Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  Ἄρτεμιν οὐ μενέαινεν ἐπ᾽ ὠδίνεσσι καλέσσαι:

  795 Ἡραίας δὲ θύγατρας ἀναίνετο, μή ποτε Βάκχου

  μητρυιῆς ἅτε παῖδες ἐπιβρίσωσι λοχείῃ.

  κούρη δ᾽ ἀσχαλόωσα κατηφέα ῥῆξεν ἰωήν,

  νυσσομένη κέντροισιν ἀπειρώδινος ἀνάγκης:

  [786] But the girl went among the high rocks of the mountains. There unseen, when she felt the cruel throes of childbirth pangs, her voice roared terrible as a lioness in labour, and the rocks resounded, for dolorous Echo gave back an answering roar to the loud-shrieking girl. She held her hands over her lap like a lid compressing the birth, to close the speedy delivery of her ripening child, and delayed the babe now perfect. For she hated Artemis and would not call upon her in her pains; she would not have the daughters of Hera, lest they as being children of Bacchos’s stepmother should oppress her delivery with more pain. At last in her affliction the girl cried out these despairing words, stabbed with the pangs of one who was new to the hard necessity of childbirth:

  ‘Οὕτως ἰοχέαιραν ἴδω καὶ θοῦριν Ἀθήνην,

  800 οὕτως ἀμφοτέρας ἐγκύμονας ὄφρα νοήσω:

  Ἄρτεμιν ὠδίνουσαν ἐλέγξατε, μαιάδες Ὧραι,

  μαρτυρίῃ τοκετοῖο, καὶ εἴπατε Τριτογενείῃ:

  ῾παρθενικὴ γλαυκῶπι, νεητόκε μῆτερ ἀμήτωρ.᾿

  οὕτω ξυνὰ παθοῦσαν ἴδω φιλοπάρθενον Ἠχὼ

  805 Πανὶ παρευνηθεῖσαν ἢ ἀρχεκάκῳ Διονύσῳ.

  Ἄρτεμι, καὶ σὺ τεκοῦσα παραίφασις ἔσσεαι Αὔρης,

  θῆλυ γάλα στάζουσα λεχώιον ἄρσενι μαζῷ.’

  [799] “So may I see Archeress and wild Athena, so may I see them both great with child! Reproach Artemis in labour, O midwife Seasons, be witness of her delivery, and say to Tritogeneia—’ O virgin Brighteyes, O new mother who mother had none!’ So may I see Echo who loves maidenhood so much, suffering as I do, after she has lain with Pan, or Dionysos the cause of my troubles! Artemis, if you could bring forth, it would be some consolation to Aura, that you should trickle woman’s milk from your man’s breast.”

  εἶπεν ὀδυρομένη βαρυώδυνα κέντρα λοχείης.

  καὶ τόκον ἰοχέαιρα κατέσχεθε, παιδοτόκῳ δὲ

  810 νύμφῃ μόχθον ὄπασσεν ἐρυκομένου τοκετοῖο.

  [808] So she cried, lamenting the heavy pangs of her delivery. Then Artemis delayed the birth, and gave the labouring bride the pain of retarded delivery.

  καὶ τελετῆς Νίκαια κυβερνήτειρα Λυαίου

  μόχθον ὀπιπεύουσα καὶ αἴσχεα λυσσάδος Αὔρης

  τοίην κρυπταδίην οἰκτίρμονα ῥήξατο φωνήν:

  [811] But Nicaia, the leader of the rites of Lyaios, seeing the pain and disgrace of distracted Aura, spoke to her thus in secret pity:

  ‘Αὔρη ξυνὰ παθοῦσα, κινύρεο καὶ σὺ κορείην:

  815 γαστρὶ δὲ φόρτον ἔχουσα δυηπαθέος τοκετοῖο

  τέτλαθί μοι μετὰ λέκτρον ἔχειν καὶ κέντρα λοχείης,

  τέτλαθι καὶ βρεφέεσσιν ἀήθεα μαζὸν ὀρέξαι.

