Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  οὐ δέχομαι βροτὸν ἄνδρα νόθον θεόν: εἰ θέμις εἰπεῖν,

  ψεύσομαι, ὡς Διόνυσος, ἐμὸν γένος: οὐκ ἀπὸ Κάδμου

  αἷμα φέρω χθονίοιο, πατὴρ δ᾽ ἐμός, ὄρχαμος ἄστρων,

  170 ἠέλιός με φύτευσε, καί οὐκ ἔσπειρεν Ἐχίων:

  τίκτε Σεληναίη με, καὶ οὐκ ἐλόχευσεν Ἀγαύη:

  εἰμὶ γένος Κρονίδαο, καὶ αἰθέρος εἰμὶ πολίτης:

  οὐρανός ἀστερόφοιτος ἐμὴ πόλις: ἵλατε, Θῆβαι:

  Παλλὰς ἐμὴ παράκοιτις, ἐμὴ δάμαρ ἄμβροτος Ἥβη:

  175 Πενθέι μαζόν ὄρεξε μετ᾽ Ἄρεα δεσπότις Ἥρη,

  καὶ ζαθέη μετὰ Φοῖβον ἐγείνατο Πενθέα Λητώ:

  Ἄρτεμιν ἱεμένην νυμφεύσομαι: οὐδέ με φεύγει,

  ὥς ποτε Φοῖβον ἔφευγεν ἑῆς μνηστῆρα κορείης,

  μῶμον ἀλυσκάζουσα κασιγνήτων ὑμεναίων.

  180 εἰ δέ τεήν Σεμέλην οὐκ ἔφλεγεν οὐρανίη φλόξ,

  παιδός ἑῆς διὰ μῶμον ἐὸν δόμον ἔφλεγε Κάδμος,

  ἀστεροπὴν δ᾽ ἐκάλεσσε χαμαιγενὲς ἁπτόμενον πὺρ,

  καὶ δαΐδων ὀνόμηνε σέλας σπινθῆρα κεραυνοῦ.’

  [167] “I will not receive a mortal man as a bastard god. If I dare say it, I will deny my own breeding, like Dionysos. I have not in me the blood of mortal Cadmos, but my father is the chief of stars — Helios begat me, not Echion; Selene brought me forth, not Agaue; I am the offspring of Cronides and a citizen of heaven, the sky with its wandering stars is my home — so forgive me, Thebes! Pallas is my concubine, immortal Hebe my consort. Queen Hera gave me the breast after Ares, divine Leto brought me forth after Phoibos. I will woo Artemis, who wants me — she does not run from me as she did from Phoibos, the wooer of her maidenhood, because she feared blame for wedding with a brother. And if the heavenly flame did not burn your Semele, Cadmos did burn his house for his daughter’s shame, and gave the name of lightning to the earthly fire he kindled, called the flame of torches the spark of the thunderbolt.”

  ὣς φαμένου βασιλῆος ἐπεστρατόωντο μαχηταὶ

  185 ὁπλοφόροι κενεοῖσιν ἐριδμαίνοντες ἀήτατς:

  καὶ στρατὸς ἄσπετος ἦεν ἔσω πιτυώδεος ὕλης,

  ἴχνια μαστεύοντες ἀθηήτοιο Λυαίου.

  [184] When the king had spoken, his men of war mustered in arms to fight the empty winds; there was an infinite host in the pinewood, seeking the tracks of Lyaios ever unseen.

  ὄφρα μὲν ἐνναέτῃσιν ἄναξ ἐπετέλλετο Πενθεύς,

  τόφρα δὲ καὶ Διόνυσος ἀφεγγέα νύκτα δοκεύων

  190 τοῖον ἔπος πρὸς Ὄλυμπον ἀνίαχε κυκλάδι Μήνῃ:

  [188] But while Pentheus was giving his commands to the people, Dionysos waited for darksome night, and appealed in these words to the circling Moon in heaven:

  ‘Ὦ τέκος Ἠελίοιο, πολύστροφε, παντρόφε Μήνη,

  ἅρματος ἀργυρέοιο κυβερνήτειρα Σελήνη,

  εἰ σὺ πέλεις Ἑκάτη πολυώνυμος, ἐννυχίη δὲ

  πυρσοφόρῳ παλάμῃ δονέεις θιασώδεα πεύκην,

  195 ἔρχεο, νυκτιπόλος, σκυλακοτρόφος, ὅττί σε τέρπει

  κνυζηθμῷ γοόωντι κυνοσσόος ἔννυχος ἠχώ:

