Delphi Complete Works of Callimachus Page 3

  [170] But when the nymphs encircle thee in the dance, near the springs of Egyptian Inopus31 or Pitane32 – for Pitane too is thine – or in Limnae33 or where, goddess, thou camest from Scythia to dwell, in Alae Araphenides,34 renouncing the rites of the Tauri,35 then may not my kine cleave a four-acred36 fallow field for a wage at the hand of an alien ploughman; else surely lame and weary of neck would they come to the byre, yea even were they of Stymphaean37 breed, nine38 years of age, drawing by the horns; which kine are far the best for cleaving a deep furrow; for the god Helios never passes by that beauteous dance, but stays his car to gaze upon the sight, and the lights of day are lengthened.

  [183] Which now of islands, what hill finds most favour with thee? What haven? What city? Which of the nymphs dost thou love above the rest, and what heroines hast thou taken for thy companions? Say, goddess, thou to me, and I will sing thy saying to others. Of islands, Doliche39 hath found favour with thee, of cities Perge,40 of hills Taygeton,41 the havens of Euripus. And beyond others thou lovest the nymph of Gortyn, Britomartis,42 slayer of stags, the goodly archer; for love of whom was Minos of old distraught and roamed the hills of Crete. And the nymph would hide herself now under the shaggy oaks and anon in the low meadows. And for nine months he roamed over crag and cliff and made not an end of pursuing, until, all but caught, she leapt into the sea from the top of a cliff and fell into the nets of fishermen which saved her. Whence in after days the Cydonians call the nymph the Lady of the Nets (Dictyna) and the hill whence the nymph leaped they call the hill of Nets (Dictaeon), and there they set up altars and do sacrifice. And the garland on that day is pine or mastich, but the hands touch not the myrtle. For when she was in flight, a myrtle branch became entangled in the maiden’s robes; wherefore she was greatly angered against the myrtle. Upis,43 O Queen, fair-faced Bringer of Light, thee too the Cretans name after that nymph.

  [206] Yea and Cyrene thou madest thy comrade, to whom on a time thyself didst give two hunting dogs, with whom the maiden daughter of Hypseus44 beside the Iolcian tomb45 won the prize. And the fair-haired wife46 of Cephalus, son of Deioneus, O Lady, thou madest thy fellow in the chase; and fair Anticleia,47 they say, thou dist love even as thine own eyes. These were the first who wore the gallant bow and arrow-holding quivers on their shoulders; their right shoulders bore the quiver strap,48 and always the right breast showed bare. Further thou dist greatly commend swift-footed Atalanta,49 the slayer of boars, daughter of Arcadian Iasius, and taught her hunting with dogs and good archery. They that were called to hunt the boar of Calydon find no fault with her; for the tokens of victory came into Arcadia which still holds the tusks of the beast. Nor do I deem that Hylaeus50 and foolish Rhoecus, for all their hate, in Hades slight her archery. For the loins, with whose blood the height of Maenalus flowed, will not abet the falsehood.

  [225] Lady of many shrines, of many cities, hail! Goddess of the Tunic,51 sojourner in Miletus; for thee did Neleus52 make his Guide,53 when he put off with his ships from the land of Cecrops.54 Lady of Chesion55 and of Imbrasus,56 throned57 in the highest, to thee in thy shrine did Agamemnon dedicate the rudder of his ship, a charm against ill weather,58 when thou didst bind the winds for him, what time the Achaean ships sailed to vex the cities of the Teucri, wroth for Rhamnusian59 Helen.

  [233] For thee surely Proetus60 established two shrines, one of Artemis of Maidenhood for that thou dist gather for him his maiden daughters,61 when they were wandering over the Azanian62 hills; the other he founded in Lusa63 to Artemis the Gentle,64 because thou tookest from his daughters the spirit of wildness. For thee, too, the Amazons, whose mind is set on war, in Ephesus beside the sea established an image beneath an oak trunk, and Hippo65 performed a holy rite for thee, and they themselves, O Upis Queen, around the image danced a war-dance – first in shields and armour, and again in a circle arraying a spacious choir. And the loud pipes thereto piped shrill accompaniment, that they might foot the dance together (for not yet did they pierce the bones of the fawn, Athena’s handiwork,66 a bane to the deer). And the echo reached unto Sardis and to the Berecynthian67 range. And they with their feet beat loudly and therewith their quivers rattled.

