ἐφεξῆς δὲ τὰς Πανδάρεω θυγατέρας ἔγραψεν ὁ Πολύγνωτος. Ὁμήρῳ δὲ ἐν Πηνελόπης λόγοις ἐστὶν ὡς ἀποθάνοιεν μὲν ταῖς παρθένοις οἱ γεινάμενοι κατὰ μήνιμα ἐκ θεῶν, αὐτὰς δὲ ὀρφανὰς τραφῆναι μὲν ὑπὸ Ἀφροδίτης, λαβεῖν δὲ καὶ παρʼ ἄλλων θεῶν, Ἥρας μὲν φρονεῖν τε ἱκανὰς εἶναι καὶ εἶδος καλάς, μῆκος δὲ τοῦ σώματος Ἄρτεμίν φησιν αὐταῖς δωρήσασθαι, ἔργα δὲ γυναιξὶν ἁρμόζοντα ὑπὸ Ἀθηνᾶς διδαχθῆναι.
Ἀφροδίτην μὲν οὖν ἐς οὐρανὸν ἀνέρχεσθαι, παρὰ Διὸς γάμον εὐδαίμονα ἐθέλουσαν ταῖς παισὶν εὕρασθαι, τὰς δὲ ἀπούσης ἐκείνης ἁρπασθῆναί τε ὑπὸ Ἁρπυιῶν καὶ Ἐρινύσιν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν δοθῆναι. τάδε μέν ἐστιν ἐς αὐτὰς Ὁμήρῳ πεποιημένα, Πολύγνωτος δὲ κόρας τε ἐστεφανωμένας ἄνθεσι καὶ παιζούσας ἔγραψεν ἀστραγάλοις, ὄνομα δὲ αὐταῖς Καμειρώ τε καὶ Κλυτίη. τὸν δὲ Πανδάρεων Μιλήσιόν τε ἐκ Μιλήτου τῆς Κρητικῆς ὄντα ἴστω τις καὶ ἀδικήματος ἐς τὴν κλοπὴν Ταντάλῳ καὶ τοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ ὅρκῳ μετασχόντα σοφίσματος.
μετὰ δὲ τοῦ Πανδάρεω τὰς κόρας Ἀντίλοχος τὸν μὲν ἕτερον ἐπὶ πέτρας τῶν ποδῶν, τὸ δὲ πρόσωπον καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐπὶ ταῖς χερσὶν ἀμφοτέραις ἔχων ἐστίν, Ἀγαμέμνων δὲ μετὰ τὸν Ἀντίλοχον σκήπτρῳ τε ὑπὸ τὴν ἀριστερὰν μασχάλην ἐρειδόμενος καὶ ταῖς χερσὶν ἐπανέχων ῥάβδον· Πρωτεσίλαος δὲ πρὸς Ἀχιλλέα ἀφορᾷ καθεζόμενος. καὶ ὁ Πρωτεσίλαος τοιοῦτον παρέχεται σχῆμα, ὑπὲρ δὲ τὸν Ἀχιλλέα Πάτροκλός ἐστιν ἑστηκώς. οὗτοι πλὴν τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος οὐκ ἔχουσι γένεια οἱ ἄλλοι.
γέγραπται δὲ ὑπὲρ αὐτοὺς Φῶκός τε ἡλικίαν μειράκιον καὶ Ἰασεὺς γενείων μὲν εὖ ἔχων, δακτύλιον δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἀριστερᾶς τοῦ Φώκου περιαιρούμενος χειρὸς ἐπὶ τοιῷδέ ἐστι λόγῳ. Φώκῳ τῷ Αἰακοῦ διαβάντι ἐξ Αἰγίνης ἐς τὴν νῦν καλουμένην Φωκίδα, καὶ ἀνθρώπων τε ἀρχὴν τῶν ἐν τῇ ἠπείρῳ ταύτῃ κτήσασθαι καὶ αὐτῷ θέλοντι ἐνταῦθα οἰκῆσαι, ἀφίκετο ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ὁ Ἰασεὺς φιλίας, καί οἱ δῶρα ἄλλα τε ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς ἐδωρήσατο καὶ λίθου σφραγῖδα ἐνδεδεμένην χρυσῷ· Φώκῳ δὲ οὐ μετὰ πολὺν χρόνον ἀνακομισθέντι ἐς Αἴγιναν Πηλεὺς αὐτίκα ἐβούλευσε τοῦ βίου τὴν τελευτήν. καὶ τοῦδε ἕνεκα ἐν τῇ γραφῇ ἐς ἀνάμνησιν ἐκείνης τῆς φιλίας ὅ τε Ἰασεὺς τὴν σφραγῖδά ἐστιν ἐθέλων θεάσασθαι καὶ ὁ Φῶκος παρεὶς λαβεῖν αὐτήν.
