Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  καί κτύπον ὑστερόφωνον ἀσιγήτοιο θεαίνης,

  ὅττι θεοὺς ποθέοντας ἀπέστυγον: ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν

  μέλπε Πίτυν φυγόδεμνον, ὀρειάσι σύνδρομον αὔραις,

  260 Πανὸς ἀλυσκάζουσαν ἀνυμφεύτους ὑμεναίους:

  μέλπε μόρον φθιμένης αὐτόχθονα: μέμφεο γαίῃ.

  καὶ τάχα δακρύσειε γοήμονος ἄλγεα νύμφης

  καὶ μόρον οἰκτείρουσα: σὺ δὲ φρένα τέρπεο σιγῇ

  μυρομένης ὁρόων μελιηδέα δάκρυα κούρης:

  265 οὐδὲ γέλως πέλε τοῖος, ἐπεὶ πλέον οἴνοπι μορφῇ

  ἱμερταὶ γεγάασιν, ὅτε στενάχουσι γυναῖκες.

  μέλψον ἐρωμανέουσαν ἐπ᾽ Ἐνδυμίωνι Σελήνην,

  μέλπε γάμον χαρίεντος Ἀδώνιδος, εἰπὲ καἰ αὐτὴν

  αὐχμηρὴν ἀπέδιλον ἀλωομένην Ἀφροδίτην,

  270 νυμφίον ἰχνεύουσαν ὀρίδρομον: οὐδέ σε φεύγει

  πατρῴων ἀίουσα μελίφρονα θεσμὸν Ἐρώτων.

  σοὶ μὲν ἐγὼ τάδε πάντα, δυσίμερε Βάκχε, πιφαύσκω:

  ἀλλά με καὶ σὸ δίδαξον ἐμῆς θελκτήριον Ἠχοῦς.’

  ὥς εἰπὼν ἀπέπεμπε γεγηθότα παῖδα Θυώνης.

  65 καὶ δολίην Διόνυσος ἔχων ἀγέλαστον ὀπωπὴν

  παρθενικὴν ἐρέεινεν Ἀδώνιδος ἀμφὶ τοκῆος,

  ὡς φίλος, ὡς ὁμόθηρος ὀρίδρομος: ἱσταμένης δὲ

  στήθεϊ χεῖρα πέλασσε δυσίμερον, ἄκρα δὲ μίτρης

  [251] “But there is a stronger charm for wedded union, which I will teach you if you like. Twang the lyre which was dedicated to your Rheia, the delicate treasure of Cypris beside the winecup. Pour out the varied sounds together, voice and striker! Sing first Daphne, sing the erratic course of Echo, and the answering note of the goddess who never fails to speak, for these two despised the desire of gods. Yes, and sing also of Pitys who hated marriage, who fled fast as the wind over the mountains to escape the unlawful wooing of Pan, and her fate — how she disappeared into the soil herself; put the blame on the Earth! Then she may perhaps lament the sorrows and the fate of the wailing nymph; but you must let your heart rejoice in silence, as you see the honey-sweet tears of the sorrowing maid. No laugh was ever like that, since women become more desirable with that ruddy flush when they mourn. Sing Selene madly in love with Endymion, sing the wedding of graceful Adonis, sing Aphrodite herself wandering dusty and unshod, and tracking her bridegroom over the hills. Beroe will not run away from you when she hears the honeyhearted lovestories of her home. There you have all I can tell you, Bacchos, for your unhappy love! Now you tell me something to charm my Echo.”

  ὡς ἀέκων ἔθλιψεν: ἐπιψαύουσα δὲ μαζῶν

  70 δεξιτερὴ νάρκησε γυναιμανέος Διονύσου.

