Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  325 Ἰνδοὶ δ᾽ ἀνδροφόνοιο μετεσσεύοντο κυδοιμοῦ

  ἠνορέην τρομέοντες ἀνικήτου Διονύσου.

  [325] The Indians retreated at last from the carnage of the battle, fearing the valour of unconquered Dionysos.

  BOOK 31

  ἐν δὲ τριηκοστῷ πρώτῳ μειλίσσεται Ἥρη

  ὕπνον ἐπὶ Κρονίδῃ καὶ Περσεφόνην ἐπὶ Βάκχῳ.

  ὣς ὁ μὲν Ἰνδῴοιο τυπεὶς ἴυγγι κυδοιμοῦ

  Βάκχος Ἐρυθραίης περιδέδρομε κόλπον ἀρούρης,

  χρύσεα χιονέῃσι παρηίσι βόστρυχα σείων.

  BOOK XXXI

  In the thirty - first, Hera propitiates Sleep for Cronides, and Persephone for Bacchos.

  So struck by the spell of the Indian conflict, Bacchos sped about the bosom of the Erythraian land, shaking the golden locks against his snow-white cheeks.

  Ἥρη δὲ φθονεροῖσιν ἀνοιδαίνουσα μερίμναις

  5 ἄκρον ἀπειλητῆρι κατέγραφεν ἠέρα ταρσῷ,

  αὐτόθι παπταίνουσα πολυσπερέων στρατὸν Ἰνδῶν

  θύρσοις ἀνδροφόνοισιν ἀλοιηθέντα Λυαίου.

  καὶ χόλον ἄλλον ἔγειρεν Ἐρυθραίῳ παρὰ πόντῳ

  Ἀνδρομέδης ὁρόωσα πολύπλοκα λείψανα δεσμῶν

  10 καὶ λίθον ἐν ψαμάθῳ, βλοσυρὸν τέρας ἐννοσιγαίου.

  ἀχνυμένη δ᾽ ἑὸν ὄμμα παρέτραπε, μὴ παρὰ πόντῳ

  Γοργοφόνου Περσῆος ἴδῃ χαλκήλατον ἅρπην.

  [4] But Hera, swelling with jealous passions, scored the air with menacing sole, when she beheld the host of scattered Indians beaten like corn in the threshing where they stood, by the manslaying thyrsus of Lyaios. Again she awakened a new resentment, seeing the heap of Andromeda’s broken chains beside the Erythraian sea, and that rock lying on the sand, Earthshaker’s monstrous lump. Bitterly she turned her eye aside, not to glimpse by the sea the bronze-forged sickle of Gorgonslaying Perseus.

  ἤδη γὰρ ταχύγουνον ἐν ἠέρι ταρσὸν ἑλίσσων

  δίψιον ἀμφὶ τένοντα Λίβυν πορθμεύετο Περσεύς,

  15 νηχόμενος πτερύγεσσι: μονογλήνου δὲ γεραιῆς

  Φορκίδος ἀγρύπνοιο λαβὼν ὀφθαλμὸν ἀλήτην

  δύσβατον ἄντρον ἔδυνε, καὶ ἀμώων παρὰ πέτρῃ

  λήια συρίζοντα, θαλύσια λοξὰ κομάων,

  Γοργόνος ὠδίνοντα διέθρισεν ἀνθερεῶνα,

  20 καὶ δρεπάνην φοίνιξε: δαϊζομένης δὲ Μεδούσης

  αἱμοβαφῆ παλάμην ὀφιώδεϊ λοῦσεν ἐέρσῃ,

  κρᾶτα ταμών: χρυσέῳ δὲ σὺν ἄορι παῖδα λοχεύων

  ἱππείην ἐλόχευσε γονὴν διδυμητόκος αὐχήν.

  [13] For Perseus already was ferrying across to the thirsty stretches of Libya, swimming on his wings and circling in the air a quickfoot knee. He had taken the travelling eye of Phorcys’s old one-eyed daughter unsleeping; he dived into the dangerous cave, reaped the hissing harvest by the rockside, the firstfruits of curling hair, sliced the Gorgon’s teeming throat and stained his sickle red. He cut off the head and bathed a bloodstained hand in that viperish dew; then as Medusa was slain, the neck was delivered of its tMin birth, the Horse and the Boy with the golden sword.

  καὶ φθονερὸς πραπίδεσσι χόλος διεπάφλασεν Ἥρης

  25 ζῆλον ἐρευγομένης ἐπὶ Περσέι καὶ Διονύσῳ.

  ἤθελε δὲ Κρονίδαο καὶ ὄμματα καὶ φρένα θέλγειν

  εἰς γάμον ἠπεροπῆα καὶ εἰς πτερὸν ἡδέος Ὕπνου

  ἑλκομένου μετὰ λέκτρον, ὅπως δολίῃ τινὶ τέχνῃ

  Ζηνὸς ἔτι κνώσσοντος ἐπιβρίσειε Λυαίῳ.

