Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  υἷα Ποσειδάωνος ἀριστεύοντα σαῶσαι,

  265 καὶ γενέτην φιλότεκνον ἐφ᾽ υἱέι κυανοχαίτην

  μαρναμένου λιτάνευε προασπίζειν Πολυφήμου.

  καὶ βυθίου τριόδοντος ἐκυκλώσαντο φορῆα

  θυγατέρες Νηρῆος: ἐρειδόμενος δὲ τριαίνῃ

  πόντιος ἐννοσίγαιος ἐδέρκετο γείτονα χάρμην,

  270 καὶ στρατὸν εὐθώρηκος ὀπιπεύων Διονύσου,

  ζηλήμων ὁρόων ἑτέρου Κύκλωπος Ἐνυώ,

  ὑγρομόθῳ Βρομίῳ πολυμεμφέα ῥήξατο φωνήν:

  [257] Galatea too came from the depths and moved half visible through the bosom of the deep sea, wrinkling the calm surface, and looking upon the sea-affrighting battle of murderous Cyclops she was shaken, and her cheeks changed colour from fear, for she thought she saw Polyphemos fighting for Lyaios against Deriades in this Indian War; and in dismay she besought Aphrodite of the sea to protect the heroic son of Poseidon, and she prayed the loving father Seabluehair to defend his son Polyphemos in the battle. The daughters of Nereus gathered round the bearer of the deepsea trident; Earth-shaker the seagod leaning upon his trident watched the neighbouring conflict, and scanning the host of corseleted Dionysos, he observed with jealousy the valour of another Cyclops, and loudly reproached Bacchos for disturbing the waters with battle:

  ‘Εἰς ἐνοπήν, φίλε Βάκχε, τόσους Κύκλωπας ἀγείρων,

  καλλείψας δ᾽ ἕνα μοῦνον ἀπόπροθι δηιοτῆτος,

  275 εἰς χρόνον ἑπταέτηρον ἔχεις πολύκυκλον ἀγῶνα,

  βόσκων ἀλλοπρόσαλλον ἀτέρμονος ἐλπίδα χάρμης,

  ὅττι τεοῦ μεγάλοιο προασπιστῆρες ἀγῶνος

  πάντες ἑνὸς χατέουσιν ἀνικήτου Πολυφήμου:

  εἰ δὲ τεὴν ἐπὶ δῆριν ἐμὸς πάις ἵκετο Κύκλωψ,

  πατρῴην δ᾽ ἐλέλιζεν ἐμῆς γλωχῖνα τριαίνης,

  280 καί κεν ὑπὲρ πεδίοιο συναιχμάζων Διονύσῳ

  στήθεα βουκεράοιο διέθλασε Δηριαδῆος,

  καὶ πολὺν αἰνὸν ὅμιλον ἐμῷ τριόδοντι δαΐζων

  εἰς μίαν ἠριγένειαν ὅλον γένος ἔκτανεν Ἰνδῶν.

  285 υἱὸς ἐμὸς πάλαι ἄλλος ἔχων ἑκατοντάδα χειρῶν

  Τιτήνων ὀλετῆρι τεῷ χραίσμησε τοκῆι,

  Αἰγαίων πολύπηχυς, ὅτε Κρόνον εἰς φόβον ἕλκων

  ἠλιβάτων ἐτίταινε πολυσπερὲς ἔθνος ἀγοστῶν,

  ἠέλιον σκιόωσαν ἔχων ὑψαύχενα χαίτην,

  290 καὶ βλοσυροὶ Τιτῆνες ἐνοσφίσθησαν Ὀλύμπου

  εὐπαλάμου Βριαρῆος ὑποπτήσσοντες Ἐνυώ.’

