Complete Works of Achilles Tatius

by Achilles Tatius

  6. For the moment then we had by this incident escaped the plot laid against us; but we only gained one day. On the morrow came Chaereas at dawn: for very shame we could make no further excuses and got aboard a boat to go to Pharos; Menelaus stayed behind, saying that he was not well. Chaereas first took us to the light-house and shewed us the most remarkable and extraordinary structure upon which it rested; it was like a mountain, almost reaching the clouds, in the middle of the sea. Below the building flowed the waters; it seemed to be as it were suspended above their surface, while at the top of this mountain rose a second sun to be a guide for ships. After this he took us to his house, which was on the shore at the extremity of the island.

  [1] Ἑσπέρας οὖν γενομένης ὑπεξέρχεται μὲν ὁ Χαιρέας, πρόφασιν ποιησάμενος τὴν γαστέρα. Μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ βοή τις ἐξαίφνης περὶ τὰς θύρας ἦν, καὶ εὐθὺς εἰστρέχουσιν ἄνθρωποι μεγάλοι καὶ πολλοί, μαχαίρας ἐσπασμένοι, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν κόρην πάντες ὥρμησαν. [2] Ἐγὼ δὲ ὡς εἶδον φερομένην μοι τὴν φιλτάτην, οὐκ ἐνεγκὼν ἵεμαι διὰ τῶν ξιφῶν: καί με παίει τις κατὰ τοῦ μηροῦ μαχαίρᾳ καὶ ὤκλασα. Ἐγὼ μὲν δὴ καταπεσὼν ἐρρεόμην αἵματι, οἱ δὲ ἐνθέμενοι τῷ σκάφει τὴν κόρην ἔφευγον. [3] Θορύβου δὲ καὶ βοῆς οἷα ἐπὶ λῃσταῖς γενομένης ὁ στρατηγὸς τῆς νήσου παρῆν: ἦν δέ μοι γνώριμος ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου γενόμενος. Δεικνύω δὴ τὸ τραῦμα καὶ δέομαι διῶξαι τοὺς λῃστάς: ὥρμει δὲ πολλὰ πλοῖα ἐν τῇ πόλει. Τούτων ἑνὸς ἐπιβὰς ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐδίωκεν ἅμα τῇ παρούσῃ φρουρᾷ: κἀγὼ δὲ συνανέβην φοράδην κομισθείς. [4] Ὡς δὲ εἶδον οἱ λῃσταὶ προσιοῦσαν ἤδη τὴν ναῦν εἰς ναυμαχίαν, ἱστᾶσιν ἐπὶ τοῦ καταστρώματος ὀπίσω τὼ χεῖρε δεδεμένην τὴν κόρην, καί τις αὐτῶν μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ ‘ἰδοὺ τὸ ἆθλον ὑμῶν’ εἰπὼν ἀποτέμνει αὐτῆς τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν σῶμα ὠθεῖ κατὰ τῆς θαλάσσης. [5] Ἐγὼ δὲ ὡς εἶδον, ἀνέκραγον οἰμώξας καὶ ὥρμησα ἐμαυτὸν ἐπαφεῖναι: ὡς δὲ οἱ παρόντες κατέσχον, ἐδεόμην ἐπισχεῖν τε τὴν ναῦν καί τινα ἁλέσθαι κατὰ τῆς θαλάττης, εἴ πως κἂν πρὸς ταφὴν λάβοιμι τῆς κόρης τὸ σῶμα. [6] Καὶ ὁ στρατηγὸς πείθεται καὶ ἵστησι τὴν ναῦν: καὶ δύο τῶν ναυτῶν ἀκοντίζουσιν ἑαυτοὺς ἔξω τῆς νεὼς καὶ ἁρπάσαντες τὸ σῶμα ἀναφέρουσιν. Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ οἱ λῃσταὶ μᾶλλον ἐρρωμενέστερον ἤλαυνον: ὡς δὲ ἦμεν πάλιν πλησίον, ὁρῶσιν οἱ λῃσταὶ ναῦν ἑτέραν καὶ γνωρίσαντες ἐκάλουν πρὸς βοήθειαν: πορφυρεῖς δὲ ἦσαν πειρατικοί. [7] Ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ στρατηγὸς δύο ναῦς ἤδη γενομένας ἐφοβήθη καὶ πρύμναν ἐκρούετο: καὶ γὰρ οἱ πειραταὶ τοῦ φυγεῖν ἀποτραπόμενοι προὐκαλοῦντο εἰς μάχην. [8] Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀνεστρέψαμεν εἰς γῆν, ἀποβὰς τοῦ σκάφους καὶ τῷ σώματι περιχυθεὶς ἔκλαον. ‘Νῦν μοι Λευκίππη τέθνηκας ἀληθῶς θάνατον διπλοῦν, γῇ καὶ θαλάττῃ διαιρούμενον: τὸ μὲν γὰρ λείψανον ἔχω σου τοῦ σώματος, ἀπολώλεκα δὲ σέ. [9] Οὐκ ἴση τῆς θαλάττης πρὸς τὴν γῆν ἡ νομή: μικρόν μοί σου μέρος καταλέλειπται ἐν ὄψει τοῦ μείζονος: αὕτη δὲ ἐν ὀλίγῳ τὸ πᾶν σου κρατεῖ. Ἀλλ̓ ἐπεί μὁ̣̣̓τῶν ἐν τῷ προσώπῳ φιλημάτων ἐφθόνησεν ἡ Τύχη, φέρε σου καταφιλήσω τὴν σφαγήν.’

