Works of Nonnus

by Nonnus

  ὑψινεφῆ κενεῶνα χαραδρήεντα κολάψας,

  35 αἰχμάζων σκοπέλοισιν ἐθωρήχθη Διονύσῳ:

  ὃς δὲ λόφον πετραῖον ἁλικρήπιδος ἀρούρης,

  ἄλλος ἁλιζώνοιο διαρρήξας ῥάχιν ἰσθμοῦ

  εἰς ἐνοπὴν ἔσπευδεν. ἀμετρήτοισι δ᾽ ἀγοστοῖς

  Πήλιον ὑψικάρηνον ἀνηκόντιζε Πελωρεὺς

  40 γυμνώσας Φιλύρης γλαφυρὸν δόμον: ἁρπαμένου δὲ

  ἀσκεπέος σκοπέλοιο γέρων ἐλελίζετο Χείρων,

  ἀνδροφυὴς ἀτέλεστος ὁμήλικι σύμπλοκος ἵππῳ.

  ἡμερίδων δὲ κόρυμβον ἔχων ὀλετῆρα Γιγάντων

  Βάκχος ἀερσιλόφοιο κατέτρεχεν Ἀλκυονῆος,

  45 οὐ δόρυ θοῦρον ἔχων, οὐ φοίνιον ἆορ ἀείρων,

  ἀλλὰ πολυσπερέας παλάμας ἐδάιξε Γιγάντων,

  αἰχμάζων ἑλίκεσσι: φιλακρήτῳ δὲ πετήλῳ

  φρικτὰ πεδοτρεφέων ἐδαΐζετο φῦλα δρακόντων:

  τυπτομένων δὲ Γίγαντος ἐχιδνοκόμων κεφαλάων

  50 αὐχένες ἀμηθέντες ἐπωρχήσαντο κονίῃ.

  κτείνετο δ᾽ ἄσπετα φῦλα: δαϊζομένων δὲ Γιγάντων

  αἵματος ἀενάου ποταμοὶ ῥέον, ἀρτιχύτοις δὲ

  πορφυρέοις ῥοθίοισιν ἐφοινίσσοντο χαράδραι.

  γηγενέων δὲ φάλαγγες ἐβακχεύοντο δρακόντων

  55 βόστρυχα δειμαίνοντες ἐχιδνοκόμου Διονύσου.

  [31] With these words she excited all the host of the Giants, and the battalions of the Earthborn set forth to war, one bearing a bulwark of Nysa, one who had sliced off with steel the flank of a cloud high precipice, each with these rocks for missiles armed him against Dionysos; one hastened to the conflict bearing the rocky hill of some land with its base in the brine, another with a reef torn from a brinegirt isthmus. Peloreus took up Pelion with high towering peak as a missile in his innumerable arms, and left the cave of Philyra bare: as the rocky roof of his cave was pulled off, old Cheiron quivered and shook, that figure of half a man growing into a comrade horse. But Bacchos held a bunch of giants bane vine, and ran at Alcyoneus with the mountain upraised in his hands: he wielded no furious lance, no deadly sword, but he struck with his bunch of tendrils and shore off the multitudinous hands of the Giants; the terrible swarms of ground bred serpents were shorn off by those tippling leaves, the Giants’ heads with those viper tresses were cut off and the severed necks danced in the dust. Tribes innumerable were destroyed; from the slain Giants ran everflowing rivers of blood, crimson torrents newly poured coloured the ravines red. The swarms of earthbred snakes ran wild with fear before the tresses of Dionysos viper-enwreathed.

  καὶ πυρὶ μάρνατο Βάκχος, ἐς ἠέρα δαλὸν ἰάλλων

  ἀντιβίων ὀλετῆρα: δι᾽ ὑψιπόρου δὲ κελεύθου

  Βακχιὰς αὐτοέλικτος ἐπέτρεχεν ἁλλομένη φλόξ,

  γυιοβόρῳ σπινθῆρι καταΐσσουσα Γιγάντων:

  60 καί τις ἀπειλητῆρι φέρων σέλας ἀνθερεῶνι

  ἡμιδαὴς σύριζε δράκων πυριθαλπέι λαιμῷ,

  καπνὸν ἀποπτύων, οὐ λοίγιον ἰὸν ἰάλλων.