ὑπὲρ τούτους Μαῖρά ἐστιν ἐπὶ πέτρᾳ καθεζομένη· περὶ δὲ αὐτῆς πεποιημένα ἐστὶν ἐν Νόστοις ἀπελθεῖν μὲν παρθένον ἔτι ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, θυγατέρα δὲ αὐτὴν εἶναι Προίτου τοῦ Θερσάνδρου, τὸν δὲ εἶναι Σισύφου. ἐφεξῆς δὲ τῆς Μαίρας Ἀκταίων ἐστὶν ὁ Ἀρισταίου καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ἀκταίωνος μήτηρ, νεβρὸν ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ἔχοντες ἐλάφου καὶ ἐπὶ δέρματι ἐλάφου καθεζόμενοι· κύων τε θηρευτικὴ παρακατάκειταί σφισι βίου τοῦ Ἀκταίωνος ἕνεκα καὶ τοῦ ἐς τὴν τελευτὴν τρόπου.
ἀποβλέψαντι δὲ αὖθις ἐς τὰ κάτω τῆς γραφῆς, ἔστιν ἐφεξῆς μετὰ τὸν Πάτροκλον οἷα ἐπὶ λόφου τινὸς Ὀρφεὺς καθεζόμενος, ἐφάπτεται δὲ καὶ τῇ ἀριστερᾷ κιθάρας, τῇ δὲ ἑτέρᾳ χειρὶ ἰτέας ψαύει· κλῶνές εἰσιν ὧν ψαύει, προσανακέκλιται δὲ τῷ δένδρῳ. τὸ δὲ ἄλσος ἔοικεν εἶναι τῆς Περσεφόνης, ἔνθα αἴγειροι καὶ ἰτέαι δόξῃ τῇ Ὁμήρου πεφύκασιν· Ἑλληνικὸν δὲ τὸ σχῆμά ἐστι τῷ Ὀρφεῖ, καὶ οὔτε ἡ ἐσθὴς οὔτε ἐπίθημά ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ Θρᾴκιον.
τῷ δένδρῳ δὲ τῇ ἰτέᾳ κατὰ τὸ ἕτερον μέρος προσανακεκλιμένος ἐστὶν αὐτῇ Προμέδων. εἰσὶ μὲν δὴ οἳ νομίζουσι καθάπερ ἐς ποίησιν ἐπεσῆχθαι τὸ Προμέδοντος ὄνομα ὑπὸ τοῦ Πολυγνώτου· τοῖς δὲ εἰρημένον ἐστὶν ἄνδρα Ἕλληνα ἔς τε τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν γενέσθαι φιλήκοον μουσικὴν καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ᾠδῇ μάλιστα τῇ Ὀρφέως.
κατὰ τοῦτο τῆς γραφῆς Σχεδίος ὁ Φωκεῦσιν ἡγησάμενος ἐς Τροίαν καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Πελίας ἐστὶν ἐν θρόνῳ καθεζόμενος, τὰ γένεια ὁμοίως καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν πολιός, ἐνορᾷ δὲ ἐς τὸν Ὀρφέα· ὁ δὲ Σχεδίος ἐγχειρίδιόν τε ἔχων καὶ ἄγρωστίν ἐστιν ἐστεφανωμένος. Θαμύριδι δὲ ἐγγὺς καθεζομένῳ τοῦ Πελίου διεφθαρμέναι αἱ ὄψεις καὶ ταπεινὸν ἐς ἅπαν σχῆμά ἐστι καὶ ἡ κόμη πολλὴ μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς, πολλὴ δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν τοῖς γενείοις· λύρα δὲ ἔρριπται πρὸς τοῖς ποσί, κατεαγότες αὐτῆς οἱ πήχεις καὶ αἱ χορδαὶ κατερρωγυῖαι.
