Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  ἰοδόκην ἐκόμισσε θεήλατον, ᾗ ἔνι μούνῃ

  εἰς πόθον ἀλλοπρόσαλλον ἐπιχθονίων ὑμεναίων

  Ζηνὶ πυριτρεφέες πεφυλαγμένοι ἦσαν ὀιστοὶ

  115 δώδεκα, καὶ χρύσειον ἔπος μετρηδὸν ἑκάστῳ

  ἔγραφεν εἰς μέσα νῶτα ποθοβλήτοιο φαρέτρης:

  ‘πρῶτος ἄγει Κρονίωνα βοώπιδος εἰς λέχος Ἰοῦς’:

  ‘δεύτερος Εὐρώπην μνηστεύεται ἅρπαγι ταύρῳ’:

  ‘Πλουτοῦς εἰς ὑμέναιον ἄγει τρίτος ἀρχὸν Ὀλύμπου’:

  120 ‘τέτρατος εἰς Δανάην καλέει χρύσειον ἀκοίτην’:

  ‘πέμπτος ἐπεντύνει Σεμέλῃ φλογεροὺς ὑμεναίους’:

  ‘αἰετὸν Αἰγίνῃ πρόμον αἰθέρος ἕκτος ὀπάζει’:

  ‘ἕβδομος Ἀντιόπην Σατύρῳ δολόεντι συνάπτει’:

  ‘ὄγδοος ἔμφρονα κύκνον ἄγει γυμνόχροϊ Λήδῃ’:

  125 ‘εἴνατος ἵππια λέκτρα φέρει Περραιβίδι Δίῃ’:

  ‘θέλγεται Ἀλκμήνης δεκάτῳ τρισέληνος ἀκοίτης’:

  ‘ἑνδέκατος μεθέπει νυμφεύματα Λαοδαμείης’:

  ‘δωδέκατος τρισέλικτον Ὀλυμπιάδος πόσιν ἕλκει.’

  [110] Now Eros the wise, the self-taught, the manager of the ages, knocked at the gloomy gates of primeval Chaos. He took out the divine quiver, in which were kept apart twelve firefed arrows for Zeus, when his desire turned towards one or another of mortal women for a bride. Right on the back of his quiver of lovebolts he had engraved with letters of gold a sentence in verse for each:

  “The first takes Cronion to the bend of heifer-fronted Io.”

  “The second shall Europa woo for the bold bull abducting.”

  “The third to Pluto’s bridal brings the lord of high Olympos.”

  “The fourth shall call to Danaë a golden bed-companion.”

  “The fifth shall offer Semele a burning fiery wedding.”

  “The sixth shall bring the King of heaven an eagle to Aigina.”

  “The seventh joins Antiope to a pretended Satyr.”

  “The eighth, a swan endowed with mind shall bring to naked Leda.”

  “The ninth a noble stallion gives unto Perrhaibid Dia.”

  “The tenth three fullmoon nights of bliss gives to Alcmena’s bedmate.”

  “The eleventh goes to carry out Laodameia’s bridal.”

  “The twelfth draws to Olympias her thrice-encircling husband.”

  ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε πάντας ὄπωπεν Ἔρως στοιχηδὸν ἀφάσσων,

  130 ἄλλους μὲν μεθέηκε πυριγλώχινας ὀιστούς,

  χειρὶ δὲ πέμπτον ἄειρε καὶ ἥρμοσεν αἴθοπι νευρῇ

  κισσὸν ἐπὶ γλωχῖνι βαλὼν πτερόεντος ὀιστοῦ,

  δαίμονος ἀμπελόεντος ἵνα στέφος ἅρμενον εἴη,

  νεκταρέου κρητῆρος ὅλον βέλος ἰκμάδι βάψας,

  135 νεκταρέην ἵνα Βάκχος ἀεξήσειεν ὀπώρην.

