7

The blush has not left his face, nor the bloom his cheek, nor have the Graces left his hair. But if I had asked the cause of his fall, perhaps even as he lay he would have cried out to me of Ares. But what have I been led to say? Shall I believe that Adonis has fallen? He is still alive and is hunting, and perhaps seeks Aphrodite who is not present. But I delay, and sit in vain, my foot bound by my sorrow. But again I think of Ares, again Adonis is dead. For the god is terrible; he has a grim look, he gapes for blood, not knowing how to pity a desired face. Oh, dire perplexity! Oh, excess of misfortunes! Whom shall I accuse? And whom shall I blame? Fortune? My own children? Through them I came to know Adonis; by her Ares was armed. Now I experience her arrows, now I learn anew my own flame, now I feel my own pang. These things are Aphrodite, whom Zeus bore, whom heaven brought forth, whom nature produced, from whom fire and arrows and all things were joined with desire. I became the mother of the Erotes, I provided bows, the little boys were winged, and for them nothing was inaccessible. They went over the earth, they entered the wave, they flew through the air, they danced in the stars and were once arrayed against gods. Nothing escaped my power. All things submitted to my right hand. If anyone grieved Aphrodite, I would look at my boys, I would nod; they would ready their arrows, and suffering was all that remained. Zeus knows, ruler of all and obeying love alone. Poseidon knows, burning in the midst of the sea. They did not overlook Pan, they were not in awe of Hera. They went after Zephyrus, Boreas has been tried, and the arrow was seen to be swifter than the winds. Apollo knew the bow of a god, being struck by our bow. What need to speak of a human lover, and the frenzy of a lion, and a bull bellowing with desire, being tormented by the boys? And trophies everywhere, and all things were filled with Aphrodite. And as all things were under the dragon, the beautiful boys armed themselves. And I had the war from my own home and I knew it with my own eyes; seeing from there I was amazed; I suffered, I was at a loss, I laughed, I wept that it had happened. I would examine my girdle, lest someone stealing it escape my notice; and I find the thieves to be the Erotes. I yielded to my own offspring; thereupon I praised Adonis, how beautiful, and his hair seemed perfectly arranged, in his eyes the Graces dwelt, from his lips the Erotes shot their arrows. And his cheeks, alas, were a snare. I desired; from then on I hated Olympus. The sight of the gods was defeated by his in my eyes, and all things became secondary to the youth. He would hunt, and I would admire his strength. He seemed bolder than lions, leaping higher than the deer. The forest was Olympus, I considered the glens to be heaven. When I had him, the sun seemed to me to shine brighter than usual. I loved one sight, Adonis; I desired one sound, the man. No one speaking pleased me, unless he was speaking of Adonis. These things grieved Ares and nourished his envy, and his mind turned to action. I am the cause of your suffering; because of me Ares is also your enemy. Hearing these things I was terrified, and I was held in suspense by the rumor, and I had no thought for my appearance. A running came over me, and bare feet, and the things in my path were overlooked. From this my suffering was more terrible, and I have been struck in the heart by desire, but in the foot by a thorn. Let this be a symbol of my fate, and to show the image of my suffering to those who come after, let my blood become the nature of the rose. And someone seeing the flower will not give Adonis over to oblivion, but seeking the cause will hear of the suffering, the desire, the rumor, the running, the wound, the blood, the transformation of the rose, and over all, Adonis. 7 phoenich I rejoice with the Greeks, but I weep for the Thessalian. for those who have found a savior, but for him who has fallen to the dishonor of the Greeks and the laughter of the Trojans. For I think not even the Trojans are unaware of our sufferings. Agamemnon has done well to find allies from wherever he could, and he will exact justice, having shamed the disobedient soldier. Would that this prize had been taken before our embassy. But now our affairs are misfortune and mere words. The wise Odysseus did not persuade. Ajax was disdained, along with his lineage and Zeus.

