Bibliotheca Polyglotta

εὖτ᾽ ἐπὶ Δήλου ἔβαινε μογοστόκος Εἰλείθυια,
δὴ τότε τὴν τόκος εἷλε, μενοίνησεν δὲ τεκέσθαι.
ἀμφὶ δὲ φοίνικι βάλε πήχεε, γοῦνα δ᾽ ἔρεισε
λειμῶνι μαλακῷ: μείδησε δὲ γαῖ᾽ ὑπένερθεν:
ἐκ δ᾽ ἔθορε πρὸ φόωσδε: θεαὶ δ᾽ ὀλόλυξαν ἅπασαι.
ἔνθα σέ, ἤιε Φοῖβε, θεαὶ λόον ὕδατι καλῷ
ἁγνῶς καὶ καθαρῶς, σπάρξαν δ᾽ ἐν φάρεϊ λευκῷ,
λεπτῷ, νηγατέῳ: περὶ δὲ χρύσεον στρόφον ἧκαν.

Leto gives birth
115-122 And as soon as Eilithyia the goddess of sore travail set
foot on Delos, the pains of birth seized Leto, and she longed to bring
forth; so she cast her arms about a palm tree and kneeled on the soft
meadow while the earth laughed for joy beneath. Then the child leaped
forth to the light, and all the goddesses washed you purely and cleanly
with sweet water, and swathed you in a white garment of fine texture,
new-woven, and fastened a golden band about you.

οὐδ᾽ ἄρ᾽ Ἀπόλλωνα χρυσάορα θήσατο μήτηρ,
ἀλλὰ Θέμις νέκταρ τε καὶ ἀμβροσίην ἐρατεινὴν
ἀθανάτῃσιν χερσὶν ἐπήρξατο: χαῖρε δὲ Λητώ,
οὕνεκα τοξοφόρον καὶ καρτερὸν υἱὸν ἔτικτεν.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δή, Φοῖβε, κατέβρως ἄμβροτον εἶδαρ,
οὔ σέ γ᾽ ἔπειτ᾽ ἴσχον χρύσεοι στρόφοι ἀσπαίροντα,
οὐδ᾽ ἔτι δέσματ᾽ ἔρυκε, λύοντο δὲ πείρατα πάντα.
αὐτίκα δ᾽ ἀθανάτῃσι μετηύδα Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων:

123-130 Now Leto did not give Apollo, bearer of the golden blade,
her breast; but Themis duly poured nectar and ambrosia with her divine
hands: and Leto was glad because she had borne a strong son and an
archer. But as soon as you had tasted that divine heavenly food, O
Phoebus, you could no longer then be held by golden cords nor confined
with bands, but all their ends were undone. Forthwith Phoebus Apollo
spoke out among the deathless goddesses:

‘εἴη μοι κίθαρίς τε φίλη καὶ καμπύλα τόξα,
χρήσω δ᾽ ἀνθρώποισι Διὸς νημερτέα βουλήν.’

Apollo speaks, Delos is blessed
131-132 The lyre and the curved bow shall ever be dear to me, and
I will declare to men the unfailing will of Zeus.

ὣς εἰπὼν ἐβίβασκεν ἐπὶ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης
Φοῖβος ἀκερσεκόμης, ἑκατηβόλος: αἳ δ᾽ ἄρα πᾶσαι
θάμβεον ἀθάναται: χρυσῷ δ᾽ ἄρα Δῆλος ἅπασα
[βεβρίθει, καθορῶσα Διὸς Λητοὺς τε γενέθλην,
γηθοσύνῃ, ὅτι μιν θεὸς εἵλετο οἰκία θέσθαι
νήσων ἠπείρου τε, φίλησε δὲ κηρόθι μᾶλλον.]
ἤνθησ᾽, ὡς ὅτε τε ῥίον οὔρεος ἄνθεσιν ὕλης.

133-139 So said Phoebus, the long-haired god who shoots afar and
began to walk upon the wide-pathed earth; and all goddesses were amazed
at him. Then with gold all Delos was laden, beholding the child of Zeus
and Leto, for joy because the god chose her above the islands and shore
to make his dwelling in her: and she loved him yet more in her heart,
and blossomed as does a mountain-top with woodland flowers.

