by Nonnus
BOOK 3
ἐν τριτάτῳ μάστευε πολύπλανον ὁλκάδα Κάδμου Ἠλέκτρης τε μέλαθρα φιλοξενίην τε τραπέζης.
λῦτο δ᾽ ἀγών, ὅτε χεῖμα παρήλυθεν: ἄκρα δὲ φαίνων
ἀννεφέλῳ τελαμῶνι φαεσφόρα νῶτα μαχαίρης
Ὠρίων ἀνέτελλε, καὶ οὐκέτι κυκλάδι λίμνῃ
λούετο παχνήεντα δεδυκότος ἴχνια Ταύρου:
5 οὐκέτι δ᾽ ὀμβροτόκοιο παρὰ κλίμα διψάδος Ἄρκτου
ἴχνεσιν ἀβρέκτοισιν ὁδεύετο μάρμαρον ὕδωρ:
οὐκέτι Μασσαγέτης μετανάστιον οἶκον ἱμάσσων,
δουρατέῳ τροχόεντι διαστείβων ῥόον ὁλκῷ,
ὑδρηλὰς ἐχάρασσε πεπηγότος αὔλακας Ἴστρου:
10 ἤδη γὰρ Ζεφύροιο προάγγελος ἔγκυος Ὥρη
σχιζομένων καλύκων δροσεροὺς ἐμέθυσσεν ἀήτας,
καὶ λιγυρὴ μερόπεσσι συνέστιος εἴαρι κῆρυξ
ὄρθριον ὕπνον ἄμερσε λάλος τρύζουσα χελιδὼν
ἀρτιφανής, καὶ γυμνὸν ἀπ᾽ εὐόδμοιο καλύπτρης
15 εἰαριναῖς ἐγέλασσε λελουμένον ἄνθος ἐέρσαις
BOOK III
In the third, look for the much-wandering ship of Cadmos, the palace of Electra and the hospitality of her table.
The struggle was finished by the end of winter. Orion rose, displaying with his cloudless baldric the glittering surface of his sword. No longer were the frozen footsteps of the setting Bull washed under the circling mere. No longer in the region of the thirsty Bear, mother of rains, was the petrified water traversed by unwetted feet. No longer the Massagetan scored watery furrows on the frozen Istros, whipping up his migratory house, and traveling across the river with his track of wooden wheels. For already the teeming Season, fore-courier of Zephyros, had inebriated the dewy breezes from the bursting flowercups; the full-voiced herald, spring’s welcome, fellow-guest, the chattering twittering swallow, had just shown herself to rob mankind of their morning sleep; the flower, clear of its fragrant sheath, laughed, bathed in the life-giving dew of springtime.
ζωογόνοις. Κιλίκων δὲ παρὰ κροκόεντας ἐναύλους
ὑψιλόφου Ταύροιο λιπὼν πρηῶνα κεράστην
πρώιος ἤιε Κάδμος, ὅτε ζόφον ἔσχισεν Ἠώς.
καὶ πλόος ὥριος ἦεν: ἐπειγομένοιο δὲ Κάδμου
20 ἐκ χθονὸς ὠχλίζοντο χαλινωτήρια νηῶν:
ἱστὸς δ᾽ ὑψικάρηνος ὑπέρτερον ἠέρα τύπτων
ὄρθιος ἐστήρικτο καὶ ἠρέμα πόντον ἱμάσσων
ἄσθμασιν ἠῴοις ἐπεβόμβεε κοῦφος ἀήτης,
πομπὸν ἔχων κελάδημα, καὶ ἀλλοπρόσαλλα θυέλλαις
25 οἴδματα κυρτώσας διερῆς ἀνέκοψε χορείης
σιγαλέης δελφῖνα κυβιστητῆρα γαλήνης.
συμπλεκέες δὲ κάλωες ἐσύρισαν ὀξέι ῥοίζῳ,
σπερχομένῳ δ᾽ ἀνέμῳ πρότονοι μύκον, ἰθυπόρου δὲ
λαῖφος ἐκολπώθη βεβιημένον ἔγκυον αὔρης:
30 σχίζετο δ᾽ ἄστατον οἶδμα παλιμπετές, ἄφρεε δ᾽ ὕδωρ
οἰδαλέον, καὶ νηὸς ἐπειγομένης διὰ πόντου
κύματι βομβήεντι περὶ τρόπιν ἤπυεν ἠχώ:
πηδαλίου δὲ κόρυμβα διχαζομένης ἁλὸς ὁλκῷ
κυρτὰ φαληριόωντα κατέγραφε νῶτα θαλάσσης.
