island, because I am of a rugged soil, and, having overturned it with his feet, spurn it into the billows of the deep, where me, indeed, the mighty wave will ever wash over the head; but he will go to another land, which may please him to build a temple and foliaged grove. But in me the polypuses and black sea-calves will make their unpleasing abodes, through lack of people. But if, O goddess, thou wouldst endure to swear unto me a mighty oath, that he will here first erect a beauteous temple, to be a place of oracles for men, but afterwards among all men, since he is of many names.[1]
Thus she spoke; and Latona swore the mighty oath of the gods [thus]: "Now may the earth and wide heaven above be witness to these things, and the down-flowing water of the Styx, (which is the mightiest and most dreadful oath to the blessed gods,) truly here shall there always be an incense-altar and enclosure of Phœbus, and he shall honour thee above all." But when indeed she had sworn, and had ended the oath, Delos rejoiced much at the birth[2] of the far-darting king. But Latona for nine days and nine nights was pierced with unexpected throes, and all the goddesses were within[3] [with her], as many as were best, both Dione, and Rhea, and Ichnæan[4] Themis, and loud-resounding Amphitrite, and the other immortals save only white-armed Juno; for she sat in the palace of cloud-compelling Jove, and birth-presiding Ilythia alone[5] had not known [of her labour]. For she was sitting
- ↑ Ernesti understands "tum ego utique te libenter, receperim," from vss. 62, 63. Hermann thinks there is a lacuna.
- ↑ i. e. at the prospect of being his birth-place, for he was not yet born.
- ↑ Hermann reads ἔνθαδε for ἔνδοθι. The latter phrase could be understood, if Latona had been regularly brought to bed in a palace or dwelling, and, in my opinion, it is metaphorically used, as though such were really the case. Chapman has well expressed the idea:
"Latona, thou nine days and nights did fall
In hopeless labour, at whose birth were all
Heaven's most supreme and worthy goddesses."The reader will perhaps call to mind the delivery of Sabra in the "Seven Champions," where there is a similar attendance of heathen goddesses, amusingly brought to the aid of the Christian knight's lady.
- ↑ So called from the city Ichnæa. Steph. Byz. s. v. p. 340, ed. Pined. ἰχναία ἡ θέμις· διωκομένη γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ Διὸς, κατελείφθη ἐν τοῖς τῶν Ἰχναίων τόποις. Καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ διωχθῆναι κατ' ἴχνος ὠνομάσθη. See Alberti on Hesych. t. ii. p. 88, and Muller, Dor. vol. i. p. 471, note, Append, i. § 5.
- ↑ There is much inelegance in νόσφιν λ. Ἥρης and μόυνη δ' οὐκ
