Delphi Complete Works of Callimachus Page 4

  [106] But thy heart, Hera, was even then still pitiless and thou wert not broken down nor didst have compassion, when she stretched forth both her arms and spake in vain: “Ye nymphs of Thessaly, offspring of a river,40 tell your sire to hush his great stream. Entwine your hands about his beard and entreat him that the children of Zeus be born in his waters. Phthiotian Peneius, why dost thou now vie with the winds? O sire, thou dost not bestride a racing horse. Are they feet always thus swift, or are they swift only for me, and hast thou today been suddenly made to fly?” But he heard her not. “O burden mine, whither shall I carry thee? The hapless sinews of my feet are outworn. O Pelion, bridal chamber of Philyra,41 do thou stay, O stay, since on thy hills even the wild lionesses oftentimes lay down their travail of untimely birth.”42 Then shedding tears, Peneius answered her: “Leto, Necessity is a great goddess. It is not I who refuse, O Lady, they travail; for I know of others who have washed the soilure of birth in me – but Hera hath largely threatened me. Behold what manner of watcher keeps vigil on the mountain top, who would lightly drag me forth from the depths. What shall I devise? Or is it a pleasant thing to thee that Peneius should perish? Let my destined day take its course. I will endure for thy sake, even if I must wander evermore with ebbing flood and thirsty, and alone be called of least honour among rivers. Here am I! What needeth more? Do thou but call upon Eileithyia.” He spake and stayed his great stream. But Ares was about to lift the peaks of Pangaeum43 from their base and hurl them in his eddying waters and hide his streams. And from on high he made a din as of thunder and smote his shield with the point of his spear, and it rang with a warlike noise. And the hills of Ossa trembled and the plain of Crannon, and the windswept skirts of Pindus, and all Thessaly danced for fear: such echoing din rang from his shield. And even as when the mount Aetna smoulders with fire and all its secret depths are shaken as the giant under earth, even Briares, shifts to his other shoulder,44 and with the tongs of Hephaestus roar furnaces and handiwork withal; and firewrought basins and tripods ring terribly as the fall one upon the other: such in that hour was the rattle of the fair-rounded shield. But Peneius retired not back, but abode his ground, steadfast even as before, and stayed his swift-eddying streams, until the daughter45 of Coeüs called to him: “Save thyself, farewell! Save thyself; do not for my sake suffer evil for this thy compassion; thy favour shall be rewarded.”

  [153] So she spake and after much toil came unto the isles of the sea. But they received her not when she came – not the Echinades46 with their smooth anchorage for ships, not Cercyra which is of all other islands most hospitable, since Iris on lofty Mimas47 was wroth with them all and utterly prevented them. And at her rebuke they fled all together, every one that she came to, along the waters. Then she came unto primeval Cos, the isle of Merops,48 the holy retreat of the heroine Chalciope,49 but the word of her son restrained her: “Bear me not, mother, here. I blame not the island nor have any grudge, since a bright isle it is and rich in pasture as any other. But there is due to her from the Fates another god,50 the most high lineage of the Saviours51; beneath whose crown shall come – not loth to be ruled by a Macedonian – both continents and the lands which are set in the sea, far as where the end of the earth is and again whence his swift horses carry the sun. And he shall know the ways of his sire.

  [171] “Yea and one day hereafter thee shall come upon us a common struggle, when the Titans of a later day shall rouse up against he Hellenes barbarian sword and Celtic war,52 and from the furthest West rush on like snowflakes and in number as the stars when they flock most thickly in the sky; forts too (and the villages of the Locrians and Delphian heights)53 and Crisaean plains and (glens of the mainland) be thronged about and around, and shall behold the rich smoke of their burning neighbour, and no longer by hearsay only; but already beside the temple behold the ranks of the foemen, and already beside my tripods the swords and cruel belts and hateful shields, which shall cause an evil journey to the foolish tribe of the Galatians. Of these shields some shall be my guerdon; others, when they have seen the wearers perish amid fire, shall be set by the banks of Nile54 to be the prizes of a king who laboured much. O Ptolemy who art to be, these prophecies I declare for thee. Greatly shalt thou praise in all the days to be him that prophesied while yet in his mother’s womb.

