Theocritus, Εἰδύλλια

βασεῦμαι ποτὶ τὰν Τιμαγήτοιο παλαίστραν

I will go to Timagetus's wrestling school

αὔριον, ὥς νιν ἴδω, καὶ μέμψομαι οἷά με ποιεῖ.

tomorrow, to see him, and I will reproach him for the way he treats me.

νῦν δέ νιν ἐκ θυέων καταθύσομαι. ἀλλὰ Σελάνα,

But now I will bind him with burnt offerings. Come, Moon,

φαῖνε καλόν· τὶν γὰρ ποταείσομαι ἅσυχα, δαῖμον,

shine fair; for to you I will chant softly, goddess,

τᾷ χθονίᾳ θʼ Ἑκάτα, τὰν καὶ σκύλακες τρομέοντι

and to Hecate below the earth, before whom even the dogs tremble

ἐρχομέναν νεκύων ἀνά τʼ ἠρία καὶ μέλαν αἷμα.

as she goes among the tombs of the dead and the dark blood.

χαῖρʼ Ἑκάτα δασπλῆτι, καὶ ἐς τέλος ἄμμιν ὀπάδει.

Hail, grim Hecate, and attend us to the end,

φάρμακα ταῦτʼ ἔρδοισα χερείονα μήτέ τι Κίρκης

making these drugs no weaker than Circe's

μήτέ τι Μηδείας μήτε ξανθᾶς Περιμήδας.

or Medea's or golden-haired Perimede's.

Ἶυγξ, ἕλκε τὺ τῆνον ἐμὸν ποτὶ δῶμα τὸν ἄνδρα.

Iynx [magic wheel], draw that man of mine to my house.

ἄλφιτά τοι πρᾶτον πυρὶ τάκεται· ἀλλʼ ἐπίπασσε

First the barley meal is burning in the fire. Come, sprinkle it on,

Θεστυλί. δειλαία, πᾷ τὰς φρένας ἐκπεπότασαι;

Thestylis. Wretch, where have your wits flown off to?

ἐν Δίᾳ λασθῆμεν ἐυπλοκάμω Ἀριάδνας.

on Dia forgot fair-tressed Ariadne.

ἶυγξ, ἕλκε τὺ τῆνον ἐμὸν ποτὶ δῶμα τὸν ἄνδρα.

Iynx [magic wheel], draw that man of mine to my house.

ἱππομανὲς φυτόν ἐστι παρʼ Ἀρκάσι· τῷ δʼ ἐπὶ πᾶσαι

Hippomanes [horse-madness] is a plant in Arcadia; for it all

καὶ πῶλοι μαίνονται ἀνʼ ὤρεα καὶ θοαὶ ἵπποι.

the fillies and swift mares run mad over the mountains.

ὣς καὶ Δέλφιν ἴδοιμι, καὶ ἐς τόδε δῶμα περάσαι

So may I see Delphis too, and may he cross into this house

μαινομένῳ ἴκελος λιπαρᾶς ἔκτοσθε παλαίστρας.

like a madman, out from the glistening wrestling school.

ἶυγξ, ἕλκε τὺ τῆνον ἐμὸν ποτὶ δῶμα τὸν ἄνδρα.

Iynx, draw that man of mine to my house.

τοῦτʼ ἀπὸ τᾶς χλαίνας τὸ κράσπεδον ὤλεσε Δέλφις,

This fringe from his cloak Delphis lost,

ὡγὼ νῦν τίλλοισα κατʼ ἀγρίῳ ἐν πυρὶ βάλλω.

and now I shred it and throw it into the fierce fire.

αἰαῖ Ἔρως ἀνιηρέ, τί μευ μέλαν ἐκ χροὸς αἷμα

Ah, tormenting Love, why the dark blood from my flesh

ἐμφὺς ὡς λιμνᾶτις ἅπαν ἐκ βδέλλα πέπωκας;

have you clung like a marsh leech and drunk it all?

ἶυγξ, ἕλκε τὺ τῆνον ἐμὸν ποτὶ δῶμα τὸν ἄνδρα.

Iynx, draw that man of mine to my house.

σαύραν τοι τρίψασα ποτὸν κακὸν αὔριον οἰσῶ.

