Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  270 κεῖθι μένων: κοτέων δὲ περὶ Φλουίοιο φυγόντος

  λοίγεον ἀνθερεῶνα διαπτύξας Ἁλιμήδης

  δώδεκα φῶτας ἔπεφνε μιῆς μυκήματι φωνῆς,

  λυσσαλέης προχέων ὀλεσήνορα βόμβον ἰωῆς.

  [257] Another Cyclops of the tribe went raging and scattering his foes, the prime warrior Halimedes, a monster with towering limbs; guarding himself he held before his great round eye a bossy oxhide shield. Then Phlogios the avenger of the slain Indians saw him; he rounded his bow, and drew back the windswift shaft to pierce the eye in that forehead — and he would have done it, but as he aimed, the highheaded Cyclops saw the coming attack, and dodged the blow of the flying arrow by shifting aside. Then the other poised a rock and threw the rough missile at Phlogios; but he retreated and stood by the car of oxhorned Deriades, and thus just evaded the sharp stone flying through the air, and there he remained. But Halimedes, angry that Phlogios had retreated, opened his deadly throat, and with one loud roar slew twelve men by pouring out one man-destroying boom of his furious voice.

  Κυκλώπων δ᾽ ἀλαλητὸς ἐπεσμαράγησεν Ὀηύμπῳ

  275 γλώσσαις σμερδαλέῃσι. καὶ ὀρχηστῆρες Ἐνυοῦς,

  Δικταῖοι Κορύβαντες ἐπεστρατόωντο κυδοιμῷ.

  [274] The warcries of the Cyclopes made Olympos ring with their terrible sounds; and the dancers of battle, the Dictaian Corybants, joined in the battle.

  Δαμνεὺς μὲν πολέμιξεν ἀνάρσια φῦλα δεώκων...

  ἐν πεδίῳ δ᾽ ἀλαλητός: ὀρινομένῃσι δὲ Βάκχαις

  Πρυμνεὺς εὔδιος ἦλθεν, ἅτε πρυμναῖος ἀήτης

  [277] Damneus fought and pursued the enemy tribes.... On the plain the warcry sounded. Prymneus succoured the excited Bacchant women, like a fair wind which blows astern and saves the mariner riding with the gales; full welcome he came to the army, as Polydeuces brings calm to buffeted ships when he puts to sleep the heavy billows of the galebreeding sea.

  ῥυόμενος πλωτῆρα συνιππεύοντα θυέλλαις:

  καὶ στρατεῇ πολύευκτος ἐπήλυθεν, οἷος ἱκάνει

  255 νηυσὶ τινασσομένῃσι γαληναῖος Πολυδεύκης,

  εὐνήσας βαρὺ κῦμα θυελλοτόκοιο θαλάσσης.

  ποσσὶ δ᾽ ἐλαφροτέροισι διεπτοίησε μαχητάς

  Ὠκύθοος: πολέας δὲ κατέκτανεν ὀξέι πότμῳ,

  280 τὸν μέν ἐνὶ σταδίῃ δαμάσας δορί, τὸν δὲ βελέμνῳ

  τηλεφανής, ἕτερον δὲ ταμών δασπλῆτι μαχαίρῃ:

  ἄλλον ἔτι προθέοντα, πεφυγμένον εἴκελον αὔραις,

  λυσσήεις ἐκίχησε ποδήνεμα γούνατα πάλλων,

  εἰς δρόμον Ἰσίκλῳ πανομοίιος, ὅς τις ἐπείγων

  285 ταρσὰ ποδῶν ὰβάτοιο κατέγραφεν ἄκρα γαλήνης,

  καὶ σταχύων ἐφύπερθε μετάρσιον εἶχε πορείην,

  ἀνθερίκων πάτον ἄκρον ἀκαμπέα ποσσὶν ὁδεύων.

