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ARGONAUTICA BOOK 4 [1731]

(4.1731-1740) But when they had loosed the hawsers thence in fair weather, then Euphemus bethought him of a dream of the night, reverencing the glorious son of Maia. For it seemed to him that the god-given clod of earth held in his palm close to his breast was being suckled by white streams of milk, and that from it, little though it was, grew a woman like a virgin; and he, overcome by strong desire, lay with her in love's embrace; and united with her he pitied her, as though she were a maiden whom he was feeding with his own milk; but she comforted him with gentle words:

1731     Ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ κἀκεῖθεν ὑπεύδια πείσματ' ἔλυσαν,
1732 μνήσατ' ἔπειτ' Εὔφημος ὀνείρατος ἐννυχίοιο,
1733 ἁζόμενος Μαίης υἷα κλυτόν. εἴσατο γάρ οἱ
1734 δαιμονίη βῶλαξ ἐπιμάστιος ᾧ ἐν ἀγοστῷ
1735  ἄρδεσθαι λευκῇσιν ὑπαὶ λιβάδεσσι γάλακτος,
1736 ἐκ δὲ γυνὴ βώλοιο πέλειν ὀλίγης περ ἐούσης
1737 παρθενικῇ ἰκέλη: μίχθη δέ οἱ ἐν φιλότητι
1738 ἄσχετον ἱμερθείς: ὀλοφύρετο δ' ἠύτε κούρην
1739 ζευξάμενος, τήν τ' αὐτὸς ἑῷ ἀτίταλλε γάλακτι:
1740  ἡ δέ ἑ μειλιχίοισι παρηγορέεσκ' ἐπέεσσιν:

(4.1741-1745) "Daughter of Triton am I, dear friend, and nurse of thy children, no maiden; Triton and Libya are my parents. But restore me to the daughters of Nereus to dwell in the sea near Anaphe; I shall return again to the light of the sun, to prepare a home for thy descendants."

1741     "Τρίτωνος γένος εἰμί, τεῶν τροφός, ὦ φίλε, παίδων,
1742 οὐ κούρη: Τρίτων γὰρ ἐμοὶ Λιβύη τε τοκῆες.
1743 ἀλλά με Νηρῆος παρακάτθεο παρθενικῇσιν
1744 ἂμ πέλαγος ναίειν Ἀνάφης σχεδόν: εἶμι δ' ἐς αὐγὰς
1745  ἠελίου μετόπισθε, τεοῖς νεπόδεσσιν ἑτοίμη."

(4.1746-1748) Of this he stored in his heart the memory, and declared it to Aeson's son; and Jason pondered a prophecy of the Far-Darter and lifted up his voice and said:

1746     Τῷ δ' ἄρ' ἐπὶ μνῆστιν κραδίη βάλεν, ἔκ τ' ὀνόμηνεν
1747 Αἰσονίδῃ: ὁ δ' ἔπειτα θεοπροπίας Ἑκάτοιο
1748 θυμῷ πεμπάζων ἀνενείκατο φώνησέν τε:

(4.1749-1754) "My friend, great and glorious renown has fallen to thy lot. For of this clod when thou hast cast it into the sea, the gods will make an island, where thy children's children shall dwell; for Triton gave this to thee as a stranger's gift from the Libyan mainland. None other of the immortals it was than he that gave thee this when he met thee."

1749     "̂Ὠ πέπον, ἦ μέγα δή δε καὶ ἀγλαὸν ἔμμορε κῦδος.
1750  βώλακα γὰρ τεύξουσι θεοὶ πόντονδε βαλόντι
1751 νῆσον, ἵν' ὁπλότεροι παίδων δέθεν ἐννάσσονται
1752 παῖδες: ἐπεὶ Τρίτων ξεινήιον ἐγγυάλιξεν
1753 τήνδε τοι ἠπείροιο Λιβυστίδος. οὔ νύ τις ἄλλος
1754 ἀθανάτων, ἢ κεῖνος, ὅ μιν πόρεν ἀντιβολήσας."

