Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  485 κερδαλέην ἀγέλαστος ἀνήρυγε Κάδμος ἰωήν:

  [481] He spoke, and Adrasteia took note of his words thus far. But when Cadmos understood that the son of Earth had been carried by Fate’s thread into his hunting-net, a willing captive, struck by the delightful sting of those soul-delighting reeds, unsmiling he uttered this artful speech:

  ‘Βαιὸν ἐμῆς σύριγγος ἐθάμβεες ἦχον ἀκούσας:

  εἰπέ, τί κεν ῥέξειας, ὅταν σέο θῶκον ἀείσω

  ἑπτατόνου κιθάρης ἐπινίκιον ὕμνον ἀράσσων;

  καὶ γὰρ ἐπουρανίοισιν ἐγὼ πλήκτροισιν ἐρίζων

  490 Φοῖβον ἐμῇ φόρμιγγι παρέδραμον, ἡμετέρας δὲ

  χορδὰς εὐκελάδους Κρονίδης ἀμάθυνε κεραυνῷ

  υἱέι νικηθέντι φέρων χάριν: εἰ δὲ ποθ᾽ εὕρω

  νεῦρα πάλιν σφριγόωντα, μέλος πλήκτροισι τιταίνων

  θέλξω δένδρεα πάντα καὶ οὔρεα καὶ φρένα θηρῶν:

  495 καὶ στέφος αὐτοέλικτον, ὁμόζυγον ἥλικι γαίῃ,

  ὠκεανὸν σπεύδοντα παλινδίνητον ἐρύξω

  τὴν αὐτὴν περὶ νύσσαν ἄγειν κυκλούμενον ὕδωρ,

  ἀπλανέων δὲ φάλαγγα καὶ ἀντιθέοντας ἀλήτας

  στήσω, καὶ Φαέθοντα καὶ ἱστοβοῆα Σελήνης.

  500 ἀλλὰ θεοὺς καὶ Ζῆνα βαλὼν πυρόεντι βελέμνῳ

  μοῦνον ἔα κλυτότοξον, ὅπως περὶ δεῖπνα τραπέζης

  δαινυμένου Τυφῶνος ἐγὼ καὶ Φοῖβος ἐρίζω,

  τίς τίνα νικήσειε μέγαν Τυφῶνα λιγαίνων.

  Πιερίδας μὴ κτεῖνε χορίτιδας, ὄφρα καὶ αὐταὶ

  505 Φοίβου κῶμον ἄγοντος ἤ ὑμετέροιο νομῆος

  θῆλυ μέλος πλέξωσιν ὁμόθροον ἄρσενι μολπῇ.’

  [486] “You liked the little tune of my pipes, when you heard it; tell me, what would you do when I strike out a hymn of victory on the harp of seven strings, to honour your throne? Indeed, I matched myself against Phoibos with his heavenly quill, and beat him with my own harp, but Cronides burnt to dust my fine ringing strings with a thunderbolt, to please his beaten son! But if ever I find again the swelling sinews, I will strike up a tune with my quills to bewitch all the trees and the mountains and the temper of wild beasts. I will drag back Oceanos, that coronet self-wreathed about the earth and old as earth herself, I will make him hasten and bring his stream rolling back upon himself round the same road. I will stay the army of fixed stars, and the racing planets, and Phaëthon, and Selene’s carriage-pole. But when you strike Zeus and the gods with your thunderbolt, do leave only the Archer, that while Typhon feasts at his table, I and Phoibos may have a match, and see which will beat which in celebrating mighty Typhon! And do not kill the dancing Pierides, that they may weave the women’s lay harmonious with our manly song when Phoibos or your shepherd leads the merry dance!”

  ἔννεπε: καὶ χαροπῇσιν ἐπ᾽ ὀφρύσι νεῦσε Τυφωεύς,

  καὶ πλοκάμους ἐδόνησεν: ἐρευγομένων δὲ κομάων

  ἰὸν ἐχιδνήεντα περιρραίνοντο κολῶναι.