  [278] Ocythoos with light quick step scared away the warriors. Many he slew with speedy fate, bringing down one with spear in stand-up fight, one with a shot at a distant view, cutting down another with horrid knife; another still running onwards and flying like to the breezes the furious pursuer caught, plying his knees and feet quick as the wind — as good a runner as Iphiclos, who used to skim the untrodden calm only touching the surface with the soles of his feet, and passed over a field of corn without bending the tops of the ears with his travelling footsteps. Ocythoos was like him windfooted.

  Ὠκύθοος πέλε τοῖος ἀελλόπος. ἐν δὲ κυδοιμοῖς

  εἰλιπόδην ἔστησε Μίμας εὔρυθμου Ἐνυώ,

  290 καὶ στρατὸν ἐπτοίησε, χοροίτυπον ἆορ ἐλίσσων,

  σκερθμὸν ἔχων ἀγέλαστον ἐνόπλιον ἴδμονι ταρσῷ,

  οἷον ὅτε Κρονίοισατ ὑπ᾽ οὔασι δοῦπον ἐηείρων

  Πύρριχος Ἰδαίοισι σάκος ξιφέεσσιν ἀράσσων

  ψευδομένης ἀλάλαζε μέλος μενεδήιον Ἠχοῦς,

  295 Ζηνὸς ὑποκλέπτων παλιναυξέος ἔγκρυφον ἥβην:

  τοῖον ἔχων μιμηλὸν ἐνόπλιον ἅλμα χορείης

  χαλκοχίτων ἐλέλιζε Μίμας ἀνεμώδεα λόγχην:

  τέμνων δ᾽ ἐχθπὰ κάρηνα, σιδήρεα λήια χάρμης,

  Ἰνδοφόνοις πελέκεσσι καὶ ἀμφιπλῆγι μαχαίρῃ

  300 δυσμενέων ἐτίταινε θαλύσια μάρτυρι Βάκχῳ,

  ἀντὶ θυηπολίης βοέης καὶ ἐθήμονος οἴνου

  λοιβὴν αἱματοεσσαν ἐπισπένδων Διονύσῳ.

  [288] Mimas was in the thick of the fray, making a dance of battle with woven paces and frightening the host, swinging a capering sword, the dancer-at-arms skipping in dead earnest with knowing leaps; as once the pyrrhic dance raised a noise in the ears of Cronos, and clanged sword on shield on Mount Ida, and rang out a valiant din to deceive the enemy, as he screened the stealthy nurture of growing Zeus. So mailclad Mimas brandished his spear in air in mimicry of the dance-at-arms, as he cut down the heads of his foes, an iron harvest of battle; so he offered the firstfruits of the enemy to witnessing Bacchos with Indianslaying axe and doublebiting sword; so he poured his libation of blood and gore to Dionysos, instead of the sacrifice of cattle and the wonted drinkoffering of wine.

  καὶ ποδὸς ἀσταθέος κυκλούμενος ἴδμονι ταρσῷ,

  310 σύνδρομος Ὠκυθόῳ κορυθαιόλος ἤιεν Ἄκμων:

  μάρνατο δ᾽ ἀστυφέλικτος ἄτε σφυρήλατος ἄκμων,

  ἀσπίδα κουφίζων Κορυβαντίδα, τῆς ἐνὶ μέσσῳ

  πολλάκις ὕπνον ἴαυεν ἐν οὔρεσι νημίαχος Ζεύς:

  καὶ Διὸς οἶκος ἔην ὀλίγον σπέος, ἔνθά ἑ κείνη

  315 αἴξ ἱερὴ γλαγόεντι νόθῳ μαιώσατο μαζῷ,

  ξεῖνον ἀναβλύζουσα σοφὸν γλάγος, εὖτε βοείη

  κλεψιτόκοις πατάγοισι σακέσπαλον ἔβρεμεν Ἠχώ,

  τυπτομένη μέσα νῶτα κυβιστητῆρι σιδήρῳ.

  ὧν χάριν ἀσκήσασα λίθον ψευδήμονα Ῥείη

  ἀντίδοτον Κρονέδαο Κρόνου παρέθηκε τραπέζῃ.

