Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  καί κεν ἐρωμανέοντι κορυσσομένη Διονύσῳ

  Λημνιάδων γενόμην καὶ ἐγὼ μία θηλυτεράων.

  ἀλλὰ πολυσπερέων γαμίων ἐπιβήτορα λέκτρων,

  νυμφίον ὁρκαπάτην, μετὰ Θησέα καὶ σὲ καλέσσω:

  545 εἰ δέ σε δῶρον Ἔρωτος ἀπαιτίζει σέο νύμφη,

  δέξό μοι ἠλακάτην, φιλοτήσιον ἕδνον Ἐρώτων,

  ὄφρα πόρῃς, ἀθέμιστε, φιλοσκοπέλῳ σέο νύμφῃ

  δῶρα τεῆς ἀλόχου Μινωίδος, ὄφρά τις εἴπῃ:

  δῶκε μίτον Θησῆι καὶ ἠλακάτην Διονύσῳ.᾿

  [534] “Dionysos, you have forgotten your former bride: you long for Aura, and you care not for Ariadne. O my own Theseus, whom the bitter wind stole! O my own Theseus, whom Phaidra got for husband! I suppose it was fated that a perjured husband must always run from me, if the sweet boy left me while I slept, and I was married instead to Lyaios, an inconstant lover and a deceiver. Alas, that I had not a mortal husband, one soon to die; then I might have armed myself against lovemad Dionysos and been one of the Lemnian women myself. But after Theseus, now I must call you too a perjured bridegroom, the invader of many marriage beds. If your bride asks you for a gift, take this distaff at my hands, a friendly gift of love, that you may give your mountaineering bride what your Minoian wife gave you; then people can say—’ She gave the thread to Theseus, and the distaff to Dionysos.’

  550 καὶ σὺ κατὰ Κρονίωνα λέχος μετὰ λέκτρον ἀμείβων

  ἔργα γυναιμανέος μιμήσαο σεῖο τοκῆος,

  οἶστρον ἔχων ἀκόρητον ἀμοιβαίης Ἀφροδίτης:

  Σιθονίης ἀλόχοιο νεοζυγέων ὑμεναίων,

  Παλλήνης, γάμον οἶδα, καὶ Ἀλθαίης ὑμεναίους:

  555 σιγήσω φιλότητα Κορωνίδος, ἧς ἀπὸ λέκτρων

  τρεῖς Χάριτες γεγάασιν ὁμόζυγες: ἀλλὰ, Μυκῆναι,

  πότμον ἐμὸν φθέγξασθε καὶ ἄγριον ὄμμα Μεδούσης,

  καὶ φθονερῆς ἐς ἔρωτα βιαζομένης Ἀριάδνης,

  ἠιόνες Νάξοιο, βοήσατε: ‘νυμφίε Θησεῦ,

  560 Μινώη καλέει σε χολωομένη Διονύσῳ.᾿

  ἀλλὰ τί Κεκροπίης μιμνήσκομαι; εἰς Παφίην γὰρ

  μέμφομαι ἀμφοτέροις, καὶ Θησέι καὶ Διονύσῳ.’

  [550] “You are just like Cronion changing from bed to bed, and you have imitated the doings of your womanmad father, having an insatiable passion for changing your loves. I know how you lately married your Sithonian wife Pallene, and your wedding with Althaia: I will say nothing of the love of Coronis, from whose bed were born the three Graces ever inseparable. But O Mycenai, proclaim my fate and the savage glare of Medusa! Shores of Naxos, cry aloud of Ariadne’s lot, constrained to a hateful love, and say, ‘O bridegroom Theseus, Minos’s daughter calls you in anger against Dionysos!’ But why do I think of Cecropia? To her of Paphos, I carry my plaint against them both, Theseus and Dionysos!”

  ὣς φαμένη σκιόεντι πανείκελος ἔσσυτο καπνῷ.

  καὶ θρασὺς ἔγρετο Βάκχος ἀποσκεδάσας πτερὸν Ὕπνου,

  565 μυρομένην δ᾽ ᾤκτειρεν ὀνειρείην Ἀριάδνην.