  [248] And afterwards around that image was raised a shrine of broad foundations. That it shall dawn behold nothing more divine, naught richer. Easily would it outdo Pytho. Wherefore in this madness insolent Lygdamis threatened that he would lay it waste, and brought against it a host of Cimmerians68 which milk mares, in number as the sand; who have their homes hard by the Straits69 of the cow, daughter of Inachus. Ah! foolish among kings, how greatly he sinned! For not destined to return again to Scythia was either he or any other of those whose wagons stood in the Caystrian70 plain; for thy shafts are ever more set as a defence before Ephesus.

  [258] O Lady of Munychia,71 Watcher of Harbours, hail, Lady of Pherae!72 Let none disparage Artemis. For Oeneus73 dishonoured her altar and no pleasant struggles came upon his city. Nor let any content with her in shooting of stags or in archery. For the son74 of Atreus vaunted him not that he suffered small requital. Neither let any woo the Maiden; for not Otus, nor Orion wooed her to their own good. Nor let any shun the yearly dance; for not tearless to Hippo75 was her refusal to dance around the altar. Hail, great queen, and graciously greet my song.

  ENDNOTES

  1 phôsphoros is one of the titles of Artemis; cf. v. 204, Eur. Iphi. in T. 21.

  2 See note on v. 225.

  3 Amnisus, river in Crete. Cf. Apoll. Rhod. iii. 877 ff.

  4 Artemis in one aspect is Eileithyia = Lucina. She is said to have been born before Apollo and to have assisted at his birth. Hence her birthday was put on the 6th of Thargelion (Diog. L. ii. 44), while Apollo was born on the 7th. (W. Schmidt, Geburstag im Altertum, p. 94.)

  5 Hence her title enodia, A. P. vi. 199.

  6 As goddess of mariners she is called Euporia, Limenitis etc. So Nêossoos, Apoll. Rh. i. 570.

  7 River near Cnossus in Crete, Strabo 476.

  8 Sicily.

  9 Corsica.

  10 It is hard to determine the sense of amboladis. The schol. says ek diadochês, i.e. in succession or alternately. The same difficulty attaches to amblêdên and amboladên, which the scholiasts interpret usually as either = apopooimiou or as = “by spurts” (e.g. Pind. N. x. 62, where among other explanations in the scholia one is ouk ephexês, i.e. not continuously). The combination of amboladên with zeiô in Hom. Il. xxi. 364, Herod. iv. 181 might suggest that here to amboladis should be taken with zeionta in the sense of “sputtering,” but the order of words is against that.

  11 kechrêmenos of MSS. is probably correct. This participle in late poetry is used in the vaguest way to indicate any sort of condition.

  12 optêria, ta hyper tou idein dôra (schol.), were gifts given on seeing for the first time a new-born child (schol. Aesch. Eum. 7; Nonn. v. 139). Very similar is the birthday-gift proper, the dosis genethlios or gegethlia. Ta epi tê prôtê hêmera dôra (Hesych.). Phoebe gave the oracle at Delphi as a birthday gift to Phoebus. More usually optêria = anakaluptêria, gifts given to the bride by the bridegroom on seeing her for the first time; Pollux ii. 59 optêria ta dôra ta para tou proton idontos tên numphên numphiou didomena. Cf. iii. 36 ta de para tou andros didomena edna kai optêria kai anakaluptêria . . . kai prosphthegktêria ekaloun. Moeris 205. 24 optêria Attikôs, anakaluptêria Hellênikôs.

  13 The three Cyclopes, sons of Gaia, were Brontes, Steropes, Arges (Hesiod, Th. 140).

  14 i.e. Cretan, cf. Stat. Th. iv. 269 “Cydonea harundine,” vii. 339 “Cydoneas sagittas.”

  15 Mountain in Arcadia.

  16 Cf. Homer H. Pan 39.

  17The ancients differed as to whether pêgos meant black or white (Hesych. s.vv. pêgos and pêgesimallô).

  18 It is by no means certain that the MSS. parouatious is wrong, “with hanging ears.” Parouaious is based upon Hesych. s.v v. parôas, parôos, Aelian. H.A. viii. 12 cf. Arist. H.A. ix. 45, Dem. De cor. 260. Should we read Parauaious, i.e. Molossian?

