Bibliotheca Polyglotta

ὅσσοι γὰρ Γαίης τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἐξεγένοντο,
δεινότατοι παίδων, σφετέρῳ δ’ ἤχθοντο τοκῆι
ἐξ ἀρχῆς· καὶ τῶν μὲν ὅπως τις πρῶτα γένοιτο,
πάντας ἀποκρύπτασκε καὶ ἐς φάος οὐκ ἀνίεσκε
Γαίης ἐν κευθμῶνι, κακῷ δ’ ἐπετέρπετο ἔργῳ,
Οὐρανός· ἡ δ’ ἐντὸς στοναχίζετο Γαῖα πελώρη
στεινομένη, δολίην δὲ κακὴν ἐπεφράσσατο τέχνην.
αἶψα δὲ ποιήσασα γένος πολιοῦ ἀδάμαντος
τεῦξε μέγα δρέπανον καὶ ἐπέφραδε παισὶ φίλοισιν·
εἶπε δὲ θαρσύνουσα, φίλον τετιημένη ἦτορ·

154-163 For of all the children that were born of Earth and Heaven, these were the most terrible, and they were hated by their own father from the first. And he used to hide them all away in a secret place of Earth so soon as each was born, and would not suffer them to come up into the light: and Heaven rejoiced in his evil doing. But vast Earth groaned within, being straitened, and she made the element of grey flint and shaped a great sickle, and told her plan to her dear sons. And she spoke, cheering them, while she was vexed in her dear heart:

“παῖδες ἐμοὶ καὶ πατρὸς ἀτασθάλου, αἴ κ’ ἐθέλητε
πείθεσθαι· πατρός κε κακὴν τεισαίμεθα λώβην
ὑμετέρου· πρότερος γὰρ ἀεικέα μήσατο ἔργα.”

164-166 My children, gotten of a sinful father, if you will obey me, we should punish the vile outrage of your father; for he first thought of doing shameful things.

ὣς φάτο· τοὺς δ’ ἄρα πάντας ἕλεν δέος, οὐδέ τις αὐτῶν
φθέγξατο. θαρσήσας δὲ μέγας Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης
αἶψ’ αὖτις μύθοισι προσηύδα μητέρα κεδνήν·

167-169 So she said; but fear seized them all, and none of them uttered a word. But great Cronos the wily took courage and answered his dear mother:

“μῆτερ, ἐγώ κεν τοῦτό γ’ ὑποσχόμενος τελέσαιμι
ἔργον, ἐπεὶ πατρός γε δυσωνύμου οὐκ ἀλεγίζω
ἡμετέρου· πρότερος γὰρ ἀεικέα μήσατο ἔργα.”

170-172 Mother, I will undertake to do this deed, for I reverence not our father of evil name, for he first thought of doing shameful things.

ὣς φάτο· γήθησεν δὲ μέγα φρεσὶ Γαῖα πελώρη·
εἷσε δέ μιν κρύψασα λόχῳ, ἐνέθηκε δὲ χερσὶν
ἅρπην καρχαρόδοντα, δόλον δ’ ὑπεθήκατο πάντα.

173-175 So he said: and vast Earth rejoiced greatly in spirit, and set and hid him in an ambush, and put in his hands a jagged sickle, and revealed to him the whole plot.

ἦλθε δὲ νύκτ’ ἐπάγων μέγας Οὐρανός, ἀμφὶ δὲ Γαίῃ
ἱμείρων φιλότητος ἐπέσχετο, καί ῥ’ ἐτανύσθη
πάντῃ· ὁ δ’ ἐκ λοχέοιο πάις ὠρέξατο χειρὶ
σκαιῇ, δεξιτερῇ δὲ πελώριον ἔλλαβεν ἅρπην,
μακρὴν καρχαρόδοντα, φίλου δ’ ἀπὸ μήδεα πατρὸς
ἐσσυμένως ἤμησε, πάλιν δ’ ἔρριψε φέρεσθαι
ἐξοπίσω. τὰ μὲν οὔ τι ἐτώσια ἔκφυγε χειρός·
ὅσσαι γὰρ ῥαθάμιγγες ἀπέσσυθεν αἱματόεσσαι,
πάσας δέξατο Γαῖα· περιπλομένων δ’ ἐνιαυτῶν
γείνατ’ Ἐρινῦς τε κρατερὰς μεγάλους τε Γίγαντας,
τεύχεσι λαμπομένους, δολίχ’ ἔγχεα χερσὶν ἔχοντας,
Νύμφας θ’ ἃς Μελίας καλέουσ’ ἐπ’ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν.