[16] Early in the morning, when Dawn had cleft the gloom, Cadmos came down from the horned peaks of lofty Tauros along the saffron glens of Cilicia. Sailing was now in season, Cadmos was in haste; they hauled up the ship’s bridling-hawsers off the land. The mast lifting its head on high struck the upper air standing firmly. A light breeze gently rippling the sea with the breath of the morning hummed “All aboard!” Soon it curved the fickle waves with its gusts, and stopt the watery dance of the dolphin, that tumbler of the quiet calm. The intertwined ropes whistled with a shrill hiss, the forestays hummed in the freshening wind, the sail grew big-bellied, enforced by the forthright gale. The restless flood was cleft, then fell back to its place; the water swelled and foamed, the ship sped over the deep, while the keel struck the boisterous waves with a resounding splash, and the end of the steering-oar scored the white-crested billows where the ship’s wake divided the curving back of the sea.
35 καὶ δεκάτης μετὰ νύσσαν ἀχείμονα κυκλάδος Ἠοῦς
Κάδμος ἀκυμάντοισι Διὸς πεφορημένος αὔραις,
Τρώιον ὑγρονόμοιο διασχίζων πόρον Ἕλλης,
ἅρπαγος ἐξ ἀνέμοιο μεμυκότι σύρετο πορθμῷ
εἰς Σάμον ἀντικέλευθον ἐγερσιμόθοιο Καμάνδρου,
40 γείτονα Σιθονίης, ὅθι παρθένος εἰσέτι Κάδμῳ
Ἁρμονίη πεφύλακτο: καὶ ὁλκάδα θέσπιδι Ῥείῃ
Θρηικίην πόμπευον ἐς ᾐόνα μάντιες αὖραι.
καὶ Σαμίης ὁρόωντες ἀκοιμήτου φλόγα πεύκης
ἀγχίγυοι στείλαντο γεγηθότες ἱστία ναῦται:
45 νῆα δὲ πορθμεύσαντες ἀκυμάντου σχεδὸν ὅρμου
νήνεμον ἀκροτάτοισιν ὕδωρ ἐχάρασσον ἐρετμοῖς,
καὶ λιμένος προσέκελσαν ὑπὸ σκέπας: ἀκλινέων δὲ
τρητὸς ὄνυξ πετραῖος ἐδέξατο πείσματα νηῶν,
καὶ διερῆς ψαμάθοιο βαθυνομένου διὰ κόλπου
50 ὁλκάδος ἀγκυλόδοντες ἐπεσφήκωντο χαλινοὶ
δυομένου Φαέθοντος: ἐπ᾽ αἰγιαλοῖο δὲ ναῦται
ἀστορέας ψαμάθοισιν ἐπεστορέσαντο χαμεύνας
ἑσπερίην μετὰ δαῖτα: βαρυνομένοισι δὲ φωτῶν
ὄμμασιν ἄψοφον ἴχνος ἐπήγαγεν Ὕπνος ἀλήτης.
[35] On the tenth circling Dawn after the peaceful turning-point of spring, Cadmos has been carried by winds from Zeus over a waveless sea; but as he cleft the Trojan channel of water-ranging Helle, a violent wind drove him over a roaring passage to Samos, over against battle-stirring Scamandros, not far from Sithonia, where Harmonia still a virgin awaited him safely. There the prophetic breezes escorted his vessel the Thracian coast, by divine Rheia’s ordinance. The sailors rejoiced to see the sleepless flame of the Samian torch, and furled their sails as they came near the land; then rowing the ship towards the waveless anchorage they scored the smooth water with the tips of their oars and ran her up under shelter of the harbour. A hole drilled through a rocky claw received the hawsers of the ships, and held them immovable, and the curving teeth of the ship’s bridles were wedged tight into the wet sand deep under the water, by the time that the sun went down. On shore, after the evening meal, the men spread their pallets on the sand without bedding;
the poor fellows’ eyes were heavy, and wandering sleep came on them with silent step.
55 ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε πορφυρέοιο παρὰ πτερὸν αἴθοπος Εὔρου
ἄκρα χαρασσομένην ὑπὸ ῥωγάδα Τευκρίδος Ἴδης
ὄρθρον ἀποπτύουσα φάνη λιμενοσκόπος Ἠώς,
ἀντιπόρου μέλαν οἶδμα καταυγάζουσα θαλάσσης,
Ἁρμονίην τότε Κύπρις ἵνα ζεύξειεν ἀκοίτῃ,
60 ἄπλοα σιγαλέης ἐτανύσσετο νῶτα γαλήνης.
ἤδη δ᾽ ἔκλαγεν ὄρνις ἑώιος ἠέρα τέμνων,
καὶ στίχες εὐπήληκες ἐρημονόμων Κορυβάντων
Κνώσσιον ἐκρούσαντο σακεσπάλον ἅλμα χορείης
ἴχνεσι μετρητοῖσιν: ἐρισμαράγου δὲ βοείης
65 τυπτομένης ἑλικηδὸν ἁμιλλητῆρι σιδήρῳ
δίκτυπος αὐλὸς ἔμελπε, καὶ ὀρχηστῆρας ἐπείγων
σύνθροον ἐσμαράγησε μέλος βητάρμονι παλμῷ.