  [273] “Bacchos my friend, how many Cyclopians you have brought into your war, and left only one far from the battle! Your conflict has lasted through many cycles, seven years, feeding the varying hopes of endless strife, because all the foremost champions of your great contest lack one, Polyphemos the invincible. If my son the Cyclops had come to your conflict, and brandished the prong of my trident, his father’s, then indeed as the ally of Dionysos he would have pierced the chest of horned Deriades on this field — he would have destroyed a great and terrible host with my threetooth, and slain the whole Indian nation in one day! Before this another son of mine with a hundred hands helped your Father to destroy the Titans, Aigaion many arm, when he put Cronos to flight and stretched the farspread legion of his high-climbing arms and shadowed the sun with hair flying high over his neck, so that the grim Titans were driven from Olympos cringing, before the attack of Briareos and all his arms!”

  τοῖον ἔπος φθονέων νεμεσήμονι πέφραδε φωνῇ.

  αἰδομένη δὲ Θόωσα κατηφέας εἶχε παρειάς,

  Ἄρεϊ μὴ παρεόντος ἐρωμανέος Πολυφήμου.

  [292] So he spoke, in a tone of grudging jealousy; and Thoosa sank down her cheeks in shame that lovesick Polyphemos was not present in the battle.

  295 ὡς δὲ πόνου τέλος ἦεν ἐριφλοίσβοιο κυδοιμοῦ,

  ἠθάδα πόντον ὄπωπε κατάρρυτον αἵματι Νηρεύς:

  ξανθῆς δ᾽ ἐννοσίγαιος ἐθάμβεε νῶτα θαλάσσης,

  ἰχθύας ἀνδροφάγους ὁρόων καὶ πληθύι νεκρῶν

  γείτονος ἄβροχα νῶτα γεφυρωθέντα θαλάσσης...

  300 Βακχιάδες τε φάλαγγες ἐπέρρεον αἴθοπι λαῷ.

  [295] But when the end came of this loudblustering conflict, Nereus saw his familiar sea flooded with blood; Earthshaker was amazed at the brownish surface of the deep, as he saw fishes eating men, and the back of the neighbouring sea bridged over dry with the heaps of corpses... The troops of Bacchos poured upon the swarthy people.

  κεῖτο δὲ δυσμενέων στρατὸς ἄσπετος, ὧν ἐνὶ χάρμῃ

  βαλλομένων ξιφέεσσι καὶ ὀξυτόροισιν ὀιστοῖς.

  τοῦ μὲν ὑπὲρ λαπάρην βέλος ἔμπεσε, τοῦ δὲ τυπέντος

  ἔγχεϊ χαλκείῳ μεσάτης ὑπὲρ ἄντυγα κόρσης

  305 ὠτειλὴ βεβάθυστο χαρασσομένοιο καρήνου.

  πολλοὶ δ᾽ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα πολυσπερέων ἐλατήρων

  πόντον ἀμοιβαίοισιν ἀνασχίζοντες ἐρετμοῖς

  κυανέην λεύκαινον ἐπασσυτέρην χύσιν ἀφρῷ,

  καὶ πόνος ἦν ἀνόνητος ἐπειγομένων ἐλατήρων,

  310 συμφερτοὺς δὲ κάλωας ἀοσσητῆρι σιδήρῳ

  ἰθυντὴρ ἀπέκοψε καὶ ἔσχισεν ἄορι σειρήν.

  [301] There lay an infinite multitude of the enemy, struck down in the fight by swords and sharp arrows. One had a shaft lodged over the flank; one was struck by a bronze spear over the round of his temple, the wound running deep into the cloven head. Great numbers of the farscattered oarsmen on both sides cleft the dark flood with continuous strokes of alternating oars, and whitened it with foam; but the labour of the hurrying oarsmen was in vain, for the commander cut the ropes with his sword and severed with aiding steel the tangled mass of lashings.)