  [56] Fire was also a weapon of Bacchos. He cast a torch in the air to destroy his adversaries: through the high paths ran the Bacchic flame leaping and curling over itself and shooting down corrosive sparks on the Giants’ limbs; and there was a serpent with a blaze in his threatening mouth, half-burnt and whistling with a firescorched throat, spitting out smoke instead of a spurt of deadly poison.

  καὶ κλόνος ἄσπετος ἦεν: ἐπ᾽ ἀντιβίων δὲ καρήνων

  Βάκχος ἀνῃώρητο μαχήμονα δαλὸν ἀείρων,

  65 καὶ χθονίῳ πρηστῆρι δέμας θέρμαινε Γιγάντων

  ἀντίτυπον μίμημα Διοβλήτοιο κεραυνοῦ:

  καὶ δαΐδες σελάγιζον: ἐπ᾽ Ἐγκελάδου δὲ καρήνῳ

  ἠέρα θερμαίνων ἐλελίζετο πυρσὸς ἀλήτης:

  ἀλλά μιν οὐκ ἐδάμασσε, καὶ οὐ χθονίου πυρὸς ἀτμῷ

  70 Ἐγκέλαδος γόνυ κάμψεν, ἐπεὶ πεφύλακτο κεραυνῷ.

  Ἀλκυονεὺς δ᾽ ἀπέλεθρος ἐπεσκίρτησε Λυαίῳ

  Θρηικίοις σκοπέλοις κεκορυθμένος: ἀμφὶ δὲ Βάκχῳ

  ὑψινεφῆ κούφιζε ῥάχιν δυσχείμονος Αἵμου

  εἰς σκοπὸν ἀχρήιστον, ἀνουτήτου Διονύσου:

  75 καὶ σκοπιὴν ἔρριψεν: ἐφαπτόμεναι δὲ Λυαίου

  νεβρίδος ἀρρήκτοιο διεσχίζοντο κολῶναι:

  Ἠμαθίης δὲ κάρηνα νέος γύμνωσε Τυφωεὺς

  ὑψιφανής, προτέρῳ πανομοίιος, ὅς ποτε πολλοὺς

  ῥωγαλέους κενεῶνας ἐκούφισε μητρὸς ἀρούρης,

  80 πετραίοις βελέεσσι καταιχμάζων Διονύσου.

  καί τινος ἀσπαίροντος ἐπὶ χθονὸς ἆορ ἐρύσσας

  Βάκχος ἄναξ κεκόρυστο Γιγαντείοισι καρήνοις,

  ἰοβόλων πλοκάμων ὀφιώδεα λήια κείρων:

  καὶ στρατὸν αὐτοτέλεστον ἀτευχέι χειρὶ δαΐζων

  85 μάρνατο λυσσήεις, χλοερῶν ἐπιβήτορα δένδρων

  κισσὸν ἔχων τανύφυλλον, ἀκοντιστῆρα Γιγάντων.

  [63] There was infinite tumult. Bacchos raised himself and lifted his fighting torch over the heads of his adversaries, and roasted the Giants’ bodies with a great conflagration, an image on earth of the thunderbolt cast by Zeus. The torches blazed: fire was rolling all over the head of Encelados and making the air hot, but it did not vanquish him — Encelados bent not his knee in the steam of the earthly fire, since he was reserved for a thunderbolt. Vast Alcyoneus leapt upon Lyaios armed with his Thracian crags; he lifted over Bacchos a cloud high peak of wintry Haimos — useless against that mark, Dionysos the invulnerable. He threw the cliff, but when the rocks touched the fawnskin of Lyaios, they could not tear it, and burst into splinters themselves. Typhoeus towering high had stript the mountains of Emathia (a younger Typhoeus in all parts like the older, who once had lifted many a rugged strip of his mother earth), and cast the rocky missiles at Dionysos. Lord Bacchos pulled away the sword of one that was gasping on the ground and attacked the Giants’ heads, cutting the snaky crop of poisonspitting hair; even without weapon he destroyed the selfmarshalled host, fighting furiously, and using the treeclimbing longleaf ivy to strike the Giants.

