Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  [15] The noise of the raw cowhide resounded over the mountains, and reached the ears of irreconcilable Pentheus. The impious king was angry with winegod Bacchos, and he armed a hostile host, calling to the people to bar the portals of the sevenway city. One by one they were shut, but the locks of the gates suddenly opened of themselves: in vain the servants resisted the winds of heaven and set the long bars at each gate. Then no gatewarden could check a Bacchant if he saw her; but shielded spearmen trembled before old Seilenoi unarmed — disregarding often the threats of their clamouring king, they danced with singlethroated acclaim; with their well-made oxhides they danced the round in shieldshaking leaps, the very picture of the noisy Corybants. Terrible bears growled madly in the hills, the panther gnashed her teeth and leapt high in the air, the lion in playful sport gave a gentle roar to his comrade lioness.

  35 ἤδη δ᾽ αὐτοέλικτος ἐσείετο Πενθέος αὐλὴ

  ἀκλινέων σφαιρηδὸν ἀναΐσσουσα θεμέθλων:

  καὶ πυλεὼν δεδόνητο θορὼν ἐνοσίχθονι παλμῷ,

  πήματος ἐσσομένοιο προάγγελος: αὐτόματος δὲ

  λάινος Ὀγκαίης ἐλελίζετο βωμὸς Ἀθήνης,

  40 ὅν ποτε Κάδμος ἔδειμεν, ὅτε βραδυπειθέι ῥιπῇ

  μόσχου πυργοδόμοιο φερέπτολις ὤκλασε χηλή:

  ἀμφὶ δὲ θεῖον ἄγαλμα πολισσούχοιο θεαίνης

  αὐτομάτῃ ῥαθάμιγγι θεόσσυτος ἔβλυεν ἱδρὼς

  δεῖμα φέρων ναέτῃσι: καὶ ἐκ ποδὸς ἄχρι καρήνου

  45 ἄγγελος ἐσσομένων βρέτας Ἄρεος ἔρρεε λύθρῳ.

  [35] Already the palace of Pentheus began of itself to tremble and quake, and started from its immovable foundations all about; the gatehouse quivered and sprang up with earthshaking throbs, foretelling the trouble to come. The stone altar of Oncaian Athena tottered of itself, that which Cadmos had built, when with slow-convincing movement the heifer’s hoof sank, to bid him build a wall and found a city; over the divine image of the cityholding goddess, godsent sweat beaded in drops of itself, bringing fear to the people — from head to foot the statue of Ares ran with gore, telling of things to come.

  καὶ ναέται δεδόνηντο: φόβῳ δ᾽ ἐλελίζετο μήτηρ

  Πενθέος αὐχήεντος, ἐβακχεύθη δὲ μενοινῇ,

  μνησαμένη προτέροιο δαφοινήεντος ὀνείρου

  πικρὰ προθεσπίζοντος, ἐπεὶ πάρος ὑψόθι λέκτρων

  50 ἐξ ὅτε κοιρανίην πατρώιον ἥρπασε Πενθεύς,

  πάννυχον ὑπναλέοις ὀάροις εὕδουσαν Ἀγαύην

  φάσματα μιμηλοῖο διεπτοίησεν ὀνείρου,

  ἀπλανέος θρῴσκοντα δι᾽ εὐκεράου πυλεῶνος:

  ἔλπετο γὰρ Πενθῆα χοροίτυπον ἁβρὸν ὁδίτην

  55 ἄρσενα κοσμήσαντα γυναικείῳ χρόα πέπλῳ

  ῥῖψαι πορφυρόνωτον ἐπὶ χθόνα φᾶρος ἀνάκτων,

  θύρσον ἐλαφρίζοντα καὶ οὐ σκήπτροιο φορῆα:

  καί μιν ἰδεῖν ἐδόκησε πάλιν Καδμηὶς Ἀγαύη

  ἑζόμενον σκιεροῖο μετάρσιον ὑψόθι δένδρου:

