by Nonnus
Ληνεὺς ἠερίῃσιν ἐπέτρεχε σύνδρομος αὔραις,
ἀγχιφανὴς προθέοντος, ὀπισθοπόροιο δὲ ταρσοῦ
ἴχνεσιν ἴχνια τύψε χυτῆς ψαύοντα κονίης:
410 καὶ τόσος ἀμφοτέρων ἀπελείπετο μέσσον ὁρίζων,
ὁππόσον ἱστοπόνοιο κανὼν πρὸς στήθεϊ κούρης
μεσσοφανὴς λάχε χῶρον ἀκαμπέι γείτονα μαζῷ.
καὶ τρίτος Ἄμπελος ἦεν ὀπίστερος: εἰσορόων δὲ
ζηλήμων Διόνυσος ἐτήκετο λοξὰ δοκεύων
415 διχθαδίους προθέοντας ἀεθλητῆρας ἀγώνων,
μή ποτε νικήσωσι καὶ Ἄμπελος ὕστερος ἔλθῃ:
ἀλλὰ θεὸς χραίσμησεν, ἐνιπνεύσας δέ ὁ̣̣̓ ἀλκὴν
κοῦρον ἐυτροχάλοιο ταχίονα θῆκεν ἀέλλης:
καὶ διδύμων πρώτιστος ἀεθλοφόρων ἐν ἀγῶνι
420 σπερχομένων, διερῇ μὲν ἐπ᾽ ᾐόνι γούνατα πάλλων,
κισσὸς ἐπωλίσθησε πεσὼν ψαμαθώσεϊ πηλῷ,
καὶ σφαλερὴ Ληνῆος ἐσύρετο γούνατος ὁρμὴ
ἂψ ἀνασειράζουσα ποδῶν δρόμον: ἀθλοφόροι δὲ
ἀμφότεροι λείποντο, καὶ Ἄμπελος ἥρπασε νίκην.
[399] Springheel Lyaios cried his summons aloud, and first up leapt windfoot Leneus, then on either side of him highstepping Cissos and charming Ampelos stood up. They stood in a row, confident in the quick soles of their straightfaring feet. Cissos flew with stormy movement of his feet just skimming the top of the ground as he touched it. Leneus was running behind him quick as the winds of heaven and warming the back of the sprinter with his breath, close behind the leader, and he touched footstep with footstep on the dust as it dropped, with following feet: the space between them both was no more than the rod leaves open before the bosom of a girl working at the loom, close to the firm breast. Ampelos came third and last. Dionysos saw them out of the corner of his eye, and melted with jealousy that the two competitors should be in front, afraid they might win and Ampelos come in behind them; so the god helped him, breathed strength into him, and made the boy swifter than the spinning gale. Then Cissos, first of the two in the race, striving so hard for the prize, stumbled over a wet place on the shore, slipt and fell in the sandy slush; Leneus had to check the course of his feet, and his knees lost their swing: so both competitors were passed and Ampelos carried off the victory.
425 Σειληνοὶ δὲ γέροντες ἀνίαχον Εὔιον ἠχὼ
νίκην ἠιθέοιο τεθηπότες: ἁβροκόμης δὲ
δέκτο νέος τὰ πρῶτα, τὰ δεύτερα δέχνυτο Ληνεὺς
ζῆλον ἔχων, φθονερὸν δὲ δόλον γίνωσκε Λυαίου
καὶ πόθον: αἰδομένῃ δὲ συνήλικας εἶδεν ὀπωπῇ
430 λοίσθια Κισσὸς ἄεθλα κατηφέι χειρὶ κομίζων.
[425] The old Seilenoi shouted Euoi! amazed at the victory of the youth. He received the first prize with soft hair flowing, Leneus took the second full of envy, for he understood the jealous trick of Lyaios and his passion; Cissos eyed his comrades with look abashed, as he held out his hand for the last prize discontented.
BOOK 11
ἑνδέκατον δὲ δόκευε καὶ ἱμερόεντα νοήσεις
ἄμπελον ἀνδροφόνῳ πεφορημένον ἅρπαγι ταύρῳ.
λῦτο δ᾽ ἀγών: ἐρόεις δὲ νέος φιλοπαίγμονι νίκῃ
κυδιόων σκίρτησεν ὁμέψιος ἥλικι Βάκχῳ
εἰλιπόδην περὶ κύκλον ἀλήμονα ταρσὸν ἀμείβων,
δεξιτερὴν πάνλευκον ἐπικλίνων Διονύσῳ:
5 καί μιν ἰδὼν Ἰόβακχος ἀγήνορα δίζυγι νίκῃ
ποσσὶ περισκαίροντα φίλῳ μειλίξατο μύθῳ:
BOOK XI
See the eleventh, and you will find lovely Ampelos carried off by the manslaying robber bull.
