Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  ἀλλά μιν ἀντικέλευθος ἀνάρσιος ἔφθασεν ἀνήρ,

  135 καὶ λαιὴν προθέλυμνον ἀμοιβάδι τύψε μαχαίρῃ:

  καὶ παλάμη χθονὶ πῖπτεν, ἀκοντίζων δὲ φονῆα

  αἱμαλέης ἔρραινεν ἑκηβόλος ὁλκὸς ἐέρσης

  πορφυρέαις λιβάδεσσιν, ὑπὲρ δαπέδοιο δὲ δειλὴ

  ἅλμασιν αὐτοκύλιστος ἐπάλλετο μαινομένη χεὶρ

  140 αἵματι φοινιχθεῖσα, καὶ ἀγκύλα δάκτυλα γαίῃ

  εὐπαλάμῳ σφήκωσε μέσῳ γαμψώνυχι δεσμῷ,

  οἷα περισφίγγουσα πάλιν τελαμῶνα βοείης.

  καί τινα μῦθον ἔειπεν Ἀρήια δάκρυα λείβων:

  [126] One struck an Athenian, and shore off his right arm with the dreadful steel, cutting through the top of the shoulder; the limb just cut off with shoulder attached, fell rolling in the dance of death and scoring along a stretch of yellow dust. The man would have pulled the long spear out of the rolling hand and made fight again with a long throw, battling with spear throwing left instead of right; but an enemy blocked his way and got in first, cutting off the left at the shoulder in its turn. The arm fell to the ground, and a farshot spout of bloody dew struck the slayer and drenched him with crimson drops; on the ground the poor hand went madly rolling and jumping, reddened with blood, while the curved fingers caught a good handful of earth in its imprisoning clutch, as if gripping again the shieldstrap. The man shed a soldier’s tears, and spoke:

  ‘ἄλλην εἰσέτι χεῖρα λιλαίομαι, ὄφρα τελέσσω

  145 τριχθαδίαις παλάμῃσιν ἐπάζια Τριτογενείης:

  ἔμπης καὶ μετὰ χεῖρας ἀνάρσιον ἄνδρα διώξω:

  τοῦτό μοι ἠνορέης ἔτι λείψανον, ὄφρά τις εἴπῃ

  εὖχος Ἀθηναίων περιδέξιον, ὅττι καὶ αὐτοῖς

  ποσσὶν ἀριστεύουσι δαϊζομένων παλαμάων.’

  [144] “What I want is another hand, that with three hands I may do deeds worthy of Tritogeneia! Never mind — I will pursue the enemy, if I leave my hands behind. So much remains for my valour! Then all may tell a double-handed glory for Athens, how her sons are heroes when their hands are cut off and they have nothing but feet!”

  150 ὣς εἰπὼν προμάχοισιν ἐπέδραμεν εἴκελος αὔραις,

  ὑσμίνην ἀσίδηρον ἐπεντύνων ὀλετῆρι.

  οἱ δέ μιν ἀθρήσαντες ἐθάμβεον ἄλλος ἐπ᾽ ἄλλῳ,

  καὶ πρόμον ἡμιτέλεστον ἐκυκλώσαντο μαχηταὶ

  ἀμφιλαφεῖς: ὁ δὲ μοῦνος ἀφειδέι δέκτο μαχαίρῃ

  155 πληγὴν ἀλλοπρόσαλλον ἀμοιβαίοιο σιδήρου:

  καὶ μόγις εἰς χθόνα πῖπτεν: ἔην δέ τις Ἄρεος εἰκὼν

  ὀψιγόνῳ ναετῆρι φυλασσομένη γενετῆρα.

  [150] So saying, he rushed like the wind into the battle, and attacked his destroyer unarmed. The enemy stared at him in amazement one and all, and surrounded the half-soldier on all sides; he quite alone received stab after stab, as the steel struck again and again with merciless blows, until at last he fell to the ground, a warlike image preserving the memory of the progenitor for a citizen of later days.

