§20.1ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ
Ὦ τέκνον Ἔρως, ὅρα οἷα ποιεῖς· οὐ τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ λέγω, ὁπόσα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀναπείθεις καθ' αὑτῶν ἢ κατ' ἀλλήλων ἐργάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὃς τὸν μὲν Δία πολύμορφον ἐπιδεικνύεις ἀλλάττων ἐς ὅ τι ἄν σοι ἐπὶ τοῦ καιροῦ δοκῇ, τὴν Σελήνην δὲ καθαιρεῖς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, τὸν Ἥλιον δὲ παρὰ τῇ Κλυμένῃ βραδύνειν ἐνίοτε ἀναγκάζεις ἐπιλελησμένον τῆς ἱππασίας·
APHRODITE My child Eros, see what you are doing; I do not mean the things on earth, all that you persuade humans to do against themselves or against one another, but also those in heaven—you who display Zeus in many forms, changing him into whatever may please you at the moment, and drag Selene down from heaven, and sometimes force Helius to linger with Clymene, having forgotten his chariot-driving.
ἃ μὲν γὰρ ἐς ἐμὲ τὴν μητέρα ὑβρίζεις, θαρρῶν ποιεῖς.
For the outrages you commit against me, your mother, you do with boldness.
ἀλλὰ σύ, ὦ τολμηρότατε, καὶ τὴν Ῥέαν αὐτὴν γραῦν ἤδη καὶ μητέρα τοσούτων θεῶν οὖσαν ἀνέπεισας παιδεραστεῖν καὶ τὸ Φρύγιον μειράκιον ποθεῖν, καὶ νῦν ἐκείνη μέμηνεν ὑπὸ σοῦ καὶ ζευξαμένη τοὺς λέοντας, παραλαβοῦσα καὶ τοὺς Κορύβαντας ἅτε μανικοὺς καὶ αὐτοὺς ὄντας, ἄνω καὶ κάτω τὴν Ἴδην περιπολοῦσιν, ἡ μὲν ὀλολύζουσα ἐπὶ τῷ Ἄττῃ, οἱ Κορύβαντες δὲ ὁ μὲν αὐτῶν τέμνεται ξίφει τὸν πῆχυν, ὁ δὲ ἀνεὶς τὴν κόμην ἵεται μεμηνὼς διὰ τῶν ὀρῶν, ὁ δὲ αὐλεῖ τῷ κέρατι, ὁ δὲ ἐπιβομβεῖ τῷ τυμπάνῳ ἢ ἐπικτυπεῖ τῷ κυμβάλῳ, καὶ ὅλως θόρυβος καὶ μανία τὰ ἐν τῇ Ἴδῃ ἅπαντά ἐστι.
But you, most audacious one, have persuaded even Rhea herself, who is already an old woman and the mother of so many gods, to play the lover of boys and long for the Phrygian youth; and now she is driven mad by you and, having yoked her lions, taking along also the Corybantes, since they too are mad, they wander up and down Mount Ida, she wailing for Attis, and of the Corybantes, one slashes his forearm with a sword, another with disheveled hair rushes madly through the mountains, another plays the horn, another beats the drum or clashes the cymbal, and altogether everything on Ida is uproar and madness.
δέδια τοίνυν ἅπαντα, δέδια τὸ τοιοῦτο ἡ τὸ μέγα σε κακὸν ἐγὼ τεκοῦσα, μὴ ἀπομανεῖσά ποτε ἡ Ῥέα ἢ καὶ μᾶλλον ἔτι ἐν αὑτῇ οὖσα κελεύσῃ τοὺς Κορύβαντας συλλαβόντας σε διασπάσασθαι ἢ τοῖς λέουσι παραβαλεῖν· ταῦτα δέδια κινδυνεύοντά σε ὁρῶσα.
Therefore I fear everything, I fear such a thing—I who gave birth to you, a great mischief—lest Rhea, having gone completely mad at some time, or rather even while still in her right mind, should order the Corybantes to seize you and tear you to pieces or throw you to the lions; I fear these things, seeing you in danger.
§20.2ΕΡΩΣ
Θάρρει, μῆτερ, ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῖς λέουσιν αὐτοῖς ἤδη ξυνήθης εἰμί, καὶ πολλάκις ἐπαναβὰς ἐπὶ τὰ νῶτα καὶ τῆς κόμης λαβόμενος ἡνιοχῶ αὐτούς, οἱ δὲ σαίνουσί με καὶ χεῖρα δεχόμενοι ἐς τὸ στόμα περιλιχμησάμενοι ἀποδιδόασί μοι.
EROS Be of good courage, mother, since I am already familiar even with the lions themselves; and often having mounted on their backs and grasped their mane, I drive them like a charioteer, and they fawn upon me and, receiving my hand into their mouth, lick it all over and give it back to me.
αὐτὴ μὲν γὰρ ἡ Ῥέα πότε ἂν ἐκείνη σχολὴν ἀγάγοι ἐπ' ἐμὲ ὅλη οὖσα ἐν τῷ Ἄττῃ;
For as for Rhea herself, when would she ever find leisure for me, being completely absorbed in Attis?
καίτοι τί ἐγὼ ἀδικῶ δεικνὺς τὰ καλὰ οἷά ἐστιν;
And yet, how do I do wrong by showing beautiful things as they are?
ὑμεῖς δὲ μὴ ἐφίεσθε τῶν καλῶν· μὴ τοίνυν ἐμὲ αἰτιᾶσθε τούτων.
But do not you desire beautiful things; do not, then, blame me for these.
ἢ θέλεις σύ, ὦ μῆτερ, αὐτὴ μηκέτι ἐρᾶν μήτε σὲ τοῦ Ἄρεως μήτε ἐκεῖνον σοῦ;
Or do you wish, mother, yourself no longer to love, neither you Ares nor he you?
ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ
Ὡς δεινὸς εἶ καὶ κρατεῖς ἁπάντων· ἀλλὰ μεμνήσῃ μού ποτε τῶν λόγων.
APHRODITE How formidable you are, and you rule over all; but you will remember my words some day.