Argonautica IV 1420-1482

The Hesperides:

After having survived an extremely arduous march across the Northern arch of the Syrtes, the Argonauts have discovered the “Oasis” of the Hesperides. Orpheus has addressed them in a passionate prayer. We now discover their response.

1422: λισσόμενος ἀδινῇ ὀπί: “praying to them in a passionate tone”. ἁδινός is difficult to interpret; see 27-9n. (on ἀδινῇ δ ̓ ὀλοφύρατο φωνῇ). Presumably Orpheus had a fine singing voice and the tone of his prayer has indeed been incantatory.

1422-3: αὶ δ᾿ ἐλέαιρον / ἐγγύθεν: “They showed pity from near at hand”. Although the Hesperides have vanished into κόνις καὶ γαῖα (1408), they respond (in a magical and appropriate way) to the grieving (ἀχνυμένους) Argonauts by reviving their Oasis in the desert. χθονὸς ἐξανέτειλαν: “caused to shoot up from the earth”. The Hesperides were thought of as vegetation deities, linked to the earth and identified with various trees (poplar, elm, willow).

1424-5: ποίην πάμπρωτον: “grass first of all”. The creation of a locus amoenus naturally starts at ground level, followed by (ποίης . . . ὑψόθι) the blossoming (βλάστεον) of long (μακροί) shoots (ὅρπηκες), then finally (three) flourishing saplings (ἔρνεα τηλεθάοντα) appear. γε μὲν: marks the progression through the three stages of the metamorphosis of this part of the desert.

1426: ὀρθοσταδὸν ἠέξοντο: “grew upright”.

1427-8: The Hesperides are named by means of an elegant tricolon. Their number varies: three here, four in Apollodoros (2.5.11, pp. 220–21 Frazer, vol. 1), seven in Diodoros (4.27.2). Their names—Aigle, Hespere (or Hesperia, or Hesperethoussa), and Erytheïs (or -eia)—are fairly constant, and, as often, functional: “Radiance”, “Evening Maiden”, “Blushing Girl”. ἔγεντο: = ἐγένετο aor. ind. mp. 3^rd. sg. < γίγνομαι. This Doric form is not Homeric but occurs first in Hesiod (Th. 199, 283, 705 and in Sappho, Empedocles and Pindar. It is frequent in Hellenistic poetry (LSJ s.v. γίγνομαι: line three). ἰτείης ἱερὸν στύπος: “the sacred trunk of the willow”, typical variation on the simple names of the trees in the previous line.

1428-9: ἐκ δέ νυ κείνων / δενδρέων: Magical transformations continue: “from those trees”. οἷαι ἔσαν, τοῖαι: imperf. ind. act. 3^rd. pl. (epic ionic) <εἰμί. “as they were, so . . .”. πάλιν ἔμπεδον αὔτως: “back again precisely”.

1430: ἐξέφανεν: “aor. ind. pass. 3^rd. pl. (epic) <ἐκφαίνω: “they were seen to appear”. θάμβος περιώσιον: “an exceedingly great wonder”. ἔκφατο δ᾿ Αἴγλη: “Aigle spoke”.

1431: μειλιχίοις ἐπέεσσιν: “with sweet words”, in contrast with the recriminatory speech that Aigle actually makes. χατέοντας: “in their need”.

1432: ἦ ἄρα δὴ μέγα πάμπαν . . . ὄνειαρ: Aigle opens with a very strong statement. She is extremely (δὴ μέγα πάμπαν) at what has recently occurred: “a very great help indeed . . .” said with a distinctly sarcastic edge.

1432-3: ἐφ᾿ ὑμετέροισιν /. . . καμάτοισιν: “for your sufferings”. δεῦρ᾿ ἔμολεν: “came here” aor. ind. act. 3^rd. sg. <βλώσκω. καμάτοισι: “labours”, agreeing with ὑμετέροισιν in the previous line. ἀπούρας: “having deprived”, aor. part. act. masc. nom. sg. (attic epic ionic) <ἀπαυράω. It is not clear at the beginning of her speech what or of whom she is talking. Perhaps the hyperbaton is meant to be a sign of her indignation. She does not know that the villain of the piece is Heracles, the Argonaut, who was lost at an early stage (end of Book 1), The sanctity of their Garden has been violated by Heracles, whom Aegle calls κύντατος, "most shameless" or "most dog-like," an adjective that connects Heracles' wild behaviour with the Argonauts' desperate search for water (ἴκελοι κυσὶν, 4.1393). Into the Hesperides' peaceful environment have come death and violent theft; the nymphs are left traumatized by their loss.

1434: ζωῆς: “of life”. The delayed genitive may give the impression momentarily that Heracles stole the guardian snake, just as he stole Cerberus from the Underworld. παγχρύσεα μῆλα θεάων: “the golden apples of the goddesses”.

1435: οἴχετ᾿ ἀειράμενος: “he is gone, having removed them”, i.e. the apples. ἄχος ἄμμι λέλειπται: “bitter grief has been left for us”, perhaps a jokey reference to Arist. Ran. 1353 ἐμοὶ δʼ ἄχεʼ, ἄχεα κατέλιπε (the result of Heracles stealing Cerberus from Hades).

1436-7: ἤλυθε γὰρ χθιζός τις ἀνὴρ: at first the phrase seems quite matter-of-fact: “yesterday some man came”. . . and then the grimmer aspects of Heracles’ visit begin to pile up: “most foul in his violence and appearance”.

1437: ὄσσε: “his eyes”. The dual plural noun here takes a singular verb (ὑπέλαμπε). βλοσυρῷ . . . μετώπῳ: “his fierce brow”. Heracles glares wordlessly, eschewing the verbal communication that establishes relationships with strangers. He is the epitome of uncivilised behaviour.

1438: νηλής: “pitiless”, as often this adjective (also σχέτλιος) is enjambed and helps to carry the narrative along. ἀμφὶ . . . ἕστο: plup. ind. pass. 3^rd. sg. (epic) < ἀμφιέννυμι. Heracles, in his personal violence and brutality, even becomes assimilated to the Nemean Lion. His trademark lion skin becomes, instead of a symbol of victory over a seemingly untameable beast, a reflection of his animal-like spirit and barbarous habit. His lion-skin is "raw, untanned" (ὠμόν, ἀδέψητον), which is to say, it has not been modified and shaped by the work of human culture. Instead of bringing order, he sows disorder, a purpose reflected in his dress and manner.

1439: στιβαρὸν δ᾿ ἔχεν ὄζον ἐλαίης: “he had a thick olive branch” i.e. Heracles’ traditional club ; see further (Lu 2013, 101), (Lu Hsu 2020).

1440: τόξα τε: “and his bow”. πέλωρ τόδ᾽: “this great creature”, perhaps referring to the Echidna at Hes. Th. 295. It is true that the Hesperides are fond of Ladon but he certainly seems to have been monster-sized. Everything connected with Heracles is built with sturdy dimensions (1438 πελωρίου . . . λέοντος).

1441: ἤλυθε δʼ οὖν: resuming the narrative. κἀκεῖνος: “that man”. referring to Heracles. ἅ τε χθόνα πεζὸς ὁδεύων: a generalising statement: “as you would expect of someone travelling on foot across the land”.

1442: δίψῃ καρχαλέος: “rough / harsh with thirst”. Aigle’s choice of phrase is very refined (only at Il. 21.541 and Nonnus D. 14.426). παίφασσε δὲ τόνδʼ ἀνὰ χῶρον: another rare word: “he rushed (or perhaps looked everywhere) around this place” (Il. 2.450).

