Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  315 πάντοθι πυργωθεῖσαν ὑπωροφίοισιν ἀήταις:

  καὶ ποταμοὺς σκοπίαζε, καὶ ὀφρύας Ὠκεανοῖο

  ἂψ ἀνασειράζοντος ἑὸν ῥόον εἰς ἑὸν ὕδωρ.

  [307] “Already Lucifer was sparkling, that dewy star, and Phaethon rose traversing the eastern ambit, after his bath in the waters of Oceanos his grandsire. The bold driver of brilliant horses, running on high, scanned the heavens dotted with the company of the stars, girdled about by the seven Zones; he beheld the planets moving opposite, he saw the earth fixed in the middle like a centre, uplifted on tall cliffs and fortified on all sides by the winds in her caverns, he scanned the rivers, and the brows of Oceanos, driving back his own water into his own stream.

  ὄφρα μὲν ὄμμα τίταινεν ἐς αἰθέρα καὶ χύσιν ἄστρων

  καὶ χθονὸς αἰόλα φῦλα καὶ ἄστατα νῶτα θαλάσσης,

  320 παπταίνων ἑλικηδὸν ἀτέρμονος ἕδρανα κόσμου:

  τόφρα δὲ δινηθέντες ὑπὸ ζυγὸν αἴθοπες ἵπποι

  ζῳδιακοῦ παράμειβον ἐθήμονος ἄντυγα κύκλου.

  καὶ Φαέθων ἀδίδακτος, ἔχων πυρόεσσαν ἱμάσθλην,

  φαίνετο μαστίζων λόφον ἵππιον: οἱ δὲ μανέντες,

  325 κέντρον ὑποπτήσσοντες ἀφειδέος ἡνιοχῆος,

  ἀρχαίης ἀέκοντες ὑπὲρ βαλβῖδα κελεύθου

  ἀξονίην παρὰ νύσσαν ἀλήμονες ἔτρεχον ἵπποι,

  δεχνύμενοι κτύπον ἄλλον ἐθήμονος ἡνιοχῆος.

  καὶ Νότιον παρὰ τέρμα καὶ ἄρκτια νῶτα Βορῆος

  330 ἦν κλόνος. οὐρανίῳ δὲ παριστάμεναι πυλεῶνι

  ἀλλοφανὲς νόθον ἦμαρ ἐθάμβεον εὔποδες Ὧραι:

  ἔτρεμε δ᾽ ἠριγένεια: καὶ ἴαχε Φωσφόρος ἀστήρ:

  [318] “While he directed his eye to the upper air and the flood of stars, the diverse races of earth and the restless back of the sea, gazing round and round on the foundations of the infinite universe, the shining horses rolled along under the yoke over their usual course through the zodiac. Now inexperienced Phaethon with his fiery whip could be seen flogging the horses’ necks; they went wild shrinking under the goad of their merciless charioteer, and all unwilling they ran away over the limit of their ancient road beyond the mark of the zodiac, expecting a different call from their familiar driver. Then there was tumult along the bounds of the South and the back of the North Wind: the quickfoot Seasons at the celestial gate wondered at the strange and unreal day, Dawn trembled, and star Lucifer cried out.

  ‘πῇ φέρεαι, φίλε κοῦρε; τί μαίνεαι ἵππον ἐλαύνων;

  φείδεο σῆς μάστιγος ἀγήνορος: ἀμφοτέρων δὲ

  335 πλαζομένων πεφύλαξο καὶ ἀπλανέων χορὸν ἄστρων,

  μὴ θρασὺς Ὠρίων σε κατακτείνειε μαχαίρῃ,

  μὴ ῥοπάλῳ πυρόεντι γέρων πλήξειε Βοώτης,

  πλαγκτῆς δ᾽ ἱπποσύνης ἔτι φείδεο, μηδέ σε μακρῷ

  γαστέρι τυμβεύσειεν ἐν αἰθέρι Κῆτος Ὀλύμπου:

  340 μηδέ σε δαιτρεύσειε Λέων, ἢ Ταῦρος Ὀλύμπου

  αὐχένα κυρτώσας φλογερῇ πλήξειε κεραίῃ:

  ἅζεο Τοξευτῆρα, τιταινομένης ἀπὸ νευρῆς

  μή σε πυριγλώχινι κατακτείνειεν ὀιστῷ.

