Complete Works of Achilles Tatius

by Achilles Tatius

  19. At this message I was moved with many emotions at once; I was flushed and pale, I was astonished and incredulous, I was full of joy and sorrow. “Do you come bringing this letter from Hades?” I said to Satyrus, “or what docs this mean?

  Has Leucippe come to life again?”— “She has,” he replied, “and it was she whom you saw at the country place. No one would recognise her in that case, looking, as she did, like a boy — the cutting-off of her hair had alone so changed her.”

  “Do you stop there,” I cried, “at such good news, bringing these good tidings to my ears only, without also delighting my eyes by the sight of her?”— “Stay,” said Satyrus, “take no rash action, lest you ruin us all, until we have been able to decide upon some safe course in this matter. You see here a woman, one of the greatest among the Ephesians, doting upon you, and us without help in the midst of the toils.”

  “I cannot,” I replied;— “joy is coursing through all the veins of my body. Look, she reproaches me in the letter she has written.” As I spoke I went through it again, imagining that I could see her in it, and as I read it sentence by sentence, I exclaimed: “Your reproaches are just, my darling. All your sufferings have been for me; I am the cause of all your woes.” And when I came to the account of the scourges and the torments which Sosthenes had inflicted upon her, I wept as though I could myself see the tortures; consideration so fixed the eyes of my soul upon the message conveyed by the writing that the scene seemed positively enacted before me. I blushed deeply at the reproaches she heaped upon me in the matter of my marriage, just as if I had been caught in the very act of adultery; so ashamed did her letter make me.

  [1] ‘Οἴμοι, πῶς ἀπολογήσομαι, Σάτυρε;’ ἔφην: ‘ἑαλώκαμεν: Λευκίππη κατέγνωκεν ἡμῶν: τάχα δὲ καὶ μεμισήμεθα. Ἀλλὰ πῶς ἐσώθη φράσον σὺ καὶ τίνος σῶμα ἐθάψαμεν;’ ‘Αὐτή σοι κατὰ καιρὸν φράσει: τὸ δὲ νῦν’ ὁ Σάτυρος ἔφη ‘ἀντιγράψαι σε δεῖ καὶ ἱλάσασθαι τὴν κόρην. [2] Κἀγὼ γὰρ αὐτῇ διωμοσάμην, ὡς ἄκων ἔγημας.’ ‘Εἶπας γὰρ’ ἔφην ‘ὅτι καὶ ἔγημα; ἀπολώλεκάς με.’ ‘Τῆς εὐηθείας: ὅλη γὰρ ἡ πόλις οὐκ οἶδε τὸν γάμον;’ ‘Ἀλλ̓ οὐκ ἔγημα, μὰ τὸν Ἡρακλέα, Σάτυρε, καὶ τὴν παροῦσαν τύχην.’ [3] ‘Παίζεις, ὠγαθέ: συγκαθεύδεις.’ ‘Οἶδα μὲν ἄπιστα λέγων, ἀλλ̓ οὔπω πέπρακται: καθαρὸς εἰς ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν Μελίτης Κλειτοφῶν. [4] Ἀλλὰ τί γράψω, λέγε: σφόδρα γάρ με ἐξέπληξε τὸ συμβάν, ὥστε ἀπόρως ἔχω.’ ‘Οὐκ εἰμί σου σοφώτερος’ ὁ Σάτυρος εἶπεν: ‘ἀλλὰ αὐτός σοι ὁ ἔρως ὑπαγορεύσει. Μόνον διὰ ταχέων.’

  20. “Alas, Satyrus,” said I, “how shall I make my excuses to her? I am caught. Leucippe has condemned me, and perhaps I have become the object of her hatred. But tell me, how was she saved, and whose body was it that we buried?”

  “She will recount the whole story to you,” said Satyrus, “in due time; for the present it is your business to answer her and attempt to placate her. I swore to her that it was against your will that you had married your lady.”

  “What?” said I, “Did you tell her that I was married? You have ruined me.”

  “What nonsense! Does not the whole town know of your marriage?”

  “I swear by Hercules, Satyrus, and by this my present good fortune, that it has been no marriage.”

  “You are jesting, my friend; you pass the night with her.”

  “I know that I am telling you what seems incredible, but nothing has yet happened: to this day Clitophon is chaste as far as Melitte is concerned. But tell me what to write; I am so stupefied by what has happened that I am all at a loss.”

  “I am certainly no better scholar than you,” said Satyrus: “surely it is Love himself that will dictate. Only be quick about it.” So I began to write: —

  Clitophon to Leucippe, greeting.

