by Nonnus
220 πήξω μαινομένοιο κεράατα Δηριαδῆος.’
[204] “Make haste, I pray, and whiten the round blackskin faces of the captive Indians with the initiate’s chalk; and bring me the bold king swathed in clusters of vine; throw a fawnskin about Deriades in his coat of mail. Let the Indian king bend a slave’s knee to Bromios after my victory, and throw his corselet to the winds, covering his body in a better corselet of fur. Let him press his foot into purple buskins, and leave his silver greaves to the breezes. After his deadly arrows and the deeds of battle which he knows, let him learn the nightdancing rites of Dionysos, and shake his curls of barbarian hair over the winepress. Bring enemy heads as trophies of victory to breezy Tmolos, pierced with the witnessing thyrsus. Many long lines of Indians I will bring away from the war alive after fighting is done, and I will fix on a Lydian gatehouse the horns of mad Deriades.”
ὥς φάμενος θάρσυνεν: ἐπερρώοντο δὲ Βάκχαι,
Σειληνοὶ δ᾽ ἀλάλαζον Ἀρηιφίλης μέλος Ἠχοῦς
καὶ Σάτυροι κελάδησαν ὁμοφθόγγων ἀπὸ λαιμῶν:
καὶ τυπάνου κελάδοντος ὁμόθροος ἔβρεμεν ἠχὼ
225 φρικαλέον μύκημα, φιλοκροτάλων δὲ γυναικῶν
χερσὶν ἀμοιβαίῃσιν ἀράσσετο δίκτυπος ἠχώ:
καὶ νομίη Φρύγα ῥυθμὸν ἀγέστρατος ἴαχε σύριγξ.
καὶ στρατιῆς προκέλευθος ἐπιβρίθουσα κυδοιμῷ
Μυγδονίη μάρμαιρε δι᾽ ἠέρος ἁλλομένη φλόξ,
Βακχείην πυρόεσσαν ἀπαγγέλλουσα λοχείην:
Σειληνοῦ δὲ γέροντος ἀπ᾽ εὐκεράοιο μετώπου
230 μαρμαρυγὴ σελάγιζεν: ὀρεσσαύλοιο δὲ Βάκχης
[221] With this speech he gave them courage. The Bacchant women made haste, the Seilenoi shouted the tune of the battle-hymn, the Satyrs opened their throats and shouted in accord; the sound of the beating drum rang out, beating time with its terrifying boom, the rattling women clanged their double strokes with alternate hands; the shepherd’s syrinx piped out its Phrygian notes to summon the host.
δέσμιος ἀπλέκτοισι δράκων ἐσφίγγετο χαίταις:
καὶ Σάτυροι πολέμιζον: ἐλευκαίνοντο δὲ γύψῳ
μυστιπόλῳ, καὶ φρικτὸν ἐπῃώρητο παρειαῖς
235 ψευδομένου νόθον εἶδος ἀφωνήτοιο προσώπου.
καί τις ἐπ᾽ ἀντιβίοισι μεμηνότα τίγριν ἱμάσσων
δίφρα διεπτοίησεν ὁμοζυγέων ἐλεφάντων:
καὶ πολιὸς κεκόρυστο Μάρων ἑλικώδεϊ θαλλῷ,
240 ἡμερίδων ὄρπηκι διασχίζων δέμας Ἰνδῶν
[231] In front of the army, pushing to the fray, the Mygdonian torch shone leaping through the air, proclaiming the fiery birth of Bacchos. The horned brow of old Seilenos sparkled with light; snakes were twined in the unplaited hair of the hillranging Bacchant women. The Satyrs also fought; they were whitened with mystic chalk, and on their cheeks hung the terrifying false mask of a sham voiceless face. One lashing a maddened tiger against his foes scattered the cars of linked elephants. Hoary Maron was armed with a clustering shoot, and pierced the bodies of fighting Indians with a branch of garden-vine.