  μὴ χάος ἄλλο γένοιτο, καὶ αἰθέρος ἄστρα φανείη

  345 ἤματος ἱσταμένοιο, μεσημβρίζοντι δὲ δίφρῳ

  ἄστατος ἠριγένεια συναντήσειε Σελήνῃ:’

  [333] “‘Where are you hurrying, dear boy? Why have you gone mad with reins in your hand? Spare your headstrong lash! Beware of these two companies — both planets and company of fixed stars, lest bold Orion kill you with his knife, lest ancient Bootes hit you with fiery cudgel. Spare this wild driving, and let not the Olympian Whale entomb you in his belly in high heaven; let not the Lion tear you to pieces, or the Olympian Bull arch his neck and strike you with fiery horn! Respect the Archer, or he may kill you with a firebarbed arrow from his drawn bowstring. Let there not be a second chaos, and the stars of heaven appear at the rising day, or erratic Dawn meet Selene at noonday in her car!’

  ὣς φαμένου Φαέθων πλέον ἤλασεν, ἅρμα παρέλκων

  εἰς Νότον, εἰς Βορέην, Ζεφύρου σχεδόν, ἐγγύθεν Εὔρου.

  καὶ κλόνος αἰθέρος ἦεν, ἀκινήτοιο δὲ κόσμου

  350 ἁρμονίην ἐτίναξεν: ἐδοχμώθη δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς

  αἰθέρι δινήεντι μέσος τετορημένος ἄξων.

  καὶ μόγις αὐτοέλικτον ἐλαφρίζων πόλον ἄστρων

  ὀκλαδὸν ἐστήρικτο Λίβυς κυρτούμενος Ἄτλας,

  μείζονα φόρτον ἔχων: καὶ ἰσήμερον ἔκτοθεν Ἄρκτου

  355 κύκλον ἐπιξύων ἑλικώδεϊ γαστέρος ὁλκῷ

  σύνδρομος ἀστερόεντι Δράκων ἐπεσύρισε Ταύρῳ,

  καὶ Κυνὶ σειριάοντι Λέων βρυχήσατο λαιμῷ,

  αἰθέρα θερμαίνων μαλερῷ πυρί, καὶ θρασὺς ἔστη

  καρκίνον ὀκταπόδην κλονέων λασιότριχι παλμῷ:

  360 οὐρανίου δὲ Λέοντος ὀπισθιδίῳ παρὰ ταρσῷ

  παρθένον ἀγχικέλευθον ἐμάστιε δίψιος οὐρή:

  κούρη δὲ πτερόεσσα παραΐξασα Βοώτην

  ἄξονος ἐγγὺς ἵκανε καὶ ὡμίλησεν Ἁμάξῃ:

  καὶ δυτικὴν παρὰ νύσσαν ἀλήμονα φέγγεα πέμπων

  365 ἕσπερον ἀντικέλευθον Ἑωσφόρος ὤθεεν ἀστήρ:

  πλάζετο δ᾽ ἠριγένεια: καὶ ἠθάδος ἀντὶ Λαγωοῦ

  Σείριος αἰθαλόεις ἐδράξατο διψάδος Ἄρκτου:

  διχθὰ δὲ καλλείψαντες, ὁ μὲν Νότον, ὃς δὲ Βορῆα,

  ἰχθύες ἀστερόεντες ἐπεσκίρτησαν Ὀλύμπῳ,

  370 γείτονες Ὑδροχόοιο: κυβιστητῆρι δὲ παλμῷ

  σύνδρομος Αἰγοκερῆος, ἕλιξ ὠρχήσατο Δελφίς:

