[14] ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΤΟΥ ΑΘΑΜΑΝΤΟΣ ΕΙΚΟΝΑ. Εἰκὼν ἦν ἐπὶ ταῖς Σκυθικαῖς ἠιόσιν οὐκ εἰς ἐπίδειξιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγωνίαν τῶν τῆς γραφῆς καλῶν οὐκ ἀμούσως ἐξησκημένη. ἐκτετύπωται δὲ κατ´ αὐτὴν Ἀθάμας μανίαις οἰστρούμενος. ἦν δ´ ἰδεῖν γυμνός, αἵματι φοινίσσων τὴν κόμην, ἠνεμωμένος τὴν τρίχα, παράφορος τὸ ὄμμα, ἐκπληξίας γέμων καὶ ὥπλιστο δὲ οὐ μανίαις μόνον εἰς τόλμαν οὐδὲ τοῖς ἐξ Ἐρινύων δείμασι θυμοφθόροις ἠγρίαινεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σίδηρον τῆς χειρὸς προβέβλητο ἐκθέοντι παραπλήσιος. ἡ μὲν γὰρ εἰκὼν ὄντως ἦν ἀκίνητος, ἐδόκει δὲ οὐ τηρεῖν τὸ στάσιμον, ἀλλὰ δόξῃ κινήσεως τοὺς θεατὰς ἐξίστη. παρῆν δὲ ἡ Ἰνὼ περιδεής, ὑπότρομος, ὑπὸ τοῦ φόβου χλωρόν τι καὶ τεθνηκὸς ὁρῶσα, ἐνηγκάλιστο δὲ καὶ παῖδα νήπιον καὶ τὴν θηλὴν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ προσῆγε τὰς τροφίμους ἐπιστάζουσα πηγὰς τοῖς τροφίμοις. ἐπήγετο δὲ ἡ εἰκὼν καὶ τὴν ἄκραν τοῦ Σκείρωνος καὶ τὴν θάλατταν τὴν ὑπόρειον, τὸ δὲ ῥόθιον πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν ἐκολποῦτο κυμαίνειν εἰωθός, καὶ Ζεφύρου τι κατέχει τὸ σῶμα λιγυρῷ πνεύματι τὴν θάλατταν κατευνάζοντος· ὁ γὰρ δὴ κηρὸς ἐφάνταζε τὴν αἴσθησιν, ὡς καὶ πνοὴν δημιουργεῖν ἐπιστάμενος καὶ ἀνακοντίζειν θαλασσίους αὔρας καὶ εἰς ἔργα φύσεως ἐπάγειν τὴν μίμησιν. παρεσκίρτων δὲ καὶ ἐνάλιοι δελφῖνες τὸ ῥόθιον ἐν τῇ γραφῇ τέμνοντες καὶ ὁ κηρὸς ἐδόκει διαπνέεσθαι καὶ πρὸς τὸ τῆς θαλάττης νοτίζεσθαι μίμημα πρὸς αὐτῆς τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἐξαλλαττόμενος. ἔν γε μὴν τοῖς τοῦ πίνακος τέρμασιν Ἀμφιτρίτη τις ἐκ βυθῶν ἀνέβη ἄγριόν τι καὶ φρικῶδες ὁρῶσα καὶ γλαυκόν τι σέλας ἐκ τῶν ὀμμάτων μαρμαίρουσα, Νηρηίδες δὲ περὶ αὐτὴν εἱστήκεσαν, ἁπαλαὶ δὲ ἦσαν αὗται καὶ ἀνθηραὶ προσιδεῖν καὶ ἀφροδίσιον ἵμερον ἐξ ὀμμάτων στάζουσαι, ὑπὲρ δὲ ἄκρων τῶν θαλασσίων κυμάτων ἑλίσσουσαι τὴν χορείαν ἔπληττον. περὶ δὲ αὐτὰς Ὠκεανὸς βα- - - ὤχετό γε μικροῦ τῆς τοῦ ποταμοῦ κινήσεως καὶ κυμαίνειν δειχθείσης.

[14] ON THE FIGURE OF ATHAMAS. There was a figure on the Scythian shores, not set up for display but fashioned not inelegantly for a contest of beauty in painting. It represented Athamas goaded on by madness. He was shown as naked, his hair reddened with blood and its locks flying in the wind, his eye distraught, himself filled with consternation ; and he was armed not by madness alone for a rash deed, nor did he rage merely with the soul-consuming fears which the Furies send; nay, he even held a sword out in front of him, like a man making a sally. For though the figure was in reality withoùt motion, yet it seemed not to retain a fixed position ; instead it astonished those who saw it by a semblance of motion. Ino too was present, in a state of terror, trembling slightly, her face pale and corpse-like through fright ; and she embraced her infant child and held her breast to its lips, letting the nurturing drops fall on the nursling. The figure of Ino was hastening towards the promontory of Sceiron and the sea at the foot of the mountain, and the breakers that were wont to surge in billows were spreading out in a hollow to receive her, and something of Zephyrus pervaded the waters as he with shrill blast lulled the sea to rest. For in truth the wax beguiled the senses into thinking that it could fashion a breeze and cause the sea winds to rise and could apply the art of imitation to nature's works. And sea-dolphins were sporting near by, coursing through the waves in the painting, and the wax seemed to be tossed by the wind and to become wet in imitation of the sea, assuming the sea's own qualities. Moreover, at the outer edges of the painting an Amphitrite rose from the depths, a creature of savage and terrifying aspect who flashed from her eyes a bright radiance. And round about her stood Nereids; these were dainty and bright to look upon, distilling love's desire from their eyes ; and circling in their dance over crests of the sea's waves, they amazed the spectator. About them flowed Oceanus, the motion of his Stream being well-nigh like the billows of the sea.