  Hail, my lady Leucippe! I am happy at the same moment that I am unhappy, because I find you present in your letter and yet still absent from me. If you mill wait for the truth, not condemning me in advance, you will find that I have imitated your virginity, if there be any virginity in men; but if you have already begun to hate me, though I have had no chance of making my defence before you, I smear to you by the gods that have saved you that I will shortly make before you a full explanation of the whole matter. Farewell, my dearest, and think kindly of me.

  [1] Ἄρχομαι δὴ γράφειν Χαῖρέ μοι, ὦ δέσποινα Λευκίππη. Δυστυχῶ μὲν ἐν οἷς εὐτυχῶ, ὅτι σὲ παρὼν παροῦσαν ὡς ἀποδημοῦσαν ὁρῶ διὰ γραμμάτων. Εἰ μὲν οὖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν περιμένεις, μηδὲν προκαταγινώσκουσά μου, μαθήσῃ τὴν σήν με παρθενίαν μεμιμημένον, εἴ τις ἐστὶ καὶ ἐν ἀνδράσι παρθενία: εἰ δέ με χωρὶς ἀπολογίας ἤδη μεμίσηκας, ὄμνυμί σοι τοὺς σώσαντάς σε θεοὺς ὡς ἐν βραχεῖ σοι τὸ ἔργον ἀπολογήσομαι. Ἔρρωσό μοι, φιλτάτη, καὶ ἵλεως γένοιο δίδωμι δὲ τῷ Σατύρῳ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν καὶ δέομαι τὰ εἰκότα εἰπεῖν πρὸς αὐτὴν περὶ ἐμοῦ: ἐγὼ δὲ αὖθις ἐπὶ τὸ συμπόσιον ἀπῄειν, ἡδονῆς ἅμα καὶ λύπης γεγεμισμένος: ᾔδειν γὰρ τὴν Μελίτην οὐκ ἀνήσουσάν με τῆς νυκτὸς τὸ μὴ οὐ γενέσθαι τοὺς γάμους ἡμῖν: ἐμοὶ δ̓ ἀδύνατον ἦν Λευκίππην ἀπολαβόντι γυναῖκα ἑτέραν κἂν ἰδεῖν. [2] Τὸ μὲν οὖν πρόσωπον ἐβιαζόμην μηδὲν ἀλλοῖον παρέχειν ἢ πρὶν ἦν: οὐ πάντη δὲ κρατεῖν ἠδυνάμην. Ὡς δὲ ἐνικώμην, σκήπτομαι φρίκην μοι ἐπιδραμεῖν: ἡ δὲ συνῆκε μὲν ὅτι κατὰ τῆς ὑποσχέσεως προφασίζομαι: ἐλέγχειν δὲ οὐκ ἠδύνατο τὴν πρόφασιν. [3] Ἐγὼ μὲν δὴ ἄδειπνος ἀνίσταμαι κοιμησόμενος, ἡ δὲ κατὰ πόδας ὡς εἶχεν ἐφ̓ ἡμιτελεῖ τῷ δείπνῳ συνανίσταται. Ὡς δὲ εἰς τὸν θάλαμον παρήλθομεν, ἐγὼ μὲν ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐπέτεινον τῆς νόσου τὴν ὑπόκρισιν, ἡ δ̓ ἐλιπάρει καὶ ἔλεγε ‘τί ταῦτα ποιεῖς; μέχρι τίνος με ἀπολλύεις; Ἰδοὺ καὶ τὴν θάλατταν διεπλεύσαμεν, ἰδοὺ καὶ Ἔφεσος ἡ προθεσμία τῶν γάμων. [4] Ποίαν ἔτι περιμένομεν ἡμέραν; μέχρι τίνος ὡς ἐν ἱερῷ συγκαθεύδομεν; Ποταμὸν παρατιθεὶς πολὺν κωλύεις πίνειν: τοσοῦτον χρόνον ὕδωρ ἔχουσα διψῶ ἐν αὐτῇ καθεύδουσα τῇ πηγῇ: τοιαύτην ἔχω τὴν εὐνήν, [5] οἵαν ὁ Τάνταλος τὴν τροφήν.’ Ταῦτα ἔλεγε καὶ ἔκλαεν ἐπιθεῖσά μου τοῖς στέρνοις τὴν κεφαλὴν οὕτως ἐλεεινῶς, ὥστε παθεῖν μέ τι τὴν ψυχήν. Οὐκ εἶχον δὲ ὅστις γένωμαι: καὶ γὰρ ἐδόκει μοι δίκαια ἐγκαλεῖν. [6] Λέγω οὖν πρὸς αὐτὴν ‘ὄμνυμί σοι, φιλτάτη, τοὺς πατρῴους θεούς: ἦ μὴν σφόδρα καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπείγομαί σου τὴν σπουδὴν ἀμείψασθαι. Ἀλλ̓ οὐκ οἶδα’ ἔφην �
�τί πέπονθα: νόσος γάρ μοι ἐξαίφνης ἐνέπεσεν. [7] Οἶδας δὲ ὅτι ὑγιείας χωρὶς οὐδέν ἐστιν Ἀφροδίτη.’ Καὶ ἅμα λέγων ἀπέψων αὐτῆς τὰ δάκρυα καὶ ὅρκοις ἑτέροις ἐπιστούμην ὡς οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ὧν θέλει τεύξεται.

