hesiod, the homeric hymns, and homerica-第38章
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ountains tremble and the tangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts: earthquakes and the sea also where fishes shoal。 But the goddess with a bold heart turns every way destroying the race of wild beasts: and when she is satisfied and has cheered her heart; this huntress who delights in arrows slackens her supple bow and goes to the great house of her dear brother Phoebus Apollo; to the rich land of Delphi; there to order the lovely dance of the Muses and Graces。 There she hangs up her curved bow and her arrows; and heads and leads the dances; gracefully arrayed; while all they utter their heavenly voice; singing how neat…ankled Leto bare children supreme among the immortals both in thought and in deed。
(ll。 21…22) Hail to you; children of Zeus and rich…haired Leto! And now I will remember you and another song also。
XXVIII。 TO ATHENA (18 lines)
(ll。 1…16) I begin to sing of Pallas Athene; the glorious goddess; bright…eyed; inventive; unbending of heart; pure virgin; saviour of cities; courageous; Tritogeneia。 From his awful head wise Zeus himself bare her arrayed in warlike arms of flashing gold; and awe seized all the gods as they gazed。 But Athena sprang quickly from the immortal head and stood before Zeus who holds the aegis; shaking a sharp spear: great Olympus began to reel horribly at the might of the bright…eyed goddess; and earth round about cried fearfully; and the sea was moved and tossed with dark waves; while foam burst forth suddenly: the bright Son of Hyperion stopped his swift…footed horses a long while; until the maiden Pallas Athene had stripped the heavenly armour from her immortal shoulders。 And wise Zeus was glad。
(ll。 17…18) And so hail to you; daughter of Zeus who holds the aegis! Now I will remember you and another song as well。
XXIX。 TO HESTIA (13 lines)
(ll。 1…6) Hestia; in the high dwellings of all; both deathless gods and men who walk on earth; you have gained an everlasting abode and highest honour: glorious is your portion and your right。 For without you mortals hold no banquet; where one does not duly pour sweet wine in offering to Hestia both first and last。
(ll。 7…10) (33) And you; slayer of Argus; Son of Zeus and Maia; messenger of the blessed gods; bearer of the golden rod; giver of good; be favourable and help us; you and Hestia; the worshipful and dear。 Come and dwell in this glorious house in friendship together; for you two; well knowing the noble actions of men; aid on their wisdom and their strength。
(ll。 12…13) Hail; Daughter of Cronos; and you also; Hermes; bearer of the golden rod! Now I will remember you and another song also。
XXX。 TO EARTH THE MOTHER OF ALL (19 lines)
(ll。 1…16) I will sing of well…founded Earth; mother of all; eldest of all beings。 She feeds all creatures that are in the world; all that go upon the goodly land; and all that are in the paths of the seas; and all that fly: all these are fed of her store。 Through you; O queen; men are blessed in their children and blessed in their harvests; and to you it belongs to give means of life to mortal men and to take it away。 Happy is the man whom you delight to honour! He has all things abundantly: his fruitful land is laden with corn; his pastures are covered with cattle; and his house is filled with good things。 Such men rule orderly in their cities of fair women: great riches and wealth follow them: their sons exult with ever…fresh delight; and their daughters in flower…laden bands play and skip merrily over the soft flowers of the field。 Thus is it with those whom you honour O holy goddess; bountiful spirit。
(ll。 17…19) Hail; Mother of the gods; wife of starry Heaven; freely bestow upon me for this my song substance that cheers the heart! And now I will remember you and another song also。
XXXI。 TO HELIOS (20 lines)
(ll。 1…16) (34) And now; O Muse Calliope; daughter of Zeus; begin to sing of glowing Helios whom mild…eyed Euryphaessa; the far… shining one; bare to the Son of Earth and starry Heaven。 For Hyperion wedded glorious Euryphaessa; his own sister; who bare him lovely children; rosy…armed Eos and rich…tressed Selene and tireless Helios who is like the deathless gods。 As he rides in his chariot; he shines upon men and deathless gods; and piercingly he gazes with his eyes from his golden helmet。 Bright rays beam dazzlingly from him; and his bright locks streaming form the temples of his head gracefully enclose his far…seen face: a rich; fine…spun garment glows upon his body and flutters in the wind: and stallions carry him。 Then; when he has stayed his golden…yoked chariot and horses; he rests there upon the highest point of heaven; until he marvellously drives them down again through heaven to Ocean。
(ll。 17…19) Hail to you; lord! Freely bestow on me substance that cheers the heart。 And now that I have begun with you; I will celebrate the race of mortal men half…divine whose deeds the Muses have showed to mankind。
XXXII。 TO SELENE (20 lines)
(ll。 1…13) And next; sweet voiced Muses; daughters of Zeus; well… skilled in song; tell of the long…winged (35) Moon。 From her immortal head a radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth; and great is the beauty that ariseth from her shining light。 The air; unlit before; glows with the light of her golden crown; and her rays beam clear; whensoever bright Selene having bathed her lovely body in the waters of Ocean; and donned her far…gleaming; shining team; drives on her long…maned horses at full speed; at eventime in the mid…month: then her great orbit is full and then her beams shine brightest as she increases。 So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men。