  καὶ δόλον ἀλλοπρόσαλλον ἐδίζετο πομπὸν Ἐρώτων:

  νύμφης δ᾽ Ἀστακίδος προτέρων ἐμνήσατο λέκτρων,

  πῶς ἐρατὴν δολόεντι ποτῷ νυμφεύσατο κούρην

  ὕπνον ἔχων πομπῆα μεθυσφαλέων ὑμεναίων.

  [563] She spoke, and her shade flew away like shadowy smoke. Bold Bacchos awoke and shook off the wing of Sleep. He lamented the sorrow of Ariadne in his dream, and sought for some clever device which could meet all needs and lead him to love. First he remembered the bed of the Astacid nymph long before, how he had wooed the lovely nymph with a cunning potion and made sleep his guide to intoxicated bridals.

  570 ὄφρα μὲν ἤθελε Βάκχος ἐπεντύνειν δόλον εὐνῆς,

  τόφρα δὲ φοιταλέη Ληλαντιὰς ἔδραμε κούρη

  πίδακα μαστεύουσα, κατάσχετος αἴθοπι δίψῃ.

  οὐδὲ λάθεν Διόνυσον ὀρίδρομος ἄστατος Αὔρη

  διψαλέη: ταχινὸς δὲ θορὼν ἐπὶ πυθμένα πέτρης

  575 θύρσῳ γαῖαν ἄρασσε: διχαζομένη δὲ κολώνη

  αὐτομάτην ὤδινε μέθην εὐώδεϊ μαζῷ

  χεύματι πορφύροντι: χαριζόμεναι δὲ Λυαίῳ

  δμωίδες Ἠελίοιο κατέγραφον ἄνθεσιν Ὧραι

  πίδακος ἄκρα μέτωπα, καὶ εὐόδμοισιν ἀήταις

  580 ἀρτιφύτου λειμῶνος ἱμάσσετο νήδυμος ἀήρ:

  εἶχε δὲ Ναρκίσσοιο φερώνυμα φύλλα κορύμβων

  ἠιθέου χαρίεντος, ὃν εὐπετάλῳ παρὰ Λάτμῳ

  νυμφίος Ἐνδυμίων κεραῆς ἔσπειρε Σελήνης,

  ὃς πάρος ἠπεροπῆος ἐύχροος εἴδεϊ κωφῷ

  585 εἰς τύπον αὐτοτέλεστον ἰδὼν μορφούμενον ὕδωρ

  κάτθανε, παπταίνων σκιοειδέα φάσματα μορφῆς:

  καὶ φυτὸν ἔμπνοον εἶχεν Ἀμυκλαίης ὑακίνθου:

  ἱπτάμεναι δ᾽ ἀγεληδὸν ἐπ᾽ ἀνθεμόεντι κορύμβῳ

  εἰαρινῶν ἐλίγαινον ἀηδόνες ὑψόθι φύλλων.

  [570] While Bacchos would be preparing a cunning device for her bed, Lelantos’s daughter wandered about seeking a fountain, for she was possessed with parching thirst. Dionysos failed not to see how thirsting Aura ran rapidly over the hills. Quickly he leapt up and dug the earth with his wand at the foundation of a rock: the hill parted, and poured out of itself a purple stream of wine from its sweet-scented bosom. The Seasons, handmaids of Helios, to do grace to Lyaios, painted with flowers the fountain’s margin, and fragrant whiffs from the new-growing meadow beat on the balmy air. There were the clustering blooms which have the name of Narcissos the fair youth, whom horned Selene’s bridegroom Endymion begat on leafy Latmos, Narcissos who long ago gazed on his own image formed in the water, that dumb image of a beautiful deceiver, and died as he gazed on the shadowy phantom of his shape; there was the living plant of Amyclaian iris; there sang the nightingales over the spring blossoms, flying in troops above the clustering flowers.

