§7.23.1μετὰ δὲ τὸν Χάραδρον ἐρείπια οὐκ ἐπιφανῆ πόλεώς ἐστιν Ἀργυρᾶς, καὶ πηγή τε Ἀργυρᾶ ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς λεωφόρου καὶ Σέλεμνος ποταμὸς κατιὼν ἐς θάλασσαν.
And after the Charadrus there are the inconspicuous ruins of the city Argyra, and both the spring Argyra on the right of the highway and the river Selemnus flowing down into the sea.
λόγος δὲ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων ἐς αὐτόν ἐστι, Σέλεμνον μειράκιον ὡραῖον ποιμαίνειν ἐνταῦθα, Ἀργυρᾶν δὲ εἶναι μὲν τῶν ἐν θαλάσσῃ νυμφῶν, ἐρασθεῖσαν δὲ αὐτὴν Σελέμνου φοιτᾶν τε ὡς αὐτόν φασιν ἐκ θαλάσσης ἀνιοῦσαν, καὶ καθεύδειν παρʼ αὐτῷ·
There is a story of the locals about him: they say that Selemnus, a beautiful youth, pastured his flocks here, and that Argyra, being one of the nymphs in the sea, fell in love with him and used to come up from the sea to visit him, and sleep by his side.
§7.23.2μετὰ δὲ οὐ πολὺν χρόνον οὔτε ὡραῖος ἔτι ἐφαίνετο Σέλεμνος οὔτε ὡς αὐτὸν φοιτήσειν ἔμελλεν ἡ νύμφη, Σέλεμνον δὲ μονωθέντα Ἀργυρᾶς καὶ τελευτήσαντα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἔρωτος ἐποίησεν Ἀφροδίτη ποταμόν.
But after no long time Selemnus no longer appeared beautiful, nor was the nymph going to visit him. And Aphrodite turned Selemnus, when he was left alone by Argyra and died of love, into a river.
λέγω δὲ τὰ ὑπὸ Πατρέων λεγόμενα.
I am telling what is said by the people of Patrae.
καὶ—ἤρα γὰρ καὶ ὕδωρ γενόμενος Ἀργυρᾶς, καθότι ἔχει καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀλφειῷ λόγος Ἀρεθούσης ἔτι ἐρᾶν αὐτόν—δωρεῖται καὶ τῷδε Ἀφροδίτη Σέλεμνον· §7.23.3ἐς λήθην ἄγει τὸν ποταμὸν Ἀργυρᾶς.
And—for even after becoming water he loved Argyra, just as the story goes about Alpheius, that he still loves Arethusa—Aphrodite grants Selemnus a gift in this respect too: she brings the river to forgetfulness of Argyra.
ἤκουσα δὲ καὶ ἄλλον ἐπʼ αὐτῷ λόγον, τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Σελέμνου σύμφορον καὶ ἀνδράσιν εἶναι καὶ γυναιξὶν ἐς ἔρωτος ἴαμα, λουομένοις ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ λήθην ἔρωτος γίνεσθαι.
And I heard another story about it: that the water of Selemnus is beneficial for both men and women as a cure for love, and that for those who bathe in the river there comes forgetfulness of love.
εἰ δὲ μέτεστιν ἀληθείας τῷ λόγῳ, τιμιώτερον χρημάτων πολλῶν ἐστιν ἀνθρώποις τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Σελέμνου.
And if there is any truth in this story, the water of Selemnus is more precious to mankind than much wealth.
§7.23.4ἀπωτέρω δὲ Ἀργυρᾶς ποταμός ἐστιν ὀνομαζόμενος Βολιναῖος, καὶ πόλις ποτὲ ᾠκεῖτο πρὸς αὐτῷ Βολίνα.
Further from Argyra is a river called Bolinaeus, and once a city Bolina was inhabited near it.