  510 καὶ ταχὺς εἰς ἑὸν ἄντρον ἐπείγετο: κεῖθεν ἀείρας

  νεῦρα Διὸς δολόεντι πόρεν ξεινήια Κάδμῳ,

  νεῦρα, τά περ χθονὶ πῖπτε Τυφαονίῃ ποτὲ χάρμῃ.

  [507] He finished; and Typhoeus bowed his flashing eyebrows and shook his locks: every hair belched viper-poison and drenched the hills. Quick he returned to his cave, took up and brought out the sinews of Zeus, and gave them to crafty Cadmos as the guest’s gift; they had fallen on the ground in the battle with Typhaon.

  καὶ δόσιν ἀμβροσίην ἀπατήλιος ᾔνεσε ποιμήν:

  καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀμφαφάασκε καὶ ἅρμενον οἷά τε χορδὴν

  515 ἐσσομένην φόρμιγγι κατέκρυφε κοιλάδι πέτρῃ,

  Ζηνὶ Γιγαντοφόνῳ πεφυλαγμένα: φειδομένῳ δὲ

  λεπταλέον φύσημα μεμυκότι χείλεϊ πέμπων,

  θλιβομένοις δονάκεσσιν ὑποκλέπτων τόνον ἠχοῦς,

  λαρότερον μέλος εἶπε: καὶ οὔατα πολλὰ τιταίνων

  520 ἁρμονίης ἤκουε, καὶ οὐ γίνωσκε Τυφωεύς.

  θελγομένῳ δὲ Γίγαντι νόθος παρεσύρισε ποιμὴν

  ἀθανάτων ἅτε φύζαν ἑῇ σύριγγι λιγαίνων,

  καὶ Διὸς ἐσσομένην ἐμελίζετο γείτονα νίκην

  ἑζομένῳ Τυφῶνι μόρον Τυφῶνος ἀείδων:

  525 καὶ πλέον οἶστρον ἔγειρε. καὶ ὡς νέος ἡδέι κέντρῳ

  ἁβρὸς ἐρωμανέων ἐπιθέλγεται ἥλικι κούρῃ,

  καὶ πῇ μὲν χαρίεντος ἐς ἄργυφα κύκλα προσώπου,

  πῇ δὲ βαθυσμήριγγος ἀλήμονα βότρυν ἐθείρης

  δέρκεται, ἄλλοτε χεῖρα ῥοδόχροον, ἄλλοτε μίτρῃ

  530 σφιγγομένην ῥοδόεντος ἴτυν μαζοῖο δοκεύει

  αὐχένα παπταίνων γυμνούμενον, ἀμφὶ δὲ μορφῇ

  θέλγεται ἀλλοπρόσαλλον ἄγων ἀκόρητον ὀπωπήν,

  οὐ δὲ λιπεῖν ἐθέλει ποτὲ παρθένον: ὥς ὅ γε Κάδμῳ

  θελγομένην μελέεσσιν ὅλην φρένα δῶκε Τυφωεύς.

  [513] The deceitful shepherd thanked him for the immortal gift; he handled the sinews carefully, as if they were to be strung on the harp, and hid them in a hole in the rock, kept safe for Zeus Giant-slayer. Then with pursed-up lips he let out a soft and gentle breath, pressing the reeds and stealing the notes, and sounded a tune more dainty than ever. Typhoeus pricked up all his many ears and listened to the melody, and knew nothing. The Giant was bewitched, while the false shepherd whistled by his side, as if sounding the rout of the immortals with his pipes; but he was celebrating the soon-coming victory of Zeus, and singing the fate of Typhon to Typhon sitting by his side. So he excited him to frenzy even more; and as a lusty youth enamoured is bewitched by delicious thrills by the side of a maiden his agemate, and gazes now at the silvery round of her charming face, now at a straying curl of her thick hair, now again at a rosy hand, or notes the circle of her blushing breast pressed by the bodice, and watches the bare neck, as he delights to let his eye run over and over her body never satisfied, and never will leave his girl – so Typhoeus yielded his whole soul to Cadmos for the melody to charm.

