§23.1ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ
Τί δήποτε, ὦ Ἔρως, τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους θεοὺς κατηγωνίσω ἅπαντας, τὸν Δία, τὸν Ποσειδῶ, τὸν Ἀπόλλω, τὴν Ῥέαν, ἐμὲ τὴν μητέρα, μόνης δὲ ἀπέχῃ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς καὶ ἐπ' ἐκείνης ἄπυρος μέν σοι ἡ δᾴς, κενὴ δὲ οἰστῶν ἡ φαρέτρα, σὺ δὲ ἄτοξος εἶ καὶ ἄστοχος;
APHRODITE Why is it, Eros, that you have subdued all the other gods, Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Rhea, and even me, your mother, but from Athena alone you hold back, and against her your torch is fireless, your quiver empty of arrows, and you yourself are bowless and without aim?
ΕΡΩΣ
Δέδια, ὦ μῆτερ, αὐτήν· φοβερὰ γάρ ἐστι καὶ χαροπὴ καὶ δεινῶς ἀνδρική·
EROS I fear her, mother; for she is fearsome and blue-eyed, and terribly masculine.
ὁπόταν γοῦν ἐντεινάμενος τὸ τόξον ἴω ἐπ' αὐτήν, ἐπισείουσα τὸν λόφον ἐκπλήττει με καὶ ὑπότρομος γίνομαι καὶ ἀπορρεῖ μου τὰ τοξεύματα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν.
At any rate, whenever I draw my bow and go against her, by shaking her crest she terrifies me, and I begin to tremble, and my arrows slip from my hands.
ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ
Ὁ Ἄρης γὰρ οὐ φοβερώτερος ἦν;
APHRODITE Was not Ares more fearsome?
καὶ ὅμως ἀφώπλισας αὐτὸν καὶ νενίκηκας.
And yet you disarmed him and conquered him.
ΕΡΩΣ
Ἀλλὰ ἐκεῖνος ἑκὼν προσίεταί με καὶ προσκαλεῖται, ἡ Ἀθηνᾶ δὲ ὑφορᾶται ἀεί, καί ποτε ἐγὼ μὲν ἄλλως παρέπτην πλησίον ἔχων τὴν λαμπάδα, ἡ δέ, Εἴ μοι πρόσει, φησί, νὴ τὸν πατέρα, τῷ δορατίῳ σε διαπείρασα ἢ τοῦ ποδὸς λαβομένη καὶ ἐς τὸν Τάρταρον ἐμβαλοῦσα ἢ αὐτὴ διασπασαμένη—πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἠπείλησε·
EROS But he willingly admits me and calls me to him, whereas Athena is always suspicious. Once, when I casually flew past near her, holding my torch, she said: "If you come near me, by my father, I will pierce you through with my spear, or take you by the foot and cast you into Tartarus, or tear you to pieces myself"—she threatened many such things.
καὶ ὁρᾷ δὲ δριμὺ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους ἔχει πρόσωπόν τι φοβερὸν ἐχίδναις κατάκομον, ὅπερ ἐγὼ μάλιστα δέδια· μορμολύττεται γάρ με καὶ φεύγω, ὅταν ἴδω αὐτό.
And she looks so fiercely, and on her breast she has a fearsome face covered with vipers for hair, which is what I fear most of all; for it frightens me like a bugbear, and I flee whenever I see it.
§23.2ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ
Ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν Ἀθηνᾶν δέδιας, ὡς φῄς, καὶ τὴν Γοργόνα, καὶ ταῦτα μὴ φοβηθεὶς τὸν κεραυνὸν τοῦ Διός.
¦251 APHRODITE Well, you fear Athena, as you say, and the Gorgon—and that though you did not fear the thunderbolt of Zeus!
αἱ δὲ Μοῦσαι διὰ τί σοι ἄτρωτοι καὶ ἔξω βελῶν εἰσιν;
But why are the Muses woundless for you and out of reach of your arrows?
κἀκεῖναι λόφους ἐπισείουσιν καὶ Γοργόνας προφαίνουσιν;
Do they too shake crests and display Gorgons?
ΕΡΩΣ
Αἰδοῦμαι αὐτάς, ὦ μῆτερ· σεμναὶ γάρ εἰσιν καὶ ἀεί τι φροντίζουσιν καὶ περὶ ᾠδὴν ἔχουσι καὶ ἐγὼ παρίσταμαι πολλάκις αὐταῖς κηλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ μέλους.
EROS I respect them, mother; for they are venerable, and are always thinking about something, and are occupied with song; and I often stand near them, charmed by their melody.
ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ
Ἔα καὶ ταύτας, ὅτι σεμναί· τὴν δὲ Ἄρτεμιν τίνος ἕνεκα οὐ τιτρώσκεις;
APHRODITE Leave them aside too, then, because they are venerable; but for what reason do you not wound Artemis?
ΕΡΩΣ
Τὸ μὲν ὅλον οὐδὲ καταλαβεῖν αὐτὴν οἷόν τε φεύγουσαν ἀεὶ διὰ τῶν ὀρῶν· εἶτα καὶ ἴδιόν τινα ἔρωτα ἤδη ἐρᾷ.
EROS On the whole, it is not even possible to catch her, as she is always fleeing through the mountains; besides, she already loves a certain private love of her own.
ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ
Τίνος, ὦ τέκνον;
APHRODITE Love of what, my child?
ΕΡΩΣ
Θήρας καὶ ἐλάφων καὶ νεβρῶν, αἱρεῖν τε διώκουσα καὶ κατατοξεύειν, καὶ ὅλως πρὸς τῷ τοιούτῳ ἐστίν·
EROS Of hunting, and stags, and fawns, pursuing them to capture and shoot them down with arrows, and she is wholly devoted to such things.
ἐπεὶ τόν γε ἀδελφὸν αὐτῆς, καίτοι τοξότην καὶ αὐτὸν ὄντα καὶ ἑκηβόλον—
ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ
Οἶδα, ὦ τέκνον, πολλὰ ἐκεῖνον ἐτόξευσας.
Since as for her brother, at least, although he too is an archer and far-shooting— APHRODITE I know, my child, you have shot him many times.