&n
bsp; 19 au eruontes, common in Oppian and Nonnus, is apparently a misunderstanding of the Homeric aueruontes (= anaferuontes).

  20 Arcadian, cf. Stat. Th. iv. 295 “dives Cynosura ferarum.”

  21 Oppian, Cyneg. iii. 511 f.

  22 Oppian, ibid. 391 ff.

  23 Apollodor. ii. 5. 3 “The third labour which he (Eurystheus) imposed on him (Heracles) was to bring the Cerynean hind (Kerunitin elaphon) to Mycenae alive. This was a hind . . . with golden horns, sacred to Artemis.” Cf. Pind. O. iii. 29.

  24 einateres = wives whose husbands are brothers; galiô = wife and sister(s) of one man. (Hom. Il. vi. 378) Gercke, Rh. Mus. xlii (1887), p. 273 ff., sees an allusion to Arsinoë I. and Arsinoë II.

  25 Cf. the Homeric epithet of Hermes, Akakêta, Il. xvi. 185, etc.

  26 Heracles, as son of Amphitryon son of Alcaeus. According to Apollodor. ii. 4. 12, Alcides was the original name of Heracles, the latter name having been bestowed upon him by the Pythian priestess when he consulted the oracle after he had gone into exile for the murder of his children. Heracles asked the oracle where he should dwell and he was told to settle in Tiryns and serve Eurystheus for twelve years.

  27 There is nor reason whatever to suppose that akmôn here has any other than its ordinary sense of anvil, used metaphorically, as in Aesch. Pers. 52. It has been sometimes supposed to mean unwearied = akamatos.

  28 Hera, mother of Hebe.

  29 “Phrygia, a hill in Trachis where Heracles burnt” (schol.)

  30 When Heracles was passing through the land of the Dryopes, being in want of food for his young son Hyllus, he unyoked and slaughtered one of the oxen of Theiodamas, king of the Dryopes, whom he found at the plough. War ensued between the Dryopes and Heracles, and the Dryopes were defeated, and Hylas, son of Theiodamas, was taken as a hostage by Heracles (Apollodor. ii. 7. 7, Apoll. Rh. i. 1211 ff., Ovid, Ib. 488). Hence Heracles got the epithet Bouthoinas, schol. Apoll. Rh. l.c., Gregor. Naz. Or. iv. 123. The Lindian peasant who was similarly treated by Heracles, and who, while Heracles feasted, stood apart and cursed (hence curious rite at Lindos in Rhodes, where, when they sacrifice to Heracles, they do it with curses, Conon 11, Apollod. ii. 5. 11. 9, Lactant. Inst. Div. i. 21) is identified with Theiodamas by Philostr. Imag. ii. 24. Cf. G. Knaack, Hermes xxiii. (1888), p. 131 ff.

  31 Inopus in Delos was supposed to have a subterranean connexion with the Nile.

  32 On the Eurotas with temple of Artemis.

  33 This may be the Athenian Limnae (so schol.); but there was a Limnaeon also in Laconia with temple of Artemis and an image supposed to be that carried off by Orestes and Iphigeneia (Paus. iii. 7) from Taurica.

  34 Attic deme between Marathon and Brauron with temple of Artemis (Eurip. Iphig. in T. 1446 ff.).

  35 In the Crimea, where Artemis was worshipped with human sacrifice (Eurip. l.c., Ovid, Trist. Iv. 4, Ex Ponto iii. 2, Herod. iv. 103).

  36 The typical heroic field (Hom. Od. xviii. 374, Apoll. Rh. iii. 1344); cf. Od. vii. 113.

  37 i.e. from Epirus. For the great size of the Êpeirôtikai boes see Aristotle, H.A. iii. 21, who says that when milking them the milker had to stand upright in order to reach the udder. Both Stymphaea and Tymphaea seem to be attested, though the latter seems to have the better authority (Steph. Byz. s.v. Tumphon).

  38 Hesiod, W. 436.

  39 Doliche: either Euboea (E.M. s.v. Euboia), E. Maass, Hermes xxv. (1890), p. 404, or Icaros (Steph. Byz. s.v. Ikaros), or an island of Lycia (Steph. Byz. s.v. Dolichê. nêsos pros tê Lukia, hôs Kallimachos).