  Αρτεμις εἰ σὺ πέλεις ἐλαφηβόλος, ἐν δὲ κολώναις

  νεβροφόνῳ σπεύδουσα συναγρώσσεις Διονύσῳ,

  ἔσσο κασιγνήτοιο βοηθόος: ἀρχεγόνου γὰρ

  200 αἷμα λαχὼν Κάδμοιο διώκομαι ἔκτοθι Θήβης,

  μητρὸς ἐμῆς Σεμέλης ἀπὸ πατρίδος: ὠκύμορος γὰρ

  θνητὸς ἀνὴρ κλονέει με θεημάχος: ὡς νυχίη δὲ

  νυκτελίῳ χραίσμησον ἐλαυνομένῳ Διονύσῳ:

  εἰ δὲ σὺ Περσεφόνεια νεκυσσόος, ὑμέτεραι δὲ

  205 ψυχαὶ Ταρταρίοισιν ὑποδρήσσονσι θοώκοις,

  νεκρὸν ἴδω Πενθῆα, καὶ ἀχνυμένου Διονύσου

  δάκρυον εὐνήσειε τεὸς ψυχοστόλος Ἐρμῆς:

  σεῖο δὲ Τισιφόνης μανιώδεος ἠὲ Μεγαίρης

  Ταρταρίῃ μάστιγι λαθίφρονα παῦσον ἀπειλὴν

  210 γηγενέος Πενθῆος, ἐπεὶ δυσμήχανος Ἥρη

  ὀψίγονον Τιτῆνα νέῳ θώρηξε Λυαίῳ.

  ἀλλὰ σὺ φῶτα δάμασσον ἀθέσμιον, ὄφρα γεραίρῃς

  ἀρχεγόνου Ζαγρῆος ἐπωνυμίην Διονύσου.

  Ζεῦ ἄνα, καὶ σὺ δόκευε μεμηνότος ἀνδρὸς ἀπειλήν:

  215 κλῦθι, πάτερ καὶ μῆτερ: ἐλεγχομένου δὲ Λυαίου

  σὴ στεροπὴ γαμίη Σεμέλης τιμήορος ἔστω.’

  [191] “O daughter of Helios, Moon of many turnings, nurse of all! O Selene, driver of the silver car! If thou art Hecate of many names, if in the night thou dost shake thy mystic torch in brandcarrying hand, come nightwanderer, nurse of puppies because the nightly sound of the hurrying dogs is thy delight with their mournful whimpering. If thou art staghunter Artemis, if on the hills thou dost eagerly hunt with fawnkilling Dionysos, be thy brother’s helper now! For I have in me the blood of ancient Cadmos, and I am being chased out of Thebes, out of my mother Semele’s home. A mortal man, a creature quickly perishing, an enemy of god, persecutes me. As a being of the night, help Dionysos of the night, when they pursue me! If thou art Persephoneia, whipper-in of the dead, and yours are the ghosts which are subservient to the throne of Tartaros, let me see Pentheus a dead man, and let Hermes thy musterer of ghosts lull to sleep the tears of Dionysos in his grief. With the Tartarean whip of thy Tisiphone, or furious Megaira, stop the foolish threats of Pentheus, this son of earth, since implacable Hera has armed a lateborn Titan against Lyaios. I pray thee, master this impious creature, to honour the Dionysos who revived the name of primeval Zagreus. Lord Zeus, do thou also look upon the threat of this madman. Hear me, father and mother! Lyaios is contemned: let thy marriage lightning be the avenger of Semele!”

  ὣς φαμένου ταυρῶπις ἀνίαχεν ὑψόθι Μήνη:

  [217] To this appeal bullface Mene answered on high:

  ‘Νυκτιφαὲς Διόνυσε, φυτηκόμε, σύνδρομε Μήνης,

  σῆς σταφυλῆς ἀλέγιζε: μέλει δέ μοι ὄργια Βάκχου,

  220 ὑμετέρων ῾̣̣̓τι γαῖα φυτῶν ὠδῖνα πεπαίνει

  μαρμαρυγὴν δροσόεσσαν ἀκοιμήτοιο Σελήνης

  δεχνυμένη: σὺ δέ, Βάκχε χοροίτυπε, θύρσα τιταίνων

  σῆς γενετῆς ἀλέγιζε, καὶ οὐ τρομέεις γένος ἀνδρῶν

  ἀδρανέων, οἶς κοῦφος ἀεὶ νόος, ὧν καὶ ἀνάγκῃ

  225 Εὐμενίδων μάστιγες ἀναστέλλουσιν �
��πειλάς.

  σὺν σοὶ δυσμενέεσσι κορύσσομαι: ἶσα δὲ Βάκχῳ

  κοιρανέω μανίης ἑτερόφρονος: εἰμὶ δὲ Μήνη

  Βακχιάς, οὐκ ὅτι μοῦνον ἐν αἰθέρι μῆνας ἑλίσσω,

  ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι καὶ μανίης μεδέω καὶ λύσσαν ἐγείρω.

