Route to Cleitor, the Singing Fish, and City Sanctuaries — Pausanias, Description of Greece Book 8 (8.21.1–8.21.4), Greek & English

§8.21.1

ταῦτα μὲν δὴ οὕτω λέγουσι· τοῦ Λάδωνος δὲ τῶν πηγῶν ἀπέχει στάδια ἑξήκοντα ἡ Κλειτορίων πόλις, ἡ δὲ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν πηγῶν τοῦ Λάδωνός ἐστιν αὐλὼν στενὸς παρὰ τὸν Ἀροάνιον ποταμόν. πρὸς δὲ τῇ πόλει διαβήσῃ ποταμὸν καλούμενον Κλείτορα. ἐκδίδωσιν οὖν ὁ Κλείτωρ ἐς τὸν Ἀροάνιον, οὐ πλέον τῆς πόλεως σταδίους ἀπέχοντα¹ ἑπτά.

Thus indeed they say. The city of the Cleitorians is sixty stades distant from the springs of the Ladon, and the road from the springs of the Ladon is a narrow valley along the river Aroanius. Near the city you will cross a river called Cleitor. Now the Cleitor empties into the Aroanius, which is distant not more than seven stades from the city.

§8.21.2

εἰσὶ δὲ ἰχθῦς ἐν τῷ Ἀροανίῳ καὶ ἄλλοι καὶ οἱ ποικιλίαι καλούμενοι· τούτους λέγουσι τοὺς ποικιλίας φθέγγεσθαι κίχλῃ τῇ ὄρνιθι ἐοικός. ἐγὼ δὲ ἀγρευθέντας μὲν εἶδον, φθεγγομένων² δὲ ἤκουσα οὐδὲν καταμείνας πρὸς τῷ ποταμῷ καὶ ἐς ἡλίου δυσμάς, ὅτε δὴ φθέγγεσθαι μάλιστα ἐλέγοντο οἱ ἰχθῦς.

There are fish in the Aroanius, both others and those called “poikiliai”. They say that these poikiliai utter a sound similar to the thrush, the bird. I saw them when they were caught, but I heard no sound from them, although I waited by the river even until sunset, when indeed the fish were said to sing most.

§8.21.3

τῇ δὲ Κλειτορίων πόλει τὸ μὲν ὄνομα ἀπὸ τοῦ παιδὸς ἐτέθη τοῦ Ἀζᾶνος, οἰκεῖται δʼ ἐν ὁμαλῷ, κύκλῳ δὲ ὄρη περιέχοντά ἐστιν οὐ μεγάλα. Κλειτορίοις δὲ ἱερὰ τὰ ἐπιφανέστατα Δήμητρος τό τε Ἀσκληπιοῦ, τρίτον δέ ἐστιν Εἰλειθυίας εἶναι, καὶ ἀριθμὸν ἐποίησεν οὐδένα ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς·³ Λύκιος δὲ Ὠλὴν ἀρχαιότερος τὴν ἡλικίαν, Δηλίοις ὕμνους καὶ ἄλλους ποιήσας καὶ ἐς Εἰλείθυιαν, εὔλινόν τε αὐτὴν ἀνακαλεῖ— δῆλον ὡς τῇ πεπρωμένῃ τὴν αὐτήν—καὶ Κρόνου πρεσβυτέραν φησὶν εἶναι.

The city of the Cleitorians received its name from the son of Azan, and it is situated on a plain, with hills of no great height surrounding it. The most famous sanctuaries of the Cleitorians are that of Demeter and that of Asclepius, and thirdly there is a sanctuary of Eileithyia. And he made no number for them. But Olen the Lycian, who was of an earlier age, composed hymns for the Delians, including one to Eileithyia, and he calls her “the sweet-spinner”—clearly identifying her with Fate—and says she is older than Cronus.

§8.21.4

Κλειτορίοις δὲ καὶ Διοσκούρων, καλουμένων δὲ θεῶν Μεγάλων ἐστὶν ἱερὸν ὅσον τέσσαρα ἀπέχον στάδια ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως· καὶ ἀγάλματά ἐστιν αὐτοῖς χαλκᾶ. πεποίηται δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ ὄρους κορυφῆς σταδίοις τριάκοντα ἀπωτέρω τῆς πόλεως ναὸς καὶ ἄγαλμα Ἀθηνᾶς Κορίας.

The Cleitorians have also a sanctuary of the Dioscuri, who are called the Great Gods, about four stades distant from the city; and they have bronze images. There is also built, on the summit of a mountain thirty stades away from the city, a temple and image of Athena Coria.

Syntax notes3 items

8.21.1ἀπέχοντα
The present participle ἀπέχοντα is masculine singular accusative, agreeing with the river name Ἀροάνιον (masculine singular accusative). Thus it modifies the river Aroanius as being 'not more than seven stades distant from the city.'
8.21.2φθεγγομένων
A genitive plural participle of φθέγγομαι, functioning as the object of the verb of perception ἤκουσα ('I heard'). Verbs of hearing regularly take the genitive of the source of the sound; here the noun 'fish' (ἰχθύων) is understood.
8.21.3καὶ ἀριθμὸν ἐποίησεν οὐδένα ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς
The subject of the verb ἐποίησεν ('he made/specified') is not explicitly mentioned in the text. In context, it is presumed to refer to a poet (such as Homer or Hesiod) mentioned in a portion of the text that has been lost just prior to this clause.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.21.1-8.21.4