Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  καὶ πυμάτην παρὰ πέζαν ἐυκλώστοιο χιτῶνος

  ὠκεανὸν κύκλωσε περίδρομον ἄντυγι κόσμου.

  ἀμφίπολος δέ οἱ ἦλθε καὶ ἐγγύθι θήλεος ἱστοῦ

  ἱσταμένην ἤγγειλε παρὰ προθύροις Ἀφροδίτην.

  305 καὶ θεός, ὡς ἤκουσε, μίτους ῥίψασα χιτῶνος

  θέσκελον ἱστοπόνων ἀπεσείσατο κερκίδα χειρῶν:

  καὶ ταχινὴ πυκάσασα δέμας χιονώδεϊ πέπλῳ

  φαιδροτέρη χρυσέης ὑπερίζανεν ἠθάδος ἕδρης,

  δεχνυμένη Κυθέρειαν, ἀναΐξασα δὲ θώκου

  310 τηλεφανῆ κύδηνεν ἐπερχομένην Ἀφροδίτην.

  καὶ Παφίην ἵδρυσεν ἐπὶ θρόνον ἐγγὺς ἀνάσσης

  Εὐρυνόμη τανύπεπλος: ἀτυζομένου δὲ προσώπου

  Κύπριν ὀπιπεύουσα κατηφέι μάρτυρι μορφῇ

  παντρόφος Ἁρμονίη φιλίῳ μειλίξατο μύθῳ:

  [288] To that place went Charis, fellow-voyager with the Foamborn, and running ahead she knocked at the eastern gate of Euros. As the rap came on the saffron portal of sunrise, Astynomeia an attendant ran up from within; and when she saw Cypris standing in front of the gatehouse of the dwelling, she went with returning feet to inform her mistress beforehand. She was then busy at Athena’s loom, weaving a patterned cloth with her shuttle. In the robe she was weaving, she worked first Earth as the navel in the midst; round it she balled the sky dotted with the shape of stars, and fitted the sea closely to the embracing earth; she embroidered also the rivers in a green picture, shaped each with a human face and bull’s horns; and at the outer fringe of the wellspun robe she made Ocean run all round the world in a loop. The maid came up to the woman’s loom, and announced that Aphrodite stood before the gatehouse. When the goddess heard, she dropt the threads of the robe and threw down the divine shuttle from her hands busy at the loom. Quickly she wrapped a snow-white ° The names mean Rising, Setting, She of Midday. robe about her body, and brighter than the gold took her place on her usual seat to await Cythereia. As soon as Aphrodite appeared in the distance, she leapt from her throne to show due respect. Eurynome in her long robe led the Paphian to a seat near her mistress; Harmonia the Nurse of the world saw the looks and dejected bearing of Cypris that showed her distress, and comforted her in friendly tones:

  315 ‘ Ῥίζα βίου, Κυθέρεια φυτοσπόρε, μαῖα γενέθλης,

  ἐλπὶς ὅλου κόσμοιο, τεῆς ὑπὸ νεύματι βουλῆς

  ἀπλανέες κλώθουσι πολύτροπα νήματα Μοῖραι...’

  [315] “Cythereia, root of life, seedsower of being, midwife of nature, hope of the whole universe, at the bidding of your will the unbending Fates do spin their complicated threads! [Tell me your trouble.”]

  ‘... εἰρομένῃ θέσπιζε, καὶ ὡς βιότοιο τιθήνη,

  ὡς τροφὸς ἀθανάτων, ὡς σύγχρονος ἥλικι κόσμῳ,

  320 εἰπέ: τίνι πτολίων βασιληίδος ὄργανα φωνῆς

  λυσιπόνων ἀτίνακτα φυλάσσεται ἡνία θεσμῶν ;