  Ἀμφοτέρης δὲ φάλαγγος ἐν ἠέρι ῥοῖζον ἰάλλων

  ἔρρεεν ἀπλανέων δολιχόσκιος ὄμβρος ὀιστῶν:

  ὧν ὁ μὲν ἱστὸν ἔβαλλε μεσαίτατον, ὃς δὲ περήσας

  315 ἱστίον εὐδίνητον ἐβόμβεε σύνδρομος αὔραις,

  ἄλλος ἔην προτόνοισι πεπαρμένος, ὃς δὲ μεσόδμῃ

  κεῖτο πεσών, ἕτερος δὲ δι᾽ ἠέρος ἰὸς ἀλήτης

  ἀκροτάτης ἐτύχησεν ἀερσιλόφοιο κεραίης,

  σέλμασι δ᾽ ἄλλος ἔην τετανυσμένος: ἀγχιφανῆ δὲ

  320 ἄλλα κυβερνητῆρος ἀποπλαγχθέντα κελεύθου

  ἄστατα πηδαλίοιο διέξεσεν ἄκρα κορύμβο
υ:

  καὶ Φλόγιος κλυτότοξος ὑπηνέμιον βέλος ἕλκων

  ἴκρια νηὸς ἔβαλλε καὶ οὐκ ἐτύχησε Λυαίου.

  ἦν δ᾽ ἐσιδεῖν κατὰ πόντον ἐύπτερον ἰὸν ἀλήτηι

  325 πουλύποδος σκολιοῖο περιπλεχθέντα κορύμβοις:

  ἄλλου δ᾽ ἤμβροτεν ἄλλος: Ἐρυθραίῳ δὲ σιδήρῳ

  πομπίλον ἄλλος ἔτυψε καταιχμάζων Διονύσου:

  ἔγχεϊ δ᾽ ἠκόντιζε Κορύμβασος, ὄφρα τυχήσῃ

  ὁλκαίης Σατύροιο, παραΐξασα δὲ λόγχη

  330 ἰχθύος ὑγροπόροιο κατέγραφε δίζυγον οὐρὴν

  θηγαλέῃ γλωχῖνι: τιτυσκόμενος δὲ σιδήρῳ

  εἰς σκοπὸν ἀχρήιστον ἀνουτήτου Διονύσου

  Δηριάδης δόρυ πέμπεν, ἀποπλαγχθεῖσα δὲ Βάκχου

  εἰς ῥαχίην δελφῖνος ἐποίπνυε λοίγιος αἰχμή,

  335 κυρτὸς ὅπῃ λοφιῇσι συνάπτεται ἰχθύος αὐχήν,

  δελφὶς δ᾽ αὐτοέλικτος ἐθήμονι κυκλάδι νύσσῃ

  ἡμιθανὴς σκίρτησε χορίτιδος ἅλματι Μοίρης:

  πολλοὶ δ᾽ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα κυβιστητῆρες ὀλέθρου

  ἰχθύες ὠρχήσαντο χαρασσομένων ἀπὸ νώτων.

  [312] From each army flew straight a shower of long-shafted arrows whizzing unerring through the air. One struck full upon a mast, one ran noisily through a flapping sail quick as the wind, another pierced the forestays, another fell and stuck in the mastbox; an arrow again flying through the air hit the end of the yard which supported the sail, another stuck straight up on the foredeck. Others came near the helmsman, but missed the way in which they had been sent and scraped the top of the moving rudder. Phlogios the famous archer drew a shot through the air, and hit the ship’s deck but missed Lyaios. You could see a winged arrow fly and skim over the sea, then embraced in the feelers of a curling squid. Many missed, but one with Erythraian steel aimed at Dionysos hit a pilot-fish. Corymbasos cast a lance at a Satyr’s tail, but the lance missed him and scored the forked tail of a waterfaring fish with its sharp point. Deriades aimed his steel at a target impossible to hit, as he cast at unwounded Dionysos; the deadly point missed Bacchos and got to work on the backbone of a dolphin, where the curving neck of the fish joins the bristling back — the fish leapt of itself in its usual curving course, and already half-dead skipt with the leap of a dancing Fate. On all sides many a fish with pierced back tumbled about in his dance of death.