1443: ὕδωρ ἐξερέων: “looking for water”. τὸ μὲν οὔ ποθι μέλλεν ἰδέσθαι: “that he was not likely to see in a place like this”: a degree of sarcasm from Aigle. The Hesperides inhabit an oasis in the middle of the desert (μέν) there was another possibility (δέ) in the next line.

1444: ἥδε δέ τις πέτρη: “but there is a rock”. Τριτωνίδος ἐγγύθι λίμνης: Lake Triton, mentioned previously (4.1391).

1445: τὴν ὅ γ᾿ ἐπιφρασθείς: aorist. passive part. with active meaning < ἐπιφράζω: “which (the rock) having noticed”. θεοῦ ἐννεσίῃσιν: “at the advice of some god”.

1446: λὰξ ποδί: Heracles’ frenzied activity culminates in a very dactylic line: “he struck it with his foot from below (ἔνερθε). Presumably he kicks upwards at the rock. ἀθρόον ἔβλυσεν ὕδωρ: lo! a miracle! “The water gushed forth”.

1447: Heracles stance as he drinks is almost bestial, in line with his previously described behaviour. He crouches down, supporting himself on both hands and chest.

1448: ῥωγάδος ἐκ πέτρης: “from the cleft (lit. the broken) rock”. πίεν ἄσπετον: “he drank copiously”. Heracles’ appetites for both food and drink are traditionally on a gargantuan scale.

1448-9: βαθεῖαν / νηδύν: accusative of respect with ἐκορέσθη (aor. ind. pass. 3^rd. sg. < κορέννυμι), continuing to stress the brutish side of Heracles’ behaviour, as does the phrase φορβάδι ἶσος ἐπιπροπεσών, “falling forward like a pasturing (φορβάδι) animal.

1450-1: ἀσπαστόν: “gladly” (adv.). ἵνα σφίσι πέφραδεν Αἴγλη / πίδακα: after she has finished speaking Aigle points them in the direction of the water: “where Aigle pointed out the spring”.

1451: τῇ: picking up ἵνα: “in that direction”. κεχαρμένοι: “rejoicing”. Rightly so! They have a long time without a drink (1442). ὄφρ᾿ ἐπέκυρσαν: “until they got there”. On can imagine the scene!

1452: ὡς δʼ ὁπότε: “as when”, introducing two balanced similes to describe the Argonauts’ rush to the watering hole. First the ants: στεινὴν περὶ χηραμόν: “about a narrow cleft (in the rock)”. εἱλίσσονται: “are whirled / gather in swarms”.

 1453: γειομόροι μύρμηκες: “earth-borrowing ants”. Ants do not appear in any Homeric simile but flies do. ὁμιλαδόν: at Il. 16.641, 644 warriors flocking around a corpse are compared to flies around milk-pails; see further (Spynoula 2008, 104). ὅτε μυῖαι: possibly heralding a reworking of the Homeric simile.

1454: ὀλίγην μέλιτος γλυκεροῦ λίβα: elegant word-order, perhaps containing a clever allusion to Callimachus h. 2.112: here “a small drop of sweet honey”; in Callimachus “a small drop from a holy spring”, carried by ‘bees’ to Demeter, symbolising poetic inspiration. πεπτηυῖαι: “falling (on the honey)”, perf. part. < πίπτω.

1455: μεμάασιν: “rage furiously”, vividly describing the angry swarm (ἐπήτριμοι, varying on ὁμιλαδόν) and the Argonauts (ὣς τότ᾿ ἀολλεῖς), maddened by thirst.

1456: Μινύαι: i.e. the Argonauts. δινεύεσκον: “they were whirling around” ~ εἱλίσσονται.

1457: καί πού τις: “and somebody (said), I suppose (πού)”. The poet stresses that he is telling a story. For τις speeches, see further (Beck 2012, 48) and (Verhelst 2020). διεροῖς ἐπὶ χείλεσιν: “with moist lips”. They have finally quenched their thirst. ἰανθείς: “in their joy”.

