Glaucus and the Simile of Leaves and Lineage of Bellerophon — Homer, Iliad Book 6 (lines 138–202), Greek & English

138

τῷ μὲν ἔπειτʼ ὀδύσαντο θεοὶ ῥεῖα ζώοντες,

With him then the gods who live at ease were angry,

καί μιν τυφλὸν ἔθηκε Κρόνου πάϊς· οὐδʼ ἄρʼ ἔτι δὴν

and the son of Cronos made him blind; nor then did he long

140

ἦν,¹ ἐπεὶ ἀθανάτοισιν ἀπήχθετο πᾶσι θεοῖσιν·

live, since he was hated by all the immortal gods.

οὐδʼ ἂν ἐγὼ μακάρεσσι θεοῖς ἐθέλοιμι μάχεσθαι.

Neither would I wish to fight with the blessed gods.

εἰ δέ τίς ἐσσι βροτῶν οἳ ἀρούρης καρπὸν ἔδουσιν,

But if you are one of mortal men who eat the fruit of the earth,

ἆσσον ἴθʼ ὥς κεν θᾶσσον ὀλέθρου πείραθʼ ἵκηαι.²

come nearer, that you may the sooner reach the goal of destruction.

τὸν δʼ αὖθʼ Ἱππολόχοιο προσηύδα φαίδιμος υἱός·

Then the glorious son of Hippolochus spoke to him in turn:

145

Τυδεΐδη μεγάθυμε τί ἢ γενεὴν ἐρεείνεις;

“High-hearted son of Tydeus, why do you ask of my lineage?

οἵη περ φύλλων γενεὴ τοίη δὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν.

As is the generation of leaves, so is that of men too.

φύλλα τὰ μέν τʼ ἄνεμος χαμάδις χέει, ἄλλα δέ θʼ ὕλη

The wind pours some leaves on the ground, but the forest

τηλεθόωσα φύει, ἔαρος δʼ ἐπιγίγνεται ὥρη·

burgeons and puts forth others, when the season of spring comes on;

ὣς ἀνδρῶν γενεὴ ἣ μὲν φύει ἣ δʼ ἀπολήγει.

so the generation of men, one blossoms and another passes away.

150

εἰ δʼ ἐθέλεις καὶ ταῦτα δαήμεναι ὄφρʼ ἐῢ εἰδῇς

But if you wish to learn of this too, so that you may well know

ἡμετέρην γενεήν, πολλοὶ δέ μιν ἄνδρες ἴσασιν·

our lineage—and many men know it—

ἔστι πόλις Ἐφύρη μυχῷ Ἄργεος ἱπποβότοιο,

There is a city, Ephyre, in the corner of horse-pasturing Argos,

ἔνθα δὲ Σίσυφος ἔσκεν, ὃ κέρδιστος γένετʼ ἀνδρῶν,

and there lived Sisyphus, who was the craftiest of men,

Σίσυφος Αἰολίδης· ὃ δʼ ἄρα Γλαῦκον τέκεθʼ υἱόν,

Sisyphus, son of Aeolus; and he begot a son, Glaucus,

155

αὐτὰρ Γλαῦκος τίκτεν ἀμύμονα Βελλεροφόντην·

and Glaucus begot peerless Bellerophon.

τῷ δὲ θεοὶ κάλλός τε καὶ ἠνορέην ἐρατεινὴν

To him the gods gave beauty and lovely manhood;

ὤπασαν· αὐτάρ οἱ Προῖτος κακὰ μήσατο θυμῷ,

but Proetus devised evil against him in his heart,

ὅς ῥʼ ἐκ δήμου ἔλασσεν, ἐπεὶ πολὺ φέρτερος ἦεν,

and drove him from the land of the Argives, since he was far the stronger;

Ἀργείων·³ Ζεὺς γάρ οἱ ὑπὸ σκήπτρῳ ἐδάμασσε.

for Zeus had subdued them under his sceptre.

160

τῷ δὲ γυνὴ Προίτου ἐπεμήνατο δῖʼ Ἄντεια

And Proetus’ wife, noble Anteia, lusted madly after him,

κρυπταδίῃ φιλότητι μιγήμεναι· ἀλλὰ τὸν οὔ τι

to lie with him in secret love; but she could in no way

πεῖθʼ⁴ ἀγαθὰ φρονέοντα δαΐφρονα Βελλεροφόντην.

persuade wise Bellerophon, who was of an upright mind.

ἣ δὲ ψευσαμένη Προῖτον βασιλῆα προσηύδα·

So she spoke lies to king Proetus, saying:

τεθναίης ὦ Προῖτʼ, ἢ κάκτανε Βελλεροφόντην,

“Either die yourself, Proetus, or slay Bellerophon,

165

ὅς μʼ ἔθελεν φιλότητι μιγήμεναι οὐκ ἐθελούσῃ.

who wished to lie with me in love against my will.”

ὣς φάτο, τὸν δὲ ἄνακτα χόλος λάβεν οἷον ἄκουσε·

So she spoke, and wrath seized the king at what he heard;

κτεῖναι μέν ῥʼ ἀλέεινε, σεβάσσατο γὰρ τό γε θυμῷ,

to slay him indeed he shrank from, for he feared that in his heart,

πέμπε δέ μιν Λυκίην δέ, πόρεν δʼ ὅ γε σήματα λυγρὰ

but he sent him to Lycia, and gave him baneful tokens,

γράψας ἐν πίνακι πτυκτῷ θυμοφθόρα πολλά,

scratching in a folded tablet many deadly things,

170

δεῖξαι δʼ ἠνώγειν⁵ ᾧ πενθερῷ ὄφρʼ ἀπόλοιτο.

and bade him show them to his father-in-law, so that he might perish.

αὐτὰρ ὁ βῆ Λυκίην δὲ θεῶν ὑπʼ ἀμύμονι πομπῇ.

So he went to Lycia under the blameless escort of the gods.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ Λυκίην ἷξε Ξάνθόν τε ῥέοντα,

But when he came to Lycia and the flowing Xanthus,

προφρονέως μιν τῖεν ἄναξ Λυκίης εὐρείης·

the king of wide Lycia honored him with a willing heart;

ἐννῆμαρ ξείνισσε καὶ ἐννέα βοῦς ἱέρευσεν.

for nine days he entertained him and sacrificed nine oxen.

175

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ δεκάτη ἐφάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠὼς

But when the tenth rosy-fingered Dawn appeared,

καὶ τότε μιν ἐρέεινε καὶ ᾔτεε σῆμα ἰδέσθαι

then indeed he questioned him and asked to see the token,

ὅττί ῥά οἱ γαμβροῖο πάρα Προίτοιο φέροιτο.

whatever it was that he brought from his son-in-law Proetus.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ σῆμα κακὸν παρεδέξατο γαμβροῦ,

But when he had received the evil token of his son-in-law,

πρῶτον μέν ῥα Χίμαιραν ἀμαιμακέτην ἐκέλευσε

first he bade him slay the raging Chimera;

180

πεφνέμεν· ἣ δʼ ἄρʼ ἔην θεῖον γένος οὐδʼ ἀνθρώπων,

she was of divine race, and not of men,

πρόσθε λέων, ὄπιθεν δὲ δράκων, μέσση δὲ χίμαιρα,

in front a lion, in the rear a serpent, and in the middle a goat,

δεινὸν ἀποπνείουσα πυρὸς μένος αἰθομένοιο,

breathing out dreadly the might of blazing fire.

καὶ τὴν μὲν κατέπεφνε θεῶν τεράεσσι πιθήσας.

And her he slew, trusting in the portents of the gods.

δεύτερον αὖ Σολύμοισι μαχέσσατο κυδαλίμοισι·

Secondly he fought with the glorious Solymi;

185

καρτίστην δὴ τήν γε μάχην φάτο δύμεναι ἀνδρῶν.

this indeed he said was the fiercest battle of men that he entered.

τὸ τρίτον αὖ κατέπεφνεν Ἀμαζόνας ἀντιανείρας.

Thirdly he slew the Amazons, the peers of men.