  340 καὶ Στερόπης προμάχιζεν: ἀερσιπόδης δ᾽ Ἁλιμήδης

  χειρὶ λαβὼν πρηῶνα θαλασσοτόκοιο κολώνης

  ῥῖψεν ἐπ᾽ ἀντιβίοισιν: ἔδυνε δὲ φοιταλέη νηῦς

  τρηχαλέου βληθεῖσα λίθου τροχοειδέι κύκλῳ.

  καί τις ἀκοντισθεῖσα δι᾽ ὁλκάδος ὁλκάδι γείτων

  345 ἀμφοτέρας ἔζευξεν ἁλίδρομος ἔγχεος αἰχμή,

  νῆας ἐπισφίγξασα δύω ξυνήονι δεσμῷ

  στεινομένων νεφεληδόν: ἔην δ᾽ ἑτερόκτυπος ἠχώ.

  [340] Steropes also fought in the forefront; Halimedes high uplifted upon his feet grasped the crag of a seaborn cliff and threw it at the foe — astray ship sank, struck by the rounded mass of hard stone. Or again, a spear cast over the sea at close quarters joined ship to ship and coupled the pair together, holding two vessels fast in a common bond, while they were all crushed together in a cloud — great was the clamour on both sides.

  καὶ στόλος ἀμφοτέρων τετράζυγον εἶχεν Ἐνυώ,

  ὧν ὁ μὲν ἀντιπόροιο περὶ ῥάχιν αἴθοπος Εὔρου,

  350 ὃς δὲ Λιβὸς δροσεροῖο παρὰ πτερόν, ὃς δὲ Βορῆος,

  καὶ Νοτίην παρὰ πέζαν. ἀμοιβαίῃσι δὲ ῥιπαῖς

  Μορρεὺς μὲν ταχύγουνος ἀφ᾽ ὁλκάδος ὁλκάδα βαίνων

  Βασσαρίδων ἐφόβησεν ἁλιπτοίητον Ἐνυώ,

  ἶσος ἀριστεύων καὶ ἐν ὕδασιν: ἀλλὰ ἑ θύρσῳ

  355 Εὔιος οὐτήσας διερῆς ἀνεσείρασε χάρμης,

  καὶ μογέων ὀδύνῃσιν ἐπὶ πτόλιν ᾤχετο Μορρεύς.

  [348] The two fleets were engaged in four divisions: one facing the backbone of the scorching East Wind, one by the wing of the rainy Sou’west, one in the region of the North, one in the South. Morrheus with alternating rushes marched kneeswift from ship to ship and scattered the seascared array of Bassarids, a conquering hero equally on the sea; but Euios wounded him with his thyrsus and checked his valour on the deep — then Morrheus in agony was gone back to the city.

  ὄφρα μὲν ἔνθεον ἕλκος, ὅ μιν λάχε, δαιμονίη χεὶρ

  λυσιπόνου Βραχμῆνος ἀκέσσατο Φοιβάδι τέχνῃ,

  θεσπεσίῃ λάλον ὕμνον ὑποτρύζοντος ἀοιδῇ,

  360 τόφρα δὲ δυσμενέεσσιν ἐπέχραε Λύδιος Ἄρης.

  [357] While the divine wound which had got him was being healed by the godly hand of a painquelling Brahman with Apollo’s art, who cooed a verbose ditty of solemn incantation, so long the Lydian wargod prevailed against his enemies.