176-187 And Heaven came, bringing on night and longing for love, and he lay about Earth spreading himself full upon her. Then the son from his ambush stretched forth his left hand and in his right took the great long sickle with jagged teeth, and swiftly lopped off his own father's members and cast them away to fall behind him. And not vainly did they fall from his hand; for all the bloody drops that gushed forth Earth received, and as the seasons moved round she bare the strong Erinyes and the great Giants with gleaming armour, holding long spears in their hands and the Nymphs whom they call Meliae all over the boundless earth.

μήδεα δ’ ὡς τὸ πρῶτον ἀποτμήξας ἀδάμαντι
κάββαλ’ ἀπ’ ἠπείροιο πολυκλύστῳ ἐνὶ πόντῳ,
ὣς φέρετ’ ἂμ πέλαγος πουλὺν χρόνον, ἀμφὶ δὲ λευκὸς
ἀφρὸς ἀπ’ ἀθανάτου χροὸς ὤρνυτο· τῷ δ’ ἔνι κούρη
ἐθρέφθη· πρῶτον δὲ Κυθήροισι ζαθέοισιν
ἔπλητ’, ἔνθεν ἔπειτα περίρρυτον ἵκετο Κύπρον.
ἐκ δ’ ἔβη αἰδοίη καλὴ θεός, ἀμφὶ δὲ ποίη
ποσσὶν ὕπο ῥαδινοῖσιν ἀέξετο· τὴν δ’ Ἀφροδίτην
[ἀφρογενέα τε θεὰν καὶ ἐυστέφανον Κυθέρειαν]
κικλήσκουσι θεοί τε καὶ ἀνέρες, οὕνεκ’ ἐν ἀφρῷ
θρέφθη· ἀτὰρ Κυθέρειαν, ὅτι προσέκυρσε Κυθήροις·
Κυπρογενέα δ’, ὅτι γέντο περικλύστῳ ἐνὶ Κύπρῳ·
ἠδὲ φιλομμηδέα, ὅτι μηδέων ἐξεφαάνθη.

188-200 And so soon as he had cut off the members with flint and cast them from the land into the surging sea, they were swept away over the main a long time: and a white foam spread around them from the immortal flesh, and in it there grew a maiden. First she drew near holy Cythera, and from there, afterwards, she came to sea-girt Cyprus, and came forth an awful and lovely goddess, and grass grew up about her beneath her shapely feet. Her gods and men call Aphrodite, and the foam-born goddess and rich-crowned Cytherea, because she grew amid the foam, and Cytherea because she reached Cythera, and Cyprogenes because she was born in billowy Cyprus, and Philommedes because sprang from the members.

τῇ δ’ Ἔρος ὡμάρτησε καὶ Ἵμερος ἔσπετο καλὸς
γεινομένῃ τὰ πρῶτα θεῶν τ’ ἐς φῦλον ἰούσῃ·
ταύτην δ’ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τιμὴν ἔχει ἠδὲ λέλογχε
μοῖραν ἐν ἀνθρώποισι καὶ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι,
παρθενίους τ’ ὀάρους μειδήματά τ’ ἐξαπάτας τε
τέρψίν τε γλυκερὴν φιλότητά τε μειλιχίην τε.

201-206 And with her went Eros, and comely Desire followed her at her birth at the first and as she went into the assembly of the gods. This honour she has from the beginning, and this is the portion allotted to her amongst men and undying gods,--the whisperings of maidens and smiles and deceits with sweet delight and love and graciousness.

τοὺς δὲ πατὴρ Τιτῆνας ἐπίκλησιν καλέεσκε
παῖδας νεικείων μέγας Οὐρανός, οὓς τέκεν αὐτός·
φάσκε δὲ τιταίνοντας ἀτασθαλίῃ μέγα ῥέξαι
ἔργον, τοῖο δ’ ἔπειτα τίσιν μετόπισθεν ἔσεσθαι.

207-210 But these sons whom he begot himself great Heaven used to call Titans (Strainers) in reproach, for he said that they strained and did presumptuously a fearful deed, and that vengeance for it would come afterwards.

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