⸻ · ⸻
At the temple of Hecate
Biagio d'Antonio, The Betrothal of Jason and Medea, 1487 · Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris · public domain
3.948
The Argonautica 3.948 · Waiting at the temple3.948Waiting at the temple
Lines 948–955. At Hecate's temple Medea sings and plays with her handmaids while she waits for Jason.
· · ·
οὐδʼ1
oud’
Notnor
ἄρα2
ára
—
Μηδείης3
Mēdeíēs
Medea'sof Medea
θυμὸς4
thymòs
mindspirit, heart
τράπετʼ5
trápet’
turnedturned itself
νοῆσαι6
noêsai
to think ofto perceive
ἄλλα7
álla
anything elseother things
, μελπομένης8
melpoménēs
singingas she sang
περ9
per
thougheven
ὅμως10
hómōs
all the samenevertheless
; ἥντινʼ11
hḗntin’
whateverwhichever
μολπήν12
molpḗn
songsong and dance
ἀθύροι13
athýroi
she struck upshe might play
, πᾶσαι14
pâsai
every songall
δέ15
dé
—
οὐκ16
ouk
not
ἐφήνδανεν17
ephḗndanen
pleasedwas pleasing
οἱ18
hoi
herto her
ἐπὶ19
epì
for
δηρὸν20
dēròn
long
ἑψιάασθαι21
hepsiáasthai
to play atto amuse oneself
. ἀλλὰ22
allà
But
μεταλλήγεσκεν23
metallḗgesken
she kept breaking offused to leave off
ἀμήχανος24
amḗchanos
helplessat a loss
, οὐδέ25
oudé
notnor
ποτʼ26
pot’
ever
ἔχʼ27
éch’
did she keepheld
ὄσσε28
ósse
her eyestwo eyes
ἀτρέμας29
atrémas
stillwithout trembling
μεθʼ30
meth’
ontoward
ὅμιλον31
hómilon
the groupthrong
ἀμφιπόλων32
amphipólōn
of her handmaidsattendants
, δὲ33
dè
but
παπταίνεσκε34
paptaíneske
she kept gazinglooked about
τηλόσε35
tēlóse
farto a distance
ἐς36
es
downto
κελεύθους37
keleúthous
the roadspaths
, παρακλίνουσα38
paraklínousa
turningbending aside
παρειάς39
pareiás
her facecheeks
. ἦ40
ê
Trulysurely
θαμὰ41
thamà
often
δὴ42
dḕ
—
κέαρ43
kéar
her heart
ἐάγη44
eágē
brokewas broken
στηθέων45
stēthéōn
in her breastfrom the breast
ὁππότε46
hoppóte
wheneverwhen
δοάσσαι47
doássai
she imaginedfancied
δοῦπον48
doûpon
the soundthud
ἢ49
ḕ
eitheror
ποδὸς50
podòs
of a footstepof a foot
ἢ51
ḕ
or
ἀνέμοιο52
anémoio
of the wind
παραθρέξαντα53
parathréxanta
rushing pastrunning by
. Nor could Medea's mind turn to think of anything else, though she sang all the same; whatever song she struck up, none of them pleased her long to play at. But she kept breaking off, helpless, and never held her eyes still on the group of her handmaids, but kept gazing far down the roads, turning her face aside. Again and again her heart broke in her breast whenever she imagined the sound of a footstep or the wind rushing past.
Nor could Medea's mind turn to think of anything else, though she sang all the same; whatever song she struck up, none of them pleased her long to play at. But she kept breaking off, helpless, and never held her eyes still on the group of her handmaids, but kept gazing far down the roads, turning her face aside. Again and again her heart broke in her breast whenever she imagined the sound of a footstep or the wind rushing past.
Interpretation
Nor could Medea turn her mind to anything else, though she sang. Whatever song she struck up, none of them pleased her for long; she kept breaking off, helpless, and never held her eyes still on her band of handmaids, but kept turning her face to gaze far down the roads. Again and again her heart broke in her breast whenever she imagined the sound of a footstep or of the wind rushing past.
Medea has come to Hecate's temple with her handmaids to meet Jason in secret. She sings, as a priestess would, and plays with the girls, but no song holds her. Mooney paraphrases: of all the games she made merry with, none pleased her long, and she broke off one after another in her restlessness.
Every sound makes her heart lurch. Mooney sets beside it a line of Sophocles, "to one who is afraid, everything rustles," and Aeneas in the burning city, startled by every breath of air (Aeneid 2.728). δοάσσαι is Apollonius' own use of the word: LSJ quotes this line for it, "when she imagined a noise."
3.956
The Argonautica 3.956 · Like Sirius3.956Like Sirius
Lines 956–961. Jason comes into sight, and Apollonius compares him to Sirius rising.
· · ·
But not long after, he appeared to her longing eyes, springing up high like Sirius from Ocean, which rises beautiful and brilliant to see, but brings untold misery upon the flocks. So to her came the son of Aeson, beautiful to look on, and his appearing woke the ache of lovesick longing.