  7. As soon as evening was come, Chaereas went out, alleging as a pretence the demands of nature. Not long after there was a sudden tumult at the door, and in rushed a large number of tall men, their swords drawn, all directing themselves upon the maiden. Seeing my dearest being taken from me, I could not bear it, and rushed into the fray; one of them wounded me with his sword in the thigh, and I sank to the ground. While I was thus falling, streaming with blood, they put her aboard a boat and made off. Such was the noise and tumult caused by the pirates that the commander of the island came up, who happened to be an acquaintance of mine because he had been in our former camp. I shewed him my wound and implored him to pursue the pirates. There were plenty of ships anchored there about the town; the commander entered one of them and went in chase, his bodyguard with him, while I followed them, carried aboard in a litter.

  Directly the pirates saw our ship putting out to give them battle, they brought the maiden up on deck with her hands tied behind her; and one of them cried out with a tremendous voice, “Here is the prize for which you are contending,” cut off her head, and threw the body down into the sea. When I saw this, I cried out and wept, and would have cast myself in too; restrained from doing so by my companions, I begged them to stop the ship, and that somebody might be sent down into the water to see if I could rescue the maiden’s body with a view to its burial. The commander agreed, and stopped the ship; two of the sailors jumped overboard, got hold of the trunk and, brought it back to us. Meanwhile the pirates rowed with still greater vigour; we were again nearing them when they sighted another ship, and, on recognising it, called to it for help; its crew were purple-fishers, also pirates. When the commander saw that there were now two ships against him, he became disquieted and ordered the rowers to reverse; the pirates indeed had already desisted from their flight and were challenging us to give battle. We reached the land; I disembarked, and there, embracing the body, I gave vent to my tears: “Now,” I cried, “now, Leucippe, are you really dead; and a double death, with its share both in laud and sea. The poor remains of your body I possess, but you I have lost; the division between land and sea is no fair one; though there seems to be left to me the greater part of you, it is really the less, while that which seems to possess but a small part of you has really all. (The head being the noblest part of the an anatomy. No translation can make this laboured rhetoric anything but ridiculous.) Come, since Fate has grudged me kisses on your face, I will kiss instead your wounded neck.”