I will grind a lizard and take him an evil drink tomorrow.

Θεστυλί, νῦν δὲ λαβοῖσα τὺ τὰ θρόνα ταῦθʼ ὑπόμαξον

Thestylis, now take these herbs and smear them

τᾶς τήνω φλιᾶς καθʼ ὑπέρτερον, ἇς ἔτι καὶ νύξ,

on the upper part of his doorpost, while it is still night,

καὶ λέγʼ ἐπιφθύζοισα· τὰ Δέλφιδος ὀστία μάσσω.

and say as you spit: 'I knead the bones of Delphis.'

ἶυγξ, ἕλκε τὺ τῆνον ἐμὸν ποτὶ δῶμα τὸν ἄνδρα.

Iynx, draw that man of mine to my house.

νῦν δὴ μώνα ἐοῖσα πόθεν τὸν ἔρωτα δακρύσω;

Now that I am alone, where shall I begin to weep for my love?

κείμαν δʼ ἐν κλιντῆρι δέκʼ ἄματα καὶ δέκα νύκτας.

and I lay on my bed ten days and ten nights.

φράζεό μευ τὸν ἔρωθʼ ὅθεν ἵκετο, πότνα Σελάνα.

Consider my love, where it came from, lady Moon.

καί μευ χρὼς μὲν ὁμοῖος ἐγίνετο πολλάκι θάψῳ,

And often my skin turned the colour of yellow dye-wood,

ἔρρευν δʼ ἐκ κεφαλᾶς πᾶσαι τρίχες, αὐτὰ δὲ λοιπὰ

and all the hair fell from my head, and what was left

ὀστίʼ ἔτʼ ἦς καὶ δέρμα. καὶ ἐς τίνος οὐκ ἐπέρασα

was only bones and skin. And to whose house did I not go,

ἢ ποίας ἔλιπον γραίας δόμον, ἅτις ἐπᾷδεν;

or what old woman's house did I pass by, any who knew charms?

ἀλλʼ ἦς οὐδὲν ἐλαφρόν· ὁ δέ χρόνος ἄνυτο φεύγων.

But there was no relief; and the time slipped by in flight.

φράζεό μευ τὸν ἔρωθʼ ὅθεν ἵκετο, πότνα Σελάνα.

Consider my love, where it came from, lady Moon.

νῦν δέ τε δωδεκαταῖος ἀφʼ ὧτέ νιν οὐδὲ ποτεῖδον.

But now it is the twelfth day since I have so much as seen him.

ἦ ῥʼ οὐκ ἄλλό τι τερπνὸν ἔχει, ἁμῶν δὲ λέλασται;

Has he not found some other delight, and forgotten me?

νῦν μὲν τοῖς φίλτροις καταθύσομαι· αἰ δʼ ἔτι κἠμὲ

For now I will bind him with these love charms; but if he still

λυπῇ, τὰν Ἀίδαο πύλαν ναὶ Μοίρας ἀραξεῖ.

hurts me, by the Fates, he will knock at the gate of Hades.

τοῖά οἱ ἐν κίστᾳ κακὰ φάρμακα φαμὶ φυλάσσειν,

Such evil drugs, I tell you, I keep for him in a box,

Ἀσσυρίω δέσποινα παρὰ ξείνοιο μαθοῖσα.

my lady, which I learned of from an Assyrian stranger.

ἀλλὰ τὺ μὲν χαίροισα ποτʼ Ὠκεανὸν τρέπε πώλους,

But you, fare well, and turn your horses towards Ocean,

πότνιʼ· ἐγὼ δʼ οἰσῶ τὸν ἐμὸν πόνον ὥσπερ ὑπέσταν.

lady; and I will bear my longing as I have endured it.

ὧπερ τὼς θύννως σκοπιάζεται Ὄλπις ὁ γριπεύς·

where Olpis the fisherman watches for tunny;

καἴκα δἠποθάνω, τό γε μὰν τεὸν ἁδὺ τέτυκται.

and if I die, that at least will have been sweet to you.