  [129] When Eros had seen and handled each in turn, he put back the other fire-barbed shafts, and taking the fifth he fitted it to the shining bowstring; but first he put a sprig of ivy on the barb of the winged arrow, to be a fitting chaplet for the god of the vine, and dipt the whole shaft in a bowl of nectar, that Bacchos might grow a nectareal vintage.

  ὄφρα μὲν εἰς Διὸς οἶκον Ἔρως κουφίζετο παλμῷ,

  τόφρα δὲ καὶ Σεμέλη ῥοδοειδέι σύνδρομος ὄρθρῳ

  ἀργυρέης ἐτίταινε δι᾽ ἄστεος ἦχον ἱμάσθλης

  ἡμιόνους ἐλάουσα, καὶ ὄρθιος ἄκρα κονίης

  140 λεπτὸς ἐυκνήμιδος ἐπέγραφεν ὁλκὸς ἀπήνης:

  ὄμμασι γὰρ Ληθαῖον ἀμεργομένη πτερὸν Ὕπνου

  ἀντιτύπῳ πόμπευεν ἀλήμονα θυμὸν ὀνείρῳ

  θέσφατα ποικίλλοντι, καὶ ἀρτιγόνοισι κορύμβοις

  ἔλπετο καλλιπέτηλον ἰδεῖν φυτὸν ἔνδοθι κήπου

  145 ἔγχλοον, οἰδαλέῳ βεβαρημένον ὄμφακι καρπῷ,

  νιφόμενον Κρονίωνος ἀεξιφύτοισιν ἐέρσαις:

  ἐξαπίνης δὲ πεσοῦσα δι᾽ αἰθέρος οὐρανίη φλὸξ

  δένδρον ὅλον πρήνιξεν, ἑοῦ δ᾽ οὐχ ἥπτετο καρποῦ:

  ἀλλά μιν ἁρπόξας τανυσίπτερος ὄρνις ἀλήτης

  150 ἡμιτελῆ χατέοντα τελεσσιγόνοιο λοχείης

  ὤρεγε μὲν Κρονίωνι: πατὴρ δέ μιν ἡδέι κόλπῳ

  δέκτο λαβών, μηρῷ δὲ συνέρραφεν: ἀντὶ δὲ καρποῦ

  ταυροφυὴς κερόεντι τύπῳ μορφούμενος ἀνὴρ

  αὐτοτελὴς βλάστησεν ὑπὲρ βουβῶνα τοκῆος:

  [136] While Eros was fluttering along to the house of Zeus, Semele also was out with the rosy morning, shaking the cracks of her silver whip while she drove her mules through the city; and the light straight track of her cartwheels only scratched the very top of the dust. She had brushed away from her eyes the oblivious wing of sleep, and sent her mind wandering after the image of a dream with riddling oracles. She thought she saw in a garden a tree with fair green leaves, laden with newgrown clusters of swelling fruit yet unripe, and drenched in the fostering dews of Zeus. Suddenly a flame fell through the air from heaven, and laid the whole tree flat, but did not touch its fruit; then a bird flying with outspread wings caught up the fruit half-grown, and carried it yet lacking full maturity to Cronion. The Father received it in his kindly bosom, and sewed it up in his thigh; then instead of the fruit, a bull-shaped figure of a man came forth complete over his loins. Semele was the tree!

  155 καὶ Σεμέλη φυτὸν ἦεν, ὑπερφρίσσουσα δὲ κούρη

  ἐκ λεχέων ἀνέπαλτο καὶ ἐπτοίησε τοκῆα

  εὐπετάλων ἐνέπουσα σελασφόρον ἀτμὸν ἀνείρων.

  καὶ Σεμέλης δεδόνητο φυτόν πυρίκαυτον ἀκούων

  Κάδμος ἄναξ: καλέσας δὲ θεηγόρον υἷα Χαρικλοῦς

  160 πρώιος αἰθαλόεντας ἐπέφραδε παιδὸς ὀνείρους.