  590 κεῖθι δὲ διψώουσα μεσημβριὰς ἔτρεχεν Αὔρη,

  εἴ ποθι διψώουσα Διὸς χύσιν ἤ τινα πηγὴν

  ἢ ῥόον ἀθρήσειεν ὀρεσσιχύτου ποταμοῖο:

  ἀμφὶ δὲ οἱ βλεφάροισιν Ἔρως κατέχευεν ὀμίχλην.

  ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε Βακχείην ἀπατήλιον ἔδρακε πηγήν,

  595 δὴ τότε οἱ βλεφάρων σκιόεν νέφος ἤλασε Πειθὼ

  τοῖον ἔπος βοόωσα γάμου πρωτάγγελον Αὔρῃ:

  [590] And there came running thirsty at midday Aura herself, seeking if anywhere s
he could find raindrops from Zeus, or some fountain, or the stream of a river pouring from the hills; and Eros cast a mist over her eyelids: but when she saw the deceitful fountain of Bacchos, Peitho dispersed the shadowy cloud from her eyelids, and called out to Aura like a herald of her marriage —

  ‘Παρθενική, κόλε δεῦρο, τελεσσιγάμοιο δὲ πηγῆς

  εἰς στόμα δέξο ῥέεθρα, καὶ εἰς σέο κόλπον ἀκοίτην.’

  [597] “Maiden, come this way! Take into your lips the stream of this nuptial fountain, and into your bosom a lover.”

  κούρη δ᾽ ἄσμενος εἶδε: παραπροχυθεῖσα δὲ πηγῇ

  600 χείλεσιν οἰγομένοισιν ἀνήφυσεν ἰκμάδα Βάκχου.

  παρθενικὴ δὲ πιοῦσα τόσην ἐφθέγξατο φωνήν:

  [599] Gladly the maiden saw it, and throwing herself down before the fountain drew in the liquid of Bacchos with open lips. When she had drunk, the girl exclaimed:

  ‘Νηιάδες, τί τὸ θαῦμα; πόθεν πέλε νήδυμον ὕδωρ;

  τίς ποτὸν ἔβλυσε τοῦτο; τίς οὐρανίη τέκε γαστήρ;

  ἔμπης τοῦτο πιοῦσα ποτὶ δρόμον οὐκέτι βαίνω:

  605 ἀλλὰ πόδες βαρύθουσι, καὶ ἡδέι θέλγομαι ὕπνῳ,

  καὶ σφαλερὸν στομάτων ἁπαλόθροον ἦχον ἰάλλω.’

  [602] “Naiads, what marvel is this? Whence comes this balmy water? Who made this bubbling drink, what heavenly womb gave him birth? Certainly after drinking this I can run no more. No, my feet are heavy, sweet sleep bewitches me, nothing comes from my lips but a soft stammering sound.”

  εἶπε καὶ ἀστήρικτον ἑοῦ ποδὸς εἶχε πορείην:

  ἤιε δ᾽ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα πολυπλανέεσσιν ἐρωαῖς

  πυκνὰ περὶ κροτάφοισι τινασσομένοιο καρήνου:

  610 καὶ κεφαλὴν ἔκλινεν ἐρειδομένην σχεδὸν ὤμῳ:

  εὗδε δ᾽ ὑπὲρ δαπέδοιο τανυπτόρθῳ παρὰ δένδρῳ

  παρθενίην ἀφύλακτον ἐπιτρέψασα χαμεύνῃ.

  [607] She spoke, and went stumbling on her way. She moved this way and that way with erring motions, her brow shook with throbbing temples, her head leaned and lay on her shoulder, she fell asleep on the ground beside a tallbranching tree and entrusted to the bare earth her maidenhood unguarded.

  καὶ πυρόεις βαρύγουνον Ἔρως δεδοκημένος Αὔρην

  οὐρανόθεν κατέπαλτο, γαληναίῳ δὲ προσώπῳ

  615 μειδιόων ἀγόρευεν, ὁμοφρονέων Διονύσῳ:

  [613] When fiery Eros beheld Aura stumbling heavy-knee, he leapt down from heaven, and smiling with peaceful countenance spoke to Dionysos with full sympathy:

  ‘Ἀγρώσσεις, Διόνυσε: μένει δέ σε παρθένος Αὔρη.’

