§5.19.1τέταρτα δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ λάρνακι ἐξ ἀριστερᾶς περιιόντι Βορέας ἐστὶν ἡρπακὼς Ὠρείθυιαν—οὐραὶ δὲ ὄφεων ἀντὶ ποδῶν εἰσὶν αὐτῷ—καὶ Ἡρακλέους ὁ πρὸς Γηρυόνην ἀγών· τρεῖς δὲ ἄνδρες Γηρυόνης εἰσὶν ἀλλήλοις προσεχόμενοι.
And on the fourth band of the chest, as one goes around from the left, there is Boreas who has snatched Oreithyia—he has serpents' tails instead of feet—and the contest of Heracles against Geryon; Geryon is three men joined to one another.
Θησεὺς δὲ ἔχων λύραν καὶ παρʼ αὐτὸν Ἀριάδνη κατέχουσά ἐστι στέφανον.
There is also Theseus holding a lyre, and beside him Ariadne holding a crown.
Ἀχιλλεῖ δὲ καὶ Μέμνονι μαχομένοις παρεστήκασιν αἱ μητέρες·
Beside Achilles and Memnon as they fight stand their mothers.
§5.19.2ἔστι δὲ καὶ Μελανίων καὶ Ἀταλάντη παρʼ αὐτὸν ἔχουσα ἐλάφου νεβρόν.
There is also Melanion, and Atalanta beside him holding a fawn of a deer.
μονομαχοῦντος δὲ Αἴαντι Ἕκτορος κατὰ τὴν πρόκλησιν, μεταξὺ ἕστηκεν αὐτῶν Ἔρις αἰσχίστη τὸ εἶδος ἐοικυῖα· πρὸς δὲ ταύτῃ καὶ Καλλιφῶν Σάμιος ἐν Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερῷ τῆς Ἐφεσίας ἐποίησεν Ἔριν, τὴν μάχην γράψας τὴν ἐπὶ ταῖς ναυσὶν Ἑλλήνων.
And while Hector fights in single combat with Ajax according to the challenge, between them stands Eris, resembling a most ugly form; in addition to this, Calliphon of Samos also made an Eris in the temple of Artemis of Ephesus, when he painted the battle by the ships of the Greeks.
εἰσὶ δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ λάρνακι Διόσκουροι, ὁ ἕτερος οὐκ ἔχων πω γένεια, μέση δὲ αὐτῶν Ἑλένη·
And there are on the chest the Dioscuri, one of them not yet having a beard, and in the middle of them Helen.
§5.19.3Αἴθρα δὲ ἡ Πιτθέως ὑπὸ τῆς Ἑλένης τοῖς ποσὶν ἐς ἔδαφος καταβεβλημένη μέλαιναν ἔχουσά ἐστιν ἐσθῆτα, ἐπίγραμμα δὲ ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ἔπος τε ἑξάμετρον καὶ ὀνόματός ἐστιν ἑνὸς ἐπὶ τῷ ἑξαμέτρῳ προσθήκη· "
Τυνδαρίδα Ἑλέναν φέρετον, Αἴθραν δʼ ἕλκετον
Ἀθάναθεν.
And Aethra, the daughter of Pittheus, thrown down to the ground under the feet of Helen, has a black garment, and the inscription over them is a hexameter verse and the addition of one name to the hexameter: "The sons of Tyndareus carry Helen off, and drag Aethra from Athens.
" §5.19.4τοῦτο μὲν δὴ τὸ ἔπος οὕτω πεποίηται·
"This verse indeed is thus made.
Ἰφιδάμαντος δὲ τοῦ Ἀντήνορος κειμένου μαχόμενος πρὸς Ἀγαμέμνονα ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ Κόων ἐστί· Φόβος δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος τῇ ἀσπίδι ἔπεστιν, ἔχων τὴν κεφαλὴν λέοντος.
And while Iphidamas, the son of Antenor, lies dead, Coön is fighting against Agamemnon on his behalf; and Phobos is upon Agamemnon's shield, having the head of a lion.
ἐπιγράμματα δὲ ὑπὲρ μὲν τοῦ Ἰφιδάμαντος νεκροῦ,
"
Ἰφιδάμας οὗτός τε Κόων περιμάρναται αὐτοῦ· "
τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσπίδι, §5.19.5"
οὗτος μὲν Φόβος ἐστὶ βροτῶν, ὁ δʼ ἔχων Ἀγαμέμνων.