  καὶ νύ κε πάντας ἔπεφνεν ἑῷ ῥηξήνορι θύρσῳ,

  ἀλλὰ παλινδίνητος ἑκὼν ἀνεχάζετο χάρμης,

  δυσμενέας ζώοντας ἑῷ γενετῆρι φυλάσσων.

  [87] Indeed he would have slain all with his manbreaking thyrsus, if he had not retired of his own will out of the fray and left enemies alive fo
r his Father.

  90 καί νύ κεν εἰς Φρυγίην ταχὺς ἔδραμεν ὠκέι ταρσῷ,

  ἀλλά μιν ἄλλος ἄεθλος ἐρήτυεν, ὄφρα θανόντων

  τοσσατίων ἕνα φῶτα κατακτείνειε φονῆα

  Παλλήνης γενέτην θανατηφόρον, ὅς ποτε κούρης

  οἶστρον ἔχων ἀθέμιστον ἁμαρτιγάμων ὑμεναίων

  95 συζυγίην ἀνέκοπτεν, ἀμετρήτους δὲ δαΐζων

  μελλογάμους μνηστῆρας ἀπέθρισεν, ὧν ὑπὸ λύθρῳ

  κτεινομένων καναχηδὸν ἐφοινίσσοντο παλαῖστραι,

  εἰσόκε Βάκχος ἵκανε Δίκης πρόμος: ἀγχιγάμου δὲ

  Παλλήνης δυσέρωτι παριστάμενος γενετῆρι

  100 ῥιγεδανῆς ὑμέναιον ἀτάσθαλον ᾔτεε κούρης,

  ποικίλα δ᾽ ὤρεγε δῶρα: καὶ αἰτίζοντι Λυαίῳ

  φρικτὸς ἀνὴρ κήρυξε παλαισμοσύνην ὑμεναίων:

  καί μιν ἄγων ἐπέβησε κακοξείνοιο παλαίστρης,

  ὁππόθι τολμήεσσα δορυσσόος ἵστατο κούρη

  105 νυμφιδίην ὤμοισιν ἐλαφρίζουσα βοείην.

  [90] Then he would quickly have gone to Phrygia with speeding foot, but another task held him back; that after so many had died he might kill one murderous creature, Pallene’s deathdealing father. He once had an unlawful passion for his daughter; he used to thwart her marriage and hinder every match. Wooers innumerable who would have wed her he killed, a great harvest of them; the places of wrestling were noisy with their murders and red with their blood, until Bacchos came as the champion of Justice. There was Pallene, ever so near to wedlock, and her father full of unholy passion: Bacchos came near, and proposed to make the wicked match with his horrible daughter, offering all manner of gifts. To this request of Lyaios, the dreadful man declared how wrestling must win the bride. He led him into the place of contest, so ill-omened for strangers, where the audacious girl stood ready spear in hand bearing her bridal shield on her shoulders.

  καὶ τότε Κύπρις ἔην ἐναγώνιος: ἦν δ᾽ ἐνὶ μέσσῳ

  γυμνὸς Ἔρως καὶ στέμμα γαμήλιον ὤρεγε Βάκχῳ,

  ἦν δὲ παλαισμοσύνη νυμφοστόλος: ἀργυφέῳ δὲ

  ἁβρὸν ἀνεχλαίνωσεν ἑὸν δέμας εἵματι Πειθὼ

  110 νίκην μελλογάμοιο προθεσπίζουσα Λυαίου.

