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Homeric Hymns · Homeric Hymn 3 to Apollo §209-278

Apollo's Search for an Oracle and Telphusa's Deceit

Passage 4 of 8 · Greek

Summary

Apollo travels through various regions of Greece seeking a suitable place to establish his oracle. He eventually arrives at the spring of Telphusa, where the nymph, wishing to preserve her own fame, persuades him to build his temple at Crisa instead.

§209ὅππως μνωόμενος ἔκιες Ἀζαντίδα κούρην §210Ἴσχυʼ ἅμʼ ἀντιθέῳ Ἐλατιονίδη εὐίππῳ; §211ἢ ἅμα Θόρβαντι Τριοπέῳ γένος, ἢ ἅμʼ Ἐρευθεῖ; §212ἢ ἅμα Λευκίππῳ καὶ Λευκίπποιο δάμαρτι §213πεζός, ὃ δʼ ἵπποισιν· οὐ μὴν Τρίοπός γʼ ἐνέλειπεν.
how you went wooing the Azantian maid, along with godlike Ischys, son of Elatus, rich in horses; or with Phorbas, Triopas' son, or with Ereutheus; or with Leucippus and Leucippus' wife, you on foot, and he with horses; indeed, Triopos was not left behind.
§214ἢ ὡς τὸ πρῶτον χρηστήριον ἀνθρώποισι §215ζητεύων κατὰ γαῖαν ἔβης, ἑκατηβόλʼ Ἄπολλον;
Or how first, seeking an oracle-place for men, you went through the earth, far-shooting Apollo?
§216Πιερίην μὲν πρῶτον ἀπʼ Οὐλύμποιο κατῆλθες· §217Λέκτον τʼ ἠμαθοέντα παρέστιχες ἠδʼ Ἐνιῆνας §218καὶ διὰ Περραιβούς· τάχα δʼ εἰς Ἰαωλκὸν ἵκανες, §219Κηναίου τʼ ἐπέβης ναυσικλειτῆς Εὐβοίης.
First you came down from Olympus to Pieria; you passed by sandy Lectus and the Enienes, and through the Perrhaebians; and quickly you came to Iolcus, and set foot on Cenaeum in Euboea, famous for ships.
§220στῆς δʼ ἐπὶ Ληλάντῳ πεδίῳ· τό τοι οὐχ ἅδε θυμῷ §221τεύξασθαι νηόν τε καὶ ἄλσεα δενδρήεντα.
You stood on the Lelantine plain; but it did not please your heart to build a temple and woody groves.
§222ἔνθεν δʼ Εὔριπον διαβάς, ἑκατηβόλʼ Ἄπολλον, §223βῆς ἄνʼ ὄρος ζάθεον, χλωρόν· τάχα δʼ ἷξες ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ §224ἐς Μυκαλησσὸν ἰὼν καὶ Τευμησσὸν λεχεποίην.
Thence, crossing Euripus, far-shooting Apollo, you went up the holy mountain, green; and quickly you came from there, going to Mycalessus and grassy Teumessus.
§225Θήβης δʼ εἰσαφίκανες ἕδος καταειμένον ὕλῃ· §226οὐ γάρ πώ τις ἔναιε βροτῶν ἱερῇ ἐνὶ Θήβῃ, §227οὐδʼ ἄρα πω τότε γʼ ἦσαν ἀταρπιτοὶ οὐδὲ κέλευθοι §228Θήβης ἂμ πεδίον πυρηφόρον, ἀλλʼ ἔχεν ὕλη.
And you came to the site of Thebes, covered with wood; for not yet did any of mortals dwell in holy Thebes, nor indeed were there yet any paths or roads along the wheat-bearing plain of Thebes, but wood held it.
§229ἔνθεν δὲ προτέρω ἔκιες, ἑκατηβόλʼ Ἄπολλον, §230Ὀγχηστὸν δʼ ἷξες, Ποσιδήιον ἀγλαὸν ἄλσος· §231ἔνθα νεοδμὴς πῶλος ἀναπνέει ἀχθόμενός περ §232ἕλκων ἅρματα καλά· χαμαὶ δʼ ἐλατὴρ ἀγαθός περ §233ἐκ δίφροιο θορὼν ὁδὸν ἔρχεται· οἳ δὲ τέως μὲν §234κείνʼ ὄχεα κροτέουσι ἀνακτορίην ἀφιέντες.
Thence you went further on, far-shooting Apollo, and came to Onchestus, the bright grove of Poseidon; there the newly-broken colt takes breath, though sorely burdened as it draws the beautiful chariot; and to the ground the driver, though skilled, leaps down from his seat and goes on foot; and the horses for a time rattle those empty chariots, freed from mastery.
§235εἰ δέ κεν ἅρματʼ ἀγῇσιν ἐν ἄλσεϊ δενδρήεντι, §236ἵππους μὲν κομέουσι, τὰ δὲ κλίναντες ἐῶσιν· §237ὣς γὰρ τὰ πρώτισθʼ ὁσίη γένεθʼ· οἳ δὲ ἄνακτι §238εὔχονται, δίφρον δὲ θεοῦ τότε μοῖρα φυλάσσει.
And if the chariot should be broken in the woody grove, they tend the horses, but leave the chariot tilted and let it be; for so was the holy custom established from the very first; and they to the Lord pray, and then the portion of the god keeps the chariot.
§239ἔνθεν δὲ προτέρω ἔκιες, ἑκατηβόλʼ Ἄπολλον· §240Κηφισσὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ἔπειτα κιχήσαο καλλιρέεθρον, §241ὅς τε Λιλαίηθεν προχέει καλλίρροον ὕδωρ.
Thence you went further on, far-shooting Apollo; and then you reached beautiful-flowing Cephisus, which pours forth its beautiful stream from Lilaea.
§242τὸν διαβάς, Ἑκάεργε, καὶ Ὠκαλέην πολύπυργον §243ἔνθεν ἄρʼ εἰς Ἁλίαρτον ἀφίκεο ποιήεντα.
Crossing it, Far-worker, and Ocalea of many towers, thence you came to grassy Haliartus.
§244βῆς δʼ ἐπὶ Τελφούσης· τόθι τοι ἅδε χῶρος ἀπήμων §245τεύξασθαι νηόν τε καὶ ἄλσεα δενδρήεντα· §246στῆς δὲ μάλʼ ἄγχʼ αὐτῆς καὶ μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπες· §247<milestone type="startquote"> Τελφοῦσʼ, ἐνθάδε δὴ φρονέω περικαλλέα νηὸν §248ἀνθρώπων τεῦξαι χρηστήριον, οἵτε μοι αἰεὶ §249ἐνθάδʼ ἀγινήσουσι τεληέσσας ἑκατόμβας, §250ἠμὲν ὅσοι Πελοπόννησον πίειραν ἔχουσιν §251ἠδʼ ὅσοι Εὐρώπην τε καὶ ἀμφιρύτας κατὰ νήσους, §252χρησόμενοι· τοῖσιν δέ κʼ ἐγὼ νημερτέα βουλὴν §253πᾶσι θεμιστεύοιμι χρέων ἐνὶ πίονι νηῷ. <milestone type="endquote"> §254ὣς εἰπὼν διέθηκε θεμείλια Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων §255εὐρέα καὶ μάλα μακρὰ διηνεκές·
And you went to Telphusa; there the peaceful place pleased you to build a temple and woody groves; and you stood very near her and spoke a word to her: <milestone type="startquote"> "Telphusa, here indeed I intend to build a very beautiful temple, to be an oracle-place for men, who will always bring hither perfect hecatombs, both those who possess the rich Peloponnese and those who dwell in Europe and the sea-washed islands, seeking oracles; and to them all I would deliver unerring counsel, giving oracles in my rich temple." <milestone type="endquote"> So speaking, Phoebus Apollo laid out the foundations, broad and very long, without interruption.
ἣ δὲ ἰδοῦσα §256Τελφοῦσα κραδίην ἐχολώσατο εἶπέ τε μῦθον· §257<milestone type="startquote"> φοῖβε ἄναξ ἑκάεργε, ἔπος τί τοι ἐν φρεσὶ θήσω.
But she, beholding it, Telphusa, was angered in her heart and spoke a word: <milestone type="startquote"> "Phoebus, lord, Far-worker, I will put a word in your mind.
§258ἐνθάδʼ ἐπεὶ φρονέεις τεῦξαι περικαλλέα νηὸν §259ἔμμεναι ἀνθρώποις χρηστήριον, οἵτε τοι αἰεὶ §260ἐνθάδʼ ἀγινήσουσι τεληέσσας ἑκατόμβας· §261ἀλλʼ ἔκ τοι ἐρέω, σὺ δʼ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βάλλεο σῇσι, §262πημανέει σʼ αἰεὶ κτύπος ἵππων ὠκειάων §263ἀρδόμενοί τʼ οὐρῆες ἐμῶν ἱερῶν ἀπὸ πηγέων· §264ἔνθα τις ἀνθρώπων βουλήσεται εἰσοράασθαι §265ἅρματά τʼ εὐποίητα καὶ ὠκυπόδων κτύπον ἵππων §266ἢ νηόν τε μέγαν καὶ κτήματα πόλλʼ ἐνεόντα.
Since you are minded to build here a very beautiful temple to be an oracle-place for men, who will always bring hither perfect hecatombs; but I will tell you, and do you lay it up in your heart: the clatter of swift horses will always vex you, and the mules watering at my sacred springs; there, any of men will wish to gaze upon the well-made chariots and the clatter of swift-footed horses, rather than your great temple and the many possessions within it.
§267ἀλλʼ εἰ δή τι πίθοιο, σὺ δὲ κρείσσων καὶ ἀρείων §268ἐσσί, ἄναξ, ἐμέθεν, σεῦ δὲ σθένος ἐστὶ μέγιστον, §269ἐν Κρίσῃ ποίησαι ὑπὸ πτυχὶ Παρνησοῖο.
But if you would indeed obey me—and you are stronger and better, Lord, than I, and your strength is the greatest— build in Crisa beneath the fold of Parnassus.
§270ἔνθʼ οὔθʼ ἅρματα καλὰ δονήσεται οὔτε τοι ἵππων §271ὠκυπόδων κτύπος ἔσται ἐύδμητον περὶ βωμόν, §272ἀλλά τοι ὣς προσάγοιεν Ἰηπαιήονι δῶρα §273ἀνθρώπων κλυτὰ φῦλα· σὺ δὲ φρένας ἀμφιγεγηθὼς §274δέξαιʼ ἱερὰ καλὰ περικτιόνων ἀνθρώπων. <milestone type="endquote"> §275ὣς εἰποῦσʼ Ἑκάτου πέπιθε φρένας, ὄφρα οἱ αὐτῇ §276Τελφούσῃ κλέος εἴη ἐπὶ χθονί, μηδʼ Ἑκάτοιο.
There neither beautiful chariots will rattle, nor indeed will there be the clatter of swift-footed horses around your well-built altar; but even so the glorious tribes of men would bring gifts to you as "Iepaeon", and you, rejoicing in your heart, would receive the beautiful sacrifices of the surrounding men." <milestone type="endquote"> So speaking she persuaded the mind of the Far-shooter, so that for her, Telphusa herself, there should be fame upon the earth, and not for the Far-shooter.
§277ἔνθεν δὲ προτέρω ἔκιες, ἑκατηβόλʼ Ἄπολλον· §278ἷξες δʼ ἐς Φλεγύων ἀνδρῶν πόλιν ὑβριστάων,
Thence you went further on, far-shooting Apollo; and you came to the city of the arrogant Phlegyan men,

Notes

  1. §210ἅμʼ ἀντιθέῳ Ἐλατιονίδη εὐίππῳ — Modifies the participle μνωόμενος ("wooing") in the preceding verse. The preposition ἅμα with dative here implies that Apollo went wooing "at the same time as" or "in competition with" the godlike Ischys. This refers to the mythological competition between Apollo and Ischys for the hand of Coronis.
  2. §213πεζός, ὃ δʼ ἵπποισιν — A contrastive construction with ellipsis. The nominative adjective πεζός ("on foot") refers to Apollo, while the demonstrative article with δέ (ὃ δʼ, "but the other") refers to his rival Leucippus (or Ischys), who was riding "with horses" (i.e., in a chariot).
  3. §220τό τοι οὐχ ἅδε θυμῷ — The verb ἅδε is the epic aorist 3rd person singular of ἁνδάνω ("to please"). The demonstrative pronoun τό ("it", the plain) is the subject of the construction, taking the dative pronoun τοι ("to you", ethical dative) and θυμῷ ("in heart", dative of respect). The following infinitive clause (§221) serves as the explanatory subject.
  4. §233οἳ δὲ τέως μὲν — Pronominal use of the article with δέ. Here οἳ δέ ("but they") refers to the horses (ἵπποι) mentioned previously. Together with the adverb τέως ("meanwhile", i.e., while the driver is on foot), it describes how the horses run on their own, freed from active control.
  5. §264βουλήσεται εἰσοράασθαι ... ἢ ... — A comparative construction using ἢ ("than/rather than") without an explicit comparative adjective or adverb. The verb βούλομαι combined with ἤ expresses preference ("will wish to gaze upon ... rather than ..."), which is a well-attested epic and classical idiom.

Cite this passage

Homeric Hymns, Homeric Hymn 3 to Apollo §209-278. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0013.tlg003.humanitext-grc2:209-278

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