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Bacchylides · Dithyrambs §16.1-16.35

Heracles' Sacrifice and the Plot of Deianira

Passage 2 of 6 · Greek

Summary

The poet receives a ship laden with hymns from Urania and praises Apollo, before singing of Heracles sacrificing to Zeus after destroying Oechalia, and of Deianira, who, hearing that Heracles is bringing Iole home, conceives a tragic plot influenced by the fateful gift from Nessus.

§16.1Πυθ]ίου [ἔπʼ εἶμʼ], ἐπεὶ §16.2ὁλκ]άδʼ ἔπεμψεν ἐμοὶ χρυσέαν §16.3Πιερ]ίαθε[ν ἐΰθ]ρονος Οὐρανία, §16.4πολυφ]άτων γέμουσαν ὕμνων
I am going to the Pythian temple, since beautiful-throned Urania has sent to me from Pieria a golden ship laden with famous hymns.
§16.5!!!!!]ν̣ εἴτʼ ἄρʼ ἐπʼ ἀνθεμόεντι Ἕβρῳ §16.6!!!!! ἀ]γάλλεται ἢ δολιχαύχενι κύκνῳ, §16.7ὀπὶ ἁ]δεΐᾳ φρένα τερπόμενος, §16.8!!!!!!]δʼ ἵκῃ παιηόνων §16.9ἄνθεα πεδοιχνεῖν, §16.10Πύθιʼ Ἄπολλον, §16.11τόσα χοροὶ Δελφῶν §16.12σὸν κελάδησαν παρʼ ἀγακλέα ναόν.
Whether you rejoice by the flowery Hebrus or in the long-necked swan, delighting your heart with its sweet voice, or you come to seek the flowers of paeans, Pythian Apollo, so many songs did the choruses of Delphi sing by your glorious temple.
§16.13πρίν γε κλέομεν λιπεῖν §16.14Οἰχαλίαν πυρὶ δαπτομέναν §16.15Ἀμφιτρυωνιάδαν θρασυμηδέα φῶ- §16.16θʼ, ἵκετο δʼ ἀμφικύμονʼ ἀκτάν·
Before now we have heard that, leaving Oechalia consumed by fire, the bold-spirited son of Amphitryon, the hero, came to the wave-washed shore.
§16.17ἔνθʼ ἀπὸ λαΐδος εὐρυνεφεῖ Κηναίῳ §16.18Ζηνὶ θύεν βαρυαχέας ἐννέα ταύρους §16.19δύο τʼ ὀρσιάλῳ δαμασίχθονι μέλ- §16.20λε κόρᾳ τʼ ὀβριμοδερκεῖ ἄζυγα §16.21παρθένῳ Ἀθάνᾳ §16.22ὑψικέραν βοῦν.
There, from the spoils, to wide-clouded Cenaean Zeus he was preparing to sacrifice nine deep-roaring bulls, and two to the earth-shaking rouser of waves, and to the maid with fierce eyes, the virgin Athena, an unyoked high-horned cow.
§16.23τότʼ ἄμαχος δαίμων §16.24Δαϊανείρᾳ πολύδακρυν ὕφανε §16.25μῆτιν ἐπίφρονʼ, ἐπεὶ §16.26πύθετʼ ἀγγελίαν ταλαπενθέα, §16.27Ἰόλαν ὅτι λευκώλενον §16.28Διὸς υἱὸς ἀταρβομάχας §16.29ἄλοχον λιπαρὸ[ν π]οτὶ δόμον πέμποι.
Then the invincible deity wove for Deianira a tearful, thoughtful plot, when she learned the grievous news, that the white-armed Iole the fearless-in-battle son of Zeus was sending to his splendid home as his bride.
§16.30ἆ δύσμορος, ἆ τάλαινʼ, οἷον ἐμήσατο·
Ah, ill-fated, ah, wretched woman, what a deed she planned!
§16.31φθόνος εὐρυβίας νιν ἀπώλεσεν, §16.32δνόφεόν τε κάλυμμα τῶν §16.33ὕστερον ἐρχομένων, §16.34ὅτʼ ἐπὶ ῥοδόεντι Λυκόρμᾳ §16.35δέξατο Νέσσου πάρα δαιμόνιον τέρ[ας.
Wide-ruling envy destroyed her, and the dark veil of things to come hereafter, when on the flowery Lycormas she received from Nessus the wondrous gift.

Notes

  1. 16.5εἴτʼ ... ἤ ... ἢ ἵκῃ ... — Following the correlative conditional construction εἴτε ... ἤ ... ('whether... or...'), the subjunctive ἵκῃ (2nd person singular, 'or if you come') is introduced as a third alternative, describing hypothetical scenarios of Apollo's whereabouts.
  2. 16.13πρίν γε κλέομεν λιπεῖν ... ἵκετο δʼ — The sentence starts with an accusative and infinitive construction (Ἀμφιτρυωνιάδαν... λιπεῖν) depending on κλέομεν ('we hear/celebrate'), but in the second part it transitions to an independent clause with the indicative aorist ἵκετο δʼ (§16.16).
  3. 16.19μέλλε — Used in the imperfect past meaning 'he was about to' or 'was preparing to'. The infinitive θύεν (= θύειν, 'to sacrifice') from line 18 is understood as the complementary infinitive for μέλλε, governing the accusative objects in the subsequent lines.

Cite this passage

Bacchylides, Dithyrambs §16.1-16.35. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0199.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:16.1-16.35

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