὰ πρηῶνας ἐναύλων,

  Ἀσσυρίων δέ κάρηνα καἰ οὔρεα δύσβατα Βάκτρων

  375 καὶ σκοπιὰς Λιβάνοιο παρήλυθε καὶ ῥία Ταύρου,

  εἰσόκε Μαιονίης ἐπέβη χθονός: αὐτοπαγῆ δὲ

  Ῥείης ὀβριμόπαιδος ἐδύσατο θέσκελον αὐλήν:

  ὠμοβόρους δὲ λέοντας ἀπεσφήκωσε λεπάδνων,

  φάτνης δ᾽ ἐγγὺς ἔδησε καὶ ἀμβροσίην πόρε φορβήν.

  [368] With these words he handed the shield to Bromios; then he tasted of the feast, and cheered his heart with unmixed cups of nomorepain wine. When he had satisfied his appetite at table, once more he touched up the flanks of his lions with the whip, and guided the hillranging car on the road back to Phrygia. He drove along the heights above the Caucasian valleys, the Assyrian peaks and the dangerous Bactrian mountains, the summits of Libanos and the crests of Tauros, until he passed into the Maionian land. There he entered the divine precinct selfbuilt of Rheia, mother of mighty sons. He freed his ravening lions from the yokestraps, and haltered them at the manger which he filled with ambrosial fodder.

  380 αὐτὰρ ὁ μητρῴην δεδαημένος ἔνθεον ὀμφὴν

  θυρσομανὴς Διόνυσος ὀρειάσι μίσγετο Βάκχαις,

  καλλείψας ἀνέμοισι κατηφέος ὄγκον ἀνίης,

  χειρὶ σάκος δονέων πολυδαίδαλον, ὅπλον Ὀλύμπου,

  [380] But now that Dionysos had heard the Mother’s inspired message, he mingled thyrsus-mad with the Bacchant women upon the hills. He threw to the winds his burden of anxious pain, as he shook the shield curiously wrought, the shield of Olympos, the clever work of Hephaistos.

  Ἡφαίστου σοφὸν ἔργον. ἀολλίζοντο δὲ λαοί,

  385 ποικίλα παπταίνοντες Ὀ
λύμπια θαύματα τέχνης,

  θαύματα μαρμαίροντα, τά περ κάμεν οὐρανίη χεὶρ

  ἀσπίδα δαιδάλλουσα πολύχροον, ἦς ἐνὶ μέσσῳ

  ἐν μὲν γαῖαν ἔτευξε περίδρομον, ἀμφὶ δὲ γαίῃ

  οὐρανὸν ἐσφαίρωσε χορῷ κεχαραγμένον ἄστρων,

  390 καὶ χθονὶ πόντον ἔτευξεν ὁμόζυγον: αἰθέριον δὲ

  χρυσῷ μὲν φλογέων ἐποχημένον ἄντυγι δίφρων

  ἠέλιον ποίκιλλεν, ἀπ᾽ ἀργυρέου δὲ μετάλλου

  λευκαίνων τροχόεσσαν ὅλην κύκλωσε Σελήνην:

  ἐν δέ τε τείρεα πάντα, τά περ πολυφεγγέι κόσμῳ

  395 μιτρώσας στεφανηδὸν ἕλιξ ποικίλλεται αἰθὴρ

  ἑπτὰ περὶ ζώνῃσι, καὶ ἀξονίῳ παρὰ κύκλῳ

  ἄβροχον οὐρανίης διδυμάονα ῥυμὸν Ἁμάξης:

  ἄμφω γὰρ παρὰ νύσσαν ὑπέρτερον Ὠκεανοῖο

  ἀλλήλων στιχόωσιν ἐπ᾽ ἰξύι, καἰ τόσον αἰεὶ

  400 νειόθι δυομένης κεφαλὴ κατακάμπτεται Ἄρκτου,

  ὅσσον ἀνερχομένης ἑτέρης ἀνατείνεται αὐχήν:

  διχθαδίης δὲ Δράκοντα μέσον ποίκιλλεν Ἁμάξης,

  ὃς σχεδὸν ἀμφοτέρων μεμερισμένα γυῖα συνάπτων

  γαστέρος οὐρανίης ἑλικώδεϊ κάμπτεται ὁλκῷ,

  405 ἄψ ἀνασειράζων δέμας αἰόλον, οἷά τε λοξοῦ

  Μαιάνδρου κελάδοντος ἕλιξ ῥόος, ὅς διὰ γαίης

  δοχμώσας ἐπίκυρτον ὕδωρ σπειρηδὸν ὁδεύει,

  εἰς κεφαλὴν Ἑλίκης ἀντώπιον ὄμμα τιταίνων