  καὶ σὺ πόθεν πίες οἶνον, ἐμῆς συλήτορα μίτρης;

  καὶ σὺ πόθεν πίες οἶνον, ἕως πέλες ἔγκυος, Αὔρη;

  820 καὶ σὺ πάθες, φυγόδεμνε, τά περ πάθον: ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ

  μέμφεο νυμφοκόμων ἀπατήλιον ὕπνον Ἐρώτων.

  εἷς δόλος ἀμφοτέραις γάμον ἥρμοσεν, εἶς πόσις Αὔρης

  παρθενικὴν Νίκαιαν ἐθήκατο μητέρα παίδων:

  οὐκέτι τόξον ἔχω θηροκτόνον, οὐκέτι νευρήν,

  825 ὡς πάρος, αὖ ἐρύω καὶ ἐγὼ βέλος: εἰμὶ δὲ δειλὴ

  ἱστοπόνος θήλεια, καὶ οὐκέτι θοῦρις Ἀμαζών.’

  [814] “Aura, I have suffered as you have, and you too lament you your maidenhood. But since you carry in your womb the burden of painful childbirth, endure after the bed to have the pangs of delivery, endure to give your untaught breast to babes. Why did you also drink wine, which robbed me of my girdle? Why did you also drink wine, Aura, until you were with child? You also suffered what I suffered, you enemy of marriage; then you also have to blame a deceitful sleep sent by the Loves, who are friends of marriage. One fraud fitted marriage on us both, one husband was Aura’s and made virgin Nicaia the mother of children. No more have I a beastslaying bow, no longer as once, I draw my bowstring and my arrows; I am a poor woman working at the loom, and no longer a wild Amazon.”

  ἔννεπεν οἰκτείρουσα τελεσσιγόνου πόνον Αὔρης,

  οἷά τε πειρηθεῖσα τόκου μογεροῖο καὶ αὐτή.

  Λητῴη δ᾽ ἀίουσα βαρυφθόγγου κτύπον Αὔρης

  830 ἤλυθεν αὐχήεσσα τὸ δεύτερον ἐγγύθι νύμφης:

  τειρομένην δ᾽ ἐρέθιζε καὶ ἴαχε κέντορι μύθῳ:

  [827] She spoke, pitying Aura’s labour to accomplish the birth, as one who herself had felt the pangs of labour. But Leto’s daughter, hearing the resounding cries of Aura, came near the bride again in triumph, taunted her in her suffering and spoke in stinging words:

  ‘ Παρθένε, τίς σε τέλεσσε λεχωίδα μητέρα παίδων;

  ἡ γάμον ἀγνώσσουσα πόθεν γλάγος ἔλλαχε μαζοῦ;

  οὐκ ἴδον, οὐ πυθόμην, ὅτι παρθένος υἷα λοχεύει.

  835 ἦ ῥα φύσιν μετάμειψε πατὴρ ἐμός; ἦ ῥα γυναῖκες

  νόσφι γάμου τίκτουσι;σὺ γάρ, φιλοπάρθενε κούρη,

  ὠδίνεις νέα τέκνα, καὶ εἰ στυγέεις Ἀφροδίτην.

  ἦ ῥα κυβερνήτειραν ἀναγκαίου τοκετοῖο

  Ἄρτεμιν οὐ καλέουσι λεχωίδες, ὅττι σὺ μούνη

  840 εἰς τόκον ἀγροτέρης οὐ δεύεαι ἰοχεαίρης;

  οὐδὲ τεὸν Διόνυσον ἀμαιεύτων ἀπὸ κόλπων

  ἔδρακεν Εἰλείθυια, τεῆς ἐλάτειρα γενέθλης:

  ἀλλά μιν ἡμιτέλεστον ἐμαιώσαντο κεραυνοί.