1458: ὦ πόποι, ἦ: an exclamation of surprise which is difficult to translate idiomatically: “Odd chance: remote though he is now . . .” (Green) or “Strange!” (Seaton), or “A true wonder!”(Hunter) or see further (Brügger 2018, 321). νόσφιν ἐὼν: “though far away”. Heracles was separated from the expedition at the end of Book 1.

1459: δίψῃ κεκμηότας: “parched with thirst”: perf. part. act. masc. acc. pl. <κάμνω.

1459-60: εἴ πως followed by the optative: δήοιμεν expresses a wish: “if only”. διʼ ἠπείροιο κιόντες: “as we pass through the mainland”.

1461: ἦ for ἔφη < φημί: 3^rd. sg. impf. “he spoke”. καὶ ἀμειβομένων: “and they replying”, genitive absolute. οἵ τ᾿ ἄρμενοι ἐς τόδε ἔργον: “those who were fitted for this task”. τε gives a generalising sense to the statement (see LSJ s.v. Β). ἄρμενοι: aor. part. mid. masc. nom. pl. (epic, doric, aeolic) <ἀραρίσκω: “suited to”, LSJ B. V.

1462: ἔκριθεν: “they (were) separated”, aor. ind. pass. 3^rd. pl. < κρίνω.

1463: ἴχνια: presumably the “tracks” that Heracles made as he was leaving the Garden of the Hesperides, after killing the Guardian Snake Ladon. ἐπηλίνδητ᾽(ο): plupf. pass. < ἐπᾰλινδέομαι: lit. “had been rolled on” > “effaced”. ἀλινδέω is more common.

1464: κινυμένης ἀμάθου: “as the sand was stirred”.

1464-5: Βορέαο . . . υἷε δύω: “the two sons of Boreas”. For the dual, see 76-81n. ὡρμήθησαν: “lit. they were set in motion”: aor. ind. pass. 3^rd. pl. (attic ionic) <ὁρμάω, ie. “they set off”.

1465: πτερύγεσσι πεποιθότε: “trusting in their wings”. The participle is another dual form and denotes that the Boreads are about to start on an aerial reconnaissance, in search of Heracles.

1465-6: ποσσὶ δὲ κούφοις / Εὔφημος πίσυνος: “relying on his swift feet”. E. plays a major role at the End of Book 4 (1731ff.) in the story of the foundation of Cyrene. Λυγκεύς: Lynceus with his piercing eyesight (ὀξέα τηλοῦ / ὄσσε βαλεῖν).

1467: Κάνθος: along with Lynceus, mentioned here for the first time since the Catalogue (1.77-85). Introduced as fifth in line, he is the only searcher without supernatural powers and also the one who will not return. ἔσσυτο: “rushed off”: imperf. ind. mid. 3^rd. sg. (Homeric, ionic) < σεύω.

1468: αἶσα θεῶν: “divine fate”, see LSJ Aii 2 for similar phrases. ἠνορέη τε: one of the marks of a hero: LSJ s.v.: “manhood, prowess”.

1469: ἀπηλεγέως: “without reserve”, Kanthos wants to learn the whole truth about what happened to Heracles (and Polyphemus).πεπύθοιτο: aor. opt. mid. 3^rd. sg. <πυνθάνομαι. For the Optative after ἵν(α): Munro 360.

1470: Εἰλατίδην Πολύφημον: “Polyphemus, son of Eilatos”. ὅπῃ λίπε: the Argonauts abandoned Polyphemus not Heracles (1.1283). μέμβλετο γάρ οἱ: lit. “for it was a care to him” (Munro 143).

1471: οὗ ἕθεν: “his own, of himself”, referring to Polyphemus (Goodell 196; LSJ οὗ , οἷ , ἕ ).