μαρναμένων. — καὶ πάντες, ὅσοι ναετῆρες Ὀλύμπου,
Ζηνὶ παρεδριόωντες ἔσω θεοδέγμονος αὐλῆς
πασσυδὸν ἠγορόωντο πολυχρύσων ἐπὶ θώκων.
τοῖσι δὲ δαινυμένοισιν ἀπὸ κρητῆρος ἀφύσσων
245 εὐχαίτης γλυκὺ νέκταρ ἐῳνοχόει Γανυμήδης.
οὐ τότε γὰρ Τρώεσσιν Ἀχαιικὸς ἔβρεμεν Ἄρης,
ὡς πάρος ὄφρα κύπελλα πάλιν μακάρεσσι κεράσσῃ
ἥβη καλλιέθειρα, καὶ ἀθανάτων ἑκὰς εἴη
Τρώιος οἰνοχόος, μὴ πατρίδος οἶτον ἀκούσῃ.
250 τοῖσι συναγρομένοις ἀγορήσατο μητίετα Ζεύς,
ἔννεπε δ᾽ Ἀπόλλωνι καὶ Ἡφαίστῳ καὶ Ἀθήνῃ:
[241] All the inhabitants of Olympos were sitting with Zeus in his godwelcoming hall, gathered in full company on golden thrones. As they feasted, fair-hair Ganymedes drew delicious nectar from the mixing-bowl and carried it round. For then there was no noise of Achaian war for the Trojans as once there was, that Hebe with her lovely hair might again mix the cups, and the Trojan cupbearer might be kept apart from the immortals, so as not to hear the fate of his country. Now Zeus Allwise addressed the assembly, and spoke to Apollo and Hephaistos and Athena:
‘ἄξονος ὀμφαίοιο θεηγόρε κοίρανε Πυθοῦς,
τοξοσύνης σκηπτοῦχε, σελασφόρε, σύγγονε Βάκχου,
μνώεο Παρνησσοῖο καὶ ὑμετέρου Διονύσου:
255 ἄμπελος οὔ σε λέληθεν ἐφήμερος: οἶσθα καὶ αὐτὴν
ἀμφοτέρων σκοπέλων διδυμάονα μύστιδα πεύκην:
ἀλλὰ κασιγνήτοιο τεοῦ προμάχιζε Λυαίου,
Βασσαρίδων ἐπίκουρος Ὀλύμπια τόξα τιταίνων:
Παρνησσοῦ δὲ γέραιρε τεὴν ξυνήονα πέτρην,
260 ὁππόθι κωμάζουσα χοροίτυπος ἴαχε Βάκχη,
σοὶ μέλος ἐντύνουσα καὶ ἀγρύπνῳ Διονύσῳ,
Δελφικὸν ἀμφοτέροισιν ὁμόζυγον ἁψαμένη πῦρ.
μνώεο σῆς, κλυτότοξε, λεοντοφόνοιο Κυρήνης:
δὸς χάριν ἀμφοτέροισι, καὶ Ἀγρέι καὶ Διονύσῳ:
265 ὡς Νόμιος Σατύρων νομίων προμάχιζε γενέθλης.
Ἥρης ζῆλον ἄλαλκε βαρύφρονα, μή ποτε Φοίβου
μητρυιὴ γελάσειε Διωνύσοιο φυγόντος,
ἥ τις ἐμῶν μεθέπουσα χόλον καὶ ζῆλον ἐρώτων
αἰὲν ἐμοῖς τεκέεσσι κορύσσεται: οὔ σε διδάξω
270 μητέρος ὑμετέρης λόχιον πόνον, ἡνίκα παίδων
δίζυγα φόρτον ἔχουσα πολύπλανος ἤιε Λητώ,
κέντροις παιδογόνοισιν ἱμασσομένη τοκετοῖο,
ὁππότε Πηνειοῖο φυγὰς ῥέος, ὁππότε Δίρκη
μητέρα σὴν ἀπέειπεν, ὅτε δρόμον εἶχε καὶ αὐτὸς
275 Ἀσωπὸς βαρύγουνος ὀπίστερον ἴχνος ἐλίσσων,
εἰσόκε Δῆλος ἄμυνε μογοστόκος, εἰσόκε Λητὼ
οὐτιδανοῖς πετάλοισι γέρων μαιώσατο φοῖνιξ.
