Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  180 καί τις ἀπὸ στομάτων δολιχόσκιον ἔγχος ἰάλλων

  ἰὸν ἀκοντιστῆρα κατέπτυε Δηριαδῆος,

  καὶ φονίῃ ῥαθάμιγγι χάλυψ ἐδιαίνετο θώρηξ.

  καὶ νέκυς ἐν χθονὶ κεῖτο τυπεὶς ζώοντι βελέμνῳ,

  ἄπνοος ἀμφιέπων βέλος ἔμπνοον. ὀρθοπόδων δὲ

  185 εἰς λοφιὴν ἐπίκυρτον ἀναΐξας ἐλεφάντων

  πόρδαλις ᾐώρητο μετάρσιος ἅλματι ταρσῶν:

  πυκνὰ δὲ θηρείοιο κατεστήρικτο καρήνου,

  καὶ δρόμον ᾐώρησε τανυκνήμων ἐλεφάντων.

  καὶ πολύς ἑσμὸς ἔπιπτε, βαρυσμαράγων ἀπὸ λαιμῶν

  190 φρικτὸν ἐρημονόμων ἀίων βρύχημα λεόντων:

  καί τις ἐνικήθη τρομέων μυκήματα ταύρου,

  καὶ βοὸς εἰσορόων βλοσυρῆς γλωχῖνα κεραίης

  λοξὸν ἀκοντίζουσαν ἐς ἠέρα: φοιταλέος δὲ

  εἰς φόβον ἄλλος ὄρουσεν ὑποφρίσσων γένυν ἄρκτου:

  195 θηρείαις δ᾽ ἰαχῇσιν ὁμόκτυπος ἄλλος ἐπ᾽ ἄλλῳ

  Πανὸς ἀνικήτοιο κύων συνυλάκτεε λαιμῷ,

  καὶ μόθον ὑλακόμωρον ἐδείδισαν αἴθοπες Ἰνδοί.

  [180] One shooting a spike of poison from his mouth like a longshafted spear bespattered Deriades, and his corselet of steel was wetted by the deadly drops. Dead on the ground lay a body struck by a living missile, lifeless with a living shot in him. A panther leapt through the air with his feet upon the curved neck of a straightleg elephant, and stuck close to the monster’s head delaying the course of all the longlegged elephants. A great swarm fell, when they heard the lions from the wilderness and the terrible loud roar resounding from their throats. One was conquered trembling at the bellow of a bull, and seeing the point of his formidable horn stabbing sideways into the air; another leaped into flight shuddering at the jaws of a bear; the hounds of an invincible Pan gave tongue one after another, in concert with the roars of the wild beasts, and the swarthy Indians feared their loudbarking attack.

  ξυνὴ δ᾽ ἀμφοτέροισιν ὁμόζυγος ἦεν Ἐνυώ:

  γαῖα δέ διψώουσα φόνου κυγαίνετο λύθρῳ

  200 κτεινομένων ἑκάτερθε, πολυσπερέων δὲ δαμέντων

  πληθύι τοσσατίῃ νεκύων ἐστείνετο Λήθη:

  χειρὶ δ᾽ ἀνοχλίζων Ἀίδης ὀρφναῖον ὀχῆα

  εὐρυτέρους πυλεῶνας ἑῶν ὤιξε μελάθρων

  κτεινομένων ἑκάτερθε, διεσσυμένων δὲ βερέθρου

  205 Ταρτάριον μύκημα Χαρωνίδες ἔκτυπον ὄχθαι.

  [198] There was hard fighting on both sides alike; the thirsty earth was inundated with blood and gore in the common carnage, and Lethe was choked with that great multitude of corpses brought low and scattered on every side. Hades heaved up his bar in the darkness, and opened his gates wider for the common carnage; as they descended into the pit the banks of Charon’s river echoed the rumblings of Tartaros.

