[1] Ἦν δέ πως κατὰ δαίμονα ἱερομηνία τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ, ὃν Δία μὲν Ἕλληνες, Σέραπιν δὲ καλοῦσιν Αἰγύπτιοι. Ἦν δὲ καὶ πυρὸς δᾳδουχία: καὶ τοῦτο μέγιστον ἐθεασάμην. [2] Ἑσπέρα μὲν γὰρ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἥλιος κατεδύετο καὶ νὺξ ἦν οὐδαμοῦ, ἀλλὰ ἄλλος ἀνέτελλεν ἥλιος κατακερματίζων. Τότε γὰρ εἶδον πόλιν ἐρίζουσαν περὶ κάλλους οὐρανῷ. Ἐθεασάμην δὲ καὶ τὸν Μειλίχιον Δία καὶ τὸν Διὸς Οὐρανίου νεών. [3] Προσευξάμενοι δὴ τῷ μεγάλῳ θεῷ καὶ ἱκετεύσαντες στῆσαι ἡμῖν ποτε τὰ δεινά, εἰς τὴν καταγωγὴν ἤλθομεν, ἣν ἔτυχεν, ἣν ἔτυχεν ὁ Μενέλαος ἡμῖν μεμισθωμένος. Οὐκ ἐῴκει δὲ ἄρα ὁ θεὸς ἐπινεύειν ταῖς ἡμετέραις εὐχαῖς, ἀλλ̓ ἔμενεν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἄλλο τῆς Τύχης γυμνάσιον.
2. It so fortuned that it was at that time the sacred festival of the great god whom the Greeks call Zeus, the Egyptians Serapis, and there was a procession of torches. It was the greatest spectacle I ever beheld, for it was late evening and the sun had gone down; but there was no sign of night — it was as though another sun had arisen, but distributed into small parts in every direction; I thought that on that occasion the city vied with the sky for beauty. I also visited the Gracious Zeus and his temple in his aspect as god of Heaven; and then praying to the great god and humbly imploring him that our troubles might be at last at an end, we came back to the lodgings which Menelaus had hired for us. But the god, it seems, was not prepared to assent to our prayers, but still another of the trials and exercises of Fate was in store for us.
[1] Ὁ γὰρ Χαιρέας πρὸ πολλοῦ τῆς Λευκίππης ἐλάνθανεν ἐρῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μεμηνύκει τὸ φάρμακον, ἅμα μὲν ἀφορμὴν οἰκειότητος ἑαυτῷ θηρώμενος, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἑαυτῷ σώζων τὴν κόρην. [2] Εἰδὼς οὖν ἀμήχανον τὸ τυχεῖν, συντίθησιν ἐπιβουλήν, λῃστῶν ὁμοτέχνων χεῖρα συγκροτήσας, ἅτε θαλάσσιος ὢν ἄνθρωπος: καὶ συνθέμενος αὐτοῖς ἃ δεῖ. ποιεῖν, ἐπὶ ξένια ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν Φάρον καλεῖ, σκηψάμενος γενεθλίων ἄγειν ἡμέραν. [3] Ὡς οὖν προήλθομεν τῶν θυρῶν, οἰωνὸς ἡμῖν γίνεται πονηρός: χελιδόνα κίρκος διώκων τὴν Λευκίππην πατάσσει τῷ πτερῷ εἰς τὴν κεφαλήν. Ταραχθεὶς οὖν ἐπὶ τούτῳ καὶ ἀνανεύσας εἰς οὐρανὸν ‘ὦ Ζεῦ, τί τοῦτο’ ἔφην ‘φαίνεις ἡμῖν τέρας; ἀλλ̓ εἰ τῷ ὄντι σὸς ὄρνις οὗτος, ἄλλον ἡμῖν σαφέστερον [4] δεῖξον οἰωνόν.’ Μεταστραφεὶς οὖν （ἔτυχον γὰρ παρεστὼς ἐργαστηρίῳ ζωγράφου） γραφὴν ὁρῶ κειμένην, ἥτις ὑπῃνίττετο προσόμοιον. Φιλομήλας γὰρ εἶχε φθορὰν καὶ τὴν βίαν Τηρέως καὶ τῆς γλώττης τὴν τομήν. Ἦν δὲ ὁλόκληρον τὸ διήγημα τοῦ δράματος, [5] ὁ πέπλος, ὁ Τηρεύς, ἡ τράπεζα. Τὸν πέπλον ἡπλωμένον εἱστήκει κρατοῦσα θεράπαινα: Φιλομήλα παρειστήκει καὶ ἐπετίθει τῷ πέπλῳ τὸν δάκτυλον καὶ ἐδείκνυ τῶν ὑφασμάτων τὰς γραφάς: ἡ Πρόκνη πρὸς τὴν δεῖξιν ἐνενεύκει καὶ δριμὺ ἔβλεπε καὶ ὠργίζετο: Θρᾲξ ὁ Τηρεὺς ἐνύφαντο Φιλομήλᾳ παλαίων πάλην ἀφροδίσιον. [6] Ἐσπάρακτο τὰς κόμας ἡ γυνή, τὸ ζῶμα ἐλέλυτο, τὸν χιτῶνα κατέρρηκτο, ἡμίγυμνος τὸ στέρνον ἦν, τὴν δεξιὰν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἤρειδε τοῦ Τηρέως, τῇ λαιᾷ τὰ διερρωγότα τοῦ χιτῶνος ἐπὶ τοὺς μαστοὺς εἷλκεν. Ἐν ἀγκάλαις εἶχε τὴν Φιλομήλαν ὁ Τηρεύς, ἕλκων πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὡς ἐνῆν τὸ σῶμα καὶ σφίγγων ἐν χρῷ τὴν συμπλοκήν. [7] Ὧδε μὲν τὴν τοῦ πέπλου γραφὴν ὕφηνεν ὁ ζωγράφος: τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν τῆς εἰκόνος: αἱ γυναῖκες ἐν κανῷ τὰ λείψανα τοῦ δείπνου τῷ Τηρεῖ δεικνύουσι, κεφαλὴν παιδίου καὶ χεῖρας, γελῶσι δὲ ἅμα καὶ φοβοῦνται. [8] Ἀναπηδῶν ἐκ τῆς κλίνης ὁ Τηρεὺς ἐγέγραπτο καὶ ἕλκων τὸ ξίφος ἐπὶ τὰς γυναῖκας: τὸ σκέλος ἤρειδεν ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν: ἡ δὲ οὔτε ἕστηκεν οὔτε πέπτωκεν, ἀλλ̓ ἐδείκνυ ῥοπὴν μέλλοντος πτώματος.
3. This was the cause of it. Chaereas had for some time been secretly in love with Leucippe; that was the reason that he had informed us about the drug which had been administered to her; he was seeking an opportunity of beginning a close acquaintance with her, and desired to save her to his own advantage. Knowing that it was impossible otherwise to succeed in his desires, he contrived a plot. Being himself a sea-faring man, he got together a pirate-band of fellows of his own sort; and, after instructing them how they were to act, asked us to dinner at Pharos, (An island in the bay of Alexandria, famous for the lighthouse upon it.) professing that it was his birthday. We were but just leaving our door when an evil omen happened to us; a hawk chasing a swallow struck Leucippe’s head with his wing. At this I was somewhat disturbed, and, looking up to heaven, “What is this portent,” said I, “O Zeus, that thou displayest to us? If in very deed this bird (opvis, like οιωνός, can mean both a “bird” and an “omen.”) comes from thee, show us some other clearer augury.” Turning round (I happened to be standing by a painter’s studio) I saw a picture hanging there, the subject of which had a similar hidden significance, representing the rape of Philomela, the violence employed by Tereus, and the cutting out of her tongue. The whole story was fully represented in the picture, including the tapestry, Tereus himself, and the fatal table. A serving-maid was standing and holding up the tapestry unfolded; Philomela stood near with her finger on it, pointing out the subjects of the embroideries; Procne was bowing her head to show that she understood what was being-pointed out to her; there was a savage look in her eyes and she had become furious at what she saw depicted there. The subject embroidered on it was the Thracian Tereus struggling with Philomela in a lustful strife; her hair was dishevelled, her girdle undone, her tunic torn, and her bosom half naked; with her right hand she aimed for Tereus’ eyes, while with her left she tried to draw her torn garments over her breasts. He held her in his arms, drawing her form towards him within them, and tightening his embrace round her, body to body; such was the picture of the tapestry which the painter had made. As for the rest of the painting, the women were shewing Tereus the remains of the feast in a basket, the child’s head and hands; their expression was a mixture of laughter and fear. Tereus was depicted leaping up from his seat and drawing his sword against the women; his leg was pressing against the table, which neither stood nor fell, but displayed the unstable balance of an impending fall.
