by Nonnus
οὐ μὲν ἐφημοσύνης ἐπελήσατο Κάδμος Ἀθήνης,
ἀλλὰ παλιμφυέων καλάμην ἤμησε Γιγάντων:
τὸν μὲν ὑπὲρ μαζοῖο βαλὼν ἀνεμώδεϊ λόγχῃ,
τὸν δὲ κατὰ κληῖδα παρὰ πλατὺν αὐχένα τύψας
445 ὀστέα λαχνήεντος ἀνέσχισεν ἀνθερεῶνος:
ἄλλον ἀκοντιστῆρι βαλὼν ἐχαράξατο πέτρῳ
γαστέρος ἄχρι φανέντα: καὶ αἵματος αἰνογιγάντων
ἐκχυμένου ποταμηδὸν Ἄρης ὠλίσθανε λύθρῳ
φοινίξας ἑὰ γυῖα, παρισταμένης δὲ κυδοιμῷ
450 πορφυρέῃ ῥαθάμιγγι χιτὼν ἐρυθαίνετο Νίκης.
ἄλλου μαρναμένοιο παρ᾽ ἰσχίον ἄορι τύψας
συμφυέος διέκερσε σὺν ἰξύι νῶτα βοείης.
καὶ φόνος ἄσπετος ἔσκε: δαϊζομένων δὲ Γιγάντων
λοίγιος αἱμαλέης ἀνεκήκιεν αὐλὸς ἐέρσης
[441] Cadmos for all that did not neglect Athena’s injunction. He reaped the stubble of giants springing up ever anew. One he struck with windswift spear over the breast, hit one on the broad neck by the collarbone shearing the bones of the hairy throat: another he tore with hurtling stone while he sowed as far as the belly. The blood of the dreadful giants flowed in rivers; Ares slipt in the gore staining his limbs with crimson, and Victory’s robe was reddened with purple drops while she stood beside the battle. Another showed fight, and Cadmos ran his sword through his cognate shield of oxhide, into the hipjoint and out at the small of his back. The slaughter stayed not: as the giants were cut and smitten with the sword, a deadly spout of bloody dew bubbled up.
455 ἄορι θεινομένων. ὁ δὲ Παλλάδος ἔμφρονι βουλῇ
γηγενέων τινὰ πέτρον ἐπῃώρησε καρήνων:
οἱ δὲ δαφοινήεντι πόθῳ μεθύοντες Ἐνυοῦς
Ἄρεϊ βακχεύθησαν, ὁμογνήτῳ δὲ σιδήρῳ
ἀλλήλων ὀλετῆρες ἐτυμβεύοντο κονίῃ.
460 ἄλλῳ δ᾽ ἄλλος ἔριζεν: ἐρευθιόωντι δὲ λύθρῳ
στικτὰ διαινομένης ἐμελαίνετο νῶτα βοείης
γηγενέος κταμένοιο: κατουδαίης δὲ μαχαίρης
γνωτοφόνῳ γλωχῖνι δαΐζετο καρπὸς ἀρούρης.
[455] Then by the wise counsel of Pallas he lifted a stone high above the giants’ heads; and they drunken with gory lust for Enyo, went wild with warlike fury and destroyed each other with the steel of their cousin, and found burial in the dust. One fought with another: with ruddy gore the surface of the shield was drenched and spotted and darkened, as a giant died; the crop of that field was shorn by the brother-murdering blade of an earthgrown knife.
BOOK 5
πέμπτον ἔτι σκοπίαζε καὶ Ἀκταίωνα νοήσεις,
τὸν κεμὰς οὐκ ὤδινε, κυνοσπάδα νεβρὸν ἀλήτην.
ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ πολέμων ὀφιώδεα λήια κείρων
Κάδμος ὀδοντοφύτων καλάμην ἤμησε Γιγάντων,
σπένδων λύθρον Ἄρηι θαλύσια δηιοτῆτος,
φαιδρύνας ἑὰ γυῖα δρακοντοβότῳ παρὰ Δίρκῃ
5 Δελφίδα βοῦν ἱέρευσε θεοδμήτων ἐπὶ βωμῶν,
Παλλάδι καλὸν ἄγαλμα. Καταρχομένῳ δὲ θυηλὰς
δίζυγες ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα περιρραίνοντο κεραῖαι
οὐλοχύταις: ὁ δὲ γυμνὸν ἑλὼν παρὰ γείτονι μηρῷ
φάσγανον Ἀσσυρίοιο παρήορον ἐκ τελαμῶνος
10 ἀκροτάτην τρίχα τάμνε τανυρρίνοιο καρήνου
ἄορι κωπήεντι: Θεοκλύμενος δὲ κεραίης
δραξάμενος μόσχοιο παλίντονον εἴρυσε δειρήν,
αὐχενίους δὲ τένοντας ἀπηλοίησε Θυέστης
ἀμφιτόμῳ βουπλῆγι, καὶ αἱμαλέῳ βοὸς ὁλκῷ
15 λάινος Ὀγκαίης ἐρυθαίνετο βωμὸς Ἀθήνης,
καὶ βοέου κερόεντος ἀρασσομένοιο μετώπου
πρηνὴς μόσχος ἔπιπτε: δαϊζομένης δὲ σιδήρῳ
πλευρὰ διατμήξαντες ἐμιστύλαντο μαχαίρῃ,
καὶ βοέην τρηχεῖαν ἐγυμνώσαντο καλύπτρην
BOOK V
Look into the fifth next, and you will see Actaion also, whom no pricket brought forth, torn by dogs as a fleeing fawn.
