Philostratus: Imagines
κε΄ ΑΝΔΡΙΟΙ
15(1) Τὸ τοῦ οἴνου ῥεῦμα τὸ ἐν Ἄνδρῳ τῇ νήσῳ καὶ οἱ μεθύοντες τοῦ ποταμοῦ Ἄνδριοι λόγος εἰσὶ τῆς γραφῆς. Ἀνδρίοις γάρ δὴ ἐκ Διονύσου ἡ γῆ ὕποινος ῥήγνυται καὶ ποταμὸν αὐτοῖς ἀναδίδωσιν· εἰ μὲν ἐνθυμηθείης ὕδωρ, οὔπω μέγα, εἰ 20δὲ οἶνον, μέγας ὁ ποταμὸς καὶ θεῖος· ἔστι γὰρ τούτου ἀρυσαμένῳ Νείλου τε ὑπεριδεῖν καὶ Ἴστρου καί που φάναι περὶ αὐτῶν, ὅτι κἀκεῖνοι βελτίους ἂν ἐδόκουν ὀλίγοι μέν, ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτοι ῥέοντες.
25(2) Καὶ ᾄδουσιν οἶμαι ταῦτα γυναίοις ἅμα καὶ παιδίοις ἐστεφανωμένοι κιττῷ τε καὶ σμίλακι, οἱ1 μὲν χορεύοντες ἐφ᾿ ἑκατέρας ὄχθης, οἱ δὲ κατακείμενοι. εἰκὸς δέ που κἀκεῖνα εἶναι τῆς ᾠδῆς, ὡς δόνακα μὲν Ἀχελῷος, Πηνειὸς δὲ 30Τέμπη φέρει, Πακτωλὸς δὲ . . .2 ἄνθη λοιπόν, οὑτοσὶ δὲ ὁ ποταμὸς πλουσίους τ᾿ ἀποφαίνει
Book I. 25
25. Andrians
The stream of wine which is on the island of Andros, and the Andrians who have become drunken from the river, are the subject of this painting. For by act of Dionysus the earth of the Andrians is so charged with wine that it bursts forth and sends up for them a river; if you have water in mind, the quantity is not great, but if wine, it is a great river—yes, divine! For he who draws from it may well disdain both Nile and Ister and may say of them that they also would be more highly esteemed if they were small, provided their streams were like this one.
These things, methinks, the men, crowned with ivy and bryony, are singing to their wives and children, some dancing on either bank, some reclining. And very likely this also is the theme of their song—that while the Acheloüs bears reeds, and the Peneius waters Tempe, and the Pactolus . . . flowers, this river makes men rich, and powerful in the assembly, and helpful to their friends, and