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Bacchylides · Dithyrambs §19.1-19.51

The Flight of Io and the Lineage Leading to Dionysus

Passage 5 of 6 · Greek

Summary

Led by divine inspiration, the poet begins the myth of Io, who fled Argos to escape Hera's watchful guardian, eventually reaching the Nile and giving rise to the lineage of Cadmus and Dionysus.

§19.1πάρεστι μυρία κέλευθος §19.2ἀμβροσίων μελέων, §19.3ὃς ἂν παρὰ Πιερίδων λά- §19.4χῃσι δῶρα Μουσᾶν, §19.5ἰοβλέφαροί τε καὶ §19.6φερεστέφανοι Χάριτες §19.7βάλωσιν ἄμφι τιμὰν §19.8ὕμνοισιν·
Innumerable is the path of ambrosial songs, for anyone who from the Pierian Muses receives gifts, and if the violet-eyed and wreath-bearing Graces cast honor around his hymns.
ὕφαινέ νυν ἐν §19.9ταῖς πολυηράτοις τι κλεινὸν §19.10ὀλβίαις Ἀθάναις, §19.11εὐαίνετε Κηϊα μέριμνα.
Weave now, in the much-loved and blessed Athens, some famous song, O praised Cean concern of song!
§19.12πρέπει σε φερτάταν ἴμεν §19.13ὁδὸν παρὰ Καλλιόπας λα- §19.14χοῖσαν ἔξοχον γέρας.
It is fitting for you to go upon the best path, having received from Calliope an outstanding privilege.
§19.15ἦεν Ἄργος ὅθʼ ἵππιον λιποῦσα §19.16φεῦγε χρυσέα βοῦς, §19.17εῦρυσθενέος φραδαῖσι φερτάτου Διός, §19.18Ἰνάχου ῥοδοδάκτυλος κόρα· §19.19ὅτʼ Ἄργον ὄμμασιν βλέποντα §19.20πάντοθεν ἀκαμάτοις §19.21μεγιστοάνασσα κέλευσε §19.22χρυσόπεπλος Ἥρα §19.23ἄκοιτον ἄϋπνον ἐό ν- §19.24τα καλλικέραν δάμαλιν §19.25φυλάσσεν· οὐδὲ Μαίας §19.26υἱὸς δύνατʼ οὔτε κατʼ εὐ- §19.27φεγγέας ἁμέρας λαθεῖν νιν §19.28οὔτε νύκτας ἁγν[άς.
There was a time when, leaving horse-pasturing Argos, the golden heifer fled, by the counsels of the wide-ruling, supreme Zeus, the rosy-fingered daughter of Inachus; when Hera, the supreme queen, clothed in a golden robe, ordered Argos, who watched with tireless eyes on all sides, being sleepless and without rest, to guard the fair-horned heifer; nor was Maia's son able, either during the bright days, to escape his notice, or during the holy nights.
§19.29εἴτʼ οὖν γένετʼ ἐ[ν ˘¯˘¯˘ §19.30ποδαρκέʼ ἄγγελο[ν Διὸς §19.31κτανεῖν τότε [Γᾶς ˘˘¯˘ §19.32ὀβριμοσπόρου λ[˘× §19.33Ἄργον· ἤ ῥα καὶ [¯˘¯˘¯˘ §19.34ἄσπετοι μέριμν[αι· §19.35ἢ Πιερίδες φύτευ[σαν ¯˘¯˘× §19.36καδέων ἀνάπαυσ[ιν ¯˘×
Whether then it happened that the swift-footed messenger of Zeus slew then Earth's mighty offspring, Argos; or indeed also unspeakable anxieties; or the Pierian maidens planted a rest from cares.
§19.37ἐμοὶ μὲν οὖν §19.38ἀσφαλέστατον ἁ προ[ §19.39ἐπεὶ παρʼ ἀνθεμώ[δεα §19.40Νεῖλον ἀφίκετʼ ο[ἰστροπλὰξ §19.41Ἰὼ φέρουσα παῖδ[α!!! §19.42Ἔπαφον· ἔνθα νι[ν!!! §19.43λινοστόλων πρύ[τανιν!! §19.44ὑπερόχῳ βρύοντ[α!!! §19.45μεγίσταν τε θνα[τῶν!! §19.46ὅθεν καὶ Ἀγανορί[δας §19.47ἐν ἑπταπύλοισ[ι Θήβαις §19.48Κάδμος Σεμέλ[αν φύτευσεν, §19.49ἃ τὸν ὀρσιβάκχαν §19.50τίκτεν Διόνυσον, [!!!! §19.51καὶ χορῶν στεφα[νοφόρων ἄνακτα.
For me, therefore, the safest course is to proceed with the story, since to the flowery Nile came the gadfly-stung Io, bearing her child Epaphus; there she bore him, the ruler of the linen-clad people, abounding in pre-eminent and greatest honor among mortals; whence also the descendant of Agenor, Cadmus, in seven-gated Thebes, begot Semele, who bore Dionysus, the inspirer of Bacchic frenzy, and the lord of wreath-wearing dances.

Notes

  1. 19.3ὃς ἂν ... λάχῃσι ... βάλωσιν — A general conditional relative clause where the relative pronoun ὃς is combined with the particle ἂν and the subjunctive verbs λάχῃσι (epic third-person singular) and βάλωσιν (third-person plural), meaning 'whoever receives... and if the Graces cast...'. This corresponds to the present tense verb πάρεστι in the main clause.
  2. 19.11Κηϊα μέριμνα — Meaning 'Cean concern/anxiety', this is a personified vocative address to the poet's own poetic inspiration or mind, reflecting Bacchylides' origin from the island of Ceos.
  3. 19.15ἦεν Ἄργος ὅθʼ — An introductory formula for mythical narrative using the imperfect ἦεν (epic/Ionic form of ἦν) meaning 'there was a time when...'. Here, Ἄργος refers to the place Argos, modified by the adjective ἵππιον ('horse-pasturing'), rather than the monster of the same name.
  4. 19.38ἁ προ[ — Generally restored as πρόβασις ('advancement', 'progression'). This is a self-referential (meta-poetic) statement where the poet decides that 'proceeding with the narrative' is the safest path, rather than lingering on disputed details of the myth.

Cite this passage

Bacchylides, Dithyrambs §19.1-19.51. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0199.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:19.1-19.51

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