  60 καὶ φυτὸν ὑψικάρηνον, ὅπῃ θρασὺς ἕζετο Πενθεύς,

  θῆρες ἐκυκλώσαντο, καὶ ἄγριον εἶχον ἐρωὴν

  δένδρον ἀπειλητῆρι μετοχλίζοντες ὀδόντι,

  τρηχαλέαις γενύεσσι: τινασσομένοιο δὲ δένδρου

  κύμβαχος αὐτοκύλιστος ἕλιξ δινεύετο Πενθεύς,

  65 καί μιν ἐδηλήσαντο δεδουπότα λυσσάδες ἄρκτοι:

  ἀγροτέρη δὲ λέαινα καταΐσσουσα προσώπου

  πρυμνόθεν ἔσπασε χεῖρα, καὶ ἄσχετα μαινομένη θὴρ

  ἡμιτόμου Πενθῆος ἐρεισαμένη πόδα λαιμῷ

  θηγαλέοις ὀνύχεσσι διέθρισεν ἀνθερεῶνα,

  70 αἱμαλέον δὲ κάρηνον ἐκούφισεν ἅρπαγι ταρσῷ

  οἰκτρὰ δαϊζομένου, καὶ ἐδείκνυε μάρτυρι Κάδμῳ

  παλλομένη, βροτέην δ᾽ ἀλιτήμονα ῥήξατο φωνήν:

  [46] The inhabitants also were shaken. The mother of boastful Pentheus quivered with fear, mad with anxiety, remembering that bloody dream of old with its prophecy of bitterness; how once, after Pentheus had seized his father’s sovereignty, Agaue slumbering on her bed had been terrified all night in her sleep, when the unreal phantom of a dream had leapt through the Gate of Horn which never deceives, and whispered in her sleepy ear. For she thought she saw Pentheus a dainty dancer on the road, his manly form dressed up in a woman’s robe, throwing to the ground the purple robe of kings, bearing the sceptre no longer but holding a thyrsus. Again, Cadmeian Agaue thought she saw him perched high up in a shady tree; round the lofty trunk where sat bold Pentheus was a circle of wild beasts, furiously pushing to root up the tree with the dangerous teeth of their hard jaws. The tree shook, and Pentheus came tumbling over and over of himself, and when he dumped down, mad she-bears tore him; a wild lioness leapt in his face and tore out an arm from the joint — then the mad raging monster set one paw on the throat of Pentheus cut in two, and tore through his gullet with her sharp claws, and lifted the bloody head in her ferocious paw piteously lacerated, and showed it to Cadmos, who saw it all, swinging it about as she spoke in human voice these wicked words:

  ‘Εἰμὶ τεὴ θυγάτηρ θηροκτόνος: εἰμὶ δὲ μήτηρ

  Πενθέος ὀλβίστοιο, τεὴ φιλότεκνος Ἀγαύη.

  75 τηλίκον ὤλεσα θῆρα: λεοντοφόνοιο δὲ νίκης

  δέχνυσο τοῦτο κάρηνον ἐμῆς πρωτάγριον ἀλκῆς:

  τηλίκον οὔ ποτε θῆρα κατέκτανε σύγγονος Ἰνώ,

  οὐ κτάνεν Αὐτονόη: σὺ δὲ σύμβολα παιδὸς Ἀγαύης

  πῆξον ἀριστοπόνοιο τεοῦ προπάροιθε μελάθρου.’

  [73] “I am your daughter, the slayer of wild beasts! I am the mother of Pentheus, happiest of men, your Agaue, the loving mother! See what a beast I have killed! Accept this head, the firstfruits of my valour, after victorious slaughter of the lion. Such a beast Ino my sister never slew, Autonoe never slew. Hang up before your hall this keepsake from Agaue your doughty daughter.”

  80 τοῖον ὄναρ βλοσυρωπὸν ὑπόχλοος εἶδεν Ἀγαύη.

  ἔνθεν ἐριπτοίητος ἀπωσαμένη πτερὸν Ὕπνου,

  ὀρθρινὴ καλέσασα θεηγόρον υἷα Χαρικλοῦς,

  μάντιας ἐσσομένων φονίους ἐδίδαξεν ὀνείρους:

  Τειρεσίας δ᾽ ἐκέλευσε θεοπρόπος ἄρσενα ῥέξαι

  85 ταῦρον, ἀοσσητῆρα δαφοινήεντος ὀνείρου,

  Ζηνὸς ἀλεξικάκοιο θεοκλήτῳ παρὰ βωμῷ,

  μηκεδανῆς ἐλάτης παρὰ δένδρεον, ἧχι Κιθαιρὼν

  πέπταται ὑψικάρηνος: Ἁμαδρυάδεσσι δὲ Νύμφαις

  θῆλυν �
��ιν σήμαινε θυηπολέειν παρὰ λόχμῃ.