  καὶ πολὺς ἐγρεκύδοιμος ἔην κτύπος, ἀντιβίων δὲ

  ὠτειλὴ κταμένων ἑτερότροπος, ὧν ὁ μὲν αὐτῶν

  ἱππόθεν ὠλίσθησε τετυμμένος ἀνθερεῶνα,

  ὃς δὲ κατὰ στέρνοιο περίτροχον ἄντυγα μαζοῦ,

  210 ὃς δὲ μέσον κενεῶνα πεπαρμένος ἔκπεσε δίφρου:

  ἄλλος ἐυγλώχινι παρ᾽ ὀμφαλὸν ἄκρον ὀιστῷ

  βλήμενος αὐτοκύλιστος ὁμίλεε γείτονι πότμῳ,

  ὃς δὲ τυπείς μεσάτης ὑπὲρ ἄντυγος, ὃς δὲ δι᾽ ὤμου

  καὶ φυγὰς ἄλλος ἔπιπτε ῥάχιν τετορημένος αἰχμῇ,

  215 πεζὸς ἀελλήεντα τετυμμένον ἵππον ἐάσας:

  ὃς δὲ πεσὼν ἀνίουλος ὀδύρετο σύντροφον ἥβην

  καί τις ἀναλθήτῳ κεχαραγμένος ἧπαρ ὀιστῷ

  κύμβαχος ἐξ ἐλέφαντος ἐπεγδούπησε κονίη,

  κρᾶτα παρακλίνας δαπέδῳ, καὶ χεῖρας ἑλίξας

  220 αἱμαλέην πήχυνε κατηφέι γαῖαν ἀγοστῷ.

  [206] Loud indeed was the battlestirring noise, many the wounds of the falling combatants on both sides. One struck in the throat slipt from his horse, one pierced through the chest in his rounded bosom, one wounded in the belly fell from a chariot. Another hit just in the midnipple with a barbed arrow rolled himself over to meet approaching death; one fell struck right on the waist, one through the shoulder, another left his swift horse struck, and fleeing on foot fell pierced by a lance through the spine. Another, felled before the down was on his face, mourned for his yearsmate youth. Another mortally wounded by an arrow in the liver, fell tumbling off his elephant with a thud into the dust; his head sank on the ground, he scrabbled with his hands and clutched the bloody soil in despair.

  καί τις ἀνὴρ ἱππῆος ἐναντία δόχμιος ἔστη,

  καὶ σάκεος κενεῶνα χυτῆς ἔπλησε κονίης,

  καὶ χθονὶ ταρσὸν ἔπηξε, δεδεγμένος ἀνέρος ὁρμήν:

  χειρὶ δὲ θαρσαλέῃ πολυδαίδαλον ἀσπίδα τείνων

  225 ἱππείην ψαμάθοισιν ὅλην ἔρραινεν ὀπωπήν:

  βακχεύσας δὲ κάρηνον ἄνω νεύοντι προσώπῳ

  ἵππος ἀνῃώρητο κονισαλέην τρίχα σείων,

  καμπύλα δ᾽ εὐλάιγγος ἀπέπτυεν ἄκρα χαλινοῦ:

  τρίβων δ᾽ ἀγκυλόδοντα παλυνομένην γένυν ἀφρῷ

  230 ὑψιτενὴς δεδόνητο, καὶ ὄρθιον αὐχένα πάλλων

  οἰστρήεις ἀχάλινος ἐπεστηρίζετο γαίῃ

  ποσσὶν ὀπισθιδίοισι, καὶ αἰθύσσων κόνιν ὁπλῇ

  εἰς πέδου ἠκόντιζεν ἀπόσσυτον ἡνιοχῆα.

  αὐτὰρ ὁ κεκλιμένῳ ταχὺς ἔδραμε κάρχαρος ἀνήρ,

  235 γυμνὸν ἔχων θοὸν ἆορ: ὑπὲρ δαπέδον δὲ ταθέντος

  κυανέου προμάχοιο διέθρισεν ἀνθερεῶνα.