As soon as Cadmos had reaped the snaky crop of toothplanted battles, and shorn the stubble of the giants, pouring the bloodlibation to Ares as the firstling feast of harvestslaughter, he cleansed his body in dragonbreeding Circe, and sacrificed the Delphian cow on the godbuilt altar as fair offering for Pallas. As the first rite in the sacrifice, he sprinkled the two horns on both sides with barleygrains; he drew out and bared the falchion knife which hung at his thigh alongside by an Assyrian strap, and cut the top hairs of the longhorned head with the hilted blade. Theoclymenos grasped the heifer’s horn and drew back the throat, Thyestes cut through the sinews of the neck with a double-edged axe; the stone altar of Athena Onca was reddened with the smear of the creature’s blood. Then the cow’s horned front was struck, and prone the creature fell. They brittled her with the steel, they cut through the sides and carved her up with the knife, they strips the hard covering of hide and stretched it out.
20 ἐκταδίην: ὁ δὲ φαιδρὸν ἐπὶ χθονὶ φᾶρος ἑλίξας
αὐτὸς ἄναξ πεπόνητο, καὶ εὐφυέων κρέα μηρῶν
ὠμὰ διατμήξας ἐκαλύψατο δίξυγι δημῷ
μιστύλλων κατὰ βαιόν, ἐπ᾽ ἀνθρακιῇ δὲ τανύσσας
σπλάγχνα σιδηρείοισι πεπαρμένα μακρὰ κορύμβοις
25 εἴρυσεν, ὀπτήσας ἁπαλῷ πυρί: μεσσοπαγῆ δὲ
ἀκροπόρῳ στοιχηδὸν ἄγων τετορημένα χαλκῷ
ἀνθοκόμου κατέθηκε χαμαιζήλοιο τραπέζης
δαιτρός, ἐπασσυτέρους ὀβελοὺς ζείοντας ἀείρας.
καὶ θυόεις ἐλέλικτο δι᾽ ἠέρος ἀτμὸς ἀλήτης
30 Ἀσσυρίης λιβάνοιο. τελειομένης δὲ θυηλῆς
δεῖπνον ἔην, καὶ Κάδμος ἑλὼν ἐπένειμεν ἑκάστῳ
κεκριμένης ὀρέγων ἰσοελκέα μοῖραν ἐδωδῆς.
δαιτυμόνων δὲ φάλαγγες ἐπ᾽ εὐκύκλοιο τραπέζης
εἰλαπίνης ἀπέθεντο πόθον κεκορηότι θυμῷ.
[20] The prince himself was busy, after folding his bright mantle and laying it on the ground. He cut out raw slices of the sturdy thighs, chopt them small and set them between two layers of fat; he pierced the long tripes with iron spits and stretched them over the embers, grilling them with gentle heat; then he brought them, pierced on the pointed bronze, and lifting the glowing spits one by one, laid them in a row on the grass amid the flowers – stewa
rd of a lowly table! The fragrant smoke of Assyrian incense scattered curling through the air. The sacrifice ended, there was a feast: and Cadmos took and held out and served to each an equal portion of choice food. The rows of banqueters at the round table soon had enough and wanted no more.
35 οὐδὲ δρακοντοφόνῳ καμάτων τέλος ἔπλετο Κάδμῳ,
ἀλλὰ μεθ᾽ ἑρπηστῆρα, μετ᾽ ἄγρια φῦλα Γιγάντων,
Ἐκτήνων προμάχοισι καὶ Ἄονι μάρνατο λαῷ
βάρβαρον ἀμώων στάχυν Ἄρεος, ἀγχιπόροις δὲ
ἔχραε Τεμμίκεσσι: καλεσσαμένῳ δὲ μαχητὰς
40 ποικίλος ἑσμὸς ἵκανε περικτιόνων ἐπικούρων.