  30 ὀρφναίην δ᾽ Ἀίδαο μετήλυθε πανδόκον αὐλήν:

  Περσεφόνην δ᾽ ἐκίχησε, δολόφρονι δ᾽ ἴαχε μύθῳ:

  [24] Then jealous resentment boiled up in Hera’s breast, and she belched spleen against Perseus and Dionysos; and she purposed to enchant the eyes and heart of Cronides in deceitful love, under the wing of Sweet sleep that is brought on after the bed, that while Zeus yet slumbered she might find some cunning trick to crush Lyaios. Away she went to the gloomy all-welcoming court of Hades: there she found Persephone, and told her a crafty tale:

  ‘ὀλβίστην ἐνέπω σε, θεῶν ὅτι τηλόθι ναίεις:

  οὐ Σεμέλην ἐνόησας ἔσω ναίουσαν Ὀλύμπου.

  δείδια, μὴ Διόνυσον, ὃν ἀνδρομέη τέκε γαστήρ,

  35 ἀστεροπὴν κρατέοντα μετὰ Ζαγρῆα νοήσω

  ἢ χθονίαις παλάμῃσιν ἐλαφρίζοντα κεραυνούς:

  συλήθης, φερέκαρπε: παρὰ σταχυώδεϊ Νείλῳ

  ἀντὶ τεῆς Δήμητρος ἀμαλλοτόκοιο τεκούσης

  ἄλλῃ κῶμον ἄγουσι, νόθη δέ τις ὄμπνια Δηὼ

  40 ταυροφυὴς κερόεσσα φατίζεται Ἰναχὶς Ἰώ.

  [32] “Most happy I call you, that you dwell so far from the gods! You have not seen Semele at home in Olympos. I fear I may yet see Dionysos, one born of a mortal womb, master of the lightning after Zagreus, or lifting the thunderbolt in earth-born hands. Cornbringer, you have been robbed! Beside the Nile with his harvests they hold festival for another, instead of your sheafbearing mother Demeter; they tell of a spurious bountiful Deo, bullbred, horned, Inachos’s daughter lo.

  Ἄρεα δ᾽, ὅν περ ἔτικτον, ὃν οὐρανίη τέκε γαστήρ,

  υἱὸν ἐμὸν χθονίῳ πεπεδημένον ἀκλέι δεσμῷ

  κρύψεν ἔσω κεράμοιο περισφίγξας Ἐφιάλτης:

  οὐδέ οἱ ἐχραίσμησεν ἐμὸς πόσις οὐράνιος Ζεύς,

  45 ἀλλὰ τόκον Σεμέλης φλογερῶν ἐρρύσατο πυρσῶν,

  καὶ βρέφος εἰσέτι Βάκχον ἀνεζώγρησε κεραυνοῦ,

  ἡμιτελῆ νόθον υἷα: δαϊζομένου δὲ μαχαίραις

  Ζαγρέος οὐ προμάχιζεν ἐπουρανίου Διονύσου.

  [41] “And Ares, the one I brought forth, born of a heavenly womb, my own son, Mas shackled tight inglorious in earthly fetters in a jar, where Ephialtes had hidden him. Nor did heavenly Zeus my husband help him — but he rescued Semele’s son from the flaming fire, he saved Bacchos from the thunderbolt, while still a baby brat, his bastard son half-finished!

  But Zagreus the heavenly Dionysos he would not defend, when he was cut up with knives!

  τοῦτό με μᾶλλον ὄρινεν, ὅτι Κρονίδης πόλον ἄστρων

  50 ἕδνα πόρεν Σεμέλῃ καὶ Τάρταρα Περσεφονείῃ:

  οὐρανὸς Ἀπόλλωνι φυλάσσεται, οὐρανὸν Ἑρμῆς

  ναιετάει: σὺ δὲ τοῦτον ἔχεις δόμον ἔμπλεον ὄρφνης.

  τί πλέον, ὅττι δράκοντος ἔχων ψευδήμονα μορφὴν

  δεσμὸν
ἀσυλήτοιο τεῆς σύλησε κορείης,

  55 εἰ μετὰ λέκτρον ἔμελλε τεὰς ὠδῖνας ὀλέσσαι;

  [49] “What made me angrier still, was that Cronides gave the starry heaven to Semele for a bridegift, — and Tartaros to Persephoneia! Heaven is reserved for Apollo, Hermes lives in heaven — and you have this abode full of gloom! What good was it that he put on the deceiving shape of a serpent, and ravished the girdle of your inviolate maidenhead, if after the bed he was to destroy your babe?

