§146Καλλιδίκη, Κελεοῖο θυγατρῶν εἶδος ἀρίστη· §147<milestone type="startquote"/>μαῖα, θεῶν μὲν δῶρα καὶ ἀχνύμενοί περ ἀνάγκῃ §148τέτλαμεν ἄνθρωποι· δὴ γὰρ πολὺ φέρτεροί εἰσι.
Callidice, the most beautiful in form of Celeus’ daughters, spoke: "Mother, though we grieve, we mortals must endure the gifts of the gods by necessity; for indeed they are much stronger than we.
§149ταῦτα δέ τοι σαφέως ὑποθήσομαι ἠδʼ ὀνομήνω §150ἀνέρας οἷσιν ἔπεστι μέγα κράτος ἐνθάδε τιμῆς §151δήμου τε προὔχουσιν ἰδὲ κρήδεμνα πόληος §152εἰρύαται βουλῇσι καὶ ἰθείῃσι δίκῃσιν· §153ἠμὲν Τριπτολέμου πυκιμήδεος ἠδὲ Διόκλου §154ἠδὲ Πολυξείνου καὶ ἀμύμονος Εὐμόλποιο §155καὶ Δολίχου καὶ πατρὸς ἀγήνορος ἡμετέροιο, §156τῶν πάντων ἄλοχοι κατὰ δώματα πορσαίνουσι·
And I will clearly suggest these things to you, and name the men who have great power of honor here, who stand out among the people and protect the towers of the city by their counsels and straight judgments: wise Triptolemus and Diocles, and Polyxeinus and blameless Eumolpus, and Dolichus and our noble father (Celeus), whose wives all manage the houses in their chambers.
§157τάων οὐκ ἄν τίς σε κατὰ πρώτιστον ὀπωπὴν §158εἶδος ἀτιμήσασα δόμων ἀπονοσφίσσειεν, §159ἀλλά σε δέξονται· δὴ γὰρ θεοείκελός ἐσσι.
Of these, not one, at first sight of your appearance, would dishonor you and turn you away from their homes, but they will welcome you; for indeed you are godlike.
§160εἰ δʼ ἐθέλεις, ἐπίμεινον, ἵνα πρὸς δώματα πατρὸς §161ἔλθωμεν καὶ μητρὶ βαθυζώνῳ Μετανείρῃ §162εἴπωμεν τάδε πάντα διαμπερές, αἴ κέ σʼ ἀνώγῃ §163ἡμέτερόνδʼ ἰέναι μηδʼ ἄλλων δώματʼ ἐρευνᾶν.
But if you wish, wait here, so that we may go to the house of our father and tell all these things thoroughly to our deep-girdled mother Metaneira, in the hope that she might bid you to come to our home and not search for the houses of others.
An only son of hers, born late in life, is being reared in her well-built chamber, much prayed for and welcome.
§166εἰ τόν γʼ ἐκθρέψαιο καὶ ἥβης μέτρον ἵκοιτο, §167ῥεῖά κέ τίς σε ἰδοῦσα γυναικῶν θηλυτεράων §168ζηλώσαι· τόσα κέν τοι ἀπὸ θρεπτήρια δοίη. <milestone type="endquote"/> §169ὣς ἔφαθʼ· ἣ δʼ ἐπένευσε καρήατι· ταὶ δὲ φαεινὰ §170πλησάμεναι ὕδατος φέρον ἄγγεα κυδιάουσαι.
If you should rear him and he should reach the measure of youth, easily any of the women would envy you when she saw you, so many rewards for nourishment she would give you." Thus she spoke; and the goddess nodded her head in assent; and they, having filled their shining vessels with water, carried them, exulting.
Swiftly they reached the great house of their father, and quickly to their mother they told what they had seen and heard.
ἣ δὲ μάλʼ ὦκα §173ἐλθούσας ἐκέλευε καλεῖν ἐπʼ ἀπείρονι μισθῷ.
And she, very quickly, bade them call her with a promise of boundless reward.
§174αἳ δʼ ὥστʼ ἢ ἔλαφοι ἢ πόρτιες εἴαρος ὥρῃ §175ἅλλοντʼ ἂν λειμῶνα κορεσσάμεναι φρένα φορβῇ, §176ὣς αἳ ἐπισχόμεναι ἑανῶν πτύχας ἱμεροέντων §177ἤιξαν κοίλην κατʼ ἀμαξιτόν· ἀμφὶ δὲ χαῖται §178ὤμοις ἀίσσοντο κροκηίῳ ἄνθει ὁμοῖαι.
And they, like hinds or heifers in the season of spring that leap along the meadow, having satisfied their hearts with pasture, thus they, holding up the folds of their lovely garments, rushed along the hollow wagon-track; and their hair, like saffron flower, streamed about their shoulders.
§179τέτμον δʼ ἐγγὺς ὁδοῦ κυδρὴν θεόν, ἔνθα πάρος περ §180κάλλιπον· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα φίλου πρὸς δώματα πατρὸς §181ἡγεῦνθʼ· ἣ δʼ ἄρʼ ὄπισθε φίλον τετιημένη ἦτορ §182στεῖχε κατὰ κρῆθεν κεκαλυμμένη· ἀμφὶ δὲ πέπλος §183κυάνεος ῥαδινοῖσι θεᾶς ἐλελίζετο ποσσίν.
They found the noble goddess near the way, where before they had left her; and then to the dear house of their father they led her; and she followed behind, grieved in her dear heart, veiled from head to foot, and her dark-colored peplos swirled about the slender feet of the goddess.
§184αἶψα δὲ δώμαθʼ ἵκοντο διοτρεφέος Κελεοῖο, §185βὰν δὲ διʼ αἰθούσης, ἔνθα σφίσι πότνια μήτηρ §186ἧστο παρὰ σταθμὸν τέγεος πύκα ποιητοῖο §187παῖδʼ ὑπὸ κόλπῳ ἔχουσα, νέον θάλος· αἳ δὲ πὰρ αὐτὴν §188ἔδραμον·
Swiftly they reached the house of god-nourished Celeus, and they went through the portico, where their lady mother sat by the pillar of the firmly made roof, holding her child in her lap, a new sprout; and the girls ran to her side.
ἣ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπʼ οὐδὸν ἔβη ποσὶ καὶ ῥα μελάθρου §189κῦρε κάρη, πλῆσεν δὲ θύρας σέλαος θείοιο.
But the goddess stepped onto the threshold, and her head touched the roof-beam, and she filled the doorway with divine light.
Shame and awe and pale fear seized the mother; she yielded her couch and bade her be seated.
§192ἀλλʼ οὐ Δημήτηρ ὡρηφόρος, ἀγλαόδωρος, §193ἤθελεν ἑδριάασθαι ἐπὶ κλισμοῖο φαεινοῦ, §194ἀλλʼ ἀκέουσʼ ἀνέμιμνε κατʼ ὄμματα καλὰ βαλοῦσα, §195πρίν γʼ ὅτε δή οἱ ἔθηκεν Ἰάμβη κέδνʼ εἰδυῖα §196πηκτὸν ἕδος, καθύπερθε δʼ ἐπʼ ἀργύφεον βάλε κῶας.
But Demeter, the bringer of seasons, the giver of splendid gifts, would not sit upon the shining couch, but remained silent, casting down her beautiful eyes, until indeed wise Iambe set for her a jointed seat, and threw a silver-white fleece over it.
§197ἔνθα καθεζομένη προκατέσχετο χερσὶ καλύπτρην· §198δηρὸν δʼ ἄφθογγος τετιημένη ἧστʼ ἐπὶ δίφρου, §199οὐδέ τινʼ οὔτʼ ἔπεϊ προσπτύσσετο οὔτε τι ἔργῳ, §200ἀλλʼ ἀγέλαστος, ἄπαστος ἐδητύος ἠδὲ ποτῆτος §201ἧστο πόθῳ μινύθουσα βαθυζώνοιο θυγατρός, §202πρίν γʼ ὅτε δὴ χλεύῃς μιν Ἰάμβη κέδνʼ εἰδυῖα §203πολλὰ παρασκώπτουσʼ ἐτρέψατο πότνιαν ἁγνήν, §204μειδῆσαι γελάσαι τε καὶ ἵλαον σχεῖν θυμόν· §205ἣ δή οἱ καὶ ἔπειτα μεθύστερον εὔαδεν ὀργαῖς.
There sitting down, she held her veil before her with her hands; for a long time, speechless and grieved, she sat upon the stool, and addressed no one either by word or by deed, but smileless, tasting neither food nor drink, she sat, wasting away with longing for her deep-girdled daughter, until indeed wise Iambe, with many jokes and scoffing, turned the holy and pure lady to smile and laugh and have a gracious heart; she indeed pleased her in her moods even thereafter.
§206τῇ δὲ δέπας Μετάνειρα δίδου μελιηδέος οἴνου §207πλήσασʼ· ἣ δʼ ἀνένευσʼ· οὐ γὰρ θεμιτόν οἱ ἔφασκε §208πίνειν οἶνον ἐρυθρόν· ἄνωγε δʼ ἄρʼ ἄλφι καὶ ὕδωρ §209δοῦναι μίξασαν πιέμεν γλήχωνι τερείνῃ.
And Metaneira offered her a cup of honey-sweet wine, having filled it; but she shook her head in refusal; for she said it was not lawful for her to drink red wine, but she bade her mix barley and water and give it to her to drink with tender pennyroyal.
And she made the kykeon and gave it to the goddess, as she commanded; and the great lady Deo received it for the sake of the rite.
§212τῇσι δὲ μύθων ἦρχεν ἐύζωνος Μετάνειρα· §213<milestone type="startquote"/>χαῖρε, γύναι, ἐπεὶ οὔ σε κακῶν ἄπʼ ἔολπα τοκήων §214ἔμμεναι, ἀλλʼ ἀγαθῶν· ἐπί τοι πρέπει ὄμμασιν αἰδὼς §215καὶ χάρις, ὡς εἴ πέρ τε θεμιστοπόλων βασιλήων.
And among them, deep-girdled Metaneira began to speak: "Greetings, woman, since I do not expect you to be from low-born parents, but from noble ones; for shame and grace shine in your eyes, as if from law-ruling kings."