Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  90 δεύομαι: Ἰνδῴῳ δὲ παρήμενος ἐσχαρεῶνι

  Βρόντης μὲν βαρύδουπον ἐμοὶ σάλπιγγα τελέσσῃ

  βρονταίοις πατάγοισιν ἰσόκτυπον, ὄφρά κεν εἴην

  Ζεὺς χθόνιος, Στερόπης δὲ νέην ἀντίρροπον αἴγλην

  ἀστεροπῆς τεύξειε καὶ ἐνθάδε: καί μιν ἐλέγξω

  95 μαρνάμενος Σατύροισιν, ἵνα φρένα μᾶλλον ἀμύξῃ

  Δηριάδην κτυπέοντα καὶ ἀστράπτοντα δοκεύων

  ζηλήμων Κρονίδης, πεφοβημένος ὄρχαμον Ἰνδῶν

  ὑψιγόνου φλογόεντος ἀκοντιστῆρα κεραυνοῦ.

  [75] “Bold Aiacos also, who is of kindred blood with Lyaios as they say, offspring of heavenly Zeus, I will smash and send to Hades, the Zeus of the underworld; Zeus will not fly through the air and carry him off. Indeed I hear that many sons of Zeus have been struck down in the past. Dardanos was sprung from Zeus, and he perished; Minos died, and the bullfaced marriage of Zeus did not save him — if he is a judge still in Hades, what do Indians care if Aiacos does become a judge among the dead? If he likes, let him be king of the corpses and monarch of the pit! Do not kill the Earthborn Cyclopeans who touch Olympos with their long limbs, do not transfix them with a spearpoint in belly or neck, let the heavy stroke of bronze pierce their one round eye. — No, kill not the Cyclopeans of the earth, for I want them too: they shall sit in an Indian smithy! Brontes shall make me a heavyrumbling trumpet to mock the thunder’s roar, that I may be an earthly Zeus; Steropes shall make here on earth a new rival lightning: I will try it in fighting against Satyrs that Cronides may be jealous, and tear his heart yet more to see Deriades thundering and lightening — he shall fear the Indian chieftain hurling a newmade fiery thunderbolt!

  τίς φθόνος, εἰ πρηστῆρι μαχήμονα χεῖρα κορύσσω;

  100 μητρὸς ἐμῆς γενέτης, φλογερῶν ἐπιήρανος ἄστρων,

  αὐὸς ὅλος Φαέθων πυρόεις πρόμος: εἰ δὲ τοκῆος

  αἷμα φέρω ποταμοῖο, καὶ ὑδατόεντι βελέμνῳ

  μαρνάμενος μόθον ὑγρὸν ἀναστήσω Διονύσῳ,

  Βάκχων ἐχθρὰ κάρηνα ῥοαῖς ποταμοῖο καλύπτων.

  105 καὶ βυθίων τμήξαντες ἀλοιητῆρι σιδήρῳ

  σώματα Τελχίνων τυμβεύσατε γείτονι πόντῳ,

  πατρὶ Ποσειδάωνι μεμηλότα, δαιδαλέου δὲ

  δίφρου γλαυκὰ λέπαδνα καὶ ὑγροπόρων γένος ἵππων

  νίκης πόντια δῶρα κομίσσατε Δηριαδῆι.

  110 καὶ ναέτην βαρύδεσμον ἀπειρώδινος Ἀθήνης

  Ἡφαίστου πυρόεντος ἀπόσπορον αἴθοπι πυρσῷ

  φλέξατε, τὸν καλέουσιν Ἐρεχθέα: καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνου

  αἷμα φέρει περίπυστον Ἐρεχθέος, ὅν ποτε μαζῷ

  παρθενικὴ φυγόδεμνος ἀνέτρεφε Παλλὰς ἀμήτωρ,

  115 λάθριον ἀγρύπνῳ πεφυλαγμένον αἴθοπι λύχνῳ:

  μιμνέτω Ἰνδῴῃ κεκαλυμμένος αἴθοπι κίστῃ,

  καὶ κενεῷ ζοφόεντος ἐν ἕρκεϊ παρθενεῶνος.