  ὅττι πολυχρονίοιο πόθου δεδονημένον οἴστρῳ

  Ἥρης κέντρον ἔχοντα κασιγνήτων ὑμεναίων

  εἰς χρόνον ἱμείροντα τριηκοσίων ἐνιαυτῶν

  325 Ζῆνα γάμοις ἔζευξα: χάριν δέ μοι ἄξιον ἔργων

  μισθὸν ἑοῦ θαλάμοιο νοήμονι νεῦσε καρήνῳ,

  ὅττι μιῇ πολίων, ὧν ἔλλαχον, ἐγγυαλίξει

  θεσμὰ Δίκης, ποθέω δὲ δαήμεναι, εἰ χθονὶ Κύπρου

  ἠὲ Πάφῳ τάδε δῶρα φυλάσσεται ἠὲ Κορίνθῳ

  330 ἢ Σπάρτῃ, Λυκόοργος ὅθεν πέλεν, ἠὲ καὶ αὐτῆς

  κούρης ἡμετέρης Βερόης εὐήνορι πάτρῃ.

  ἀλλὰ δίκης ἀλέγιζε καὶ ἁρμονίην πόρε κόσμῳ

  Ἁρμονίη γεγαυῖα βιοσσόος: εἰς σὲ γὰρ αὐτὴ

  πέμψεν ἐπειγομένην με θεμιστοπόλων τροφὸς ἀνδρῶν,

  335 παρθένος ἀστερόεσσα: τὸ δὲ πλέον ἔννομος Ἑρμῆς

  τοῦτο γέρας μεθέηκε, βιαζομένους ἵνα μούνη

  ἀνέρας, οὓς ἔσπειρα, γάμου θεσμοῖσι σαώσω.’

  [318] [She replied] : “... Reveal to your questioner, and tell me, as nourisher of life, nurse of immortals, as coeval with the universe your agemate; which of the cities has the organ of sovereign voice? which has reserved for it the unshaken reins of troublesolving Law? I joined Zeus in wedlock with Hera his sister, after he had felt the pangs of longlasting desire and desired her for three hundred years: in gratitude he bowed his wise head, and promised as a worthy reward for the marriage that he would commit the precepts of Justice to one of the cities allotted to me. I wish to learn whether the gift is reserved for land of Cyprus or Paphos or Corinth, or Sparta whence Lycurgos came, or the noblemen’s country of my own daughter Beroe. Have a care then for Justice, and grant harmony to the world, you who are Harmonia the saviour of life! For I was sent here in haste by the Virgin of the Stars herself, the nurse of law-abiding men; and what is more, law-loving Hermes has passed on this honour to me, that I alone by enforcing the laws of marriage may preserve the men whom I have sown.”

  ὣς φαμένην θάρσυνε θεὰ καὶ ἀμείβετο μύθῳ:

  [338] To these words of hers the goddess replied with an encouraging speech:

  ‘ Γίνεο θαρσαλέη, μὴ δείδιθι, μῆτερ Ἐρώτων:

  340 ἑπτὰ γὰρ ἐν πινάκεσσιν ἔχω μαντήια κόσμου,

  καὶ πίνακες γεγάασιν ἐπώνυμοι ἑπτὰ πλανήτων.

  πρῶτος ἐυτροχάλοιο φερώνυμός ἐστι Σελήνης:

  δεύτερος Ἑρμείαο πίναξ χρύσειος ἀκούει

  στίλβων, ᾧ ἔνι πάντα τετεύχαται ὄργια θεσμῶν:

  345 οὔνομα σὸν μεθέπει ῥοδόεις τρίτος: ὑμετέρου γὰρ

  ἀστέρος Ἠῴοιο φέρει τύπον: ἑπταπόρων δὲ

  τέτρατος Ἠελίοιο μεσόμφαλός ἐστι πλανήτων:

  πέμπτος ἐρευθιόων πυρόεις κικλήσκεται Ἄρης:

  καὶ Φαέθων Κρονίδαο φατίζεται ἕκτος ἀλήτης:

  350 ἕβδομος ὑψιπόροιο Κρόνου πέλεν οὔνομα φαίνων.

  τοῖς ἔνι ποικίλα πάντα μεμορμένα θέσφατα κόσμου

  γράμματι ξοινικόεντι γέρων ἐχάραξεν Ὀφίων.