παρθένου δὲ ἐρασθῆναι Βολίνης Ἀπόλλωνα, τὴν δὲ φεύγουσαν ἐς τὴν ταύτῃ φασὶν ἀφεῖναι θάλασσαν αὑτήν, καὶ ἀθάνατον γενέσθαι χάριτι τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος.
They say that Apollo fell in love with a maiden Boline, and she, fleeing, threw herself into the sea here, and became immortal by the favor of Apollo.
ἐφεξῆς δὲ ἄκρα τε ἐς τὴν θάλασσαν ἔχει, καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῇ λέγεται λόγος ὡς Κρόνος τῆς θαλάσσης ἐνταῦθα ἔρριψε τὸ δρέπανον, ᾧ τὸν πατέρα Οὐρανὸν ἐλυμήνατο· ἐπὶ τούτῳ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἄκραν Δρέπανον ὀνομάζουσιν.
Next, there is a cape stretching into the sea, and a story is told about it that here Cronus threw into the sea the sickle with which he mutilated his father Uranus; and for this reason they name the cape Drepanum.
ὀλίγον δὲ ὑπὲρ τὴν λεωφόρον Ῥυπῶν ἐστι τὰ ἐρείπια· σταδίους δὲ Αἴγιον περὶ τοὺς τριάκοντα ἀπέχει Ῥυπῶν.
A little above the highway are the ruins of Rhypes; and Aegium is about thirty stades distant from Rhypes.
§7.23.5Αἰγίου δὲ τὴν χώραν διέξεισι μὲν ποταμὸς Φοῖνιξ, διέξεισι δὲ καὶ ἕτερος Μειγανίτας, ἐς θάλασσαν ῥέοντες.
Through the territory of Aegium flows the river Phoenix, and also another river, Meiganitas, both running into the sea.
στοὰ δὲ τῆς πόλεως πλησίον ἐποιήθη Στράτωνι ἀθλητῇ, Ὀλυμπίασιν ἐπὶ ἡμέρας τῆς αὐτῆς παγκρατίου καὶ πάλης ἀνελομένῳ νίκας.
Near the city a portico was built for Straton the athlete, who won victories at Olympia on the same day in both the pankration and wrestling.
αὕτη μὲν ἐγγυμνάζεσθαι τούτῳ τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἐποιήθη· Αἰγιεῦσι δὲ Εἰλειθυίας ἱερόν ἐστιν ἀρχαῖον, καὶ ἡ Εἰλείθυια ἐς ἄκρους ἐκ κεφαλῆς τοὺς πόδας ὑφάσματι κεκάλυπται λεπτῷ, ξόανον πλὴν προσώπου τε καὶ χειρῶν ἄκρων καὶ ποδῶν, ταῦτα δὲ τοῦ §7.23.6Πεντελησίου λίθου πεποίηται· καὶ ταῖς χερσὶ τῇ μὲν ἐς εὐθὺ ἐκτέταται, τῇ δὲ ἀνέχει δᾷδα.
This was built for this man to train in; and the Aegians have an ancient sanctuary of Eileithyia, and Eileithyia is covered from head to the tips of her feet with a fine woven garment; it is a wooden image except for the face, the hands, and the feet, and these are made of Pentelic marble; and with her hands, one is stretched out straight, while the other holds up a torch.
Εἰλειθυίᾳ δὲ εἰκάσαι τις ἂν εἶναι δᾷδας, ὅτι γυναιξὶν ἐν ἴσῳ καὶ πῦρ εἰσιν αἱ ὠδῖνες· ἔχοιεν δʼ ἂν λόγον καὶ ἐπὶ τοιῷδε αἱ δᾷδες, ὅτι Εἰλείθυιά ἐστιν ἡ ἐς φῶς ἄγουσα τοὺς παῖδας.
One might guess that the torches belong to Eileithyia because the pangs of childbirth are like fire to women; or the torches might also have a reason on this account, that it is Eileithyia who brings children to the light.
ἔργον δὲ τοῦ Μεσσηνίου Δαμοφῶντός ἐστι τὸ ἄγαλμα.
The image is the work of Damophon of Messene.