  καὶ τροχαλοὺς δρηστῆρας ἐυσκάρθμοιο βοείης,

  ἴδμονας εὐπήληκος Ἐνυαλίοιο χορείης,

  [99] “Who can begrudge it, if I provide my warrior hand with the fiery whirlwind? My mother’s father, governor of the flaming stars, Phaethon, is himself a potentate all of fire; and if on my father’s side I have the blood of a river, I will fight even with watery missiles and make watery war upon Dionysos, drowning the heads of my enemy Bacchants in river floods. Go and cut down the Telchines of the deep with devastating steel, bury their bodies in the neighbouring sea and let Poseidon their father look after them, and bring to Deriades, as trophies of victory from the sea, the blue harness of their finewrought car and all their seafaring horses! Burn with your blazing torch the burgher heavychained of the city of maiden Athena, the offspring of fiery Hephaistos whom they call Erechtheus; for he too has the blood of that illustrious Erechtheus, whom unmothered Pallas once nursed at her breast, she the virgin enemy of wedlock, secretly guarding him by the wakeful light of a lamp: let him remain hidden in a shining Indian box, and enclosed in an empty cell of her darksome maiden chamber.

  120 ἄξατέ μοι Κορύβαντας ἀτευχέας: ὀλλυμένοις δὲ

  διχθαδίοις τεκέεσσιν ἐπικλαύσειε Καβειρώ,

  Λημνιὰς ἀκρήδεμνος: ἀπορρίψας δὲ πυράγρην

  αἰθαλόεις Ἥφαιστος ἑῆς ὀλετῆρα γενέθλης

  ἥμενον ἀθρήσειεν ὑπὲρ δίφροιο Καβείρων

  125 ἵππων χαλκοπόδων ἐπιβήτορα Δηριαδῆα.

  [120] “Disarm me the Corybants also and lead them captive; let Lemnian Cabeiro unveiled lament the death of her two sons; let sooty Hephaistos throw down his tongs, and see the destroyer of his race sitting in the car of the Cabeiroi, see Deriades driving the bronzefoot horses!

  κτείνω μὲν Διὸς υἷας: Ἀρισταῖον δὲ δαμάσσαι

  οὐ φθονέω Μορρῆι, λαγωβόλον υἱέα Φοίβου,

  οὐτιδανῆς ἐλατῆρα φιλοπτολέμοιο μελίσσης.

  ὑμεῖς μὲν δρεπάνοισι καὶ ἀμφιπλῆγι μαχαίρῃ

  130 κτείνετε Βασσαρίδων ἁπαλὰς στίχας, ὑψίκερων δὲ

  παῖδα Διὸς κερόεις ποταμήιος υἱὸς ὀλέσσει,

  μή τις ὑποπτήσσειεν ἰδὼν ἐλατῆρα λεαίνης

  ἢ πρόμον ἀγροτέρης ἐπιβήμενον ἰξύος ἄρκτου,

  μὴ θηρῶν ζυγίων βλοσυρὸν στόμα: τίς γὰρ ἀλύξει

  135 πόρδαλιν ἠὲ λέοντα κορυσσομένων ἐλεφάντων;’

  [126] “I will slay the sons of Zeus! I do not grudge Morrheus to conquer Aristaios, that son of Phoibos who hunts the hare and scatters the poor pugnacious bees. Go you and slay the battalions of soft Bassarids with your sickles and twoedged swords; but the highhorned son of Zeus shall fall to the horned son of a river. Let no one shrink when he sees him riding a lioness, or mounted like a champion on the loins of a wild bear, let none shrink from the grim jaws of wild beasts under the yoke: for who will run before leopard or lion with armed elephants on his side?”

