§1μοῦσά μοι ἔννεπε ἔργα πολυχρύσου Ἀφροδίτης, §2Κύπριδος, ἥτε θεοῖσιν ἐπὶ γλυκὺν ἵμερον ὦρσε §3καί τʼ ἐδαμάσσατο φῦλα καταθνητῶν ἀνθρώπων §4οἰωνούς τε διιπετέας καὶ θηρία πάντα, §5ἠμὲν ὅσʼ ἤπειρος πολλὰ τρέφει ἠδʼ ὅσα πόντος· §6πᾶσιν δʼ ἔργα μέμηλεν ἐυστεφάνου Κυθερείης.
Muse, tell me of the deeds of golden Aphrodite, of Cypris, who rouses sweet desire among the gods and subdues the tribes of mortal men and the birds that fly in heaven, and all the beasts, both all those that the dry land nurtures, and all those in the sea; and to all are the deeds of fair-garlanded Cytherea a care.
§7τρισσὰς δʼ οὐ δύναται πεπιθεῖν φρένας οὐδʼ ἀπατῆσαι· §8κούρην τʼ αἰγιόχοιο Διός, γλαυκῶπιν Ἀθήνην· §9οὐ γὰρ οἱ εὔαδεν ἔργα πολυχρύσου Ἀφροδίτης, §10ἀλλʼ ἄρα οἱ πόλεμοί τε ἅδον καὶ ἔργον Ἄρηος §11ὑσμῖναί τε μάχαι τε καὶ ἀγλαὰ ἔργʼ ἀλεγύνειν.
Yet three minds she cannot persuade or deceive: the daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus, owl-eyed Athena; for the deeds of golden Aphrodite do not please her, but rather wars pleased her, and the work of Ares, and conflicts and battles, and to care for glorious crafts.
She first taught earthly craftsmen to make chariots and carts patterned with bronze.
And she taught tender-skinned maidens in their halls glorious crafts, putting them into the mind of each.
Nor ever does laughter-loving Aphrodite subdue in love Artemis of the golden shaft, who loves the clamor of the chase.
§18καὶ γὰρ τῇ ἅδε τόξα καὶ οὔρεσι θῆρας ἐναίρειν, §19φόρμιγγές τε χοροί τε διαπρύσιοί τʼ ὀλολυγαὶ §20ἄλσεά τε σκιόεντα δικαίων τε πτόλις ἀνδρῶν.
For she too delights in the bow and slaying wild beasts on the mountains, and lyres and dances, and shrill cries of joy, and shadowy groves, and the city of just men.
§21οὐδὲ μὲν αἰδοίῃ κούρῃ ἅδε ἔργʼ Ἀφροδίτης, §22Ἱστίῃ, ἣν πρώτην τέκετο Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης, §23αὖτις δʼ ὁπλοτάτην, βουλῇ Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο, §24πότνιαν, ἣν ἐμνῶντο Ποσειδάων καὶ Ἀπόλλων·
Nor indeed do the deeds of Aphrodite please the revered maiden Hestia, whom crooked-counseling Cronos begot first, and again youngest, by the will of aegis-bearing Zeus, the revered goddess, whom Poseidon and Apollo wooed.
§25ἣ δὲ μαλʼ οὐκ ἔθελεν, ἀλλὰ στερεῶς ἀπέειπεν· §26ὤμοσε δὲ μέγαν ὅρκον, ὃ δὴ τετελεσμένος ἐστίν, §27ἁψαμένη κεφαλῆς πατρὸς Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο, §28παρθένος ἔσσεσθαι πάντʼ ἤματα, δῖα θεάων.
But she was entirely unwilling, and stubbornly refused; and she swore a great oath, which indeed has been fulfilled, touching the head of her father, aegis-bearing Zeus, that she would be a virgin for all days, divine among goddesses.
And to her father Zeus gave a beautiful privilege in place of marriage, and she sat down in the midst of the house, taking the fat portion.
In all the temples of the gods she is held in honor, and among all mortals she is established as the chief of goddesses.
§33τάων οὐ δύναται πεπιθεῖν φρένας οὐδʼ ἀπατῆσαι· §34τῶν δʼ ἄλλων οὔ πέρ τι πεφυγμένον ἔστʼ Ἀφροδίτην §35οὔτε θεῶν μακάρων οὔτε θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων.
Of these she cannot persuade or deceive the minds; but of the others nothing has escaped Aphrodite, neither of the blessed gods nor of mortal men.
And she even leads astray the mind of Zeus who delights in thunder, he who is the greatest and has been allotted the greatest honor.
§38καί τε τοῦ, εὖτʼ ἐθέλοι, πυκινὰς φρένας ἐξαπαφοῦσα §39ῥηιδίως συνέμιξε καταθνητῇσι γυναιξίν, §40Ἥρης ἐκλελαθοῦσα, κασιγνήτης ἀλόχου τε, §41ἣ μέγα εἶδος ἀρίστη ἐν ἀθανάτῃσι θεῇσι.
And indeed, whenever she wills, she deceives his wise mind, and easily mixes him with mortal women, making him forgetful of Hera, both his sister and wife, she who is by far the best in beauty among the immortal goddesses.
§42κυδίστην δʼ ἄρα μιν τέκετο Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης §43μήτηρ τε Ῥείη· Ζεὺς δʼ ἄφθιτα μήδεα εἰδὼς §44αἰδοίην ἄλοχον ποιήσατο κέδνʼ εἰδυῖαν.
Indeed, crooked-counseling Cronos and mother Rhea begot her as the most glorious; and Zeus, knowing deathless counsels, made her his revered wife, she who knows prudent things.
§45τῇ δὲ καὶ αὐτῇ Ζεὺς γλυκὺν ἵμερον ἔμβαλε θυμῷ §46ἀνδρὶ καταθνητῷ μιχθήμεναι, ὄφρα τάχιστα §47μηδʼ αὐτὴ βροτέης εὐνῆς ἀποεργμένη εἴη, §48καί ποτʼ ἐπευξαμένη εἴπῃ μετὰ πᾶσι θεοῖσιν §49ἡδὺ γελοιήσασα, φιλομμειδὴς Ἀφροδίτη, §50ὤς ῥα θεοὺς συνέμιξε καταθνητῇσι γυναιξί, §51καί τε καταθνητοὺς υἱεῖς τέκον ἀθανάτοισιν, §52ὥς τε θεὰς ἀνέμιξε καταθνητοῖς ἀνθρώποις.
But Zeus put sweet desire even into her own soul, to couple with a mortal man, so that very soon she herself might not be kept away from a mortal bed, and might not some day say boasting among all the gods, sweetly laughing, laughter-loving Aphrodite, how she had mixed gods with mortal women, and they bore mortal sons to the immortals, and how she mixed goddesses with mortal men.
§53Ἀγχίσεω δʼ ἄρα οἱ γλυκὺν ἵμερον ἔμβαλε θυμῷ, §54ὃς τότʼ ἐν ἀκροπόλοις ὄρεσιν πολυπιδάκου Ἴδης §55βουκολέεσκεν βοῦς δέμας ἀθανάτοισιν ἐοικώς.
So he put into her soul sweet desire for Anchises, who was then on the high peaks of many-fountained Ida herding cattle, looking in body like the immortals.
Then, when laughter-loving Aphrodite saw him, she fell in love, and a terrible desire seized her mind.
She went to Cyprus and entered her fragrant temple, at Paphos, where she has a precinct and a fragrant altar.
§60ἐνθʼ ἥ γʼ εἰσελθοῦσα θύρας ἐπέθηκε φαεινάς· §61ἔνθα δέ μιν Χάριτες λοῦσαν καὶ χρῖσαν ἐλαίῳ §62ἀμβρότῳ, οἷα θεοὺς ἐπενήνοθεν αἰὲν ἐόντας, §63ἀμβροσίῳ ἑδανῷ, τό ῥά οἱ τεθυωμένον ἦεν.
There she entered and shut the shining doors, and there the Graces bathed her and anointed her with oil, immortal oil, such as is on the gods who exist forever, ambrosial and sweet, which had been perfumed for her.
§64ἑσσαμένη δʼ εὖ πάντα περὶ χροῒ εἵματα καλὰ §65χρυσῷ κοσμηθεῖσα φιλομμειδὴς Ἀφροδίτη §66σεύατʼ ἐπὶ Τροίης προλιποῦσʼ εὐώδεα Κύπρον, §67ὕψι μετὰ νέφεσιν ῥίμφα πρήσσουσα κέλευθον.
And clad in all her beautiful garments about her body, adorned with gold, laughter-loving Aphrodite hastened toward Troy, leaving fragrant Cyprus, speeding swiftly on her way high among the clouds.
§68Ἴδην δʼ ἵκανεν πολυπίδακα, μητέρα θηρῶν, §69βῆ δʼ ἰθὺς σταθμοῖο διʼ οὔρεος· οἳ δὲ μετʼ αὐτὴν §70σαίνοντες πολιοί τε λύκοι χαροποί τε λέοντες, §71ἄρκτοι παρδάλιές τε θοαὶ προκάδων ἀκόρητοι §72ἤισαν· ἣ δʼ ὁρόωσα μετὰ φρεσὶ τέρπετο θυμὸν §73καὶ τοῖς ἐν στήθεσσι βάλʼ ἵμερον· οἳ δʼ ἅμα πάντες §74σύνδυο κοιμήσαντο κατὰ σκιόεντας ἐναύλους·
And she came to many-fountained Ida, mother of beasts, and went straight through the mountain to the steading; and after her fawning, grey wolves and grim-eyed lions, bears and swift leopards, insatiable for roe-deer, followed; and she, seeing them, was glad in her heart and cast desire into their breasts, so that they all lay down together in pairs in the shadowy glens.