ΗΡΑΚΛΙΣΚΟΣ. ΕΙΔΥΛΛΙΟΝ κδ'. Ἡρακλέα δεκάμηνον ἐόντα ποχ ̓ ἡ Μιδεᾶτις Αλκμήνα, καὶ νυκτὶ νεώτερον Ιφικλήα, Αμφοτέρως λούσασα καὶ ἐμπλήσασα γάλακτος, Χαλκείαν κατέθηκεν ἐς ἀσπίδα, τὰν Πτερελάου Αμφιτρύων καλὸν ὅπλον ἀπεσκύλευσε πεσόντος. Απτομένα δὲ γυνὰ κεφαλᾶς μυθήσατο παίδων· 5 ΗΡΑΚΛΙ'ΣΚΟΣ. THE YOUNG HERCULES. The poet relates how Juno, urged by unrelenting anger, sent two huge serpents to the palace of Amphitryo, commissioned to destroy the infant Hercules; and how Hercules, then cradled in the shield of Pterelaus, and being only ten months old, strangled the monsters. Comp. Pindar's first Nemean Ode. Then follows the solemn prophecy of Tiresias concerning the hero's future life and glorious achievements: with an account of his masters and education. "This Idyl has been attributed to Moschus; but it certainly contains imagery and sentiment which have not a feature of his genius, and far indeed surpass his powers. There is surely no reason for refusing it a place among the Idyls of our poet. In some parts Theocritus rises above his usual tenor, and soars to the heights of epic poetry. Philostratus the younger has drawn a fine picture of this story, where the artist had, probably, a view to the poem before us." Polwhele. 1. Μιδεᾶτις. Οf Midea. Alcmena was so called from Midea, an ancient city of Argolis, on the ruins of which Argos was built. Comp. Pausan. vi. 20. 2. Ιφικλῆα. Proper names in -Kλos are often declined like those in -κλῆς, and again those in -κλῆς like those in -κλος. We read Ιφικλής in Pausan. viii. 14. and Ιφικλήα in Hesiod, Scut. Herc. vs. 111. Comp. Matth. Gr. Gr. § 92. 1. Πατροκλῆος and Πατροκλήα occur in Homer, Il. Λ. 601. P. 670. See Heyne on Virgil, An. vii. 585. Iphiclus was a twin-brother of Hercules, and his junior by one night.-4. 'Es ἀσπίδα. For this use of shields, consult Meursius on Callimachus, H. Jov. vs. 48. — Τὰν Πτερελάου. Virgil says nearly the same thing of the coat of mail, which was taken from Demoleus; En. v. 260. “ Loricam, quam Demoleo detraxerat ipse Victor apud rapidum Simoenta sub Ilio alto.' Concerning Pterelaus see Tzetzes on Lycophron, Cass. vs. 932. and Heyne on Apollodorus, ii. 4.5. He is called Πτερέλας by Tzetzes. 5. Απεσκύλευσε. The verb ἀποσκυλεύειν, like Εΰδετ' ἐμὰ βρέφεα γλυκερὸν καὶ ἐγέρσιμον ὕπνον, Εὕδετ ̓ ἐμὰ ψυχὰ, δύ ̓ ἀδελφεω, εὔσοα τέκνα, Ολβιοι εὐνάζοισθε, καὶ ὄλβιοι ἀῷ ἵκοισθε. Ως φαμένα δίνασε σάκος μέγα· τοὺς δ ̓ ἔλαβ ̓ ὕπνος. 10 Αμος δὲ στρέφεται μεσονύκτιον ἐς δύσιν ἄρκτος Ωρίωνα κατ' αὐτὸν, ὁ δ ̓ ἀμφαίνει μέγαν ὦμον· Τάμος ἄρ ̓ αἰνὰ πέλωρα δύω πολυμήχανος Ἥρη Κυανέαις φρίσσοντας ὑπὸ σπείραισι δράκοντας Ωρσεν ἐπὶ πλατὸν οὐδὲν, ὅθι σταθμὰ κοῖλα θυράων 15 Οἴκω, ἀπειλήσασα φαγεῖν βρέφος Ἡρακλῆα. Τὰ δ ̓ ἐξειλυσθέντες ἐπὶ χθονὶ γαστέρας ἄμφω Αἱμοβόρως ἐκύλιον· ἀπ ̓ ὀφθαλμῶν δὲ κακὸν πῦρ Ερχομένοις λάμπεσκε, βαρὺν δ ̓ ἐξέπτυον ἰόν. Αλλ' ὅτε δὴ παίδων λιχμώμενοι ἐγγύθεν ἦνθον, Καὶ τότ ̓ ἄρ ̓ ἐξέγροντο· (Διὸς νοέοντος ἅπαντα) 20 ἀφαιρεῖσθαι, is construed with a genitive of the person and an accusative of the thing. 7. Εὕδετ ̓ ἐμὰ βρέφεα. Dahl refers us to Casaubon on Theophrastus, Char. c. 7. for an account of the lullaby songs of antiquity. 11. Αμος δέ. Anacreon, iii. 1. Μεσονυκτίοις ποθ' ὥραις, • 12. Ωρίωνα κατ' αὐτόν. The Bear always has its head turned towards Orion. Hence Homer, Odyss. Ε. 274. ̓́Αρκτον ἣ Ωρίωνα δοκεύει. 