  καὶ Νοτίης ἑλικηδὸν ἀποπλαγχθέντα κελεύθου

  σκορπίον ἀγχικέλευθον, ἑῆς ψαύοντα μαχαίρης,

  ἔτρεμεν Ὠρίων καὶ ἐν ἄστρασι, μὴ βραδὺς ἕρπων

  375 ἄκρα ποδῶν ξύσειε τὸ δεύτερον ὀξέι κέντρῳ:

  καὶ σέλας ἡμιτέλεστον ἀποπτύουσα προσώπου

  ἀκροκελαινιόωσα μεσημβριὰς ἄνθορε Μήνη:

  οὐ γὰρ ὑποκλέπτουσα νόθον σέλας ἄρσενι πυρσῷ

  ἀντιπόρου Φαέθοντος ἀμέλγετο σύγγονον αἴγλην:

  380 πληιάδο�
� δὲ φάλαγγος ἕλιξ ἑπτάστερος ἠχὼ

  οὐρανὸν ἑπτάζωνον ἐπέβρεμε κυκλάδι φωνῇ:

  καὶ κτύπον αἰθύσσοντες ἰσηρίθμων ἀπὸ λαιμῶν

  ἀστέρες ἀντιθέοντες ἐβακχεύθησαν ἀλῆται:

  Ζῆνα μὲν ὤθεε Κύπρις, Ἄρης Κρόνον, εἰαρινῆς δὲ

  385 Πλειάδος ἐγγὺς ἵκανεν ἐμὸς μετανάστιος ἀστήρ,

  ἄστρασι δ᾽ ἑπταπόροις κεράσας ἐμφύλιον αἴγλην

  ἡμιφανὴς ἀνέτελλεν ἐμῇ παρὰ μητέρι Μαίῃ,

  ἅρματος οὐρανίοιο παράτροπος, ᾧ πέλεν αἰεὶ

  σύνδρομος ἢ προκέλευθος ἑώιος, ἑσπέριος δὲ

  390 ἠελίου δύνοντος ὀπίστερα φέγγεα πέμπει:

  καί μιν, ὅτε δρόμον ἶσον ἔχων ὶσόμοιρος ὁδεύει,

  ἠελίου κραδίην ἐπεφήμισαν ἴδμονες ἄστρων:

  καὶ δροσεραῖς νιφάδεσσι διάβροχον αὐχένα τείνων

  νυμφίος Εὐρώπης μυκήσατο Ταῦρος Ὀλύμπου,

  395 εἰς δρόμον ὀρθώσας πόδα καμπύλον: ὀξυτενὲς δὲ

  δοχμώσας Φαέθοντι κέρας λοξοῖο μετώπου

  οὐρανίην φλογερῇσιν ἐπέκτυπεν ἄντυγα χηλαῖς:

  καὶ θρασὺς ἐκ κολεοῖο παρήορον αἴθοπι μηρῷ

  Ὠρίων ξίφος εἷλκε: καλαύροπα πάλλε Βοώτης:

  400 καὶ ποδὸς ἀστραίοιο μετάρσια γούνατα πάλλων

  Πήγασος ἐχρεμέτιζε, καὶ αἰθύσσων πόλον ὁπλῇ

  ἡμιφανὴς Λίβυς ἵππος ἐπέτρεχε γείτονι Κύκνῳ,

  καὶ κοτέων πτερὰ πάλλεν, ὅπως πάλιν ἡνιοχῆα

  ἄλλον ἀκοντίσσειεν ἀπ᾽ αἰθέρος, οἶα καἰ αὐτὸν

  405 ἄντυγος οὐρανίης ἀπεσείσατο Βελλεροφόντην,

  οὐκέτι δ᾽ ὑψιπόροιο Βορειάδος ἐγγύθι νύσσης

  ἀλλήλων ἐχόρευον ἐπ᾽ ἰξύι κυκλάδες Ἄρκτοι,

  ἀλλὰ Νότῳ μίσγοντο, καὶ Ἑσπερίῃ παρὰ λίμνῃ

  ἄβροχον ἴχνος ἔλουσαν ἀήθεος Ὠκεανοῖο.