  οὐ τότε μοῦνος ὅμιλος ἐτέμνετο πεζὸς ὁδίτης,

  ἀλλὰ καὶ ἱππήεσσιν ἔην φόνος: ἔστιχε δ᾽ ἄλλος

  160 ἄλλῳ πότμον ἄγων: ἐλατὴρ δ᾽ ἐλατῆρα κιχήσας,

  ἤ προτέρω φεύγοντι μετάφρενα δουρὶ δαΐζων,

  ἢ σχεδὸν ἀντιόωντα κατὰ στέρνοιο τυχήσας,

  ἱππόθεν ἀρτιδάικτον ἀπεστυφέλιξε κονίῃ.

  καί τις ὑπὲρ λαπάρην βεβολημένος ἵππος ὀιστῷ

  165 εἰς πέδον ἠκόντιζεν ἀπόσσυτον ἡνιοχῆα,

  οἷος ἀερσιπότητος ἀλήμονι σύνδρομος αὔρῃ

  Πήγασος ὠκυπέτης ἀπεσείσατο Βελλεροφόντην:

  ἄλλος ἐριπτοίητος ὀλισθηρῶν ἀπὸ νώτων

  ὄρθιος ἱππείης διὰ γαστέρος εἰς χθόνα πίπτων

  170 κύμβαχος ἐστήρικτο παρήορος, ἀμφί δὲ γαίῃ

  κρᾶτα βαλὼν ἐκύλισσε, λιπὼν πόδας εἰς ῥάχιν ἵππου.

  [158] Not only those who fought on foot were cut down; there was death for the horsemen too. On they went, one bringing fate for another. Rider caught rider, piercing his back with a spear as he fled before, or striking him face to face on the breast; he shook him away in the dust, new-slain, as he sat his horse. One horse struck by an arrow in the flank, shook off his rider headlong upon the ground, even as Pegasos flying high in the air as swift in his course as the wandering wind, threw Bellerophontes.

  Another in terror slipt off the horse’s back and fell to the ground at full length over the horse’s belly and hung by his side like a tumbler, and rolled along dragging his head on the ground with his feet on the horse’s back.

  καὶ βριαροὶ Κύκλωπες ἐκυκλώσαντο μαχητάς,

  Ζηνὸς ἀοσσητῆρες: ὀμιχλήεντι δὲ λαῷ

  Ἀργίλιπος σελάγιζε φεραυγέα δαλὸν ἀείρων.

  175 καί χθονίῳ κεκόρυστο πυριγλώχινι κεραυνῷ

  μαρνάμενος δαΐδεσσι: καὶ ἔτρεμον αἴθοπες Ἰνδοὶ

  οὐρανίῳ πρηστῆρι τεθηπότες ἀντίτυπον πῦρ:

  καὶ πυρόεις πρόμος ἦεν: ἐπ᾽ ἀντιβίων δὲ καρήνοις

  γηγενέος σπινθῆρες ἐτοξεύοντο κεραυνοῦ:

  180 καὶ μελίας νίκησε καὶ ἄσπετα φάσγανα Κύκλωψ,

  σείων θερμὰ βέλεμνα καὶ αἰθαλόεσσαν ἀκωκήν,

  δαλὸν ἔχων ἅτε τόξα: καὶ ἄσπετον ἄλλον ἐπ᾽ ἄλλῳ

  Ἰνδόν ὀιστευτῆρι κατέφλεγεν ἀνέρα πυρσῷ,

  οὐχ ἕνα Σαλμωνῆα, νόθῳ δ᾽ ἤλεγξε κεραυνῷ:

  185 οὐχ ἕνα μοῦνον ἔπεφνε θεημάχον: οὐ μία μούνου

  Εὐάδνη στενάχιζε μαραινομένου Καπανῆος.