  275 καί ποτε νηπιάχοισιν ἐν ἤθεσιν εἴρετο κούρη

  υἷα Διὸς παρεόντα, τίς ἔπλετο καὶ τίνος εἴη:

  καὶ πρόφασιν μόγις εὗρε παρὰ προθύροις Ἀφροδίτης

  ὄρχατον ἀμπελόεντα καἰ ὄμπνια λήια γαίης

  καὶ δροσερὸν λειμῶνα καὶ αἰόλα δένδρα δοκεύων

  280 ἤθεσι κερδαλέοισι: καί, οἶά τε γηπόνος ἀνήρ,

  ἀμφὶ γάμου τινὰ μῦθον ἀσημάντῳ φάτο φωνῇ:

  [274] Having said his say, he dismissed the son of Thyone comforted. Then Dionysos put on a serious look, the trickster! and questioned the maiden about her father Adonis, as a friend of his, as a fellow-hunter among the hills. She stood still, he brought a longing hand near her breast, and stroked her belt as if not thinking what he did: but touching her breast, the lovesick god’s right hand grew numb. Once in her childlike way, the girl asked the son of Zeus beside her who he was and who was his father. With much ado he found an excuse, when he saw before the portals of Aphrodite the vineyard and the bounteous harvest of the land, the dewy meadow and all the trees; and in the cunning of his mind, he made as if he were a farm-labourer and spoke of wedding in words that meant more than they said:

  ‘Εἰμὶ τεοῦ Λιβάνοιο γεωμόρος: ἥν ἐθελήσῃς,

  ἀρδεύω σέο γαῖαν, ἐγὼ σέο καρπὸν ἀέξω.

  ὡράων πισύρων νοέω δρόμον: ἱσταμένην δὲ

  285 νύσσαν ὀπιπεύων φθινοπωρίδα τοῦτο βοήσω:

  Σ̔κορπίος ἀντέλλει βιοτήσιος, ἔστι δὲ κῆρυξ

  αὔλακος εὐκάρποιο: βόας ζεύξωμεν ἀρότρῳ.

  Πληιάδες δύνουσι: πότε σπείρωμεν ἀρούρας;

  αὔλακες ὠδίνουσιν, ὅτε δρόσος εἰς χθόνα πίπτει

  290 αὐομένην Φαέθοντι.᾿ καὶ Ἀρκάδος ἐγγὺς Ἁμάξης

  χείματος ὀμβρήσαντος ἰδὼν Ἀρκτοῦρον ἐνίψω:

  ᾿διψαλέη ποτὲ γαῖα Διὸς νυμφεύεται ὄμβρῳ.᾿

  εἴαρος ἀντέλλοντος ἑώιος εἰς σὲ βοήσω:

  ᾿ἄνθεα σεῖο τέθηλε: πότε κρίνα καὶ ῥόδα τίλλω;

  ἠνίδε, πῶς ὑάκινθος ἐπέτρεχε γείτονι μύρτῳ,

  πῶς γελάᾳ νάρκισσος ἐπιθρῴσκων ἀνεμώνῃ.᾿

  295 καὶ σταφυλὴν ὁρόων θέρεος παρεόντος ἐνίψω:

  ῾ἄμπελος ἡβώουσα πεπαίνεται ἄμμορος ἅρπης:

  παρθένε, σύγγονος ἦλθε: πότε τρυγόωμεν ὀπώρην;

  σὸς στάχυς ἠέξητο καὶ ἀμητοῖο χατίζει:

  λήιον ἀμήσω σταχυηφόρον, ἀντὶ δὲ Δηοῦς

  300 μητρὶ τεῇ ῥέξαιμι θαλύσια Κυπρογενείῃ.᾿

  δέξο δὲ γειοπόνον με τεῆς ὑποεργὸν ἀλωῆς:

  ὑμετέρης με κόμισσε φυτηκόμον ἀφρογενείης,

  305 ὄφρα φυτὸν πήξαιμι φερέσβιον, ἡμερίδων δὲ

  [282] “I am a countryman of your Lebanon. If it is your pleasure, I will water your land, I will grow your corn. I understand the course of the four Seasons. When I see the limit of autumn is here, I will call aloud—’ Scorpion is rising with his bounteous plenty, he is the herald of a fruitful furrow, let us yoke oxen to the plow. The Pleiads are setting: when shall we sow the fields? The furrows are teeming, when the dew falls on land parched by Phaethon.’ And in the showers of winter when I see Arcturos close to the Arcadian wain, I will exclaim—’ At last thirsty Earth is wedded with the showers of Zeus.’ As the spring rises up, I will cry out in the morning—’ Your flowers are blooming, when shall I pluck lilies and roses? Just look how the iris has run over the neighbouring myrtle, how narcissus laughs as he leaps on anemone!’ And when I see the grapes of summer before me I will cry—’ The vine is in her prime, ripening without the sickle: Maiden, your sister has come — when shall we gather the grapes? Your wheatear is grown big and wants the harvest; I will reap the crop of corn-ears, and I will celebrate
harvest home for your mother the Cyprus - born instead of Deo.’

  ὄμφακα γινώσκω νεοθηλέα χερσὶν ἀφάσσων.

  οἶδα, πόθεν ποτὲ μῆλα πεπαίνεται: οἶδα φυτεῦσαι

  καὶ πτελέην τανύφυλλον ἐρειδομένην κυπαρίσσῳ:

  ἄρσενα καὶ φοίνικα γεγηθότα θήλεϊ μίσγω,

  310 καὶ κρόκον, ἤν ἐθέλῃς, παρὰ μίλακι καλὸν ἀέξω.

  μή μοι χρυσὸν ἄγοις κομιδῆς χάριν: οὐ χρέος ὄλβου:

  μισθὸν ἔχω δύο μῆλα, μιῆς ἕνα βότρυν ὀπώρης.’

  [303] “Accept me as your labourer to help on your fertile lands. Take me as planter for your Foam-born, that I may plant that lifebringing tree, that I may detect the half-ripe berry of the tame vine and feel the newgrowing bud. I know how apples ripen; I know how to plant the widespreading elm too, leaning against the cypress. I can join the male palm happily with the female, and make pretty saffron, if you like, grow beside bindweed. Don’t offer me gold for my keep; I have no need of wealth — my wages will be two apples and one bunch of grapes of one vintage.”

  τοῖα μάτην ἀγόρευε, καὶ οὐκ ἠμείβετο κούρη

  Βάκχου μὴ νοέουσα γυναιμανέος στίχα μύθων.

  [313] All this he said in vain; the girl answered nothing, for she understood nothing of the mad lover’s long speech.

  315 ἀλλὰ δόλῳ δόλον ἄλλον ἐπέφραδεν Εἰραφιώτης:

  καὶ Βερόης ἀπὸ χειρὸς ἐδέχνυτο δίκτυα θήρης

  οἶά τε θαμβήσας τεχνήμονα, πυκνὰ δὲ σείων

  εἰς χρόνον ἀμφελέλιζε, καὶ εἴρετο πολλάκι κούρην:

  ‘Τίς θεὸς ἔντεα ταῦτα, τίς οὐρανίη κάμε τέχνη;

  320 τίς κάμε; καὶ γὰρ ἄπιστον ἔχω νόον, ὅττι τελέσσει

  ζηλομανὴς Ἥφαιστος Ἀδώνιδι τεύχεα θήρης.’

  [315] But Eiraphiotes thought of trick after trick. He took the hunting-net from Beroe’s hands and pretended to admire the clever work, shaking it round and round for some time and asking the girl many questions—” What god made this gear, what heavenly art? Who made it? Indeed I cannot believe that Hephaistos mad with jealousy made hunting-gear for Adonis!”

  εἶπεν ἀκηλήτοιο παραπλάζων φρένα κούρης.