  [616] “Are you for a hunt, Dionysos? Virgin Aura awaits you!”

  ὥς εἰπὼν ἐς Ὄλυμπον ἐπείγετο, καὶ πτερὰ πάλλων

  εἰαρινοῖς πετάλοισιν ἐχάζετο τοῦτο χαράξας:

  ‘νυμφίε, λέκτρα τέλεσσον, ἕως ἔτι παρθένος εὕδει:

  620 σιγῇ ἐφ᾽ ἡμείων, μὴ παρθένον ὕπνος ἐάσῃ.’

  [617] With these words, he made haste away to Olympos flapping his wings, but first he had inscribed on the spring petals—” Bridegroom, complete your marriage while the maiden is still asleep; and let us be silent that sleep may not leave the maiden.”

  καί μιν ἰδὼν Ἰόβακχος ἐπ᾽ ἀστρώτοιο χαμεύνης

  νυμφιδίου Ληθαῖον ἀμεργομένην πτερὸν Ὕπνου,

  ἄψοφος ἀκροτάτοισιν ἀσάμβαλος ἴχνεσιν ἕρπων

  κωφὸν ἀφωνήτοιο μετήιε δέμνιον Αὔρης:

  625 χειρὶ δὲ φειδομένῃ γλαφυρὴν ἀπέθηκε φαρέτρην

  παρθενικῆς, καὶ τόξα κατέκρυφε κοιλάδι πέτρῃ,

  μή μιν ὀιστεύσειε τιναξαμένη πτερὸν Ὕπνου:

  καὶ δεσμοῖς ἀλύτοισι πόδας σφηκώσατο κούρης,

  καὶ παλάμαις ἑλικηδὸν ἐπεσφρηγίσσατο σειρήν,

  630 μή μιν ἀλυσκάζειεν: ἐπιστορέσας δὲ κονίῃ

  παρθενικὴν βαρύυπνον ἑτοιμοτάτην Ἀφροδίτῃ

  αὔρης ὑπναλέης γαμίην ἔκλεψεν ὀπώρην.

  καὶ πόσις ἦν ἀνάεδνος: ὑπὲρ δαπέδοιο δὲ δειλὴ

  οἰνοβαρὴς ἀτίνακτος ἐνυμφεύθη Διονύσῳ:

  635 καὶ σκιεραῖς πτερύγεσσι περισφίγγων δέμας Αὔρης

  ὕπνος ἔην Βάκχοιο γαμοστόλος, ὅττι καὶ αὐτὸς

  πειρήθη Παφίης, καὶ ὁμόζυγός ἐστι Σελήνης,

  καὶ νυχίης φιλότητος ὁμόστολός ἐστιν Ἐρώτων:

  καὶ γάμος ὡς ὄναρ ἔσκε. Πολυσκάρθμῳ δὲ χορείῃ

  640 εἰς χορὸν αὐτοέλικτον ἀνεσκίρτησε κολώνη,

  ἡμιφανὴς δ᾽ ἐδόνησεν Ἁμαδρυὰς ἥλικα πεύκην:

  μούνη δ᾽ ἦν ἀχόρευτος ἐν οὔρεσι παρθένος Ἠχώ,

  αἰδομένη δ᾽ ἀκίχητος ἐκεύθετο πυθμένι πέτρης,

  μὴ γάμον ἀθρήσειε γυναιμανέος Διονύσου.