  [191] “But mark thou, mother: there is to be seen in the water a tiny island, wandering over the seas. Her feet abide not in one place, but on the tide she swims even as stalks of asphodel, where the South wind or the East wind blows, withersoever the sea carried her. Thither do thou carry me. For she shall welcome thy coming.”

  [196] When he had spoken thus much, the other islands in the sea ran away. But thou, Asteria, lover of song, didst come down from Euboea to visit the round Cyclades – not long ago, but still behind thee trailed the sea-weed of Geraestus . . . ((lacuna)) since they heart55 was kindled, seeing the unhappy lady in the grievous pangs of birth: “Hera, do to me what thou wilt. For I heed not they threats. Cross, cross over, Leto, unto me.”

  [205] So didst thou speak, and she gladly ceased from her grievous wandering and sat by the stream of Inopus,56 which the earth sends forth in deepest flood at the season when the Nile comes down in full torrent from the Aethiopian steep. And she loosed her girdle and leaned back her shoulders against the trunk of a palm-tree,57 oppressed by the grievous distress, and the sweat poured over her flesh like rain. And she spake in her weakness: “Why, child, dost thou weigh down thy mother? There, dear child, is thine island floating on the sea. Be born, be born, my child, and gently issue from the womb.” O Spouse of Zeus, Lady of heavy anger, thou wert not to be for long without tidings thereof: so swift a messenger hastened to thee. And, still breathing heavily, she spake – and her speech was mingled with fear: “Honoured Hera, of goddesses most excellent far, thine am I, all things are thine, and thou sittest authentic queen of Olympus, and we fear no other female hand; and thou, O Queen wilt know who is the cause of thine anger. Leto is undoing her girdle within an island. All the others spurned her and received her not; but Asteria called her by name as she was passing by – Asteria that evil scum of the sea: thou knowest it thyself. But dear lady, - for thou canst – defend thy servants who tread the earth at thy behest.”

  [228] So she spake and seated her beside the golden throne, even as a hunting hound of Artemis, which, when it hath ceased from the swift chase, sitteth by her feet, and its ears are erect, ever ready to receive the call of the goddess. Like thereto the daughter of Thaumas sat beside her throne. And she never forgetteth her seat, not even when sleep lays upon her his forgetful wing, but here by the edge of the great throne with head a little bent aslant she sleeps. Never does she unloose her girdle or her swift hunting-boots lest her mistress give her some sudden command. And Hera was grievously angered and spake to her: “So now, O shameful creatures of Zeus, may ye all wed in secret and bring forth in darkness, not even where the poor mill-women bring forth in difficult labour, but where the seals of the sea bring forth, amid the desolate rocks. But against Asteria am I no wise angered for this sin, nor can I do to her so unkindly as I should – for very wrongly has she done a favour to Leto. Howbeit I honour her exceedingly for that she did not desecrate my bed, but instead of Zeus preferred the sea.”

  [249] She spake: and with music the swans,58 the gods’ own minstrels, left Maeonian Pactolus and circled seven times round Delos, and sang over the bed of child-birth, the Muses’ birds, most musical of all birds that fly. Hence that child in after days strung the lyre with just so many strings – seven strings, since seven times the swans sang over the pangs of birth. No eight time sang they: ere that the child leapt forth and the nymphs of Delos, offspring of an ancient river, sang with far-sounding voice the holy chant of Eileithyia. And straightway the brazen sky echoed back the far-reaching chant and Hera grudged it not, because Zeus had taken away her anger. In that hour, O Delos, all thy foundations became of gold: with gold thy round lake59 flowed all day, and golden foliage thy natal olive-tree put forth and with gold flowed coiled Inopus in deep flood.

  [264] And thou thyself didst take up the child from the golden earth and lay him in thy lap and thou spakest saying: “O mighty and of many altars and many cities, bounteous earth! Rich continents and ye islands set around lo! I am as thou see’st – hard of tillage; yet from me shall Apollo be called ‘Of Delos’, and none other among all lands shall be so beloved by any other god: not Cerchnis60 so loved by Poseidon, lord of Lechaeum, not Cyllene’s hill61 by Hermes, not Crete by Zeus, as I by Apollo; and I shall no more be a wandering isle.” Thus didst thou speak and the child drew the sweet breast.