  [309] Beside Ocythoos, Acmon with brilliant helmet moved his restless circling feet in knowing leaps. He fought unshakable like the hammerbeaten anvil of his name, holding a Corybantic shield, which had often held in its hollow baby Zeus asleep among the mountains: yes, a little cave once was the home of Zeus, where that sacred goat played the nurse to him with her milky udder for a makeshift, and cleverly let him suck the strange milk, when the noise of shaken shields resounded beaten on the back with tumbling steel to hide the little child with their clanging. Their help allowed Rheia to wrap up that stone of deceit, and gave it to Cronos for a meal in place of Cronides.

  Ὀξυφαὴς δ᾽ Ἰδαῖος ἐδύσατο κῶμον Ἐνυοῦς,

>   ὀρχηστὴρ πολέμοιο πολύτροπον ἴχνος ἑλίσσων,

  305 ἄσχετος Ἰνδοφόνοιο μόθου δεδονημένος οἴστρῳ.

  [303] Sharpsighted Idaios entered the revels of war, that dancer of battle turning his intricate steps, incessantly shaken with the mad passion for Indian carnage.

  καὶ ζοφερὴν στίχα πᾶσαν ἀνεπτοίησε Μελισσεύς,

  θάρσος ἔχωυ ἀδόνητον: ἐπωνυμίην δὲ φυλάσσων

  φρικτὰ κορυσσομένης μιμήσατο κέντρα μελίσσης:

  καὶ βαλίου Κουρῆτος ἀκοντιστῆρα τιταίνων

  320 μάρμαρον ἀντιπόροιο Μελισσέος ἤμβροτε Μορρεύς,

  ἤμβροτεν: οὐ γὰρ ἔοικε μύλῳ Κορύβαντας ὀλέσσαι.

  [306] Melisseus also scared all the dusky host with boldness unshaken. True to his name,” he imitated the bee up in arms with her terrible sting. Morrheus hurled a hurtling stone against the quick Curetian who faced him, but he missed Melisseus, he missed him — for it is not seemly that a Corybant should be killed with a millstone.

  Ξυνὴν δ᾽ εἰς ἓν ἰόντες ὁμόζυγον εἶχον Ἐνυὼ

  325 Ἄρεος ὀρχηστῆρες ἀτερπἐος: ἀμφὶ δὲ δίφρῳ

  Δηριάδην στεφανηδὸν ἐμιτρώσαντο βοείαις

  τεύχεα πεπλήγοντες, ἐν εὐρύθμῳ δὲ κυδοιμῷ

  πύργον ἐκυκλώσαντο φεπρεσσακέεσσι χορείαις.

  ἠχὴ δ᾽ ἠερόφοιτος ἀνἐδραμεν εἰς Διὸς αὺλάς,

  330 καὶ κτύπον ἀμφοτέρων ἐπεδείδιον εὔποδες Ὧραι.

  [324] So the dancers of cruel war fought all together as one. Round the car of Deriades they gathered in a ring of shields, beating their armour, and surrounded the tower in rhythmic battle and shieldbearing dance. And the noise mounted through the air to the palace of Zeus, and the fairfooted Seasons trembled at the turmoil of both armies.

  BOOK 29

  εἰκοστῷ δ᾽ ἐνάτῳ πολέμων ἀποχάζεται Ἄρης,

  οἷά περ εὶς γάμον ἄλλον ἐπειγόμενος Κυθερείης.

  Ἥρη δ᾽ ὡς ἐνόησε δαϊζομένων στίχας Ἰνδῶν,

  δύαμαχου ἔμβαλε θάραος ἀγήνορι Δηριαδῆι.

  καὶ πλέον οἶστρον ἔρωτος ἐδέξατο δηιοτῆτος

  φρικτὸς ἄναξ: προμάχοις δὲ χέων λυσσώδεα φωνὴν

  5 κυανέην στοιχηδὸν ὅλην περιδέδρομε χάρμην.