  [621] Then Iobacchos seeing her on the bare earth, plucking the Lethaean feather of bridal Sleep, he crept up noiseless, unshod, on tiptoe, and approached Aura where she lay without voice or hearing. With gentle hand he put away the girl’s neat quiver and hid the bow in a hole in the rock, that she might not shake off Sleep’s wing and shoot him. Then he tied the girl’s feet together with indissoluble bonds, and passed a cord round and round her hands that she might not escape him: he laid the maiden down in the dust, a victim heavy with sleep ready for Aphrodite, and stole the bridal fruit from Aura asleep. The husband brought no gift; on the ground that hapless girl heavy with wine, unmoving, was wedded to Dionysos; Sleep embraced the body of Aura with overshadowing wings, and he was marshal of the wedding for Bacchos, for he also had experience of love, he is yokefellow of the moon, he is companion of the Loves in nightly caresses. So the wedding was like a dream; for the capering dances, the hill skipt and leapt of itself, the Hamadryad halfvisible shook her agemate fir — only maiden Echo did not join in the mountain dance, but shamefast hid herself unapproachable under the foundations of the rock, that she might not behold the wedding of womanmad Dionysos.

  645 καὶ τελέσας ὑμέναιον ἀδουπήτων ἐπὶ λέκτρων

  νυμφίος ἀμπελόεις, πεφυλαγμένον ἴχνος ἀείρας,

  νύμφης μὲν κύσε χεῖλος ἐπήρατον, ἀκλινέας δὲ

  λῦσε πόδας καὶ χεῖρας, ἀπὸ σκοπέλου δὲ φαρέτρην

  χειρὶ λαβὼν καὶ τόξα πάλιν παρακάτθετο νύμφῃ.

  650 καὶ Σατύρων σχεδὸν ἦλθεν ἔτι πνείων ὑμεναίων,

  ὑπναλέης ἀνέμοισιν ἐπιτρέψας λέχος Αὔρης.

  [645] When the vinebridegroom had con
summated his wedding on that silent bed, he lifted a cautious foot and kissed the bride’s lovely lips, loosed the unmoving feet and hands, brought back the quiver and bow from the rock and laid them beside his bride. He left to the winds the bed of Aura still sleeping, and returned to his Satyrs with a breath of the bridal still about him.

  νύμφη δ᾽ ἐκ φιλότητος ἀνέδραμε: λυσιμελῆ δὲ

  ὕπνον ἀκηρύκτων ἀπεσείσατο μάρτυν Ἐρώτων:

  θάμβεϊ δ᾽ εἰσορόωσα σαόφρονος ἔκτοθι μίτρης

  655 στήθεα γυμνωθέντα καὶ ἀσκεπέος πτύχα μηροῦ

  καὶ γαμίῃ ῥαθάμιγγι περιστιχθέντα χιτῶνα,

  ἁρπαμένην ἀνάεδνον ἀπαγγέλλοντα κορείην,

  μαίνετο παπταίνουσα: καὶ ἥρμοσε κυκλάδα μίτρην

  στέρνα πάλιν σκιόωσα, καὶ ἠθάδος ἄντυγα μαζοῦ

  660 παρθενίῳ ζωστῆρι μάτην ἐσφίγγετο δεσμῷ.

  ἀχνυμένη δ᾽ ὀλόλυζε, κατάσχετος ἅλματι λύσσης:

  ἀγρονόμους δ᾽ ἐδίωξε, καὶ εὐπετάλου σχεδὸν ὄχθης

  τινυμένη δολόεντα πόσιν ποινήτορι θεσμῷ

  μηλονόμους ἐδάιξεν: ἀμειλίκτῳ δὲ σιδήρῳ

  665 βουκόλον ἔκτανε μᾶλλον, ἐπεὶ μάθε νυμφίον Ἠοῦς,

  Τιθωνὸν χαρίεντα, δυσίμερον ἀνέρα βούτην,

  ὅττι βοῶν ἀγέλαις μεμελημένον ἔσχε καὶ αὐτὴ

  Λάτμιον Ἐνδυμίωνα βοῶν ἐλάτειρα Σελήνη:

  ἔκλυε καὶ Φρυγίοιο, τὸν ἔκτανε παρθένος ἄλλη,

  670 ὕμνου πικρὸν ἔρωτα, ποθοβλήτοιο νομῆος:

  αἰπόλον ἔκτανε μᾶλλον, ὅλον χορὸν ἔκτανεν αἰγῶν