Works of Nonnus
Page 206
καί μιν ἰδὼν ἔτι Βάκχος ἐτέρπετο: καὶ γὰρ ὀπωπαὶ
οὔ ποτε δερκομένοισι κόρον τίκτουσιν ἐρώτων.
πολλάκι καὶ βρομίοιο παρεζομένοιο τραπέζῃ
ἠίθεος σύριζεν ἀήθεα Μοῦσαν ἀμείβων,
105 καὶ δονάκων συνέχευεν ὅλον μέλος: οἷα δὲ κούρου
καλὰ μελιζομένοιο, καὶ εἰ τόνον ἔκλασε μολπῆς,
Βάκχος ὑπὲρ δαπέδοιο θορὼν ἀνεμώδεϊ παλμῷ
χερσὶ συνεπλατάγησε πολύκροτος, ἠιθέου δὲ
εἰσέτι μελπομένοιο περὶ στόμα χεῖλος ἐρείσας
110 ἁρμονίης πρόφασιν φιλίῳ προσπτύξατο δεσμῷ:
ὤμοσε καὶ Κρονίδην, ὅτι τηλίκον ὑμνοπόλος Πὰν
οὔ ποτε ῥυθμὸν ἄεισε, καὶ οὐ λιγύφωνος Ἀπόλλων.
[99] None the less he went with the lovely boy to the mountains, to the flats, to the course of their familiar hunting. Bacchos still delighted to look at him; for loving eyes are never sated with looking. Often as Bromios sat with him at table, the youth would pipe a new strange music, and confused all the notes of his reeds. Even if he broke the tune of his melody, Bacchos made as if the boy were playing well, and sprang from the ground with airy leaps, clapped and clattered with hands together, as the boy yet sang pressed his own lips to his mouth, embraced him lovingly for his beautiful song, as he said, and swore by Zeus that melodious Pan had never sung such another tune nor the clear voice of Apollo.
καὶ θρασὺν εἰσορόωσα νέον θανατηφόρος Ἄτη
οὔρεσιν ἀγρώσσοντος ἀποπλαγχθέντα Λυαίου,
115 ἠιθέου χαρίεντος ὁμοίιος ἥλικι κούρῳ
Αμπελον ἠπεροπῆι τόσῳ μειλίξατο μύθῳ,
μητρυιῇ Φρυγίοιο χαριζομένη Διονύσου:
[113] But Ate, the deathbringing spirit of Delusion, saw the bold youth straying on the mountains away from Lyaios during the hunt; and taking the charming form of one of his agemate boys, she addressed Ampelos with a coaxing deceitful speech – all to gratify the stepmother of Phrygian Dionysos.
‘Σὸς φίλος, ἄτρομε κοῦρε, μάτην Διόνυσος ἀκούει:
ποῖον ἑταιρείης γέρας ἔλλαχες; οὐ σὺ Λυαίου
120 θέσκελον ἅρμα φέρεις, οὐ πόρδαλιν ἡνιοχεύεις.
δίφρα τεοῦ Βρομίοιο Μάρων λάχε, χεῖρα τιταίνων
θηρονόμῳ μάστιγι καὶ εὐλάιγγι χαλινῷ:
ποῖον ἔχεις τόδε δῶρον ἀπ᾽ εὐθύρσοιο Λυαίου;
πηκτίδα Πᾶνες ἔχουσι καὶ εὐκελάδων θρόον αὐλῶν,
125 καὶ Σατύροις πόρε κύκλον ἐρισμαράγοιο βοείης
σὸς ταμίης Διόνυσος, ὀρεστιάδες δὲ καὶ αὐταὶ
Βασσαρίδες ῥαχίῃσιν ἐφεδρήσσουσι λεόντων.