1472: ὁ μὲν οὖν: i.e. Polyphemus (see link on 1470). ἐπικλεὲς ἄστυ: “a glorious city”: Kios.

1473: νόστου κηδοσύνῃσιν: “out of longing for ‘nostos”. He wants to go back home. διζήμενος Ἀργώ: “searching for the Argo”.

1474-5: τέως δ᾿ ἐξίκετο γαῖαν / ἀγχιάλων Χαλύβων: “until he reached the land of the Chalybes, who lived near to the sea.

1475: τόθι μιν καί: the καί is postponed: “and there fate subdued him”.

1476: βλωθρὴν ἀχερωίδα: “a tall, white poplar” is the memorial to the hero; see further (Kronenberg 2018).

1477: τυτθὸν ἁλὸς προπάροιθεν: “a little way from the sea”: a wistful touch. ἀτὰρ τότε γ᾿ Ἡρακλῆα: a last glimpse of Heracles, adding to the sadness inherent in these lines.

1478: μοῦνον: placing the emphasis on Heracles (rather than the textual alternative μοῦνος). He is finally separating himself from the Argonauts. ἀπειρεσίης τηλοῦ χθονὸς: “far off over the measureless land”. The genitive depends on the adv. τηλοῦ (Munro 149).εἴσατο: “thought, believed” aor. 3^rd. sing. < εἴδω.

1479: τώς . . . ὥς: “in the same way . . . as when”, connecting the main statement to the simile, which Virgil famously imitated (Aen. 6.452-6, Aeneas sights Dido in the Underworld). νέῳ ἐνὶ ἤματι: lit. “on a new day i.e. on the first day of a new month”.

1480: ἢ ἴδεν ἢ ἐδόκησεν . . . ἰδέσθαι: “either saw, or thought he saw”: hesitation or doubt, even on the part of the keen-sighted Lynceus. Can it really be Heracles? The aorists are gnomic (Goodell 465). ἐπαχλύουσαν: “obscured by clouds”. A similar description occurs at Aratus Phain. 893-906.

1481: μυθήσατο: “he told”: followed by μη and the future infinitive (Smyth 2716). Lynceus is speaking to his fellow-searchers.

1482: στείχοντα: “(Heracles) going on his way”. κιχησέμεν: epic future infin. < κιχάνω.

1482-3: οἱ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ / ἤλυθον: the searchers return after a frustrated mission (μεταμώνια μοχθήσαντες). The spondaic ending to the end of line 1483 and the use of the full ornamental titles of Euphemus and the Sons of Boreas close the episode of Heracles and the Hesperides before the narrative passes on to the death of Kanthos.

1484: μεταμώνια: “in vain”, perhaps punning on the associations with ἄνεμος and the “sons of the North Wind”.

Bibliography:

Beck, D. 2012. Speech Presentation in the Homeric Epics. Austin, TX.

Brügger, Claude. 2018. Homer’s Iliad, Book 16: The Basel Commentary. Boston and Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.

Kronenberg, Leah. 2018. ‘Seeing the Light, Part II: The Reception of Aratus’s LEPTĒ Acrostic in Greek and Latin Literature’. Dictynna. Revue de Poétique Latine, no. 15 (December). http://journals.openedition.org/dictynna/1575.

Lu Hsu, Katherine Elizabeth. 2020. The Violent Hero Heracles in the Greek Imagination. London. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-violent-hero-9781350153714/.

Lu, Katherine Elizabeth. 2013. ‘Heracles and Heroic Disaster’. Michigan. UjfWoN-kelu_1.pdf.

Spynoula, Barbara. 2008. ‘Animal-Similes and Creativity in the Posthomerica of Quintus of Smyrna’. University of St. Andrews. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2780.

Verhelst, Berenice. 2020. ‘Iliad – Reported Speech: Hypothetical – Direct Speech in Greek Epic Poetry’. 2020. https://www.dsgep.ugent.be/iliad-reported-speech-hypothetical/.