  ὣς φαμένου βασιλῆος ἐπὶ κλόνον ἤιον Ἰνδοί,

  οἱ μὲν ὑπὲρ νώτοιο σιδηροφόρων ἐλεφάντων,

  οἱ δὲ συνεστρατόωντο θυελλοπόδων ὑπὲρ ἵππων.

  καὶ πέλας ἦν πρυλέων στρατὸς ἄπλετος, οἱ μὲν ἀκωκάς,

  140 οἱ δὲ σάκος φορέοντες, ὁ δὲ κληῖδα φαρέτρης:

  ἄλλος ἀνηέρταζεν ἀνὴρ χαλκήλατον ἅρπην

  ἀμητὴρ πολέμοιο, καὶ ἔστιχεν ἄλλος ἀείρων

  ἀσπίδα καὶ θοὰ τόξα καὶ ἠνεμόεντας ὀιστούς.

  [136] After this oration of their king, the Indians went to battle, some o
n the backs of steelclad elephants, some upon stormfoot horses beside them. Close behind came an infinite host of footmen, armed with pikes or shields or capped quiver: one man carried a sickle of beaten bronze like a harvester of war, another marched lifting a buckler and quick bow and windswift arrows.

  καὶ μόθον ἐστήσαντο παρὰ στόμα γείτονος Ἰνδοῦ,

  145 εἰς πεδίον προθέοντες. ἀπ᾽ εὐδένδροιο δὲ λόχμης

  ἀσπίσι καὶ ξιφέεσσι καὶ ἀρραγέεσσι πετήλοις

  θυρσοφόρος Διόνυσος ἑοὺς ἐκόρυσσε μαχητάς.

  καὶ πισύρων ἀνέμων φλογερῆς ἀντώπιον Ἠοῦς

  τέτραχα τεμνομένην στρατιὴν ἐστήσατο Βάκχων:

  150 πρώτην μὲν βαθύδενδρα παρὰ σφυρὰ κυκλάδος Ἄρκτου,

  ἧχι πολυσπερέων ποταμῶν πεφορημένον ὁλκῷ

  Καυκασίου σκοπέλοιο Διιπετὲς ἔρχεται ὕδωρ,

  τὴν αὐτὴν παρὰ πέζαν, ὅπῃ περιμήκεϊ πορθμῷ

  χεῦμα παλινδίνητον ἄγει βαρύδουπος Ὑδάσπης:

  τὴν ἑτέρην δὲ φάλαγγα συνήρμοσεν, ὁππόθι γαίης

  μεσσατίης στεφανηδὸν ἐς ἑσπέριον κλίμα νεύων

  155 δίστομος οὺρεσίφοιτος ἑὸν ῥόον Ἰνδὸς ἑλίσσει,

  χεύμασιν ἀμφίζωστον ἐπιστέψας Παταλήνην:

  καὶ τριτάτην κόσμησεν, ὅπῃ νοτίῳ παρὰ κόλπῳ

  κύματι πορφύροντι μεσημβριὰς ἕλκεται ἅλμη:

  160 καὶ στρατιὴν εὔχαλκον ἄναξ ἔστησε τετάρτην

  ἀντολίης ὑπὸ πέζαν, ὅθεν δονακῆα διαίνων

  στέλλεται εὐόδμοισι κατάρρυτος ὕδασι Γάγγης.

  κεκριμένης δὲ φάλαγγος ἐυκνήμιδος ἑκάστης

  165 τέσσαρας εὐπήληκας ἐκόσμεεν ἡγεμονῆας,

  καὶ στρατὸν ὀτρύνων λαοσσόον ἴαχε φωνήν:

  [144] So they rushed forth into the plain, and opened the fray near the mouth of the Indus. But from the trees of the forest Dionysos, thyrsus in hand, armed his warriors with shields and swords and invincible leafage. He divided his army of Bacchants into four parts, and posted them facing the dawn in the direction of the four winds. The first was among the thick trees by the feet of the circling Bear, where the skyfallen water of many scattered rivers comes pouring down from the Caucasos mountains, in that very place where heavyrumbling Hydaspes brings his flood eddying in his endless course. The second battalion he placed where twimouth Indus bends his flood, curving through the mountains towards the western district of the land between, and surrounds Patalene with his waters. The third he drew up where in the southern gulf the southern sea rolls with ruddy waves. The fourth mailed army the king posted towards the land of sunrise, whence Ganges moves watering the reedbeds with his fragrant waves. The host thus divided and under arms, he appointed four helmeted leaders, and addressed a rousing oration to them all:

  ‘Βασσαρίδες, καὶ δεῦρο χορεύσατε, δυσμενέων δὲ

  κτείνατε βάρβαρα φῦλα, καὶ ἔγχεσι μίξατε θύρσους,

  μίξατε καὶ ξιφέεσσι: καὶ ἠθάδος ἀντὶ τραπέζης

  170 σάλπιγξ ἐγρεκύδοιμος ἐμοῖς Σατύροισι γενέσθω

  πηκτὶς ἐμή: χλοερὴ δὲ καταιχμάζουσα σιδήρου

  δούρατα νικήσειεν ἀκαχμένα φυλλὰς ὀπώρη:

  ἀντὶ δὲ νυκτελίοιο χοροστασίης Διονύσου

  αὐλὸς ἐμὸς φθέγξαιτο μετάτροπον ὕμνον Ἐνυοῦς,

  175 τερψινόου Βρομίοιο λιπὼν ἐπιδόρπιον Ἠχώ.

  [167] “Dance here also, you Bassarids! Slay the barbarian tribes of your enemies, match thyrsus against spear, against sword also; let my harp become a trumpet which stirs war for the Satyrs, instead of its familiar banqueting-table. May the green leafy vintage strike down the steel, may it conquer the sharpened spear! Instead of the nightly dancings of Dionysos, let my pipes take another tune and sing the battle-hymn — let them leave the supper-tune of mindcharming Bromios.

  εἰ μὲν ἐμοὶ γόνυ δοῦλον ὑποκλίνειεν Ὑδάσπης

  μηδὲ πάλιν Βάκχοισι παλίγκοτον οἶδμα κορύσσῃ,

  ἔσσομαι εὐάντητος, ὅλον δέ οἱ ἀγλαὸν ὕδωρ

  χεύμασι ληναίοισιν ἐς Εὔιον οἶνον ἀμείψω,

  180 τεύχων λαρὰ ῥέεθρα, καὶ ἀγριάδος λόφον ὕλης

  μιτρώσω πετάλοισι καὶ ἀμπελόεντα τελέσσω:

  εἰ δὲ πάλιν προχοῇσιν ἀλεξικάκοισιν ἀρήξει

  Ἰνδοῖς κτεινομένοισι καὶ υἱέι Δηριαδῆι,

  ἀνδροφυὴς κερόεσσαν ἔχων ποταμηίδα μορφήν,

  185 χεῦμα γεφυρώσαντες ὑπερφιάλου ποταμοῖο

  ἴχνεσιν ἀβρέκτοισιν ὁδεύσατε δίψιον ὕδωρ,

  καὶ γυμνῇ ψαμάθῳ πατέων αὐχμηρὸν Ὑδάσπην

  πεζὸς ὄνυξ εὔιππος ἐπιξύσειε κονίην.

  [176] “If Hydaspes would bend a submissive knee to me, and never again arm his rebellious flood against the Bacchoi, I will treat him kindly; I will change all his glorious water into Euian wine with streams from the winepress, making his waters strong, I will crown the peaks of his wild forest with my leaves and make it all vine: but if ever again he shall help with his protecting flood the falling Indians and his son Deriades, taking the horned river-shape in a mans body, then make a dam over the presumptuous river, and cross the thirsty water as on a highroad with unwetted feet, and let the hoof of fine horses tread on a dry Hydaspes with bare sand and scrape the dust there.