  μὴ κοτέῃς, ὅτι παῖδας ἐνὶ σκοπέλοισι λοχεύεις:

  845 ᾗ σκοπέλων βασίλεια τόκου πειρήσατο Ῥείη:

  τίς νέμεσίς ποτε τοῦτο; κατ᾽ οὔρεα τέκνα λοχεύεις,

  ὡς δάμαρ οὐρεσίφοιτος ὀρεσσινόμου Διονύσου.’

  [832] “Virgin, who made you a mother in childbed? You that knew nothing of marriage, how came that milk in your breast? I never heard or saw that a virgin bears a child. Has my father changed nature? Do women bear children without marriage? For you, a maiden, the friend of maidenhood, bring forth young children, even if you hate Aphrodite. Then do women in childbed under the hard necessity of childbirth no longer call on Artemis to guide them, when you alone do not want Archeress the lady of the hunt? Nor did Eileithyia, who conducts your delivery, see you
r Dionysos born from his mother’s womb; but thunderbolts were his mid wives, and he only half-made! Do not be angry that you bear children among the crags, where Rheia queen of the crags has borne children. What harm is it that you bear children in the mountains, you the mountaineer wife of mountainranging Dionysos!”

  ἔννεπε: καὶ κοτέουσα λεχωιὰς ἄχνυτο νύμφη

  Ἄρτεμιν αἰδομένη καὶ ἐν ἄλγεσιν. ἆ μέγα δειλή,

  850 ἐγγὺς ἔην τοκετοῖο καὶ ἤθελε παρθένος εἶναι.

  καὶ βρέφος εἰς φάος ἦλθε θοώτερον: Ἀρτέμιδος γὰρ

  φθεγγομένης ἔτι μῦθον ἀκοντιστῆρα λοχείης

  διπλόος αὐτοκέλευστος ἐμαιώθη τόκος Αὔρης

  λυομένης ὠδῖνος, ὅθεν διδύμων ἀπὸ παίδων

  855 Δίνδυμον ὑψικάρηνον ὄρος κικλήσκετο Ῥείης.

  καὶ θεὸς ἀθρήσασα νέην εὔπαιδα γενέθλην

  τοῖον ἔπος παλίνορσος ἀμοιβαίῃ φάτο φωνῇ:

  [848] She spoke, and the nymph in childbirth was indignant and angry, but she was ashamed before Artemis even in her pains. Ah poor creature! she wished to remain a maiden, and she was near to childbirth. A babe came quickly into the light; for even as Artemis yet spoke the word that shot out the delivery, the womb of Aura was loosened, and twin children came forth of themselves; therefore from these twins (δίδυμοι) the highpeaked mountain of Rheia was called Dindymon. Seeing how fair the children were, the goddess again spoke in a changed voice:

  ‘Μαῖα, γυνὴ μονιή, διδυμητόκε δύσγαμε νύμφη,

  υἱάσι μαζὸν ὄρεξον ἀήθεα, παρθένε μήτηρ:

  860 παππάζει σέο κοῦρος ἀπαιτίζων σε τοκῆα:

  εἰπὲ δὲ σοῖς τεκέεσσι τεὸν λαθραῖον ἀκοίτην.

  Ἄρτεμις οὐ γάμον οἶδε, καὶ οὐ τρέφεν υἱέα μαζῷ:

  σὸν λέχος οὔρεα ταῦτα, καὶ ἠθάδος ἀντὶ χιτῶνος

  σπάργανα σῶν βρεφέων πολυδαίδαλα δέρματα νεβρῶν.’

  [858] “Wetnurse, lonely ranger, twin mother, bride of a forced bridal, give your untaught breast to your sons, virgin mother. Your boy calls daddy, asking for his father; tell your children the name of your secret lover. Artemis knows nothing of marriage, she has not nursed a son at her breast. These mountains were your bed, and the spotted skins of fawns are swaddling-clothes for your babies, instead of the usual robe.”

  865 εἶπε, καὶ ὠκυπέδιλος ἐδύσατο δάσκιον ὕλην.

