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Bion of Smyrna · The Lament for Adonis §52-98

Aphrodite's Lament and the Gods Mourning for Adonis

Passage 2 of 2 · Greek

Summary

Aphrodite laments the death of Adonis, grieving that he is taken by Persephone to the underworld. Her tears and his blood turn into flowers, and the Loves, Hymen, and the Fates join in mourning his passing.

§52πὰρ στυγνὸν βασιλῆα καὶ ἄγριον, ἁ δὲ τάλαινα §53ζώω καὶ θεὸς ἐμμὶ καὶ οὐ δύναμαί σε διώκειν.
to the grim and wild king, while I, wretched one, live and am a goddess, and cannot follow you.
§54λάμβανε Περσεφόνα τὸν ἐμὸν πόσιν· ἐσσὶ γὰρ αὐτὰ §55πολλὸν ἐμεῦ κρέσσων, τὸ δὲ πᾶν καλὸν ἐς σὲ καταρρεῖ·
Take, Persephone, my husband; for you yourself are much stronger than I, and everything beautiful flows down to you.
§56ἐμμὶ δ’ ἐγὼ πανάποτμος, ἔχω δ’ ἀκόρεστον ἀνίαν, §57καὶ κλαίω τὸν Ἄδωνιν, ὅ μοι θάνε, καί σε φοβεῦμαι.
But I am all-unfortunate, and have insatiable grief, and I weep for Adonis, who died to me, and I fear you.
§58θνᾴσκεις ὦ τριπόθητε, πόθος δέ μοι ὡς ὄναρ ἔπτα, §59χήρα δ’ ἁ Κυθέρεια, κενοὶ δ’ ἀνὰ δώματ’ Ἔρωτες.
You die, O thrice-desired, and my desire has flown away like a dream, and Cythereia is widowed, and the Loves are idle in the houses.
§60σοὶ δ’ ἅμα κεστὸς ὄλωλε.
And with you my magic girdle has perished.
τί γὰρ τολμηρὲ κυνάγεις;
Why indeed, bold one, did you hunt?
§61καλὸς ἐὼν τοσσοῦτον ἐμήναο θηρὶ παλαίειν; ’ §62ὧδ’ ὀλοφύρατο Κύπρις· ἐπαιάζουσιν Ἔρωτες §63αἰαῖ τὰν Κυθέρειαν, ἀπώλετο καλὸς Ἄδωνις. §64δάκρυον ἁ Παφία τόσσον χέει, ὅσσον Ἄδωνις §65αἷμα χέει·
Being so beautiful, were you mad to fight with a beast?' Thus lamented Cypris; the Loves lament in response: 'Alas for Cythereia, beautiful Adonis has perished!' The Paphian sheds as many tears as Adonis sheds blood; and all these on the ground become flowers.
τὰ δὲ πάντα ποτὶ χθονὶ γίνεται ἄνθη. §66αἷμα ῥόδον τίκτει, τὰ δὲ δάκρυα τὰν ἀνεμώναν.
Blood brings forth the rose, and the tears the anemone.
§67αἰάζω τὸν Ἄδωνιν, ἀπώλετο καλὸς Ἄδωνις.
I lament for Adonis, beautiful Adonis has perished.
§68μηκέτ’ ἐνὶ δρυμοῖσι τὸν ἀνέρα μύρεο Κύπρι.
Mourn your husband no longer in the oak coppices, Cypris.
§69οὐκ ἀγαθὰ στιβάς ἐστιν Ἀδώνιδι φυλλὰς ἐρήμα·
A lonely bed of leaves is no good couch for Adonis.
§70λέκτρον ἔχοι Κυθέρεια τὸ σὸν καὶ νεκρὸς Ἄδωνις.
Let Adonis, even dead, have your bed, Cythereia.
§71καὶ νέκυς ὢν καλός ἐστι, καλὸς νέκυς, οἷα καθεύδων.
Even being a corpse he is beautiful, a beautiful corpse, as if sleeping.
§72κάτθεό νιν μαλακοῖς ἐνὶ φάρεσιν οἷς ἐνίαυεν, §73ᾧ μετὰ τεῦς ἀνὰ νύκτα τὸν ἱερὸν ὕπνον ἐμόχθει §74παγχρυσέῳ κλιντῆρι· ποθεῖ καὶ στυμνὸν Ἄδωνιν.
Lay him down in the soft robes in which he used to sleep, in which with you through the night he labored the sacred sleep on the all-golden couch; it yearns for even the grim Adonis.
§75βάλλε δέ νιν στεφάνοισι καὶ ἄνθεσι· πάντα σὺν αὐτῷ, §76ὡς τῆνος τέθνακε καὶ ἄνθεα πάντα θανόντων.
Cast on him garlands and flowers; all things with him, since he has died, let all the flowers also die.
§77ῥαῖνε δέ νιν Συρίοισιν ἀλείφασι, ῥαῖνε μύροισιν· §78ὀλλύσθω μύρα πάντα· τὸ σὸν μύρον ὤλετ’ Ἄδωνις.
Sprinkle him with Syrian ointments, sprinkle him with perfumes; let all perfumes perish; your perfume, Adonis, has perished.
§79κέκλιται ἁβρὸς Ἄδωνις ἐν εἵμασι πορφυρέοισιν· §80ἀμφὶ δέ νιν κλαίοντες ἀναστενάχουσιν Ἔρωτες §81κειράμενοι χαίτας ἐπ’ Ἀδώνιδι· χὢ μὲν ὀϊστώς, §82ὃς δ’ ἐπὶ τόξον ἔβαλλεν, ὃ δὲ πτερόν, ὃς δὲ φαρέτραν· §83χὢ μὲν ἔλυσε πέδιλον Ἀδώνιδος, οἳ δὲ λέβητι §84χρυσείῳ φορέουσιν ὕδωρ, ὃ δὲ μηρία λούει, §85ὃς δ’ ὄπιθεν πτερύγεσσιν ἀναψύχει τὸν Ἄδωνιν.
Delicate Adonis is reclined in purple garments; and around him the weeping Loves groan in response, having shorn their hair for Adonis; and one arrows, another on his bow, another his wing, another his quiver; and one loosed the sandal of Adonis, while others in a golden basin carry water, and another bathes his thighs, and another from behind cools Adonis with his wings.
§86αἰαῖ τὰν Κυθέρειαν ἐπαιάζουσιν Ἔρωτες.
Alas for Cythereia, the Loves lament in response.
§87ἔσβεσε λαμπάδα πᾶσαν ἐπὶ φλιαῖς Ὑμέναιος, §88καὶ στέφος ἐξεπέτασσε γαμήλιον· οὐκέτι δ’ Ὑμήν, §89Ὑμὴν οὐκέτ’ ἀείδει ἑὸν μέλος, ἀλλ’ ἐπαείδει §90αἰαῖ καὶ τὸν Ἄδωνιν ἔτι πλέον ἢ Ὑμέναιον.
Hymen has quenched every torch on the doorposts, and scattered the bridal wreath; and no longer Hymen, Hymen no longer sings his own song, but sings in response 'Alas' and 'Adonis' even more than 'Hymen'.
§91αἱ Χάριτες κλαίοντι τὸν υἱέα τῶ Κινύραο, §92ὤλετο καλὸς Ἄδωνις ἐν ἀλλάλαισι λέγουσαι. §93αἰαῖ δ’ ὀξὺ λέγοντι πολὺ πλέον ἢ Παιῶνα.
The Graces weep for the son of Cinyras, saying to one another: 'Beautiful Adonis has perished.' and they say 'Alas' shrilly, much more than 'Paian'.
§94χαἰ Μοῖραι τὸν Ἄδωνιν ἀνακλείουσιν Ἄδωνιν, §95καί νιν ἐπαείδουσιν· ὃ δέ σφισιν οὐχ ὑπακούει· §96οὐ μὰν οὐκ ἐθέλει, Κώρα δέ νιν οὐκ ἀπολύει.
And the Fates call back Adonis, and sing to him; but he does not listen to them; not indeed that he is unwilling, but the Maiden does not release him.
§97λῆγε γόων Κυθέρεια τὸ σάμερον, ἴσχεο κομμῶν· §98δεῖ σε πάλιν κλαῦσαι, πάλιν εἰς ἔτος ἄλλο δακρῦσαι.
Cease from laments today, Cythereia, hold back from breast-beatings; you must weep again, you must shed tears again for another year.