αὐτὸς δ᾽, ἀργυρότοξε, ἄναξ ἑκατηβόλ᾽ Ἄπολλον,
ἄλλοτε μέν τ᾽ ἐπὶ Κύνθου ἐβήσαο παιπαλόεντος,
ἄλλοτε δ᾽ ἂν νήσους τε καὶ ἀνέρας ἠλάσκαζες.

140-142 And you, O lord Apollo, god of the silver bow, shooting
afar, now walked on craggy Cynthus, and now kept wandering about the
island and the people in them.

πολλοί τοι νηοί τε καὶ ἄλσεα δενδρήεντα:
πᾶσαι δὲ σκοπιαί τε φίλαι καὶ πρώονες ἄκροι
ὑψηλῶν ὀρέων ποταμοί θ᾽ ἅλαδε προρέοντες:
ἀλλὰ σὺ Δήλῳ, Φοῖβε, μάλιστ᾽ ἐπιτέρπεαι ἦτορ,
ἔνθα τοι ἑλκεχίτωνες Ἰάονες ἠγερέθονται
αὐτοῖς σὺν παίδεσσι καὶ αἰδοίῃς ἀλόχοισιν.
οἱ δέ σε πυγμαχίῃ τε καὶ ὀρχηθμῷ καὶ ἀοιδῇ
μνησάμενοι τέρπουσιν, ὅτ᾽ ἄν στήσωνται ἀγῶνα.

143-150 Many are your temples and wooded groves,
and all peaks and towering bluffs of lofty mountains and rivers flowing
to the sea are dear to you, Phoebus, yet in Delos do you most delight
your heart; for there the long robed Ionians gather in your honour with
their children and shy wives: mindful, they delight you with boxing and
dancing and song, so often as they hold their gathering.

φαίη κ᾽ ἀθανάτους καὶ ἀγήρως ἔμμεναι αἰεί,
ὃς τόθ᾽ ὑπαντιάσει᾽, ὅτ᾽ Ἰάονες ἀθρόοι εἶεν:
πάντων γάρ κεν ἴδοιτο χάριν, τέρψαιτο δὲ θυμὸν
ἄνδρας τ᾽ εἰσορόων καλλιζώνους τε γυναῖκας
νῆάς τ᾽ ὠκείας ἠδ᾽ αὐτῶν κτήματα πολλά.

151-155 A man would say
that they were deathless and unageing if he should then come upon the
Ionians so met together. For he would see the graces of them all, and
would be pleased in heart gazing at the men and well-girded women with
their swift ships and great wealth.

πρὸς δὲ τόδε μέγα θαῦμα, ὅου κλέος οὔποτ᾽ ὀλεῖται,
κοῦραι Δηλιάδες, ἑκατηβελέταο θεράπναι:
αἵ τ᾽ ἐπεὶ ἂρ πρῶτον μὲν Ἀπόλλων᾽ ὑμνήσωσιν,
αὖτις δ᾽ αὖ Λητώ τε καὶ Ἄρτεμιν ἰοχέαιραν,
μνησάμεναι ἀνδρῶν τε παλαιῶν ἠδὲ γυναικῶν
ὕμνον ἀείδουσιν, θέλγουσι δὲ φῦλ᾽ ἀνθρώπων.
πάντων δ᾽ ἀνθρώπων φωνὰς καὶ βαμβαλιαστὺν
μιμεῖσθ᾽ ἴσασιν: φαίη δέ κεν αὐτὸς ἕκαστος
φθέγγεσθ᾽: οὕτω σφιν καλὴ συνάρηρεν ἀοιδή.

156-164 And there is this great wonder
besides--and its renown shall never perish--the girls of Delos,
hand-maidens of the Far-shooter; for when they have praised Apollo
first, and also Leto and Artemis who delights in arrows, they sing a
strain telling of men and women of past days, and charm the tribes of
men. Also they can imitate the tongues of all men and their clattering
speech: each would say that he himself were singing, so close to truth
is their sweet song.

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