  καὶ καλέσας Νίκαιαν ἑὴν Κυβεληίδα νύμφην,

  μεμφομένην ἔτι λέκτρα λεχωίδα δείκνυεν Αὔρην

  μειδιόων Διόνυσος: ἐρημονόμοιο δὲ κούρης

  ἀρτιγάμοις ἀγόρευεν ἐπαυχήσας ὑμεναίοις:

  [865] She spoke, and swift shoe plunged into the shady wood. Then Dionysos called Nicaia, his own Cybeleid nymph, and smiling pointed to Aura still upbraiding her childbed; proud of his late union with the lonely girl, he said:

  870 ‘Ἄρτι μόγις, Νίκαια, παραίφασιν εὗρες Ἐρώτων:

  ἄρτι πάλιν Διόνυσος ἐπίκλοπον ἤνυσεν εὐνήν,

  παρθενικῆς δ᾽ ἑτέρης γάμον ἥρπασεν: ἐν δὲ κολώναις

  ἡ πρὶν ἀλυσκάζουσα καὶ οὔνομα μοῦνον Ἐρώτων

  σοῖς θαλάμοις τύπον ἶσον ὀρεστιὰς ἔδρακεν Αὔρη.

  875 οὐ μούνη γλυκὺν ὕπνον ἐδέξαο πομπὸν Ἐρώτων,

  οὐ μούνη πίες οἶνον ἐπίκλοπον ἅρπαγα μίτρης:

  ἀλλὰ νέης ἄγνωστος ἀνοιγομένης ἀπὸ πηγῆς

  νυμφοκόμος πάλιν οἶνος ἀνέβλυε, καὶ πίεν Αὔρη.

  ἀλλὰ βέλος δεδαυῖαν ἀναγκαίου τοκετοῖο,

  880 πρὸς Τελετῆς λίτομαί σε, χοροπλεκέος σέο κούρης,

  σπεῦσον ἀερτάζειν ἐμὸν υἱέα, μή μιν ὀλέσσῃ

  τολμηραῖς παλάμῃσιν ἐμὴ δυσμήχανος Αὔρη:

  οἶδα γάρ, ὡς διδύμων βρεφέων ἔνα παῖδα δαμάσσει

  ἄσχετα λυσσώουσα: σὺ δὲ χραίσμησον Ἰάκχῳ:

  885 ἔσσο φύλαξ ὠδῖνος ἀρείονος, ὄφρά κεν εἴη

  σὴ Τελετὴ θεράπαινα καὶ υἱέι καὶ γενετῆρι.’

  [870] “Now at last, Nicaia, you have found consolation for your love. Now again Dionysos has stolen a marriage bed, and ravished another maiden: woodland Aura in the mountains, who shrank once from the very name of love, has seen a marriage the image of yours. Not you alone had sweet sleep as a guide to love, not you alone drank deceitful wine which stole your maiden girdle; but once more a fountain of nuptial wine has burst from a new opening rock unrecognized, and Aura drank. You who have learnt the throes of childbirth in hard necessity, by Telete your danceweaving daughter I beseech you, hasten to lift up my son, that my desperate Aura may not destroy him with daring hands — for I know she will kill one of the two baby boys in her intolerable frenzy, but do you help Iacchos: guard the better boy, that your Telete may be the servant of son and father both.”

  ὣς εἰπὼν παλίνορσος ἐχάζετο Βάκχος ἀγήνωρ,

  κυδιόων Φρυγίοισιν ἐπ᾽ ἀμφοτέροις ὑμεναίοις

  πρεσβυτέρης ἀλόχοιο καἰ ὁπλοτέρης περὶ νύμφης.

