§1ἀμφὶ Διώνυσον, Σεμέλης ἐρικυδέος υἱόν, §2μνήσομαι, ὡς ἐφάνη παρὰ θῖν’ ἁλὸς ἀτρυγέτοιο §3ἀκτῇ ἔπι προβλῆτι νεηνίῃ ἀνδρὶ ἐοικώς, §4πρωθήβῃ· καλαὶ δὲ περισσείοντο ἔθειραι, §5κυάνεαι, φᾶρος δὲ περὶ στιβαροῖς ἔχεν ὤμοις
About Dionysus, the son of glorious Semele, I will sing, how he appeared by the shore of the barren sea on a jutting headland, looking like a young man, in his first youth; and his beautiful dark hair waved about him, dark-coloured, and a purple cloak he had about his strong shoulders.
§6πορφύρεον· τάχα δ’ ἄνδρες ἐυσσέλμου ἀπὸ νηὸς §7ληισταὶ προγένοντο θοῶς ἐπὶ οἴνοπα πόντον, §8Τυρσηνοί·
And soon men from a well-decked ship, pirates, came swiftly over the wine-dark sea, Tyrrhenians; and an evil doom led them.
τοὺς δ’ ἦγε κακὸς μόρος· οἳ δὲ ἰδόντες §9νεῦσαν ἐς ἀλλήλους, τάχα δ’ ἔκθορον.
And they, seeing him, nodded to one another, and quickly leaped out.
αἶψα δ’ ἑλόντες §10εἷσαν ἐπὶ σφετέρης νηὸς κεχαρημένοι ἦτορ.
And straightway seizing him, they set him upon their ship, glad in their heart.
For they thought him to be a son of Zeus-nourished kings, and wished to bind him with painful bonds.
§13τὸν δ’ οὐκ ἴσχανε δεσμά, λύγοι δ’ ἀπὸ τηλόσε πῖπτον §14χειρῶν ἠδὲ ποδῶν· ὃ δὲ μειδιάων ἐκάθητο §15ὄμμασι κυανέοισι·
But the bonds did not hold him, and the willow-bands fell far away from his hands and feet; and he sat smiling with his dark eyes.
κυβερνήτης δὲ νοήσας §16αὐτίκα οἷς ἑτάροισιν ἐκέκλετο φώνησέν τε· §17<milestone type="startquote"/>δαιμόνιοι, τίνα τόνδε θεὸν δεσμεύεθ’ ἑλόντες, §18καρτερόν;
And the helmsman, perceiving it, straightway called to his companions and said: "Madmen! What powerful god is this whom you have seized and are binding?
οὐδὲ φέρειν δύναταί μιν νηῦς εὐεργής.
Indeed the well-built ship cannot carry him.
§19ἢ γὰρ Ζεὺς ὅδε γ’ ἐστὶν ἢ ἀργυρότοξος Ἀπόλλων §20ἠὲ Ποσειδάων· ἐπεὶ οὐ θνητοῖσι βροτοῖσιν §21εἴκελος, ἀλλὰ θεοῖς, οἳ Ὀλύμπια δώματ’ ἔχουσιν.
For surely this is either Zeus or silver-bowed Apollo or Poseidon; since he is not like mortal men, but to the gods who have homes on Olympus.
§22ἀλλ’ ἄγετ᾽, αὐτὸν ἀφῶμεν ἐπ’ ἠπείροιο μελαίνης §23αὐτίκα· μηδ’ ἐπὶ χεῖρας ἰάλλετε, μή τι χολωθεὶς §24ὄρσῃ ἔπ’ ἀργαλέους τ’ ἀνέμους καὶ λαίλαπα πολλήν. <milestone type="endquote"/> §25Ὣς φάτο· τὸν δ’ ἀρχὸς στυγερῷ ἠνίπαπε μύθῳ· §26<milestone type="startquote"/>δαιμόνι᾽, οὖρον ὅρα, ἅμα δ’ ἱστίον ἕλκεο νηὸς §27σύμπανθ’ ὅπλα λαβών· ὅδε δ’ αὖτ’ ἄνδρεσσι μελήσει.
But come, let us set him free on the dark mainland at once; and do not lay hands on him, lest being angered in some way he stir up dangerous winds and a great tempest." So he spoke; but the captain rebuked him with harsh words: "Madman, watch the wind, and hoist the sail of the ship together with us, taking all the tackle; but this fellow will be the care of men.
§28ἔλπομαι, ἢ Αἴγυπτον ἀφίξεται ἢ ὅ γε Κύπρον §29ἢ ἐς Ὑπερβορέους ἢ ἑκαστέρω· ἐς δὲ τελευτὴν §30ἔκ ποτ’ ἐρεῖ αὐτοῦ τε φίλους καὶ κτήματα πάντα §31οὕς τε κασιγνήτους, ἐπεὶ ἡμῖν ἔμβαλε δαίμων. <milestone type="endquote"/> §32ὣς εἰπὼν ἱστόν τε καὶ ἱστίον ἕλκετο νηός.
I expect he will arrive either at Egypt or Cyprus, or to the Hyperboreans or further; and in the end he will speak out and tell of his friends and all his possessions and his brothers, since a deity has cast him upon us." So saying, he hoisted the mast and sail of the ship.
And the wind blew into the middle of the sail; and all around the tackle they made taut; and soon wondrous works appeared to them.
τάχα δέ σφιν ἐφαίνετο θαυματὰ ἔργα. §35οἶνος μὲν πρώτιστα θοὴν ἀνὰ νῆα μέλαιναν §36ἡδύποτος κελάρυζ’ εὐώδης, ὤρνυτο δ’ ὀδμὴ §37ἀμβροσίη· ναύτας δὲ τάφος λάβε πάντας ἰδόντας.
First of all, wine sweet to drink flowed bubbling through the swift black ship, fragrant, and a heavenly odor arose; and amazement seized all the sailors as they saw it.
§38αὐτίκα δ’ ἀκρότατον παρὰ ἱστίον ἐξετανύσθη §39ἄμπελος ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα, κατεκρημνῶντο δὲ πολλοὶ §40βότρυες· ἀμφ’ ἱστὸν δὲ μέλας εἱλίσσετο κισσός, §41ἄνθεσι τηλεθάων, χαρίεις δ’ ἐπὶ καρπὸς ὀρώρει· §42πάντες δὲ σκαλμοὶ στεφάνους ἔχον· οἳ δὲ ἰδόντες, §43νῆ’ ἤδη τότ’ ἔπειτα κυβερνήτην ἐκέλευον §44γῇ πελάαν·
And straightway along the very top of the sail was stretched a vine this way and that, and many hanging down clusters of grapes; and around the mast dark ivy wound, teeming with flowers, and lovely fruit was growing upon it; and all the thole-pins had wreaths; and they, seeing this, then at last bade the helmsman to bring the ship to land.
ὃ δ’ ἄρα σφι λέων γένετ’ ἔνδοθι νηὸς §45δεινὸς ἐπ’ ἀκροτάτης, μέγα δ’ ἔβραχεν, ἐν δ’ ἄρα μέσσῃ §46ἄρκτον ἐποίησεν λασιαύχενα, σήματα φαίνων· §47ἂν δ’ ἔστη μεμαυῖα· λέων δ’ ἐπὶ σέλματος ἄκρου §48δεινὸν ὑπόδρα ἰδών· οἳ δ’ ἐς πρύμνην ἐφόβηθεν, §49ἀμφὶ κυβερνήτην δὲ σαόφρονα θυμὸν ἔχοντα §50ἔσταν ἄρ’ ἐκπληγέντες·
But he, before them, became a terrible lion inside the ship at the bow, and roared loudly, and in the middle he made a shaggy-necked bear, showing portents; and it stood up raging; and the lion on the high deck glared fiercely; and they fled to the stern, and around the helmsman, who kept a clear mind, they stood in terror.
ὃ δ’ ἐξαπίνης ἐπορούσας §51ἀρχὸν ἕλ᾽, οἳ δὲ θύραζε κακὸν μόρον ἐξαλύοντες §52πάντες ὁμῶς πήδησαν, ἐπεὶ ἴδον, εἰς ἅλα δῖαν, §53δελφῖνες δ’ ἐγένοντο·
But he, suddenly springing forward, seized the captain, and they, escaping evil doom outward, all together leaped, when they saw it, into the bright sea, and became dolphins.
κυβερνήτην δ’ ἐλεήσας §54ἔσχεθε καί μιν ἔθηκε πανόλβιον εἶπέ τε μῦθον· §55<milestone type="startquote"/> θάρσει, †δῖε κάτωρ†, τῷ ἐμῷ κεχαρισμένε θυμῷ· §56εἰμὶ δ’ ἐγὼ Διόνυσος ἐρίβρομος, ὃν τέκε μήτηρ §57Καδμηὶς Σεμέλη Διὸς ἐν φιλότητι μιγεῖσα. <milestone type="endquote"/>
But having pity on the helmsman, he held him back and made him all-happy, and spoke these words: "Take courage, noble helmsman, dear to my heart; for I am loud-roaring Dionysus, whom my mother bore, Cadmean Semele, having united in love with Zeus." Hail, child of fair-faced Semele!