by Nonnus
265 Ἰλισσοῦ δὲ ῥέεθρα μελίρρυτα Βάκχος ἐάσας
ἁβρὸς ἐς ἀμπελόεσσαν ἐκώμασεν ἄντυγα Νάξου:
ἀμφὶ δέ μιν πτερὰ πάλλεν Ἔρως θρασύς, ἐρχομένου δὲ
μελλογάμου Κυθέρεια προηγεμόνευε Λυαίου.
ἄρτι γὰρ ὑπνώουσαν ἐπ᾽ αἰγιαλοῖσιν ἐάσας
270 παρθενικὴν λιπόπατριν ἀμείλιχος ἔπλεε Θησεύς,
συνθεσίας δ᾽ ἀνέμοισιν ἐπέτρεπεν. ὑπναλέην δὲ
ἀθρήσας Διόνυσος ἐρημαίην Ἀριάδνην
θαύματι μῖξεν ἔρωτα: χοροπλεκέεσσι δὲ Βάκχαις
γλώσσῃ θαμβαλέῃ πεφυλαγμένον ἔννεπε μῦθον:
[265] Now Bacchos left the honeyflowing streams of Ilissos, and went in dainty revel to the vineclad district of Naxos. About him bold Eros beat his wings, and Cythereia led, before the coming of Lyaios the bridegroom. For Theseus had just sailed away, and left without pity the banished maiden asleep on the shore, scattering his promises to the winds. When Dionysos beheld deserted Ariadne sleeping, he mingled love with wonder, and spoke out his admiration cautiously to the danceweaving Bacchants:
275 ‘Βασσαρίδες, μὴ ῥόπτρα τινάξατε, μὴ κτύπος ἔστω
ἢ ποδὸς ἢ σύριγγος: ἐάσατε Κύπριν ἰαύειν:
ἀλλ᾽ οὐ κεστὸν ἔχει σημάντορα Κυπρογενείης.
πείθομαι, ὡς δολόεντι Χάρις νυμφεύεται Ὕπνῳ:
ἀλλ᾽ ἐπεὶ ὄρθρος ἔλαμψε καὶ ἐγγύθι φαίνεται Ἠώς,
280 Πασιθέην εὕδουσαν ἐγείρατε: τίς παρὰ Νάξῳ,
τίς Χάριν ἐχλαίνωσεν ἀνείμονα; μὴ πέλεν Ἥβη;
ἀλλὰ δέπας μακάρων τίνι κάλλιπε; μῆ παρὰ πόντῳ
κέκλιται αἰγλήεσσα βοῶν ἐλάτειρα Σελήνη;
καὶ πόθεν Ἐνδυμίωνος ἐθήμονος ἐκτός ἰαύει;
285 μὴ Θέτιν ἀργυρόπεζαν ἐπ᾽ αἰγιαλοῖσι δοκεύω;
ἀλλ᾽ οὐ γυμνὸν ἔχει ῥοδόεν δέμας. εἰ θέμις εἰπεῖν,
Ναξιὰς ἰοχέαιρα πόνων ἀμπαύεται ἄγρης,
θηροφόνους ἱδρῶτας ἀποσμήξασα θαλάσσῃ:
τίκτει γὰρ γλυκὺν ὕπνον ἀεὶ πόνος: ἀλλ᾽ ἐνὶ λόχμῃ
290 Ἄρτεμιν ἑλκεχίτωνα τίς ἔδρακε; μίμνετε, Βάκχαι.