  BOOK 2

  δεύτερον ἀστερόφοιτον ἔχει Τυφῶνος Ἐνυὼ

  καὶ στεροπὴν καὶ ἄεθλα Διὸς καὶ κῶμον Ὀλύμπου.

  ὥς ὁ μὲν αὐτόθι μίμνε παρὰ σφυρὰ φορβάδος ὕλης

  ἀκροπόρῳ σύριγγι μετάτροπα χείλεα σύρων,

  Κάδμος Ἀγηνορίδης νόθος αἰπίλος: ἀπροϊδὴς δὲ

  Ζεὺς Κρονίδης ἀκίχητ�
�ς ὑπὸ σπέος ἄψοφος ἕρπων

  5 χεῖρας ἑὰς ἐκόρυσσε τὸ δεύτερον ἠθάδι πυρσῷ

  καὶ νέφος ἔσκεπε Κάδμον ἀθηήτῳ παρὰ πέτρῃ,

  μὴ δόλον ἠπεροπῆα μαθὼν καὶ φῶρα κεραυνοῦ

  λάθριον ὑστερόμητις ἀποκτείνειε Τυφωεὺς

  βουκόλον ἀλλοπρόσαλλον: ὁ δὲ πλέον ἡδέι κέντρῳ

  10 ἤθελεν εἰσαΐειν φρενοθελγέα ῥυθμὸν ἀοιδῆς.

  ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τις Σειρῆνος ἐπίκλοπον ὕμνον ἀκούων

  εἰς μόρον αὐτοκέλευστον ἀώριος εἵλκετο ναύτης,

  θελγόμενος μελέεσσι, καὶ οὐκέτι κῦμα χαράσσων

  γλαυκὸν ἀκυμάντοισιν ὕδωρ λεύκαινεν ἐρετμοῖς,

  15 ἀλλὰ λιγυφθόγγοιο πεσὼν ἐπὶ δίκτυα Μοίρης

  τέρπετο πηδαλίοιο λελασμένος, ἄστρον ἐάσας

  Πλειάδος ἑπταπόροιο καὶ ἄντυγα κυκλάδος Ἄρκτου:

  ὣς ὅ γε κερδαλέης δεδονημένος ἄσθμασι μολπῆς

  πηκτίδος ἡδὺ βέλεμνον ἐδέξατο πομπὸν ὀλέθρου.

  BOOK II

  The second has Typhon’s battle ranging through the stars, and lightning, and the struggles of Zeus, and the triumph of Olympos.

  And so Cadmos Agenorides remained there by the ankle of the pasturing woodland, drawing his lips to and fro along the tops of the pipes, as a pretended goatherd; but Zeus Cronides, unespied, uncaught, crept noiseless into the cave, and armed himself with his familiar fires a second time. And a cloud covered Cadmos beside his unseen rock, lest Typhoeus might learn this crafty plan, and the secret thief of the thunderbolts, and wise too late might kill the turncoat herdsman. But all the Giant wanted was, to hear more and more of the mind-bewitching melody with its delicious thrill. When a sailor hears the Siren’s perfidious song, and bewitched by the melody, he is dragged to a self-chosen fate too soon; no longer he cleaves the waves, no longer he whitens the blue water with his oars unwetted now, but falling into the net of melodious Fate, he forgets to steer, quite happy, caring not for the seven starry Pleiades and the Bear’s circling course: so the monster, shaken by the breath of that deceitful tune, welcomed with delight the wound of the pipes which was his escort to death.

