§359ἐσσυμένως δʼ ἐκέλευσε δαΐφρονι Περσεφονείῃ· §360<milestone type="startquote"/>ἔρχεο, Περσεφόνη, παρὰ μητέρα κυανόπεπλον §361ἤπιον ἐν στήθεσσι μένος καὶ θυμὸν ἔχουσα, §362μηδέ τι δυσθύμαινε λίην περιώσιον ἄλλων·
He eagerly commanded wise Persephone: <milestone type="startquote"/>"Go, Persephone, to your dark-robed mother, having a gentle mind and heart in your breast, and do not be at all too despondent, excessively beyond others.
Indeed, I shall be no unseemly husband for you among the immortals, being the own brother of father Zeus.
ἔνθα δʼ ἐοῦσα §365δεσπόσσεις πάντων ὁπόσα ζώει τε καὶ ἕρπει, §366τιμὰς δὲ σχήσησθα μετʼ ἀθανάτοισι μεγίστας.
And being there, you shall rule over all things that live and move, and you shall have the greatest honors among the immortals.
§367τῶν δʼ ἀδικησάντων τίσις ἔσσεται ἤματα πάντα, §368οἵ κεν μὴ θυσίῃσι τεὸν μένος ἱλάσκωνται §369εὐαγέως ἔρδοντες, ἐναίσιμα δῶρα τελοῦντες. <milestone type="endquote"/> §370ὣς φάτο· γήθησεν δὲ περίφρων Περσεφόνεια,
And there shall be vengeance for all days upon those who wrong you, who do not propitiate your power with sacrifices, performing them piously and paying fitting gifts." <milestone type="endquote"/> Thus he spoke; and wise Persephone rejoiced, and swiftly she leapt up from joy.
§371καρπαλίμως δʼ ἀνόρουσʼ ὑπὸ χάρματος· αὐτὰρ ὅ γʼ αὐτὸς §372ῥοιῆς κόκκον ἔδωκε φαγεῖν μελιηδέα λάθρῃ, §373ἀμφὶ ἓ νωμήσας, ἵνα μὴ μένοι ἤματα πάντα §374αὖθι παρʼ αἰδοίῃ Δημήτερι κυανοπέπλῳ.
But he himself secretly gave her a sweet pomegranate seed to eat, having turned it around himself, so that she might not remain for all days there with revered, dark-robed Demeter.
And in front of the golden chariot, the horses, immortal ones, many-ruling Aidoneus harnessed.
§377ἣ δʼ ὀχέων ἐπέβη, πάρα δὲ κρατὺς Ἀργειφόντης §378ἡνία καὶ μάστιγα λαβὼν μετὰ χερσὶ φίλῃσι §379σεῦε διὲκ μεγάρων· τὼ δʼ οὐκ ἀέκοντε πετέσθην.
And she mounted the chariot, and beside her strong Argos-slayer, having taken the reins and whip in his own hands, drove them forth through the halls; and the two horses flew not unwillingly.
§380ῥίμφα δὲ μακρὰ κέλευθα διήνυσαν· οὐδὲ θάλασσα §381οὔθʼ ὕδωρ ποταμῶν οὔτʼ ἄγκεα ποιήεντα §382ἵππων ἀθανάτων οὔτʼ ἄκριες ἔσχεθον ὁρμήν, §383ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ αὐτάων βαθὺν ἠέρα τέμνον ἰόντες.
And swiftly they accomplished the long paths; nor did the sea, nor the water of rivers, nor the grassy valleys, nor the mountain peaks, held back the rush of the immortal horses, but going above them, they cut through the deep air.
And he brought them and stopped where fair-crowned Demeter was waiting, in front of the fragrant temple.
ἣ δὲ ἰδοῦσα §386ἤιξʼ, ἠύτε μαινὰς ὄρος κάτα δάσκιον ὕλῃ.
But she, seeing her, rushed, like a maenad down a mountain thick with forest.
§387Περσεφόνη δʼ ἑτέρωθεν ἐπεὶ ἴδεν ὄμματα καλὰ §388μητρὸς ἑῆς κατʼ ἄρʼ ἥ γʼ ὄχεα προλιποῦσα καὶ ἵππους §389ἆλτο θέειν, δειρῇ δέ οἱ ἔμπεσε ἀμφιχυθεῖσα·
And Persephone, on the other side, when she saw the beautiful eyes of her mother, leaving the chariot and the horses, leapt to run, and fell upon her neck, throwing her arms around her.
§390τῇ δὲ φίλην ἔτι παῖδα ἑῇς μετὰ χερσὶν ἐχούσῃ §391αἶψα δόλον θυμός τινʼ ὀίσατο, τρέσσε δʼ ἄρʼ αἰνῶς §392παυομένη φιλότητος, ἄφαρ δʼ ἐρεείνετο μύθῳ· §393<milestone type="startquote"/>τέκνον, μή ῥά τι μοι σύ γε πάσσαο νέρθεν ἐοῦσα §394βρώμης;
But to her, while still holding her dear child in her hands, suddenly her heart suspected some guile, and she trembled terribly, ceasing from affection, and immediately she questioned her with speech: <milestone type="startquote"/>"Child, did you not perhaps taste any food while being below?
ἐξαύδα, μὴ κεῦθʼ, ἵνα εἴδομεν ἄμφω·
Speak out, do not hide it, so that we both may know.
§395ὣς μὲν γάρ κεν ἐοῦσα παρὰ στυγεροῦ Ἀίδαο §396καὶ παρʼ ἐμοὶ καὶ πατρὶ κελαινεφέϊ Κρονίωνι §397ναιετάοις πάντεσσι τετιμένη ἀθανάτοισιν.
For if indeed you did not, being from loathsome Hades, both with me and with your father, dark-clouded son of Cronos, you would dwell, honored by all the immortals.
§398εἰ δʼ ἐπάσω, πάλιν αὖτις ἰοῦσʼ ὑπὸ κεύθεσι γαίης §399οἰκήσεις ὡρέων τρίτατον μέρος εἰς ἐνιαυτόν, §400τὰς δὲ δύω παρʼ ἐμοί τε καὶ ἄλλοις ἀθανάτοισιν.
¦398 But if you tasted, going back again beneath the depths of the earth, you shall dwell for a third part of the seasons in the year, and the other two parts with me and the other immortals.
§401ὁππότε δʼ ἄνθεσι γαῖʼ εὐώδεσιν εἰαρινοῖσι §402παντοδαποῖς θάλλῃ, τόθʼ ὑπὸ ζόφου ἠερόεντος §403αὖτις ἄνει μέγα θαῦμα θεοῖς θνητοῖς τʼ ἀνθρώποις.
And whenever the earth with fragrant spring flowers of all kinds blooms, then from the murky gloom again shall come up, a great wonder to gods and mortal humans.
§403aεἶπε δὲ πῶς σʼ ἥρπαξεν ὑπὸ ζόφον ἠερόεντα §404καὶ τίνι σʼ ἐξαπάτησε δόλῳ κρατερὸς Πολυδέγμων; <milestone type="endquote"/> §405τὴν δʼ αὖ Περσεφόνη περικαλλὴς ἀντίον ηὔδα·
But tell me, how did he snatch you away to the murky gloom, and with what guile did strong Polydegmon deceive you?" <milestone type="endquote"/> And to her beautiful Persephone spoke in turn: <milestone type="startquote"/>"Therefore indeed, mother, I shall tell you all the truth.
§406<milestone type="startquote"/>τοιγὰρ ἐγώ τοι, μῆτερ, ἐρέω νημερτέα πάντα· §407εὖτέ μοι Ἑρμῆς ἦλθʼ ἐριούνιος ἄγγελος ὠκὺς §408πὰρ πατέρος Κρονιδαο καὶ ἄλλων Οὐρανιώνων, §409ἐλθεῖν ἐξ Ἐρέβευς, ἵνα ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδοῦσα §410λήξαις ἀθανάτοισι χόλου καὶ μήνιος αἰνῆς, §411αὐτίκʼ ἐγὼν ἀνόρουσʼ ὑπὸ χάρματος· αὐτὰρ ὃ λάθρῃ §412ἔμβαλέ μοι ῥοιῆς κόκκον, μελιηδέʼ ἐδωδήν, §413ἄκουσαν δὲ βίῃ με προσηνάγκασσε πάσασθαι.
When Hermes came to me, the swift, helpful messenger, from father, son of Cronos, and the other heavenly ones, to come out of Erebus, so that seeing me with your eyes you might cease from your anger and terrible wrath against the immortals, immediately I leapt up from joy; but he secretly cast into my mouth a pomegranate seed, a sweet food, and forced me to taste it against my will by violence.
§414ὡς δέ μʼ ἀναρπάξας Κρονίδεω πυκινὴν διὰ μῆτιν §415ᾤχετο πατρὸς ἐμοῖο, φέρων ὑπὸ κεύθεα γαίης, §416ἐξερέω, καὶ πάντα διίξομαι, ὡς ἐρεείνεις.
And how he snatched me away through the shrewd counsel of the son of Cronos, and went away carrying me beneath the depths of the earth, I shall speak out, and go through everything, as you ask.
§417ἡμεῖς μὲν μάλα πᾶσαι ἀνʼ ἱμερτὸν λειμῶνα, §418Λευκίππη Φαινώ τε καὶ Ἠλέκτρη καὶ Ἰάνθη §419καὶ Μελίτη Ἰάχη τε Ῥόδειά τε Καλλιρόη τε §420Μηλόβοσίς τε Τύχη τε καὶ Ὠκυρόη καλυκῶπις §421Χρυσηίς τʼ Ἰάνειρά τʼ Ἀκάστη τʼ Ἀδμήτη τε §422καὶ Ῥοδόπη Πλουτώ τε καὶ ἱμερόεσσα Καλυψὼ §423καὶ Στὺξ Οὐρανίη τε Γαλαξαύρη τʼ ἐρατεινὴ §424Παλλάς τʼ ἐγρεμάχη καὶ Ἄρτεμις ἰοχέαιρα, §425παίζομεν ἠδʼ ἄνθεα δρέπομεν χείρεσσʼ ἐρόεντα,
We indeed, all of us, in the lovely meadow, Leucippe and Phaeno and Electra and Ianthe and Melite and Iache and Rhodeia and Callirhoe and Melobosis and Tyche and bud-faced Ocyrhoe and Chryseis and Ianeira and Acaste and Admete and Rhodope and Pluto and lovely Calypso and Styx and heavenly Galaxaura and lovely Pallas who rouses to battle and Artemis who pours arrows, were playing and gathering lovely flowers with our hands,