Notes

  1. §52πὰρ στυγνὸν βασιλῆα καὶ ἄγριον — A prepositional phrase (πὰρ + accusative) continuing from the end of the previous chunk ('you go to Acheron,' ἔρχεαι εἰς Ἀχέροντα), referring to Hades, the ruler of the underworld.
  2. §73ᾧ μετὰ τεῦς ἀνὰ νύκτα τὸν ἱερὸν ὕπνον ἐμόχθει — A relative clause introduced by ᾧ (neuter singular dative, whose antecedent is the preceding κλιντῆρι 'couch'). The verb ἐμόχθει ('labored') here implies sharing or enjoying the sacred sleep together on the couch.
  3. §74ποθεῖ καὶ στυμνὸν Ἄδωνιν — The subject is κλιντῆρι ('couch') from the previous line. It expresses through personification that the golden bed still yearns for Adonis, even in his stiff or cold, lifeless state.
  4. §78τὸ σὸν μύρον ὤλετ’ Ἄδωνις — 'your perfume' (τὸ σὸν μύρον) is in apposition to 'Adonis' (Ἄδωνις), meaning 'Adonis, who was your very own perfume, has perished.'
  5. §96οὐ μὰν οὐκ ἐθέλει — οὐ μὰν οὐκ is a double negative, functioning as a litotes ('it is not indeed that he is unwilling'), which emphasizes the tragic situation where he is unable to respond due to Persephone's restraint.

Cite this passage

Bion of Smyrna, The Lament for Adonis §52-98. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0036.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:52-98

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