  τοῖσι μὲν ἐγρεκύδοιμος ἕην πλόος, εἶχε δ᾽ Ἐνυὼ

  ναυτιλίης προκέλευθον, ἁλισμαράγου δὲ κυδοιμοῦ

  ἦν κλόνος ἀμφοτέρων ἑτερότροπος: ἀντιβίων γὰρ

  ὅσσοι μὲν κραναοῖσιν ὀιστεύοντο βελέμνοις

  365 ἢ φονίοις πετάλοισιν ἢ ἔγχεσιν ἠὲ μαχαίραις,

  χεῖρας ἐρετμώσαντες ἀήθεας εἰς μέλαν ὕδωρ

  ἴθμασιν ἀσταθέεσσιν ἐτυμβεύοντο θαλάσσης:

  εἰ δέ τις εἰς ἅλα πῖπτε τυπεὶς Βρομίοιο μαχητής,

  αἰθύσσων παλάμας ἐπενήχετο κύματα τέμνων

  370 χερσὶ θαλασσομόθοισιν, ἁλιρροίζῳ δὲ κυδοιμῷ

  μαρνάμενος ῥοθίοισι μετ᾽ ἀνέρας ἔσχισεν ὕδωρ.

  [361] Their assault awoke a new conflict: Enyo went before their sails, and the struggle of the two navies in the brineplashing battle was different. For those of the enemy who were struck by volleys of hard stones, or deadly leaves, or spears or swords, paddled the black water with unaccustomed hands and found a grave in the sea with staggering steps; but if any warrior of Bromios fell stricken into the brine, he darted out his arms and swam cutting the waves with seabattling hands, as he fought the surge with brineblustering noise and cleft water instead of men.

  εἰναλίης δὲ τάλαντα μάχης ἔκλινε Κρονίων,

  νίκην ὑδατόεσσαν ἐπεντύνων Διονύσῳ:

  καὶ βυθίῳ τριόδοντι κορύσσετο κυανοχαίτης

  375 μαρνάμενος δηίοισι, καὶ ἄβροχον ἡνιοχεύων

  ἅρμα Ποσειδάωνος ἐβακχεύθη Μελικέρτης.

  καὶ πισύραις κατὰ πό�
�τον ἐφιππεύοντες ἀέλλαις

  κύματα πυργώσαντες ἐθωρήχθησαν ἀῆται,

  δυσμενέων ἐθέλοντες ἀιστῶσαι στίχα νηῶν,

  οἱ μὲν Δηριαδῆος ἀρηγόνες, οἱ δὲ Λυαίου:

  380 καὶ Ζέφυρος κεκόρυστο,

  νότος δ᾽ ἐπεσύρισεν Εὔρῳ,

  καὶ Βορέης Θρήισσαν ἄγων ἀντίπνοον αὔρην

  ἄγρια μαινομένης ἐπεμάστιε νῶτα θαλάσσης.

  385 καὶ στόλον ἰθύνουσα μαχήμονα Δηριαδῆος

  385 ὑσμίνης Ἔρις ἦρχε: Διωνύσοιο δὲ νηῶν

  Ἰνδοφόνῳ παλάμῃ κολπώσατο λαίφεα Νίκη.

  χείλεσι δ᾽ ἰκμαλέοισι μαχήμονα κόχλον ἐρείσας

  εἰναλίῃ σάλπιγγι μέλος μυκήσατο Νηρεύς:

  καὶ Θέτις ἐσμαράγησεν ἐνυαλίης μέλος Ἠχοῦς

  390 κύμασι πατρῴοισι προασπίζουσα Λυαίου.

  [372] Now Cronion inclined the balance of the sea-fight, preparing a watery victory for Dionysos; Seabluehair armed him with his trident of the deep to fight the foe, and Melicertes madly drove the unwetted car of Poseidon. The winds also rode on four tempests over the sea, armed for the fray and towering up the waves, with a will to destroy the lines of their enemies’ ships, these to help Deriades, those Lyaios: Zephyros was ready, Notos whistled against Euros, Boreas brought up his Thracian breeze as a counterblast and flogged the back of the maddened sea. Discord guided the warlike navy of Deriades and led the battle; but Victory filled out the sails of Dionysos with a hand which bore death for the Indians. Nereus pressed his conch of war with dripping lips and boomed a tune through the sea-trumpet, and Thetis shrilled a tune of warlike sound and defended Lyaios with her father’s billows.

  Εὐρυμέδων δὲ Κάβειρος ἐθήμονα δαλὸν ἀείρων