ποῖα τεῆς φιλότητος ἐπάξια δῶρα κομίζεις,
πορδαλίων ἐλατῆρι μάτην πεφιλημένε Βάκχῳ;
130 πολλάκι Φοιβείοιο καθήμενος ὑψόθι δίφρου
ὑψιφανὴς ἤλαυνεν Ἀτύμνιος ἠέρα τέμνων:
ἔκλυες αὐτὸν Ἄβαριν, ὃν εἰς δρόμον ἠεροφοίτην
ἱπταμένῳ πόμπευεν ἀλήμονι Φοῖβος ὀιστῷ
αἰετὸν ἡνιόχευεν ἐν αἰθέρι καὶ Γανυμήδης
135 Ζῆνα νόθον πτερόεντα, τεοῦ γενετῆρα Λυαίου:
ἄμπελον οὔ ποτε Βάκχος ἐκούφισεν, ὄρνις Ἐρώτων,
σὸν δέμας ἀδρύπτοισιν ἑοῖς ὀνύχεσσιν ἀείρων.
Τρώιος οἰνοχόος πέλε φέρτερος, ὅς Διὸς αὐλὴν
οἶκον ἔχει. σὺ δέ, κοῦρε, φέρων πόθον εἰσέτι δίφρου
140 εἰς δρόμον ἀστήρικτον ἀναίνεο πῶλον ἐλαύνειν,
ὅττι ταχυστροφάλιγγι ποδῶν δεδονημένος ὁλκῷ
ἵππος ἀελλήεις ἀποσείεται ἡνιοχῆα:
Γλαῦκον ἀπεστυφέλιξαν ἐπὶ χθόνα λυσσάδες ἵπποι,
καὶ ξυνῆς μεθέπων Ποσιδήιον αἷμα γενέθλης
145 ἠερόθεν προκάρηνον ἀπόσπορον ἐννοσιγαίου
[118] “Your friend, fearless boy, is called Dionysos for nothing! What honour have you got from your friendship? You do not guide the divine car of Lyaios, you do not drive a panther! Your Bromios’s chariot has fallen to Maron’s lot, his hand manages the beast-ruling whip and the jewelstudded reins. What gift like that have you gotten from Lyaios of the thyrsus? The Pans have their cithern and their melodious tootling pipes; the Satyrs have the round loudrattling tomtom from your patron Dionysos; even the mountainranging Bassarids ride on the backs of lions. What gifts have you received worthy of your love, you, loved for nothing by Bacchos the driver of panthers? Atymnios has often been seen on high in the chariot of Phoibos cutting the air; Abaris also you have heard of, whom Phoibos through the air perched on his winged roving arrow. Ganymedes also rode an eagle in the sky, a changeling Zeus with wings, the begetter of your Lyaios. But Bacchos never became a lovebird or carried Ampelos, lifting your body with talons that would not tear. The Trojan winepourer had the better of you – he is at home in the court of Zeus. Now my boy, look here: but you are still kept waiting for the chariot, so just refuse to drive a nervous colt on the road – a horse goes rattling along like a tempest on a whirlwind of legs, and shakes out the driver. Glaucos’s horses went mad and threw him out on the ground. Quickwing Pegasos threw Bellerophontes and sent him headlong down from the sky, although he was of the seed of the Earthshaker and the horse himself shared the kindred blood of Poseidon.
Πήγασος ὠκυπέτης ἀπεσείσατο Βελλεροφόντην.
δεῦρό μοι εἰς ἀγέλην, λιγυηχέες ἧχι νομῆες
καὶ βόες ἱμερόεντες, ἐφεδρήσσοντα δὲ ταύρῳ
ὑψιφανῆ τελέσω σε βοοσσόον ἡνιοχῆα:
150 σὸς γὰρ ἄναξ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἐπαινήσει σε δοκεύων,
ταυροφυὴς Διόνυσος, ἐφήμενον ἰξύι ταύρου.