καὶ δρύες ἐψιθύριζον, ἐμυκήσαντο δὲ πέτραι,
καὶ νοερῷ σείοντο τινάγματι θυιάδες ὗλαι,
70 καὶ Δρυάδες κελάδησαν: ἐπεσσεύοντο δὲ πυκναὶ
εἰς χορὸν ἀντιπόρῳ σκιρτήματι κυκλάδες ἄρκτοι,
βρυχηθμῷ δὲ λέοντες ὁμοζήλων ἀπὸ λαιμῶν
μυστιπόλων ἀλαλαγμὸν ἐμιμήσαντο Καβείρων
ἔμφρονα λύσσαν ἔχοντα: φιλοσκύλακος δὲ θεαίνης
75 μελπομένης Ἑκάτης θιασώδεες ἔβρεμον αὐλοὶ
ἄζυγες, οὓς Κρονίη κεραοξόος εὕρατο τέχνη.
[55] But when along the wing of red fiery Euros, Dawn scraping the peaks of rugged Teucrian Ida from below spilled away the morning twilight, and showed herself to survey the harbour, illuminating the black swell of the opposite sea, then Cypris spread out a back of silent calm where no ship could sail, for she meant to unite Harmonia to her mate. Already the bird of morning was cutting the air with loud cries; already the helmeted bands of desert-haunting Corybants were beating on their shields in the Cnossian dance, and leaping with rhythmic steps, and the oxhides thudded under the blows of the iron as they whirled them about in rivalry, while the double pipe made music, and quickened the dancers with its rollicking tune in time to the bounding steps. Aye, and the trees whispered, the rocks boomed, the forests held jubilee with their intelligent movings and shakings, and the Dryads did sing. Packs of bears joined the dance, skipping and wheeling face to face; lions with a roar from emulous throats mimicked the triumphant cry of the priests of the Cabeiroi, sane in their madness; the revelling pipes rang out a tune in honour of Hecate, divine friend of dogs, those single pipes, which the horn-polisher’s art invented in Cronos’s days.
καὶ πατάγῳ κελάδοντι φιλοσμαράγων Κορυβάντων
πρώιος ἔγρετο Κάδμος, ὁμοπλεκέες δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ
ὀρθρινῆς ἀίοντες ἀσιγήτοιο βοείης
80 Σιδόνιοι πλωτῆρες ἐυκροκάλων ἀπὸ λέκτρων
ἀκταίης μεθέηκαν ἁλίκτυπα νῶτα χαμεύνης.
καὶ πόλιν ἰχνεύων ἐπλάζετο Κάδμος ὁδίτης
νῆα λιπὼν ἑτάροισιν ἀπόσσυτος: ἐρχομένῳ δὲ
εἰς δόμον Ἁρμονίης θαλαμηπόλος ἤντετο Πειθὼ
85 θνητῆς εἶδος ἔχουσα, καὶ ἀχθοφόρου διὰ κόλπου,
οἷα γυνὴ ταλαεργός, ἀφυσσαμένη πόμα πηγῆς
ἀργυρέην εὔκυκλον ἐκούφισε κάλπιν ἀγοστῷ,
ἄγγελος ἐσσομένων, ὅτι νυμφίον ἠθάδι θεσμῷ
ζωογόνοις πρὸ γάμοιο καθικμαίνουσι λοετροῖς.