The contest was done. The lovely lad exulting in his sportloving victory, skipt about with Bacchos his yearsmate playfellow, and moved his circling legs in gambolling turns. He threw his white right arm about Dionysos; and when Iobacchos saw him jumping about so proud of his two victories, he said to him affectionately:
‘Σπεῦδε πάλιν, φίλε κοῦε, ποδωκείης μετὰ νίκην
καὶ μετὰ πεζὸν ἄεθλον ἔχειν τρίτον ἄλλον ἀγῶνα,
νηχομένῳ δ᾽ ἀκίχητος ὁμήλικι νήχεο Βάκχῳ.
10 Ἄμπελε, νικήσας με παρὰ ψαμάθοισι παλαίων,
ἔσσο καὶ ἐν προχοῇσιν ἐλαφρότερος Διονόσου,
καὶ Σατύρους παίζοντας ἔτι σκαρθμοῖσιν ἐάσας
εἰς τρίτατον πάλιν ἄλλον ἐπείγεο μοῦνος ἀγῶνα:
ἐν χθονὶ νικήσαις καὶ ἐν ὕδασι, καὶ μετὰ νίκην
15 σοὺς ἐρατοὺς πλοκάμους διδύμοις στέψαιμι κορύμβοις
διπλόα νικηθέντος ἀνικήτοιο Λυαίου.
[7] “Hurry now – have another try, dear boy, after winning that race and after your land action; try a third match, swim against your comrade Bacchos and see if you can beat him! You had the best of it, Ampelos, in wrestling with me on the sands; now show yourself more agile than Dionysos in the rivers! Leave the playful Satyrs to their skippings and come quick again by yourself to a third match. If you win both by land and water, I will crown your lovely hair with a double garland for two victories over Dionysos the unconquerable.
ἔπρεπέ σοι ῥόος οὗτος ἐπήρατος, ἔπρεπε μούνῳ
κάλλεϊ σῶν μελέων, ἵνα διπλόος Ἄμπελος εἴη
χρυσείῃ παλάμῃ χρυσαυγέα ῥεύματα τέμνων:
20 καὶ γυμνοῖς μελέεσσι τιταινομένου περὶ νίκης
κοσμήσει σέο κάλλος ὅλον Πακτώλιον ὕδωρ.
δὸς ποταμῷ γέρας ἶσον Ὀλύμπιον, ὅττι καὶ αὐτὸς
ὠκεανῷ Φαέθων ῥοδέας ἀκτῖνας ἰάλλει:
Πακτωλῷ πόρε καὶ σὺ τεὸν σέλας, ὄφρα φανείη
25 ἄμπελος ἀντέλλων ἅτε Φωσφόρος: ἀμφότερον γὰρ
ἀστράπτει ῥόος οὗτος ἐρευθιόωντι μετάλλῳ
ὡς σὺ τεοῖς μελέεσσι: βαθυπλούτῳ δὲ ῥεέθρῳ
σύγχροον εἶδος ἔχοντα καὶ ἡβητῆρα δεχέσθω
μίξας κάλλεϊ κάλλος, ὅπως Σατύροισι βοήσω:
30 ῾πῶς ῥόδον εἰς ῥόδον ἦλθε; πόθεν μία κίρναται αἴγλη
καὶ χροῒ φοινίσσοντι καὶ ἀστράπτοντι ῥεέθρῳ;
[17] “This lovely stream suits you, suits the beauty of your limbs alone, that there may be a double Ampelos cutting the goldgleaming flood with golden palm; while you stretch naked limbs for victory, all the Pactolian water shall adorn your beauty. Phaëthon himself shoots his rosy beams on Oceanos;
grant an equal Olympian glory to this river: you too give your brightness to Pactolos, that Ampelos may be seen rising like Phosphoros. Both are radiant, this river with its red metal, and you with your limbs; in the deep riches of his flood let him receive this youth also with the same colour on his skin; let him mix beauty with beauty, that I may cry to the Satyrs - `How came rose to rose? How is ruddy flesh and sparkling water mingled into one radiant light?’
αἴθε καὶ ἐνθάδε, κοῦρε, πέλεν ῥόος Ἠριδανοῖο,
Ἡλιάδων ὅθι δάκρυ ῥυηφενές, ὄφρά κεν ἄμφω
καὶ χρυσῷ σέο γυῖα καὶ ἠλέκτροισι λοέσσω.
35 ἀλλ᾽ ἐπεὶ Ἑοπερίου ποταμοῦ μάλα τηλόθι ναίω,
ἵξομαι εἰς Ἀλύβην ἀγχίπτολιν, ὁππόθι γείτων
Γεῦδις ἐχεκτεάνων ὑδάτων λευκαίνεται ὁλκῷ,
ὄφρά σε Πακτωλοῖο λελουμένον ἐκ ποταμοῖο,
Ἄμπελε, φαιδρύνοιμι καὶ ἀργυρέοισι ῥεέθροις.
40 Ἕρμος ἐυρρείτης ἑτέροις Σατύροισι μελέσθω:
οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ χρυσοῖο φέρει ῥόον: ἀλλὰ σὺ μοῦνος
χρύσεος ἔπλεο κοῦρος, ἔχοις καὶ χρύσεον ὕδωρ.’
[32] “Would that the river Eridanos were here also, dear boy, where are the richrolling tears of the Heliades: then I would wash your limbs with amber and gold together. But since I live very far from the western river, I will visit the city of Alybe close at hand, where the Geudis has a white stream of precious water, that when you come bathed out of river Pactolos, Ampelos, I may make you shine with silvery water too. Let the other Satyrs see to wideflowing Hermos, for he has no golden springs. But you are the only golden boy, and you shall have the golden water.”
ὣς εἰπὼν πεφόρητο δτ᾽ ὕδατος: ἐκ δαπέδου δὲ
ἄμπελος ᾐώρητο καὶ ὡμάρτησε Λυαίῳ:
45 καὶ γλυκὺς ἀμφοτέροισιν ἔην δρόμος ἄκρον ἀπ᾽ ἄκρου
νηχομένοις ἑλικηδὸν ἐρικτεάνου ποταμοῖο.
καὶ θεὸς ὑδατόεντα φέρων ταχυτῆτος ἀγῶνα
ἔτρεχεν ἀστήρικτος ἐν ὕδασι, γυμνὰ ῥεέθροις
στέρνα βαλών, δονέων δὲ πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ἐρέσσων
50 ἀφνειῆς ἀτίνακτα κατέγραφε νῶτα γαλήνης,
πῇ μὲν ἔχων ὁμόφοιτον ἑὸν δρόμον ἥλικι κούρῳ,
πῇ δὲ παραΐσσων πεφυλαγμένος, ὅσσον ἐάσῃ
ἄμπελον ἀγχικέλευθον ὁμήλυδα γείτονι Βάκχῳ:
ἄλλοτε κυκλώσας παλάμας, ἅτε κύματι κάμνων,
55 ὑγροπόρῳ ταχύγουνος ἑκούσιος ὤπασε νίκην.
[43] Thus speaking, he plunged into the water; Ampelos rose from the ground and joined Lyaios, and a jolly course the two had, zigzag from point to point of the opulent river. The god winning this watery race swam steadily through the water, pushing his bare breast against the stream, moving his feet and paddling with his hands, and so scored the undisturbed surface of the smooth treasury of riches. Now his boy-comrade’s course ran beside his own, now he shot past him carefully, just so much as to leave Ampelos still a near neighbour to Bacchos in the way; sometimes he let his hands go round and round as if tired by the water, and willingly yielded quicknee the victory to the other swimmer.
καὶ ποταμοῦ μετὰ χεῦμα μετήιεν ἔνδια λόχμης
ἄμπελος αὐχένα γαῦρον ἔχων ποταμηίδι νίκῃ.
καὶ πλοκάμους μίτρωσεν ἐχιδνήεντι κορύμβῳ
φρικτὸν ἔχων μίμημα δρακοντοκόμοιο Λυαίου:
60 πολλάκι δ᾽ αἰολόνωτον ἰδὼν Βρομίοιο χιτῶνα,
δαιδαλέην μελέεσσι νόθην ἐσθῆτα καθάψας,
πορφυρέῳ πόδα κοῦφον ἐπεσφήκωσε κοθόρνῳ,
στικτὸν ἔχων χροῒ πέπλον: ὀρεσσαύλῳ δ᾽ ἐνὶ δίφρῳ
πορδαλίων Ἰόβακχον ὀπιπεύων ἐλατῆρα
65 γαῦρα φιλοσκοπέλων ἐπεδείκνυε παίγνια θηρῶν:
πῇ μὲν ὀρεστιάδος λοφιῆς ἐπιβήμενος ἄρκτου
θηρὸς ἐπειγομένης βλοσυρὴν ἀνεσείρασε χαίτην,
πῇ δὲ λεοντείην λασίην ἐπεμάστιε δειρήν,
ἄλλοτε, δαιδαλέων ἐποχημένος ὑψόθι νώτων,
70 ἀστεμφὴς ἀχάλινον ἐτέρπετο τίγριν ἐλαύνων.
[56] Leaving the river stream, Ampelos repaired to the shelter of the woods, lifting a proud neck for his victory in the river. He bound his head with a cluster of vipers, like Lyaios’s terrible wreath of snakes. Often seeing the dappleback tunic of Bromios, he put over his limbs a spotted dress in imitation, and pushed his light foot into a purple buskin, and threw a speckled robe on his body. When he saw Iobacchos in a car driving panthers about the hills, he showed off exultantly his gambols with rockloving beasts; now mounting the shaggy back of woodland bear, he pulled back the ruff of the grim hurrying beast; now on the hairy neck of a lion he gave it the whip; now he drove an unbridled tiger with delight, seated immovable high on the striped back.
καί μιν ἰδὼν Διόνυσος, ἔχων πρηεῖαν ἀπειλήν,
εἶπε παρηγορέων φιλίῳ μαντώδεϊ μύθῳ,
μεμφομένοις στομάτεσσι χέων οἰκτίρμονα φωνήν:
‘Πῇ φέρεαι, φίλε κοῦρε; τί σοι τόσον εὔαδεν ὕλη;
75 μίμνέ μοι ἀγρώσσοντι συναγρώσσων Διονύσῳ:
εἰλαπίνης ψαύοντι συνειλαπίναζε Λυαίῳ
κωμάζων, ὅτε κῶμον ἐγὼ Σατύροισιν ἐγείρω.
πόρδαλις οὐ κλονέει με καὶ ἀγροτέρης γένυς ἄρκτου,
μὴ τρομέοις στόμα λάβρον ὀρεσσινόμοιο λεαίνης:
80 μοῦνον ἀμειλίκτοιο κεράατα δείδιθι ταύρου.’
[71] When Dionysos saw him, he warned him gently, adding friendly prophetic words to console him as the voice of pity issued from reproving lips: “Where are your riding, dear boy? Why so fond of the forest? Stay by me when I hunt, and hunt with Dionysos; when Lyaios touches the feast, join in his feasting, and share my revels when I stir the Satyrs to revel. I am not troubled about the panther or the jaws of the wild bear; you need not fear the wild mouth of the mountainranging lioness – fear only the horns of the pitiless bull.”
ἔννεπεν οἰκτείρων θρασὺν Ἄμπελον: ἠίθεος δὲ
οὔασι μῦθον ἄκουε, νόος δέ οἱ ἔνδοθι παῖζεν.
[81] So he warned bold Ampelos in compassion: the youth heard the words with his ears, but the mind within him was still at play.
ἔνθα φάνη μέγα σῆμα φιλοστόργῳ Διονύσῳ
ἄμπελον ἀγγέλλον μινυώριον: ἐκ σκοπέλου γὰρ
85 ἀρτιθαλῆ τινα νεβρὸν ὑπὲρ νώτοιο κομίζων
ἀμφιλαφὴς φολίδεσσι δράκων ἀνέτελλε κεράστη
ς,
καί μιν ὑπὲρ βωμοῖο φέρων ἐφύπερθε θεμέθλων
σμερδαλέῃ πρήνιξεν ἀλοιηθέντα κεραίῃ
κύμβαχον αὐτοκύλιστον, ὀρεσσινόμοιο δὲ νεβροῦ
90 ὀξὺ μέλος κλάγξαντος ἀπέπτατο θυμὸς ἀλήτης:
σπονδῆς δ᾽ ἐσσομένης αὐτάγγελος αἵματος ὁλκῷ
λάινος αἱμαλέαις ἐρυθαίνετο βωμὸς ἐέρσαις,
οἴνου λειβομένοιο φέρων τύπον. εἰσορόων δὲ
Εὔιος ἑρπηστῆρα, κερασφόρον ἅρπαγα νεβροῦ.
95 ἄφρονος ἠιθέοιο μαθὼν ὀλετῆρα κεράστην
πένθεϊ μῖξε γέλωτα, καὶ ἄστατον εἶχε μενοινὴν
διχθαδίην, κραδίῃ δὲ μερίζετο, γείτονα πότμου
ἡβητὴν στενάχων, γελόων χάριν ἡδέος οἴνου.
[83] Then came a great portent to doting Dionysos, showing that Ampelos had not logn to live: for a horned dragon covered with scales rose from the rocks, carrying across his back a tender young fawn; he crept over the steps, and threw it upon the altar tumbling and rolling helpless and gored with his horrible horn. The hillranging fawn screamed a shrill note as its wandering spirit flew away. A stream of blood reddened the stone altar with bloody dew like so much trickling wine, harbinger of the libation that should follow. When Euois saw the crawling horned robber with the fawn, he knew that a horned creature would destroy the thoughtless youth. He mingled a laugh with his mourning; his thought was uncertain and divided in two, his heart cleft in halves, as he groaned for the youth so near to death, and laughed for the delectable wine.
ἔμπης δ᾽ ἱμερόεντι συνέμπορος ἤιε κούρῳ
100 εἰς ὄρος, εἰς πλαταμῶνα, καὶ εἰς δρόμον ἠθάδος ἄγρης.