καὶ διδύμαις στρατιῇσιν Ἔρις ξύνωσεν Ἐνυῷ
φύλοπιν ὠδίνουσα: συνερχομένων δὲ κυδοιμῷ
τόξον ἐκυκλώθη, δόρυ πάλλετο, σείετο πήληξ,
καὶ βέλος ἐρροίζησεν, ἐπ᾽ ὀμφαλόεντι δέ κύκλῳ
45 βαλλομένη μυλόεντι λίθῳ σμαράγησε βοείη.
καὶ κταμένων ῥέεν αἷμα: πολὺς δ᾽ ἐπὶ φορβάδι γαίῃ
ἡμιθανής προκάρηνος ἀνὴρ κεκύλιστο κονίῃ.
καὶ στρατὸς ἀντιβίων ἱκέτης ἐκλίνετο Κάδμῳ:
λῦτο δ᾽ ἀγών. Φονίην δὲ μετὰ στροφάλιγγα κυδοιμοῦ
50 Κάδμος ἀπυργώτοιο θεμείλια πήγνυε Θήβης.
[35] The dragon’s death was not the end of the labours of Cadmos; but after the Serpent, and after the savage tribes of giants, he fought the champions of the Ectenes and the Aonian people, reaping a barbarian harvest of Ares, and fell on the neighbouring Temmicans: when he called for soldiers, a motley swarm of neighbours came to his help. To both armies alike Strife joined Enyo and brought forth Tumult: when they met in battle bows were bent, spears hurled, helmets shook, shots whizzed, oxhides rattled struck on the bossy round with chunks like millstones. The blood of the fallen ran in streams; many a man fell headlong half-dead on the fruitful earth, and rolled in the dust. Then the army of his adversaries bowed suppliant before Cadmos, and the conflict ceased. After the bloody whirl of battle Cadmos laid the foundation of Thebes yet unfortified.
πολλαὶ δ᾽ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα μεριζομένων κενεώνων
αὔλακες ἐτμήγοντο, πολυσχιδέων δὲ κελεύθων
ἕδρανα καρχαρόδοντι βοῶν κεχάρακτο σιδήρῳ:
πολλαὶ δ᾽ ἀντιπόρων ἀνέμων τετράζυγι κόσμῳ
55 ἔμμοροι ἐν χόρτοισιν ἐμετρήθησαν ἀγυιαί.
καὶ πόλις Ἀονίη Τυρίης ποικίλλετο τέχνης
κάλλεϊ λαϊνέῳ: καὶ ἐποίπνυεν ἄλλος ἐπ᾽ ἄλλῳ
γειοτόμῳ γλωχῖνι ταμὼν ἑτερόχροα πέτρην
ἐργατίνης Βοιωτὸν ὑπὸ κλέτας, ἣν παρὰ λόχμῃ
60 Τευμησσοῦ δρυόεντος ἐμαιώσαντο κολῶναι,
ἣν Ἑλικὼν βλάστησε καὶ ἣν ὤδινε Κιθαιρών.
καὶ νηοὺς ἐτέλεσσε θεῶν καὶ δώματα φωτῶν
τορνώσας κανόνεσσιν: ἐπ᾽ ἀρρήκτοις δὲ δομαίοις
ἑπταπόρῳ πυλεῶνι περίδρομον ἄστυ χαράξας
65 οὐρανὸν ἑπτάζωνον ἑῇ μιμήσατο τέχνῃ,
ἐσσόμενον ναέταις Ἀμφίονι τεῖχος ἐάσας
[51] He divided the spaces, and many furrows were cut this way and that, the beds of many branching roads were cut by the sharp-footed iron of the oxplow; many streets were measured at right angles to the four opposing winds to take their share of the grasslands. Then the Aonian city was embellished with the stony beauty of Tyrian art: all were busy, one workman with another, cutting under the Boiotian slopes with earthcleaving pick the variegated rock, which the hills near the thick forest of tree-clad Teumessos brought forth, which Helicon grew and Cithairon brought to birth. He completed temples for the gods and houses for the people, planning with his builder’s rules. He scored the shape of a city surrounded by walls upon impregnable foundation-stones, with seven entries, imitating in his art heaven with its seven zones, but he left the walls for Amphion to build for the future inhabitants, and to protect, with towerbuilding harp.