  καὶ βριαρῶν μελέων ἀπεδύσατο φάρεα κούρη,

  καὶ δόρυ θοῦρον ἔθηκε γαμήλιον, ἁβροτέρη δὲ

  Σιθονὶς ἀκρήδεμνος ἀσάμβαλος ἵστατο κούρη,

  θηλυφανής, ἀσίδηρος, ἐρευθιόωντι δὲ δεσμῷ

  115 ἀκλινέων τροχόεσσαν ἴτυν μιτρώσατο μαζῶν:

  καὶ δέμας ἀσκεπὲς ἦεν, ἀμετρήτων δὲ κομάων

  ἀπλεκέες πλοκαμῖδες ἐπέρρεον αὐχένι κούρης,

  καὶ κνήμας ἀνέφαινε καὶ ἀσκεπέων πτύχα μηρῶν

  γυμνῆς φαινομένης ἐπιγουνίδος: ἀμφὶ δὲ μηροῖς

  120 ἥρμοσε λευκὸν ὕφασμα, γυναικείης σκέπας αἰδοῦς:

  καὶ χρόα πιαλέῳ πεπαλαγμένον εἶχεν ἐλαίῳ

  καὶ παλάμας πολὺ μᾶλλον, ὅπως ἀλύτων ἀπὸ χειρῶν

  ὑγρὸν ὀλισθήσειε πιεζομένη χρόα κούρη.

  [106] Then Cypris presided over the ring. In the midst was Eros naked, holding out to Bacchos the bridal wreath. Wrestling was to win the bride: Peitho clad her delicate body in a silvery robe, foretelling victory for Lyaios’s wooing. The girl stript the clothes off her muscular limbs; she laid down the fierce wedding-spear. There stood the daughter of Sithon, daintier now, unshod, unveiled, unarmed, revealed a woman, but a red band girt the rounded curve of her firm breasts. Her body was uncovered, but for the long tresses of the abundant hair which flowed loose over the girl’s neck. Her legs were visible, and the curve of her thighs uncovered with the part above the knee bare, but a white wrap fitted close over the thighs to cover her nakedness. Her skin had been well rubbed with fat oil, and her arms more than all, that she might slip out easily if her body were pressed in a grasp too strong to loosen.

  καὶ βλοσυροῖς στομάτεσσιν ἀπειλήσασα Λυαίῳ

  125 νυμφοκόμῳ μνηστῆρι παρίστατο, διχθάδιον δὲ

  αὐχένι δεσμὸν ἔβαλλεν ὁμόζυγι πήχεος ὁλκῷ:

  ἀλλὰ παλινδίνητον ἑὴν ἀνελύσατο δειρὴν

  Βάκχος ἀπορρίψας ἁπαλόχροα δάκτυλα κούρης,

  δεσμοῖς θηλυτέροισι περίπλοκον αὐχένα σείων:

  130 καὶ διδύμας στεφανηδὸν ἐπ᾽ ἰξύι χεῖρας ἑλίξας

  Παλλήνην ἐτίναξε ποδῶν ἑτεραλκέι παλμῷ:

  καὶ ῥοδέης παλάμης ἐδράξατο, Κυπριδίην δὲ

  εἶχε παραιφασίην χιονώδεα χεῖρα πιέζων:

  οὐδὲ τόσον μενέαινεν ἐπὶ χθονὶ παῖδα κυλίνδειν,

  135 ὅσσον ἐπιψαύειν ἁπαλοῦ χροός, ἡδέι μόχθῳ

  τερπόμενος: καὶ ἔκαμνε δολοπλόκον ἄσθμα τιταίνων

  ὡς βροτός, ἀμβολίῃ δὲ θελήμονι κάλλιπε νίκην.

  Παλλήνη δ᾽ ἐρόεσσα πάλης τεχνήμονι παλμῷ

  θηλυτέραις παλάμῃσι δέμας κούφιζε Λυαίου:

  140 οὐδέ μιν ἠέρταζε, τόσον βάρος, ἀλλὰ καμοῦσα

  ἄρσενα γυῖα λέλοιπεν ἀκινήτου Διονύσου.

