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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §5.43.1-5.43.3

Lush Nature Around the Temple of Triphylian Zeus

Passage 365 of 406 · Greek

Summary

The text describes the rich natural beauty worthy of the gods around the temple of Triphylian Zeus on Panchaea, characterized by abundant springs and channels, diverse lush trees, beautiful flowers, and singing birds.

§5.43.1τὸ μὲν οὖν περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν πεδίον συνηρεφές ἐστι παντοίοις δένδρεσιν, οὐ μόνον καρποφόροις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς δυναμένοις τέρπειν τὴν ὅρασιν· κυπαρίττων τε γὰρ ἐξαισίων τοῖς μεγέθεσι καὶ πλατάνων καὶ δάφνης καὶ μυρσίνης καταγέμει, πλήθοντος τοῦ τόπου ναματιαίων ὑδάτων.
Now the plain around the temple is thickly shaded with all kinds of trees, not only those bearing fruit, but also the others capable of delighting the sight; for it is full of cypresses extraordinary in their size, plane trees, laurel, and myrtle, since the place abounds in spring waters.
§5.43.2πλησίον γὰρ τοῦ τεμένους ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐκπίπτει τηλικαύτη τὸ μέγεθος πηγὴ γλυκέος ὕδατος, ὥστε ποταμὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς γίνεσθαι πλωτόν· ἐκ τούτου δʼ εἰς πολλὰ μέρη τοῦ ὕδατος διαιρουμένου, καὶ τούτων ἀρδευομένων, κατὰ πάντα τὸν τοῦ πεδίου τόπον συνάγκειαι δένδρων ὑψηλῶν πεφύκασι συνεχεῖς, ἐν αἱς πλῆθος ἀνδρῶν ἐν τοῖς τοῦ θέρους καιροῖς ἐνδιατρίβει, ὀρνέων τε πλῆθος παντοδαπῶν ἐννεοττεύεται, ταῖς χρόαις διάφορα καὶ ταῖς μελῳδίαις μεγάλην παρεχόμενα τέρψιν, κηπεῖαί τε παντοδαπαὶ καὶ λειμῶνες πολλοὶ καὶ διάφοροι ταῖς χλόαις καὶ τοῖς ἄνθεσιν, ὥστε τῇ θεοπρεπείᾳ τῆς προσόψεως ἄξιον τῶν ἐγχωρίων θεῶν φαίνεσθαι.
For near the sacred precinct there gushes out from the earth a spring of sweet water so great in its size that a navigable river is formed from it; and as the water is divided from this river into many parts, and these irrigate the land, throughout the entire area of the plain there grow continuous groves of lofty trees, in which a multitude of men spend their time in the summer season, and a multitude of birds of all kinds build their nests, being diverse in their colors and providing great delight with their melodies; there are also gardens of all kinds and many meadows, diverse in their foliage and flowers, so that, by the god-befitting beauty of its appearance, the place seems worthy of the native gods.
§5.43.3ἦν δὲ καὶ τῶν φοινίκων στελέχη μεγάλα καὶ καρποφόρα διαφερόντως καὶ καρύαι πολλαὶ ἀκροδρύων δαψιλεστάτην τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις ἀπόλαυσιν παρεχόμεναι.
And there were also great trunks of palm trees, exceptionally fruitful, and many nut trees, which provided the inhabitants with the most abundant enjoyment of their fruits.
χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ὑπῆρχον ἄμπελοί τε πολλαὶ καὶ παντοδαπαί, αἳ πρὸς ὕψος ἀνηγμέναι καὶ διαπεπλεγμέναι ποικίλως τὴν πρόσοψιν ἡδεῖαν ἐποίουν καὶ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τῆς ὥρας ἑτοιμοτάτην παρείχοντο.
And apart from these, there were many grapevines of all kinds, which, being trained to a great height and variously intertwined, made the sight pleasant and provided the enjoyment of their seasonal fruit in the readiest manner.

Notes

  1. 5.43.1κυπαρίττων — The genitives κυπαρίττων, πλατάνων, δάφνης, and μυρσίνης are governed by the verb καταγέμει, which expresses fullness.
  2. 5.43.2τηλικαύτη τὸ μέγεθος — The accusative τὸ μέγεθος is an accusative of respect (specification) modifying the demonstrative adjective τηλικαύτη, which agrees with the feminine noun πηγή.
  3. 5.43.2ὥστε ποταμὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς γίνεσθαι πλωτόν — Following the intensive τηλικαύτη, the conjunction ὥστε introduces a clause of result with an accusative and infinitive construction (subject: ποταμὸν πλωτόν, infinitive: γίνεσθαι).
  4. 5.43.2τούτων ἀρδευομένων — In the genitive absolute construction τούτων ἀρδευομένων, the neuter plural demonstrative pronoun τούτων refers to either the divided waters or the parts of land irrigated by them.
  5. 5.43.2ταῖς χρόαις διάφορα — The neuter plural adjective διάφορα and participle παρεχόμενα agree ad sensum with the neuter plural genitive ὀρνέων (birds), rather than the grammatically singular collective noun πλῆθος (multitude).
  6. 5.43.3ἦν — The verb ἦν is third-person singular; while it agrees grammatically with the first subject, the neuter plural noun στελέχη (which regularly takes a singular verb in Greek), it also serves as the predicate for the subsequent feminine plural noun καρύαι.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §5.43.1-5.43.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:5.43.1-5.43.3

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