  [347] “As he spoke, Phaethon drove harder still, drawing his car aside to South, to North, close to the West, near to the East. There was tumult in the sky shaking the joints of the immovable universe: the very axle bent which runs through the middle of the revolving heavens. Libyan Atlas could hardly support the selfrolling firmament of stars, as he rested on his knees with bowed back under this greater burden. Now the Serpent scraped with his writhing belly the equator far away from the Bear, and hissed as he met with the starry Bull; the Lion roared out of his throat against the scorching Dog, heating the air with ravening fire, and stood boldly to attack the eight claws of the Crab with his shaggy hair bristling, while the heavenly Lion’s thirsty tail flogged the Virgin hard by his hind leg, and the winged Maiden darting past the Waggoner came near the pole and met the Wain. The Morning Star sent forth his straying light in the setting region of the West and pushed away the Evening Star who met him there. Dawn wandered about; blazing Sirius grabbed the thirsty Bear instead of his usual Hare. The two starry Fishes left one the South and one the North, and leapt in Olympos near Aquarius; the Dolphin danced in a ring and tumbled about with Capricorn. Scorpios also had wandered around from the southern path until he came near to Orion and touched his sword — Orion trembled even among the stars, lest he might creep up slowly and pierce his feet once again with a sharp sting. The Moon leapt up at midday, spitting off the half-completed light from her face and growing black on the surface, for she could no longer steal the counterfeit light from the male torch of Phaethon opposite and milk out his inborn flame. The sevenstar voices of the Pleiades rang circling round the sevenzone sky with echoing sound; the planets from as many throats raised an outcry and rushed wildly against them. Cypris pushed Zeus, Ares Cronos; my own wandering star approached the Pleiad of Spring, and mingling a kindred light with the seven stars he rose halfseen beside my mother Maia — he turned away from the heavenly chariot, beside which he always runs or before it in the morning, and in the evening when Helios sets he sends his following light, and because he keeps equal course with him and travels with equal portion, astronomers have named him the Sun’s Heart. Europa’s bridegroom the Olympian Bull bellowed, stretching his neck drenched with damp snowflakes; he raised a foot curved for a run, and inclining his head sideways with its sharp horn against Phaethon, stamped on the heavenly vault with fiery hooves. Bold Orion drew sword from sheath hanging by his glowing thigh; Bootes shook his cudgel; Pegasos neighed rearing and shaking the knees of his starry legs — halfseen the Libyan courser trod the firmament with his foot and galloped towards the Swan his neighbour, angrily flapping his wings, that again he might send another rider hurtling down from the sky as he had once thrown Bellerophontes himself out of the heavenly vault. No longer the circling Bears danced back to back beside the northern turningpost on high; but they passed to the south, and bathed their unwashen feet in the unfamiliar Ocean beside the western main.

  410 Ζεὺς δὲ πατὴρ Φαέθοντα κατεπρήνιξε κεραυνῷ

  ὑψόθεν αὐτοκύλιστον ὑπὲρ ῥόον Ἠριδανοῖο:

  δήσας δ᾽ ἁρμονίην παλινάγρετον ἥλικι δεσμῷ

  ἵππους Ἠελίῳ πάλιν ὤπασεν, αἰθέριον δὲ

  ἀντολίῃ πόρεν ἅρμα, καὶ ἀρχαίῃ παρὰ νύσσῃ

  415 ἀμφίπολοι Φαέθοντος ἐπέτρεχον εὔποδες Ὧραι.

  γαῖα δὲ πᾶσα γέλασσε τὸ δεύτερον: ἠερόθεν δὲ

  ζωοτόκου Διὸς ὄμβρος ὅλας ἐκάθηρεν ἀρούρας,

  καὶ διερῇ ῥαθάμιγγι κατέσβεσε πυρσόν ἀλήτην,

  ὅσσον ἐπὶ χθόνα πᾶσαν ἐριφλεγέων ἀπὸ λαιμῶν

  420 οὐρανόθεν χρεμέθοντες ἀπέπτυον αἴθοπες ἵπποι.

