Argonautica IV 57-108

Medea finds the Argonauts

This opening section, which, to this point, has been cloaked in secretive darkness, is brought to a bizarre but striking climax when the Moon, coming up over the horizon illuminates the scene with a sardonic commentary on Medea’s predicament. By the end of the speech, Medea is standing on the banks of the river Phasis. She shouts across to the Argonauts who, led by an eager Jason, come to her rescue. In an eloquent speech Medea pleads for help and offers the Golden Fleece. Jason makes a promise that will prove fatal. This section can be divided into three parts:

• The Moon’s mocking speech and comments (54–65)
• Medea’s arrival at the river and mooring place of the Argo (66–91)
• Meeting with Jason (92–108)

57  οὐκ . . . ἀλύσκω: The beginning of an ironic rhetorical self- consolation. “So, I am not the only one to wander after the Latmian cave?” ἀλύσκω: the paradosis ἀλύσκω always means ‘flee from, shun, avoid’, frequently in the last place in the line (Od. 4.416, 4.1505–6). Such a sense is wrong in this context. This use of the verb has previously been explained as equivalent to ἀλύω or ἀλύσσω. This occurs nowhere else. A more plausible solution is to emend ἀλύσκω into ἀλύσσω. The Latmian cave is traditionally sited in Caria, in Asia Minor. ἄρα: adds a tone of inference or conclusion, based on what the Moon has already observed (Smyth 2790), i.e. Medea involved in clandestine manoeuvres on a dark night. For μετά with the accusative, see Smyth 1691. 

58  οὐδ(ε): opens the second strand of the Moon’s opening thought. περιδαίομαι: alludes to the symptoms of ‘the fires of love’.

59  ἦ θαμὰ δή: stresses the frequency of their occurrence. There is no need to alter transmitted κύον (‘bitch’) to κίον. As a word of reproach, it is used in Homer to denote shamefulness or audacity on the part of a woman. The Moon’s comments have a definite sarcastic ring.

60  μνησαμένη φιλότητος: the participial phrase depends on περιδαίομαι. (pace Hunter ad loc.- ‘being on fire’ must be part of the process of being aroused. There is no need to speculate that anything is missing. Adding another line can only make for repetition in a phrase that is already well-expressed). σκοτίῃ:  stresses that the clandestine nature of Medea’s activities.

61  both εὔκηλος and φίλα ἔργα emphasise that that the role of witch is one that Medea enjoys. τέτυκται: (3rd sg. perf. ind. < τέυχω) adds a solemn, epic note to the Moon’s judgement on Medea’s behaviour. τοι: =  σοι

62  νῦν δὲ: “but now . . .”. The Moon turns from her own case to that of Medea. The particle δῆθεν reinforces the sarcastic tone of the Moon’s remarks (Smyth 2849).

63–4  δῶκε . . . ἀλγινόεις: The mockery of Medea continues, echoing the opening of Book 4 (4.4). It gains strength from the straightforward, brutal nature of the statement. Jason will be ‘a grievous misery’ (ἀνιηρόν τοι Ἰήσονα πῆμα) and the cause of this unhappiness is due to the intervention of a cruel god (δαίμων ἀλγινόεις).

64–5  ἀλλ᾽ . . . ἀείρειν: The Moon concludes on an imperative note (ἔρχεο - 2nd sg. pres. imperat. < ἔρχομαι, τέτλαθι - 2nd sg. perf. imperat. < τλάω). For all Medea’s skills, πινυτή περ ἐοῦσα, (in witchcraft), she is destined to suffer (πολύστονον ἄλγος ἀείρειν). The final admonition gains weight from the assonance of the last two words (ἄλγος ἀείρειν) and the epithet (πολύστονον) which is full of foreboding for the girl’s future.

66  τὴν δ(έ): Medea. ἐγκονέουσαν: The opening short phrase ending with the almost onomatopoeic participle increases the sense of Medea’s urgency. Her feet carry her along.

67  ὄχθῃσιν ποταμοῖο: "on banks of the river”. ἐπηέρθη: aor. pass. < ἐπαείρω, literally, “was raised up on the banks of the river”. Perhaps it contains within it the metaphorical sense of ἐπαίρω, ‘‘raised up” in the sense “raised spirits, excitement, elation”, i.e. “stood in excitement on the banks of the river." Up to this point, Medea’s flight has been a fearful one, but the sight of the Argonauts’ fire changes her mood.

68  both ἀσπασίως and λεύσσουσα fit more naturally into the sense of the sentence if ἐπηέρθη is interpreted as above.