νόσφι φόβου δρόμος οὗτος, ἐπεὶ καὶ θῆλυς ἐοῦσα
παρθένος Εὐρώπη βοέων ἐπεβήσατο νώτων,
χερσὶ κέρας κρατέουσα καὶ οὐ χατέουσα χαλινοῦ.’
[146] “Come this way, do, to the herd, where are the clear-piping drovers and lovely cattle – get on a bull, and I will make you conspicuous on his back as the man who can ride a wild bull! Then your bullbody king Dionysos will applaud you more loudly, if he sees you with a bull between your knees! There is nothing to fear in such a run; Europa was a female, a young girl, and she had a ride on bullback, held tight to the horn and asked for no reins.”
155 ὣς φαμένη παρέπεισε, καὶ ἠέρα δύσατο δαίμων.
καί τις ἀπὸ σκοπέλοιο κατέδραμε ταῦρος ἀλήτης
ἀπροϊδής, καὶ γλῶσσαν, ἑῆς ἐπιμάρτυρα, δίψης,
χείλεσιν οἰγομένοισι προΐσχανεν ἀνθερεῶνος,
καὶ πίεν: ἀμφὶ δὲ κοῦρον, ἅ περ παρεόντα νομῆα,
160 ἵστατο γινώσκοντι πανείκελος: οὐδὲ μετώπου
λοξὸν ἑὸν κέρας εἶχεν: ἀμαιμακέτοιο δὲ ταύρου
πυκνὸν ἐρευγομένοιο ποτὸν πολυχανδέι λαιμῷ
ἡβητὴν ἐδίηνε κατάρρυτος ἰκμὰς ἐέρσης,
ἐσσομένων ἅτε μάντις, ὅτι χθονίῳ βόες ὁλκῷ
165 ἀμφὶ μιῇ μογέοντες ἀτέρμονι κυκλάδι νύσσῃ
ὕδασιν ἀμπελόεσσαν ἐπαρδεύουσιν ὀπώρην.
[155] This appeal persuaded him, and the goddess flew up into the air. And there was a stray bull suddenly running down from the rocks! His lips were open, and the tongue hung out over his jaws to show his thirst. He drank, then stood looking at the boy just as if he knew him, as if his own keeper were by. He did not hold his horn sideways, but as the mighty bull again and again belched up the drink into his roomy mouth a shower of drops sprinkled the youth, as prophetic of what was to come: for oxen trudging round and round on the ground in everlasting circumambulation about one capstan, irrigate the vinestock with their water.
καὶ θρασὺς ἵστατο κοῦρος ὑπὲρ βοέοιο μετώπου
ἀμφάφόων ἐπίκυρτον ἀταρβέι χειρὶ κεραίην:
καὶ βοὸς ὑλονόμοιο τεθηγμένος ἡδέι κέντρῳ
170 ἤθελεν ἄζυγα ταῦρον ὀρίδρομον ἡνιοχεύειν.
δρεψάμενος δὲ πέτηλα βαθυσχοίνῳ παρὰ ποίῃ
ψευδαλέην χλοεροῖσι λύγοις ἔπλεξεν ἱμάσθλην
μόσχοις ὀξυτέροισι, πολυστρέπτῳ δὲ κορύμβῳ
γνάμψας ἀγκύλα κύκλα τύπον ποίησε χαλινοῦ:
175 καὶ δροσεροῖς πετάλοισι δέμας διεκόσμεε ταύρου,
καὶ ῥόδα φοινίσσοντα πέριξ ἐπεδήσατο νώτῳ,
καὶ κρίνα καὶ νάρκισσον ἐπῃώρησε μετώπῳ,
αὐχένι πορφύρουσαν ἐπικρεμάσας ἀνεμώνην:
καὶ διδύμην ἑκάτερθε κατεχρύσωσε κεραίην
180 χερσὶ βαθυνομέναις ξανθόχροα πηλὸν ἀφύσσων
γείτονος ἐκ ποταμοῖο. καὶ αἰόλον ὑψόθι νώτου
δέρμα περιστορέσας ῥαχίης ἐπεβήσατο ταύρου:
καὶ βοέαις πλευρῇσι νόθην μάστιγα τιταίνων,
εὐχαίτην ἅτε πῶλον, ἐὸν μάστιζε φορῆα.
[167] The bold boy stood over the bull’s brow stroking the curved horns with fearless hand; and excited by a sweet sting of desire for the woodland creature, he longed to ride the mountainranging bull untamed. He pulled up long leafy shoots by a meadow deepset with rushes, and plaited a sort of whip from the fresh withies with sharper twigs, then bent and twisted some bundles into something like a bridle. He decked out the bull’s body with fresh dewy leaves, wreathed red roses about his back, lifted lilies and daffodils over his brow and hung a ring of purple anemone on his neck; he dipt his hands deep in the neighbouring river and brought up handfuls of yellow mud, to gild the two horns on either side. He laid a dappled skin over his backbone, and mounted the bull. He swung his makebelieve whip on the bull’s flanks and flogged his mount as if he were a longmaned colt.
185 καὶ θρασὺς ἠύτησεν ἔπος ταυρώπιδι Μήνῃ:
‘Εἶξον ἐμοί, κερόεσσα βοῶν ἐλάτειρα Σελήνη:
ἄμφω γὰρ κερόεις γενόμην καὶ ταῦρον ἐλαύνω.’
[185] Then he shouted boldly to the bullfaced Moon – “Give me best, Selene, horned driver of cattle! Now I am both – I have horns and I ride a bull!”
τοῖον ἐπαυχήσας ἔπος ἴαχε κυκλάδι Μήνῃ.
καὶ φθονερῆς σκοπίαζε δι᾽ ἠέρος ὄμμα Σελήνης
190 Αμπελον ἀνδροφόνῳ πεφορημένον ἅρπαγι ταύρῳ,
καί οἱ πέμπε μύωπα βοοσσόον: αὐτὰρ ὁ πικρῷ
ἄστατα φοιτητῆρι δέμας κεχαραγμένος οἴστρῳ
δύσβατον ἀμφὶ τένοντα κατέτρεχεν εἴκελος ἵππῳ.
[188] So he called out boasting to the round Moon. Selene looked with a jealous eye through the air, to see how Ampelos rode on the murderous marauding bull. She sent him a cattlechasing gadfly; and the bull, pricked continually all over by the sharp sting, galloped away like a horse through pathless tracts.
καὶ νέος ἄζυγα ταῦρον ἰδὼν λυσσώδεϊ κέντρῳ
195 ἴχνος ἀερσιλόφοισιν ἐπιρρήσσοντα κολώναις,
ταρβαλέος πρὸ μόροιο γοήμονι λίσσετο φωνῇ:
‘Σήμερον ἵστασο, ταῦρε, καὶ αὔριον ὠκὺς ὁδεύσεις:
μή με κατακτείνειας ἐρημάδος ὑψόθι πέτρης,
πότμον ἐμὸν νήπυστον ὅπως μὴ Βάκχος ἀκούσῃ.
200 μὴ κοτέῃς, ὅτι, ταῦρε, τεὴν χρύσωσα κεραίην:
μὴ φθονέῃς, ὅτι Βάκχος ἐμὴν φιλότητα φυλάσσει.
εἰ δὲ κατακτείνεις με καὶ οὐκ ἀλέγεις Διονύσου,
οὐδέ τις οἶκτος ἔχει σε γοήμονος ἡνιοχῆος,
ὅττι νέος γενόμην, ὅτι καὶ φίλος εἰμὶ Λυαίου,
205 εἰς Σατύρους με κόμιζε καὶ αὐτόθι, ταῦρε, δαμάσσεις,
ὄφρα τύχω μετὰ πότμον ἐρικλαύτοιο κονίης:
ναί, λίτομαι, φίλε ταῦρε: παραιφασίην δὲ νοήσω,
πότμον ἐμὸν στενάχοντος ἀδακρύτου Διονύσου.
εἰ τεὸν ἡνιοχῆα κερασφόρον ἠπεροπεύεις
210 εἴκελον εἶδος ἔχοντα τεῇ ταυρώπιδι μορφῇ,
γίνεο φωνήεις καὶ ἐμὸν μόρον εἰπὲ Λυαίῳ:
ταῦρε, τεῆς Δήμητρος ἀνάρσιε καὶ Διονύσου,
ἀχνυμένου Βρομίοιο συνάχνυται ὄμπνια Δηώ.’
[194] The youth when he saw the untamed bull driven by these maddening stings to dash on and on over the highcrested hills, afraid of impending fate, made his prayer in mournful tones: “Stop for to-day, my bull, you shall have a quick run to-morrow! Don’t kill me high on these deserted rocks, or let me die so that Bacchos never hears of my fate! Don’t be angry that I gilded your horns, dear bull; do not grudge that Bacchos keeps my love. But if you must kill me and flout Dionysos, if you have no pity for your sorrowful rider because I am young, because I am friend to Lyaios, take me back to the Satyrs and you shall destroy me there, that when I am dead there I may have many tears on my ashes. Yes I beseech you, dearest Bull! I shall feel consolation if unweeping Dionysos laments my death. If you are traitor to your horned rider, who has a shape like your bullfaced form, get a voice and tell my death to Lyaios. O Bull – enemy of your Demeter and Dionys
os both – when Bromios is grieved, bounteous Deo is grieved with him!”
τοῖον ἔπος ῥοδόεις νέος ἔννεπεν Ἄιδι γείτων
215 δύσμορος: ἀίσσων δὲ ποδῶν διδυμάονι χηλῇ
οὔρεος ἄκρα κάρηνα δυσέμβατα λυσσαλέος βοῦς
ἡβητὴν προκάρηνον ἑῶν ἀπεσείσατο νώτων:
ἤριπε δ᾽ αὐτοκύλιστος: ἐπ᾽ ἀστραγάλου δὲ πεσόντος
λεπτὸν ὑποτρίζων ἐδιχάζετο δόχμιος αὐχήν:
220 καί μιν ὑπὲρ δαπέδοιο παλινδίνητον ἑλίξας
θηγαλέῃ γλωχῖνι κατεπρήνιξε κεραίης.
καὶ νέκυς ἦν ἀκάρηνος: ἀτυμβεύτοιο δὲ νεκροῦ
λευκὸν ἐρευθιόωντι δέμας φοινίσσετο λύθρῳ.
[214] So spoke the rosy boy, so near to Hades, unhappy one! Up to the pathless tops of the mountain leapt the infuriated bull on his cloven hooves, and threw the youth headlong off his back. He fell on his head rolling in a hunched-up heap, and broke his bent neck with a little crack; the bull bowled him over and over on the ground, and pinned him to the earth with the sharp point of his horn. He lay there a headless corpse; his white body unburied was stained with ruddy gore.
καί τις, ἰδὼν Σατύρων κεκονιμένον ὑψόθι γαίης
225 ἄμπελον ἱμερόεντα, δυσάγγελος ἤλυθε Βάκχῳ.
καὶ θεὸς εἰσαΐων ταχὺς ἔδραμεν εἴκελος αὔραις:
οὐ τόσον Ἡρακλέης δρόμον ἤνυσεν, ὁππότε Νύμφαι
ἁβρὸν Ὕλαν φθονεροῖσι κατεκρύψαντο ῥεέθροις
νυμφίον ἰκμαλέῃ πεφυλαγμένον ἅρπαγι κούρῃ,
230 ὡς τότε Βάκχος ὄρουσεν ὀρίδρομος: ἐν δὲ κονίῃ