  [172] Now the grim Cyclopes, allies of Zeus, surrounded the fighters. Argilipos lifted a shining torch and shed light on the throng through the dark clouds. He was armed with a firebarbed thunderbolt from the underworld, and fought with firebrands: the swarthy Indians trembled, amazed at that fire so like the heavenly firebursts. A champion all of fire he was, and the sparks of earthborn lightning showered upon the enemies’ heads. The Cyclops conquered ash-pikes and countless swords, shaking his hot missiles and his flashing points, with brands for his arrow’s: one upon another, countless, he burnt the Indian men with the blazing shafts, chastising with pretended thunderbolt not one Salmoneus alone, slaying not only one enemy of God; not one Euadne alone groaned, or only one Capaneus was scorched up.

  καὶ Στερόπης κεκόρυστο σέλας μιμηλὸν ἑλίσσων,

  αἰθερίαις στεροπῇσι φέρων ἀντί
κτυπον αἴγλην,

  σβεστόν ἔχων ἀμάρυγμα, τό περ τέκεν Ἑσπερίη φλόξ,

  190 σπέρμα πυρὸς Σικελοῖο καὶ αἴθοπος ἐσχαρεῶνος:

  καὶ νεφέλῃ σκέπας εἶχεν ὁμοίιον, ἐνδόμυχον δὲ

  κρύπτε καὶ ἂψ ἀνέφηνε σέλας διδυμάονι παλμῷ,

  φέφφεος οὐρανίοιο φέρων τύπον: ἀστεροπὴ γὰρ

  ἐρχομένη φεύγουσαν ἔχει παλινάγρετον αἴγλην.

  [187] Steropes also was armed with a mimic lightning, which he brandished like the lightningflash of the sky, but an extinguishable brand, the child of Western flame, seed of Sicilian fire and that smoky forge; a dark pall covered it like a cloud, and beneath it he now hid the light, now showed it, in alternating movements, just like the flashes in the sky; for the lightning comes in flashes and goes again.

  195 καὶ Βρόντης πολέμιζε μέλος κελαδεινὸν ἀράσσων,

  βρονταίοις πατάγοισι χέων ἀντίτυπον ἠχώ:

  καὶ ξείνῃ ῥαθάμιγγι χαμαιγενέος νιφετοῖο

  ποιητὸν προχέων μινυώριον αἴθριον ὕδωρ

  μιμηλαῖς λιβάδεσσι νόθος πέλεν ἀννέφελος Ζεύς.

  200 βροντῆς δ᾽ ἰοοτύπου τεχνήμονα δοῦπον ἐάσας

  εἰς φόνον ἀντιβίων Σικελῷ κεκόρυστο σιδήρῳ,

  καὶ δονέων ῥαιστῆρα μετάρσιον ὑψόθεν ὤμων

  δυσμενέων ἤρασσε καρήατα πυκνὰ σιδήρῳ:

  τύπτε δ᾽ ἐπιστροφάδην ζοφερὰς στίχας, οἷά περ αἰεὶ

  205 Αἰτναίῳ πατάγῳ σφυρήλατον ἄκμονα τύπτων.

  [195] Brontes also was in the battle, rattling a noisy tune with a din like rolling thunderclaps: he poured an earthborn shower of his own with strange drops falling through the air, and lasting but a moment — an unreal Zeus he was, with imitated raindrops and no clouds. Then leaving the artificial noise of this mock thunder, he armed himself with Sicilian steel against the enemy; swinging the iron hammer high over his shoulders he smashed many an enemy head, and struck the dusky ranks right and left, with a clang like the blows as if he were ever striking on the hammerbeaten anvil of Etna.

