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ARGONAUTICA BOOK 4 [410]

(4.410-420) Thus he spake soothing her; and she uttered a deadly speech: "Take heed now. For when sorry deeds are done we must needs devise sorry counsel, since at first I was distraught by my error, and by heaven's will it was I wrought the accomplishment of evil desires. Do thou in the turmoil shield me from the Colchians' spears; and I will beguile Apsyrtus to come into thy hands -- do thou greet him with splendid gifts -- if only I could persuade the heralds on their departure to bring him alone to hearken to my words. Thereupon if this deed pleases thee, slay him and raise a conflict with the Colchians, I care not.

410     Ἴσκεν ὑποσσαίνων: ἡ δ' οὐλοὸν ἔκφατο μῦθον:
411 "Φράζεο νῦν. χρειὼ γὰρ ἀεικελίοισιν ἐπ' ἔργοις
412 καὶ τόδε μητίσασθαι, ἐπεὶ τὸ πρῶτον ἀάσθην
413 ἀμπλακίῃ, θεόθεν δὲ κακὰς ἤνυσσα μενοινάς.
414 τύνη μὲν κατὰ μῶλον ἀλέξεο δούρατα Κόλχων:
415  αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ κεῖνόν γε τεὰς ἐς χεῖρας ἱκέσθαι
416 μειλίξω: σὺ δέ μιν φαιδροῖς ἀγαπάζεο δώροις.
417 εἴ κέν πως κήρυκας ἀπερχομένους πεπίθοιμι
418 οἰόθεν οἶον ἐμοῖσι συναρθμῆσαι ἐπέεσσιν,
419 ἔνθ' εἴ τοι τόδε ἔργον ἐφανδάνει, οὔτι μεγαίρω,
420  κτεῖνέ τε, καὶ Κόλχοισιν ἀείρεο δηιοτῆτα."

(4.421-444) So they two agreed and prepared a great web of guile for Apsyrtus, and provided many gifts such as are due to guests, and among them gave a sacred robe of Hypsipyle, of crimson hue. The Graces with their own hands had wrought it for Dionysus in sea-girt Dia, and he gave it to his son Thoas thereafter, and Thoas left it to Hypsipyle, and she gave that fair-wrought guest-gift with many another marvel to Aeson's son to wear. Never couldst thou satisfy thy sweet desire by touching it or gazing on it. And from it a divine fragrance breathed from the time when the king of Nysa himself lay to rest thereon, flushed with wine and nectar as he clasped the beauteous breast of the maiden-daughter of Minos, whom once Theseus forsook in the island of Dia, when she had followed him from Cnossus. And when she had worked upon the heralds to induce her brother to come, as soon as she reached the temple of the goddess, according to the agreement, and the darkness of night surrounded them, that so she might devise with him a cunning plan for her to take the mighty fleece of gold and return to the home of Aeetes, for, she said, the sons of Phrixus had given her by force to the strangers to carry off; with such beguiling words she scattered to the air and the breezes her witching charms, which even from afar would have drawn down the savage beast from the steep mountain-height.

421     Ὧς τώγε ξυμβάντε μέγαν δόλον ἠρτύνοντο
422 Ἀψύρτῳ, καὶ πολλὰ πόρον ξεινήια δῶρα,
423 οἷς μέτα καὶ πέπλον δόσαν ἱερὸν Ὑψιπυλείης
424 πορφύρεον. τὸν μέν ῥα Διωνύσῳ κάμον αὐταὶ
425  Δίῃ ἐν ἀμφιάλῳ Χάριτες θεαί: αὐτὰρ ὁ παιδὶ
426 δῶκε Θόαντι μεταῦτις: ὁ δ' αὖ λίπεν Ὑψιπυλείῃ:
427 ἡ δ' ἔπορ' Αἰσονίδῃ πολέσιν μετὰ καὶ τὸ φέρεσθαι
428 γλήνεσιν εὐεργὲς ξεινήιον. οὔ μιν ἀφάσσων,
429 οὔτε κεν εἰσορόων γλυκὺν ἵμερον ἐμπλήσειας.
430  τοῦ δὲ καὶ ἀμβροσίη ὀδμὴ πέλεν ἐξέτι κείνου,
431 ἐξ οὗ ἄναξ αὐτὸς Νυσήιος ἐγκατελεκτο
432 ἀκροχάλιξ οἴνῳ καὶ νέκταρι, καλὰ μεμαρπὼς
433 στήθεα παρθενικῆς Μινωίδος, ἥν ποτε Θησεὺς
434 Κνωσσόθεν ἑσπομένην Δίῃ ἔνι κάλλιπε νήσῳ.
435  ἡ δ' ὅτε κηρύκεσσιν ἐπεξυνώσατο μύθους,
436 θελγέμεν, εὖτ' ἂν πρῶτα θεᾶς περὶ νηὸν ἵκηται
437 συνθεσίῃ, νυκτός τε μέλαν κνέφας ἀμφιβάλῃσιν,
438 ἐλθέμεν, ὄφρα δόλον συμφράσσεται, ὥς κεν ἑλοῦσα
439 χρύσειον μέγα κῶας ὑπότροπος αὖτις ὀπίσσω
440  βαίη ἐς Αἰήταο δόμους: πέρι γάρ μιν ἀνάγκῃ
441 υἱῆες Φρίξοιο δόσαν ξείνοισιν ἄγεσθαι:
442 τοῖα παραιφαμένη θελκτήρια φάρμακ' ἔπασσεν
443 αἰθέρι καὶ πνοιῇσι, τά κεν καὶ ἄπωθεν ἐόντα
444 ἄγριον ἠλιβάτοιο κατ' οὔρεος ἤγαγε θῆρα.