  [221] A man stood sideways to meet a horseman; he had filled the hollow of his shield with dust, and fixed his foot firmly awaiting the man’s onset. Pushing out the handsome shield in his bold hand, he smothered the horse’s head with sand. The horse reared wildly and threw up his head shaking the dust out of his mane, and spat out the curved ends of his jewelled bit. His champing teeth and jaw were covered with foam, he rose high, shaken, mad, and now free of the bit he rose up on his hind legs quivering and shivering his outstretched neck; then pawing the dust with his hoof he shot his rider flying to the ground. The other man rushed fiercely upon him as he lay, with swift sword drawn, and cut the throat of the black soldier stretched on the ground.

  ἄλλος ἐριπτοίητος ἐχάζετο πῶλος ἀλήτης,

  γείτονος ἡνιόχ
οιο δεδεγμένος ἦχον ἱμάσθλης,

  οἰκτρὸν ἑὸν θνήσκοντα διαστείβων ἐλατῆρα,

  240 κείμενον ἀρτιδάικτον, ἐπισπαίροντα κονίῃ.

  [237] Another horse hearing the crack of some driver’s whip hard by, took fright and bolted in retreat, trampling on his own rider, who lay wounded and dying, poor wretch, gasping in the dust.

  Κολλήτης δ᾽ ἀπέλεθρος ἔχων περιμήκεα μορφήν,

  δύσμαχος , ἐννεάπηχυς, ὁμοίιος Ἀλκυονῆι,

  Βακχείης κατά μέσσον ἐμαίνετο δηιοτῆτος:

  Βασσαρίδων δὲ φάλαγγα μετὰ κλόνον ἤθελεν ἕλκειν

  245 εἰς εὐνὴν ἀνάεδνον ἀναγκαίων ὑμεναίων,

  καὶ κενεῇ πολέμιζεν ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι, τηλίκος ἀνήρ,

  οἷος ἔην θρασὺς Ὦτος ἀνέμβατον αἰθέρα βαίνων,

  ἁγνὸν ἀνυμφεύτου ποθέων λέχος ἰοχεαίρης,

  οἷος ἔην φιλέων καθαρῆς ὑμέναιον Ἀθήνης

  250 ὑψινεφὴς ἐς Ὄλυμπον ἀκοντίζων Ἐφιάλτης:

  Κολλήτης πέλε τοῖος ὑπέρτερος, αἰθέρι γείτων,

  γηγενέος προγόνοιο θεημάχον αἷμα κομίζων,

  Ἰνδοῦ πρωτογόνοιο: καὶ ἄρκιος ἔπλετο μορφῇ

  δῆσαι θοῦρον Ἄρηα μεθ᾽ υἱέας Ἰφιμεδείης:

  255 ἀλλὰ τόσον περ ἐόντα γυνὴ κτάνεν ὀξέι πέτρῳ,

  Βακχιάδος Χαρόπεια κυβερνήτειρα χορείης.

  [241] Colletes with his huge body, immense, formidable, nine cubits high, equal to Aleyoneus, went raging through the fighting hosts of Bacchos. He wished after the battle to drag a company of Bassarids to his bed, and no brideprice paid for the forced bridals. But that was an empty hope he fought for, that mighty man: like bold Otos, who would tread the forbidden ground of heaven for lust of the holy bed of Archeress the unwedded; like Ephialtes, whose love was for wedlock with pure Athena, when he attacked Olympos in the clouds on high. Such was Colletes, gigantic, heavenhigh, having in him the sacrilegious blood of his giant ancestor the founder of the Indian race. He was great enough to put Ares in prison like the sons of Iphimedeia. But huge as he was, a woman killed him with a sharp stone, Charopeia a leader of the Bacchic dance.