  ἀλλ᾽, ἐπεὶ ἰθυνόων με διείρεαι εἵνεκα θεσμῶν,

  πρεσβυτέρῃ πολίων πρεσβήια ταῦτα φυλάσσω:

  355 εἴτ᾽ οὖν Ἀρκαδίη προτέρη πέλεν ἢ πόλις Ἥρης,

  Σάρδιες εἰ γεγάασι παλαίτεραι, εἰ δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ

  Ταρσὸς ἀειδομένη πρωτόπτολις, εἰ δέ τις ἄλλη.

  οὐκ ἐδάην: Κρόνιος δὲ πίνα
ξ τάδε πάντα διδάσκει,

  τίς προτέρη βλάστησε, τίς ἔπλετο σύγχρονος Ἠοῦς.’

  [339] “Be of good cheer, fear not, mother of the Loves! For I have oracles of history on seven tablets, and the tablets bear the names of the seven planets. The first has the name of revolving Selene; the second is called of Hermes, a shining ° tablet of gold, upon which are wrought all the secrets of law; the third has your name, a rosy tablet, for it has the shape of your star in the East; the fourth is of Helios, central navel of the seven travelling planets; the fifth is called Ares, red and fiery; the sixth is called Phaethon, the planet of Cronides; the seventh shows the name of highmoving Cronos. Upon these, ancient Ophion has engraved in red letters all the divers oracles of fate for the universe. But since you ask me about the directing laws, this prerogative I keep for the eldest of cities. Whether then Arcadia is first or Hera’s city, whether Sardis be the oldest, or even Tarsos celebrated in song be the first city, or some other, I have not been told. The tablet of Cronos will teach you all this, which first arose, which was coeval with Dawn.”

  360 εἶπε: καὶ ἡγεμόνευεν ἐς ἀγλαὰ θέσφατα τοίχου,

  εἰσόκεν ἔδρακε χῶρον, ὅπῃ Βερόης περὶ πάτρης

  θέσφατον ὀψιτέλεστον Ὀφιονίη γράφε τέχνη

  ἐν πίνακι Κρονίῳ κεχαραγμένον οἴνοπι μίλτῳ:

  ‘πρωτοφανὴς Βερόη πέλε σύγχρονος ἥλικι κόσμῳ,

  365 νύμφης ὀψιγόνοιο φερώνυμος, ἣν μετανάσται

  υἱέες Αὐσονίων, ὑπατήια φέγγεα Ῥώμης,

  Βηρυτὸν καλέσουσιν, ἐπεὶ Λιβάνῳ πέσε γείτων...’

  [360] She spoke; and led the way to the glorious oracles of the wall, until she saw the place where Ophion’s art had engraved in ruddy vermilion on the tablet of Cronos the oracle to be fulfilled in time about Beroe’s country. “Beroe came the first, coeval with the universe her agemate, bearing the name of the nymph later born, which the colonizing sons of the Ausonians, the consular lights of Rome, shall call Berytos, since here fell a neighbour to Lebanon...

  τοῖον ἔπος δεδάηκε θεοπρόπον. ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δαίμων