  Ζεὺς μὲν ἄναξ κατ᾽ Ὄλυμπον ἔχει δόμον ἔμπλεον ἄστρων,

  γνωτῷ δ᾽ ὑγρομέδοντι γέρας πόρεν ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ,

  καὶ ζόφον ἀχλυόεντα τεῷ πόρεν οἶκον ἀκοίτῃ.

  ἀλλὰ τεὰς θώρηξον Ἐρινύας οἴνοπι Βάκχῳ,

  60 μὴ βροτὸν ἀθρήσαιμι νόθον σκηπτοῦχον Ὀλύμπου,

  αἴδεο λισσομένην Διὸς εὐνέτιν, αἴδεο Δηώ,

  αἴδεο λισσομένην καθαρὴν Θέμιν, ὄφρά κεν Ἰνδοὶ

  βαιὸν ἀναπνεύσωσι τινασσομένου Διονύσου:

  ἔσσό μοι ἀχνυμένῃ τιμήορος, ὅττι Κρονίων

  65 Βάκχῳ νέκταρ ὄπασσε καὶ Ἄρεϊ λύθρον Ἐνυοῦς.

  μηδὲ νέον Διόνυσον ἀνυμνήσωσιν Ἀθῆναι,

  μηδὲ λάχῃ γέρας ἶσον Ἐλευσινίῳ Διονύσῳ,

  μὴ τελετὰς προτέροιο διαλλάξειεν Ἰάκχου,

  μὴ τάλαρον Δήμητρος ἀτιμήσειεν ὀπώρῃ.’

  [56] “Lord Zeus holds the starry hall on Olympos; he has given the briny sea to his brother the water king for his prerogative; he has given the cloudy house of darkness to your consort. Come now, arm your Furies against wineface Bacchos, that I may not see a bastard and a mortal king of Olympos. Pity the wife of Zeus who prays to you, pity Deo, pity praying Themis the immaculate, that the Indians may have a little space to breathe while Dionysos is shaken. Be the avenger of my sorrow, because Cronion has given nectar to Bacchos and the blood of battle to Ares! Let not Athens sing hymns to a new Dionysos, let him not have equal honour with Eleusinian Dionysos, let him not take over the rites of Iacchos who was there before him, let not his vintage dishonour Demeter’s basket!”

  70 ὣς φαμένη συνέχευεν ὅλην φρένα Περσεφονείης,

  δάκρυσι ποιητοῖσι διαινομένοιο προσώπου,

  αἱμύλα κωτίλλουσα. θεὰ δ᾽ ἐπένευσε θεαίνῃ,

  καί οἱ δῶκε Μέγαιραν ὁμόστολον, ὄφρα τελέσσῃ

  βάσκανον ὄμμα φέρουσα νόον ζηλήμονος Ἥρης.

  [70] The whole mind of Persephoneia was perturbed while she spoke, babbling deceit as the false tears bedewed her cheeks. Goddess bowed assent to goddess, and gave her Megaira to go with her, that with her evil eye she might fulfil the desire of Hera’s jealous heart.

  75 ἡ δὲ θυελλήεντι διαΐξασα πεδίλῳ

  τρὶς μὲν ἀνηέρθη, τὸ δὲ τέτρατον ἵκετο Γάγγην:

  καὶ νέκυν Ἰνδὸν ὅμιλον ἀμειδέι δεῖξε Μεγαίρῃ

  καὶ στρατιῆς ἱδρῶτα καὶ ἠνορέην Διονύσου:

  Ἰνδοφόνους δὲ Μέγαιρα πόνους ὁρόωσα Λυαίου

  80 ζηλήμων ἐμέγηρε καὶ οὐρανίης πλέον Ἥρης.

  ἡ δὲ νόῳ κεχάρητο: δρακοντοκόμῳ δὲ θεαίνῃ

  σαρδόνιον γελόωσα κατηφέα ῥήξατο φωνήν:

  [75] Hera then shot away with stormwinged shoe: three strides she made, and the fourth brought her to Ganges. She pointed out to unsmiling Megaira the crowd of dead Indians, the sweat of the army and the prowess of Dionysos. When the Fury beheld the deathdealing feats of Lyaios, her jealous heart was furious even more than heavenly Hera. Then Hera was glad; and with a grim laugh she addressed the snakyhaired goddess in despondent voice:

  ‘οὕτω ἀριστεύουσι νέοι βασιλῆες Ὀλύμπου,

  οὕτω ἀκοντίζουσι νόθοι Διός: ἐκ Σεμέλης δὲ

  85 Ζεὺς ἔνα παῖδα λόχευσεν, ἵνα ξύμπαντας ὀλέσσῃ

  Ἰνδοὺς μειλιχίους καὶ ἀμεμφέας: ἀλλὰ δαείη

  Ζεὺς ἄδικος καὶ Βάκχος, ὅσον σθένος ἐστὶ Μεγαίρης.