(4.445-451) Ruthless Love, great bane, great curse to mankind, from thee come deadly strifes and lamentations and groans, and countless pains as well have their stormy birth from thee. Arise, thou god, and arm thyself against the sons of our foes in such guise as when thou didst fill Medea's heart with accursed madness. How then by evil doom did she slay Apsyrtus when he came to meet her? For that must our song tell next.

445     Σχέτλι' Ἔρως, μέγα πῆμα, μέγα στύγος ἀνθρώποισιν,
446  ἐκ σέθεν οὐλόμεναί τ' ἔριδες στοναχαί τε γόοι τε,
447 ἄλγεά τ' ἄλλ' ἐπὶ τοῖσιν ἀπείρονα τετρήχασιν.
448 δυσμενέων ἐπὶ παισὶ κορύσσεο, δαῖμον, ἀερθείς,
449 οἷος Μηδείῃ στυγερὴν φρεσὶν ἔμβαλες ἄτην.
450  πῶς γὰρ δὴ μετιόντα κακῷ ἐδάμασσεν ὀλέθρῳ
451 Ἄψυρτον; τὸ γὰρ ἧμιν ἐπισχερὼ ἦεν ἀοιδῆς.

(4.452-481) When the heroes had left the maiden on the island of Artemis, according to the covenant, both sides ran their ships to land separately. And Jason went to the ambush to lie in wait for Apsyrtus and then for his comrades. But he, beguiled by these dire promises, swiftly crossed the swell of the sea in his ship, and in dark night set foot on the sacred island; and faring all alone to meet her he made trial in speech of his sister, as a tender child tries a wintry torrent which not even strong men can pass through, to see if she would devise some guile against the strangers. And so they two agreed together on everything; and straightway Aeson's son leapt forth from the thick ambush, lifting his bare sword in his hand; and quickly the maiden turned her eyes aside and covered them with her veil that she might not see the blood of her brother when he was smitten. And Jason marked him and struck him down, as a butcher strikes down a mighty strong-horned bull, hard by the temple which the Brygi on the mainland opposite had once built for Artemis. In its vestibule he fell on his knees; and at last the hero breathing out his life caught up in both hands the dark blood as it welled from the wound; and he dyed with red his sister's silvery veil and robe as she shrank away. And with swift side-glance the irresistible pitiless Fury beheld the deadly deed they had done. And the hero, Aeson's son, cut off the extremities of the dead man, and thrice licked up some blood and thrice spat the pollution from his teeth, as it is right for the slayer to do, to atone for a treacherous murder. And the clammy corpse he hid in the ground where even now those bones lie among the Apsyrtians.

