§4.34.1Ἡρακλῆς δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἐν Φενεῷ κατοίκησιν ἔτει πέμπτῳ, δυσφορῶν ἐπὶ τῷ τετελευτηκέναι Οἰωνὸν τὸν Λικυμνίου καὶ Ἴφικλον τὸν ἀδελφόν, ἀπῆλθεν ἑκουσίως ἐξ Ἀρκαδίας καὶ πάσης Πελοποννήσου.
Heracles, in the fifth year after his settlement in Pheneus, grieving over the death of Oeonus, the son of Licymnius, and Iphicles his brother, departed voluntarily from Arcadia and all of the Peloponnese.
συναπελθόντων δʼ αὐτῷ πολλῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἀρκαδίας, ἀπῆλθε τῆς Αἰτωλίας εἰς Καλυδῶνα κἀκεῖ κατῴκησεν.
And many from Arcadia having departed with him, he went to Calydon in Aetolia and settled there.
οὐκ ὄντων δʼ αὐτῷ παίδων γνησίων οὐδὲ γαμετῆς γυναικός, ἔγημε Δηιάνειραν τὴν Οἰνέως, τετελευτηκότος ἤδη Μελεάγρου.
And since he had neither legitimate children nor a wedded wife, he married Deianira, the daughter of Oeneus, Meleager having already died.
οὐκ ἀνοίκειον δʼ εἶναι νομίζομεν βραχὺ παρεκβάντας ἡμᾶς ἀπαγγεῖλαι τὴν περὶ τὸν Μελέαγρον περιπέτειαν.
And we think it not inappropriate, after a brief digression, to relate the misfortune concerning Meleager.
§4.34.2Οἰνεὺς γάρ, γενομένης εὐκαρπίας αὐτῷ τοῦ σίτου, τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις θεοῖς ἐτέλεσε θυσίας, μόνης δὲ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος ὠλιγώρησεν·
For Oeneus, when there was a good harvest of grain for him, offered sacrifices to the other gods, but neglected Artemis alone.
δι’ ἣν αἰτίαν ἡ θεὸς αὐτῷ μηνίσασα τὸν διαβεβοημένον Καλυδώνιον ὗν ἀνῆκεν, ὑπερφυῆ τὸ μέγεθος.
For which reason the goddess, being angry with him, sent against him the famous Calydonian boar, extraordinary in size.
§4.34.3οὗτος δὲ τὴν σύνεγγυς χώραν καταφθείρων τὰς κτήσεις ἐλυμαίνετο·
And this beast, laying waste the neighboring country, ravaged their property.
διόπερ Μελέαγρος ὁ Οἰνέως, τὴν μὲν ἡλικίαν μάλιστα ἀκμάζων, ῥώμῃ δὲ καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ διαφέρων, παρέλαβε πολλοὺς τῶν ἀρίστων ἐπὶ τὴν τούτου κυνηγίαν.
Wherefore Meleager, the son of Oeneus, being at the very peak of his age, and excelling in strength and courage, took with him many of the noblest men for the hunt of this beast.
πρώτου δὲ Μελεάγρου τὸ θηρίον ἀκοντίσαντος, ὁμολογούμενον αὐτῷ τὸ πρωτεῖον συνεχωρήθη· τοῦτο δʼ ἦν ἡ δορὰ τοῦ ζῴου.
And Meleager being the first to strike the beast with a javelin, the prize of valor was by common consent conceded to him; and this was the hide of the animal.
§4.34.4μετεχούσης δὲ τῆς κυνηγίας Ἀταλάντης τῆς Σχοινέως, ἐρασθεὶς αὐτῆς ὁ Μελέαγρος παρεχώρησε τῆς δορᾶς καὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἀριστείαν ἐπαίνου.
And Atalanta, the daughter of Schoineus, taking part in the hunt, Meleager, having fallen in love with her, yielded the hide and the praise for the prize of valor to her.
ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς πραχθεῖσιν οἱ Θεστίου παῖδες συγκυνηγοῦντες ἠγανάκτησαν, ὅτι ξένην γυναῖκα προετίμησεν αὐτῶν, παραπέμψας τὴν οἰκειότητα.
But at these actions, the sons of Thestius, who were hunting with them, were indignant that he preferred a foreign woman to them, setting aside their kinship.
διόπερ ἀκυροῦντες τοῦ Μελεάγρου τὴν δωρεὰν ἐνήδρευσαν Ἀταλάντῃ, καὶ κατὰ τὴν εἰς Ἀρκαδίαν ἐπάνοδον ἐπιθέμενοι τὴν δορὰν ἀφείλοντο.
Therefore, nullifying Meleager's gift, they laid an ambush for Atalanta, and attacking her during her return to Arcadia, they took away the hide.
§4.34.5Μελέαγρος δὲ διά τε τὸν πρὸς τὴν Ἀταλάντην ἔρωτα καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀτιμίαν παροξυνθείς, ἐβοήθησε τῇ Ἀταλάντῃ.
And Meleager, provoked both by his love for Atalanta and by the insult, went to the aid of Atalanta.
καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον παρεκάλει τοὺς ἡρπακότας ἀποδοῦναι τῇ γυναικὶ τὸ δοθὲν ἀριστεῖον· ὡς δʼ οὐ προσεῖχον, ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτούς, ὄντας τῆς Ἀλθαίας ἀδελφούς.
And at first he exhorted those who had seized it to restore to the woman the prize of valor that had been given; but when they paid no attention, he killed them, who were brothers of Althaea.
διόπερ ἡ μὲν Ἀλθαία γενομένη περιαλγὴς ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ὁμαίμων ἀναιρέσει ἀρὰς ἔθετο, καθʼ ἃς ἠξίωσεν ἀποθανεῖν Μελέαγρον· καὶ τοὺς ἀθανάτους ὑπακούσαντας ἐπενεγκεῖν αὐτῷ τὴν τοῦ βίου καταστροφήν.
Wherefore Althaea, becoming deeply grieved at the slaying of her brothers, uttered curses, in accordance with which she demanded that Meleager should die; and the immortals, having heard her, brought upon him the end of his life.
§4.34.6ἔνιοι δὲ μυθολογοῦσιν ὅτι κατὰ τὴν Μελεάγρου γένεσιν τῇ Ἀλθαίᾳ τὰς Μοίρας καθʼ ὕπνον ἐπιστάσας εἰπεῖν ὅτι τότε τελευτήσει Μελέαγρος ὁ υἱὸς αὐτῆς, ὅταν ὁ δαλὸς κατακαυθῇ.
But some mythologists say that at the birth of Meleager, the Fates, standing over Althaea in her sleep, said that her son Meleager would die at that time when the brand should be consumed by fire.
διόπερ τεκοῦσαν, καὶ νομίσασαν ἐν τῇ τοῦ δαλοῦ φυλακῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν τοῦ τέκνου κεῖσθαι, τὸν δαλὸν ἐπιμελῶς τηρεῖν.
Wherefore, having given birth and believing that the safety of her child lay in the guarding of the brand, she carefully kept the brand.
§4.34.7ὕστερον δʼ ἐπὶ τῷ φόνῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν παροξυνθεῖσαν κατακαῦσαι τὸν δαλὸν καὶ τῷ Μελεάγρῳ τῆς τελευτῆς αἰτίαν καταστῆναι· ἀεὶ δὲ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπραγμένοις λυπουμένην τὸ τέλος ἀγχόνῃ τὸν βίον καταστρέψαι.
But later, being provoked at the murder of her brothers, she burned the brand and became the cause of death to Meleager; and grieving ever more deeply over what had been done, she finally ended her life by hanging.