  230 οὐ χθονίην σέθεν ὕβριν ἐγὼ νήποινον ἐάσω:

  ἤδη γὰρ Λυκόοργος ἀπειλήσας Διονύσῳ,

  ὁ πρὶν ἐὼν ταχύγουνος, ὁ Μαινάδας ὀξὺ διώξας,

  τυφλὸς ἀλητεύει καὶ δεύεται ἡγεμονῆος.

  ἤδη δ᾽ ἀμφὶ τένοντας Ἐρυθραίων δονακήων

  235 κέκλιται ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα, τεῆς αὐτάγγελος ἀλκῆς,

  Ἰνδῶν νεκρὸς ὅμιλος, ἀναινομένῳ δὲ ῥεέθρῳ

  ἄφρονα Δηριαδῆα πατὴρ ἔκρυψεν Ὑδάσπης

  ἔγχεϊ κισσήεντι τετυμμένον: αὐτὰρ ὁ φεύγων

  πατρῴῳ βαρύθοντι κατηφέι πῖπτε ῥεέθρῳ:

  240 Τυρσηνοὶ δεδάασι τεὸν σθένος, ὁππότε νηῶν

  ὄρθιος ἱστὸς ἄμειπτο καὶ ἀμπελόεις πέλεν ὄρπηξ

  αὐτοτελής, τὸ δὲ λαῖφος ὑπὸ σκιεροῖσι πετήλοις

  ἡμερίδων εὔβοτρυς ἀνηέξητο καλύπτρη,

  καὶ πρότονοι σύριζον ἐχιδνήεντι κορύμβῳ

  245 ἰοβόλοι, βροτέην δὲ φυὴν καὶ ἐχέφρονα βολὴν

  δυσμενέες ῥίψαντες ἀμειβομένοιο προσώπου

  ἀφραδέες δελφῖνες ἐνιπλώουσι θαλάσσῃ:

  εἰσέτι κωμάζουσι καὶ ἐν ῥοθίοις Διονύσῳ,

  οἷα κυβιστητῆρες ἐπισκαίρουσι γαλήνῃ.

  250 καὶ νέκυς ὑμετέρῳ βεβολημένος ὀξέι θύρσῳ

  χεύμασιν Ἀσσυρίοισι καλύπτεται Ἰνδὸς Ὀρόντης,

  εἰσέτι δειμαίνων καὶ ἐν ὕδασιν οὔνομα Βάκχου.’

  [218] “Night-illuminating Dionysos, friend of plants, comrade of Mene, look to your grapes; my concern is the mystic rites of Bacchos, for the earth ripens the offspring of your plants when it receives the dewy sparkles of unresting Selene. Then do you, dancing Bacchos, stretch out your thyrsus and look to your offspring; and you need not fear a race of puny men, whose mind is light, whose threats the whips of the furies repress perforce. With you I will attack your enemies. Equally with Bacchos, I rule distracted madness. I am the Bacchic Mene, not alone because in heaven I turn the months, but because I command madness and excite lunacy. I will not leave un-punished earthly violence against you. For already Lycurgos who threatened Dionysos, so quick of knee once, who sharply harried the Mainads, is a blind vagabond who needs a guide. Already over the stretches of Erythraian reedbeds a crowd of Indians lie dead here and there, dumb witnesses to your valour, and foolish Deriades has been swallowed up in the unwilling stream of his father Hydaspes, pierced with an ivy spear — yes, he fled and fell into the sad stream of his despondent father. The Tyrsenians learnt your strength, when the standing mast of their ship was changed, and turned into a vinestock of itself, the sail spread into a shady canopy of leaves of garden-vine and rich bunches of grapes, the forestays whistled with clumps of serpents hissing poison, your enemies threw off their human shape and intelligent mind and changed their looks to senseless dolphins wallowing in the sea — still they make revel for Dionysos even in the surge, skipping like tumblers in the calm water. Indian Orontes also is dead, struck by your sharp thyrsus, and drowned in the Assyrian floods, still fearing the name of Bacchos even under the waters.”

  τοῖον ἔπος Βρομίῳ χρυσήνιος ἴαχε δαίμων.

  ὄφρα μὲν εἰσέτι Βάκχος ὁμίλεε κυκλάδι Μήνῃ,

  255 τόφρα δὲ καὶ Ζαγρῆι χαριζομένη Διονύσῳ

  Περσεφόνη θώρηξεν Ἐρινύας, ἀχνυμένη δὲ

  ὀψιγόνῳ χραίσμησε κασιγνήτῳ Διονύσῳ.

  [253] Such was the answer of the goldenrein deity to Bromios. But while Bacchos yet conversed with circling Mene, even then Persephone was arming her Furies for the pleasure of Dionysos Zagreus, and in wrath helping Dionysos his later born brother.