[1] Λέγει οὖν ὁ Μενέλαος ‘ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ τὴν εἰς Φάρον ὁδὸν ἐπισχεῖν: ὁρᾷς γὰρ οὐκ ἀγαθὰ δύο σύμβολα, τό τε τοῦ ὄρνιθος καθ̓ ἡμῶν πτερὸν καὶ τῆς εἰκόνος τὴν ἀπειλήν. Λέγουσι δὲ οἱ �
�ῶν συμβόλων ἐξηγηταὶ σκοπεῖν τοὺς μύθους τῶν εἰκόνων, ἂν ἐξιοῦσιν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ πρᾶξιν συντύχωσι, καὶ ἐξομοιοῦν τὸ ἀποβησόμενον τῷ τῆς ἱστορίας λόγῳ. [2] Ὁρᾷς οὖν ὅσων γέμει κακῶν ἡ γραφή: ἔρωτος παρανόμου, μοιχείας ἀναισχύντου, γυναικείων ἀτυχημάτων: ὅθεν ἐπισχεῖν κελεύω τὴν ἔξοδον.’ Ἐδόκει μοι λέγειν εἰκότα, καὶ παραιτοῦμαι τὸν Χαιρέαν ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν σφόδρα ἀνιώμενος ἀπηλλάττετο, φήσας αὔριον ἐφ̓ ἡμᾶς ἀφίξεσθαι.
4. “In my opinion,” said Menelaus, “we should not continue our journey to Pharos; for you may observe that we have had two bad signs, the touching of us by the bird’s wing and the threat which this picture implies. Those who profess to interpret signs bid us pay attention to the stories of pictures, if such happen to meet our eye as we set forth to our business, and to conclude that what is likely to happen to us will be of the same character as the event of the painted story. You see then how full of miseries is this drawing — unlawful love, shameless adultery, women’s woes; I therefore recommend you to desist from this expedition of yours.” His words seemed to me not without reason, and I prayed Chaereas to have us excused for that day; he left us in considerable displeasure, saying that he would return to us on the morrow.
[1] Ἡ δὲ Λευκίππη λέγει πρός με （φιλόμυθον γάρ πως τὸ τῶν γυναικῶν γένος） ‘τί βούλεται τῆς εἰκόνος ὁ μῦθος καὶ τίνες αἱ ὄρνιθες αὗται καὶ τίνες αἱ γυναῖκες καὶ τίς ὁ ἀναιδὴς ἐκεῖνος ἀνήρ;’ Κἀγὼ καταλέγειν ἄρχομαι ‘ἀηδὼν καὶ χελιδὼν καὶ ἔποψ: [2] πάντες ἄνθρωποι καὶ πάντες ὄρνιθες. Ἔποψ ὁ ἀνήρ, αἱ δύο γυναῖκες Φιλομήλα χελιδὼν καὶ Πρόκνη ἀηδών. Πόλις αὐταῖς Ἀθῆναι. Τηρεὺς ὁ ἀνήρ: Πρόκνη Τηρέως γυνή. Βαρβάροις δέ, ὡς ἔοικεν, οὐχ ἱκανὴ πρὸς Ἀφροδίτην μία γυνή, μάλισθ̓ ὅταν αὐτοῖς καιρὸς διδῷ πρὸς ὕβριν τρυφᾶν. [3] Καιρὸς οὖν γίνεται τῷ Θρᾳκὶ τούτῳ χρήσασθαι τῇ φύσει Πρόκνης ἡ φιλοστοργία: πέμπει γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν Τηρέα. Ὁ δὲ ἀπῄει μὲν ἔτι Πρόκνης ἀνήρ, ἀναστρέφει δὲ Φιλομήλας ἐραστής, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἄλλην αὑτῷ ποιεῖται τὴν Φιλομήλαν Πρόκνην. [4] Τὴν γλῶτταν τῆς Φιλομήλας φοβεῖται, καὶ ἕδνα τῶν γάμων αὐτῇ δίδωσι μηκέτι λαλεῖν καὶ κείρει τῆς φωνῆς τὸ ἄνθος. Ἀλλὰ πλέον ἤνυσεν οὐδέν: ἡ γὰρ Φιλομήλας τέχνη σιωπῶσαν εὕρηκε φωνήν. [5] Ὑφαίνει γὰρ πέπλον ἄγγελον καὶ τὸ δρᾶμα πλέκει ταῖς κρόκαις, καὶ μιμεῖται τὴν γλῶτταν ἡ χεὶρ καὶ Πρόκνης τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὰ τῶν ὤτων μηνύει καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἃ πέπονθε τῇ κερκίδι λαλεῖ. [6] Ἡ Πρόκνη τὴν βίαν ἀκούει παρὰ τοῦ πέπλου καὶ ἀμύνασθαι καθ̓ ὑπερβολὴν ζητεῖ τὸν ἄνδρα. Ὀργαὶ δὲ δύο καὶ δύο γυναῖκες εἰς ἓν πνέουσαι καὶ ὕβρει κεράσασαι τὴν ζηλοτυπίαν δεῖπνον ἐπινοοῦσι τῶν γάμων ἀτυχέστερον. [7] Τὸ δὲ δεῖπνον ἦν ὁ παῖς Τηρέως, οὗ μήτηρ μὲν ἦν πρὸ τῆς ὀργῆς ἡ Πρόκνη, τότε δὲ τῶν ὠδίνων ἐπιλέληστο. Οὕτως αἱ τῆς ζηλοτυπίας ὠδῖνες νικῶσι καὶ τὴν γαστέρα. Μόνον γὰρ ἐρῶσαι αἱ γυναῖκες ἀνιᾶσαι τὸν τὴν εὐνὴν λελυπηκότα, κἂν πάσχωσιν ἐν οἷς ποιοῦσιν οὐχ ἧττον κακόν, τὴν τοῦ πάσχειν λογίζονται συμφορὰν τῇ τοῦ ποιεῖν ἡδονῇ. [8] Ἐδείπνησεν ὁ Τηρεὺς δεῖπνον Ἐρινύων, αἱ δὲ ἐν κανῷ τὰ λείψανα τοῦ παιδίου παρέφερον, γελῶσαι φόβῳ. Ὁ Τηρεὺς ὁρᾷ τὰ λείψανα τοῦ παιδίου καὶ πενθεῖ τὴν τροφὴν καὶ ἐγνώρισεν ὢν τοῦ δείπνου πατήρ: γνωρίσας μαίνεται καὶ σπᾶται τὸ ξίφος καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς γυναῖκας τρέχει, ἃς δέχεται ὁ ἀήρ. Καὶ ὁ Τηρεὺς αὐταῖς συναναβαίνει καὶ ὄρνις γίνεται: καὶ τηροῦσιν ἔτι τοῦ πάθους τὴν εἰκόνα. [9] Φεύγει μὲν ἀηδών, διώκει δὲ ὁ Τηρεύς. Οὕτως ἐφύλαξε τὸ μῖσος καὶ μέχρι τῶν πτερῶν.’