69  παννύχιοι: “all night long" signals the fact that there are extraordinary circumstances in the Argonauts’ camp. You might expect the light of the fire (πυρὸς σέλας) to be extinguished when evening turns into night so that the heroes can sleep. The flame seen through the darkness is another vivid touch that enhances the atmospheric night scene. Instead of sleeping, they are celebrating their joy (ἐυφροσύνῃσιν) that Jason has triumphed in the contest (ἀέθλου).

70   ὀξείῃ: Medea’s dramatic shout across the river adds narrative variety to the action. Line 70 is elegantly interlaced, with her piercing cry (ὀξείῃ . . . φωνῇ. ὄρθια is used adverbially) cutting through the darkness (διὰ κνέφας). δἤπειτα (an example of crasis) stands for δή and ἔπειτα.

71  ὁπλότατον Φρίξοιο ... παίδων: "the youngest of Phrixos' sons." LSJ ὁπλότερος.

72  Φρόντιν: Medea approaches Phrontis first, not Jason or Argos, because her feelings towards Jason are ambivalent (30–33) and Argos is a close associate of Jason (3.318, 440).

75  τρίς . . . τρίς: is a frequent structuring phrase, ‘Three’ a significant number and ὀτρύνοντος ὁμίλου a genitive absolute (Smyth  2070).

77: ἐλάασκον: "they kept rowing," < ἐλάω = ἐλαύνω, reinforces the fast-moving action, as does the asyndeton of οὔπω (78).

79  Phrontis has been the chief negotiator on the Argonauts’ side. Before the reader reaches the end of the line, ὁ δέ could well refer to him. The unexpectedness of Ἰήσων making his rescue leap is emphasised by the position of his name in the line.

80  ὑψοῦ ἀπ' ἰκριόφιν: refers to the half deck at the stern of a ship. Jason is shown in heroic mode. In his eagerness to play the rescuer, he does not wait for the ship to beach before jumping ashore.

81–2  ἡ . . . προσέειπεν: the emphatic pronoun τούσγε refers to Argos and Phrontis and at τύνη . . . ξεῖνε (88–9) we must imagine some movement on the part of Medea as she turns to address Jason. The genitive (γούνων) depends on περισχομένη, with χερσί to be understood with ἀμφοτέρῃσι. 

83–4  ἔκ . . . Αἰήταο: Medea’s first plea, contained between the hyperbaton of preposition (ἐκ) and noun (Αἰήταο), is an abrupt and dramatic opening. The enclitic’s (με) position is in accordance with Wackernagel’s law but the separation is not usually as drastic as here. “All is discovered! There is no help at hand!” A dramatic (perhaps melodramatic) moment. πρό is either in tmesis with τέτυκται, ‘all has been discovered beforehand’ (3rd sg. perf. ind. of τεύχω) or reinforcing ἀναφανδά (adjectival), ‘fully discovered’.

85–6  ἀλλ᾽ . . . ἵππων: "We must flee in the ship! before Aietes takes to his chariots".

87  δώσω: “I shall give you the golden fleece”.  With expressions that have formulaic possibilities such as ‘golden fleece’, A. succeeds in being as unrepetitive as possible by alternating between κῶας (8 times) and δέρος (7), χρύσειον (11) and χρύσεον (4), hyperbaton often separating the two combinations. The hyperbaton here with the personal pronoun placed between the two components of the formula emphasises Medea’s role in the Argonauts’ ultimate success and the price that she can exact.

88  φρουρὸν ὄφιν: Guardian Serpents or Snakes are traditional mythological guardians of treasure. Most, like the Colchian one, prove ineffective in the end. The climax in 156–61, where Medea puts the dragon to sleep by means of a drug, deviates from the usual legend. Later in the poem, when Heracles captures the Golden Apples of the Hesperides (4.1433–4), his treatment of their Guardian Snake is brutal by comparison.

88–90  θεοὺς ... τεῶν μύθων ἐπιίστορας ... ποίησαι: "make the gods witnesses of your words," i.e. vows. This strong assertion beginning with τύνη contrasts with her supposed suppliant status and perhaps shows A. modifying some of the traditional elements of a supplication to demonstrate the force of Medea’s character. The involved syntax embraces the whole sentence and gives rhetorical weight to the pressure that Medea is trying to exert on Jason. 