  20 ἀλλὰ καλυπτομένου νεφέων σκιοειδέι μίτρῃ

  ἔμπνοος εὐκελάδοιο δόναξ σίγησε νομῆος,

  ἁρμονίην δ᾽ ἀνέκοψεν. ἀερσιπότης δὲ Τυφωεὺς

  οἶστρον ἑλὼν πολέμοιο κατέδραμεν εἰς μυχὸν ἄντρου,

  βροντὴν δ᾽ ἠνεμόφοιτον ἐδίζετο φοιτάδι λύσσῃ

  25 καὶ στεροπὴν ἀκίχητον, ἐρευνητῆρι δὲ ταρσῷ

  ζαφλεγὲς ἁρπαμένοιο σέλας μάστευε κεραυνοῦ,

  καὶ κενεὸν σπέος εὗρε. δολοφραδέας δὲ μενοινὰς

  ὀψὲ μαθὼν Κρονίδαο καὶ αἰόλα δήνεα Κάδμου

  αἰχμάζων σκοπέλοισιν ἐπεσκίρτησεν Ὀλύμπῳ.

  30 καὶ ποδὸς ἀγκύλον ἴχνος ἄγων ὀφιώδεϊ ταρσῷ

  ἰὸν ἀκοντιστῆρος ἀπέπτυεν ἀνθερεῶνος:

  ὑψιλόφου δὲ Γίγαντος ἐχιδναίῃσιν ἐθείραις

  πίδακας ὀμβρήσαντος ἐκυμαίνοντο χαράδραι:

  καί οἱ ἐπαΐσσοντι βαθυνομένην χθονὸς ἕδρην

  35 ἀκλινέος δαπέδοιο Κίλιξ ἐλελίζετο πυθμὴν

  ποσσὶ δρακοντείοισι, πολυσφαράγῳ δὲ κυδοιμῷ

  ταυρείου λοφόεντος ἀρασσομένου κενεῶνος

  γείτονες ὠρχήσαντο φόβῳ Παμφυλίδες ὄχθαι,

  καὶ χθόνιαι σήραγγες ἐβόμβεον, ἔτρεμον ἄκραι

  40 ἠιόνες, σείοντο μυχοί, καὶ ὀλίσθανον ἀκταὶ

  λυομένης ψαμάθοιο ποδῶν ἐνοσίχθονι παλμῷ.

  [20] But now the shepherd’s reed breathing melody fell silent, and a mantling shadow of cloud his the piper as he cut off his tune. Typhoeus rushed head-in-air with the fury of battle into the cave’s recesses, and searched with hurried madness for the wind-coursing thunderbolt and the lightning unapproachable; with inquiring foot he chased the fire-shotten gleam of the stolen thunderbolt, and found an empty cave! Too late he learnt the craft-devising schemes of Cronides and the subtle machinations of Cadmos: flinging the rocks about he leapt upon Olympos. While he dragged his crooked track with snaky foot, he spat out showers of poison from his throat; the mountain torrents were swollen, as the monster showered fountains from the viperfish bristles of his high head; as he marched, the solid earth did sink, and the steady ground of Cilicia shook to its foundations under those dragon-feet; the flanks of craggy Tauros crashed with a rumbling din, until the neighbouring Pamphylian hills danced with fear; the underground caverns boomed, the rocky headlands trembled, the hidden places shook, the shore slipt away as a thrust of his earthshaking foot loosened the sands.

  οὐ νομός, οὐ τότε θῆρες ἀπήμονες: ὠμοβόροι γὰρ

  ἄρκτοι ἐδαιτρεύοντο Τυφαονίοιο προσώπου

  ἀρκτῴαις γενύεσσι, λεοντείων δὲ καρήνων

  45 γλαυκὰ δασυστέρνων ἐλαφύσσετο γυῖα λεόντων

  χάσμασιν ἰσοτύποισιν, ἐχιδνήεντι δὲ λαιμῷ

  ψυχρὰ πεδοτρεφέων ἐδαΐζετο νῶτα δρακόντων,

  ἠερίους δ᾽ ὄρνιθας ἐδαίνυτο γείτονι λαιμῷ

  ἱπταμένους ἀβάτοιο δι᾽ αἰθέρος, ἀγχιφανῆ δὲ

  50 αἰετὸν ἤσθιε μᾶλλον, ἐπεὶ Διὸς ὄρνις ἀκούει:

  ἤσθιε βοῦν ἀροτῆρα, καὶ οὐκ ᾤκτειρε δοκεύων

  αἱμοβαφῆ ζυγίῳ κεχαραγμένον αὐχένα δεσμῷ.

