in the fair water purely and holily, and swaddled thee in a white robe, fine, beautiful, and around they put on a golden roller.[1] Nor in truth did his mother suckle gold-falchioned Apollo, but Themis with her immortal hands offered him nectar and pleasant ambrosia, and Latona rejoiced, because she had brought forth a bow-bearing and valiant son. But when, O Phœbus, thou hadst tasted the immortal food, no longer did the golden swaddling-clothes hold thee panting, nor did the bandage keep thee, but all the restraints were broken. And straightway Phœbus Apollo spake among the immortals: "May a lyre and bending bow be mine, and I will declare to men the unerring counsel of Jove."[2]
Having spoken thus, Phœbus the far-darting, with unshorn locks, went from the wide-wayed earth, and all the immortal goddesses were terrified.[3] But then all Delos became heavy with gold,[4] beholding the offspring of Jove and Latona; rejoicing, because the god had chosen it out of the islands and the mainland, to settle [in it] his dwelling, and had loved it more from his heart.[5] It flourished, as when the summit of a mountain [flourishes] with the blossoms of the wood. But thou thyself, O thou of the silver bow, far-darting king Apollo, sometimes indeed didst walk on rocky Cynthus, and sometimes thou wouldst flee to the islands and their inhabitants?[6] Thine are full many temples and foliaged groves, and all the high rocks are dear [to thee], and the lofty summits of towering mountains, and the rivers that flow on into the sea. But thou, O Phœbus, art chiefly delighted in heart at Delos. There the long-trained Ionians are assembled in honour of thee, with their children[7] and respected wives. But they, mindful, delight thee with boxing, and dancing, and song, when they be-
- ↑ i. e. a swath-band decked or woven with gold.
- ↑ Cf. Æsch. Eum. 19, with Stanley's note. So in Callimachus in Dian. 6, Diana claims her prerogative from her father Zeus. On these offices of Apollo, cf. pseud-Orpheus, hymn. xxxiv, p. 295, ed. Herm.
- ↑ Cf. vs. 2, and Muller, Dorians, Bk. ii. ch. 6, p. 315. In the preceding line Matthiæ rightly reads ἐπὶ for ἀπὸ.
- ↑ This is expressed by Callimachus in his usual exaggerated style, in Del. vs. 260, sqq.
- ↑ Call. ibid. 269, Δήλιος Ἀπόλλων κεκλήσεται, οὐδέ τις ἄλλη Γαιάων τοσσόνδε θεῷ πεφιλήσεται ἄλλῳ.
- ↑ But Hermann on Vig. p. 718, and Ilgen, understand ἀνέρας of the inhabitants of the mainland, in contradistinction to νήσους.
- ↑ Hermann rightly reads αὐτοῖσιν παίδεσσι.
