Praise of Delos and Leto's Flight from Hera — Callimachus, Hymn to Delos, lines 1–80, Greek & English

τὴν ἱερήν,¹ ὦ θυμέ, τίνα χρόνον ἢ πότʼ ἀείσεις

When and at what time, my soul, will you sing of the sacred island,

δῆλον, Ἀπόλλωνος κουροτρόφον; ἦ μὲν ἅπασαι

Delos, the nurse of Apollo? Indeed, all

Κυκλάδες, αἳ νήσων ἱερώταται εἰν ἁλὶ κεῖνται,

the Cyclades, which lie in the sea as the most sacred of islands, are

εὔυμνοι· δῆλος δʼ ἐθέλει τὰ πρῶτα φέρεσθαι²

rich in song; but Delos wishes to bear away the first prize from the Muses,

ἐκ Μουσέων, ὅτι Φοῖβον ἀοιδάων μεδέοντα

because she first washed Phoebus, the lord of songs,

λοῦσέ τε καὶ σπείρωσε καὶ ὡς θεὸν ᾔνεσε πρώτη.

and swaddled him, and praised him as a god.

ὡς Μοῦσαι τὸν ἀοιδὸν ὃ μὴ Πίμπλειαν ἀείσῃ

As the Muses hate the singer who does not sing of Pimpleia,

ἔχθουσιν, τὼς Φοῖβος ὅτις Δήλοιο λάθηται.

so Phoebus hates whoever forgets Delos.

Δήλῳ νῦν οἴμης ἀποδάσσομαι, ὡς ἂν Ἀπόλλων

Now I will bestow a share of my song upon Delos, so that Cynthian Apollo

Κύνθιος αἰνήσῃ με φίλης ἀλέγοντα τιθήνης.

may praise me for caring for his beloved nurse.

κείνη³ δʼ ἠνεμόεσσα καὶ ἄτροπος οἷά θʼ ἁλιπλὴξ

She, windy and immovable, beaten by the sea,

αἰθυίῃς καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπίδρομος ἠέπερ ἵπποις

is a path for gulls rather than for horses,

πόντῳ ἐνεστήρικται· ὁ δʼ ἀμφί ἑ πουλύς ἑλίσσων

set fast in the deep; and the vast sea, rolling around her,

Ἰκαρίου πολλὴν ἀπομάσσεται ὕδατος ἄχνην·

wipes off much foam of the Icarian water.

τῶ σφε καὶ ἰχθυβολῆες ἁλίπλοοι ἐννάσσαντο.

Therefore, sea-faring fishermen have settled upon her.

ἀλλά οἱ οὐ νεμεσητὸν ἐνὶ πρώτῃσι λέγεσθαι,

Yet it is no cause for resentment that she is named among the foremost,

ὀππότʼ ἐς Ὠκεανόν τε καὶ ἐς Τιτηνίδα Τηθὺν

whenever toward Oceanus and Titaness Tethys

νῆσοι ἀολλίζονται, ἀεὶ δʼ ἔξαρχος ὁδεύει.

the islands gather together, and she always leads the way.

ἡ δʼ ὄπιθεν Φοίνισσα μετʼ ἴχνια Κύρνος ὀπηδεῖ

Behind her follows Phoenician Cyrnus in her tracks,

οὐκ ὀνοτὴ καὶ Μάκρις Ἀβαντιὰς Ἐλλοπιήων

not to be despised, and Macris, the Abantian land of the Ellopians,

Σαρδώ θʼ ἱμερόεσσα καὶ ἣν ἐπενήξατο Κύπρις

and lovely Sardó, and the island which Cypris first swam to

ἐξ ὕδατος τὰ πρῶτα, σαοῖ δέ μιν ἀντʼ ἐπιβάθρων.

from the water, and she saves it in return for her landing.

κεῖναι μὲν πύργοισι περισκεπέεσσιν ἐρυμναί,

Those islands indeed are strong with sheltering towers,

δῆλος δʼ Ἀπόλλωνι· τί δὲ στιβαρώτερον ἕρκος;

but Delos is strong by Apollo; and what wall is more steadfast?

τείχεα μὲν καὶ λᾶες ὑπαὶ ῥιπῆς κε πέσοιεν

Walls and stones may fall under the blast

Στρυμονίου βορέαο· θεὸς δʼ ἀεὶ ἀστυφέλικτος·

of Strymonian Boreas; but a god is ever unshaken.

Δῆλε φίλη, τοῖός σε βοηθόος ἀμφιβέβηκεν.

Dear Delos, such a helper encompasses you.

εἰ δὲ λίην πολέες σε περιτροχόωσιν ἀοιδαί,

But if exceedingly many songs circle around you,

ποίῃ ἐνιπλέξω σε; τί τοι θυμῆρες ἀκοῦσαι;

in what song shall I weave you? What is pleasing to your heart to hear?

ἢ ὡς τὰ πρώτιστα μέγας θεὸς οὔρεα θείνων

Or how at the very first the great god, striking the mountains

ἄορι τριγλώχινι, τό οἱ Τελχῖνες ἔτευξαν,

with his three-pointed sword, which the Telchines fashioned for him,

νήσους εἰναλίας εἰργάζετο, νέρθε δὲ πάσας

fashioned the islands in the sea, and from their lowest depths

ἐκ νεάτων ὤχλισσε καὶ εἰσεκύλισε θαλάσσῃ;

heaved them all and rolled them into the sea?

καὶ τὰς μὲν κατὰ βυσσόν, ἵνʼ ἠπείροιο λάθωνται,

And these indeed in the abyss, that they might forget the mainland,

πρυμνόθεν ἐρρίζωσε· δὲ δʼ οὐκ ἔθλιψεν ἀνάγκη,

he rooted from their foundations; but no necessity pressed upon you,

ἀλλʼ ἄφετος πελάγεσσιν ἐπέπλεες, οὔνομα δʼ ἦν σοι

but free you floated on the seas, and your name of old was

Ἀστερίη τὸ παλαιόν, ἐπεὶ βαθὺν ἥλαο τάφρον⁴

Asteria, since you leaped down into the deep trench

οὐρανόθεν φεύγουσα Διὸς γάμον ἀστέρι ἴση.

from heaven, fleeing the marriage of Zeus, like a star.

τόφρα μὲν οὔπω σοι χρυσέη ἐπεμίσγετο Λητώ,

At that time golden Leto had not yet mingled with you,

τόφρα δʼ ἔτʼ Ἀστερίη σὺ καὶ οὐδέπω ἔκλεο Δῆλος·

at that time you were still Asteria and were not yet called Delos.

πολλάκι σε Τροιζῆνος ἀπὸ ξανθοῖο πολίχνης

Often, from the yellow town of Troezen,

ἐρχόμενοι Ἐφύρηνδε Σαρωνικοῦ ἔνδοθι κόλπου

as they went to Ephyra within the Saronic Gulf,

ναῦται ἐπεσκέψαντο, καὶ ἐξ Ἐφύρης ἀνιόωτες

sailors beheld you, and as they returned from Ephyra,

οἱ μὲν ἔτʼ οὐκ ἴδον αὖθι, σὺ δὲ στεινοῖο παρʼ ὀξὺν

they saw you no more there, but you had run past the sharp

ἔδραμες Εὐρίποιο πόρον καναχηδὰ ῥέοντος,

strait of Chattering Euripus, as it flows with sound,

Χαλκιδικῆς δʼ αὐτῆμαρ ἀνηναμένη ἁλὸς ὕδωρ

and refusing the water of the Chalcidian sea on that very day,

μέσφʼ ἐς Ἀθηναίων προσενήξαο Σούνιον ἄκρον

you swam all the way to the Athenian headland of Sunium,

ἢ Χίον ἢ νήσοιο διάβροχον ὕδατι μαστὸν

or to Chios, or to the water-drenched breast of the maiden isle

παρθενίης (οὔπω γὰρ ἔην Σάμος), ἧχι σε νύμφαι

(for Samos was not yet), where the nymphs

γείτονες Ἀγκαίου Μυκαλησσίδες ἐξείνισσαν.

of Mycalessus, neighbors of Ancaeus, welcomed you.

ἡνίκα δʼ Ἀπόλλωνι γενέθλιον οὖδας ὑπέσχες,

But when you offered a birthplace to Apollo,

τοῦτό τοι ἀντημοιβὸν ἁλίπλοοι οὔνομʼ ἔθεντο,

the sea-farers gave you this name in return,

οὕνεκεν οὐκέτʼ ἄδηλος ἐπέπλεες, ἀλλʼ ἐνὶ πόντου

because no longer hidden did you float, but in the waves

κύμασιν Αἰγαίοιο ποδῶν ἐνεθήκαο ῥίζας.

of the Aegean Sea you fixed the roots of your feet.

οὐδʼ Ἥρην κοτέουσαν ὑπέτρεσας· ἡ μὲν ἁπάσαις

Nor did you fear angry Hera, who was terribly enraged at all

δεινὸν ἐπεβρωμᾶτο λεχωίσιν αἳ Διὶ παῖδας

the women in childbed who bore children to Zeus,

ἐξέφερον, Λητοῖ δὲ διακριδόν, οὕνεκα μούνη

but toward Leto in an exceptional degree, because she alone

Ζηνὶ τεκεῖν ἤμελλε φιλαίτερον Ἄρεος υἷα.

was to bear to Zeus a son more beloved than Ares.

τῶ ῥα καὶ αὐτὴ μὲν σκοπιὴν ἔχεν αἰθέρος εἴσω

Therefore she herself kept watch within the ether,

σπερχομένη μέγα δή τι καὶ οὐ φατόν, εἶργε δὲ Λητὼ

raging with a mighty and unspeakable anger, and she barred Leto

τειρομένην ὠδῖσι· δύω δέ οἱ εἵατο φρουροὶ

oppressed by labor pains; and two sentinels sat for her,

γαῖαν ἐποπτεύοντες, ὁ μὲν πέδον ἠπείροιο

watching the earth, one of whom guarded the plain of the mainland,

ἥμενος ὑψηλῆς κορυφῆς ἔπι Θρήικος Αἵμου

sitting on the high peak of Thracian Haemus,

θοῦρος Ἄρης ἐφύλασσε σὺν ἔντεσι, τὼ δέ οἱ ἵππω

even impetuous Ares in his armor, while his two horses

ἑπτάμυχον βορέαο παρὰ σπέος ηὐλίζοντο·

stabled by the seven-chambered cave of Boreas;

ἡ δʼ ἐπὶ νησάων ἑτέρη σκοπὸς εὐρειάων

and the other, the sentinel over the broad islands,

ἧστο κόρη Θαύμαντος ἐπαΐξασα Μίμαντι.

the daughter of Thaumas, sat having darted down onto Mimas.

ἔνθʼ οἱ μὲν πολίεσσιν ὅσαις ἐπεβάλλετο Λητὼ

There they remained, threatening all the cities which Leto approached,

μίμνον ἀπειλητῆρες, ἀπετρώπων δὲ δέχεσθαι.

and turned her away from welcoming her.

φεῦγε μὲν Ἀρκαδίη, φεῦγεν δʼ ὄρος ἱερὸν Αὔγης

Arcadia fled, and the sacred mountain of Auge,

Παρθένιον, φεῦγεν δʼ ὁ γέρων μετόπισθε Φενειός.

Parthenium, fled, and old Pheneus behind her fled too.

φεῦγε δʼ ὅλη Πελοπηὶς ὅση παρακέκλιται Ἰσθμῷ,

And all the Peloponnese fled, as much as lies along the Isthmus,

ἔμπλην Αἰγιαλοῦ τε καὶ Ἄργεος· οὐ γὰρ ἐκείνας

save Aegialus and Argos; for she did not tread

ἀτραπιτοὺς ἐπάτησεν, ἐπεὶ λάχεν Ἴναχον Ἥρη.

those paths, since Hera had obtained Inachus as her lot.

φεῦγε καὶ Ἀονίη τὸν ἕνα δρόμον,⁵ αἱ δʼ ἐφέποντο

Aonia too fled in the same course, and there followed her

Δίρκη τε Στροφίη τε μελαμψήφιδος ἔχουσαι

Dirce and Strophia, holding the hand of their father,

Ἰσμηνοῦ χέρα πατρός, ὁ δʼ εἵπετο πολλὸν ὄπισθεν

Ismenus of the black pebbles; and he followed far behind,

Ἀσωπὸς βαρύγουνος, ἐπεὶ πεπάλακτο κεραυνῷ.

heavy-kneed Asopus, since he had been struck with the thunderbolt.

ἡ δʼ ὑποδινηθεῖσα χοροῦ ἀπεπαύσατο νύμφη

And the nymph, spinning around, ceased from the dance,

αὐτόχθων Μελίη καὶ ὑπόχλοον ἔσχε παρειὴν

native Melia, and she held a pale-green cheek

Syntax notes5 items

1τὴν ἱερήν
An accusative feminine singular adjective. The noun νῆσον (or Δῆλον) is omitted and proleptically anticipated by the subsequent δῆλον in §2.
4τὰ πρῶτα φέρεσθαι
An idiomatic expression meaning "to carry off the first prize" or "to be preeminent." The neuter plural accusative τὰ πρῶτα functions adverbially or as an object of the passive/middle infinitive φέρεσθαι.
11κείνη
Demonstrative pronoun κείνη (referring to Delos), nominative singular feminine.
37βαθὺν ἥλαο τάφρον
Literally "you leaped into a deep trench." The noun τάφρον is used metaphorically to denote the vast gap or abyss between heaven and the sea into which Asteria plunged.
75τὸν ἕνα δρόμον
The accusative functions adverbially or as a cognate accusative ("the same course"), indicating the manner in which Aonia fled in the same direction as the others.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0533.tlg018.humanitext-grc3:1-80