What time or when, O my soul, wilt thou sing of holy Delos, nurse of Apollo? Surely all the Cyclades, most holy of the isles that lie in the sea, are goodly theme of song. But Delos would win the foremost guerdon from the Muses, since she it was that bathed Apollo, the lord of minstrels, and swaddled him, and was the first to accept him for a god. Even as the Muses abhor him who sings not of Pimpleia so Phoebus abhors him who forgets Delos. To Delos now will I give her share of song, so that Cynthian Apollo may praise me for taking thought of his dear nurse.
Wind-swept and stern is she set in the sea, and, wave-beaten as she is, is fitter haunt for gulls than course for horses. The sea, rolling greatly round her, casts off on her much spindrift of the Icarian water. Wherefore also sea-roaming fishermen have made her their home. But none need grudge that she be named among the first, whensoever unto Oceanus and unto Titan Tethys the islands gather and she ever leads the way. Behind her footsteps follow Phoenician Cyrnus, no mean isle, and
Abantian Macris of the Ellopians, and delectable Sardo, and the isle whereto Cypris first swam from the water and which for fee of her landing she keeps safe. They are strong by reason of sheltering towers, but Delos is strong by aid of Apollo. What defence is there more steadfast? Walls and stones may fall before the blast of Strymonian Boreas; but a god is unshaken for ever. Delos beloved, such is the champion that encompasses thee about!
Now if songs full many circle about thee, with what song shall I entwine thee? What is that which is pleasing unto thee to hear? Is it the tale how at the very first the mighty god smote the mountains with the three-forked sword which the Telchines fashioned for him, and wrought the islands in the sea, and from their lowest foundations lifted them all as with a lever and rolled them into the sea? And them in the depths he rooted from their foundations that they might forget the mainland. But no constraint afflicted thee, but free upon the open sea thou didst float; and thy name of old was Asteria, since like a star thou didst leap from heaven into the deep moat, fleeing wedlock with Zeus. Until then golden Leto consorted not with thee: then thou wert still Asteria and wert not yet called Delos. Oft-times did sailors coming from the town of fair-haired Troezen unto Ephyra within the Saronic gulf descry thee, and on their way back from Ephyra saw thee no more there, but thou hadst run to the swift straits of the narrow Euripus with its sounding stream.
And the same day, turning thy back on the waters of the sea of Chalcis, thou didst swim to the Sunian headland of the Athenians or to Chios or to the wave-washed breast of the Maiden’s Isle, now yet called Samos—where the nymphs of Mycalessos, neighbours of Ancaeus, entertained thee.
But when thou gavest thy soil to be the birthplace of Apollo, seafaring men gave thee this name in exchange, since no more didst thou float obscure (ἄδηλος) upon the water, but amid the waves of the Aegean sea didst plant the roots of thy feet.
And thou didst not tremble before the anger of Hera, who murmured terribly against all childbearing women that bare children to Zeus, but especially against Leto, for that she only was to bear to Zeus a son dearer even than Ares. Wherefore also she herself kept watch within the sky, angered in her heart greatly and beyond telling, and she prevented Leto who was holden in the pangs of child-birth. And she had two look-outs set to keep watch upon the earth. The space of the continent did bold Ares watch, sitting armed on the high top of Thracian Haemus, and his horses were stalled by the seven-chambered cave of Boreas. And the other kept watch over the far-flung islands, even the daughter of Thaumas seated on Mimas, whither she had sped.
There they sat and threatened all the cities which Leto approached and prevented them from receiving her. Fled Arcadia, fled Auge’s holy hill Parthenium, fled after her aged Pheneius, fled all the land of Pelops that lies beside the Isthmus, save only Aegialos and Argos. For on those ways she set not her feet, since Inachus belonged unto Hera. Fled, too, Aonia on the same course, and Dirce and Strophia, holding the hands of their sire, dark-pebbled Ismenus; far behind followed Asopus, heavy-kneed, for he was marred by a thunderbolt. And the earth-born nymph Melia wheeled about thereat and ceased from the dance and her cheek paled as she panted for her coeval oak, when she saw the locks of Helicon tremble. Goddesses mine, ye Muses, say did the oaks come into being at the same time as the Nymphs? The nymphs rejoice when the rain makes the oaks to grow; and again the Nymphs weep when there are no longer leaves upon the oaks. And Apollo, yet in his mother’s womb, was sore angered against them and he uttered against Thebe no ineffectual threat: “Thebe, wherefore, wretched one, dost thou ask the doom that shall be thine anon?
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