There are inscriptions, over the corpse of Iphidamas: "This is Iphidamas, and Coön fights for him; "and on the shield of Agamemnon: "This is the Fear of mortals, and he who holds it is Agamemnon.
"
ἄγει δὲ καὶ Ἑρμῆς παρʼ Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν Πριάμου τὰς θεὰς κριθησομένας ὑπὲρ τοῦ κάλλους, καὶ ἔστιν ἐπίγραμμα καὶ τούτοις· "
Ἑρμείας ὅδʼ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ δείκνυσι διαιτῆν
τοῦ εἴδους Ἥραν καὶ Ἀθάναν καὶ Ἀφροδίταν.
"And Hermes also leads the goddesses to Alexander, the son of Priam, to be judged for their beauty, and there is an inscription also for these: "This Hermes shows to Alexander, as judge of beauty, Hera and Athena and Aphrodite.
"
Ἄρτεμις δὲ οὐκ οἶδα ἐφʼ ὅτῳ λόγῳ πτέρυγας ἔχουσά ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων, καὶ τῇ μὲν δεξιᾷ κατέχει πάρδαλιν, τῇ δὲ ἑτέρᾳ τῶν χειρῶν λέοντα.
"And Artemis, I know not for what reason, has wings on her shoulders, and with her right hand she holds a leopard, and with the other of her hands a lion.
πεποίηται δὲ καὶ Κασσάνδραν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀγάλματος Αἴας τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἕλκων, ἐπʼ αὐτῷ δὲ καὶ ἐπίγραμμά ἐστιν· "
Αἴας Κασσάνδραν ἀπʼ Ἀθαναίας Λοκρὸς ἕλκει.
And Ajax is also depicted dragging Cassandra from the statue of Athena, and there is also an inscription over it: "Ajax the Locrian drags Cassandra from Athena.
" §5.19.6τῶν δὲ Οἰδίποδος παίδων Πολυνείκει πεπτωκότι ἐς γόνυ ἔπεισιν Ἐτεοκλῆς.
"And of the sons of Oedipus, Eteocles is coming upon Polynices who has fallen on his knee.
τοῦ Πολυνείκους δὲ ὄπισθεν γυνὴ ἕστηκεν ὀδόντας τε ἔχουσα οὐδὲν ἡμερωτέρους θηρίου καί οἱ τῶν χειρῶν εἰσιν ἐπικαμπεῖς οἱ ὄνυχες· ἐπίγραμμα δὲ ἐπʼ αὐτῇ εἶναί φησι Κῆρα, ὡς τὸν μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ πεπρωμένου τὸν Πολυνείκην ἀπαχθέντα, Ἐτεοκλεῖ δὲ γενομένης καὶ σὺν τῷ δικαίῳ τῆς τελευτῆς.
Behind Polynices stands a woman having teeth in no way gentler than those of a wild beast, and the nails of her hands are hooked; the inscription says that she is Ker, on the ground that Polynices has been carried off by destiny, while Eteocles' end came with justice.
Διόνυσος δὲ ἐν ἄντρῳ κατακείμενος, γένεια ἔχων καὶ ἔκπωμα χρυσοῦν, ἐνδεδυκώς ἐστι ποδήρη χιτῶνα· δένδρα δὲ ἄμπελοι περὶ αὐτὸν καὶ μηλέαι τέ εἰσι καὶ ῥόαι.
And Dionysus is lying down in a cave, having a beard and a golden cup, and wearing a tunic reaching to his feet; and around him are trees: grapevines, apple trees, and pomegranates.
§5.19.7ἡ δὲ ἀνωτάτω χώρα—πέντε γὰρ ἀριθμόν εἰσι— παρέχεται μὲν ἐπίγραμμα οὐδέν, λείπεται δὲ εἰκάζειν ἐς τὰ ἐπειργασμένα.
The uppermost band—for they are five in number—presents no inscription, and it is left to conjecture as to the things wrought upon it.
εἰσὶν οὖν ἐν σπηλαίῳ γυνὴ καθεύδουσα σὺν ἀνδρὶ ἐπὶ κλίνῃ, καὶ σφᾶς Ὀδυσσέα εἶναι καὶ Κίρκην ἐδοξάζομεν ἀριθμῷ τε τῶν θεραπαινῶν, αἵ εἰσι πρὸ τοῦ σπηλαίου, καὶ τοῖς ποιουμένοις ὑπʼ αὐτῶν· τέσσαρές τε γάρ εἰσιν αἱ γυναῖκες καὶ ἐργάζονται τὰ ἔργα, ἃ ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν Ὅμηρος εἴρηκε.