[252] “Prophetic sovereign of the prophetic axle of Pytho, Prince of Archery, lightbringer, brother of Bacchos, remember Parnassos and your Dionysos! You did not fail to see Ampelos who lived but a day; you know also the double mystic torch of the double peaks. Come now, fight for Lyaios your brother! Bend your Olympian bow to help the Bassarids. Glorify the cliff of your Parnassos common to both, where the Bacchant woman holding revel has
raised her voice in song to you and sleepless Dionysos, and kindled one common Delphian flame for both. Remember your lionslaying Cyrene, illustrious Archer! Be gracious to Agreus and Dionysos both: as the Herdsman, fight for the generation of Satyr herdsmen. Repel the heavyhearted jealousy of Hera, that the stepmother of Apollo may not laugh to see Dionysos run! She always cherishes jealousy and resentment for my loves, and attacks my children. I will not remind you of your mother’s tribulation in childbirth, when Leto carried her twin burden and had to wander over the world, tormented with the pangs of childbirth; when the stream of Peneios fled from her, when Dirce refused your mother, when Asopos himself made off dragging his lame leg behind him — until Delos gave help to her labour, until the old palmtree played the midwife for Leto with her poor little leaves.
καὶ σύ, Διὸς πατέρος καὶ μητέρος ἄτρομε κούρη,
γνωτῷ, Παλλάς, ἄμυνε τεῆς κοσμήτορι πάτρης:
280 ῥύεο σοὺς ναετῆρος ἐφεσπομένους Διονύσῳ,
μηδὲ τεοῦ Μαραθῶνος ὀλωλότα τέκνα νοήσῃς:
ἀκταίης δὲ γέραιρε φερέπτολιν ὄζον ἐλαίης:
Ἰκαρίῳ δὲ γέροντι χαρίζεο: καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ
δώσει ποικιλόβοτρυς ἑὴν Διόνυσος ὀπώρην:
285 μνώεο Τριπτολέμοιο καὶ εὐαρότου Κελεοῖο,
μὴ ταλάρους γονόεντας ἀτιμήσῃς Μετανείρης:
καὶ γὰρ ἀοσσητῆρος ἐρισταφύλου σέο Βάκχου
Ζεὺς γονόεις ὠδῖνα πατὴρ ἐγκύμονι μηρῷ,
θηλυτέρην δ᾽ ἐλόχευσε τεὴν ὠδῖνα καρήνῳ.
290 ἀλλὰ τεὴν δονέουσα γενέθλιον ἥλικα λόγχην,
αἰγίδα δ᾽ αἰθύσσουσα κυβερνήτειραν Ἐνυοῦς,
γίνεό μοι Σατύροισι βοηθόος, ὅττι καὶ αὐτοὶ
αἰγὸς ὀρεσσινόμου λασίους φορέουσι χιτῶνας:
καὶ θεὸς ἀγρονόμων, νομίης σύριγγος ἀνάσσων,
295 αἰγίδος ὑμετέρης ἐπιδεύεται αἰγίβοτος Πάν,
ὃς πρὶν ἀσυλήτοισιν ἐμοῖς σκήπτροις συνερίζων
μάρνατο Τιτήνεσσι, γαλακτοφόρου δὲ τιθήνης
αἰγὸς Ἀμαλθείης ὀρεσίδρομος ἔπλετο ποιμήν:
ῥύεό μιν μετόπισθε βοηθόον Ἀτθίδι χάρμῃ,
300 Μηδοφόνον ῥυτῆρα τινασσομένου Μαραθῶνος:
αἰγίδα σεῖο τίνασσε προασπίζουσα Λυαίου,
σεῖο κασιγνήτου μελαναίγιδος, ὃς σέο πάτρην
ῥύσεται ἐξελάσας Βοιώτιον ἡγεμονῆα:
καὶ μέλος ἀείσει ζωάγριον ἀστὸς Ἐλευθοῦς
305 πιστὸν ἀνευάζων Ἀπατούριον υἷα Θυώνης,
εἰ μιγάδην Φρύγα ῥυθμὸν ἀνακρούσουσιν Ἀθῆναι
λιμναῖον μετὰ Βάκχον Ἐλευσινίῳ Διονύσῳ.