(4.1755-1764) Thus he spake; and Euphemus made not vain the answer of Aeson's son; but, cheered by the prophecy, he cast the clod into the depths. Therefrom rose up an island, Calliste, sacred nurse of the sons of Euphemus, who in former days dwelt in Sintian Lemnos, and from Lemnos were driven forth by Tyrrhenians and came to Sparta as suppliants; and when they left Sparta, Theras, the goodly son of Autesion, brought them to the island Calliste, and from himself he gave it the name of Thera. But this befell after the days of Euphemus.

1755      Ὧς ἔφατ': οὐδ' ἁλίωσεν ὑπόκρισιν Αἰσονίδαο
1756 Εὔφημος: βῶλον δέ, θεοπροπίῃσιν ἰανθείς,
1757 ἧκεν ὑποβρυχίην. τῆς δ' ἔκτοθι νῆσος ἀέρθη
1758 Καλλίστη, παίδων ἱερὴ τροφὸς Εὐφήμοιο,
1759 οἳ πρὶν μέν ποτε δὴ Σιντηίδα Λῆμνον ἔναιον,
1760  Λήμνου τ' ἐξελαθέντες ὑπ' ἀνδράσι Τυρσηνοῖσιν
1761 Σπάρτην εἰσαφίκανον ἐφέστιοι: ἐκ δὲ λιπόντας
1762 Σπάρτην Αὐτεσίωνος ἐὺς πάις ἤγαγε Θήρας
1763 Καλλίστην ἐπὶ νῆσον, ἀμείψατο δ' οὔνομα Θήρης
1764 ἐξ ἕθεν. ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν μετόπιν γένετ' Εὐφήμοιο.

(4.1765-1772) And thence they steadily left behind long leagues of sea and stayed on the beach of Aegina; and at once they contended in innocent strife about the fetching of water, who first should draw it and reach the ship. For both their need and the ceaseless breeze urged them on. There even to this day do the youths of the Myrmidons take up on their shoulders full- brimming jars, and with swift feet strive for victory in the race.

1765      Κεῖθεν δ' ἀπτερέως διὰ μυρίον οἶδμα λιπόντες
1766 Αἰγίνης ἀκτῇσιν ἐπέσχεθον: αἶψα δὲ τοίγε
1767 ὑδρείης πέρι δῆριν ἀμεμφέα δηρίσαντο,
1768 ὅς κεν ἀφυσσάμενος φθαίη μετὰ νῆάδ' ἱκέσθαι.
1769 ἄμφθ γὰρ χρειώ τε καὶ ἄσπετος οὖρος ἔπειγεν.
1770  ἔνθ' ἔτι νῦν πλήθοντας ἐπωμαδὸν ἀμφιφορῆας
1771 ἀνθέμενοι κούφοισιν ἄφαρ κατ' ἀγῶνα πόδεσσιν
1772 κοῦροι Μυρμιδόνων νίκης πέρι δηριόωνται.

(4.1773-1781) Be gracious, race of blessed chieftains! And may these songs year after year be sweeter to sing among men. For now have I come to the glorious end of your toils; for no adventure befell you as ye came home from Aegina, and no tempest of winds opposed you; but quietly did ye skirt the Cecropian land and Aulis inside of Euboea and the Opuntian cities of the Locrians, and gladly did ye step forth upon the beach of Pagasae.

1773     Ἵλατ' ἀριστήων μακάρων γένος: αἵδε δ' ἀοιδαὶ
1774 εἰς ἔτος ἐξ ἔτεος γλυκερώτεραι εἶεν ἀείδειν
1775  ἀνθρώποις. ἤδη γὰρ ἐπὶ κλυτὰ πείραθ' ἱκάνω
1776 ὑμετέρων καμάτων: ἐπεὶ οὔ νύ τις ὔμμιν ἄεθλος
1777 αὖτις ἀπ' Αἰγίνηθεν ἀνερχομένοισιν ἐτύχθη,
1778 οὔτ' ἀνέμων ἐριῶλαι ἐνέσταθεν: ἀλλὰ ἕκηλοι
1779 γαῖαν Κεκροπίην παρά τ' Αὐλίδα μετρήσαντες
1780  Εὐβοίης ἔντοσθεν Ὀπούντιά τ' ἄστεα Λοκρῶν
1781 ἀσπασίως ἀκτὰς Παγασηίδας εἰσαπέβητε.