  [1] Ταῦτα καταθρηνήσας καὶ θάψας τὸ σῶμα πάλιν εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἔρχομαι, καὶ θεραπευθεὶς ἄκων τὸ τραῦμα, τοῦ Μενελάου με παρηγοροῦντος διεκαρτέρησα ζῶν. [2] Καὶ ἤδη μοι γεγόνεσαν μῆνες ἕξ, καὶ τὸ πολὺ τοῦ πένθους ἤρχετο μαραίνεσθαι （χρόνος γὰρ λύπης φάρμακον καὶ πεπαίνει τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ ἕλκη: μεστὸς γὰρ ἥλιος ἡδονῆς, καὶ τὸ λυπῆσαν πρὸς ὀλίγον, κἂν ᾖ καθ̓ ὑπερβολήν, ἀναζεῖ μὲν ἐφ̓ ὅσον ἡ ψυχὴ κάεται, τῇ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ψυχαγωγίᾳ νικώμενον καταψύχεται）, καί μου τις κατόπιν βαδίζοντος ἐν ἀγορᾷ τῆς χειρὸς ἄφνω λαβόμενος ἐπιστρέφει καὶ οὐδὲν εἰπὼν περιπτυξάμενός με πολλὰ κατεφίλει. [3] Ἐγὼ δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον οὐκ ᾔδειν ὅστ
ις ἦν, ἀλλ̓ εἱστήκειν ἐκπεπληγμένος καὶ δεχόμενος τὰς προσβολὰς τῶν ἀσπασμάτων, ὡς φιλημάτων σκοπός: ἐπεὶ δὲ μικρὸν διέσχε, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον εἶδον ‘Κλεινίας δὲ ἦν’, ἀνακραγὼν ὑπὸ χαρᾶς ἀντιπεριβάλλω τε αὐτὸν καὶ τὰς αὐτὰς ἀπεδίδουν περιπλοκάς, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἰς τὴν καταγωγὴν ἀνήλθομεν τὴν ἐμήν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν τὰ αὑτοῦ μοι διηγεῖτο, ὅπως ἐκ τῆς ναυαγίας περιεγένετο, ἐγὼ δὲ τὰ περὶ τῆς Λευκίππης ἅπαντα.

  8. After this dirge, and after burying the body, I returned again to Alexandria; there my wound was tended, though against my will, Menelaus exhorting and comforting me, and I endured to live. Six months had now passed, and the intensity of my anguish began a little to fade: for time is the medicine of grief, healing the wounds of the soul — the light of the sun brings with it joy, and grief, however overwhelming it be, boils only while the soul is aflame, and cools when it is finally overcome by the influence of lapse of time. I was walking in the market-place when somebody behind me suddenly took hold of my hand and swung me round, and, without a word, seized me in his arms and kissed me warmly. At first I did not know who it was, but stood like one struck dumb, receiving his embraces — a mere target for kisses; but in a moment or so, when I saw his face, and it was Clinias, I shouted aloud for joy, and embraced him in return and gave him back the same endearments. After this we both went back to my lodgings, where he related to me his story, how he had escaped from the shipwreck, while I told him all that had come to pass in the matter of Leucippe.

  [1] ‘Εὐθὺς μὲν γὰρ’ ἔφη ‘ῥαγείσης τῆς νεὼς ἐπὶ τὸ κέρας ᾖξα, καὶ ἄκρου λαβόμενος μόλις, ἀνδρῶν ἤδη πεπληρωμένου, περιβαλὼν τὰς χεῖρας ἐπεχείρουν ἔχεσθαι παρακρεμάμενος. Ὀλίγον δὲ ἡμῶν ἐμπελαγισάντων, κῦμα μέγιστον ἆραν τὸ ξύλον προσρήγνυσιν ὄρθιον ὑφάλῳ πέτρᾳ κατὰ θάτερον, οὗ ἐγὼ ἔτυχον κρεμάμενος. [2] Τὸ δὲ προσαραχθὲν βίᾳ πάλιν εἰς τοὐπίσω δίκην μηχανῆς ἀπεκρούετο καί με ὥσπερ ἀπὸ σφενδόνης ἐξερρίπτησε. Τοὐντεῦθεν δὲ ἐνηχόμην τὸ ἐπίλοιπον τῆς ἡμέρας, οὐκέτι ἔχων ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας. [3] Ἤδηδὲ καμὼν καὶ ἀφεὶς ἐμαυτὸν τῇ τύχῃ ναῦν ὁρῶ κατὰ πρόσωπον φερομένην, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἀνασχών, ὃν ἠδυνάμην τρόπον, ἱκετηρίαν ἐθέμην τοῖς νεύμασιν. Οἱ δὲ εἴτε ἐλεήσαντες, εἴτε καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοὺς κατήγαγεν, ἔρχονται κατ̓ ἐμέ, καί τις τῶν ναυτῶν πέμπει μοι κάλων ἅμα τῆς νεὼς παραθεούσης: κἀγὼ μὲν ἐλαβόμην, οἱ δὲ ἐφείλκυσάν με ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν τοῦ θανάτου πυλῶν. Ἔπλει δὲ τὸ πλοῖον εἰς Σιδῶνα: καί μέ τινες γνωρίσαντες ἐθεράπευσαν.’

  9. “Immediately,” said he, “after the break-up of the ship, I climbed on to the yard; I obtained a hold of it with some difficulty, as it was already crowded, but I put my hands round it and tried to hang from it and keep it within my clutch. We had not long drifted upon it, when a mighty billow lifted the spar on high and dashed it, almost in a perpendicular position, upon a rock beneath the surface of the water, the impact being at the opposite end of it to that upon which I was hanging. After it actually struck, it sprang back again violently like a catapult, and shot me from it as though I had been flung from a sling. After that I swam for the rest of the day, though I no longer cherished any hope of being saved. I was already worn out and had given myself up to fate, when I saw a ship bearing towards me from straight in front; and so, lifting up my hands as well as I could, I entreated and prayed for their pity by gestures. They, either taking compassion upon me or because the wind so impelled them, came quite close by me, and one of the sailors flung me a rope without the vessel pausing in her course; I caught hold of it and so they dragged me up from the very gates of death. The vessel was bound for Sidon, and some of those who were on board knew who I was and looked after me.