  καί ποτε πεπταμένων ἀνεμωνίδος ὑψόθι φύλλων

  νήδυμον ὕπνον ἴαυεν: ὄναρ δέ οἱ ἔπλετο κούρη

  325 εἵματι νυμφιδίῳ πεπυκασμένη. ἀντίτυπον γάρ

  ἔργον, ὅ περ τελέει τις ὲν ἥματι, νυκτὶ δοκεύει:

  βουκόλος ὑπνώων κεραοὺς βόας εἰς νομὸν ἕλκει:

  δίκτυα θηρητῆρι φαείνεται ὄψις ὀνείρου:

  γειοπόνοι δ᾽ εὕδοντες ἀροτρεύουσιν ἀρούρας,

  330 αὔλακα δὲ σπείρουσι φερέσταχυν: ἀζαλέῃ δὲ

  ἄνδρα μεσημβρίζοντα κατάσχετον αἴθοπι δίψῃ

  εἰς ῥόον, εἰς ἀμάρην ἀπατήλιος ὕπνος ἐλαύνει.

  οὕτω καὶ Διόνυσος, ἔχων ἰνδάλματα μόχθων,

  μιμηλῷ πτερόεντα νόον πόμπευεν ὀνείρῳ,

  335 καὶ σκιεροῖσι γάμοισιν ὁμίλεεν. ἐγρόμενος δὲ

  παρθένον οὐκ ἐκίχησε, καὶ ἤθελεν αὖτις ἰαύειν:

  καὶ κενεὴν ἐκόμισσε μινυνθαδίης χάριν εὐνῆς,

  εὕδων ἐν πετάλοισι ταχυφθιμένης ἀνεμώνης.

  μέμφετο δ᾽ ἀφθόγγων πετάλων χύσιν: ἀχνύμενος δὲ

  340 ὕπνον ὁμοῦ καὶ Ἔρωτα καὶ ἑσπερίην Ἀφροδίτην

  τὴν αὐτὴν ἱκέτευεν ἰδεῖν πάλιν ὄψιν ὀνείρου,

  δάσμα γάμου ποθέων ἀπατήλιον. ἄγχι δὲ μύρτου

  πολλάκι Βάκχος ἴαυε, καὶ οὐ γαμίου τύχεν ὕπνου.

  ἀλλὰ πόνον γλυκὺν εἶχε, ποθοβλήτῳ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς

  345 λυσιμελὴς Διόνυσος ἐλύετο γυῖα μερίμνῃ.

  [322] So he tried to bewilder the wits of the girl who would not be so charmed. Once it happened that he lay sound asleep on a bed of anemone leaves; and he saw the girl in a dream decked out in bridal array. For what a man does in the day, the image of that he sees in the night; the herdsman sleeping takes his horned cattle to pasture; the huntsman sees nets in the vision of a dream; men who work on the land plow the fields in sleep and sow the furrow with corn; a man parched at midday and possessed with fiery thirst is driven by deceiving sleep to a river, to a channel of water. So Dionysos also beheld the likeness of his troubles, and let his mind go flying in mimic dreams until he was joined to her in a wedding of shadow. He awoke — and found no maiden, and wished once again to slumber: he carried away the empty largess of that short embrace, as he slept on the leaves of the anemone which perishes so soon. He reproached the dumb leaves there spread; and sorrowfully prayed to Sleep and Love and Aphrodite of the evening, all at once, to let him see the same vision of a dream once more, longing for the deceptive phantom of an embrace. Bacchos often slept near the myrtle and never dreamt of marriage. But sweet pain he did feel; and limb-relaxing Dionysos found his own limbs relaxed by lovestricken cares.

  καὶ Βερόης γενετῆρι συνέμπορος, υἱέι Μύρρης,

  θηροσύνην ἀνέφηνεν: ἀκοντιστῆρι δὲ θύρσῳ

  στικτὰ νεοσφαγέων ὑπεδύσατο δέρματα νεβρῶν,

  λάθριος εἰς Βερόην δεδοκημένος: ἱσταμένου δὲ

  350 παρθένος ἄστατον ὄμμα φυλασσομένη Διονύσου

  φάρεϊ μαρμαίρουσαν ἑὴν ἔκρυψε παρειήν.