στῆθι, Μάρων: μῆ δεῦρο χορεύσατε: λῆγε λιγαίνων,
Πὰν φίλε, μὴ σκεδάσειας ἑώιον ὕπνον Ἀθήνης:
καὶ τίνι Παλλὰς ἔλειπεν ἑὸν δόρυ; καὶ τίς ἀείρει
χαλκείην τρυφάλειαν ἢ αἰγίδα Τριτογενείης;’
[275] “Bassarids, shake not your tambours, let there be no sound of pipes or feet. Let Cypris rest! — But she has not the cestus which marks the Cyprian. I believe it is the Grace that wedded Hypnos, cunning creature! But since dawn is bright and morning seems near, awaken sleeping Pasithea. But who has given a dress to the naked Grace in Naxos, who? Is it Hebe? But to whom has she left the goblet of the Blessed? Can this be Selene, that bright driver of cattle, lying on the seashore? Then how can she be sleeping apart from her inseparable Endymion? Is it silverfoot Thetis I see on the strand? No, it is not naked, that rosy form. If I may dare to say so, it is the Archeress resting here in Naxos from her labours of the hunt, now she has wiped off in the sea the sweat of hunting and slaying. For hard work always brings sweet sleep. But who has seen Artemis in the woods in long robes? Stay, Bacchants — stand still, Maron — dance not this way, stop singing, dear Pan, that you may not disturb the morning sleep of Athena. No — with whom did Pallas leave her spear? and who bears the bronze helmet or aegis of Tritogeneia?”
295 τοῖα μέν ἔννεπε Βάκχος: ἀπὸ ψαμάθοιο δέ δειλὴ
ὕπνον ἀποσκεδάσασα δυσίμερος ἔγρετο κούρη,
καὶ στόλον οὐκ ἐνόησε καἰ οὐ πόσιν ἠπεροπῆα:
ἀλλὰ σὺν ἀλκυόνεσσι Κυδωνιὰς ἔστενε νύμφη
ἠιόνας μεθέπουσα, βαρύβρομον ἕδνον Ἐρώτων:
300 ἠίθεον δ᾽ ὀνόμηνεν: ἐμαίνετο δ᾽ ἐγγύθι πόντου
ὁλκάδα διζομένη: φθονερῷ δ᾽ ἐπεμήνιεν ὕπνῳ,
καὶ Παφίης πολὺ μᾶλλον ἐμέμφετο μητρὶ θαλάσσῃ:
καὶ Βορέην ἱκέτευε, καὶ ὅρκιον εἶπεν ἀήτην,
ὅρκιον Ὠρείθυιαν, ὅπως πάλιν εἰς χθόνα Νάξου
305 κοῦρον ἄγοι, γλυκερὴν δὲ τὸ δεύτερον ὁλκάδα λεύσσῃ:
Αἰόλον ᾔτεε μᾶλλον ἀθελγέα: λισσομένῃ δὲ
πείθετο καὶ κατένευσε, καὶ ἀντικέλευθον ἀήτην
πέμψεν, ἵνα πνεύσειε: ποθοβλήτοιο δὲ κούρης
οὐ Βορέης ἀλέγιζε δυσίμερος: ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐταὶ
310 παρθενικῇ κοτέοντο τάχα ζηλήμονες αὖραι,
αἳ τότε νῆα κόμισσαν ἐς Ἀτθίδα. παρθενικήν δὲ
αὐτὸς Ἔρως θάμβησεν, ἀπενθήτῳ δ᾽ ἐνὶ Νάξῳ
εἰσιδέειν ἐδόκησεν ὀδυρομένην Ἀφροδίτην:
ἦν δὲ φαεινοτέρη καὶ ἐν ἄλγεσι, καί μιν ἀνίη
315 ἀχνυμένην κόσμησε: κινυρομένῃ δ᾽ Ἀριάδνῃ
εἴκαθεν εἰς κρίσιν ἦκα φιλομμειδὴς Ἀφροδίτη
ἱμερόεν γελόωσα, καὶ εἴκαθεν ὄμματα Πειθοῦς
καὶ Χαρίτων καὶ Ἔρωτος ἐπήρατα δάκρυσι κούρης.