ἔγνων πρᾶν, ὅκα μευ μεμναμένω, εἰ φιλέεις με,

I learned it lately, when I was wondering whether you love me:

οὐδὲ τὸ τηλέφιλον ποτεμάξατο, τὸ πλατάγημα,

not even the love-in-absence leaf, the smacker, stuck fast,

ἀλλʼ αὔτως ἁπαλῷ ποτὶ πάχεος ἐξεμαράνθη.

but simply withered away on my soft forearm.

εἶπε καὶ ἀγροιῶτις ἀλαθέα κοσκινόμαντις,

And a country sieve-diviner told the truth too,

ἁ πρᾶν ποιολογεῦσα Παραιβάτις, οὕνεκʼ ἐγὼ μὲν

Paraebatis, who was gathering herbs the other day: that I

τὶν ὅλος ἔγκειμαι, τὺ δέ μευ λόγον οὐδένα ποιῇ.

am wholly given over to you, but you take no account of me.

ἦ μάν τοι λευκὰν διδυματόκον αἶγα φυλάσσω,

And yet I am keeping for you a white goat, mother of twins,

τάν με καὶ ἁ Μέρμνωνος ἐριθακὶς ἁ μελανόχρως

which Mermnon's dark-skinned hired girl, too,

ὡς παρʼ ἐμὶν κέκριται, κατεφαίνετο, τῶν δέ τʼ ὀδόντων

as I judge it, it looked so; and of my teeth

λευκοτέραν αὐγὰν Παρίας ὑπέφαινε λίθοιο.

it showed a gleam whiter than Parian stone.

ὡς μὴ βασκανθῶ δέ, τρὶς εἰς ἐμὸν ἔπτυσα κόλπον·

But so as not to be struck by the evil eye, I spat three times into my breast;

ταῦτα γὰρ ἁ γραία με Κοτυταρὶς ἐξεδίδαξε.

for the old woman Cotyttaris taught me that,

ἃ πρᾶν ἀμάντεσσι παρʼ Ἱπποκίωνι ποταύλει.

who just lately piped for the reapers at Hippocion's.

τόσσʼ εἰπὼν τὸν Δάφνιν ὁ Δαμοίτας ἐφίλησε,

Having said so much, Damoetas kissed Daphnis,

κάγκανα δʼ ἀσπαλάθου ξύλʼ ἑτοιμάσατʼ ἢ παλιούρου

and get ready dry sticks of camel-thorn or of Christ's thorn

ἢ βάτου ἢ ἀνέμῳ δεδονημένον αὖον ἄχερδον·

or bramble, or a withered wild pear shaken by the wind;

καῖε δὲ τώδʼ ἀγρίαισιν ἐπὶ σχίζαισι δράκοντε

and burn these two serpents on the wild faggots

νυκτὶ μέσᾳ, ὅκα παῖδα κανεῖν τεὸν ἤθελον αὐτοί.

at midnight, the hour when they wanted to kill your child.

ἦρι δὲ συλλέξασα κόνιν πυρὸς ἀμφιπόλων τις

At dawn let one of your maids gather the ash of the fire

ῥιψάτω εὖ μάλα πᾶσαν ὑπὲρ ποταμοῖο φέρουσα

and carry it, every bit, and throw it well across the river

ῥωγάδας ἐς πέτρας ὑπερούριον, ἂψ δὲ νέεσθαι

onto the jagged rocks, beyond the borders, and come back

ἄστρεπτος· καθαρῷ δὲ πυρώσατε δῶμα θεείῳ

without turning round. And fumigate the house with pure sulphur

πρᾶτον, ἔπειτα δʼ ἅλεσσι μεμιγμένον, ὡς νενόμισται,

first, and then, mixed with salt, as is the custom,

θαλλῷ ἐπιρραίνειν ἐστεμμένῳ ἀβλαβὲς ὕδωρ·

sprinkle untainted water with a garlanded branch;

Ζηνὶ δʼ ἐπιρρέξαι καθυπερτέρῳ ἄρσενα χοῖρον,

and sacrifice a male pig to Zeus the Uppermost,

δυσμενέων αἰεὶ καθυπέρτεροι ὡς τελέθοιτε.

so that you may always prove uppermost over your enemies.

φᾶ, καὶ ἐρωήσας ἐλεφάντινον ᾤχετο δίφρον

He spoke, and pushing back his ivory chair, he went,