  90 ἔγνω δ᾽ ἔμφρονα θῆρα καὶ ἀγρώσσουσαν Ἀγαύην

  γαστρὸς ἑῆς ὠδῖνα καὶ ὠλεσίτεκνον ἀγῶνα

  καὶ κεφαλὴν Πενθῆος: ἐν ἀφθόγγῳ δὲ σιωπῇ

  κρύψεν ὀνειρείης ἀπατήλιον εἰκόνα νίκης,

  Πενθέα μὴ βαρύμηνιν ἑὸν βασιλῆα χαλέψῃ.

  95 πειθομένη δὲ γέροντι σοφῷ φιλότεκνος Ἀγαύη

  εἰς ὄρος ὑψικάρηνον ὁμόστολος ἤιε Κάδμῳ

  Πενθέος ἑσπομένοιο: καὶ εὐκεράῳ παρὰ βωμῷ

  θῆλυν ὄιν κερόεντι συνέμπορον ἄρσενι ταύρῳ,

  ἧχι Διὸς πέλεν ἄλσος ὀρειάδος ἔμπλεον ὕλης,

  100 Ζηνὶ καὶ Ἁδρυάδεσσι μίαν ξύνωσε θυηλὴν

  Κάδμος Ἀγηνορίδης, θεοτερπέα βωμὸν ἀνάψας,

  ῥέζων ἀμφοτέροισιν: ἀναπτομένοιο δὲ πυρσοῦ

  κνίση μὲν περίφοιτος ἕλιξ συνενήχετο καπνῷ

  εὐόδμῳ στροφάλιγγι, δαϊζομένου δ᾽ ἄρα ταύρου

  105 ὄρθιος αἱμαλέης αὐτόσσυτος αὐλὸς ἐέρσης

  χεῖρας ἐρευθιόωντι φόνῳ πόρφυρεν Ἀγαύης ...

  αὐχένιον δὲ τένοντα πέριξ στεφανηδὸν ἑλίξας

  οἰδαλέην ἐπίκυρτον ἑὴν δοχμώσατο δειρὴν

  μείλιχος εἱλικόεντι δράκων μιτρούμενος ὁλκῷ,

  110 στέμματι δ᾽ ὁλκαίῳ κεφαλὴν κυκλώσατο Κάδμου

  πρηῢς ὄφις, καὶ γλῶσσα πέριξ λίχμαζεν ὑπήνην

  μειλιχίων φίλον ἰὸν ἀποπτύουσα γενείων

  οἰγομένων: καὶ θῆλυς ὄφις μιτρώσατο κόρσην

  Ἁρμονίης ξανθοῖσι περιπλεχθεῖσα κορύμβοις.

  115 καὶ διδύμων ὀφίων πετρώσατο γυῖα Κρονίων,

  ὅττι παρ᾽ Ἰλλυρικοῖο δρακοντοβότου στόμα πόντου

  Ἁρμονίη καὶ Κάδμος ἀμειβομένοιο προσώπου

  λαϊνέην ἤμελλον ἔχειν ὀφιώδεα μορφήν.

  καὶ φόβον ἄλλον ἔχουσα μετὰ προτέρου φόβον ὕπνου

  νόστιμος εἰς δόμον ἦλθε σὺν υἱέι καὶ γενετῆρι.