ὀψὲ δὲ δακρυόεσσα τόσην ἐφθέγξατο φωνήν:
[295] So cried Bacchos — Sleep flew away, the poor lovelorn girl scattered sleep, awoke and rose from the sand, and she saw no fleet, no husband — the deceiver! But the Cydonian maiden lamented with the kingfishers, and paced the heavy murmuring shore which was all that the Loves had given her. She called on the young man’s name, madly she sought his vessel along the seaside, scolded the envious sleep, reproached even more the Paphian’s mother, the sea; she prayed to Boreas and adjured the wind, adjured Oreithyia to bring back the boy to the land of Naxos and to let her see that sweet ship again. She besought hardhearted Aiolos yet more; he heard her prayer and obeyed, sending a contrary wind to blow, but Boreas lovelorn himself cared nothing for the maid stricken with desire — yes, even the breezes themselves must have had a spite against the maiden when they carried the ship to the Athenian land. Eros himself admired the maiden, and thought he saw Aphrodite lamenting in Naxos where all is joy. She was even more resplendent in her grief, and pain was a grace to the sorrower. Compare the two, and Aphrodite gently smiling and laughing with love must give place to Ariadne in sorrow, the delectable eyes of Peitho or the Graces or Love himself must yield to the maiden’s tears. At last in her tears she found voice to speak thus:
320 ‘Ὕπνος ἐμοὶ γλυκὺς ἦλθεν, ἕως γλυκὺς ᾤχετο
Θησεύς:
αἴθε με τερπομένην ἔτι κάλλιπεν: ὑπναλέη δὲ
Κεκροπίην ἐνόησα, καὶ ἔνδοθι Θησέος αὐλῆς
ἁβρὸς ἔην ὑμέναιος ἀειδομένης Ἀριάδνης
καὶ χορός, ἡμετέρη δ᾽ ἐπεκόσμεε τερπομένη χεὶρ
325 εἰαρινοῖς πετάλοισι τεθηλότα βωμὸν Ἐρώτων:
καὶ γάμιον στέφος εἶχον: ἔην δέ μοι ἐγγύθι Θησεὺς
εἵμασι νυμφιδίοισι θυηπολέων Ἀφροδίτῃ.
ὤμοι, ποῖον ὄνειρον ἴδον γλυκύν: ἀλλά με φεύγων
ᾤχετο καλλείψας ἔτι παρθένον: ἵλαθι, Πειθώ:
330 ταῦτά μοι ἀχλυόεσσα γαμοστόλος ὤπασεν ὀρφνή,
καὶ φθονερὴ τάδε πάντα φαεσφόρος ἥρπασεν Ἠώς:
ἐγρομένη δ᾽ οὐχ εὗρον ἐμὸν πόθον: ἦ ῥα καὶ αὐταὶ
εἰκόνες ἀντιτύπων ζηλήμονές εἰσιν Ἐρώτων,
ὅττι τελεσσιγάμων ἀπατήλιον ὄψιν ὀνείρων
335 ἱμερτὴν ἐνόησα, καἰ ἱμερόεις φύγε Θησεύς;
[320] “Sweet sleep came to me, when sweet Theseus left me. Would that I had been still happy when he left me! But in my sleep I saw the land of Cecrops; in the palace of Theseus was a splendid wedding and dance with songs for Ariadne, and my happy hand was adorning the Loves’ blooming altar with luxuriant spring flowers. And I wore a bridal wreath; Theseus was beside me in wedding garments, sacrificing to Aphrodite. Alas, what a sweet dream I saw! But now it is gone, and I am left here yet virgin. Forgive me, Peitho! All this bridal pomp the misty darkness marshalled for me, all this the envious dawn of day has torn from me — and awaking I found not my heart’s desire! Are the very images of Love and Love Returned jealous of me? for I saw a delightful vision of marriage accomplished in a deceitful dream, and lovely Theseus was gone.
εἰς ἐμὲ καὶ φίλος Ὕπνος ἀνάρσιος: εἴπατε, πέτραι,
εἴπατέ μοι δυσέρωτι: τίς ἥρπασεν ἀστὸν Ἀθήνης;
εἰ Βορέης πνεύσειεν, ἐς Ὠρείθυιαν ἱκάνω:
ἀλλά μοι Ὠρείθυια χολώεται, ὅττι καἰ αὐτὴ
340 αἷμα φέρει Μαραθῶνος, ὅθεν φίλος ἔπλετο Θησεύς.