  [1] ‘δύο δὲ πλεύσαντες ἡμέρας ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἥκομεν, καὶ δέομαι τῶν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ Σιδωνίων （Ξενοδάμας δὲ ὁ ἔμπορος ἦν καὶ Θεόφιλος ὁ τούτου πενθερὸς） μηδενὶ Τυρίων, εἰ περιτύχοιεν, κατειπεῖν ὡς ἐκ ναυαγίας περιγενοίμην, ὡς ἂν μὴ μάθοιεν συναποδεδημηκότα. [2] Ἤλπιζον γὰρ λήσειν, εἰ τὰ ἀπὸ τούτων ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ γένοιτο, πέντε μόνον ἡμερῶν μοι μεταξὺ γενομένων, αἷς οὐκ ἔτυχον ὀφθείς: τοῖς δὲ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν ἐμήν, ὡς οἶδας, προηγορεύκειν λέγειν τοῖς πυνθανομένοις, εἰς κώμην ἀποδεδημηκέναι μέχρι δέκα ὅλων ἡμερῶν. [3] Καὶ τοῦτόν γε τὸν λόγον εὗρον περὶ ἐμοῦ κατεσχηκότα. Οὔπω δὲ ὁ σὸς πατὴρ ἐκ τῆς Παλαιστίνης ἔτυχεν ἥκων, ἀλλὰ δύο ἄλλων ὕστερον ἡμερῶν, καὶ καταλαμβάνει πεμφθέντα παρὰ τοῦ τῆς Λευκίππης πατρὸς γράμματα, ἅπερ ἔτυχε μετὰ μίαν ἡμέραν τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀποδημίας κεκομισμένα, δἰ ὧν ὁ Σώστρατος ἐγγυᾷ σοὶ τὴν θυγατέρα. [4] Ἐν ποικίλαις οὖν ἦν συμφοραῖς ἀναγνοὺς τὰ γράμματα καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀκούσας φυγήν, τὸ μὲν ὡς τὸ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἀπολέσας ἆθλον, τὸ δὲ ὅτι παρὰ μικρὸν οὕτως ἡ Τύχη τὰ πράγματα ἔθηκε: καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἂν τούτων ἐγεγόνει, εἰ θᾶττον ἐκομίσθη τὰ γράμματα. [5] Καὶ τῶν μὲν πεπραγμένων οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡγήσατό πω δεῖν γράφειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς μητρὸς τῆς κόρης ἐδεήθη τὸ παρὸν ἐπισχεῖν. [6] （Τάχα γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐξευρήσομεν, καὶ οὐ δεῖ τὸ συμβὰν ἀτύχημα μανθάνειν Σώστρατον. Ἄσμενοι δὲ ὅπου ποτ̓ ἂν ὦσιν ὄντες μάθωσι τὴν ἐγγύην καὶ ἀφίξονται, εἴγε αὐτοῖς ἐξέσται φανερῶς ἔχειν ὑπὲρ οὗ πεφεύγασιν.） [7] Ἐπολυπραγμόνει δὲ παντὶ σθένει ποῖ κεχωρήκατε. Καὶ ὀλίγον πρὸ τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἔρχεται Διόφαντος ὁ Τύριος ἐξ Αἰγύπτου πεπλευκώς, καὶ λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὅτι σε ἐνθάδε ἐθεάσατο: κἀγὼ μαθών, ὡς εἶχον, εὐθὺς ἐπιβὰς νεὼς ὀγδόην ταύτην ἡμέραν πᾶσάν σε περιῆλθον ζητῶν τὴν πόλιν. Πρὸς ταῦτα οὖν σοι βουλευτέον ἐστίν, ὡς τάχα καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἥξοντος ἐνταῦθα τοῦ σοῦ.’

  10. “After a voyage of two days we arrived at that city, and I asked the Sidonians on board (Xenodamas the merchant, and Theophilus his father-in-law) not to mention to any Tyrian that they might meet how I had escaped from the shipwreck, so that it might not be known that I had fled from the country with you. I hoped, that if they kept quiet on these matters, my absence might escape notice; there
were only five days while I had been away and not been seen about, and, as you know, (This detail is not, as a matter of fact, mentioned in the account of the flight of Clinias and Clitophon from Tyre.) I had instructed those of my household to tell anybody that came making inquiries that I had gone away to my country seat for ten full days; and I found that, as a fact, this report about me held the field. Your father did not return from his absence in Palestine (It is mentioned in II. xxx that Hippias had gone away for a few days, but his destination is not there given.) until two days later; and he then found a letter had arrived from Leucippe’s father (Sostratus.) — it had come the very day after our flight — betrothing his daughter to you. He was doubly distressed when he read the letter and heard of your flight; first, because of the loss of the prize (Not very clear; was Leucippe herself the prize? And if so, could Hippias be said to have lost her? Or is the reference to her dowry, which would thus come from the family of Sostratus to that of Hippias?) which the letter brought, and second, because Fortune had arranged that you should suffer by so narrow a margin; none of all these misfortunes would have happened if the letter had come a little sooner. He decided that he had better not write to his brother an account of what had happened, and he also asked the girl’s mother (Panthea.)to keep silence for the present; ‘We shall probably soon find them,’ he said, ‘and there is no necessity for Sostratus to know the misfortune that has befallen us. Wherever they are, they will be only too glad to come back when they hear of the betrothal, as they may thus openly attain the very object of their flight.’ He did his very utmost to find out where you had gone; and just a few days ago there came one, Diophantus of Tyre, who had lately come by sea from Egypt, and told him that he had seen you there. When I learned how things were, I instantly took ship hither, and this is now the eighth day that I have been scouring the city in search of you. You have to make up your mind as to your future plans, as your father will very soon be here.”