  καὶ θεὸς ἀντιτύπῳ περιδέσμιον ἅμματι χειρῶν

  παρθενικὴν ἐρόεσσαν ἑλών, ἅτε θύρσον ἀείρων,

  δόχμιον ἀμφιέλικτον ἐκούφισεν ὑψόθεν ὤμου:

  145 χειρὶ δὲ φειδομένῃ βριαρὴν ἀπεσείσατο κούρην,

  Παλλήνην δ᾽ ἀτίνακτον ὅλην ἐτανύσσατο γαίῃ:

  καὶ δολίοις βλεφάροισιν ἑὴν ἐλέλιζεν ὀπωπήν,

  κούρης ἁβροκόμου κεκονιμένα γυῖα δοκεύων

  καὶ πλοκάμους ῥυπόωντας ἀκηδέστοιο καρήνου.

  [124] She came up to Lyaios her eager wooer with rough threatening words, and threw her two arms with a swing linking them round his neck; Bacchos just threw back his neck with the woman’s fetters about it, and shook it loose again, throwing off the girl’s tender fingers. Then he put his two arms round her waist like a girdle, and shook her from side to side by movements of his feet. He grasped a rosy palm, and felt comfort for his love as he squeezed the snow white hand. He did not wish so much to give the maid a throw as to touch the soft flesh, entranced with his delightful task; he used all his guile, panting with labouring breath, as if he were a mortal, delaying victory on purpose. Lovely Pallene tried a trick of the ring to lift the body of Lyaios, but her woman’s arms were not equ
al to raise that great weight; she tired, and let go the masculine limbs of Dionysos immovable. Then the god took a like hold of the lovely girl, and joining his two arms about his adversary lifted her as if she were his own wand, and threw her aslant round and over his shoulder; then with gentle hand swung off the sturdy girl and laid her at full length quiet on the ground. He let his eyes furtively wander, scanning the limbs of the girl covered with her glorious hair in the dust, the luxurious tresses of the untidy head dabbled in dirt.

  150 ἀλλὰ παλινδίνητος ἀναΐξασα κονίης

  ὄρθιος ἐστήριξε τὸ δεύτερον ἴχνια κούρη:

  καὶ τροχαλῇ Διόνυσος ἀφειδέι γούνατος ὁρμῇ

  γαστέρα Παλλήνης κρατέων ἑτεραλκέι παλμῷ

  παρθενικὴν μενέαινεν ὑπὲρ δαπέδοιο κυλίνδειν,

  155 καὶ παλάμας μετέθηκεν ἐπὶ πλευροῖσιν ἑλίξας

  αὐχένα κυρτώσας ἐπικάρσιον, ἀμφὶ δὲ νώτῳ

  μεσσατίῳ κύκλωσεν ὀπίστερα δάκτυλα κάμψας,

  ἢ σφυρὸν ἢ κνήμην δεδοκημένος ἢ γόνυ μάρψειν.

  καὶ θεὸς αὐτοκύλιστος ἑκούσιος ἤριπε γαίῃ

  160 οὐτιδανῇ παλάμῃ νικώμενος: ἱμερόεν δὲ

  φάρμακον ἔσχεν ἔρωτος, ἐνὶ γλυκερῇ δὲ κονίῃ

  κουφίζων ἐρόεις ἐπὶ νηδύι φόρτον Ἐρώτων

  ὕπτιος αὐτὸς ἔμιμνε, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεσείσατο κούρην.

  ἀλλά μιν ἐσφήκωσε πόθου φρενοθελγέι δεσμῷ.

  165 ἡ δὲ ταχυστροφάλιγγι ποδῶν νωμήτορι παλμῷ

  ἴχνιον ᾐώρησεν, ἐρωμανέος δὲ Λυαίου

  ἄρσενα λύσατο χεῖρα: θεὸς δ᾽ ὑπ᾽ ὀλίζονι ῥιπῇ