[278] “And you, Pallas, fearless daughter, for whom Zeus was father and mother both, help your brother, the ornament of your country! Save your people who are following Dionysos, do not look on while the sons of your Marathon perish! Glorify the growth of your Athenian olive, which gave you a city. Grant this grace to old Icarios, for one day Dionysos will give his rich bunches of fruit to him also. Remember Triptolemos and the good plowman Celeos, and do not insult the fruitful baskets of Metaneira. For Zeus your fruitful father bore the birthpangs of the helper, your Bacchos of the vine, in his pregnant thigh, and you, the girl-child, in his head. Come now, raise the lance born along with you, shake your goatcape the aegis, the governor of war, be helper to my Satyrs, because they also wear hairy skins of the mountain goats; the god of countrymen himself, lord of the shepherd’s pipes, goatfoot Pan, needs your aegis-cape. He once helped to defend my inviolable sceptre and fought against the Titans, he once was mountainranging shepherd of the goat Amaltheia my nurse, who gave me milk; save him, for he in the aftertime shall help the Athenian battle, he shall slay the Medes and save shaken Marathon. Shake your aegis-cape and protect Lyaios, your brother in his black goatskin-cape, who shall drive out the Boiotian captain and save your country; then the citizen of Eleutho shall sing a hymn of salvation, calling Euoi for Apaturios the faithful son of Thyone, if Athens shall celebrate together in Phrygian tune, after her Limnaian Bacchos, Dionysos of Eleusis.
ὦ γένος ἀλλοπρόσαλλον Ὀλύμπιον: ἆ μέγα θαῦμα:
ξείνῳ Δηριαδῆι παρίσταται Ἀργολὶς Ἥρη,
310 Κεκροπίδας δὲ φάλαγγας ἀναίνεται Ἀτθὶς Ἀθήνη,
μητρὶ δὲ πιστὰ φέρων, ἐμὸν υἱέα Βάκχον ἐάσας
καὶ στρατιὴν Θρήισσαν ἐφεσπομένην Διονύσῳ,
ῥύεται Ἰνδὸν ὅμιλον ἐμὸς Θρηίκιος Ἄρης.
ἀλλὰ πυρὶ φλογόεντι συναιχμάζων Διονύσῳ,
315 μοῦνος ἐγὼ πάντεσσι κορύσσομαι, εἰσόκε Βάκχος
κυανέην προθέλυμνον ἀιστώσειε γενέθλην.
καὶ σύ, τελεσσιγόνου φιλοπάρθενε νυμφίε Γαίης,
ἠρεμέεις, Ἥφαιστε, καὶ οὺκ ἀλέγεις Μαραθῶνος,
ἦχι θεᾶς ἀγάμου γάμιον σέλας; οὔ σε διδάξω
320 μυστιπόλους σπινθῆρας ἀειφανέος σέο λύχνου.
λάρνακα παιδοκόμου μιμνήσκεο παρθενεῶνος,
ᾧ ἔνι κοῦρος ἔην Γαιήιος, ᾧ ἔνι κούρη
σὸν σπόρον αὺτοτέλεστον ἀνέτρεφεν ἄρσενι μαζῷ:
σὸν πέλεκυν κούφιζε μογοστόκον, ὄφρα σαώσῃς
325 σῷ λοχίῳ βουπλῆγι τεῆς ναετῆρας Ἀθήνης.