90 καὶ σχεδὸν ἄστεος ἦεν, ὅθι γλαφυροῖς ἐνὶ βόθροις
συμπλεκέων ῥυπόωσαν ἐπασσυτέρων στίχα πέπλων
ποσσὶ πολυσκάρθμοισιν ἐπιστείβουσι γυναῖκες,
ποσσὶν ὁμοζήλοισι. καὶ ἀκροτάτων ἀπὸ ταρσῶν
κυανέῃ νεφέλῃ κεκαλυμμένον ἄχρι καρήνου
95 Κάδμον ἀσημάντοιο δι᾽ ἄστεος ἤγαγε Πειθὼ
ξεινοδόκου βασιλῆος ἐρευνητῆρα μελάθρου,
πομπὸς ὁδοῦ Παφίης ὑπὸ νεύμασιν: ἔνθά τις ὄρνις,
ἑζομένη γλαυκωπὸν ὑπὸ σκέπας ἁβρὸν ἐλαίης,
ὀμφαίη στόμα λάβρον ἀναπτύξασα κορώνη
100 ἠιθέῳ νεμέσιζεν, ἐς Ἁρμονίην ὅτι νύμφην
ἤιε φειδομένῳ γαμίῳ ποδὶ νωθρὸς ὁδίτης,
καὶ πτερὰ σεισαμένη φιλοκέρτομον ἴαχε φωνήν:
[77] The noisy Corybants with their ringing din awoke Cadmos early in the morning; the Sidonian seamen also with one accord, hearing the never-silent oxhide at dawn, rose from their rattling pebbly pallets and left the brine-beaten back of the shore, their bed. Cadmos left the ship to his companions, and set out on foot for a quick walk to find the city. As he was going towards Harmonia’s house, he was met by Peitho, Lady of the bride-chamber. She had the form of a mortal woman, and like a household drudge, she carried a weight pressed against her bosom by her arm, a rounded silver jug which she had filled with drink from the spring: a presage of things to come, since they drench the bridegroom by time-honoured custom with life-giving water in the bath before the marriage. He was now close by the city, where in hollow pits bundles on bundles of soiled clothing are trodden by the women’s bounding feet, trodden in emulation. Peitho covered Cadmos with a dark mist from heels to head, and led him through the unseeing city in search of the king’s hospitable hall, guiding his way by the Paphian’s command. There some bird, perched under the delicate shadow of a gray olive-tree, – it was a crow, she opened her loud beak inspired, and reproached the young man for a laggard, that the bridegroom walked to his bride Harmonia with dawdling foot. She flapt her wings and rallied him soundly:
‘Νήπιος ἔπλετο Κάδμος, ἢ ἔπλετο νῆις Ἐρώτων:
νυμφίον οὐ βραδὺν οἶδεν Ἔρως ταχύς: ἵλαθι, Πειθώ,
105 δηθύνει σέο Κάδμος ἐπειγομένης Ἀφροδίτης.
θερμὸς Ἔρως καλέει σε: τί, νυμφίε, νωθρὸς ὁδεύεις;
ἡδύς, ὃς ἱμερόεντος Ἀδώνιδος ἔπλεο γείτων,
ἡδὺς ὁ Βυβλιάδεσσιν ὁμώλακα πατρίδα ναίων.
ἤλιτον, οὐ ῥόον εἶδες Ἀδώνιδος, οὐ χθόνα Βύβλου
110 ἔδρακες, ἧχι πέλει Χαρίτων δόμος, ἧχι χορεύει
Ἀσσυρίη Κυθέρεια καὶ οὐ φυγόδεμνος Ἀθήνη.
τερπομένην δὲ γάμοισι τιθηνήτειραν Ἐρώτων
πειθὼ πομπὸν ἔχεις, οὐκ Ἄρτεμιν: ἴσχεο μόχθων,
Ἁρμονίης ἀπόναιο καὶ Εὐρώπην
λίπε ταύρῳ:
115 σπεῦδε, καὶ Ἠλέκτρη σε δεδέξεται, ἧς ἀπὸ χειρῶν
ναὶ δὴ καὶ γαμίων ἐμβάλλεο φόρτον Ἐρώτων
ἐμπορίην φιλότητος ἐπιτρέψας Ἀφροδίτῃ,
Κυπριδίην δὲ θύγατρα φυλασσομένην σέο παστῷ
ἄλλην δέχνυσο Κύπριν: ἐπαινήσεις δὲ κορώνην,
120 καὶ γαμίην καλέσεις με θεοπρόπον ὄρνιν Ἐρώτων.
ἤλιτον: ἀλλά με Κύπρις ἐπέπνεεν: ἐκ Παφίης γὰρ
θεσπίζω σέο λέκτρα, καὶ εἰ πέλον ὄρνις Ἀθήνης.’
[103] “So Cadmos is a baby, or only a novice in love! Eros is a quick one, and knows nothing of slow bridegrooms! Forgive me, Peitho – your Cadmos dallies, Aphrodite is in haste! Hot Eros calls you, bridegroom – you plod along like a laggard, and why? You are a nice neighbour for charming Adonis! You are a nice fellow-countryman for the girls of Byblos! No, I am wrong: you never saw the river of Adonis; you never set eyes on the soil of Byblos, where the Graces have their home, where Assyrian Cythereia dances, and an Athena who is not coy! Peitho is your guide, nor Artemis, Peitho the friend of marriage, the nurse of the baby Loves. Cease your toiling and moiling, enjoy Harmonia and leave Europa to her bull! Make haste, and Electra will welcome you; from her hands sure enough you will be laden with a cargo of wedded love, if you leave the business part of the delights to Aphrodite. She is the Cyprian’s daughter, guarded for your bride-chamber, another Cypris for you to receive. You will thank the crow, and you will call me the bird of marriage, the prophet of the Loves! No, I am wrong, Cypris inspired me; the Paphian made me foretell your nuptials, although I am Athena’s bird!”
ὣς φαμένη σφρήγισσε λάλον στόμα μάρτυρι σιγῇ.