  καὶ τότε Τειρεσίαο δεδεγμένος ἔνθεον ὀμφὴν

  παῖδα πατὴρ προέηκεν ἐς ἠθάδα νηὸν Ἀθήνης

  Ζηνὶ θυηπολέουσαν ἀκοντιστῆρι κεραυνοῦ

  ταῦρον ὁμοκραίροιο φυῆς ἴνδαλμα Λυαίου,

  165 καὶ τράγον ἐσσομένης σταφυλητόμον ἐχθρὸν ὀπώρης.

  [155] The girl leapt from her couch trembling, and told her father the terrifying tale of leafy dreams and fiery blast. King Cadmos was shaken when he heard of Semele’s fireburnt tree, and that same morning he summoned the divine seer Teiresias son of Chariclo, and told him his daughter’s firery dreams. As soon as he heard the seer’s inspired interpretation, the father sent his daughter to their familiar temple of Athen
a, and bade her sacrifice to thunderhurling Zeus a bull, the image of likehorned Lyaios, and a boar, vine-ravaging enemy of the vintage to come.

  ἔνθεν ἔβη πρὸ πόληος, ὅπως Διὶ βωμὸν ἀνάψῃ,

  ἀστεροπῆς μεδέοντι: παρισταμένη δὲ θυηλαῖς

  αἵματι κόλπον ἔδευσε, φόνῳ δ᾽ ἐρραίνετο κούρη:

  καὶ πλοκάμους ἐδίηναν ἀφειδέες αἵματος ὁλκοί,

  170 καὶ βοέαις λιβάδεσσιν ἐπορφύροντο χιτῶνες:

  καὶ δρόμον ἰθύνουσα βαθυσχοίνῳ παρὰ ποίῃ

  γείτονος Ἀσωποῖο μετέστιχε πάτριον ὕδωρ

  παρθένος αἰολόπεπλος, ἵνα σμήξειε ῥεέθροις

  στικτὰ πολυρραθάμιγγι δεδευμένα φάρεα λύθρῳ.

  [166] Now the maiden went forth from the city to kindle the altar of Zeus Lord of Lightning. She stood by the victims and sprinkled her bosom with the blood; her body was drenched with blood, plentiful streams of blood soaked her hair, her clothes were crimsoned with drops from the bull. Then with robes discoloured she made her way along the meadow deep in rushes, beside Asopos the river of her birthplace, and plunged in his waters to wash clean the garments which ad been drenched and marked by the showers of blood.

  180 καὶ Σεμέλην ὁρόωσα παρ᾽ Ἀσωποῖο ῥεέθροις

  λουομένην ἐγέλασσεν ἐν ἠέρι φοιτὰς Ἐρινὺς

  μνησαμένη Κρονίωνος, ὅτι ξυνήονι πότμῳ

  ἀμφοτέρους ἤμελλε βαλεῖν φλογόεντι κεραυνῷ.

  [180] Erinys the Avenger flying by in the air saw Semele bathing in the waters of Asopos, and laughed as she thought how Zeus was to strike both with his fiery thunderbolt in one common fate.

  κεῖθι δέμας φαίδρυνε, σὺν ἀμφιπόλοισι δὲ γυμνὴ

  185 χεῖρας ἐρετμώσασα δι᾽ ὕδατος ἔτρεχε κούρη:

  καὶ κεφαλὴν ἀδίαντον ἐκούφισεν ἴδμονι τέχνῃ

  ὕψι τιταινομένην ὑπὲρ οἴδματος, ἄχρι κομάων

  ὑγροβαφής, καὶ στέρνον ἐπιστορέσασα ῥεέθρῳ

  ποσσὶν ἀμοιβαίοισιν ὀπίστερον ὤθεεν ὕδωρ.

  [184] There the maiden cleansed her body, and naked with her attendants moved through the water with paddling hands; she kept her head stretched well above the stream unwetted, by the art she knew so well, under water to the hair and no farther, breasting the current and treading the water back with alternate feet.

