§4.27.1ἡμῖν δʼ οὐ παραλειπτέον τὰ περὶ Ἄτλαντος μυθολογούμενα καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ γένους τῶν Ἑσπερίδων.
We must not pass over the myths related concerning Atlas and those concerning the race of the Hesperides.
κατὰ γὰρ τὴν Ἑσπερῖτιν ὀνομαζομένην χώραν φασὶν ἀδελφοὺς δύο γενέσθαι δόξῃ διωνομασμένους, Ἕσπερον καὶ Ἄτλαντα.
For they say that in the region called Hesperitis there were born two brothers renowned in reputation, Hesperus and Atlas.
τούτους δὲ κεκτῆσθαι πρόβατα τῷ μὲν κάλλει διάφορα, τῇ δὲ χρόᾳ ξανθὰ καὶ χρυσοειδῆ· ἀφʼ ἧς αἰτίας τοὺς ποιητὰς τὰ πρόβατα μῆλα καλοῦντας ὀνομάσαι χρυσᾶ μῆλα. §4.27.2τὸν μὲν οὖν Ἕσπερον θυγατέρα γεννήσαντα τὴν ὀνομαζομένην Ἑσπερίδα συνοικίσαι τἀδελφῷ, ἀφʼ ἧς τὴν χώραν Ἑσπερῖτιν ὀνομασθῆναι· τὸν δʼ Ἄτλαντα ἐκ ταύτης ἑπτὰ γεννῆσαι θυγατέρας, ἃς ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ πατρὸς Ἀτλαντίδας, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς μητρὸς Ἑσπερίδας ὀνομασθῆναι.
And these possessed sheep outstanding in beauty, and yellow and gold-like in color; for which reason the poets, calling sheep mela, named them "golden mela." Now Hesperus, having begotten a daughter named Hesperis, gave her in marriage to his brother, after whom the region was named Hesperitis; and Atlas begot of her seven daughters, who after their father were named Atlantides, and after their mother Hesperides.
τούτων δὲ τῶν Ἀτλαντίδων κάλλει καὶ σωφροσύνῃ διαφερουσῶν, λέγουσι Βούσιριν τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐπιθυμῆσαι τῶν παρθένων ἐγκρατῆ γενέσθαι· διὸ καὶ λῃστὰς κατὰ θάλατταν ἀποστείλαντα διακελεύσασθαι τὰς κόρας ἁρπάσαι καὶ διακομίσαι πρὸς ἑαυτόν.
And since these Atlantides excelled in beauty and chastity, they say that Busiris, the king of the Egyptians, desired to get these virgins into his power; and for this reason, having dispatched pirates by sea, he ordered them to seize the maidens and carry them to him.
§4.27.3κατὰ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν τὸν Ἡρακλέα τελοῦντα τὸν ὕστατον ἆθλον Ἀνταῖον μὲν ἀνελεῖν ἐν τῇ Λιβύῃ τὸν συναναγκάζοντα τοὺς ξένους διαπαλαίειν, Βούσιριν δὲ κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον τῷ Διὶ σφαγιάζοντα τοὺς παρεπιδημοῦντας ξένους τῆς προσηκούσης τιμωρίας καταξιῶσαι.
At this time Heracles, performing his last labor, slew Antaeus in Libya, who compelled strangers to wrestle with him, and in Egypt he visited Busiris, who sacrificed visiting strangers to Zeus, with the fitting punishment.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἀνὰ τὸν Νεῖλον πλεύσαντα εἰς τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν τὸν βασιλεύοντα τῶν Αἰθιόπων Ἠμαθίωνα κατάρχοντα μάχης ἀποκτεῖναι, τὸ δʼ ὕστατον ἐπάνελθεῖν πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν ἆθλον.
After this, sailing up the Nile into Ethiopia, he slew Emathion, the king of the Ethiopians, who initiated battle against him, and finally returned once more to his labor.
§4.27.4τοὺς δὲ λῃστὰς ἐν κήπῳ τινὶ παιζούσας τὰς κόρας συναρπάσαι, καὶ ταχὺ φυγόντας εἰς τὰς ναῦς ἀποπλεῖν.
Meanwhile the pirates snatched the maidens while they were playing in a certain garden, and quickly fleeing to their ships, sailed away.
τούτοις δʼ ἐπί τινος ἀκτῆς δειπνοποιουμένοις ἐπιστάντα τὸν Ηρακλέα, καὶ παρὰ τῶν παρθένων μαθόντα τὸ συμβεβηκός, τοὺς μὲν λῃστὰς ἅπαντας ἀποκτεῖναι, τὰς δὲ κόρας ἀποκομίσαι πρὸς Ἄτλαντα τὸν πατέρα·
But when they were preparing dinner on a certain shore, Heracles came upon them, and having learned what had happened from the maidens, he slew all the pirates and brought the girls back to Atlas, their father.
ἀνθʼ ὧν τὸν Ἄτλαντα χάριν τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἀποδιδόντα μὴ μόνον δοῦναι τὰ πρὸς τὸν ἆθλον καθήκοντα προθύμως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀστρολογίαν ἀφθόνως διδάξαι.
In return for these things, Atlas, rendering thanks for his kindness, not only readily gave him what was fitting for his labor, but also generously taught him the matters concerning astrology.
§4.27.5περιττότερον γὰρ αὐτὸν τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀστρολογίαν ἐκπεπονηκότα καὶ τὴν τῶν ἄστρων σφαῖραν φιλοτέχνως εὑρόντα ἔχειν ὑπόληψιν ὡς τὸν κόσμον ὅλον ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων φοροῦντα.
For since he had worked out the matters concerning astrology with extraordinary diligence and had ingeniously invented the sphere of the stars, he had the reputation of carrying the whole universe upon his shoulders.
παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τοῦ Ἡρακλέους ἐξενέγκαντος εἰς τοὺς Ἕλληνας τὸν σφαιρικὸν λόγον, δόξης μεγάλης τυχεῖν, ὡς διαδεδεγμένον τὸν Ἀτλαντικὸν κόσμον, αἰνιττομένων τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ γεγονός.
Similarly, when Heracles also imported the spherical theory to the Greeks, he obtained great fame, as if he had succeeded to the Atlantean world, with men enigmatically referring to what had happened.