  εἰ δὲ πολυπτοίητος Ἀρειμανέων πρόμος Ἰνδῶν

  190 αἰθερίου Φαέθοντος ἀπόσπορός ἐστι γενέθλης,

  καὶ Φαέθων πυρόεσσαν ἐμοὶ στήσειεν Ἐνυώ,

  θυγατέρος κερόεσσαν ἑῆς ὠδῖνα γεραίρων,

  γνωτὸν ἐμοῦ Κρονίδαο πάλιν Φαεθοντίδι χάρμῃ

  πόντιον ὑδατόεντα πυρὸς σβεστῆρα κορύσσω:

  195 Θρινακίην δ᾽ ἐπὶ νῆσον ἐλεύσομαι, ὁππόθι ποῖμναι

  καὶ βόες αἰθερίοιο πυραυγέος Ἡνιοχῆος,

  ἠελίου δὲ θύγατρα, δορικτήτην ἅτε κούρην,

  Λαμπετίην ἀέκουσαν ὑπὸ ζυγὰ δούλια σύρω,

  ὄφρα γένυ κλίνειε: καὶ εἰς ὄρος Ἀστρὶς ἀλάσθω,

  200 μυρομένη βαρύδεσμον ὀπάονα Δηριαδῆα:

  ἐλθέτω, ἢν ἐθέλῃ, μετανάστιος εἰς χθόνα Κελτῶν,

  ὄφρα φυτὸν γεγαυῖα σὺν Ἡλιάδεσσι καὶ αὐτὴ

  πυκνὰ φιλοθρήνοισιν ἐπικλαύσειε ῥεέθροις.

  [189] “If the terrified chief of warmad Indians is sprung from Phaethon’s h
eavenly race, and if Phaethon should set up fiery war against me to honour his daughter’s horned offspring, I will arm once more my Cronion’s brother against Phaethon’s attack, a quencher for his fire from the watery sea. I will go to the island of Thrinacia, where are the sheep and oxen of the fireflashing heavenly Charioteer, and drag the sun’s daughter Lampetie under the yoke of slavery, to bow the knee like a girl captured by the spear. Then let Astris wander away to the mountains, to bewail her son Deriades a slave in heavy chains: let her go, if she likes, to settle in the Celtic land, that she also may turn into a tree with the Heliads and weep often in floods of sorrowful tears.

  σπεύσατέ μοι καὶ κύκλα μελαρρίνοιο προσώπου

  205 Ἰνδῶν ληιδίων λευκαίνετε μύστιδι γύψῳ,

  καὶ θρασὺν ἀμπελόεντι περιπλεχθέντα κορύμβῳ...

  νεβρίδα χαλκοχίτωνι καθάψατε Δηριαδῆι:

  καὶ Βρομίῳ γένυ δοῦλον ὑποκλίνων μετὰ νίκην

  Ἰνδὸς ἄναξ ῥίψειεν ἑὸν θώρηκα θυέλλαις,

  210 κρείσσονι λαχνήεντι δέμας θώρηκι καλύπτων,

  καὶ πόδα πορφυρέοισι περισφίγξειε κοθόρνοις

  ἀργυρέας ἀνέμοισιν ἑὰς κνημῖδας ἐάσας,

  καὶ μετὰ φοίνια τόξα καὶ ἠθάδος ἔργα κυδοιμοῦ

  ὄργια νυκτιχόρευτα διδασκέσθω Διονύσου,

  215 βάρβαρα δινεύων ἐπιλήνια βόστρυχα χαίτης.

  δυσμενέων δὲ κάρηνα κομίσσατε σύμβολα νίκης

  Τμῶλον ἐς ἠνεμόεντα, πεπαρμένα μάρτυρι θύρσῳ.

  πολλὰς δ᾽ ἐκ πολέμοιο μεταστήσω στίχας Ἰνδῶν

  ζωγρήσας μετ᾽ Ἄρηα, παρὰ προπύλαια δὲ Λυδῶν