εἰ Ζέφυρος κλονέει, Ζεφυρηίδι δείξατε νύμφῃ
ἴριδι μητρὶ Πόθοιο βιαζομένην Ἀριάδνην:
εἰ Νότος, εἰ θρασὺς Εὖρος, ἐς ἠριγένειαν ἱκάνω
μεμφομένη ῥοθίων ἀνέμων δυσέρωτι τεκούσῃ.
[336] “To me, even kind Sleep is cruel. Tell me, ye rocks, tell the unhappy lover — who stole the man of Athens? If it should be Boreas blowing, I appeal to Oreithyia: but Oreithyia hates me, because she also has the blood of Marathon, whence beloved Theseus came. If Zephyros torments me, tell Iris the bride of Zephyros and mother of Desire, to behold Ariadne maltreated. If it is Notos, if bold Euros, I appeal to Eos and reproach the mother of the blustering winds, lovelorn herself.
345 δὸς κενεὴν πάλιν, Ὕπνε, φίλην χάριν, ἶσον ἐκείνῳ
πέμπων ἄλλον ὄνειρον ἐπήρατον, ὄφρα νοήσω
Κύπριδος ὑπναλέης γλυκερὴν ἀπατήλιον εὐνήν:
μοῦνον ἐμοῖς δήθυνον ἐπ᾽ ὄμμασιν, ὄφρα νοήσω
ἄπνοον οἶστρον Ἔρωτος ὀνειρείων ὑμεναίων.
350 εἰ μὲν ἐς Ἀτθίδα γαῖαν, ἐπίκλοπε νυμφίε Θησεῦ,
σὸν πλόον ἐκ Νάξοιο μετήγαγον ἅρπαγες αὖραι,
εἰπέ μοι εἰρομένῃ, καὶ ἐς Αἰόλον αὐτίκα βαίνω
μεμφομένη φθονεροῖσι καὶ οὐχ ὁσίοισιν ἀήταις:
εἰ δέ με τὴν λιπόπατριν ἐρημάδι πάρθετο Νάξῳ,
355 καὶ σέθεν ἀγνώσσοντος ἀμείλιχος ἔπλεε ναύτης,
ἤλιτεν εἰς Θησῆα καὶ εἰς Θέμιν, εἰς Ἀριάδνην:
μηκέτι ναυτίλος οὗτος ἴδοι ποτὲ πομπὸν ἀήτην,
μηδέ μιν ἀσταθέεσσι συνιππεύοντα θυέλλαις
ἵλαος ἀθρήσειε γαληναῖος Μελικέρτης:
360 ἀλλὰ Νότος πνεύσειεν, ὅτε χρέος ἐστὶ Βορῆος:
εὖρον ἴδοι Ζεφύρου κεχρημένος: εἰαρινοὶ δὲ
ποντοπόροις ὅτε πᾶσιν ἐπιπνείουσιν ἀῆται,
χειμερίῃ τότε μοῦνος ὁμιλήσειε θαλάσσῃ.
[345] “Give me again, Sleep, your empty boon, so pleasant; send me another delectable dream like that, so that I may know the sweet bed of love in a deceptive dream! Only linger upon my eyes, that I may know the unreal passion of married love in a dream! O Theseus my treacherous bridegroom, if the marauding winds have carried your course from Naxos to the Athenian land, tell me now I ask, and I will resort to Aiolos at once reproaching the jealous and wicked winds. But if some cruel seaman without your knowledge left me outlawed in desert Naxos, and sailed away, he sinned against Theseus and against Themis, against Ariadne. May that sailor never see a favourable wind; if he rides the raging storm, may Melicertes never look on him graciously or bring him a calm sea; but may Notos blow when he wants Boreas, may he see Euros when he needs Zephyros; when the winds of springtime blow upon all mariners, may he alone meet with a wintry sea.
ἤλιτε ναυτίλος οὗτος ἀθέσμιος: ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ
365 ἀασάμην ποθέουσα σαόφρονος ἀστὸν Ἀθήνης.