  Ἠέλιος δ᾽ ἀνέτελλε παλίνδρομον ἅρμα νομεύων:

  καὶ σπόρος ἠέξητο, πάλιν δ᾽ ἐγέλασσαν ἀλωαί.

  δεχνύμεναι προτέρην βιοτήσιον αἰθέρος αἴγλην.

  [410] “Then Father Zeus struck down Phaethon with a thunderbolt, and sent him rolling helplessly from on high into the stream of Eridanos. He fixed again the joints which held all together with their primeval union, gave back the horses to Helios, brought the heavenly chariot to the place of rising; and the agile Hours that attended upon Phaethon followed their ancient course. All the earth laughed again. Rain from lifebreeding Zeus cleared all the fields, and with moist showers quenched the wandering fires, all that the glowing horses had spat whinnying from their flaming throats out of the sky over all the earth. Helios rose driving his car on his road again; the crops grew, the orchards laughed again, receiving as of yore the life-giving warmth from the sky.

  Ζεὺς δὲ πατὴρ Φαέθοντα κατεστήριξεν Ὀλύμπῳ

  425 εἴκελον Ἡνιόχῳ καὶ ἐπώνυμον: οὐράνιον δὲ

  πήχεϊ μαρμαίροντι σελασφόρον Ἅρμα τιταίνων

  εἰ�
� δρόμον ἀίσσοντος ἔχει τύπον Ἡνιοχῆος,

  οἷα πάλιν ποθέων καὶ ἐν ἄστρασιν ἅρμα τοκῆος.

  καὶ ποταμὸς πυρίκαυτος ἀνήλυθεν εἰς πόλον ἄστρων

  430 Ζηνὸς ἐπαινήσαντος, ἐν ἀστερόεντι δὲ κύκλῳ

  Ἠριδανοῦ πυρόεντος ἑλίσσεται ἀγκύλον ὕδωρ.

  [424] “But Father Zeus fixed Phaethon in Olympos, like a Charioteer, and bearing that name. As he holds in the radiant Chariot of the heavens with shining arm, he has the shape of a Charioteer starting upon his course, as if even among the stars he longed again for his fathers car. The fire-scorched river also came up to the vault of the stars with consent of Zeus, and in the starry circle rolls the meandering stream of burning Eridanos.

  γνωταὶ δ᾽ ὠκυμόροιο δεδουπότος ἡνιοχῆος

  εἰς φυτὸν εἶδος ἄμειψαν, ὀδυρομένων δ᾽ ἀπὀ δένδρων

  ἀφνειὴν πετάλοισι κατασταλάουσιν ἐέρσην.

  [432] “But the sisters of the charioteer fallen to his early death changed their shape into trees, and from the weeping trees they distil precious dew out of their leaves.”

  BOOK 39

  Ἐν δὲ τριηκοστῷ ἐνάτῳ μετὰ κύματα λεύσσεις

  Δηριάδην φεύγοντα πυριφλεγέων στόλον Ἰνδῶν.

  BOOK XXXIX

  In the thirty-ninth, you see Deriades after the flood trying to desert the host of fire-blazing Indians.

  THIS story told, Hermes went into the heavens unapproachable, leaving joy and amazement to his brother Dionysos.

  ὣς εἰπὼν ἀκίχητος ἐς οὐρανὸν ἤλυθεν Ἑρμῆς,

  χάρμα λιπὼν καὶ θαῦμα κασιγνήτῳ Διονύσῳ.

  ὄφρα μὲν εὶσέτι Βάκχος ἀκοσμήτων χύσιν ἄστρων

  θάμβεε καὶ Φαέθοντα δεδουπότα, πῶς παρὰ Κελτοὺς