90–1  μηδ(ε) ... θείης: supply με, "And do not make me into a" + acc. See LSJ τίθημι B.I. ἔνθεν ἑκαστέρω ὁρμηθεῖσαν: "(because I am) rushing off rather far from here."   ὁρμηθεῖσαν is sg. aor. pass. fem. acc. ptc. < ὁρμάω with active meaning. χήτεϊ κηδομόνων: "for lack of kinsmen."  The shame incurred by Medea’s desertion of her family is a constant theme in the opening of Book 4.

92–3  ἴσκεν . . . γήθεον: Jason’s joy seems to result from Medea’s presence, not just that he is about to obtain the Fleece. This is demonstrated by his jumping ashore ashore to greet her and showing her physical signs of affection (see below). As Book 4 develops, this magnanimity will be short-lived. The Alexandrian use of ἴσκεν as an equivalent of ἔλεγε is based on an ancient critical discussion of Od. 22.31 ἴσκεν ἕκαστος ἀνήρ, ‘so guessed [or spoke] each man’.

93–4  αἶψα . . . θάρσυνέν τε: A. is describing the classic mode of supplication. It is not just a matter of Medea’s taking hold of Jason’s knees (Il. 1.500 λάβε γούνων). A. uses a more dramatic word πεπτηυῖαν “crouched at his knee”. θάρσυνεν, ‘comforted’, might be seen as an implicit comment on the true nature of Jason’s oath. His sincerity only runs surface deep. He is sympathetic because he wants something from her. The psychology behind this scene is subtle and delicately nuanced.

95–6  Δαιμονίη . . . εὐνέτις: on the importance of the oath as a theme in the Argonautica, see 388-9n.  Δαιμονίη: is a frequent respectful opening to Homeric speech (e.g. Il. 24.193–4 where Priam thus addresses Hecuba), and the word which Jason again uses to propitiate Medea at 4.395n.  ἔστω: 3rd sg. pres. imperat. act. < εἰμί (I am).  ζύγιος: describes Hera as presiding over marriage.

96–8  ἦ . . . νοστήσαντες: the consequences of this oath will be felt through the poem. The installation of the bride in the conjugal home is part of the essential elements of the ancient Greek marriage ceremony. Adjective and noun at opposite ends of the line reinforce the solemnity of the moment. Arete echoes the phrase at 4.1085 κουριδίην θήσεσθαι ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἄκοιτιν. Did she have a verbal report from Medea of what Jason said here? Ἑλλάδα γαῖαν: is not Homeric. A., as with ‘golden fleece’, builds up his own system of formulas. The use of the phrase also stresses the Barbarian v. Greek contrast, a major theme of the poem. 

99–100  ὧς . . . δεξιτερήν: The gesture seals the oath and implies acceptance of the supplication. It echoes a similar gesture made by Medea at 3.1067–8, when she first decides to help Jason. One might expect a moment in which Medea shows gratitude in some way. As it is, Jason's right hand is left hanging in the enjambed position and her immediate dominance is shown by the way in which she commands them to go to the sacred grove. ηὔδα: 3rd sg. imperf. ind. act. < αὐδάω. ἤραρε:  3rd. sg. aor. ind. act. < ἀραρίσκω.

100–2  ἡ . . . Αἰήταο: Medea gives the orders (ἀνώγει), although she has just been playing the role of the humble suppliant. In a similar way, during their encounter with the guardian serpent, Medea takes care of the frightened Jason just as the mothers take care of frightened new-born children (4.136–8). σφιν: masc. dat. pl. personal pronoun < σφεῖς. The pres. inf. act. ἐλάαν (< ἐλαύνω) depends on ἀνώγει. ἄγοιντο is the 3rd. pl. pres. opt. < ἄγω, after ὄφρ’(α). See Smyth 2183. 

103  ἔνθ’ . . . ἐσσυμένοισιν: i.e., “no sooner said than done”. ἐσσυμένοισιν: masc. dat. pl. < ἐσσύμενος,  part. pass. < σεύω (in sense and accent pres., but redupl. as if pf.). For the dat., see Smyth 1474.

104–6  εἰς . . . ἀριστήων: the action now speeds up, aided by A.’s brief allusions to more expansive Homeric passages and also prose usage, e.g. Od. 9.103–4. εἰσβαίνω (here in tmesis, together with ἀπὸ . . . ἔωσαν < ἀπωθέω) is the usual verb for putting something or someone on board.

106–8  ἡ δ᾽ . . . ἀσχαλόωσαν: his is an instinctive, but almost formal gesture in such situations. Medea is overcome with grief as she abandons her native land. ἴσχανεν ἀσχαλόωσαν: “restrained her grief”. She is in despair but she has made her decision (4.30–3).