  καί τις ἀριστεύουσαν ἰδὼν ὑψαύχενα κούρην

  θαῦμα χόλῳ κεράσας τρομερὴν ἐφθέγξατο φωνήν:

  [257] And one seeing the noble deed of the highnecked girl, spoke in trembling tones with wonder and anger mixed:

  ‘Ἆρες, Ἄρες, λίπε τόξα καὶ ἀσπίδα καὶ σέο λόγχην,

  260 Ἆρες, ἐσυλήθης, λίπε Καύκασον: ἀνδροφόνους γὰρ

  ἀλλοίας Διόνυσος Ἀμαζόνας εἰς μόθον ἕλκει:

  ὁπλοφόρους δονέουσιν ἀνάσπιδες: ὑμετέρου γὰρ

  οὐκ ἀπὸ Θερμώδοντος ἑὰς ἐκόμισσε γυναῖκας.

  ξεῖνον ἴδον καὶ ἄπιστον ἐγὼ τύπον: οὐ σάκος ὤμοις,

  265 οὐ δόρυ θοῦρον ἔχουσιν Ἀμαζονίδες Διονύσου:

  οὐ τόσον εὐθώρηκες ἀριστεύουσι γυναῖκες

  Καυκασίδες: βάκχαι δὲ φιλοπτόρθων ἀπὸ χειρῶν

  φυλλάδας αἰχμάζουσι, καὶ οὐ χατέουσι σιδήρου.

  ὤμοι Δηριάδαο μεμηνότος, ὅττι γυναῖκες

  270 χαλκείους ὀνύχεσσι διασχίζουσι χιτῶνας.’

  [259] “Ares! Ares! Leave your bow and shield and your spear! Ares, you are conquered! Leave the Caucasos, for Dionysos is bringing another sort of Amazons into the field, to kill men. Shieldless they rout men-at-arms. Not from your Thermodon has he brought his women. I have seen a strange and incredible spectacle; the Amazons of Dionysos have no shields on their shoulders, carry no valiant spear; with strong corselets and all, the Caucasian women do not so play the heroes. The Bacchant women cast bunches of leaves from foliage-loving hands, and they need no steel. Alas for the madman Deriades, when women tear coats of mail with their fingernails!”

  ἔννεπε θαμβήσας κραναὸν βέλος, οἷον ἑλοῦσα

  τηλίκον ὑψικάρηνον ἀπέκτανεν ἀνέρα Βάκχη.

  [271] This he said, when he marvelled at the rude missile which the Bacchant girl picked up and killed that huge highheaded man.

  Δηριάδης δ᾽ ἀκίχητος ἐπέδραμε θυιάσι Βάκχαις,

  καὶ Χαρόπην ἐδίωκε λιθοσσόον: ἡ δὲ φυγοῦσα

  275 μάρνατο θαρσήεσσα παρισταμένη Διονύσῳ,

  θύρσον ἀκοντίζουσα φιλάνθεμον Εὐάδι χάρμῃ.

  Δηριάδης δ᾽ Ὀρίθαλλον ἀπηλοίησε σιδήρῳ,

  Κουρήτων ὁμόφυλον, Ἀβαντίδος ἀστὸν ἀρούρης.

  καὶ κοτέων ἑτάροιο δεδουπότος ἀρχὸς Ἀβάντων

  280 Καρμίνων βασιλῆα κατεπρήνιξε Μελισσεύς,

  Κύλλαρον, ὀξυόεντι κατ᾽ αὐχένος ἄορι τύψας,

  Λωγασίδην θ᾽, ὃς μοῦνος, ἐπεὶ σοφὸς ἔσκε μαχητής,

  Δηριάδῃ μεμέλητο δοριθρασέων πλέον Ἰνδῶν

  καί μιν ἄναξ φιλέει μετὰ Μορρέα: πολλάκι δ᾽ αὐτῇ

  285 Ὀρσιβόῃ καὶ ἄνακτι μιῆς ἔψαυσε τραπέζης,

  θυγατέρων βασιλῆος ὁμέστιος: ἀμφοτέροις γὰρ

  ἔγχεϊ καὶ πραπίδεσσιν ὑπέρβαλε σύντροφον ἥβην.