452     ̂Ἠμος ὅτ' Ἀρτέμιδος νήσῳ ἔνι τήνγ' ἐλίποντο
453 συνθεσίῃ. τοὶ μέν ῥα διάνδιχα νηυσὶν ἔκελσαν
454 σφωιτέραις κρινθέντες: ὁ δ' ἐς λόχον ᾖεν Ἰήσων
455  δέγμενος Ἄψυρτόν τε καὶ οὓς ἐξαῦτις ἑταίρους.
456 αὐτὰρ ὅγ' αἰνοτάτῃσιν ὑποσχεσίῃσι δολωθεὶς
457 καρπαλίμως ᾗ νηὶ διὲξ ἁλὸς οἶδμα περήσας,
458 νύχθ' ὕπο λυγαίην ἱερῆς ἐπεβήσατο νήσου:
459 οἰόθι δ' ἀντικρὺ μετιὼν πειρήσατο μύθοις
460  εἷο κασιγνήτης, ἀταλὸς πάις οἷα χαράδρης
461 χειμερίης, ἣν οὐδὲ δι' αἰζηοὶ περόωσιν.
462 εἴ κε δόλον ξείνοισιν ἐπ' ἀνδράσι τεχνήσαιτο.
463 καὶ τὼ μὲν τὰ ἕκαστα συνῄνεον ἀλλήλοισιν:
464 αὐτίκα δ' Αἰσονίδης πυκινοῦ ἐξᾶλτο λόχοιο,
465  γυμνὸν ἀνασχόμενος παλάμῃ ξίφος: αἶψα δὲ κούρη
466 ἔμπαλιν ὄμματ' ἔνεικε, καλυψαμένη ὀθόνῃσιν,
467 μὴ φόνον ἀθρήσειε κασιγνήτοιο τυπέντος.
468 τὸν δ' ὅγε, βουτύπος ὥστε μέγαν κερεαλκέα ταῦρον,
469 πλῆξεν ὀπιπεύσας νηοῦ σχεδόν, ὅν ποτ' ἔδειμαν
470  Ἀρτέμιδι Βρυγοὶ περιναιέται ἀντιπέρηθεν.
471 τοῦ ὅγ' ἐνὶ προδόμῳ γνὺξ ἤριπε: λοίσθια δ' ἥρως
472 θυμὸν ἀναπνείων χερσὶν μέλαν ἀμφοτέρῃσιν
473 αἷμα κατ' ὠτειλὴν ὑποΐσχετο: τῆς δὲ καλύπτρην
474 ἀργυφέην καὶ πέπλον ἀλευομένης ἐρύθηνεν.
475  ὀξὺ δὲ πανδαμάτωρ λοξῷ ἴδεν οἷον ἔρεξαν
476 ὄμματι νηλειὴς ὀλοφώιον ἔργον Ἐρινύς.
477 ἥρως δ' Αἰσονίδης ἐξάργματα τάμνε θανόντος,
478 τρὶς δ' ἀπέλειξε φόνου, τρὶς δ' ἐξ ἄγος ἔπτυσ' ὀδόντων,
479 ἣ θέμις αὐθέντῃσι δολοκτασίας ἱλάεσθαι.
480  ὑγρὸν δ' ἐν γαίῃ κρύψεν νέκυν, ἔνθ' ἔτι νῦν περ
481 κείαται ὀστέα κεῖνα μετ' ἀνδράσιν Ἀψυρτεῦσιν.

(4.481-494) Now as soon as the heroes saw the blaze of a torch, which the maiden raised for them as a sign to pursue, they laid their own ship near the Colchian ship, and they slaughtered the Colchian host, as kites slay the tribes of wood-pigeons, or as lions of the wold, when they have leapt amid the steading, drive a great flock of sheep huddled together. Nor did one of them escape death, but the heroes rushed upon the whole crew, destroying them like a flame; and at last Jason met them, and was eager to give aid where none was needed; but already they were taking thought for him too. Thereupon they sat to devise some prudent counsel for their voyage, and the maiden came upon them as they pondered, but Peleus spake his word first:

482      Οἱ δ' ἄμυδις πυρσοῖο σέλας προπάροιθεν ἰδόντες,
483 τό σφιν παρθενικὴ τέκμαρ μετιοῦσιν ἄειρεν,
484 Κολχίδος ἀγχόθι νηὸς ἑὴν παρὰ νῆ' ἐβάλοντο
485  ἥρωες: Κόλχον δ' ὄλεκον στόλον, ἠύτε κίρκοι
486 φῦλα πελειάων, ἠὲ μέγα πῶυ λέοντες
487 ἀγρότεροι κλονέουσιν ἐνὶ σταθμοῖσι θορόντες.
488 οὐδ' ἄρα τις κείνων θάνατον φύγε, πάντα δ' ὅμιλον
489 πῦρ ἅ τε δηιόωντες ἐπέδραμον: ὀψὲ δ' Ἰήσων
490  ἤντησεν, μεμαὼς ἐπαμυνέμεν οὐ μάλ' ἀρωγῆς
491 δευομένοις: ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἀμφ' αὐτοῖο μέλοντο.
492 ἔνθα δὲ ναυτιλίης πυκινὴν περὶ μητιάασκον
493 ἑζόμενοι βουλήν: ἐπὶ δέ σφισιν ἤλυθε κούρη
494 φραζομένοις: Πηλεὺς δὲ παροίτατος ἔκφατο μῦθον:

(4.495-502) "I now bid you embark while it is still night, and take with your oars the passage opposite to that which the enemy guards, for at dawn when they see their plight I deem that no word urging to further pursuit of us will prevail with them; but as people bereft of their king, they will be scattered in grievous dissension. And easy, when the people are scattered, will this path be for us on our return."

495      "Ἤδη νῦν κέλομαι νύκτωρ ἔτι νῆ' ἐπιβάντας
496 εἰρεσίῃ περάαν πλόον ἀντίον, ᾧ ἐπέχουσιν
497 δήιοι: ἠῶθεν γὰρ ἐπαθρήσαντας ἕκαστα
498 ἔλπομαι οὐχ ἕνα μῦθον, ὅτις προτέρωσε δίεσθαι
499 ἡμέας ὀτρυνέει, τοὺς πεισέμεν: οἷα δ' ἄνακτος
500  εὔνιδες, ἀργαλέῃσι διχοστασίῃς κεδόωνται.
501 ῥηιδίη δέ κεν ἄμμι, κεδασθέντων δίχα λαῶν,
502 ἤ τ' εἴη μετέπειτα κατερχομένοισι κέλευθος."


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