  40 In Pamphylia, with temple of Artemis, Strabo 667.

  41 In Laconia.

  42 Britomartis or Dictyna, a Cretan goddess sometimes represented as an attendant of Artemis, sometimes regarded as identical with her.

  43 Artemis in Ephesus, Sparta, etc.

  44 Cyrene.

  45 “The tomb of Pelias” (schol.).

  46 Procris.

  47 Mother of Odysseus.

  48 The MS. asul(l)ôtoi is quite unknown. The translation assumes a connexion with asilla.

  49 Atalanta took a prominent part in the hunt of the Calydonian boar, and received from Meleager the hide and head of the boar as her prize (Paus. viii. 45).

  50 Hylaeus and Rhoecus were two centaurs who insulted Atalanta and were shot by her (Apollod. iii. 9. 2).

  51 Chitone, by-name of Artemis as huntress, wearing a sleeveless tunic (chitôn) reaching to the knees.

  52 Neleus, son of Codrus, founder of Miletus (Strabo, 633).

  53 Artemis Hegemone as leader of colonists (Paus. viii. 37).

  54 i.e. Athens.

  55 Cape in Samos.

  56 River in Samos.

  57 Artemis was worshipped in Ephesus with the tile Prôtothroniê (Paus. x. 38. 6). For rock-cut throne on Mount Coressus at Ephesus cf. A. B. Cook, Zeus, i. p. 140 f.

  58 The aploia is sometimes described as a storm, sometimes as a dead calm.

  59 Epithet of Helen as daughter of Nemesis, who was worshipped at Rhamnus in Attica.

  60 King of Argos.

  61 For their madness and cure cf. Paus. ii. 7. 8, viii. 18. 7 f.

  62 Azania in Arcadia.

  63 In Arcadia.

  64 For the temple of Artemis Hemera or Hemerasia at Lusa cf. Paus. viii. 18. 8.

  65 Queen of the Amazons, no doubt identical with Hippolyte.

  66 The flute (aulos) invented by Athena (Pind. P. xii. 22) was often made from fawn bones, Poll. Iv. 71, Athen. 182 E, Plut. Mor. 150 E.

  67 In Phrygia.

  68 A people living on the north of the Black Sea.

  69 The Cimmerian Bosporus, which was named after the Cow (bous), i.e. Io, daughter of Inachus, king of Argos.

  70 The Cayster is a river in Lydia.

  71 Harbour of Athens, where Artemis had a temple (Paus. i. 1. 4).

  72 Artemis Pheraia is Artemis as Hecate from Pherae in Thessaly (Paus. ii. 23. 5).

  73 King of Calydon in Aetolia, who neglected to sacrifice to Artemis. In anger she sent the Calydonian boar to ravage his land.

  74 Agamemnon, who shot a stag which was sacred to Artemis and boasted of the deed (Soph. Electr. 566 f., Hygin. Fab. 98). This led to the aploia at Aulis and the sacrifice of Iphigeneia.

  75 Queen of the Amazons, who founded the temple of Artemis at Ephesus.

  HYMN IV. TO DELOS

  [1] What time or when, O my soul, wilt thou sing of holy Delos, nurse of Apollo? Surely all the Cyclades most holy of the isles that lie in the sea, are goodly theme of song. But Delos would win the foremost guerdon from the Muses, since she it was that bathed Apollo, the lord of minstrels, and swaddled him, and was the first to accept him for a god. Even as the Muses abhor him who sings not of Pimpleia1 so Phoebus abhors him who forgets Delos. To Delos no will I give her share of song, so that Cynthian2 Apollo may praise me for taking thought of his dear nurse.

  [11] Wind-swept and stern is she set in the sea, and, wave-beaten as she is, is fitter haunt for gulls than course for horses. The sea, rolling greatly round her, casts off on her much spindrift of the Icarian3 water. Wherefore also sea-roaming fishermen have made her their home. But none need grudge that she be named among the first, whensoever unto Oceanus and unto Titan Tethys the islands gather and she ever leads the way. Behind her footsteps follow Phoenician Cyrnus,4 no mean isle, and Abantian Macris5 of the Ellopians, and delectable Sardo,6 and the isle7 whereto Cypris first swam from the water and for fee8 of her landing she keeps safe. They are strong by reason of sheltering towers, but Delos is strong by aid of Apollo. What defence is there more steadfast? Walls and stones may fall before the blast of Strymonian9 Boreas; but a god is unshaken for ever. Delos beloved, such is the champion that encompasses thee about!