13. Tâuos ἄρα. Then, therefore, Juno secretly sends, &c, i. e. in consequence of the late hour. Such is the force of the particle apa in this place. Comp. vs. 21. ii. 133. — 15. Σταθμὰ κοῖλα. The carved door-posts. Comp. Longinus, xliii. 2. Euripides, Orest. 1481. Iph. Taur. 49. For κολλα Jacobs refers to Sophocles, Ed. Τ. 1261. - 16. Οἴκω. Of the chamber. Comp. vs. 46. Homer, 17. Τὰ δ ̓ ἐξειλυσθέντες. They two unfolding their volumes. Here we have a plural participle with a dual pronoun. Comp. Matth. Gr. Gr. § 301. Many early editions, prior to that of Stephens, have ἐξειλυσθέντε, which Brunck adopts with the approbation of Valckenaer. Graefe prefers changing τὼ into τοί.— 18. ̓Απ' ὀφθαλμῶν. Virgil, Æn. ii. 210. Ardentesque oculos suffecti sanguine et igni, Sibila lambebant linguis vibrantibus ora.”19. Ερχομένοις. "And as along the marble floor they roll'd." Polwhele. So Reiske, “ inter eundum.” Comp. Apollonius Rhod. iv. 1541. Pearson conjectured δερκομένοις. 20. ̓Αλλ ̓ ὅτε δή. But when now, &c. These particles are much used in narrative. They constantly occur in Homer.- Λιχμώμενοι. Brandishing their tongues. Comp. Hesiod, Th. 826. — 21. Καὶ τότ ̓ ἄρα. And then of 25 Αλκμήνας φίλα τέκνα· φάος δ ̓ ἀνὰ οἶκον ἐτύχθη. 30 course they awoke, &c. Apa, in consequence of the omniscience of Jupiter. Comp. vs. 13.22. Φάος δ ̓ ἀνά. Warton supposes this light to have proceeded from the fiery eyes of the serpents. He prefers, however, the idea of a supernatural illumination. "The young Hercules cradled in Amphitryo's shield, is a finely imagined painting. We are at once struck with the propriety and novelty of the association. The description of the serpents, not even Pindar has exceeded: but there is something so extremely awful in the supernatural illumination of the chamber, at the hour of midnight, that we are ready to believe light, under certain circumstances, to be equally the source of the sublime with darkness." Polwhele. 23. Ητοι ὅγ ̓ εὐθύς. Then Iphiclus immediately, &c. Comp. Homer, Il. Α. 68. 101. 140. — Όπως. The same as ὡs here: when, as soon as. Comp. Viger, vii. § 10. 8. seqq. - 24. Αναι. δέας. Kiessling renders ἀναιδής here unersattlich, "insatiable;' the Latin translators " improbus.” 25. Ιφι κλέης. Like Ηρακλέης and Ἡρακλῆς. Comp. vs. 2. Matth. Gr. Gr. § 92. Οὔλαν δὲ ποσίν. Kicked off the shaggy coverlet with his feet. — 26. Ὁ δ' έναν τίος. But Hercules resisting clung to them (i.e. seized them) with his hands. 30. Περὶ παῖδα ὀψίγονον. Around the slow-born child. The birth of Hercules was delayed beyond the usual time, through the resentment of Juno. See Ovid, Met. ix. 273. seqq. and the commentators thereon. Thus Virgil, speaking of the serpents that devoured the sons of Laocoon, Æn. ii. 213. "Parva duorum Corpora natorum serpens amplexus uterque Implicat." 32. Αψ δὲ πάλιν. They loosed their spires again, when they had been wearied as to the spines of their backs. The first of these particles is redundant, and is always so when used with πάλιν, or with verbs compounded with ἀνά. Comp. Homer, Il. A. 59. Σ. 280. Ακάνθας is governed by κατὰ understood. Comp. Apollonius Rhod. iv. 150. 