  καί σκοπιῆς πρηῶνα τανυκρήπιδος ἀράξας

  ἔγχεϊ πετρήεντι κατέτρεχε Δηριαδῆος:

  καὶ παλάμῃ περίμετρον ἀφειδέι πέτρον ἰάλλων

  ἄντα κορυσσομένοιο μελαρρίνου βασιλῆος

  210 στήθεα λαχνήεντα χαραδραίῃ βάλεν αἰχμῇ:

  αὐτὰρ ὁ τοσσατίῳ μεθύων μυλοειδέι πέτρῳ

  στέρνον ὅλον βεβάρητο: φόνον δ᾽ ἤμυνεν Ὑδάσπης

  παιδὸς ἑοῦ βληθέντος. ὁ δὲ θρασύς, ἕλκεϊ κάμνων,

  ἀκαμάτων δόρυ θοῦρον ἑῶν ἀπεσείσατο χειρῶν,

  215 χάλκεον εἰκοσίπηχυ, πέδῳ δ᾽ ἔρριψε βοείην

  αἰδομέναις παλάμῃσι: καὶ ἀδρανὲς ἄσθμα τιταίνων,

  μαρμαρέῃ γλωχῖνι τετυμμένος ἄντυγα μαξοῦ,

  ἠερόθεν προκάρηνος ἀπ᾽ ἠλιβάτου πέσε δίφρου,

  ὡς ἐλάτη περίμετρος ὑπέρλοφος — ἡ δὲ πεσοῦσα

  220 ἄσπετον εὐρείης περιδέδρομε κόλπον ἀρούρης — .

  ἀμφὶ δέ μιν προχυθέντες ἐς ἅρματα κούφισαν Ἰνδοί,

  δειδιότες Κύκλωπα δυσειδέα, μή τινι ῥιπῇ

  ὑψιτενῆ πάλιν ἄλλον ἑλὼν πρηῶνα κολώνης

  τπηχαλέῳ βασιλῆα κατακτείνειε βελέμνῳ,

  225 μῆκος ἔχων ἰσόμετρον ἀερσιλόφου Πολυφήμου.

  καὶ βλοσυροῦ προμάχοιο μέσῳ σελάυιζε μετώπῳ

  μαρμαρυηὴ τροχόεσς μονογλήνοιο προσώπου:

  καὶ βλοσυροῦ Κύκλωπος ὑποπτήσσοντες ὀπωπὴν

  θαμβαλέῳ δεδόνηντο φόβῳ κυανόχροες Ἰνδοί,

  230 οὐρανόθεν δοκέοντες Ὀλυμπιὰς ὅττι Σελήνη

  γηγενέος Κύκλωπος ἐναντέλλουαα προσώπῳ

  πλησιφαὴς ἤστραπτε, προασπίζουοα Λυαίου.

  [206] Next he broke off a crag from a farspreading rock, and rushed upon Deriades with this stony spear. He hurled the huge rock with merciless hand against the blackskin king who stood ready, and struck his hairy chest with its rocky point. The king was wholly staggered with the heavy blow of this huge millstone full on his chest, like a drunken man; but Hydaspes rescued his stricken son from death. The bold king, crushed by the blow, dropt the furious spear from his never-tiring hands, the twentycubit spear of bronze, and threw his shield on the ground out of his shamed grasp, with little breath left in him; struck on the round of his breast by the pointed stone, he fell down headlong out of his lofty car like a tall high-crested firtree, which falling encompasses a vast space of wide earth. The Indians crowded round him and lifted him into the car, fearing that the ugly Cyclops might get another crag of some lofty hill and throw again, and slay their king with the rough missile — for he was as tall as highcrested Polyphemos. In the middle of this grim champion’s forehead glared the light of one single round eye; the blackskin Indians shook with wonder and fear when they saw the eye of the grim Cyclops; they thought Olympian Selene must have come down from the sky and risen in the earth-born Cyclops’s face, shining with her full orb, to defend Lyaios.

  Ζεὺς δὲ πατήρ, Κύκλωπος ἰδών μίμημα κυδοιμοῦ,

  ὑψινεφὴς ἐγέλασσεν, ὅτι χθονίων νεφελάων

  235 δεχνυμένη ξένον ὄμβρον ἀπειρήτου διὰ κόλπου

  νίφετο μὲν τότε γαῖα, χυτὴν δ᾽ οὐκ εἶχευ ἐέρσην

  ἄβροχα νῶτα φέρων γυμνούμενα δίψιος ἀήρ.