αἴθέ μιν οὐκ ἐπόθησα δυσίμερος: εἰς Παφίην γὰρ
ὁππόσον ἱμερόεις, τόσον ἄγριος ἔπλετο Θησεύς:
οὐ τάδε μοι κατέλεξεν ἐμὸν μίτον εἰσέτι πάλλων:
οὐ τάδε μοι κατέλεξε παρ᾽ ἡμετέρῳ λαβυρίνθῳ.
370 αἴθέ μιν ἔκτανε ταῦρος ἀμείλιχος: ἴσχεο, φωνή,
ἀφροσύνης, μὴ κτεῖνε νέον γλυκύν: ὤμοι Ἐρώτων:
Θησεὺς ἔπλεε μοῦνος ἐς εὐώδινας Ἀθήνας.
οἶδα, πόθεν με λέλοιπε: μιῆς τάχα παρθενικάων
σύμπλοον ἔσχεν ἔρωτα, καὶ ἐν Μαραθῶνι χορεύει
375 εἰς ἑτέρης γάμον ἄλλον, ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἔτι Νάξον ὁδεύω.
παστὸς ἐμὸς πέλε Νάξος, ἐπίκλοπε νυμφίε Θησεῦ:
ὤλεσα καὶ γενέτην καὶ νυμφίον: ὤμοι Ἐρώτων:
οὐχ ὁρόω Μίνωα, καὶ οὐ Θησῆα δοκεύω:
Κνωσσὸν ἐμὴν προλέλοιπα, τεὰς δ᾽ οὐκ εἶδον Ἀθήνας:
380 πατρὸς ἐνοσφίσθην καὶ πατρίδος: ἆ μέγα δειλή,
ἕδνον ἐμῆς φιλότητος ὕδωρ ἁλός: εἰς τίνα φεύγω;
τίς θεὸς ἁρπάξει με καὶ εἰς Μαραθῶνα κομίσσει
Κύπριδι καὶ Θησῆι δικαζομ�
�νην Ἀριάδνην;
τίς με λαβὼν κομίσειε δι᾽ οἴδματος; αἴθε καὶ αὐτὴ
385 ἡμετέρης μίτον ἄλλον ἴδω πομπῆα κελεύθου:
τοῖον ἔχειν ἐθέλω καὶ ἐγὼ μίτον, ὥς κεν ἀλύξω
Αἰγαίης ἁλός οἶδμα καὶ εἰς Μαραθῶνα περήσω,
ὄφρα περιπτύξω σε, καὶ εἰ στυγέεις Ἀριάδνην,
ὄφρα περιπτύξω σε τὸν ὁρκαπάτην παρακοίτην.
390 δέξό με σῶν λεχέων θαλαμηπόλον, ἢν ἐθελήσῃς:
καὶ στορέσω σέο λέκτρα... μετὰ Κρήτην Ἀριάδνη,
οἷά τε ληισθεῖσα: καὶ ὀλβίστῃ σέο νύμφῃ
τλήσομαι, ὡς θεράπαινα, πολύκροτον ἱστὸν ὑφαίνειν
καὶ φθονεροῖς ὤμοισιν ἀήθεα κάλπιν ἀείρειν,
395 καὶ γλυκερῷ Θησῆι φέρειν ἐπιδόρπιον ὕδωρ:
μοῦνον ἴδω Θησῆα: καὶ ἡμετέρη ποτὲ μήτηρ
ἀγρονόμοις θήτευε, καὶ αὐχένα κάμψε νομῆι,
βοσκομένῳ δ᾽ ὀάριζεν ἀφωνήτῳ τινὶ ταύρῳ,
καὶ βοῒ ταῦρον ἔτικτε: μελιζομένου δὲ βοτῆρος
400 πηκτίδος οὐ πόθον ἔσχεν, ὅσον μυκηθμὸν ἀκούειν.
οὐ μὲν ἐγὼ ψαύσαιμι καλαύροπος, οὐ παρὰ φάτνῃ
στήσομαι: ἡμετέρης δὲ παρέσσομαι ἐγγὺς ἀνάσσης
φθεγγομένῳ Θησῆι, καὶ οὐ μυκηθμὸν ἀκούσω: