Prophecy of Apollo and Leto's Wandering to River Peneus — Callimachus, Hymn to Delos, lines 81–161, Greek & English

ἥλικος ἀσθμαίνουσα περὶ δρυός,¹ ὡς ἴδε χαίτην

gasping around her coeval oak, when she saw the hair

σειομένην Ἑλικῶνος. ἐμαὶ θεαί, εἴπατε Μοῦσαι,

of Helicon shaking. My goddesses, tell me, O Muses,

ἦ ῥʼ ἐτεὸν ἐγένοντο τότε δρύες ἡνίκα Νύμφαι;

did oaks really come into being at the same time as Nymphs?

νύμφαι μὲν χαίρουσιν, ὅτε δρύας ὄμβρος ἀέξει,

Nymphs indeed rejoice when the rain makes the oaks grow,

νύμφαι δʼ αὖ κλαίουσιν, ὅτε δρυσὶν οὐκέτι φύλλα.

and Nymphs again weep when there are no longer leaves on the oaks.

ταῖς² μὲν ἔτʼ Ἀπόλλων ὑποκόλπιος αἰνὰ χολώθη,

Against them Apollo, still in his mother’s womb, was terribly angered,

φθέγξατο δʼ οὐκ ἀτέλεστον ἀπειλήσας ἐπὶ Θήβῃ·

and he uttered a threat against Thebes, which was not to be unfulfilled:

Θήβη, τίπτε τάλαινα τὸν αὐτίκα πότμον ἐλέγχεις;³

”Thebes, why, wretched one, do you hasten your immediate fate?

μήπω μή μʼ ἀέκοντα βιάζεο μαντεύεσθαι.

Do not yet force me to prophesy against my will.

οὔπω μοι Πυθῶνι μέλει τριποδήιος ἕδρη,

Not yet do I care for the tripod-seat at Pytho,

οὐδέ τί πω τέθνηκεν ὄφις μέγας, ἀλλʼ ἔτι κεῖνο

nor is the great serpent yet dead, but still that

θηρίον αἰνογένειον ἀπὸ Πλειστοῖο καθέρπον

dread-born monster, crawling down from Pleistus,

Παρνησὸν νιφόεντα περιστέφει ἐννέα κύκλοις·

girds snowy Parnassus with nine coils.

ἀλλʼ ἔμπης ἐρέω τι τομώτερον ἢ ἀπὸ δάφνης.

Yet nevertheless I will speak something sharper than from the laurel.

φεῦγε πρόσω· ταχινός σε κιχήσομαι αἵματι λούσων

Flee far; I will quickly overtake you, to bathe my bow

τόξον ἐμόν· σὺ δὲ τέκνα κακογλώσσοιο γυναικὸς

in your blood. You have obtained the children of a bad-tongued woman.

ἔλλαχες. οὐ σύ γʼ ἐμεῖο φίλη τροφὸς οὐδὲ Κιθαιρὼν

Neither you nor Cithaeron shall be my beloved nurse;

ἔσσεται· εὐαγέων δὲ καὶ εὐαγέεσσι μελοίμην.

may I be dear to the pure, and may I care for the pure.”

ὣς ἄρʼ ἔφη. Λητὼ δὲ μετάτροπος αὖτις ἐχώρει.

Thus indeed he spoke. And Leto turned back and went again.

100

ἀλλʼ ὅτʼ Ἀχαιιάδες μιν ἀπηρνήσαντο πόληες

But when the Achaean cities refused her

ἐρχομένην, Ἑλίκη τε Ποσειδάωνος ἑταίρη

as she came, both Helice, the companion of Poseidon,

Βοῦρά τε Δεξαμενοῖο βοόστασις Οἰκιάδαο,

and Boura, the ox-stall of Dexamenos, son of Oiceus,

ἂψ δʼ ἐπὶ Θεσσαλίην πόδας ἔτρεπε, φεῦγε δʼ Ἄναυρος

she turned her feet back to Thessaly. And Anauros fled,

καὶ μεγάλη Λάρισα καὶ αἱ Χειρωνίδες ἄκραι,

and great Larissa, and the Chironian heights,

105

φεῦγε δὲ καὶ Πηνειὸς ἑλισσόμενος διὰ Τεμπέων.

and Peneus also fled, winding through Tempe.

Ἥρη, σοὶ δʼ ἔτι τῆμος ἀνηλεὲς ἦτορ ἔκειτο

Hera, your heart was still pitiless then,

οὐδὲ κατεκλάσθης τε καὶ ᾤκτισας, ἡνίκα πήχεις

nor were you broken or did you feel pity, when she,

ἀμφοτέρους ὀρέγουσα μάτην ἐφθέγξατο τοῖα

stretching out both arms, cried out in vain such words:

Νύμφαι Θεσσαλίδες, ποταμοῦ γένος, εἴπατε πατρὶ

”Thessalian Nymphs, offspring of the river, tell your father

110

κοιμῆσαι μέγα χεῦμα· περιπλέξασθε γενείῳ

to lull his great stream; clasp his beard

λισσόμεναι τὰ Ζηνὸς ἐν ὕδατι τέκνα τεκέσθαι.

in entreaty, that the children of Zeus may be born in his water.

Πηνειὲ Φθιῶτα, τί νῦν ἀνέμοισιν ἐρίζεις;

Peneus of Phthia, why do you now contend with the winds?

ὦ πάτερ, οὐ μὴν ἵππον ἀέθλιον ἀμφιβέβηκας.⁴

O father, surely you are not riding a prize-winning horse.

ἦ ῥά τοι ὧδʼ αἰεὶ ταχινοὶ πόδες, ἢ ἐπʼ ἐμεῖο

Are your feet indeed always so swift, or do they lighten

115

μοῦνοι ἐλαφρίζουσι, πεποίησαι δὲ πέτεσθαι

for me alone, and have you been made to fly

σήμερον ἐξαπίνης;" ὁ δʼ ἀνήκοος. "ὦ ἐμὸν ἄχθος,

today suddenly?” But he was unheeding. “O my burden,

ποῖ σε φέρω; μέλεοι γὰρ ἀπειρήκασι τένοντες.

where shall I bear you? For my wretched tendons have failed.

Πήλιον ὦ Φιλύρης νυμφήιον, ἀλλὰ σὺ μεῖνον,

Mount Pelion, bridal chamber of Philyra, do you at least remain,

μεῖνον, ἐπεὶ καὶ θῆρες ἐν οὔρεσι πολλάκι σεῖο

remain, since even wild lionesses on your mountains

120

ὠμοτόκους ὠδῖνας ἀπηρείσαντο λέαιναι.

have often laid down their raw-birth labor pains.”

τὴν δʼ ἄρα καὶ Πηνειὸς ἀμείβετο δάκρυα λείβων

And Peneus answered her, shedding tears:

Λητοῖ, Ἀναγκαίη μεγάλη θεός. οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγε

”Leto, Necessity is a great goddess. For I indeed,

πότνια σὰς ὠδῖνας ἀναίνομαι· οἶδα καὶ ἄλλας

lady, do not refuse your labor pains; I know of other

λουσαμένας ἀπʼ ἐμεῖο λεχωίδας· ἀλλά μοι Ἥρη

women in childbed who washed in my stream; but Hera

125

δαψιλὲς ἠπείλησεν. ἀπαύγασαι, οἷος ἔφεδρος

has threatened me terribly. Look, what a sentinel

οὔρεος ἐξ ὑπάτου σκοπιὴν ἔχει, ὅς κέ με ῥεῖα

keeps watch from the highest mountain, who would easily

βυσσόθεν ἐξερύσειε. τί μήσομαι; ἢ ἀπολέσθαι

drag me out from the bottom. What shall I devise? Or is the destruction

ἡδύ τί τοι Πηνειόν; ἴτω πεπρωμένον ἦμαρ·

of Peneus a sweet thing to you? Let the destined day come;

τλήσομαι εἵνεκα σεῖο καὶ εἰ μέλλοιμι ῥοάων

I will endure for your sake, even if I should flow

130

διψαλέην ἄμπωτιν ἔχων αἰώνιον ἔρρειν

with a thirsty ebb, dry forever,

καὶ μόνος ἐν ποταμοῖσιν ἀτιμότατος καλέεσθαι.

and alone among rivers be called the most dishonored.

ἠνίδʼ ἐγώ· τί περισσά; κάλει μόνον Εἰλήθυιαν.

Behold, here am I; why say more? Only call Eileithyia.”

εἶπε καὶ ἠρώησε μέγαν ῥόον.⁵ ἀλλά οἱ Ἄρης

He spoke and stayed his rushing stream. But Ares

Παγγαίου προθέλυμνα καρήατα μέλλεν ἀείρας

was about to raise the peaks of Pangaeum by the roots

135

ἐμβαλέειν δίνῃσιν, ἀποκρύψαι δὲ ῥέεθρα·

and cast them into the eddies, to hide his streams;

ὑψόθε δʼ ἐσμαράγησε καὶ ἀσπίδα τύψεν ἀκωκῇ

and from on high he thundered and struck his shield with the point

δούρατος· ἡ δʼ ἐλέλιξεν ἐνόπλιον· ἔτρεμε δʼ Ὄσσης

of his spear; and it rang with a warlike sound. And Mount Ossa

οὔρεα καὶ πεδίον Κραννώνιον αἵ τε δυσαεῖς

trembled, and the Crannonian plain, and the windy

ἐσχατιαὶ Πίνδοιο, φόβῳ δʼ ὠρχήσατο πᾶσα

extremities of Pindus, and in fear all

140

Θεσσαλίη· τοῖος γὰρ ἀπʼ ἀσπίδος ἔβρεμεν ἦχος.

Thessaly danced; for such a sound roared from his shield.