  καὶ πλέον ἔφλεγε Βάκχον, ὅτι δρηστῆρες Ἐρώτων

  αἰδομένας ἔτι μᾶλλον ὀπιπεύουσι γυναῖκας,

  καὶ πλέον ἱμείρουσι καλυπτομένοιο προσώπου.

  [346] In company with Beroe’s father, the son of Myrrha, he showed his hunting-skill. He cast his thyrsus, and wrapt himself in the dappled skins of the newslain fawns, ever with his eye secretly on Beroe; as he stood, the maiden covered her bright cheeks with her robe, to escape the wandering eye of Dionysos. She made him burn all the more, since the servants of love watch shamefast women more closely, and desire more strongly the covered countenance.

  355 καί ποτε μουνωθεῖσαν Ἀδώνιδος ἄζυγα κούρην

  ἀθρήσας σχεδὸν ἦλθε, καὶ ἀνδρομέης ἀπὸ μορφῆς

  εἶδος ἑὸν μετάμειψε, καὶ ὡς θεὸς ἵστατο κούρῃ:

  καί οἱ ἑὸν γένος εἶπε καὶ οὔνομα, καὶ φόνον Ἰνδῶν,

  καὶ χορὸν ἀμπελόεντα, καὶ ἡδυπότου χύσιν οἴνου,

  360 ὅττί μιν ἀνδράσιν εὗρε: φιλοστόργῳ δὲ μενοινῇ

  θάρσος ἀναιδείῃ κεράσας ἀλλότριον αἰδοῦς

  τοίην ποικιλόμυθον ὑπ
οσσαίνων φάτο φωνήν:

  [355] Once he caught sight of the unyoked girl of Adonis alone, and came near, and changed his human form and stood as a god before her. He told her his name and family, the slaughter of the Indians, how he found out for man the vine-dance and the sweet juice of wine to drink; then in loving passion he mingled audacity with a boldness far from modesty, and his flattering voice uttered this ingratiating speech:

  ‘Παρθένε, σὸν δι᾽ ἔρωτα καὶ οὐρανὸν οὐκέτι ναίω:

  σῶν πατέρων σπήλυγγες ἀρείονές εἰσιν Ὀλύμπου.

  365 πατρίδα σὴν φιλέω πλέον αἰθέρος: οὐ μενεαίνω

  σκῆπτρα Διὸς γενετῆρος, ὅσον Βερόης ὑμεναίους:

  ἀμβροσίης σέο κάλλος ὑπέρτερον: αἰθερίου δὲ

  νέκταρος εὐόδμοιο τεοὶ πνείουσι χιτῶνες.

  παρθένε, θάμβος ἔχω σέο μητέρα Κύπριν ἀκούων,

  370 ὅττί σε κεστὸς ἔλειπεν ἀθελγέα: πῶς δὲ σὺ μούνη

  σύγγονον εἶχες Ἔρωτα καὶ οὐ μάθες οἶστρον Ἐρώτων;

  ἀλλ᾽ ἐρέεις γλαυκῶπιν ἀπειρήτην ὑμεναίων:

  375 νόσφι γάμου βλάστησε καὶ οὐ γάμον οἶδεν Ἀθήνη:

  οὔ σε τέκε γλαυκῶπις ἢ Ἄρτεμις. ἀλλὰ σύ, κούρη,

  Κύπριδος αἷμα φέρουσα τί Κύπριδος ὄργια φεύγεις;

  μὴ γένος αἰσχύνῃς μητρώιον: Ἀσσυρίου δὲ

  εἰ ἐτεὸν χαρίεντος Ἀδώνιδος αἷμα κομίζεις,

  ἁβρὰ τελεσσιγάμοιο διδάσκεο θεσμὰ τοκῆος,

  καὶ Παφίης ζωστῆρι συνήλικι πείθεο κεστῷ,

  380 καὶ γαμίων πεφύλαξο δυσάντεα μῆνιν Ἐρώτων: