§1Εὐρώπῃ ποτὲ Κύπρις ἐπὶ γλυκὺν ἧκεν ὄνειρον, §2νυκτὸς ὅτε τρίτατον λάχος ἵσταται, ἐγγύθι δ’ ἠώς, §3ὕπνος ὅτε γλυκίων μέλιτος βλεφάροισιν ἐφίζων §4λυσιμελὴς πεδάᾳ μαλακῷ κατὰ φάεα δεσμῷ, §5εὖτε καὶ ἀτρεκέων ποιμαίνεται ἔθνος ὀνείρων· §6τῆμος ὑπωροφίοισιν ἐνὶ κνώσσουσα δόμοισι §7Φοίνικος θυγάτηρ ἔτι παρθένος Εὐρώπεια §8ὠίσατ’ ἠπείρους δοιὰς περὶ εἷο μάχεσθαι, §9ἄσσιον ἀντιπέρην τε·
Once to Europa, Cypris sent a sweet dream, when the third watch of the night is set, and dawn is near, when sleep, sweeter than honey, sitting upon the eyelids, limbs-loosening, fetters the eyes with a soft bond, when also the flock of true dreams is shepherded; then, slumbering within her roofed chambers, the daughter of Phoenix, Europa, still a virgin, dreamed that two continents were fighting for her, the near one and the opposite one; and they had the form of women.
φυὴν δ’ ἔχον οἷα γυναῖκες. §10τῶν δ’ ἣ μὲν ξείνης μορφὴν ἔχεν, ἣ δ’ ἄρ’ ἐῴκει §11ἐνδαπίῃ, καὶ μᾶλλον ἑῆς περιίσχετο κούρης, §12φάσκεν δ’ ὥς μιν ἔτικτε καὶ ὡς ἀτίτηλέ μιν αὐτή.
Of these, one had the form of a foreign woman, and the other resembled a native, and clung more closely to her own child, and claimed that she herself had given her birth and nurtured her.
§13ἡ δ’ ἑτέρη κρατερῇσι βιωομένη παλάμῃσιν §14εἴρυεν οὐκ ἀέκουσαν, ἐπεὶ φάτο μόρσιμον εἷο §15ἐκ Διὸς αἰγιόχου γέρας ἔμμεναι Εὐρώπειαν.
But the other, forcing her with powerful hands, dragged her, not unwilling, since she said it was destined by aegis-bearing Zeus that Europa should be her prize.
§16ἣ δ’ ἀπὸ μὲν στρωτῶν λεχέων θόρε δειμαίνουσα, §17παλλομένη κραδίην· τὸ γὰρ ὡς ὕπαρ εἶδεν ὄνειρον.
She leaped up in fear from her strewn bed, her heart fluttering; for she had seen the dream as if it were reality.
Sitting for a long time, she remained silent, and both women she still held before her wide-open eyes.
And at last, she uttered her fearful virgin voice: “Who of the heavenly ones has sent me such visions?
What kind of dreams have startled me, as I was slumbering so very sweetly, inside my chambers?
§24τίς δ’ ἦν ἡ ξείνη, τὴν εἴσιδον ὑπνώουσα;
And who was the foreign woman whom I saw in my sleep?
How desire for her seized my heart, and how she herself gladly welcomed me, and looked upon me as her own child!
§27ἀλλά μοι εἰς ἀγαθὸν μάκαρες κρήνειαν ὄνειρον. §28ὣς εἰποῦσ’ ἀνόρουσε, φίλας δ’ ἐπεδίζεθ’ ἑταίρας §29ἥλικας οἰέτεας θυμήρεας εὐπατερείας, §30τῇσιν ἀεὶ συνάθυρεν, ὅτ’ ἐς χορὸν ἐντύνοιτο, §31ἢ ὅτε φαιδρύνοιτο χρόα προχοῇσιν ἀναύρων, §32ἢ ὁπότ’ ἐκ λειμῶνος ἐΰπνοα λείρἰ ἀμέργοι.
But may the blessed ones fulfill the dream for my good!” So she spoke and leaped up, and sought her dear companions, her age-mates, equal in years, pleasing to her heart, born of noble fathers, with whom she always played, whenever she prepared for the dance, or when she washed her skin at the mouths of rivers, or when she gathered sweet-scented lilies from the meadow.
§33αἳ δέ οἱ αἶψα φάανθεν· ἔχον δ’ ἐν χερσὶν ἑκάστη §34ἀνθοδόκον τάλαρον· ποτὶ δὲ λειμῶνας ἔβαινον §35ἀγχιάλους, ὅθι τ’ αἰὲν ὁμιλαδὸν ἠγερέθοντο §36τερπόμεναι ῥοδέῃ τε φυῇ καὶ κύματος ἠχῇ.
And they quickly appeared to her; and each held in her hands a flower-gathering basket; and they went toward the meadows near the sea, where they always gathered in throngs, delighting in the rosy growth and the sound of the wave.
§37αὐτὴ δὲ χρύσεον τάλαρον φέρεν Εὐρώπεια, §38θηητόν, μέγα θαῦμα, μέγαν πόνον Ἡφαίστοιο, §39ὃν Λιβύῃ πόρε δῶρον, ὅτ’ ἐς λέχος Ἐννοσιγαίου §40ἤϊεν· ἣ δὲ πόρεν περικαλλέϊ Τηλεφαάσσῃ, §41ἥτε οἱ αἵματος ἔσκεν· ἀνύμφῳ δ’ Εὐρωπείῃ §42μήτηρ Τηλεφάσσα περικλυτὸν ὤπασε δῶρον.
But Europa herself carried a golden basket, marvelous to behold, a great wonder, a great labor of Hephaestus, which he gave as a gift to Libya, when she went to the bed of the Earth-shaker; and she gave it to beautiful Telephaassa, who was of her blood; and to unmarried Europa, her mother Telephassa bestowed the far-famed gift.
§43ἐν τῷ δαίδαλα πολλὰ τετεύχατο μαρμαίροντα.
Within it, many elaborate designs were wrought, gleaming brightly.
In it was wrought of gold the Inachid Io, still being a heifer, and she did not have the form of a woman.
And wandering, she went with her feet upon the salty paths, like one swimming; and the sea was wrought in dark blue.
And two men stood high on the brow of the shore, together, and they watched the sea-faring heifer.
§50ἐν δ’ ἦν Ζεὺς Κρονίδης ἐπαφώμενος ἠρέμα χερσὶ §51πόρτιος Ἰναχίης, τὴν δ’ ἑπταπόρῳ παρὰ Νείλῳ §52ἐκ βοὸς εὐκεράοιο πάλιν μετάμειβε γυναῖκα.
And in it was Zeus, son of Cronus, gently touching with his hands the Inachid heifer, whom by the seven-mouthed Nile he changed back into a woman from the well-horned cow.
The stream of the Nile was of silver, and the heifer was of bronze, and Zeus himself was wrought of gold.
§55ἀμφὶ δὲ δινήεντος ὑπὸ στεφάνην ταλάροιο §56Ἑρμείης ἤσκητο· πέλας δέ οἱ ἐκτετάνυστο §57Ἄργος ἀκοιμήτοισι κεκασμένος ὀφθαλμοῖσι.
And around the rim of the well-wrought basket, Hermes was fashioned; and near him lay stretched out Argus, adorned with sleepless eyes.
§58τοῖο δὲ φοινήεντος ἀφ’ αἵματος ἐξανέτελλεν §59ὄρνις ἀγαλλόμενος πτερύγων πολυανθέϊ χροιῇ, §60ταρσὸν ἀναπλώσας ὡσείτε τις ὠκύαλος νηῦς· §61χρυσείου ταλάροιο περίσκεπε χείλεα ταρσός.
And from his purple blood arose a bird rejoicing in the multi-colored hue of its wings, unfolding its tail-fan like a swift-sailing ship; the wing-fan covered the rim of the golden basket.
§62τοῖος ἔην τάλαρος περικαλλέος Εὐρωπείης.
Such was the basket of the very beautiful Europa.
And when they had arrived at the flowery meadows, then they delighted their hearts, each with different flowers.
§65τῶν ἣ μὲν νάρκισσον ἐΰπνοον, ἣ δ’ ὑάκινθον, §66ἣ δ’ ἴον, ἣ δ’ ἕρπυλλον ἀπαίνυτο· πολλὰ δ’ ἔραζε §67λειμώνων ἐαροτρεφέων θαλέθεσκε πέτηλα.
Of them, one gathered the sweet-scented narcissus, another the hyacinth, another the violet, another the wild thyme; and many fresh petals of the spring-nurtured meadows bloomed in abundance.
§68αἳ δ’ αὖτε ξανθοῖο κρόκου θυόεσσαν ἔθειραν §69δρέπτον ἐριδμαίνουσαι, ἀτὰρ μεσσίστη ἄνασσα §70ἀγλαΐην πυρσοῖο ῥόδου χείρεσσι λέγουσα, §71οἷά περ ἐν Χαρίτεσσι διέπρεπεν Ἀφρογένεια.
Others again were plucking the fragrant tress of the yellow crocus, striving with one another; but in their midst the princess was gathering with her hands the splendor of the red rose, preeminent, just as the foam-born goddess shines among the Graces.
Yet she was not destined for long to warm her heart with flowers, nor indeed to keep her virgin girdle unstained.
§74ἦ γὰρ δὴ Κρονίδης ὥς μιν φράσαθ̓, ὡς ἐόλητο §75θυμὸν ἀνωίστοισιν ὑποδμηθεὶς βελέεσσι §76Κύπριδος, ἣ μούνη δύναται καὶ Ζῆνα δαμάσσαι.
For indeed, as soon as the son of Cronus beheld her, his heart was troubled, subdued in his spirit by the unexpected shafts of Cypris, who alone can subdue even Zeus.
§77δὴ γὰρ ἀλευόμενός τε χόλον ζηλήμονος Ἥρης §78παρθενικῆς τ’ ἐθέλων ἀταλὸν νόον ἐξαπατῆσαι §79κρύψε θεὸν καὶ τρέψε δέμας καὶ γείνετο ταῦρος, §80οὐχ οἷος σταθμοῖς ἐνιφέρβεται, οὐδὲ μὲν οἷος §81ὦλκα διατμήγει σύρων εὐκαμπὲς ἄροτρον, §82οὐδ’ οἷος ποίμνης ἐπιβόσκεται, οὐδὲ μὲν οἷος §83ὅστις ὑποδμηθεὶς ἐρύει πολύφορτον ἀπήνην.
For indeed, both avoiding the wrath of jealous Hera and wishing to deceive the tender mind of the maiden, he hid the god and changed his body, and became a bull; not such as is fed in the stalls, nor such as cuts the furrow, dragging the well-bent plow, nor such as grazes with the herd, nor indeed such as is broken to draw the heavy-laden wagon.