There are, then, in a cave a woman sleeping with a man on a couch, and we supposed them to be Odysseus and Circe, both by the number of the maidservants who are before the cave, and by what is being done by them; for the women are four, and they are working the works which Homer has mentioned in his verses.
Κένταυρος δὲ οὐ τοὺς πάντας ἵππου πόδας, τοὺς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν ἔχων ἀνδρός ἐστιν.
And there is a Centaur having not all his feet those of a horse, but his front feet those of a man.
§5.19.8ἑξῆς καὶ ἵππων συνωρίδες καὶ γυναῖκες ἐπὶ τῶν συνωρίδων εἰσὶν ἑστῶσαι· πτερὰ δὲ τοῖς ἵπποις χρυσᾶ ἐστι, καὶ ἀνὴρ δίδωσιν ὅπλα μιᾷ τῶν γυναικῶν.
Next are pairs of horses, and women standing on the pairs of horses; and the horses have golden wings, and a man is giving armor to one of the women.
ταῦτα ἐς τὴν Πατρόκλου τελευτὴν ἔχειν τεκμαίρονται· Νηρηίδας τε γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν συνωρίδων εἶναι καὶ Θέτιν τὰ ὅπλα λαμβάνειν παρὰ Ἡφαίστου.
These things they conjecture to refer to the death of Patroclus; for they say that the Nereids are on the pairs of horses, and that Thetis is receiving the armor from Hephaestus.
καὶ δὴ καὶ ἄλλως ὁ τὰ ὅπλα διδοὺς οὔτε τοὺς πόδας ἐστὶν ἐρρωμένος καὶ ὄπισθεν οἰκέτης ἕπεταί οἱ πυράγραν ἔχων· §5.19.9λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἐς τὸν Κένταυρον ὡς Χίρων, ἀπηλλαγμένος ἤδη παρὰ ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἠξιωμένος εἶναι σύνοικος θεοῖς, ῥᾳστώνην τινὰ ἥκοι τοῦ πένθους Ἀχιλλεῖ παρασκευάσων.
And indeed, in other respects, he who gives the armor is not strong in his feet, and behind him follows a servant holding a pair of fire-tongs; and it is also said concerning the Centaur that he is Chiron, who having already departed from men and been deemed worthy to dwell with the gods, had come to provide some relief from grief to Achilles.
παρθένους δὲ ἐπὶ ἡμιόνων τὴν μὲν ἔχουσαν τὰς ἡνίας, τὴν δὲ ἐπικειμένην κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ, Ναυσικᾶν τε νομίζουσιν εἶναι τὴν Ἀλκίνου καὶ τὴν θεράπαιναν, ἐλαυνούσας ἐπὶ τοὺς πλυνούς.
And as for the maidens on mules, one holding the reins and the other having a veil placed over her head, they believe them to be Nausicaa, the daughter of Alcinous, and her maidservant, driving to the washing-places.
τοξεύοντα δὲ ἄνδρα Κενταύρους, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἀπεκτονότα ἐξ αὐτῶν, δῆλα Ἡρακλέα τε τὸν τοξεύοντα καὶ Ἡρακλέους εἶναι τὸ ἔργον.
As for the man shooting arrows at Centaurs, and having already killed some of them, it is clear both that the archer is Heracles and that the deed is Heracles'.
§5.19.10τὸν μὲν δὴ τὴν λάρνακα εἰργασμένον ὅστις ἦν, οὐδαμῶς ἡμῖν δυνατὰ ἦν συμβαλέσθαι· τὰ ἐπιγράμματα δὲ τὰ ἐπʼ αὐτῆς τάχα μέν που καὶ ἄλλος τις ἂν εἴη πεποιηκώς, τῆς δὲ ὑπονοίας τὸ πολὺ ἐς Εὔμηλον τὸν Κορίνθιον εἶχεν ἡμῖν, ἄλλων τε ἕνεκα καὶ τοῦ προσοδίου μάλιστα ὃ ἐποίησεν ἐς Δῆλον.
As to who it was who wrought the chest, indeed, it was in no way possible for us to guess; but as for the inscriptions upon it, perhaps indeed some other person might have composed them, but our suspicion for the most part directed itself toward Eumelus of Corinth, both for other reasons and especially because of the processional song which he composed for Delos.