  θέσκελον ἑβδομάτου πίνακος παρεμέτρεεν ἀρχήν,

  370 δεύτερον ἐσκοπίαζεν, ὅπῃ παρὰ γείτονι τοίχῳ

  ποικίλα παντοίης ἐχαράσσετο δαίδαλα τέχνης

  μαντιπόλοις ἐπέεσσιν, ὅτι πρώτιστα νοήσει

  Πὰν νόμιος σύριγγα, λύρην Ἑλικώνιος Ἑρμῆς,

  δίθροον ἁβρὸς Ὕαγνις ἐυτρήτου μέλος αὐλοῦ,

  375 Ὀρφεὺς μυστιπόλοιο θεηγόρα χεύματα μολπῆς,

  καὶ Λίνος εὐεπίην Φοιβήιος, Ἀρκάς ἀλήτης

  μέτρα δυωδεκάμηνα καὶ Π̓ελίοιο πορείην,

  μητέρα τικτομένων ἐτέων τετράζυγι δίφρῳ,

  καὶ σοφὸς Ἐνδυμίων ἑτερότροπα δάκτυλα κάμψας

  380 γνώσεται ἄστατα κύκλα παλιννόστοιο Σελήνης

  τριπλόα καὶ στοιχεῖον ὁμόζυγον ἄζυγι μίξας

  Κάδμος ἐυγλώσσοιο διδάξεται ὄργια φωνῆς,

  θεσμὰ Σόλων ἄχραντα, καὶ ἔννομον Ἀτθίδι πεύκῃ

  συζυγίης ἀλύτοιο συνωρίδα δίζυγα Κέκροψ.

  [368] Such was the word of prophecy that she learnt. But when the deity had scanned the prophetic beginning of the seventh tablet, she looked at the second, where on the neighbouring wall many strange signs were engraved with varied art in oracular speech: how first shepherd Pan will invent the syrinx, Heliconian Hermes the harp, tender Hyagnis the music of the double pipes with their clever holes, Orpheus the streams of mystic song with divine voice, Apollo’s Linos eloquent speech; how Arcas the traveller will find out the measures of the twelve months, and the sun’s circuit which is the mother of the years brought forth by his fourhorse team; how wise Endymion with changing bends of his fingers will calculate the three varying phases of Selene; how Cadmos will combine consonant with vowel and teach the secrets of correct speech; how Solon will invent inviolable laws, and Cecrops the union of two yoked together under the sacred yoke of marriage made lawful with the Attic torch.

  385 καὶ Παφίη μετὰ πάντα πολύτροπα δαίδαλα Μούσης

  πυκνὰ πολυσπερέων παρεμέτρεεν ἔργα πολήων:

  καὶ πίνακος γραπτοῖο μέσην ὑπὲρ ἄντυγα κόσμου

  τοῖν ἔπος σοφὸν εὗρε πολύστιχον Ἑλλάδι Μούσῃ:

  [385] Now the Paphian, after all these manifold wonders of the Muse, scanned the various deeds of the scattered cities; and on the written tablet which lay in the midst on the circuit of the universe, she found these words of wisdom inscribed in many lines of Grecian verse:

  ‘Σκῆπτρον ὅλης Αὔγουστος ὅτε χθονὸς ἡνιοχεύσει,

  390 Ῥώμῃ μὲν ζαθέῃ δωρήσεται Αὐσόνιος Ζεὺς

  κοιρανίην, Βερόῃ δὲ χαρίζεται ἡνία θεσμῶν,

  ὁππότε θωρηχθεῖσα φερεσσακέων ἐπὶ νηῶν

  φύλοπιν ὑγρομόθοιο κατευνήσει Κλεοπάτρης:

  πρὶν γὰρ ἀτασθαλίη πολιπόρθιος οὔ ποτε λήξει

  395 εἰρήνην κλονέουσα σαόπτολιν, ἄχρι δικάζει

  Βηρυτὸς βιότοιο γαληναίοιο τιθήνη

  γαῖαν ὁμοῦ καὶ πόντον, ἀκαμπέι τείχεϊ θεσμῶν

  ἄστεα πυργώσασα, μία πτόλις ἄστεα κόσμου.’

  [389] “When Augustus shall hold the sceptre of the world, Ausonian Zeus will give to divine Rome the lordship, and to Beroe he will grant the reins of law, when armed in her fleet of shielded ships she shall pacify the strife of battlestirring Cleopatra. For before that, citysacking violence will never cease to shake citysaving peace, until Berytos the nurse of quiet life does justice on land and sea, fortifying the cities with the unshakable wall of law, one city for all cities of the world.”