  λαὸν ὅλον φεύγοντα παλίσσυτον εἰς μόθον ἕλκων,

  ἄλλον ἐνηείῃ μεταωεύμενος, ἄλλον ἀπειλῇ.

  καὶ θρασὺς ἔπλετο μᾶλλον: ὁμηγερέες δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ

  κεκλομένου βασιλῆος ἐπὶ κλόνον ἔρρεον Ἰνδοί.

  10 καὶ Σατύρων στίχα πᾶσαν ἑκηβόλος ἔσχισε Μορρεύς,

  πῇ μὲν ἐπ᾽ ἀντιβίοισιν ὀπροθοτόνων ἀπὸ τόξων

  πέμπων ἠερόφοιτον ἐπασσυτέρων νέφος ἰῶν,

  πῇ δὲ παλινδίνητον ἑὸν δόρυ θοῦρον ἑλίσσων

  Σειληνῶν κερόεσσαν ἀνεπτοίησε γενέθλην.

  BOOK XXIX

  In the twenty-ninth, Ares retreats from the battle, being urged to another wedding by Cythereia.

  WHEN Hera saw the companies of Indians being destroyed, she threw on proud Deriades courage invincible. The terrible king felt the pride of an intenser ardour for strife. He went about through the whole black army rank by rank, pouring forth his frenzied voice among the forefighters, and rallying all the fugitive host back into the fray, changing one man’s mind by gentle words, one by threats. He grew bolder still, and the Indians themselves recovered and rushed into battle at the summons of their king. Then farshooting Morrheus cut through the whole body of Satyrs: now he discharged a cloud of arrows through the air from his backbending bow against his adversaries; now he cast his furious spear again and again, and disordered the horned generation of Seilenoi.

  15 Εὐχαίτης δ᾽ Ὑμέναιος ἐμάρνατο φάογανα σείων,

  Θεσσσαλικῆς ἀκίχητος ὑπὲρ ῥάχιν ἥμενος ἵππου,

  Ἰνδοὺς κυανέους ῥοδοειδέι χειρὶ δαΐζων:

  ἀγλαΐῃ δ᾽ ἤστραπτεν: ἴδοις δέ μιν εἰς μέσον Ἰνδῶν

  Φωσφόρον αἰγλήεντα δυσειδέι σύνδρομον ὄρφνῃ:

  20 καὶ δηίους ἐφόβησεν, ἐπεί νύ οἱ εἵνεκα μορφῆς

  μαρναμένῳ Διόνυσος ἐνέπνεεν ἔνθεον ἀλκήν.

  [15] Longhaired Hymenaios fought swinging his sword, out of reach on the back of his Thessalian horse, and cut down black Indians with his rosy hand. He blazed in radiance: you might see him in the midst of the Indians, like the bright morning star against ugly darkness. He drove the enemy to flight, since for his beauty’s sake Dionysos inspired him fighting with strength divine.

  τὸν μὲν ἰδὼν Ἰόβακχος ἀριστεύοντα κυδοιμῷ

  τέρπετο, καὶ συνάεθλον ἑῆς οὐκ ἤθελε χάρμης

  ἀστεροπὴν Κρονίωνος, ὅσον μελίην Ὑμεναίου.

  25 εἴ ποτε πῶλον ἔλαυνεν ἀπόσσυτον εἰς μόθον Ἰνδῶν,

  δαιδαλέων Διόνυσος ἐμάστιεν αὐχένα θηρῶν,

  ἵππῳ δ᾽ ἅρμα πέλαζε παρ᾽ ἡβητῆρι θαμίζων,

  κοῦρον ἔχων, ἅτε Φοῖβος Ἀτύμνιον: ἵστατο δ᾽ αἰεὶ

  ἀγχιφανής, ἐρόεις δὲ καὶ ἄλκιμος εἰν ἑνὶ θεσμῷ

  30 ἠιθέῳ μενέαινε φανήμεναι: ἐν δὲ κυδοιμοῖς

  καὶ νεφέων ἔψαυε συναιχμάζων Ὑμεναίῳ.