  175 καὶ φόρον ἄλλον ἔδεκτο, καὶ ὑψόθι γείτονος ὄχθης

  ἠῴην παρὰ πέζαν ἀλεξικάκου Διονύσου

  εἰς ῥόον, εἰς ἀνέμους ἀπεσείσατο τάρβος ὀνείων.

  οὐκ ἀθεεὶ δὲ ῥέεθρα μετήιεν, ἀλλά ἑ κείνου

  εἰς προχοὰς ποταμοῖο προμάντιες ἤγαγον Ὧραι

  [175] There she received a new dress, and mounting upon the neighbouring river-bank, by the eastern strand which belonged to Dionysos the Guardian Spirit, she shook off into the winds and waters all the terror of her dreams. Now without God she plunged into the water, but she was led to that river’s flow by the prophetic Seasons.

  190 οὐδὲ Διὸς λάθεν ὄμμα πανόψιον: ἀμφὶ δὲ κούρῃ

  ὑψιφανὴς ἐλέλιζεν ἀτέρμονα κύκλον ὀπωπῆς.

  καὶ βιοτῆς ἐπίκουρον ἐν ἠέρι τόξον ἀνέλκων

  πατρὸς ὀπιπευτῆρος Ἔρως ἀντώπιος ἔστη,

  τοξευτὴρ ἀκίχητος: ἐπ᾽ ἀνθοκόμῳ δὲ βελέμνῳ

  195 νευρὴ μὲν σελάγιζεν, ὀπισθοτόνοιο δὲ τόξου

  ἑλκομένου ῥοίζησε σοφὸν βέλος Εὔιον ἠχώ.

  Ζεὺς δὲ πατὴρ σκοπὸς ἦεν ὁ τηλίκος: οὐτιδανῷ δὲ

  αὐχένα κάμψεν Ἔρωτι: καὶ εἴκελος ἀστέρος ὁλκῷ

  συριγμῷ γαμίῳ δεδονημένος ἰὸς Ἐρώτων

  200 εἰς κραδίην Διὸς ἦλθε παράτροπος ἔμφρονι παλμῷ,

  ἀκροτάταις γλυφίδεσσιν ἐπιγράψας πτύχα μηροῦ,

  ἐσσομένου τοκετοῖο προάγγελος. ἔνθα Κρονίων

  ἄστατον ὄμμα φέρων γαίης ὀχετηγὸν ἀνάγκης

  παρθενικῆς ἐς ἔρωτα πόθου μαστίζετο κεστῷ:

  205 καὶ Σεμέλην ὁρόων ἀνεπάλλετο, μὴ σχεδὸν ὄχθης

  Εὐρώπην ἐνόησε τὸ δεύτερον: ἐν κραδίῃ δὲ

  κάμνε πάλιν Φοίνικα φέρων πόθον: ἀγλαΐης γὰρ

  τῆς αὐτῆς τύπον εἶχεν, ἀεὶ δέ οἱ ἀμφὶ προσώπῳ

  πατροκασιγνήτης ἀμαρύσσετο σύγγονος αἴγλη.

  [190] Nor did the allseeing eye of Zeus fail to see her: from the heights he turned the infinite circle of his vision upon the girl. At this moment Eros stood before the father, who watched her, and the inexorable archer drew in the air that bow which fosters life. The bowstring sparkled over the flower-decked shaft, and as the bow as drawn stretched back the poet-missile sounded the Bacchis strain. Zeus was the butt – for all his greatness he bowed his neck to Eros the nobody! And like a shooting star the shaft of love flew spinning into the heart of Zeus, with a bridal whistle, but swerving with a calculated twist it had just scratched his rounded thigh with its grooves– a foretaste of the birth to come. Then Cronion quickly turned the ye which was the channel of desire, and the love-charm flogged him into passion for the girl. At the sight of Semele, he leapt up, in wonder if it were Europa whom he saw on that bank a second time, his heart was troubled as if he felt again his Phoinician passion; for she had the same radiant shape, and on her face gleamed as born in her the brightness of her father’s sister.

