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Bacchylides · Dithyrambs §18.1-18.60

Dialogue with Aegeus on the Approach of Theseus

Passage 4 of 6 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian chorus inquires of King Aegeus about a troubling military signal, and Aegeus responds with a messenger's report of a mysterious young hero (Theseus) defeating dangerous bandits on his way to Athens.

§18.1βασιλεῦ τᾶν ἱερᾶν Ἀθανᾶν, §18.2τῶν ἁβροβίων ἄναξ Ἰώνων, §18.3τί νέον ἔκλαγε χαλκοκώδων §18.4σάλπιγξ πολεμηΐαν ἀοιδάν;
O king of sacred Athens, lord of the delicately-living Ionians, why newly did the bronze-belled trumpet sound a war-song?
§18.5ἦ τις ἁμετέρας χθονὸς §18.6δυσμενὴς ὅριʼ ἀμφιβάλλει §18.7στρατα· γέτας ἀνήρ;
Is it that some enemy encompasses the boundaries of our land, as a commanding general?
§18.8ἢ λῃσταὶ κακομάχανοι §18.9ποιμένων ἀέκατι μήλων §18.10σεύοντʼ ἀγέλας βίᾳ;
Or do evil-plotting robbers against the will of the shepherds drive away the herds of sheep by force?
§18.11ἢ τί τοι κραδίαν ἀμύσσει;
Or what is it that tears your heart?
§18.12φθέγγευ·
Speak!
δοκέω γὰρ εἴ τινι βροτῶν §18.13ἀλκίμων ἐπικουρίαν §18.14καὶ τὶν ἔμμεναι νέων, §18.15ὦ Πανδίονος υἱὲ καὶ Κρεούσας.
For I think that if any of mortals has an aid of brave youths, it is present to you too, O son of Pandion and Creusa.
§18.16νέ]ον ἦλθεν δολιχὰν ἀμείψας §18.17κᾶρυξ ποσὶν Ἰσθμίαν κέλευθον· §18.18ἄφατα δʼ ἔργα λέγει κραταιοῦ §18.19φωτός· τὸν ὑπέρβιόν τʼ ἔπεφνεν §18.20Σίνιν, ὃς ἰσχύϊ φέρτατος §18.21θνατῶν ἦν, Κρονίδα Λυταίου §18.22σεισίχθονος τέκος· §18.23σῦν τʼ ἀνδροκτόνον ἐν νάπαις §18.24Κρεμμυῶνος, ἀτάσθαλόν τε §18.25Σκίρωνα κατέκτανεν· §18.26τάν τε Κερκυόνος παλαίστραν §18.27ἔσχεν, Πολυπήμονός τε καρτερὰν §18.28σφῦραν ἐξέβαλεν Προκό- §18.29πτας, ἀρείονος τυχὼν §18.30φωτός.
A messenger has just newly come, having traversed the long Isthmian path on foot; and he tells of unspeakable deeds of a mighty man: he slew the overweening Sinis, who in strength was the greatest of mortals, the child of Cronus' son Lytaios, the earth-shaker; and the man-killing sow in the glens of Crommyon, and the reckless Sciron he slew; and he stopped the wrestling-school of Cercyon, and the mighty hammer of Polypemon he cast out, Prokoptes, having met a better man.
ταῦτα δέδοιχʼ ὅπᾳ τελεῖται.
I fear how these things will turn out.
§18.31τίνα δʼ ἔμμεν πόθεν ἄνδρα τοῦτον §18.32λέγει, τίνα τε στολὰν ἔχοντα;
And who and whence does he say this man is, and wearing what attire?
§18.33πότερα σὺν πολεμηΐοις ὅ- §18.34πλοισι στρατιὰν ἄγοντα πολλάν;
Whether leading a large army with warlike weapons?
§18.35ἢ μοῦνον σὺν ὀπ. άοσιν §18.36στείχειν ἔμπορον οἷʼ ἀλάταν §18.37ἐπʼ ἀλλοδαμίαν, §18.38ἰσχυρόν τε καὶ ἄλκιμον §18.39ὧδε καὶ θρασύν, ὅς τε τούτων §18.40ἀνδρῶν κρατερὸν σθένος §18.41ἔσχεν;
Or alone with attendants does he travel like a merchant wanderer to a foreign land, being strong and valiant and bold, he who has curbed the mighty strength of those men?
ἦ θεὸς αὐτὸν ὁρμᾷ, §18.42δίκας ἀδίκοισιν ὄφρα μήσεται· §18.43οὐ γὰρ ῥᾴδιον αἰὲν ἔρ- §18.44δοντα μὴ ʼντυχεῖν κακῷ.
Surely a god impels him, in order that he may devise justice for the unjust; for it is not easy, always doing deeds, not to meet with evil.
§18.45πάντʼ ἐν τῷ δολιχῷ χρόνῳ τελεῖται.
All things are fulfilled in the long course of time.
§18.46δύο ϝοι φῶτε μόνους ἁμαρτεῖν §18.47λέγει, περὶ φαιδίμοισι δʼ ὤμοις §18.48ξίφος ἔχειν ἐλεφαντόκωπον· §18.49ξεστοὺς δὲ δύʼ ἐν χέρεσσʼ ἄκοντας §18.50κηὔτυκτον κυνέαν Λάκαι- §18.51ναν κρατὸς πέρι πυρσοχαίτου· §18.52στέρνοις τε πορφύρ εο ν §18.53χιτῶνʼ ἄμφι, καὶ οὔλιον §18.54Θεσσαλὰν χλαμύδʼ· ὀμμάτων δὲ §18.55στίλβειν ἄπο Λαμνίαν §18.56φοίνισσαν φλόγα· παῖδα δʼ ἔμμεν §18.57πρώθηβον, ἀρηΐων δʼ ἀθυρμάτων §18.58μεμνᾶσθαι πολέμου τε καὶ §18.59χαλκεοκτύπου μάχας· §18.60δίζησθαι δὲ φιλαγλάους Ἀθάνας.
He says that only two men accompany him, and that around his radiant shoulders he has an ivory-hilted sword, and two polished javelins in his hands, and a well-made Laconian helmet around his red-haired head; and around his chest a purple tunic, and a woolen Thessalian cloak; and from his eyes shines a Lemnian red flame; and that he is a youth in first youth, and of warlike playthings he is mindful, of war and of bronze-clashing battle; and that he is seeking splendor-loving Athens.