  ἓν δέ ἑ μοῦνον ὄρινεν, ὅτι χθονίης ἀπὸ φύτλης

  υἱὸς ἔην Φλεγύαο, καἰ οὐ Κρονίδαο τοκῆος.

  καί οἱ ἀεὶ παρέμιμνε, πατὴρ ἅτε παῖδα φυλάσσων,

  35 δειμαίνων, ἵνα μή τις ἑκηβόλος ἰὸν ἰήλας

  κοῦρον ὀιστεύσειεν: ἐπερχομένων δὲ βολάων

  δεξιτερὴν ἐτίταινε προασπίζων Ὑμεναίου.

  καί οἱ ἀριστεύοντι τόσην ἐφθέγξατο φωνήν:

  [22] And Iobacchos was glad when he saw him a champion in the battle; he would not have chosen Cronion’s lightning for ally in his war rather than the ashplant of Hymenaios. If he drove his colt into the throng of escaping Indians, Dionysos flicked the neck of his motley wild beasts, and brought up his car to the horse; he kept close to the youth, and took him as his boy, as Phoibos with Atymnios. He was always to be seen by his side, and desired the youth to notice him as lovely and valiant at once; in the conflict he touched the clouds with pride to be Hymenaios’s comrade in arms. One thing only incensed him, that the boy’s father was earthborn Phlegyas and not Cronides. He was always near him, like a father guarding his son, for fear that some farshooter might let fly an arrow and hit the boy: as the shafts came, he held out his right hand to protect Hymenaios as with a shield. He encouraged th
e young champion with such words as these:

  ‘πέμπε βέλος, φίλε κοῦρε, καὶ οὐκέτι μαίνεται Ἄρης:

  40 κάλλεϊ Βάκχον ἔβαλλες ὀιστευτῆρα Γιγάντων,

  βάλλε τεοῖς βελέεσσι καὶ ἄφρονα Δηριαδῆα,

  δυσμενέων βασιλῆα θεημάχον, ὄφρά τις εἴπῃ:

  ‘ἀμφοτέρων ἐτύχησε βαλὼν Ὑμέναιος ὀιστῷ,

  εἰς χρόα Δηριάδαο καὶ εἰς κραδίην Διονύσου.’’

  [39] “Shoot your shot, dear boy, and Ares will cease to rage! Your beauty was the shot which hit Bacchos, whose arrows bring down the Giants. Shoot Deriades also with your shots, that foolish king of our enemies, that enemy of God; that men may say, ‘Hymenaios hit two marks with one arrow, the body of Deriades and the heart of Dionysos!’”

  45 ὣς φαμένου Βρομίοιο πολὺ πλέον ἥψατο χάρμης

  ἱμερόεις Ὑμέναιος ἑκηβόλος, ᾧ ἔπι χαίρων

  οἰστρήεις Διόνυσος ἐδύσατο μᾶλλον Ἐνυὼ

  καἰ ζοφερὴν προθέλυμνον ὅλην ἐφόβησε γενέθλην:

  καί τις ἰδὼν Διόνυσον ἀφειδέι λαίλαπι χάρμης

  50 Ἰνδῴων ἀκόρητον ὀιστευτῆρα καρήνων

  τοῖον ἔπος κατέλεξε φιλοκτεάνῳ Μελανῆι:

  [45] At this speech of Bromios, the lovely farshooter Hymenaios attacked the battle with more vigour than before; and Dionysos enamoured, rejoicing in him, rushed in with more fury and scattered the whole black nation out and out. One who saw Dionysos like a merciless tornado in the field, piercing Indian heads insatiate with his arrows, said something like this to avaricious Melaneus:

  ‘τοξότα, πῇ σέο τόξα καὶ ἠνεμόεντες ὀιστοί;

  ἡμέας ἁβροχίτωνες ὀιστεύουσι γυναῖκες.