  καὶ θεός, ὁππότε πᾶσαν Ὀφιονίην μάθεν ὀμφήν,

  400 εἰς ἑὸν οἶκον ἔβαινε παλίνδρομος: ἑζομένου δὲ

  υἱέος ἐγγὺς ἔθηκεν ἑὴν χρυσήλατον ἕδρην,

  καὶ μέσον ἀγκὰς ἑλοῦσα γαληνιόωντι προσώπῳ

  πεπταμένῳ πήχυνε γεγηθότι κοῦρον ἀγοστῷ,

  γούνασι κουφίζουσα φίλον βάρος: ἀμφότερον δὲ

  405 καὶ στόμα παιδὸς ἔκυσσε καὶ ὄμματα: θελξινόου δὲ

  ἁπτομένη τόξοιο καὶ ἀμφαφόωσα φαρέτρην,

  οἷά περ ἀσχαλόωσα, δολόφρονα ῥήξατο φωνήν:

  [399] Then the goddess, having learnt all the oracles of Ophion, returned to her own house. She placed her own goldwrought throne beside the place where her son sat, and throwing an arm round his waist, with quiet countenance opened her glad arms to receive the boy and held the dear burden on her knees; she kissed both his lips and eyes, touched his mind-bewitching bow and fingered the quiver, and spoke in feigned anger these cunning words:<
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  ‘Ἐλπὶς ὅλου βιότοιο, παραίφασις ἀφρογενείης,

  νηλειὴς ἐμὰ τέκνα βιήσατο μοῦνα Κρονίων:

  410 ἐννέα γὰρ πλήσασα μογοστόκα κύκλα Σελήνης

  δριμὺ βέλος μεθέπουσα δυηπαθέος τοκετοῖο

  Ἁρμονίην ἐλόχευσα, καὶ ἄλγεα ποικίλα πάσχει

  ἀχνυμένη: κούρην δὲ μογοστόκον ἔλλαχε Λητώ,

  Ἄρτεμιν Εἰλείθυιαν, ἀρηγόνα θηλυτεράων.

  415 τέκνον Ἀμυμώνης ὁμογάστριον, οὔ σε διδάξω,

  ὡς λάχον ἐξ ἁλὸς αἷμα καὶ αἰθέρος: ἀλλὰ τελέσσαι

  ἤθελον ἄξιον ἔργον, ὅπως παρὰ μητρὶ θαλάσσῃ

  οὐρανόθεν γεγαυῖα καὶ οὐρανὸν ἐν χθονὶ πήξω:

  ἀλλὰ κασιγνήτης ἐπὶ κάλλεϊ σεῖο... τιταίνων

  420 θέλγε θεούς, καὶ μᾶλλον ἴσον βέλος εἰν ἑνὶ θεσμῷ

  πέμπε Ποσειδάωνι καὶ ἀμπελόεντι Λυαίῳ,

  ἀμφοτέροις μακάρεσσιν: ἐγὼ δέ σοι ἄξια μόχθων

  δῶρον ἑκηβολίης ἐπεοικότα μισθὸν ὀπάσσω:

  δώσω σοι χρυσέην γαμίην χέλυν, ἣν παρὰ παστῷ

  425 Ἁρμονίῃ πόρε Φοῖβος, ἐγὼ δέ σοι ἐγγυαλίξω

  ἄστεος ἐσσομένου μνημήιον, ὄφρά κεν εἴης

  καὶ μετὰ τοξευτῆρα λυροκτύπος, ὥς περ Ἀπόλλων.’

  [408] “You hope of all life! You cajoler of the Foamborn! Cronion is a cruel tyrant to my children alone! After nine full months of hard travail I brought forth Harmonia, suffering the bitter pangs of painful childbirth; and now she suffers all sorts of grief and tribulation. But Leto has borne Artemis Eileithyia, the Lady of Travail, the ally of womankind. You Amymones brother, son of the same mother, need not to be told how I got my blood from brine and ether; but I would perform a worthy deed, and being born of heaven, I will plant heaven on earth beside the sea my mother. Come then — for your sisters beauty draw your bow and bewitch the gods, or say, shoot one shaft and hit with the same shot Poseidon and vinegod Lyaios, Blessed Ones both. I will give you a gift for your long shot which will be a proper wage worthy of your feat — I will give you the marriage harp of gold, which Phoibos gave to Harmonia at the door of the bridal chamber; I will place it in your hands in memory of a city to be, that you may be not only an archer, but a harpist, just like Apollo.”