  210 Ζεὺς δὲ πατὴρ δολόεσσαν ἑὴν ἠλλάξατο μορφήν,

  καὶ Σεμέλης δι᾽ ἔρωτα προώριος αἰετὸς ἔπτη

  ὑψόθεν Ἀσωποῖο, θυγατρογόνου ποταμοῖο,

  Αἰγίνης ἅτε μάντις ἐυπτερύγων ὑμεναίων

  ὀξυφαὲς μίμημα φέρων ὄρνιθος ὀπωπῆς:

  215 αἰθέρα δὲ προλέλοιπε καὶ ἀγχιπόρου σχεδὸν ὄχθης

  γυμνὸν ἐυπλοκάμοιο δέμας διεμέτρεε κούρης:

  οὐ γὰρ ἰδεῖν μενέαινεν ἀπόπροθεν, ἀλλὰ δοκεύειν

  ἀγχιφανὴς πάνλευκον ὅλον δέμας ἤθελε νύμφης,

  ὅττι τόσον καὶ τοῖον ἀτέρμονα πάντοθι πέμπων

  [210] Father Zeus now deceitfully changed his form, and in his love, before the due season, he flew above River Asopos, the father of a daughter, as an eagle with eye sharp-shining like the bird, as he were now presaging the winged bridal of Aigina. He left the sky, and approaching the bank of the near-flowing river he scanned the naked body of the girl with her lovely hair. For he was not content to see from afar; he wished to come near and examine all the pure white body of the maiden, though he could send that eye so great – such an eye! ranging to infinity all round about, sur
veying all the universe, yet he thought it not enough to look at one unwedded girl.

  220 ὀφθαλμὸν περίμετρον, ὅλου θηήτορα κόσμου,

  ἄρκιον οὐ δοκέεσκεν ἰδεῖν μίαν ἄζυγα κούρην.

  καὶ ῥοδέοις μελέεσσιν ἐφοινίχθη μέλαν ὕδωρ,

  καὶ ῥόος ἱμερόεις ποταμήιος ἔπλετο λειμὼν

  ἀστράπτων Χαρίτεσσιν: ὀπιπεύουσα διὰ νύμφην

  225 νηιὰς ἀκρήδεμνος ἀνήρυγε θαύματι φωνήν:

  ‘Μὴ προτέρην μετὰ Κύπριν ἀμερσιγάμῳ Κρόνος ἅρπῃ

  μήδεα πατρὸς ἔτεμνεν, ἕως πάλιν ἀφρὸς ἐχέφρων

  εἰς τόκον αὐτοτέλεστον ἄγων μορφούμενον ὕδωρ

  ὁπλοτέρην ὤδινε θαλασσαίην Ἀφροδίτην;

  230 μὴ ποταμὸς μετὰ πόντον ὁμοζήλοισι λοχείαις

  κύματος αὐτογόνοιο λεχώιον ὁλκὸν ἑλίσσων

  ἄλλην Κύπριν ἔτικτε, καὶ οὐχ ὑπόειξε θαλάσσῃ;

  μὴ μία Μουσάων τις ἐμὸν πατρώιον ὕδωρ

  γείτονος ἐξ Ἑλικῶνος ἐδύσατο, καί τινι πηγῆς

  235 Πηγασίδος προλέλοιπε μελισταγὲς ἵππιον ὕδωρ

  ἢ ῥόον Ὀλμειοῖο; τιταινομένην δὲ ῥεέθροις

  παρθένον ἀργυρόπεζαν ἔσω ποταμοῖο δοκεύω:

  πείθομαι, ὡς ἐθέλουσα μολεῖν ἐπὶ Λάτμιον εὐνὴν

  εἰς λέχος Ἐνδυμίωνος, ἀκοιμήτοιο νομῆος,

  240 λούεται Ἀονίῃσιν ἐνὶ προχοῇσι Σελήνη:

  εἰ δὲ δέμας φαίδρυνε χάριν γλυκεροῖο νομῆος,

  τί χρέος Ἀσωποῖο μετὰ ῥόον Ὠκεανοῖο;