  ὦ πόποι, οἷον ἄθεσμον ἔχει νόον ὑψιμέδων Ζεύς:

  Τυρσηνοῖς ἀδίκοις οὐ μάρναται, ὅττι μαθόντες

  90 φώρια θεσμὰ βίαια κακοξείνων ἐπὶ νηῶν

  ἅρπαγες ἀλλοτρίων Σικελῇ πλώουσι θαλάσσῃ:

  οὐ κτάνε δυσσεβέων Δρυόπων γένος, οἷς βίος αἰχμαὶ

  καὶ φόνος: εὐσεβίῃ δὲ μεμηλότας ἔκτανεν Ἰνδούς,

  οὓς τάχα πασιμέλουσα Θέμις μαιώσατο μαζῷ.

  95 ὦ πόποι, οἷον ἄθεσμον ἔχει νόον: ἀθάνατον γὰρ

  θνητὸς ἀνὴρ ἔφλεξε τόσον καὶ τοῖον Ὑδάσπην,

  θνητὸς ἀνὴρ ἔφλεξε, τὸν οὐράνιος τέκετο Ζεύς.’

  [83] “See how the young kings of Olympos triumph! See how the bastards of Zeus ply the spear! Zeus has been delivered of one son from Semele, that he may destroy all the Indians in a mass, the gentle innocents! Let Zeus the lawbreaker learn, and Bacchos, how great is the strength of Megaira! For shame — what a lawless mind has Zeus ruling on high! He never attacks the lawbreaking Tyrsenians, because they learn thieves’ laws of violence, and sail the Sicilian Sea in their unfriendly ships, and rob other men of their own. He slew not the impious tribe of Dryopes, where life is sharp steel and murder; but he did slay the Indians whose heart is set on piety, whom famous Themis herself, I think, nursed at her breast. For shame — what a lawless mind he has! when a mortal man has set on fire immortal Hydaspes, so noble and so great, a mortal man has set on fire him whose father was heavenly Zeus!”

  ὣς φαμένη πεπότητο δι᾽ αἰθέρος: ἡ δὲ σιωπῇ

  γείτονα Καυκασίης ὑπὸ φωλάδα πέζαν ἐρίπνης

  100 φρικτὸν ἀμειψαμένη μελέων ὀφιώδεα μορφήν,

  γλαυκὶ φυὴν ἰκέλη μένεν αὐτόθι, μέχρι νοήσῃ

  Ζῆνα μέγαν κνώσσοντα: τὰ γὰρ φάτο κοίρανος Ἥρη.

  [98] With these words, she flew away through the upper air; and silently in a cave of the neighbouring Caucasian cliff, Megaira east off the terrible serpent shape, and waited there in the form of an owl until she should see great Zeus fast asleep, for that was Queen Hera’s command.

  αὐτὴ δὲ Χρεμέταο μετήιεν Ἕσπερον ὕδωρ

  Ἥρη μητιόωσα, γέρων βαρὺς ὁππόθι κάμνει

  105 οὐρανίῃ στροφάλιγγι Λίβυς κυρτούμενος Ἄτλας,

  καὶ Ζεφύρου δυσέρωτος ἐδίζετο σύγγαμον Ἶριν,

  Ζηνὸς ἐπειγομένοιο διάκτορον, ὄφρα τελέσσῃ

  ἠερόθεν σκιόεντι ποδήνεμον ἄγγελον Ὕπνῳ.

  τὴν δὲ καλεσσαμένη φιλίῳ μειλίξατο μύθῳ:

  [103] H
era herself made her way brooding to the waters of Chremetes in the west, where that afflicted ancient, Libyan Atlas, wearily bends under the whirling heavens; and she sought out the wife of jealous Zephyros, Iris, the messenger of Zeus when he is in a hurry — for she wished to send her swift as the wind from heaven with a message for shadowy Sleep. She called Iris then, and coaxed her with friendly words:

  110 ‘Ἶρις, ἀεξιφύτου Ζεφύρου χρυσόπτερε νύμφη,

  εὔλοχε μῆτερ Ἔρωτος, ἀελλήεντι πεδίλῳ

  σπεῦδε μολεῖν ζοφόεντος ἐς Ἑσπέριον δόμον Ὕπνου:

  δίζεο καἰ περὶ Λῆμνον ἁλίκτυπον: εἰ δέ μιν εὕρῃς,

  λέξον, ἵνα Κρονίωνος ἀθελγέος ὄμματα θέλξῃ

  115 εἰς μίαν ἠριγένειαν, ὅπως Ἰνδοῖσιν ἀρήξω.

  ἀλλὰ δέμας μετάμειβε, μελανζώνου δὲ θεαίνης

  μορφὴν Νυκτὸς ἔχουσα δυσειδέα μητέρος Ὕπνου