7

ἀπέλιπεν οὐκ ἐρύθημα τὸ πρόσωπον, οὐκ ἄνθος τὴν παρειάν, οὐ τὴν κόμην αἱ Χάριτες. εἰ δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἠρόμην τοῦ πτώματος, τάχα μοι καὶ κείμενος ἐβόα τὸν Ἄρεα. ἀλλ' οἷα καὶ λέγειν προήχθην; ἐγὼ πείσομαι πεπτωκέναι τὸν Ἄδωνιν; ἔτι περίεστι καὶ θηρᾷ, καὶ μὴ παροῦσαν τάχα τὴν Ἀφροδίτην ζητεῖ. ἐγὼ δὲ μέλλω, καὶ κάθημαι μάτην δεθεῖσα τῷ πάθει τὸν πόδα. ἀλλὰ γὰρ πάλιν τὸν Ἄρη λογίζομαι, πάλιν τέθνηκεν Ἄδωνις. δεινὸς γὰρ ὁ θεός· βλοσσυρὸν ὁρᾷ, πρὸς αἷμα κέχηνε, ποθουμένην ὄψιν ἐλεεῖν οὐκ εἰδώς. ὢ δεινῆς ἀπορίας. ὢ δυστυχημάτων ὑπερβολῆς. τίνος κατηγορήσω; τίνας δὲ μέμψομαι; τὴν Τύχην; τοὺς ἐμοὺς παῖδας; ἐκ τούτων Ἄδωνιν ἔγνωκα, ἐξ ἐκείνης Ἄρης ὡπλίζετο. νῦν τῶν ἑαυτῆς πειρῶμαι βελῶν, νῦν τὴν ἐμὴν φλόγα μεταμανθάνω, νῦν τῆς ἐμῆς ὠδῖνος αἰσθάνομαι. Ἀφροδίτη ταῦτα, ἣν ἔτεκε Ζεύς, ἣν οὐρανὸς ἤνεγκεν, ἣν ἐκόμισε φύσις, ἐξ ἧς πῦρ καὶ βέλη καὶ πάντα πόθῳ συνήπτετο. μήτηρ ἐγενόμην Ἐρώτων, τόξα παρέσχον, ἐπτέρωτο τὰ παιδάρια, καὶ τούτοις ἄβατον ὑπῆρχεν οὐδέν. ἐπῆλθον γῆν, ἐνέδυσαν κῦμα, τὸν ἀέρα διέπτησαν, ἐνεχόρευον ἄστροις καὶ κατὰ θεῶν ποτ' ἐτάττοντο. οὐδὲν τὴν ἐμὴν δυναστείαν διέφυγε. πάντα πρὸς τὴν ἐμὴν ὑπέκυπτε δεξιάν. εἴ τις τὴν Ἀφροδίτην ἐλύπει προσέβλεπον τοὺς παῖδας, ἐπένευον· ἐκίνουν οὗτοι τὰ βέλη, καὶ τὸ παθεῖν ὑπελείπετο. οἶδεν ὁ Ζεύς, τῶν ὅλων ἄρχων καὶ μόνῳ πειθόμενος ἔρωτι. οἶδεν ὁ Ποσειδῶν, ἐν μέσῃ τῇ θαλάσσῃ φλεγόμενος. οὐ παρεῖδον τὸν Πᾶνα, τὴν Ἥραν οὐ τεθαυμάκασι. μετῆλθον τὸν Ζέφυρον, Βορέας πεπείραται, καὶ τῶν ἀνέμων τὸ βέλος ὤφθη ταχύτερον. Ἀπόλλων ἔγνω τόξον θεοῦ, ἡμετέρῳ τόξῳ βαλλόμενος. τί δεῖ λέγειν ἄνθρωπον ἐραστὴν καὶ λέοντος οἶστρον καὶ ταῦρον τῷ πόθῳ μυκώμενον, θραττομένους διὰ τῶν παίδων; καὶ τρόπαια πανταχοῦ, καὶ πάντα τῆς Ἀφροδίτης πεπλήρωτο. ὡς δὲ πάντα ἦν ὑπὸ τοῦ δράκοντος οἱ καλοὶ παῖδες ὡπλίζοντο. καὶ τὸν πόλεμον οἴκοθεν εἶχον καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ὄμμασιν ἔγνων· ἐκεῖθεν ἰδοῦσα τεθαύμακα· ἔπασχον, ἠπόρουν, ἐγέλων, ἐδάκρυσα γενέσθαι. τὸν κεστὸν ὑπεσκόπουν, μή τις ὑποκλέψας λανθάνῃ· καὶ κλέπτας εὑρίσκω τοὺς Ἔρωτας. ὑπέκυψα