- Source
- Callimachus and Lycophron; Aratus. Mair, A. W., editor. London: William Heinemann; New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1921.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0533.tlg015.humanitext-grc3:51-96
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
The poet sings of Zeus's rapid growth, denies the traditional myth of casting lots for the three realms, attributes kingship to Zeus's own strength and deeds, and prays for both virtue and wealth.
Ἰδαίοις ἐν ὄρεσσι, τά τε κλείουσι Πάνακρα.1
on the Idaean mountains, which they call Panacra.
οὖλα δὲ Κούρητές σε περὶ πρύλιν ὠρχήσαντο
And around you the Kouretes danced a vigorous war-dance,
τεύχεα πεπηήγοντες, ἵνα Κρόνος οὔασιν ἠχὴν
striking their armor, so that Cronus might hear in his ears the sound
ἀσπίδος εἰσαΐοι καὶ μή σεο κουρίζοντος.2
of the shield, and not your infant crying.
καλὰ μὲν ἠέξευ, καλὰ δʼ ἔτραφες, οὐράνιε Ζεῦ,
Fairly did you grow, and fairly were you nurtured, O heavenly Zeus,
ὀξὺ δʼ ἀνήβησας, ταχινοὶ δέ τοι ἦλθον ἴουλοι.
and quickly you reached youth, and swift came the down upon your cheeks.
ἀλλʼ ἔτι παιδνὸς ἐὼν ἐφράσσαο πάντα τέλεια·
But while still a child, you planned all things perfect;
τῶ τοι καὶ γνωτοὶ προτερηγενέες περ ἐόντες3
wherefore your brothers, though they were earlier born,
οὐρανὸν οὐκ ἐμέγηραν ἔχειν ἐπιδαίσιον οἶκον.
did not grudge you having heaven as your allotted home.
δηναιοὶ δʼ οὐ πάμπαν ἀληθέες ἦσαν ἀοιδοί.
But the ancient poets were not altogether truthful;
φάντο πάλον Κρονίδῃσι διάτριχα δώματα νεῖμαι·
they said that a lot divided the three-fold dwellings among the sons of Cronus.
τίς δέ κʼ ἐπʼ Οὐλύμπῳ τε καὶ Ἄιδι κλῆρον ἐρύσσαι,4
But who would draw a lot for Olympus and Hades,
ὃς μάλα μὴ νενίηλος; ἐπʼ ἰσαίῃ γὰρ ἔοικε
unless he were utterly foolish? For it is fitting to cast lots
πήλασθαι· τὰ δὲ τόσσον ὅσον διὰ πλεῖστον ἔχουσι.
over equal shares; but these dwell as far apart as possible.
ψευδοίμην ἀίοντος ἅ κεν πεπίθοιεν ἀκουήν.5
May I tell lies that would persuade the hearer’s ear!
οὔ σε θεῶν ἐσσῆνα πάλοι θέσαν, ἔργα δὲ χειρῶν,
No lot made you the king of the gods, but the deeds of your hands,
σή τε βίη τό τε κάρτος, ὃ καὶ πέλας εἵσαο δίφρου.
and your strength and might, which you also seated near your throne.
θήκαο δʼ οἰωνῶν μέγʼ ὑπείροχον ἀγγελιώτην
And you made the most pre-eminent of birds the messenger
σῶν τεράων· ἅ τʼ ἐμοῖσι φίλοις ἐνδέξια φαίνοις.
of your signs; may you show them favorable on the right to my friends.
εἵλεο δʼ αἰζηῶν ὅ τι φέρτατον· οὐ σύ γε νηῶν
And you chose the best of men; not indeed the skilled
ἐμπεράμους, οὐκ ἄνδρα σακέσπαλον, οὐ μὲν ἀοιδόν·
in ships, nor the shield-wielding warrior, nor indeed the poet,
ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν μακάρεσσιν ὀλίζοσιν αὖθι παρῆκας
but those you left to other lesser gods,
ἄλλα μέλειν ἑτέροισι, σὺ δʼ ἐξέλεο πτολιάρχους
for others to care for; but you chose the rulers of cities themselves,
αὐτούς, ὧν ὑπὸ χεῖρα γεωμόρος, ὧν ἴδρις αἰχμῆς,
under whose hand is the husbandman, the skilled in the spear,
ὧν ἐρέτης, ὧν πάντα· τί δʼ οὐ κρατέοντος ὑπʼ ἰοχύν;
the oarsman, and all things; what is not under the power of the ruler?
αὐτίκα χαλκῆας μὲν ὑδείομεν Ἡφαίστοιο,
Straightway we sing of smiths as belonging to Hephaestus,
τευχηστὰς δʼ Ἄρηος, ἐπακτῆρας δὲ Χιτώνης
warriors to Ares, hunters to Artemis
Ἀρτέμιδος, Φοίβου δὲ λύρης εὖ εἰδότας οἴμους·
of the Tunic, and those well skilled in the paths of the lyre to Phoebus;
ἐκ δὲ Διὸς βασιλῆες, ἐπεὶ Διὸς οὐδὲν ἀνάκτων
but from Zeus come kings, since nothing is more divine
θειότερον· τῶ καί σφε τεὴν ἐκρίναο λάξιν.
than the rulers from Zeus; therefore you chose them as your own portion.
δῶκας δὲ πτολίεθρα φυλασσέμεν, ἵζεο δʼ αὐτὸς
And you gave them cities to guard, and you yourself sat
ἄκρῃσʼ ἐν πολίεσσιν, ἐπόψιος οἵ τε δίκῃσι
on the high places of cities, watching over those who with crooked judgments
λαὸν ὑπὸ σκολιῇσʼ οἵ τʼ ἔμπαλιν ἰθύνουσιν·
rule the people, and those who do the contrary;
ἐν δὲ ῥυηφενίην ἔβαλές σφισιν, ἐν δʼ ἅλις ὄλβον·
and you cast abundant wealth upon them, and sufficient prosperity;
πᾶσι μέν, οὐ μάλα δʼ ἶσον. ἔοικε δὲ τεκμήρασθαι
to all indeed, but not in equal measure. And one may judge this
ἡμετέρῳ μεδέοντι·6 περιπρὸ γὰρ εὐρὺ βέβηκεν.
by our ruler; for he has stepped far beyond others.
ἑσπέριος κεῖνός γε τελεῖ τά κεν ἦρι νοήσῃ·
At evening he accomplishes what he conceives in the morning;
ἑσπέριος τὰ μέγιστα, τὰ μείονα δʼ, εὖτε νοήσῃ.
at evening the greatest things, and the lesser as soon as he conceives them.
οἱ δὲ τὰ μὲν πλειῶνι, τὰ δʼ οὐχ ἑνί, τῶν δʼ ἀπὸ πάμπαν
But others accomplish some things in a year, others not even in one, and of others altogether
αὐτὸς ἄνην ἐκόλουσας, ἐνέκλασσας δὲ μενοινήν.
you yourself have cut short the fulfillment, and shattered their desire.
χαῖρε μέγα, Κρονίδη πανυπέρτατε, δῶτορ ἐάων,
Hail greatly, most high son of Cronus, giver of good things,
δῶτορ ἀπημονίης. τεὰ δʼ ἔργματα τίς κεν ἀείδοι;
giver of safety from harm. Your deeds who could sing?
οὐ γένετʼ, οὐκ ἔσται, τίς κεν Διὸς ἔργματʼ ἀείσαι.
There has not been, there shall not be, one who could sing the deeds of Zeus.
χαῖρε πάτερ, χαῖρʼ αὖθι· δίδου δʼ ἀρετήν τʼ ἄφενός τε.
Hail, Father, hail again; and grant us virtue and wealth.
οὔτʼ ἀρετῆς ἄτερ ὄλβος ἐπίσταται ἄνδρας ἀέξειν
For wealth without virtue knows not how to make men great,
οὔτʼ ἀρετὴ ἀφένοιο· δίδου δʼ ἀρετήν τε καὶ ὄλβον.
nor virtue without wealth; grant us then both virtue and wealth.
- 51τά τε κλείουσι Πάνακρα
The relative pronoun τά (neuter plural accusative) has Ἰδαίοις ἐν ὄρεσσι as its antecedent, and Πάνακρα functions as an accusative complement of κλείουσι ("they call"), meaning "the Idaean mountains which they call Panacra."
- 54μή σεο κουρίζοντος
This is a genitive absolute construction where the negative particle μή modifies the present participle κουρίζοντος ("crying as an infant"), forming the latter part of the purpose clause starting with ἵνα ("so that Cronus might not hear you crying").
- 58προτερηγενέες περ ἐόντες
A concessive use of the participle. Accompanied by περ, it means "although they were earlier born," emphasizing that Zeus's supreme qualities overrode the traditional birthright of his elder brothers.
- 62τίς δέ κʼ ἐπʼ Οὐλύμπῳ τε καὶ Ἄιδι κλῆρον ἐρύσσαι
A potential optative with the particle κεν (ἄν) in a rhetorical question, meaning "who would draw a lot for..." implying that no one in their right mind would do so because of the vast inequality between the realms.
- 65ψευδοίμην ἀίοντος ἅ κεν πεπίθοιεν ἀκουήν
While the main verb ψευδοίμην is an optative of wish ("may I tell lies"), the relative clause ἅ κεν πεπίθοιεν contains κεν with the optative representing a potential action ("such as might persuade the ear of the listener").
- 86ἡμετέρῳ μεδέοντι
The dative functions as a dative of reference or standard of judgment with the infinitive τεκμήρασθαι ("to judge, estimate"), meaning "one may judge by [reference to] our ruler."