  [275] Wherefore from that day thou art famed as the most holy of islands, nurse of Apollo’s youth. On thee treads not Enyo nor Hades nor the horses of Ares; but every year tithes of first-fruits are sent to thee: to thee all cities lead up choirs, both those cities which have cast their lots toward the East and those toward the West and those in the South, and the peoples which have their homes above the northern shore, a very long-lived race.62 These63 first bring thee cornstalks and holy sheaves of corn-ears, which the Pelasgians of Dodona, who couch upon the ground , servants of the caldron64 which is never silent – far first receive, as these offerings enter their country from afar. Next they come to the Holy town and mountains of the Malian land; and thence they sail across to the goodly Lelantian plain65 of the Abantes; and then not long is the voyage from Euboea, since thy havens are nigh thereto. The first to bring thee these offerings fro the fair-haired Arimaspi66 were Upis and Loxo and happy Hecaerge, daughters of Boreas, and those who then were the best of the young men. And they returned no home again, but a happy fate was theirs, and they shall never be without their glory. Verily the girls of Delos, when the sweet-sounded marriage hymn affrig
hts the maidens’ quarters, bring offerings of their maiden hair to the maidens, while the boys offer to the young men the first harvest of the down upon their cheeks.

  [300] Asteria, island of incense, around and about thee the isles have made a circle and set themselves about thee as a choir. Not silent art thou nor noiseless when Hesperus of the curling locks looks down on thee, but ringing evermore with sound. The men sing the song of the old man of Lycia – the very song which the seer Olen67 brought thee from Xanthos: the maidens of the choir beat with their feet the steadfast ground. Then, too, is the holy image laden with garlands, the famous image of ancient Cypris whom of old Theseus with the youths established when he was sailing back from Crete. Having escaped the cruel bellowing and the wild son68 of Pasiphaë69 and the coiled habitation of the crooked labyrinth, about thine altar, O lady, they raised the music of the lute and danced the round dance, and Theseus led the choir. Hence the ever-living offerings of the Pilgrim Ship70 do the sons71 of Cecrops send to Phoebus, the gear of that vessel.

  [316] Asteria of many altars and many prayers, what merchant mariner of the Aegean passes by thee with speeding ship? Never do such mighty winds as that blow upon him, but though need urges the swiftest voyage that may be, yet they speedily furl their sails and go not on board again, ere they have circled they great altar buffeted with blows and bitten the sacred trunk of the olive, their hands tied behind their backs.72 These things did the nymph of Delos devise for sport and laughter to young Apollo.

  [325] O happy hearth of islands, hail to thyself! Hail also to Apollo and to her73 whom Leto bare!

  ENDNOTES

  1 Fountain in Pieria near Mt. Olympus, sacred to the Muses.

  2 Cynthos, mountain in Delos.

  3 The Icarian sea, so called from Icarus, son of Daedalus, who fell into it when his father and he attempted to fly from Crete with artificial wings to escape the wrath of Minos. (Strabo 639, Diodor. iv. 77.)

  4 Corsica, colonized by the Phoenicians.

  5 Euboea, which was also called Ellopia from Ellops, son of Ion (Strabo 445, Steph. B. s.v. Ellopia.)

  6 Sardinia.

  7 Cyprus (schol.).

  8 epibathron (Hom. Od. xiv. 449, Callim. Hec. 31, Apoll. Rh. i. 421) is properly the fee for entering a ship; cf. Eustath. on Hom. l.c., Hesych. s.v. = naulon. Here = fee for setting foot in Cyprus. Cf. Nonnus xiii. 457 Paphon . . . ex hudatôn epibathron anerchomenês Aphroditês.

  9 Strymon, river in Thrace. (aph’ ou ho boras. Strumoniou boreao, Steph. B. s.v.)

  10 Poseidon.

  11 Mythical artificers, “notique operum Telchines,” Statius. T. ii. 274; S. iv. 6. 47.

  12 As if from aster = star. Stat. A. i. 388 “instabili Delo.”

  13 Troezen, son of Pelops, founder of Troezen in Argolis (Strabo 374, Paus. ii. 30. 8, Steph. B. s.v.)

  14 Ephyra, old name of Corinth (Paus. ii. 1. 1, Strabo 338, Steph. Byz. s.v.)

  15 Parthenia, old name for Samos (Steph. Byz. s.v.).

  16 Mycale lies on the mainland, opposite Samos, of which Ancaeus, son of Zeus or Poseidon and Astypalaia, was the mythical king. Steph. Byz., s.v. Mukalêssos, says esti kai oros Mukalêssos enantion Samou. kai Mukalêssis to Thêlukon.

  17 Stat. T. viii. 197 “partuque ligatam Delon.”

  18 Apollo.

  19 Cf. Stat. Th. vi. 100 “Dat gemitum tellus: non sic eversa feruntur Ismara, cum fracto Boreas caput extulit N.H. vii. 10; Soph. Ant. 983, schol.; Apoll. Rh. i. 826; Sil. It. Prin. Viii. 513; Serv. Verg. A. x. 350, xii. 366; [Plutarch], De fluv. 14. 5).

  20 Iris (Stat. Th. x. 123).

  21 Mimas, mountain in Ionia opposite to Chios.

  22 Auge, daughter of Aleos, king of Tegea. Hera father, warned by an oracle that his sons would perish by a descendant of his daughter, made her a priestess to Athena. She became, however, the mother of Telephus by Heracles and gave birth to her son on the hill Parthenium in Arcadia (Diodor. iv. 33. 7 ff.). Cf. Paus. viii. 48. 7, who says at Tegea Eileithyia was worshipped as Augê en gonasi because Auge bare her son there. But he mentions another story which said Telephus was exposed on Parthenium.

  23 The authochtonous founder of Pheneos, town in Arcadia (Paus. viii. 14. 4).

  24 Aegialos sometimes denoted the whole district from Sicyon to Buprasium (Steph. Byz. s.v.), i.e. Achaia (Paus. v. 1. 1, vii. 1. 1, Strabo 333), here more strictly the district of Sicyon (which was also called Aegiale, Paus. ii. 6. 5).

  25 Inachus, river in Argolis.

  26 Aonia = Boeotia.

  27 Dirce, river at Thebes.

  28 Strophia, unknown river of Boeotia.

  29 Ismenos, river of Boeotia.

  30 River in Boeotia.

  31 The Meliae or Ash-nymphs were of the same class as the Dryads or Hamadryads. The Melia referred to here was the sister of Ismenus. For the general idea cf. Stat. Silv. i. 3. 59 ff.

  32 The dragon which occupied or watched Delphi and which Apollo slew; cf. Hymn Apoll. 100 ff., Hom. Hymn Apoll. 282 ff.

  33 River at Delphi.

  34 The laurel of the Pythian priestess at Delphi.

  35 Niobe, daughter of Tantalus and wife of Amphion of Thebes, had twelve children – six sons and six daughters – who were slain by Apollo and Artemis because Niobe boasted of the number of her children compared with Leto, who had but two.

  36 Cithaeron, mountain in Boeotia.

  37 Helice, town in Achaia with temple of Poseidon Heliconios (Paus. vii. 24. 5, Strabo 384, cf. Hom. Il. xx. 404). Helice was daughter of Selinus and by Ion mother of Bura (Paus. vii. 1. 2, vii. 25. 5).

  38 Bura, town in Achaia, where Dexamenus a Centaur had great cattle-stalls (schol.). In E.M. s.v. Bousa he is called Exadios.

  39 Pelion in Thessaly, home of the Centaur Cheiron.

  40 Among the daughters of Peneios are Iphis, Atrax, Tricca, Menippe, Daphne, and, according to some, Cyrene.

  41 Cheiron was the son of the union of Cronus and Philyra on Mt. Pelion (Pind. P. iii. 1 f., ix. 30, etc.).

  42 The reference is to the helplessness and shapelessness of the lion cub at birth. Cf. Aristotle, De gen. animal. iv. 6 ta men adirthrôta schedon genna, kathaper alôpêx arktos leôn. The sense of ômos is precisely that of crudus in Stat. Th. iv. 280 “quercus laurique ferbant Cruda puerperia.”

  43 Mountain in Thrace.