τῷ δʼ ἄρʼ ἀνερχομένῳ πυκινὸν δόλον ἄλλον ὕφαινε·

And as he returned, the king wove another cunning plot against him;

κρίνας ἐκ Λυκίης εὐρείης φῶτας ἀρίστους

having chosen the best men out of wide Lycia,

εἷσε λόχον· τοὶ δʼ οὔ τι πάλιν οἶκον δὲ νέοντο·

he set an ambush; but they returned home not at all;

190

πάντας γὰρ κατέπεφνεν ἀμύμων Βελλεροφόντης.

for peerless Bellerophon slew them all.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ γίγνωσκε θεοῦ γόνον ἠῢν ἐόντα

But when the king knew that he was the brave offspring of a god,

αὐτοῦ μιν κατέρυκε, δίδου δʼ ὅ γε θυγατέρα ἥν,

he kept him there, and gave him his own daughter,

δῶκε δέ οἱ τιμῆς βασιληΐδος ἥμισυ πάσης·

and gave him the half of all his kingly honor;

καὶ μέν οἱ Λύκιοι τέμενος τάμον ἔξοχον ἄλλων

and the Lycians measured out for him an estate, pre-eminent above others,

195

καλὸν φυταλιῆς καὶ ἀρούρης, ὄφρα νέμοιτο.

fair with orchard and arable land, that he might possess it.

ἣ δʼ ἔτεκε τρία τέκνα δαΐφρονι Βελλεροφόντῃ

And she bore three children to wise Bellerophon:

Ἴσανδρόν τε καὶ Ἱππόλοχον καὶ Λαοδάμειαν.

Isandrus, and Hippolochus, and Laodameia.

Λαοδαμείῃ μὲν παρελέξατο μητίετα Ζεύς,

With Laodameia lay Zeus the counsellor,

ἣ δʼ ἔτεκʼ ἀντίθεον Σαρπηδόνα χαλκοκορυστήν.

and she bore godlike Sarpedon, the bronze-clad warrior.

200

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ καὶ κεῖνος ἀπήχθετο πᾶσι θεοῖσιν,

But when he also came to be hated by all the gods,

ἤτοι ὃ κὰπ πεδίον τὸ Ἀλήϊον οἶος ἀλᾶτο

then he wandered alone over the Aleian plain,

ὃν θυμὸν κατέδων, πάτον ἀνθρώπων ἀλεείνων·

consuming his own heart, avoiding the paths of men.

Syntax notes5 items

6.139οὐδʼ ἄρʼ ἔτι δὴν ἦν
The verb ἦν is the 3rd person singular imperfect of εἰμί ("to be, exist"). The subject is Lycurgus, and the phrase combined with the adverb δὴν ("long") idiomatically means "he did not live long."
6.143ὀλέθρου πείραθʼ ἵκηαι
ἵκηαι is the 2nd person singular aorist subjunctive middle of ἱκνέομαι (used with ὥς κεν in a prospective/purpose clause). πείραθ' is the accusative plural of πείρατα ("ends, limits"), and the genitive ὀλέθρου ("of destruction") depends on it. The phrase literally means "that you may reach the limits of destruction," a poetic metaphor for dying.
6.158πολὺ φέρτερος ἦεν, Ἀργείων
The comparative adjective φέρτερος ("stronger, more powerful") is followed by the genitive of comparison Ἀργείων, indicating that Proetus "was far more powerful than the (other) Argives."
6.161οὔ τι πεῖθʼ
πεῖθʼ (for ἔπειθε) is the 3rd person singular imperfect active of πείθω ("to persuade"). Combined with the strong negation οὔ τι, the imperfect tense here has a conative or unsuccessful force, translating to "she tried to persuade him but could not at all."
6.170δεῖξαι δʼ ἠνώγειν
ἠνώγειν (an epic variant of ἠνώγει) is the 3rd person singular pluperfect active of ἄνωγα ("to order, command"), used with an imperfect/past meaning. The active aorist infinitive δεῖξαι (from δεῖκνυμι, "to show") functions as a complementary infinitive depending on ἠνώγειν.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-23)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.138-6.202