  αἱ δὲ Διὸς χθονίοιο δυσάντεϊ νεύματι κόρσης

  εὐμενίδες Πενθῆος ἐπεστρατόωντο μελάθρῳ,

  260 ὦν ἡ μὲν ζοφεροῖο διαθρῴσκουσα βερέθρου

  Ταρταρίην ἐλέλιζεν ἐχιδνήεσσαν Ἱμάσθλην,

  Κωκυτοῦ δὲ ῥέεθρον ἀρύετο καὶ Στυγὸς ὕδωρ,

  καὶ χθονίῃ ῥαθάμιγγι δόμους ἔρραινεν Ἀγαύης...

  οἶα προθεσπίζοντα γόον καὶ δάκρυα Θήβης:

  265 Ἀκταίην δὲ μάχαιραν ἀπ᾽ Ἀτθίδος ἤγαγε δαίμων,

  ἀρχαίην Ἰτύλοιο μιαιφόνον, ᾗ ποτε μήτηρ

  Πρόκνη θυμολέαινα σὺν ἀνδροφόνῳ Φιλομήλῃ

  τηλυγέτην ὠδῖνα διατμήξασα σιδήρῳ

  παιδοβόρῳ Τηρῆι φίλην δαιτρεύσατο φορβήν:

  270 κείνην χειρὶ φέρουσα φόνων ὀχετηγὸν Ἐρινὺς

  ἀρχεκάκοις ὀνύχεσσι διαγλύψασα κονίην

  Ἀττικὸν ἔκρυφεν ἆορ ὀρεσσιφύτῳ παρὰ ῥίζῃ

  μηκεδανῆς ἐλάτης, ᾗ Μαινάδες, ὁππόθι Πενθεὺς

  μέλλε θανεῖν ἀκάρηνος: ἐπαμήσασα δὲ κόχλῳ

  275 Γοργόνος ἀρτιφόνοιο νεόρρυτον αἷμα Μεδούσης

  πορφυρέαις ἔχρισε Λιβυστίσι δένδρον ἐέρσαις.

  καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐν σκοπέλοις τεχνήσατο μαινὰς Ἐρινύς.

  [258] Then at the grim nod of Underworld Zeus, the Furies assailed the palace of Pentheus. One leapt out of the gloomy pit swinging her Tartarean whip of vipers; she drew a stream from Cocytos and water from Styx, and drenched Agaue’s rooms with the infernal drops as if with a prophecy of tears and groanings for Thebes; and the deity brought that Attic knife from Attica, which long before murdered Itylos, when his mother Procne with heart like a lioness, helped by murderous Philomele, cut with steel the throat of the beloved child of her womb, and served up his own son for cannibal Tereus to eat. This knife, the channel of bloodshed, the Fury held, and scratching up the dust with her pernicious fingernails she buried the Attic blade among the hillgrown roots of a tall fir, among the Mainads, where Pentheus was to die headless. She brought the blood of Gorgon Medusa, scraped off into a shell fresh when she was newly slain, and smeared the tree with the crimson Libyan drops. This is what the mad Fury did in the mountains.

  ὀρφναίοις δὲ πόδεσσι δόμων ἐπεβήσατο Κάδμου

  νυκτιφαὴς Διόνυσος ἔχων ταυρώπιδα μορφήν,

  280 αἰθύσσων Κρονίην μανιώδεα Πανὸς ἱμάσθλην:

  βακχεύσας δ᾽ ἀχάλινον Ἀρισταίοιο γυναῖκα

  Αὐτονόην ἐκάλεσσε, καὶ ἴαχε θυιάδι φωνῇ:
r />   [278] Now with darkling steps night-illuminating Dionysos entered the palace of Cadmos, wearing the head of a bull, cracking Pan’s Cronian whip of madness, and put madness into the unbridled wife of Aristaios. He called Autonoe and cried in wild tones —

  ‘Ὀλβίη, Αὐτονόη, Σεμέλης πλέον: ἀρτιγάμου γὰρ

  υἱέος εἰς ὑμέναιον ἐριδμαίνεις καὶ Ὀλύμπῳ:

  285 αἰθέρος ἥρπασας εὖχος, ἐπεὶ λάχεν ἁβρὸν ἀκοίτην

  Ἄρτεμις Ἀκταίωνα καὶ Ἐνδυμίωνα Σελήνη.

  οὐ θάνεν Ἀκταίων, οὐκ ἔλλαχε θηρὸς ὀπωπήν,

  οὐ στικτῆς ἐλάφοιο τανυγλώχινα κεραίην,

  οὐ νόθον εἶδος ἔδεκτο, καὶ οὐκ ἐψεύσατο μορφήν,

  290 οὐ κύνας ἀγρευτῆρας ἑοὺς ἐνόησε φονῆας: