Oppian
ΚΥΝΗΓΕΤΙΚΩΝ ΤΟ Β
Εἰ1 δ᾿ ἄγε μοι, Ζηνὸς θύγατερ, καλλίσφυρε Φοίβη, παρθένε χρυσομίτρη, δίδυμον γένος Ἀπόλλωνι, εἰπέμεναι μερόπων τίς ἀγασθενέων θ᾿ ἡρώων σῆς ἀπὸ χειρὸς ἄειρε μεγακλέα δήνεα θήρης.
5Ἀμφὶ πόδας Φολόης ἀνεμώδεος ἄγρια φῦλα θηρομιγῆ, μερόπων μὲν ἐπ᾿ ἰξύας, ἰξυόφιν δὲ ἵππων ἡμιβρότων, ἐπιδόρπιον εὕρετο θήρην. ἐν μερόπεσσι δὲ πρῶτος ὁ Γοργόνος αὐχέν᾿ ἀμέρσας,2 Ζηνὸς χρυσείοιο πάϊς κλυτός, εὕρετο Περσεύς· 10ἀλλὰ ποδῶν κραιπνῇσιν ἀειρόμενος πτερύγεσσι καὶ πτῶκας καὶ θῶας ἐλάζυτο καὶ γένος αἰγῶν ἀγροτέρων δόρκους τε θοοὺς ὀρύγων τε γένεθλα ἠδ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐλάφων στικτῶν αἰπεινὰ κάρηνα. ἱππαλέην δ᾿ ἄγρην ὁ φαεσφόρος εὕρετο Κάστωρ· 15καὶ τοὺς μὲν κατέπεφνεν ἐπίσκοπον ἰθὺς ἄκοντι βαλλόμενος, τοὺς δ᾿ αὖτε θοοῖς ἵπποισιν ἐλαύνων θῆρας ἕλε ξυνοχῇσι μεσημβρινοῖο δρόμοιο.
Cynegtica, II
Cynegetica, or the Chase II
Come now, daughter of Zeus, fair-ankled Phoebe, maid of the golden snood, twin birth with Apollo, declare, I pray thee, who among men and mighty heroes received at thy hands the glorious devices of the chase.
By the foot of windy Pholoea did savage tribes, half-beast half-men, human to the waist but from the waist horses, invent the chase for pastime after the banquet.b Among men it was invented first by him who cut off the Gorgon’s head, even Perseus,c the son of golden Zeus; howbeit he soared on the swift wingsd of his feet to capture Hares and Jackals and the tribe of wild Goats and swift Gazelles and the breeds of Oryx and the high-headed dappled Deer themselves. Hunting on horseback did Castor, bringer of light,e discover; and some beasts he slew by straight hurling of his javelin to the mark; others he pursued on swift horses and put them to bayf in the noontide chase. Saw-toothedg dogs were
- aM. in Arcadia, home of the Centaurs.
- bFor ἐπιδόρπιον cf. μεταδόρπια Plat. Critias, 115 b.
- cS. of Danae whom Zeus visited in a golden rain.
- dThe winged shoes of Perseus. Apollod. ii. 4. 2.
- eCastor and Pollux became the constellation Gemini, the Twins, and aid those in peril at sea; Claud. Bell. Gild. i. 221 caeca sub nocte vocati Naufraga Ledaei sustentant vela Lacones. Cf. Callim, (Loeb) H. v. 24 n. For dogs called καστορίαι cf. Xen. C. 3. 1; Poll. v. 39.
- fLit. “took (slew) in the narrows.” Cf. Lat. angustiae. The phrase is from Hom. Il. xxiii. 330 ἐν ξυνοχῇσιν ὁδοῦ.
- gC. iii. 5 n.