τῇ γονῇ· λοιπὸν ἐπῄνουν τὸν Ἄδωνιν, ὡς καλός, καὶ τὴν κόμην ἐδόκουν κεκρᾶσθαι, ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐνοικῆσαι τὰς Χάριτας, ἐκ τῶν χειλέων τοξεῦσαι τοὺς Ἔρωτας. αἱ δὲ παρειαί, οἴμοι, συνεθήρων. ἐπόθουν· ἐμίσουν ἐντεῦθεν τὸν Ὄλυμπον. ἐκείνου καὶ θεῶν ἥττητο ὄψις παρ' ἐμοί, καὶ πάντα τοῦ μειρακίου γέγονε δεύτερα. ἐθήρα, καὶ τὴν ῥώμην ἐθαύμαζον. λεόντων ἐδόκει θρασύτερος, ὑπὲρ τὰς ἐλάφους πηδῶν. Ὄλυμπον τὴν ὕλην, οὐρανὸν ἡγούμην τὰς νάπας. ὅτε τοῦτον εἶχον, τοῦ συνήθους λαμπρότερον ἐδόκουν βλέπειν τὸν ἥλιον. μίαν ἠγάπων θέαν τὸν Ἄδωνιν, μίαν ἀκοὴν ἐπόθουν τὸν ἄνθρωπον. οὐδείς μοι λαλῶν ἤρεσκεν, ὅτι μὴ λέγων τὸν Ἄδωνιν. ἐλύπει ταῦτα τὸν Ἄρην καὶ τὸν φθόνον ὑπέτρεφε, καὶ πρὸς ἔργον ἦλθεν ἡ γνώμη. ἐγώ σοι τοῦ πάθους αἰτία, δι' ἐμὲ καὶ Ἄρης πολέμιος. τούτων ἀκούσασα διεπτόημαι, καὶ γέγονα τῇ φήμῃ μετέωρος, καὶ κόσμου μοι λόγος ὑπῆρχεν οὐδείς. δρόμος ἐπῆλθέ μοι, καὶ πόδες γυμνοί, καὶ τὰ ἐν ποσὶ παρορώμενα. ἐντεῦθέν μοι τὸ πάθος δεινότερον ἦν, καὶ βέβλημαι τὴν μὲν καρδίαν τῷ πόθῳ, τῇ δ' ἀκάνθῃ τὸν πόδα. τοῦτο σύμβολον ἔστω τῆς τύχης, καὶ τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα τὴν εἰκόνα δεῖξαι τοῦ πάθους τοὐμὸν αἷμα φύσις γενέσθω τῷ ῥόδῳ. καί τις τὸ ἄνθος ἰδὼν οὐ παραδώσει τῇ λήθῃ τὸν Ἄδωνιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν αἰτίαν ζητῶν ἀκούσει τὸ πάθος, τὸν πόθον, τὴν φήμην, τὸν δρόμον, τὴν πληγήν, τὸ αἷμα, τὴν τοῦ ῥόδου μεταβολήν, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τὸν Ἄδωνιν. 7 πηοενιχ Συνήδομαι μὲν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ἀλλὰ δακρύω τὸν Θετταλόν. τοῖς μὲν εὑροῦσι σωτῆρα, τὸν δὲ πεσόντα πρὸς ἀδοξίαν Ἑλλήνων καὶ γέλωτα Τρωικόν. οὐδὲ Τρῶες γὰρ οἶμαι τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀνήκοοι παθημάτων. καλῶς εὗρεν Ἀγαμέμνων ὅθεν τύχοι συμμάχων, καὶ λήψεται δίκην, ἀπειθοῦντα στρατιώτην αἰσχύνας. εἴθε τοῦτο συνέβη πρὸ τῆς ἡμῶν πρεσβείας τὸ θήραμα. νῦν δὲ τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀτυχία καὶ λόγοι. ὁ σοφὸς οὐκ ἔπεισεν Ὀδυσσεύς. Αἴας ὑπερώφθη μετὰ τοῦ γένους καὶ τοῦ ∆ιός.