Notes

  1. 18.12δοκέω γὰρ εἴ τινι βροτῶν ἀλκίμων ἐπικουρίαν καὶ τὶν ἔμμεναι νέων — An accusative-with-infinitve structure (δοκέω ... ἔμμεναι) embedding a conditional clause (εἴ τινι...). τίν is the second-person singular dative (for σοί, referring to Aegeus). It expresses a double dative relation: "if to any of mortals there is an aid of brave youths, I think it is present to you too."
  2. 18.21Κρονίδα Λυταίου — Meaning "of the son of Cronus, Lytaios." Lytaios ("the Liberator") is a Thessalian epithet of Poseidon, here used in apposition to or as a genitive characterizing the father of Sinis.
  3. 18.26παλαίστραν ἔσχεν — ἔσχεν here does not simply mean "had" or "held," but is used in the sense of stopping, restraining, or putting an end to Cercyon's murderous wrestling-school.
  4. 18.46δύο ϝοι φῶτε μόνους ἁμαρτεῖν λέγει — The beginning of a long sequence of indirect discourse (accusative with infinitive) governed by λέγει. The subject accusative is omitted, referring back to the "man" (Theseus). This indirect discourse continues with several subsequent infinitives (ἔχειν, στίλβειν, ἔμμεν, μεμνᾶσθαι, δίζησθαι) down to line 60.
  5. 18.55Λαμνίαν — Feminine accusative singular of the adjective referring to Lemnos, an island famous for its volcanic activity. It describes the flash of his eyes as a volcanic, "Lemnian red flame."

Cite this passage

Bacchylides, Dithyrambs §18.1-18.60. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0199.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:18.1-18.60

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