Philostratus: Imagines
τοίνυν· ἁβρὸν μὲν αὐτῇ τὸ εἶδος καὶ μάλα Ἰωνικόν, αἰδὼς δὲ τῷ εἴδει ἐπιπρέπει καὶ ἀπόχρη 15τοῦτο τῇ παρειᾷ τὸ ἄνθος, ἡ χαίτη δὲ ἀνείληπται μὲν ὑπὸ τὸ οὖς, ἐπικοσμεῖται δὲ καὶ κρηδέμνῳ ἁλουργεῖ. δῶρον Νηρηίδος ἢ Ναΐδος οἶμαι εἶναι τὸ κρήδεμνον· εἰκὸς γὰρ συγχορεύειν τὰς θεὰς ἐπὶ τῷ Μέλητι παρεχομένῳ 20τὰς πηγὰς οὐ πόρρω τῶν ἐκβολῶν. (5) Βλέπει δὲ οὕτω τι ἡδὺ καὶ ἀφελές, ὡς μηδὲ ὑπὸ τῶν δακρύων ἐξαλλάττειν τὸ ἵλεων. καὶ ἡ δέρη ἔτι ἡδίων ὑπὸ τοῦ μὴ κεκοσμῆσθαι· ὅρμοι γὰρ καὶ αὐγαὶ λίθων καὶ περιδέραια ταῖς 25μὲν ἐν μετρίῳ τῷ κάλλει γυναιξὶν οὐκ ἀηδῶς προσανθοῦσι καὶ νὴ Δί᾿ ὥρας τι ἐς αὐτὰς φέρουσιν, αἰσχραῖς δὲ καὶ ἄγαν ὡραίαις ἀντιπράττουσι· τὰς μὲν γὰρ ἐλέγχουσι, τῶν δὲ ἀπάγουσι. τὼ χεῖρε ἀνασκοπῶμεν· ἁπαλοὶ οἱ 30δάκτυλοι καὶ εὐμήκεις καὶ λευκοὶ κατὰ τὴν ὠλένην. ὁρᾷς δὲ καὶ τὴν ὠλένην ὡς διὰ λευκῆς τῆς ἐσθῆτος λευκοτέρα ὑποφαίνεται καὶ οἱ μαζοὶ ὀρθοὶ ὑπαυγάζουσι.
(6) Τί οὖν αἱ Μοῦσαι δεῦρο; τί δὲ ἐπὶ ταῖς 353 Κ.πηγαῖς τοῦ Μέλητος; Ἀθηναῖοι τὴν Ἰωνίαν ὅτε ἀπῴκιζον, Μοῦσαι ἡγοῦντο τοῦ ναυτικοῦ ἐν εἴδει μελιττῶν· ἔχαιρον γὰρ τῇ Ἰωνίᾳ διὰ τὸν Μέλητα ὡς Κηφισοῦ καὶ Ὀλμειοῦ ποτιμώτερον. 5ἐντεύξῃ μὲν οὖν αὐταῖς καὶ χορευούσαις ποτὲ ἐνταῦθα, νυνὶ δὲ γένεσιν τῷ Ὁμήρῳ αἱ Μοῦσαι κλώθουσι Μοίραις δοκοῦν, καὶ δώσει
Book II. 8
her figure is delicate and truly Ionian, and modesty is manifest upon it, and the colour we see in her cheeks suffices for them; and her hair is caught up under the ear1 and adorned with a veil of sea-purple. I think the veil is the gift of some Nereid or Naiad, for it is reasonable to assume that these goddesses dance together in honour of the river Meles, since it offers them fountains not far from its mouth. Her glance has something so charming and simple about it, that even tears do not cause it to lose its graciousness. Her neck is all the more lovely for not being adorned, since chains and flashing stones and necklaces lend a not unpleasing brilliancy to women of moderate beauty and by Zeus they contribute something of beauty to them, but they are not becoming to ugly women or to very beautiful women; for they show up the ugliness of the former and detract from the beauty of the latter. Let us examine the hands; the fingers are delicate, of graceful length, and as white as the fore-arm. And you see the forearm, how it appears yet whiter through the white garment; and the firm breasts gleam under the garment.
Why do the Muses come hither? Why are they present at the source of the Meles? When the Athenians set out to colonize Ionia, the Muses in the form of bees guided the fleet; for they rejoiced in Ionia, because the waters of Meles are sweeter than the waters of Cephisus and Olmeius.2 Some day, indeed, you will find them dancing there; but now, by decree of the fates, the Muses are spinning the birth of Homer; and Meles through his son3