§18.545τοῖσι δʼ ἔπειτʼ ἐν χερσὶ δέπας μελιηδέος οἴνου §18.546δόσκεν ἀνὴρ ἐπιών· τοὶ δὲ στρέψασκον ἀνʼ ὄγμους, §18.547ἱέμενοι νειοῖο βαθείης τέλσον ἱκέσθαι.
And whenever they turned and reached the boundary of the field, there a man would come forward and give into their hands a cup of honey-sweet wine; and they would turn back along the furrows, eager to reach the boundary of the deep fallow.
§18.548ἣ δὲ μελαίνετʼ ὄπισθεν, ἀρηρομένῃ δὲ ἐῴκει, §18.549χρυσείη περ ἐοῦσα· τὸ δὴ περὶ θαῦμα τέτυκτο.
And the field grew black behind them, and looked as if it had been plowed, although it was of gold; that indeed was a marvelous thing.
§18.550ἐν δʼ ἐτίθει τέμενος βασιλήϊον· ἔνθα δʼ ἔριθοι §18.551ἤμων ὀξείας δρεπάνας ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες.
And therein he set a king's estate; and there the laborers were reaping with sharp sickles in their hands.
§18.552δράγματα δʼ ἄλλα μετʼ ὄγμον ἐπήτριμα πῖπτον ἔραζε, §18.553ἄλλα δʼ ἀμαλλοδετῆρες ἐν ἐλλεδανοῖσι δέοντο.
Some handfuls were falling to the ground thick and fast along the furrow, and others the binders of sheaves were tying with straw bands.
§18.554τρεῖς δʼ ἄρʼ ἀμαλλοδετῆρες ἐφέστασαν· αὐτὰρ ὄπισθε §18.555παῖδες δραγμεύοντες ἐν ἀγκαλίδεσσι φέροντες §18.556ἀσπερχὲς πάρεχον·
Three binders of sheaves stood over them; and behind them boys gathering the gleanings and carrying them in their arms kept busy supplying them.
βασιλεὺς δʼ ἐν τοῖσι σιωπῇ §18.557σκῆπτρον ἔχων ἑστήκει ἐπʼ ὄγμου γηθόσυνος κῆρ.
And the king stood in silence among them with his staff, at the furrow's edge, rejoicing in his heart.
§18.558κήρυκες δʼ ἀπάνευθεν ὑπὸ δρυῒ δαῖτα πένοντο, §18.559βοῦν δʼ ἱερεύσαντες μέγαν ἄμφεπον· αἳ δὲ γυναῖκες §18.560δεῖπνον ἐρίθοισιν λεύκʼ ἄλφιτα πολλὰ πάλυνον.
And apart from them heralds under an oak were preparing a feast, and were dressing a great ox they had slain; and the women were sprinkling much white barley meal for the laborers' dinner.
§18.561ἐν δʼ ἐτίθει σταφυλῇσι μέγα βρίθουσαν ἀλωὴν §18.562καλὴν χρυσείην· μέλανες δʼ ἀνὰ βότρυες ἦσαν, §18.563ἑστήκει δὲ κάμαξι διαμπερὲς ἀργυρέῃσιν.
And therein he set a great vineyard heavy with clusters, beautiful and of gold; and there were black grapes on it, and it was supported throughout on silver poles.
§18.564ἀμφὶ δὲ κυανέην κάπετον, περὶ δʼ ἕρκος ἔλασσε §18.565κασσιτέρου· μία δʼ οἴη ἀταρπιτὸς ἦεν ἐπʼ αὐτήν, §18.566τῇ νίσοντο φορῆες ὅτε τρυγόῳεν ἀλωήν.
And around it he ran a ditch of dark metal, and about it a fence of tin; and a single path led to it, by which the vintagers went when they gathered the vintage.
§18.567παρθενικαὶ δὲ καὶ ἠΐθεοι ἀταλὰ φρονέοντες §18.568πλεκτοῖς ἐν ταλάροισι φέρον μελιηδέα καρπόν.
And maidens and youths, with childish minds, carried the honey-sweet fruit in woven baskets.
§18.569τοῖσιν δʼ ἐν μέσσοισι πάϊς φόρμιγγι λιγείῃ §18.570ἱμερόεν κιθάριζε, λίνον δʼ ὑπὸ καλὸν ἄειδε §18.571λεπταλέῃ φωνῇ· τοὶ δὲ ῥήσσοντες ἁμαρτῇ §18.572μολπῇ τʼ ἰυγμῷ τε ποσὶ σκαίροντες ἕποντο.
And in their midst a boy played lovely music on a clear-toned lyre, and sang a beautiful Linos-song with his delicate voice; and they, beating the ground in time, followed with song and shout, skipping with their feet.
§18.573ἐν δʼ ἀγέλην ποίησε βοῶν ὀρθοκραιράων· §18.574αἳ δὲ βόες χρυσοῖο τετεύχατο κασσιτέρου τε, §18.575μυκηθμῷ δʼ ἀπὸ κόπρου ἐπεσσεύοντο νομὸν δὲ §18.576πὰρ ποταμὸν κελάδοντα, παρὰ ῥοδανὸν δονακῆα.
And therein he fashioned a herd of straight-horned cattle; and the cattle were made of gold and of tin, and with lowing they hurried from the farmyard to the pasture by the sounding river, beside the waving reed-bed.