  [80] Such was the horrible vision that pale Agaue saw. Then after she had shaken off sleep’s wing, trembling with terror, in the morning she called in the seer, Chariclo’s son, and revealed to him her dream, the bloody prophecy of things to come. Teireisias the diviner bade her sacrifice a male bull to help against the bloody dream, at the altar where men call upon Zeus the Protector, beside the trunk of a tall pinetree where Cithairon spreads his lofty head; he told her to offer a female sheep to the Hamadryad Nymphs in the thicket. He knew the beast as human, he knew Agaue hunting the fruit of her own womb, the struggle that killed her son, the head of Pentheus; but he concealed in wordless silence the deceptive vision of victory in the dream, that he might not provoke the heavy wrath of Pentheus his king. Agaue the tender mother obeyed the wise old man, and went to the lofty hill together with Cadmos while Pentheus followed. At the horns of the altar Cadmos Agenorides made one common sacrifice to Zeus and the Hadryads, female and male together, sheep and horned bull, where stood the grove of Zeus full of mountain trees; he lit the fire on the altar to do pleasure to the gods, and did sacrifice to both. When the flame was kindled, the rich savour was spread abroad with the smoke in fragrant rings. When the bull was slaughtered, a jet of bloody dew spouted straight up of itself and stained the hands of Agaue with red blood.... A serpent crept with its coils, surrounding the throat of Cadmos like a garland, twining and trailing a crooked swollen collar about it in a lacing circle but doing no harm — the gentle creature crept round his head like a trailing chaplet, and his tongue licked his chin all over dribbling the friendly poison from open mouth, quite harmless; a female snake girdled the temples of Harmonia like a wreath of clusters in her yellow hair. Then Cronion turned the bodies of both snakes into stone, because Harmonia and Cadmos were destined to change their appearance and to assume the form of stone snakes, at the mouth of the snakebreeding Illyrian gulf. Then Agaue returned home with her son and her father, having a new fear besides the fear of the dream.

  τοῖον ἴδεν ποτὲ φάσμα, καὶ ὀμφήεντος ὀνείρου

  120 μνησαμένη δεδόνητο φόβῳ φιλότεκνος Ἀγαύῃ.

  [119] Such was the vision which Agaue had seen, and remembering this ominous dream the fond mother was shaken with fear.

  ἤδη δ᾽ ἑπταπόροιο δι᾽ ἄστεος ἵπτατο Φήμη

  ὄργια κηρύσσουσα χοροπλεκέος Διονύσου:

  125 οὐδέ τις ἦν ἀχόρευτος ἀνὰ πτόλιν: ἀγρονόμων δὲ

  εἰαρινοῖς πετάλοισιν ἐμιτρώθησαν ἀγυιαί:

  καὶ θάλαμον Σεμέλης χλοερῷ σκιόωσα κορύμβῳ

  νυμφιδίου σπινθῆρος ἔτι πνείοντα κεραυνοῦ

  αὐτοφυὴς ἐμέθυσσεν ἕλιξ εὐώδεϊ καρπῷ.

  130 φρικτὰ δὲ παπταίνων πολυειδέα θαύματα Βάκχου,

  ζῆλον ἔχων ὑπέροπλον, ἄναξ κυμαίνετο Πενθεύς:

  καὶ κενεῆς προχέων ὑπερήνορα κόμπον ἀπειλῆς

  τοῖον ἔπος δμώεσσιν ἀτάσθαλος ἴαχε Πενθεύς:

  [123] Already Rumour was flying about the sevengated city proclaiming the rites of danceweaving Dionysos. No one there was throughout the city who would not dance. The streets were garlanded with spring leafage by the country people. The chamber of Semele, still breathing sparks of the marriage thunders, was shaded by selfgrowing bunches of green leaves which intoxicated the place with sweet odours. King Pentheus swelled with arrogance and jealousy to see the terrible wonders of Bacchos in so many shapes. Then Pentheus uttered proud boasts and empty threats to his servants in these insulting words:

  ‘Λυδὸν ἐμὸν θεράποντα κομίσσατε, θῆλυν ἀλήτην,

  135 δαινυμένου Πενθῆος ὑποδρηστῆρα τραπέζης,

  οἰνοδόκῳ ποτὸν ἄλλον διαστάζοντα κυπέλλῳ,

  ἢ γλάγος ἢ γλυκὺ χεῦμα : κασιγνήτην δὲ τεκούσης

  Αὐτονόην πληγῇσιν ἀμοιβαίῃσιν ἱμάσσω,

  καὶ πλοκάμους τμήξωμεν ἀκερσικόμου Διονύσου:

  140 κύμβαλα δ᾽ ἠχήεντα διαρρίψαντες ἀήταις

  καὶ πάταγον Βερέκυντα καὶ Εὔια τύμπανα Ῥείης

  ἕλκετε Βασσαρίδας μανιώδεας, ἕλκετε Βάκχας,

  ἀμφιπόλους Βρομίοιο συνήλυδας, ἃς ἐνὶ Θήβῃ

  Ἰσμηνοῦ διεροῖσιν ἀκοντίζοντες ἐναύλοις

  145 Νηίδας Ἀονίαις ποταμηίσι μίξατε Νύμφαις

  145 ἥλικας, Ἁδρυάδας δὲ γέρων δέξαιτο Κιθαιρὼν

  ἄλλαις Ἁδρυάδεσσι
ν ὁμόζυγας ἀντὶ Δυαίου.