  [233] Father Zeus, seeing how the Cyclops imitated his own noise, laughed on high in the clouds that the earth was then flooded with a strange kind of shower from earthclouds upon its bosom, a new experience, while the thirsty air had no downpour through its bare dry expanse.

  καὶ Τπάχιος κεκόρυστο: κασιγνήτῳ δ᾽ ἅμα βαίνων,

  ἠλιβάτῳ παλάμῃ δονέων σάκος ἶσον ἐρίπνῃ,

  240 ὑψινεφὴς ἐλάτην περιμήκετον εἶχεν Ἐλατρεύς,

  [238] Trachios also reared his head: and Elatreus, marching beside his brother, held and shook a shield like a towering crag, and held a long firtree high in the clouds, sweeping off the enemies’ heads with his treespear.

  ἔγχεϊ δενδρήεντι καρήατα δήια τέμνων.

  Εὐρύαλος κεκόρυστο: διατμήξας δὲ κυδοιμῷ

  ἐκ πεδίου φεύγοντα πρλὺν στρατὸν ἄχρι θαλάσσης.

  κόηπον ἐς ίχθυόεντα περικλείων στίχας Ἰνδῶν,

  245 δυσμενέας νίκησεν ἀκοντοφόρου διὰ πόντου,

  ὄρθιον εἰκοσίπηχυ δι᾽ ὕδα
τος ἆορ ἑλίσσων:

  καὶ δολιχῷ βουπλῆγι ταμὼν ἁλιγείτονα πέτρην

  ῥῖψεν ἐπ᾽ ἀντιβίοισιν: ἀτυμβεύτοιο δὲ πολλοὶ

  διχθαδίης ἐνόησαν ἁλιβρέκτου λίνα Μοίρης,

  250 Αρεϊ κυματόεντι καὶ ὀκριόεντι βελέμνῳ.

  [241] Euryalos reared his head. He cut off a large body of fugitives in the battle, away from the plain and down towards the sea, shutting the Indian companies into the fishgiving gulf; so he conquered his foes over the lancebearing main as he thrust his twenty-cubit blade through the water. Then with long poleaxe he split off a rock near the brine, and threw it at his adversaries; many then felt the threads of Fate in double fashion without burial, struck with the jagged missile, and brinedrowned in watery strife.

  τοῖς ἅμα σύγγονος ἄλλος ἀριοτεύων Ἁλιμήδης

  ἠλιβάτοις μελέεσσι πέλωρ βακχεύετο Κύκλμψ,

  καὶ δηίους ἐφόβησε: φυλασσόμενος δὲ προσώπου

  360 κυκλάδος ὀμφαλόεντα προΐσχανε νῶτα βοείης.

  καί μιν ἰδὼν Φλόγιος κταμένων τιμήορος Ἰνδῶν

  τόξον ἑὸν κύκλωσε, καὶ ἠνενόεν βέλος ἕλκων

  μεσσοφνῆ πτερόεντι βαλεῖν ἤμελλε βελέμυῳ:

  ἀλλὰ τιτυσκομένοιο μαθὼν ἀντώπιον ὁρμὴν

  265 δόχμιος ἐσσυμένοιο βολὴν ἀλέεινεν ὀιστοῦ

  Κύκλωψ ὑψικάρηνος: ὁ δὲ πρηῦνα τινάσσων

  ῥῖπτε κατὰ Φλαγίου κραναὸν βέλος: αὐτὰρ ὁ φεύγων

  ἅρμασι βουκεράοιο παρίστατο Δηριαδῆος,

  καὶ μόγις ἠερόφοετον ἀλεύατο μάρμαρον αἰχμήν,