Bibliotheca Polyglotta

ἔνθ᾽ ἐκ νηὸς ὄρουσε ἄναξ ἑκάεργος Ἀπόλλων,
ἀστέρι εἰδόμενος μέσῳ ἤματι: τοῦ δ᾽ ἀπὸ πολλαὶ
σπινθαρίδες πωτῶντο, σέλας δ᾽ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἷκεν:
ἐς δ᾽ ἄδυτον κατέδυσε διὰ τριπόδων ἐριτίμων.
ἔνθ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὅ γε φλόγα δαῖε πιφαυσκόμενος τὰ ἃ κῆλα:
πᾶσαν δὲ Κρίσην κάτεχεν σέλας: αἳ δ᾽ ὀλόλυξαν
Κρισαίων ἄλοχοι καλλίζωνοί τε θύγατρες
Φοίβου ὑπὸ ῥιπῆς: μέγα γὰρ δέος ἔμβαλ᾽ ἑκάστῳ.

Apollo and the sailors arrives at Crisa
440-447 Then, like a star at noonday, the lord, far-working
Apollo, leaped from the ship: flashes of fire flew from him thick and
their brightness reached to heaven. He entered into his shrine between
priceless tripods, and there made a flame to flare up bright, showing
forth the splendour of his shafts, so that their radiance filled all
Crisa, and the wives and well-girded daughters of the Crisaeans raised
a cry at that outburst of Phoebus; for he cast great fear upon them
all.

ἔνθεν δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ ἐπὶ νῆα νόημ᾽ ὣς ἆλτο πέτεσθαι,
ἀνέρι εἰδόμενος αἰζηῷ τε κρατερῷ τε,
πρωθήβῃ, χαίτῃς εἰλυμένος εὐρέας ὤμους:
καί σφεας φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα:

448-451 From his shrine he sprang forth again, swift as a thought, to speed
again to the ship, bearing the form of a man, brisk and sturdy, in the
prime of his youth, while his broad shoulders were covered with his
hair: and he spoke to the Cretans, uttering winged words:

ὦ ξεῖνοι, τίνες ἐστέ; πόθεν πλεῖθ᾽ ὑγρὰ κέλευθα;
ἤ τι κατὰ πρῆξιν ἢ μαψιδίως ἀλάλησθε
οἷά τε ληιστῆρες ὑπεὶρ ἅλα, τοί τ᾽ ἀλόωνται
ψυχὰς παρθέμενοι, κακὸν ἀλλοδαποῖσι φέροντες;
τίφθ᾽ οὕτως ἧσθον τετιηότες, οὐδ᾽ ἐπὶ γαῖαν
ἐκβῆτ᾽, οὐδὲ καθ᾽ ὅπλα μελαίνης νηὸς ἔθεσθε;
αὕτη μέν γε δίκη πέλει ἀνδρῶν ἀλφηστάων,
ὁππότ᾽ ἂν ἐκ πόντοιο ποτὶ χθονὶ νηὶ μελαίνῃ
ἔλθωσιν καμάτῳ ἀδηκότες, αὐτίκα δέ σφεας
σίτοιο γλυκεροῖο περὶ φρένας ἵμερος αἱρεῖ.

Apollo speaks to the sailors
452-461 Strangers, who are you? Whence come you sailing along the
paths of the sea? Are you for traffic, or do you wander at random
over the sea as pirates do who put their own lives to hazard and bring
mischief to men of foreign parts as they roam? Why rest you so and are
afraid, and do not go ashore nor stow the gear of your black ship? For
that is the custom of men who live by bread, whenever they come to land
in their dark ships from the main, spent with toil; at once desire for
sweet food catches them about the heart.

ὣς φάτο καί σφιν θάρσος ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἔθηκε.
τὸν καὶ ἀμειβόμενος Κρητῶν ἀγὸς ἀντίον ηὔδα:
ξεῖν᾽, ἐπεὶ οὐ μὲν γάρ τι καταθνητοῖσι ἔοικας,
οὐ δέμας οὐδὲ φυήν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσιν,
οὖλέ τε καὶ μέγα χαῖρε, θεοὶ δέ τοι ὄλβια δοῖεν.
καί μοι τοῦτ᾽ ἀγόρευσον ἐτήτυμον, ὄφρ᾽ εὖ εἰδῶ:
τίς δῆμος; τίς γαῖα; τίνες βροτοὶ ἐγγεγάασιν;

462-468 So speaking, he put courage in their hearts, and the
master of the Cretans answered him and said: Stranger--though you are
nothing like mortal men in shape or stature, but are as the deathless
gods--hail and all happiness to you, and may the gods give you good. Now
tell me truly that I may surely know it: what country is this, and what
land, and what men live herein?

ἄλλῃ γὰρ φρονέοντες ἐπεπλέομεν μέγα λαῖτμα
ἐς Πύλον ἐκ Κρήτης, ἔνθεν γένος εὐχόμεθ᾽ εἶναι:
νῦν δ᾽ ὧδε ξὺν νηὶ κατήλθομεν οὔ τι ἑκόντες,
νόστου ἱέμενοι, ἄλλην ὁδόν, ἄλλα κέλευθα:
ἀλλά τις ἀθανάτων δεῦρ᾽ ἤγαγεν οὐκ ἐθέλοντας.

469-473 As for us, with thoughts set otherwards,
we were sailing over the great sea to Pylos from Crete (for from there
we declare that we are sprung), but now are come on shipboard to this
place by no means willingly--another way and other paths--and gladly
would we return. But one of the deathless gods brought us here against
our will.

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