  ἄξατε πῦρ, θεράποντες, ἐπεὶ ποινήτορι θεσμῷ,

  ἐκ πυρὸς εἰ πέλε Βάκχος, ἐγὼ πυρὶ Βάκχον ὀπάσσω:

  150 Ζεὺς Σεμέλην ἐδάμασσεν, ἐγὼ Διόνυσον ὀλέσσω.

  εἰ δέ κε πειρήσαιτο καὶ ἡμετέροιο κεραυνοῦ,

  γνώσεται, οἷον ἔχω χθόνιον σέλας: οὐρανίου γὰρ

  θερμοτέρους σπινθῆρας ἐμὸν λάχεν ἀντίτυπον πῦρ:

  σήμερον αἰθαλόεντα τὸν ἀμπελόεντα τελέσσω.

  155 εἰ δὲ μόθον στήσειε μαχήμονα θύρσον ἀείρων,

  γνώσεται, οἷον ἔχω χθόνιον δόρυ: καί μιν ὀλέσσω,

  οὐ ποδός, οὐ λαγόνων, οὐ στήθεος, οὐ κενεώνων,

  ὠτειλὴν μεθέποντα: καὶ οὐ βουπλῆγι δαΐξω

  κυρτὰ βοοκραίροιο κεράατα δισσὰ μετώπου,

  160 οὐδὲ διατμήξω μέσον αὐχένος: ἀλλά ἑ τύψω

  ἔγχεϊ χαλκείῳ τετορημένον εἰς πτύχα μηροῦ,

  ὅττι Διὸς μεγάλοιο γονὴν ἐψεύσατο μηροῦ

  καὶ πόλον ὡς ἑὸν οἶκον: ἐγὼ δέ μιν ἀντὶ μελάθρου

  ἀντὶ Διός πυλεῶνος ἐνέρτερον Ἄιδι πέμψω,

  165 ἠέ μιν αὐτοκύλιστον ἀλυσκάζοντα καλύψω

  κύμασιν Ἰσμηνοῖο, καὶ οὐ χρέος ἐστὶ θαλάσσης.

  [134] “Bring here my Lydian slave, that womanish vagabond, to serve the table of Pentheus at his dinner; let him fill his winebeaker with some other drink, milk or some sweet liquor; I will flog my mother’s sister Autonoe with retributive strokes of my hands, and we will crop the uncropt locks of Dionysos. Throw to the winds his tinkling cymbals, and the Berecyntian din and Euian tambourines of Rheia. Drag hither the mad Bassarids, drag the Bacchants hither, the handmaids who attend on Bromios — hurl them into the watery beds of Ismenos here in Thebes, mingle the Naiads with the Aonian river nymphs their mates, let old Cithairon receive Hadryads to join his own Hadryads instead of Lyaios. Bring fire, men, for by the law of vengeance I will throw Bacchos into the fire, if he came out of the fire: Zeus tamed Semele, I will destroy Dionysos! If he would like to try my thunder also, he shall learn what fire I have from earth! For my fire has hotter sparks to match the heavenly fire. To-day I will make the viny one a scorchy one! If he lift his thyrsus and give battle, he shall learn what kind of a spear I have from earth. I will destroy him without a wound in foot or flank, breast or belly! I will not cut off the two crooked horns from his bullhorned head with a poleaxe, I will not cut through his neck: I will pierce the fork of his thigh with a blow from a spear of bronze, because of his lies about the thigh of great Zeus, and heaven as his home. Instead of the palace of Zeus, instead of his gatehouse, I will send him down to Hades, or make him roll himself helpless into the waves of Ismenos to hide — we can do without the sea!