5. Said Leucippe to me — all womankind is fond of stories—” What is the meaning of the subject of this picture? What are these birds? Who are those women and that vile man?” I began to relate to her the whole history: “They are the nightingale,” said I, “the swallow, and the hoopoe — all human creatures, and all birds as well; the man became the hoopoe, Philomela the swallow, and Procne the nightingale. Both these women had their home in Athens, and the man, Tereus, was Procne’s husband. One wife at a time, it seems, is not enough for a barbarian’s love, especially if opportunity occur for him to give rein to his wantonness; and this Thracian’s opportunity came through the natural affection of Procne, who sent her husband to bring her sister to her. He started on his journey still the husband of Procne, but he came back (Accounts differ as to the means Tereus employed to take Philomela from her father Pandion. The more usual one, apparently followed here, is that his was a genuine mission from Procne, who wished to see her sister; another relates that he told Pandion that Procne was dead, and that he wished to have Philomela, his deceased wife’s sister, in a second marriage.) the lover of Philomela, and by the way he made her a second Procne; then, fearing Philomela’s tongue, his bridegroom’s present to her was that she should be dumb, and he shore away the glory of her speech. But this profited him nothing; Philomela’s art provided her with a silent voice. She weaves a tell-tale tapestry, working her story into the threads; her hand takes the place of her tongue and sets out for Procne’s eyes what Procne should have learned by her ears — she tells her sister of her sufferings by means of her shuttle. When Procne read of the deed of violence by means of the tapestry, she sought how she might take an overwhelming vengeance upon her husband. With two women, double was their wrath; they conspired together for one object, spurred on by jealousy (Strictly speaking it is the ζηλοτυπία which spurs on Procne, the vBpis which was the cause of Philomela’s revenge. But by a perfectly natural extension both are made to apply to each of the women.) and sense of violence done, and contrived a banquet even more hideous than the unhallowed nuptials; Tereus’ own child (Itys) was to be his dish; whose mother had been Procne before her fury; but now she had forgotten the pangs by which she gave him birth. So far greater were the agonies of jealousy than those of the womb; women care for nothing but to avenge themselves on him who has wronged their bed, even if they suffer in their revenge a woe equal to that which they inflict; and they balance the pain of what they suffer by the sweetness of the vengeance which they exact. So Tereus dined on this devils’ dish, while they carried to him in a basket the remains of his son with a mixture of fear and mocking laughter; he sees those remains, mourns for what he has eaten — he knew that he was the father of the very food he had swallowed; knowing it, he draws his sword and rus
hes upon the women, but the air receives them from his vengeance; he mounts with them, and like them becomes a bird. They still preserve the image of the passions they feel — the swallow flies, Tereus pursues; his hate is as great as ever, even when they are all clothed with wings.”
[1] Τότε μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἐξεφύγομεν τὴν ἐπιβουλήν: ἐκερδήσαμεν δὲ οὐδὲν ἢ μίαν ἡμέραν. Τῇ γὰρ ὑστεραίᾳ παρῆν ἕωθεν ὁ Χαιρέας, καὶ ἡμεῖς αἰδεσθέντες ἀντιλέγειν οὐκ εἴχομεν. Ἐπιβάντες οὖν σκάφους, ἤλθομεν εἰς τὴν Φάρον, ὁ δὲ Μενέλαος ἔμεινεν αὐτοῦ, [2] φήσας οὐχ ὑγιῶς ἔχειν. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἡμᾶς ὁ Χαιρέας ἐπὶ τὸν πύργον ἄγει καὶ δείκνυσι τὴν κατασκευὴν θαυμασίαν τινὰ καὶ παράλογον. [3] Ὄρος ἦν ἐν μέσῃ τῇ θαλάσσῃ κείμενον, ψαῦον αὐτῶν τῶν νεφῶν, ὑπέρρει δὲ ὕδωρ κάτωθεν τοῦ ποιήματος: τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ θαλάσσης εἱστήκει κρεμάμενον: ἐς δὲ τὴν τοῦ ὄρους ἀκρόπολιν ὁ τῶν νεῶν κυβερνήτης ἀνέτελλεν ἥλιος. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἡγεῖτο ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν: ἦν δὲ ἐπ̓ ἐσχάτων τῆς νήσου κειμένη ἐπ̓ αὐτῇ τῇ θαλάσσῃ.
Complete Works of Achilles Tatius Page 68