πυργοδόμῳ κιθάρῃ πεφυλαγμένον. οὐρανίοις δὲ
ἑπτὰ πύλας ἀνέθηκεν ἰσηρίθμοισιν ἀλήταις
ἰσοτύπους: πρῶτον μὲν ἐς ἑσπέριον κλίμα πήξας
70 Ὀγκαίην ἐπένειμε πύλην γλαυκώπιδι Μήνῃ
ἐκ βοὸς ὀγκηθμοῖο φερώνυμον, ὅττι καὶ αὐτὴ
ταυροφυὴς κερόεσσα βοῶν ἐλάτειρα Σελήνη
τριπλόον εἶδος ἔχουσα πέλει Τριτωνὶς Ἀθήνη:
δεύτερον Ἑρμάωνι διαυγέι γείτονι Μήνης
75 δῶκε γέρας πυλεῶνα: διαγράψας δὲ τετάρτην
Ἠλέκτρην Φαέθοντος ἐπώνυμον, ὅττι φανέντος
σύγχροος Ἠλέκτρης ἀμαρύσσεται ὄρθριος αἴγλη,
ἠελίῳ πυρόεντι πύλην ἀντώπιον Ἠοῦς
μεσσατίην ἀνέθηκεν, ἐπεὶ μέσος ἐστὶ πλανήτων:
80 πέμπτην δ᾽ Ἄρεϊ δῶκε, πόρε τριτάτην Ἀφροδίτῃ,
ἀμφοτέρων ἑκάτερθεν ὅπως Φαέθων μέσος εἴη,
γείτονα θοῦρον Ἄρηα διατμήγων Ἀφροδίτης:
ἕκτην Ζηνὸς ἄγαλμα φαεινοτέρῳ κάμε κόσμῳ
ὑψιφανῆ: πυμάτην δὲ Κρόνου λάχεν ἕβδομος ἀστήρ.
[67] He dedicated seven gates, equal in number to the seven planets. First towards the western clime he allotted the Oncaian Gate to Mene Brighteyes, taking the name from the honk of cattle, because the Moon herself, bullshaped, horned, driver of cattle, being triform is Tritonis Athene. The second gate he gave in honour to Hermaon, the shining neighbour of Mene. The fourth he traced out and named for Electra Phaëthon’s daughter, because when he appears, Electra’s morning gleam sparkles with like colour; and the midmost gate opposite the Dawn he dedicated to fiery Helios, since he is in the middle of the planets. The fifth he gave to Ares, the third to Aphrodite, in order that Phaëthon might be between them both on either side, and cut off his neighbour the furious Ares from Aphrodite. The sixth he made an image of Zeus, shining high with more glorious craftsmanship. The last fell to the lot of Cronos the seventh planet.
85 τοῖον ἕδος ποίησε: καὶ ἱερὸν ἄστυ πολίσσας
Αἰγυπτίης ἐκάλεσσεν ὁμώνυμον ἄστεϊ Θήβης,
ποικίλον ἀσκήσας χθόνιον τύπον, ἶσον Ὀλύμπῳ.
[85] Such he made this seat; and having founded the sacred city, he called it by the name of Thebes in Egypt, decking out an earthly image like to Olympos with all its adornments.
Ἀονίων δὲ θύγατρες ἀνεκρούσαντο χορείαις
Ἁρμονίης ὑμέναιον: ἐπ᾽ εὐθαλάμῳ δὲ μελάθρῳ
90 Θρηι
κίης φθέγξαντο χορίτιδες οὔνομα νύμφης.
καὶ Παφίη νεότευκτον ἐκόσμεε παστάδα Κάδμῳ
παιδὸς ἑῆς μέλπουσα θεοκλήτους ὑμεναίους
μήτηρ ἱμερόεσσα: πατὴρ δ᾽ ὑπὸ χάρματι κούρης
γυμνὸς ἄτερ σακέων ὠρχήσατο μείλιχος Ἄρης
95 δεξιτερὴν ἀσίδηρον ἐπικλίνων Ἀφροδίτῃ,
καὶ γαμίῃ σάλπιγγι μελίζετο θυμὸν ἐρώτων
ἀντίτυπον σύριγγι, σιδηροφόρου δὲ καρήνου
ἠθάδας εὐπολέμοιο λόφους ἀπεσείσατο χαίτης,
μιτρώσας πλοκαμῖδας ἀναιμάκτοισι κορύμβοις,
100 πλέξας κῶμον Ἔρωτι: σὺν ἀθανάτοις δὲ χορεύων
εἰς γάμον Ἁρμονίης Ἰσμήνιος ἦλθεν Ἀπόλλων
ἑπτατόνῳ κιθάρῃ φιλοτήσιον ὕμνον ἀράσσων:
καὶ μέλος ἐκρούσαντο βιοσσόον ἐννέα Μοῦσαι,
καὶ παλάμας ἐλέλιζε Πολύμνια, μαῖα χορείης,
105 μιμηλὴν δ᾽ ἐχάραξεν ἀναυδέος εἰκόνα φωνῆς,
φθεγγομένη παλάμῃσι σοφὸν τύπον ἔμφρονι σιγῇ,