ἠρεμέεις, Ἥφαιστε, καὶ οὐ σέο τέκνα σαώσεις;
ὴθάδα πυρσὸν ἄειρε προασπιστῆρα Καβείρων,
ὄμμα δὲ σεῖο τίταινε, καὶ ἀρχαίην σέο νύμφην
μεμφομένην σκοπίαζε τεὴν φιλόπαιδα Καβειρώ:
330 Λημνιὰς Ἀλκιμάχεια τεῆς ἐπιδεύεται ἀλκῆς.’
[308] “O you family of Olympos, facing all ways! Ah, here is a great marvel! Hera of Argos stands by Deriades the foreigner; Athena of Attica renounces the warriors of Cecrops; my own Ares of Thrace true to his mother deserts my son Bacchos, and the Thracian host which follows Dionysos, and saves an Indian horde! But I alone fight for Dionysos with my blazing fire, one against all, until Bacchos shall destroy the black nation root and branch. And you Hephaistos, lover of the Maiden, bridegroom of creative Earth, do you sit still and care nothing for Marathon, where the wedding torch of the unwedded goddess is shining? I will not remind you of the mystical sparks of your everburning light. Remember the casket in that childcherishing maiden chamber, in which was the son of Earth, in which the Girl nursed your selfbegotten offspring with her manly breast. Lift up your axe that played the midwife, to save the people of your Athena with your delivering hatchet! Do you sit still, Hephaistos, and will not you save your children? Lift your acc
ustomed torch to defend the Cabeiroi; turn your eye and see your ancient bride, your Cabeiro, reproaching you in love for her sons. Valiant Alcimacheia of Lemnos needs your valour!”
ὥς φαμένου σπέρχοντο θεοὶ ναετῆρες Ὀλύμπου,
ξυνοὶ ἀοσσητῆρες Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἀπόλλων,
καὶ πυρόεις ῞Ηφαιστος ὁμάρτεε Τριτογενείῃ.
ἀθανάτοις δ᾽ ἑτέροισιν ὁμίλεε σύνδρομος ῞Ηρη,
335 Ἄρεα χειρὸς ἔχουσα καὶ εὐρυρέεθρον Ὑδάσπην,
δυσμενέων συνάεθλον ὁμοζήλοιο κυδοιμοῦ,
τοῖσι Φόβος καὶ Δεῖμος ὁμέμποροι, ὁ̣̣̓σι καὶ αὐτὴ
ἀντίπαλος Βρομίοιο φερέσταχυς ἵκετο Δηώ,
ζωογόνῳ φθονέουσα φιλοσταφύλῳ Διονύσῳ,
340 ὅττι μέθης ποτὸν εὗρε, παλαίτερον εὖχος ἐλέγξας
Ζαγρέος ἀρχεγόνοιο φατιζομένου Διονύσου.
[331] After this appeal the gods who dwelt in Olympos departed in haste. Athenaia and Apollo united together as helpers, and fiery Hephaistos went along with Tritogeneia. Hera joined herself to the other party of immortals, leading Ares by the hand, and wideflowing Hydaspes, to help the enemy with equal ardour. Rout and Terror went in their company, and with them cornbearing Deo, the rival of Bacchos, being jealous of lifegiving Dionysos who loved the grapes because he had discovered the beverage of wine; and this dimmed the pride of ancient Zagreus, the god who first of all had the name of Dionysos.
BOOK 28
εἰκοστὸν σκοπίαζε καὶ ὄγδοον, ὁππόθι πολλὴν
Κυκλώπων πυρόεσσαν ἐσαθρήσειας Ἐνυώ.
ἔνθά τις ἀπρήυντος ἔην ἔρις: ἀμφότεροι γὰρ
Φαῦνος Ἀρισταῖός τε μίαν συνέλασσαν Ἐνυώ,