ὡς δʼ ὁπότʼ Αἰτναίου ὄρεος πυρὶ τυφομένοιο

And as when all the depths of Mount Etna, smoldering with fire,

σείονται μυχὰ πάντα κατουδαίοιο γίγαντος

shake as the underground giant Briareus

εἰς ἑτέρην Βριαρῆος ἐπωμίδα κινυμένοιο,

shifts to his other shoulder,

θερμάστραι τε βρέμουσιν ὑφʼ Ἡφαίστοιο πυράγρης

and the bellows roar under Hephaestus’ tongs

145

ἔργα θʼ ὁμοῦ, δεινὸν δὲ πυρίκμητοί τε λέβητες

along with his works, and terribly the fire-wrought cauldrons

καὶ τρίποδες πίπτοντες ἐπʼ ἀλλήλοις ἰαχεῦσι·

and tripods fall upon one another and crash;

τῆμος ἔγεντʼ ἄραβος σάκεος τόσος εὐκύκλοιο.

such then was the din of the well-rounded shield.

Πηνειὸς δʼ οὐκ αὖτις ἐχάζετο, μίμνε δʼ ὁμοίως

But Peneus did not retreat, but remained just as

καρτερὸς ὡς τὰ πρῶτα, θοὰς δʼ ἐστήσατο δίνας,

steadfast as before, and stayed his swift eddies,

150

εἰσόκε οἱ Κοιηὶς ἐκέκλετο σῴζεο χαίρων,

until the daughter of Coeus called to him: “Save yourself, and farewell;

σῴζεο· μὴ σύ γʼ ἐμεῖο πάθῃς κακὸν εἵνεκα τῆσδε

save yourself; do not suffer evil for my sake because of this

ἀντʼ ἐλεημοσύνης, χάριτος δέ τοι ἔσσετʼ ἀμοιβή.

pity of yours; and you shall have a return of my gratitude.”

ἦ καὶ πολλὰ πάροιθεν ἐπεὶ κάμεν ἔστιχε νήσους

She spoke, and having already suffered much before, she went to the islands

εἰναλίας· αἱ δʼ οὔ μιν ἐπερχομένην ἐδέχοντο,

of the sea; but they did not receive her as she came,

155

οὐ λιπαρὸν νήεσσιν Ἐχινάδες ὅρμον ἔχουσαι,

neither the Echinades, having a bright harbor for ships,

οὐδʼ ἥτις Κέρκυρα φιλοξεινωτάτη ἄλλων,

nor Corcyra, which is the most hospitable of others.

Ἶρις ἐπεὶ πάσῃσιν ἐφʼ ὑψηλοῖο Μίμαντος

For Iris from high Mimas, hastening,

σπερχομένη μάλα πολλὸν ἀπέτραπεν· αἱ δʼ ὑπʼ ὁμοκλῆς

turned them all away with great vehemence; and they under her threat

πανσυδίῃ φοβέοντο κατὰ ῥόον ἥντινα τέτμοι.

fled in all haste along whatever stream they met.

160

ὠγυγίην δἤπειτα Κόων, Μεροπηίδα νῆσον,

Then she came to primeval Cos, the island of the Meropes,

ἵκετο, Χαλκιόπης ἱερὸν μυχὸν ἡρωίνης.

the sacred retreat of the heroine Chalciope.

Syntax notes5 items

81ἥλικος ... δρυός
Meaning 'of her coeval oak'. This reflects the Greek mythological belief in hamadryads, nymphs whose lives are bound to their resident trees, dying when the trees perish. This serves as an introduction to Callimachus' poetic inquiry in line 83 regarding whether nymphs and oaks indeed came into being at the same moment.
86ταῖς
Feminine plural dative of the demonstrative pronoun. It refers to the nymphs (including Melia) weeping in the preceding lines, or more broadly to all those who have fled and refused to welcome Leto, pointing out the target of the unborn Apollo's wrath.
88τὸν αὐτίκα πότμον ἐλέγχεις
Literally 'why do you test (or hasten) your immediate fate?' The verb ἐλέγχω, besides meaning 'to refute' or 'to expose', is used here with the implication of hastening one's own ruin, reproaching Thebes for bringing upon itself the harsh destiny that Apollo's future birth will entail.
113ἵππον ἀέθλιον ἀμφιβέβηκας
Meaning 'you are bestriding a prize-winning horse'. A highly stylized metaphorical expression typical of Callimachus, comparing the rapid and violent flow of the river Peneus to a rider spurring a swift racehorse, as Leto questions why the river is fleeing from her so rapidly.
133ἠρώησε μέμαν ῥόον
The verb ἠρώησε (third-person singular aorist of ἡρωέω) here means 'stayed' or 'held back'. It describes the moment of Peneus' self-sacrificing and brave decision to halt his own rushing current (μέμαν ῥόον) in order to provide a place for Leto.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — source 2

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0533.tlg018.humanitext-grc3:81-161