  [28] Now if songs full many circle about thee, with what song shall I entwine thee? What is that which is pleasing unto thee to hear? Is it the tale how at the very first the mighty god10 smote the mountains with the three-forked sword which the Telchines11 fashioned for him, and wrought the islands in the sea, and from
their lowest foundations lifted them all as with a lever and rolled them into the sea? And them in the depths he rooted from their foundations that they might forget the mainland. But no constraint afflicted thee, but free upon the open sea thou didst float; and thy name of old was Asteria,12 since like a star thou didst leap from heaven into the deep moat, fleeing wedlock with Zeus. Until then golden Leto consorted not with thee: then thou wert still Asteria and wert not yet called Delos. Oft-times did sailors coming from the town of fair-haired Troezen13 unto Ephyra14 within the Saronic gulf descry thee, and on their way back from Ephyra saw thee no more there, but thou hadst run to the swift straits of the narrow Euripus with its sounding stream. And the same day, turning thy back on the waters of the sea of Chalcis, thou didst swim to the Sunian headland of the Athenians or to Chios or to the wave-washed breast o the Maiden’s Isle,15 not yet called Samos – where the nymphs of Mycalessos,16 neighbours of Ancaeus, entertained thee.

  [51] But when thou gavest thy soil to be birthplace of Apollo, seafaring men gave thee this name in exchange, since no more didst thou float17 obscure (adêlos) upon the water, but amid the waves of the Aegean sea dist plant the roots of they feet.

  [55] And thou didst not tremble before the anger of Hera, who murmured terribly against all child-bearing women that bare children to Zeus, but especially against Leto, for that she only was to bear to Zeus a son18 dearer even than Ares. Wherefore also she herself kept watch within the sky, angered in her heart greatly and beyond telling, and she prevented Leto who was holden in the pangs of childbirth. And she had two look-outs set to keep watch upon the earth. The space of the continent did bold Ares watch, sitting armed on the high top of Thracian Haemus, and his horses were stalled by the seven-chambered cave19 of Boreas. And the other kept watch over the far-flung islands, even the daughter20 of Thaumas seated on Mimas,21 whither she had sped. There they sat and threatened all the cities which Leto approached and prevented them from receiving her. Fled Arcadia, fled Auge’s22 holy hill Parthenium, fled after her aged Pheneius,23 fled all the land of Pelops that lies beside the Isthmus, save only Aegialos24 and Argos. For on those ways she set not her feet, since Inachus25 belonged unto Hera. Fled, too, Aonia26 on the same course, and Dirce27 and Strophia,28 holding the hands of their sire, dark-pebbled Ismenus29; far behind followed Asopus,30 heavy-kneed, for he was marred by a thunderbolt. And the earth-born nymph Melia31 wheeled about thereat and ceased from the dance and her cheek paled as she panted for her coeval oak, when she saw the locks of Helicon tremble. Goddesses mine, ye Muses, say did the oaks come into being at the same time as the Nymphs? The nymphs rejoice when the rain makes the oaks grow; and again the Nymphs weep when there are no longer leaves upon the oaks. And Apollo, yet in his mother’s womb, was sore angered against them and he uttered against Thebe no ineffectual threat: “Thebe, wherefore, wretched one, dost thou ask the doom that shall be thine anon? Force me not yet to prophesy against my will. Not yet is the tripod seat at Pytho my care; not yet is the great serpent32 dead, but still that beast of awful jaws, creeping down from Pleistus,33 wreathes snowy Parnassus with his nine coils. Nevertheless I will speak unto thee a word more clear than shall be spoken from laurel34 branch.. Flee on! Swiftly shall I overtake thee and wash my bow in blood. Thou hast in thy keeping the children of a slanderous woman.35 Not thou shalt be my dear nurse, nor Cithaeron.36 Pure am I and may I be the care of them that are pure.” So he spake. And Leto turned and went back. But when the Achaean cities refused her as she came – Helice,37 the companion of Poseidon, and Bura,38 the steading of Dexamenus, the son of Oeceus – she turned her feet back to Thessaly. And Anaurus fled and great Larisa and the cliffs of Cheiron39; fled, too, Peneius, coiling through Tempe.