  [42] Neither pasture nor wild beasts were spared. Rawravening bears made a meal for the jaws of Typhaon’s bear-heads; tawny bodies of chest-bristling lions were swallowed by the gaping jaws of his own lion-heads; his snaky throats devoured the cold shapes of earthfed serpents; birds of the air, flying through untrodden space, there met neighbours to gulp them down their throats – he found the eagle in his home, and that was the food he relished most, because it is called the Bird of Zeus. He ate up the plowing ox, and had no pity when he saw the galled neck bloody from the yoke-straps.

  καὶ ποταμοὺς ἐκόνισσε ἐπιδόρπιον ὕδωρ,

  Νηιάδων δὲ φάλαγγας ἀπεστυφέλιξεν ἐναύλων:

  55 καὶ βυθίη στείχουσα βατὸν ῥόον ἅλματι πεζῷ

  ἀβρέκτοις μελέεσσιν ἀσάμβαλος ἵστατο Νύμφη

  νηιὰς ὑγροκέλευθος, ἁμιλλητῆρι δὲ ταρσῷ

  κούρης παλλομένης παρὰ διψάδα πέζαν ἐναύλων

  σφίγγετο πηλώεντι πεπηγότα γούνατα δεσμῷ.

  [53] He made the rivers dust, as he drank the water after his meal, beating off the tro
ops of Naiads from the river-beds: the Naiad of the deeps made her way tripping afoot as if the river were a roadway, until she stood, unshod, with dry limbs, she a nymph, the creature of watery ways, and as the girl struggled, thrusting one foot after another along the thirsty bed of the stream, she found her knees held fast to the bottom in a muddy prison.

  60 μαινομένου δὲ Γίγαντος ἰδὼν πολύμορφον ὀπωπὴν

  ταρβαλέος σύριγγα γέρων ἀπεσείσατο ποιμὴν

  νόσφι φυγών: ὁρόων δὲ πολυσπερὲς ἔθνος ἀγοστῶν

  αἰπόλος ἀστήρικτον ἐπέτρεπεν αὐλὸν ἀέλλαις:

  οὐ σπόρον ἀμφεκάλυψε πέδῳ ταλαεργὸς ἀροτρεὺς

  65 ῥαίνων ἀρτιχάρακτον ὀπισθοβόλῳ χθόνα καρπῷ,

  οὐδὲ Τυφαονίης παλάμης νωμήτορι παλμῷ

  αὔλακα τεμνομένην ἐνοσίχθονι τάμνε σιδήρῳ,

  ἀλλὰ βόας μεθέηκε, Γιγαντείῳ δὲ βελέμνῳ

  σχιζομένης κενεῶνες ἐγυμνώθησαν ἀρούρης.

  70 καὶ διερὴν φλέβα λῦσεν, ἀνοιγομένου δὲ βερέθρου

  χεύμασι πηγαίοισιν ἀνέβλυε νέρτερος αὐλών,

  ἀσκεπέος δαπέδοιο χέων ὑποκόλπιον ὕδωρ:

  καὶ σκόπελοι ῥίπτοντο: χαραδραίοις δὲ ῥεέθροις

  ἠερόθεν πίπτοντες ἐνεκρύπτοντο θαλάσσῃ,

  75 ὕδατα χερσώσαντες: ἀπὸ χθονίων δὲ βελέμνων

  αὐτοπαγῆ ῥιζοῦτο νεηγενέων σφυρὰ νήσων.

  δένδρεα δ᾽ αὐτόπρεμνα μετωχλίσθησαν ἀρούρης,

  καὶ δαπέδῳ πέσε καρπὸς ἀώριος, ἀρτιθαλὴς δὲ