  ἔνθα πολὺς προμάχῳ πρόμος ἤρισεν: ὑψιφανὴς δὲ

  Πευκετίῳ πολέμιζεν ἀερσιπόδης Ἁλιμήδης,

  290 καὶ Φλογίῳ κεκόρυστο Μάρων καὶ Θουρέι Ληνεύς.

  [273] But Deriades ran untouched against the frenzied Bacchants, and pursued Charope who threw the stone; but she escaped, and took her stand fighting boldly beside Dionysos, stabbing with her flowery thyrsus in the Euian battle. Then Deriades killed Orithallos with his spear, one of the Curetian tribe from the land of the Abantes. Their chief Melisseus in anger for his comrade’s fall, struck down Cyllaros king of the Carminians, cutting his throat with his sharp sword, and Logasides, who alone, because he was accomplished in the art of war, was more precious to Deriades than any of the bold Indian spearmen, and the king loved him best after Morrheus — often he touched one table with Orsiboe herself and the king, living in the family with the king’s daughters, for both with spear and wits he surpassed all his years-mates. Then many a captain fought against captain: tall agile-footed Halimedes against Peucetios, Maron against Phlogios, Leneus against Thureus.

  ὑσμίνης δὲ τάλαντα πατὴρ ἔκλινε Κρονίων:

  καὶ βριαρῷ Διόνυσος ἐμάρνατο Δηριαδῆι,

  μίξας ἔγχεϊ θύρσον: ἀκοντοφόρῳ δὲ μαχητῇ

  πῇ μὲν ἀκοντίζοντι μετάτροπον εἶδος ἀμείβων

  295 δύσατο παντοίης πολυδαίδαλα φάσματα μ�
�ρφῆς:

  πῇ δὲ θυελλήεσσα κορύσσετο μαινομένη φλόξ,

  ἀγκύλον αἰθύσσουσα σέλας βητάρμονι καπνῷ.

  ἄλλοτε κυμαίνων ἀπατήλιον ἔρρεεν ὕδωρ,

  ὑγρὸς ὀιστεύων διερὸν βέλος: ἀμφιέπων δὲ

  300 ἰσοφυὲς μίμημα λεοντείοιο προσώπου

  ὄρθιον ἠέρταζε μετάρσιον ἀνθερεῶνα,

  τρηχαλέον βρύχημα χέων πυκινότριχι λαιμῷ

  καὶ κέλαδον βρονταῖον ἐρισμαράγοιο τοκῆος:

  καὶ σκιερῆς φορέων πολυδαίδαλον εἶδος ὀπώρης

  305 ἀλλοφανὴς μορφοῦτο, καὶ εἴκελος ἔρνεϊ γαίης

  αὐτοτελὴς ἀκίχητος ἀνέδραμεν, αἰθέρα τύπτων,

  ὡς πίτυς, ὡς πλατάνιστος: ἀμειβομένου δὲ καρήνου

  μιμηλοῖς πετάλοισι νόθην δενδρώσατο χαίτην,

  γαστέρα θάμνον ἔχων περιμήκετον: ἀκρεμόνας δὲ

  310 χεῖρας ἑὰς ποίησε, καὶ ἐφλοίωσε χιτῶνας,

  καὶ πόδας ἐρρίζωσεν: ἀνακρούων δὲ κεραίαις

  μαρναμένου βασιλῆος ἐπεψιθύριζε προσώπῳ:

  καὶ στικτοῖς μελέεσσι τύπον μιμηλὸν ὑφαίνων

  πόρδαλις ὑψιπότητος ἀνέδραμεν ἅλματι ταρσῶν,

  315 καὶ λοφιῆς ἐπέβαινεν ἀερσιλόφων ἐλεφάντων

  κοῦφα βιβάς: ἐλέφας δὲ παρήορος ἅρμα τινάσσων

  εἰς πέδον ἠκόντιζε θεημάχον ἡνιοχῆα,