Chapter 14: Thebes
Previous Page Table of Contents Next Page
♠ Il 4.376-98 – Homer, Iliad
Once verily he came to Mycenae, not as an enemy, but as a guest, in company with godlike Polyneices, to gather a host; for in that day they were waging a war against the sacred walls of Thebe, and earnestly did they make prayer that glorious allies be granted them; and the men of Mycenae were minded to grant them, and were assenting even as they bade, but Zeus turned their minds by showing tokens of ill. So when they had departed and were with deep reeds, that coucheth in the grass, there did the Achaeans send forth Tydeus on an embassage. And he went his way, and found the many sons of Cadmus feasting in the house of mighty Eteocles. Then, for all he was a stranger, the horseman Tydeus feared not, all alone though he was amid the many Cadmeians, but challenged them all to feats of strength and in every one vanquished he them full easily; such a helper was Athene to him. But the Cadmeians, goaders of horses, waxed wroth, and as he journeyed back, brought and set a strong ambush, even fifty youths, and two there were as leaders, Maeon, son of Haemon, peer of the immortals, and Autophonus’ son, Polyphontes, staunch in fight. But Tydeus even upon these let loose a shameful fate, and slew them all; one only man suffered he to return home; Maeon he sent forth in obedience to the portents of the gods. Greek Text
♠ Hesiod, Ehoiai (Catalogue of Women) fr 193 MW – Fragmenta Hesiodea, p. 92, ed. R. Merkelbach and M. L. West. Oxford 1967.
Alkmaon, s[hephe]rd [of] the army . . . the trailing-ro[bed] daughters of Kadmos . . . [was] astounded, seeing the body before . . . of sorrowful Oidipodes . . . beast . . . Danaan [warrior]s, servants of Are[s] . . . to Polyneikes . . . by Zeus’s divine . . .
. . . from deep-swirli[ng] Alpheios on [hor]ses and fast[ened] chariots [Elektryon brought Lysidike,] the gorgeous [daughter] of Pelops. [She bore him child]ren, mount[ing] the same bed: [Gorgophonos] the warrior and the spearman Per[i-] . . . and Nomios and Kelaineus [and] Am[phimachos] and [Deimachos] and Eurybios and famous E[pilaos. And them] the ship-famous Taphi[an]s sl[ew over roll]foot cattle, [sailing] in [s]hips over the s[ea’s] w[i]de back f[rom] the Echinai [islands; but Alkmene] alone was l[eft] as a joy to her pa[rents, dau]ght[er of Lysidike] and [of illustrious El]ektryon . . . to the b[lack-]cloud [son of] Kro[nos] . . . (Transl. Silvio Curtis)
♠ Thebais fr 1 PEG – Poetae Epici Graeci, p. 22, ed. A. Bernabé. Leipzig 1987.
Sing, Goddess, of thirsty Argos, whence the lords… (Transl. T. N. Gantz)
♠ Thebais fr 2 PEG – Poetae Epici Graeci, pp. 23-24, ed. A. Bernabé. Leipzig, 1987.
♠ Athen 11.465e – Athenaios, Dipnosophists
And Xenophon, in the eighth book of his Cyropædia, speaking of the Persians, writes as follows—“And also they pride themselves exceedingly on the possession of as many goblets as possible; and even if they have acquired them by notorious malpractices, they are not at all ashamed of so doing; for injustice and covetousness are carried on to a great degree among them.” But Œdipus cursed his sons on account of some drinking-cups (as the author of the Cyclic poem called [p. 735] the Thebais says), because they set before him a goblet which he had forbidden; speaking as follows:— Greek Text
Previous Page Table of Contents Next Page
Edited by Elena Bianchelli, Senior Lecturer of Classical Languages and Culture, Univ. of Georgia, March 2020
569 total views, 1 views today