  890 καὶ βαρὺ πένθος ἔχουσα τελεσσιτόκῳ παρὰ πέτρῃ,

  παῖδας ἐλαφρίζουσα, λεχωιὰς ἴαχε μήτηρ:

  [887] With this appeal Bacchos departed, triumphant and proud of his two Phrygian marriages, with the elder wife and the younger bride. And in deep distress beside the rock where they had been born, the mother in childbed held up the two boys and cried aloud —

  ‘ἠερόθεν γάμος οὗτος: ἐμὸν γόνον ἠέρι ῥίψω:

  νυμφεύθην ἀνέμοισι καὶ οὐ βροτέην ἴδον εὐνήν,

  αὔρης δ᾽ εἰς ὑμέναιον ἐπώνυμοι ἤλυθον αὖραι:

  895 καὶ λοχίας ἐχέτωσαν ἐμὰς ὠδῖνας ἀῆται.

  ἔρρετέ μοι, νέα τέκνα δολορραφέος γενετῆρος,

  ὑμέας οὐκ ἐλόχευσα: τί μοι κακὰ θηλυτεράων;

  ἀμφαδὸν ἄρτι, λέοντες, ἐλεύθεροι εἰς νομὸν ὕλης

  ἔλθετε θαρσήεντες, ὅτ᾽ οὐκέτι μάρναται Αὔρη:

  900 καὶ σκυλάκων ἑλίκωπες ἀρείονές ἐστε λαγωοί:

  θῶες, ἐμοὶ τέρπεσθε: παρ᾽ ἡμετέρῃ δὲ χαμεύνῃ

  πόρδαλιν ἀπτοίητον ἐπισκαίροντα νοήσω:

  ἄξατε σύννομον ἄρκτον ἀταρβέα: παιδοτόκου γὰρ

  αὔρης χαλκοχίτωνες ἐθηλύνθησαν ὀιστοί.

  905 αἰδέομαι μεθέπειν μετὰ παρθένον οὔνομα νύμφης,

  μὴ βριαρὸν τεκέεσσιν ἐμόν ποτε μαζὸν ὀπάσσω:


  μὴ παλάμῃ θλίψοιμι νόθον γάλα, μηδ᾽ ἐνὶ λόχμαις

  θηροφόνος γεγαυῖα γυνὴ φιλότεκνος ἀκούσω.’

  [892] “From the sky came this marriage — I will throw my offspring into the sky! I was wooed by the breezes, and I saw no mortal bed. Winds my namesakes came down to the marriage of the Windmaid, then let the breezes take the offspring of my womb. Away with you, children accursed of a treacherous father, you are none of mine — what have I to do with the sorrows of women? Show yourselves now, lions, come freely to forage in the woods; have no fear, for Aura is your enemy no more. Hares with your rolling eyes, you are better than hounds. Jackals, let me be your favourite; I will watch the panther jumping fearless beside my bed. Bring your friend the bear without fear; for now that Aura has children her arrows in bronze armour have become womanish. I am ashamed to have the name of bride who once was virgin; lest I sometime offer my strong breast to babes, lest I press out the bastard milk with my hand, or be called tender mother in the woods where I slew mid beasts!”

  910 ... θῆκεν ὑπὸ σπήλυγγι λεχώια δεῖπνα λεαίνης:

  ἀλλὰ Διωνύσοιο νέην εὔπαιδα γενέθλην,

  πόρδαλις ὠμοβόροισι δέμας λιχμῶσα γενείοις,

  ἔμφρονα θυμὸν ἔχουσα σοφῷ μαιώσατο μαζῷ:

  θαμβαλέοι δὲ δράκοντες ἐκυκλώσαντο λοχείην

  915 ἰοβόλοις στομάτεσσιν, ἐπεὶ νέα τέκνα φυλάσσων

  μειλιχίους καὶ θῆρας ἐθήκατο νυμφίος Αὔρης.

  [910] [She took the babes and] laid them in the den of a lioness for her dinner. But a panther with understanding mind licked their bodies with her ravening lips, and nursed the beautiful boys of Dionysos with intelligent breast; wondering serpents with poisonspitting mouth surrounded the birthplace, for Aura’s bridegroom had made even the ravening beasts gentle to guard his newborn children.