(ll。 14…16) Once the Son of Cronos was joined with her in love; and she conceived and bare a daughter Pandia; exceeding lovely amongst the deathless gods。
(ll。 17…20) Hail; white…armed goddess; bright Selene; mild; bright…tressed queen! And now I will leave you and sing the glories of men half…divine; whose deeds minstrels; the servants of the Muses; celebrate with lovely lips。
XXXIII。 TO THE DIOSCURI (19 lines)
(ll。 1…17) Bright…eyed Muses; tell of the Tyndaridae; the Sons of Zeus; glorious children of neat…ankled Leda; Castor the tamer of horses; and blameless Polydeuces。 When Leda had lain with the dark…clouded Son of Cronos; she bare them beneath the peak of the great hill Taygetus; children who are delivers of men on earth and of swift…going ships when stormy gales rage over the ruthless sea。 Then the shipmen call upon the sons of great Zeus with vows of white lambs; going to the forepart of the prow; but the strong wind and the waves of the sea lay the ship under water; until suddenly these two are seen darting through the air on tawny wings。 Forthwith they allay the blasts of the cruel winds and still the waves upon the surface of the white sea: fair signs are they and deliverance from toil。 And when the shipmen see them they are glad and have rest from their pain and labour。
(ll。 18…19) Hail; Tyndaridae; riders upon swift horses! Now I will remember you and another song also。
ENDNOTES:
(1) ll。 1…9 are preserved by Diodorus Siculus iii。 66。 3; ll。 10…21 are extant only in M。 (2) Dionysus; after his untimely birth from Semele; was sewn into the thigh of Zeus。 (3) sc。 Semele。 Zeus is here speaking。 (4) The reference is apparently to something in the body of the hymn; now lost。 (5) The Greeks feared to name Pluto directly and mentioned him by one of many descriptive titles; such as ‘Host of Many': compare the Christian use of O DIABOLOS or our ‘Evil One'。 (6) Demeter chooses the lowlier seat; supposedly as being more suitable to her assumed condition; but really because in her sorrow she refuses all comforts。 (7) An act of communion the drinking of the potion here described was one of the most important pieces of ritual in the Eleusinian mysteries; as commemorating the sorrows of the goddess。 (8) Undercutter and Woodcutter are probably popular names (after the style of Hesiod's ‘Boneless One') for the worm thought to be the cause of teething and toothache。 (9) The list of names is taken with five additions from Hesiod; 〃Theogony〃 349 ff。: for their general significance see note on that passage。 (10) Inscriptions show that there was a temple of Apollo Delphinius (cp。 ii。 495…6) at Cnossus and a Cretan month bearing the same name。 (11) sc。 that the dolphin was really Apollo。 (12) The epithets are transferred from the god to his altar ‘Overlooking' is especially an epithet of Zeus; as in Apollonius Rhodius ii。 1124。 (13) Pliny notices the efficacy of the flesh of a tortoise against withcraft。 In 〃Geoponica〃 i。 14。 8 the living tortoise is prescribed as a charm to preserve vineyards from hail。 (14) Hermes makes the cattle walk backwards way; so that they seem to be going towards the meadow instead of leaving it (cp。 l。 345); he himself walks in the normal manner; relying on his sandals as a disguise。 (15) Such seems to be the meaning indicated by the context; though the verb is taken by Allen and Sikes to mean; ‘to be like oneself'; and so ‘to be original'。 (16) Kuhn points out that there is a lacuna here。 In l。 109 the borer is described; but the friction of this upon the fireblock (to which the phrase ‘held firmly' clearly belongs) must also have been mentioned。 (17) The cows being on their sides on the ground; Hermes bends their heads back towards their flanks and so can reach their backbones。 (18) O。 Muller thinks the ‘hides' were a stalactite formation in the ‘Cave of Nestor' near Messenian Pylos; though the cave of Hermes is near the Alpheus (l。 139)。 Others suggest that actual skins were shown as relics before some cave near Triphylian Pylos。 (19) Gemoll explains that Hermes; having offered all the meat as sacrifice to the Twelve Gods; remembers that he himself as one of them must be content with the savour instead of the substance of the sacrifice。 Can it be that by eating he would have forfeited the position he claimed as one of the Twelve Gods? (20) Lit。 ‘thorn…plucker'。 (21) Hermes is ambitious (l。 175); but if he is cast into Hades he will have to be content with the leadership of mere babies like himself; since those in Hades retain the state of growth whether childhood or manhood in which they are at the moment of leaving the upper world。 (22) Literally; ‘you have made him sit on the floor'; i。e。 ‘you have stolen everything down to his last chair。' (23) The Thriae; who practised divination by means of pebbles (also called THRIAE)。 In this hymn they are represented as aged maidens (ll。 553…4); but are closely associated with bees (ll。 559…563) and possibly are here conceived as having human heads and breasts with the bodies and wings of bees。 See the edition of Allen and Sikes; Appendix III。 (24) Cronos swallowed each of his children the moment that they were born; but ultimately was forced to disgorge them。 Hestia; being the first to be swallowed; was the last to be disgorged; and so was at once the first and late