  21. I handed the letter to Satyrus, and asked him to put my case before her in a favourable light; I then returned to the banquet, full both of delight and distress, as I knew that in the approaching night Melitte would not permit that our marriage should fail to be consummated, and it was quite impossible for me, with Leucippe once again restored to me, even to look at another woman. However, I tried to preserve my expression unaltered from what it was before; but I could not entirely control my emotions, and, as I felt them becoming too strong for me, I pretended that I felt a shivering creeping through me. She suspected that I was making preliminaries to evade my promise; but she was unable at present to prove that this preliminary was but a pretext. I then arose from the table without my dinner, saying that I must retire to bed; she also instantly leapt to her feet and followed me, leaving the meal half-eaten. When we arrived at my bed-chamber, I made a still further pretence of indisposition; but she importuned me the more, saying: “Why do you do this? How long are you going thus to break my heart? We have finished our sea-journey; here is Ephesus, the place promised for the completion of our marriage. For what day are we waiting now? How long are we to spend our nights as if we were in church? You set before my eyes a fair river and then forbid me to drink. All this time I have water to hand, and yet I thirst, though I sleep at the water’s very fount; my bed is like the banquet of Tantalus.” Thus she spoke and wept, laying her head on my bosom so very pitiably that I really felt my heart to some extent moved with sympathy for her. I was in great confusion, particularly as I could not but admit that her reproaches were just. I therefore said to her: “I swear to you, my dearest, by the gods of my fathers, that I too am equally anxious with you to return your passion. But I do not know,” said I, “what is the matter with me. Some sudden illness has come upon me, and you know that love without sound health is worse than nothing.” While I spoke, I kept wiping away her tears, and I vowed with new oaths that it should not be long before she should obtain that which she desired. Then, and only with difficulty, did she consent to refrain.

  [1] Τότε μὲν οὖν καὶ μάλα μόλις ἠνέσχετο: τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ καλέσασα τὰς θεραπαινίδας, αἷς τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῆς Λευκίππης ἐνεχείρισεν, ἐπηρώτα μὲν τὸ πρῶτον, εἰ ἀξίως αὐτῇ κέχρηνται: φασκουσῶν δὲ μηδὲν τῶν δεόντων ἐπιλιπεῖν αὐτῇ, ἄγειν ἐκέλευσε τὴν ἄνθρωπον πρὸς αὐτήν. [2] Ὡς δὲ ἦλθε ‘τὰ μὲν ἐμὰ ὅπως ἔσχεν’ ἔφη ‘πρὸς σὲ φιλανθρωπίας, περισσὸν εἰδυίᾳ σοι λέγειν: ἀλλ̓ ἐν οἷς ἂν δύνῃ, τὴν ἴσην ἀπότισαί μοι χάριν. Ἀκούω τὰς Θετταλὰς ὑμᾶς ὧν ἂν ἐρασθῆτε μαγεύειν οὕτως, ὥστε μὴ πρὸς ἑτέραν ἔτι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποκλίνειν γυναῖκα, πρός τε τὴν μαγεύουσαν οὕτως ἔχειν, ὡς πάντα νομίζειν ἐκείνην αὑτῷ. [3] Ἐμοὶ τοῦτο, φιλτάτη, φλεγομένῃ πάρασχε φάρμακον. Τὸν νεανίσκον εἶδες, τὸν ἅμα ἐμοὶ χθὲς βαδίζοντα;’ ‘Τὸν ἄνδρα’ ἔφη ‘λέγεις τὸν σόν;’ ὑπολαβοῦσαπάνυ κακοήθως ἡ Λευκίππη: （τοῦτο γὰρ ἀκήκοα παρὰ τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν.） ‘Ποῖον ἄνδρα;’ ἡ Μελίτη εἶπεν:’οὐδὲν κοινόν ἐστιν ἐμοὶ καὶ τοῖς λίθοις. [4] Ἀλλά με παρευδοκιμεῖ τις νεκρά: οὔτε γὰρ ἐσθίων οὔτε κοιμώμενος ἐπιλαθέσθαι δύναται τοῦ Λευκίππης ὀνόματος: τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτὴν καλεῖ. Ἐγὼ δέ, φίλη, μηνῶν τεσσάρων ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ δἰ αὐτὸν διέτριψα δεομένη, λιπαροῦσα, ὑπισχνουμένη, τί γὰρ οὐ λέγουσα, [5] τί δὲ οὐ ποιοῦσα τῶν ἀρέσαι δυναμένων. Ὁ δὲ σιδηροῦς τις ἢ ξύλινος ἦν ἄρα πρὸς τὰς δεήσεις τὰς ἐμάς, μόλις δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ πείθεται: ἐπείσθη δὲ μέχρι τῶν ὀμμάτων. Ὄμνυμι γάρ σοι τὴν Ἀφροδίτην αὐτὴν ὡς ἤδη πέμπτην ἡμέραν αὐτῷ συγκαθεύδουσα οὕτως ἀνέστην ὡς ἀπ̓ εὐνούχου: ἔοικα δὲ εἰκόνος ἐρᾶν: μέχρι γὰρ τῶν ὀμμάτων ἔχω τὸν ἐρώμενον. [6] Δέομαι δέ σου γυναικὸς γυνὴ τὴν αὐτὴν δέησιν, ἣν καὶ σύ μου χθὲς ἐδεήθης: δός μοί τι ἐπὶ τοῦτον τὸν ὑπερήφανον: σώσεις γάρ μου τὴν φυχὴν διαρρεύσασαν ἤδη.’ Ὡς οὖν ἤκουσεν ἡ Λευκίππη, [7] ἡσθῆναι μὲν ἐδόκει τῷ μηδὲν πρὸς τὴν ἄνθρωπόν μοι πεπρᾶχθαι, φήσασα δὲ ἀνερευνήσειν, εἰ συγχωρήσειεν αὐτῇ, βοτάνας γενομένη κατὰ τοὺς ἀγρούς, ἀπιοῦσα ᾤχετο: ἀρνουμένη γὰρ οὐκ ᾤετο πίστιν ἕξειν: ὅθεν οἶμαι καὶ ἐπηγγείλατο. [8] Ἡ μὲν δὴ Μελίτη ῥᾴων ἐγεγόνει καὶ μόνον ἐλπίσασα: τὰ γὰρ ἡδέα τῶν πραγμάτων κἂν μήπω παρῇ τέρπει ταῖς ἐλπίσιν.

  22. On the morrow she sent for the serving-maids to whom she had entrusted the care of Leucippe, and asked them first of all whether they had attended her with all skill and care; when they answered that she had lacked nothing of all that was necessary, she ordered that she should be brought before her. On her arrival, “I need not recount to you,” she said, “because you already know, the kindness that I have felt toward you; now, as far as you are able, reward me with an equal favour. I understand that you Thessalian (It was a common-place of classical literature (e g in the Golden Ass of Apuleius) that the women of Thessaly were skilful witches, particularly in love a affairs.) women, when you fall in love, are able to conjure in such a way that your lover never inclines to any other woman, and is so firmly attached to the woman who has bewitched him that he considers her his all-in-all. Now, dear woman, I am afire; prepare me this magic draught. Did you see that young man who was walking with me yesterday?”— “Do you mean your husband?” said Leucippe, interrupting her maliciously; “at least, I heard that he was such from the people of your household.”

  “Husband indeed!” cried Melitte; “as good a husband as a stone would be! Some dead woman seems to be my successful rival: both at board and in bed he does not seem to be able to forget the name of Leucippe — that is what he calls her. I, my dear, have been spending four months at Alexandria for his sake, beseeching, importuning, promising — what did I leave unsaid or undone that I thought could please him? But to all my prayers he was just as if he was made of iron, or wood, or some other senseless thing. At last, and with great difficulty, I won him over; but then only as far as seeing goes — I swear to you by the goddess of love herself that it is now five days that I have slept by his side, and every time I have left his bed as though it had been that of an eunuch. I seem to have fallen in love with a statue — I have a lover who is nothing more than an eye-pleaser. Now I make to you the same prayer that you made to me yesterday, that a woman should pity a woman: give me something that will be effectual on this proud fellow. Thus you can save my breaking (The Greek idiom is a little different: “flowing away,”