35. ̓́Ανσταθι. For ἀνάστηθι : arise. *Ανστα, μηδὲ πόδεσσι τεοῖς ὑπὸ σάνδαλα θείης. Οἴσετε πῦρ ὅτι θάσσον ἀπ ̓ ἐσχαρεῶνος ἑλόντες, Αμῶες ἐμοὶ, στιβαροὺς δὲ θυρῶν ἀνακόψατ ̓ ὀχῆας. *Ανστατε, δμῶες ταλασίφρονες. αὐτὸς ἀϋτεῖ. 45 50 In the next verse ἄνστα is also for ἀνάστηθι. See Matth. Gr. Gr. § 210. 5.36. Μηδὲ πόδεσσι. Comp. Huschke and Wunderlich on Tibullus, i. 3. 91. — 37. Παίδων ὁ νεώτερος. Comp. vs. 2.— 38. Ἢ οὐ νοέεις. The particles ἢ οὐ form but one syllable here. Comp. Euripides, Orest. 592. and Spitzner de Versu Gr. H. p. 181. — Ὅτι νυκτὸς ἀωρί. Comp. xi. 40. Warton thinks this is imitated from Homer, Odyss. T. 37. where Telemachus and Ulysses are surveying by night the armory of the royal palace. Comp. Sophocles, Trach. 880. — 40. Ἔστι τί μοι. Believe me, there is something strange in the house. — Φίλ ̓ ἀνδρῶν. Comp. xv. 75. and Schæfer on Bos, Ellips. p. 189. 42. Ο ῥ ̓ οἱ ὕπερθε. Which according to custom was always suspended from a peg, &c. Comp. Ernesti on Homer, Ι. Π. 288. D'Orville, Vann. Crit. p.334. Brunck on Apollonius Rhod. i. 526. iii. 845. iv. 582. and Matth. Gr. Gr. §16. 1. For the particle ῥα, i. e. ἄρα, see Idyl xviii. 1. — 43. Κεδρίνω. 47. Δὴ τότε. Then immediately. 49. ̓Ανακόψατε. Strike back, draw back.- 50. Ανστατε. Comp. vs. 35. After this verse is read in some MSS. Η ῥα γυνὴ Φοίνισσα μύλαις ἐπὶ κοῖτον ἔχοισιν, which Valckenaer thinks should stand between vss. 49. and 50. thus: Η ῥα γυνὴ Φοίνισσα μύλαις ἐπὶ κοῖτον ἔχοισα, Ανστατε, &c. Accord ing to Gaisford, the same verse is found in the Medicean MS. with the reading ἔχουσα. Οἱ δ' αἶψα προγένοντο λύχνοις ἅμα δαιομένοισι Αμῶες· ἐνεπλήσθη δὲ δόμος, σπεύδοντος ἑκάστω. Ἤτοι ἄρ ̓ ὡς εἴδοντ ̓ ἐπιτίτθιον Ἡρακλῆα Θῆρε δύω χείρεσσιν ἀπρὶξ ἁπαλαῖσιν ἔχοντα, Αλκμήνα μὲν ἔπειτα ποτὶ σφέτερον λάβε κόλπον 60 65 51. Οἱ δ' αἶψα. Comp. Homer, Il. Σ. 525. 53. Ἤτοι ἄρ ̓ ὥς. Then, therefore, when they saw, &c. Comp. vs. 23. 44. - Εἴδοντο. For εἶδον, as in Homer, II. A. 374. Comp. Matth. Gr. Gr. § 231. 1. 54. Απρίξ. Comp. xv. 68. - 56. Δεικανάασκεν. . Το ναιετάασκον in Homer, Il. B. 539. For this form see Matth. Gr. Gr. (199. and comp. Apollonius Rhod. ii. 142. 997. Ἐπάλλετο. He leaped high for joy. In this case it is Ionic and Doric for ἐφήλετο, imperfect of ἐφάλλομαι. Some translate it, he was agitated with joy, making it the imperfect of πάλλομαι. See the Lexicon Doricum of Portus.. 57. Γελάσας δὲ πάρος. Warton, after admiring the sublimity of the poet, adds : We have been terrified at the marvellous achievements of the infant Hercules. But here our sensations become mixed. While he throws the serpents at his father's feet, we have still a shade of terror on our minds ; but his engaging manner, so natural to his age, recalls our preconceptions of the child, and tempers our fear with the feelings of affection.” 59. Ποτὶ σφέτερον. The other she took to her breast, the fretful Iphiclus, withered through terror, i. e. pale, the blood having left his cheeks. Homer, 11. Κ. 376. has χλωρὸς ὑπαὶ δείους, which means the same thing. See. Kuster on Aristophanes, Thesm. 853. Thus Virgil, Æn. vii. 518. "Et tre-. pidæ matres pressere ad pectora natos. 61. Τὸν ἄλλον. Comp. vii. 36. 63. Ορνιχες τρίτον ἄρτι. The cocks now for the third time chanted (i. e. proclaimed) the last of twilight.— 65. Χρέος νεοχμόν. The strange affair. 67. Μηδ', εἴτι θεοί. Comp. Hoter, |