§18.577χρύσειοι δὲ νομῆες ἅμʼ ἐστιχόωντο βόεσσι §18.578τέσσαρες, ἐννέα δέ σφι κύνες πόδας ἀργοὶ ἕποντο.
Golden herdsmen walked beside the cattle, four of them, and nine fleet-footed dogs followed them.
§18.579σμερδαλέω δὲ λέοντε δύʼ ἐν πρώτῃσι βόεσσι §18.580ταῦρον ἐρύγμηλον ἐχέτην· ὃ δὲ μακρὰ μεμυκὼς §18.581ἕλκετο· τὸν δὲ κύνες μετεκίαθον ἠδʼ αἰζηοί.
But two terrible lions among the foremost cattle were holding a bellowing bull; and he, roaring loudly, was being dragged away, while the dogs and the young men pursued.
§18.582τὼ μὲν ἀναρρήξαντε βοὸς μεγάλοιο βοείην §18.583ἔγκατα καὶ μέλαν αἷμα λαφύσσετον· οἳ δὲ νομῆες §18.584αὔτως ἐνδίεσαν ταχέας κύνας ὀτρύνοντες.
The two lions had torn open the hide of the great bull, and were devouring its entrails and black blood; but the herdsmen in vain urged on the swift dogs, cheering them on.
§18.585οἳ δʼ ἤτοι δακέειν μὲν ἀπετρωπῶντο λεόντων, §18.586ἱστάμενοι δὲ μάλʼ ἐγγὺς ὑλάκτεον ἔκ τʼ ἀλέοντο.
But the dogs shrank from biting the lions, and stood close by, barking, yet avoiding them.
§18.587ἐν δὲ νομὸν ποίησε περικλυτὸς ἀμφιγυήεις §18.588ἐν καλῇ βήσσῃ μέγαν οἰῶν ἀργεννάων, §18.589σταθμούς τε κλισίας τε κατηρεφέας ἰδὲ σηκούς.
And therein the famous lame god made a pasture in a beautiful glen, a large pasture of white-fleeced sheep, and folds and roofed huts and pens.
§18.590ἐν δὲ χορὸν ποίκιλλε περικλυτὸς ἀμφιγυήεις, §18.591τῷ ἴκελον οἷόν ποτʼ ἐνὶ Κνωσῷ εὐρείῃ §18.592Δαίδαλος ἤσκησεν καλλιπλοκάμῳ Ἀριάδνῃ.
And therein the famous lame god fashioned a dancing-floor, like the one that once in wide Knossos Daedalus wrought for fair-haired Ariadne.
There youths and maidens who win many oxen as brides were dancing, holding one another by the wrist.
§18.595τῶν δʼ αἳ μὲν λεπτὰς ὀθόνας ἔχον, οἳ δὲ χιτῶνας §18.596εἵατʼ ἐϋννήτους, ἦκα στίλβοντας ἐλαίῳ· §18.597καί ῥʼ αἳ μὲν καλὰς στεφάνας ἔχον, οἳ δὲ μαχαίρας §18.598εἶχον χρυσείας ἐξ ἀργυρέων τελαμώνων.
Of these, the maidens wore fine linen robes, and the youths wore well-woven tunics, slightly glistening with oil; and the maidens had fair wreaths, and the youths had golden daggers hanging from silver baldrics.
§18.599οἳ δʼ ὁτὲ μὲν θρέξασκον ἐπισταμένοισι πόδεσσι §18.600ῥεῖα μάλʼ, ὡς ὅτε τις τροχὸν ἄρμενον ἐν παλάμῃσιν §18.601ἑζόμενος κεραμεὺς πειρήσεται, αἴ κε θέῃσιν· §18.602ἄλλοτε δʼ αὖ θρέξασκον ἐπὶ στίχας ἀλλήλοισι.
Now they would run very lightly on skilled feet, just as when a potter, sitting by his wheel, well fitted to his hands, makes trial of it to see if it will run; and now they would run in lines toward one another.
§18.603πολλὸς δʼ ἱμερόεντα χορὸν περιίσταθʼ ὅμιλος §18.604τερπόμενοι· μετὰ δέ σφιν ἐμέλπετο θεῖος ἀοιδὸς §18.605φορμίζων· δοιὼ δὲ κυβιστητῆρε κατ' αὐτοὺς §18.606μολπῆς ἐξάρχοντες ἐδίνευον κατὰ μέσσους.
And a great crowd stood around the lovely dance, enjoying it; and among them a divine singer sang to his lyre, and two tumblers whirled in their midst as he began his song.
And therein he set the great strength of the river Oceanus, along the outermost rim of the strongly fashioned shield.
§18.609αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ τεῦξε σάκος μέγα τε στιβαρόν τε, §18.610τεῦξʼ ἄρα οἱ θώρηκα φαεινότερον πυρὸς αὐγῆς, §18.611τεῦξε δέ οἱ κόρυθα βριαρὴν κροτάφοις ἀραρυῖαν §18.612καλὴν δαιδαλέην, ἐπὶ δὲ χρύσεον λόφον ἧκε, §18.613τεῦξε δέ οἱ κνημῖδας ἑανοῦ κασσιτέροιο.
But when he had fashioned the shield, great and sturdy, he fashioned for him a breastplate brighter than the gleam of fire, and he fashioned for him a heavy helmet, fitted to his temples, fair and richly worked, and upon it he set a golden crest; and he fashioned for him greaves of pliable tin.