ὑπὲρ τούτου ἐστὶν ἐπὶ πέτρας καθεζόμενος Μαρσύας, καὶ Ὄλυμπος παρʼ αὐτὸν παιδός ἐστιν ὡραίου καὶ αὐλεῖν διδασκομένου σχῆμα ἔχων. οἱ δὲ ἐν Κελαιναῖς Φρύγες ἐθέλουσι μὲν τὸν ποταμὸν ὃς διέξεισιν αὐτοῖς διὰ τῆς πόλεως ἐκεῖνόν ποτε εἶναι τὸν αὐλητήν, ἐθέλουσι δὲ καὶ εὕρημα εἶναι τοῦ Μαρσύου τὸ Μητρῷον αὔλημα· φασὶ δὲ ὡς καὶ τὴν Γαλατῶν ἀπώσαιντο στρατείαν τοῦ Μαρσύου σφίσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους ὕδατί τε ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ μέλει τῶν αὐλῶν ἀμύναντος.
Next Polygnotus has painted the daughters of Pandareos. Homer, in a speech of Penelope, says that the parents of the damsels perished by the wrath of the gods, and that the orphan girls were brought up by Aphrodite, and received gifts from other goddesses, from Hera wisdom and beauty, from Artemis tall stature, and from Athena instruction in women’s work. But Aphrodite (he goes on) went up to heaven to obtain a happy marriage for the girls from Zeus, and in her absence they were snatched away by the Harpies, and by them given over to the Furies. Such is Homer’s account of them. Polygnotus has painted the damsels crowned with flowers and playing at dice: their names are Camiro and Clytie. You must know that Pandareos was a native of Miletus in Crete, and that he was an accomplice in Tantalus’ theft and in the stratagem of the oath. After the daughters of Pandareos there is Antilochus, with one foot on a rock and his face and head resting on both his hands. After Antilochus there is Agamemnon leaning on his sceptre, which is under his left armpit, while he holds up a rod in his hands. Protesilaus is looking at Achilles, who is seated. Such is the attitude of Protesilaus. Above Achilles is Patroclus standing. All these except Agamemnon are beardless.
Above them is Phocus, depicted as a lad, and Iaseus, the latter well bearded. Iaseus is represented taking a ring off the left hand of Phocus, which is explained by the following legend. When Phocus, son of Aeacus, crossed from Aegina to what is now called Phocis, and was desirous of acquiring sovereignty over the people of that part of the mainland, and of settling there himself, Iaseus struck up a fast friendship with him, and gave him amongst other presents a signet-stone set in gold; but when Phocus returned to Aegina not long afterwards, Peleus immediately plotted his death. Therefore, in memory of that friendship Iaseus is represented wishing to look at the signet, and Phocus is allowing him to take it.
Above them is Maera seated on a rock. In the Returns it is said that she died a maid, and was a daughter of Proetus, son of Thersander, who was a son of Sisyphus. Next to Maera is Actaeon, son of Aristaeus, with his mother: they hold a fawn in their arms, and are seated on a deer-skin. A hound is stretched at their side in token of the life that Actaeon led and the death he died. Casting your eye back again to the lower part of the picture you perceive, next to Patroclus, Orpheus seated as it were on a sort of hill. With his left hand he grasps the lute, while with his other hand he touches some willow-branches, and he is leaning against the tree. The grove seems to be the grove of Proserpine, where, as Homer thinks, black poplars and willows grow. The aspect of Orpheus is Greek: neither his dress nor head-covering is Thracian. On the other side of the willow leans Promedon. Some think that the name Promedon was invented by Polygnotus by a sort of poetical fiction; but others say that he was a Greek with a love for music, and especially for the singing of Orpheus.
At this part of the painting is Schedius, who led the Phocians to Troy. After him is Pelias seated on a chair, with hoary beard and head: he is looking at Orpheus. Schedius holds a dagger in his hand, and is crowned with grass. Near Pelias sits Thamyris with his sightless eyes and lowly mien: long are his locks and long, too, his beard: at his feet is flung a lyre, its sides and strings broken.
Above him is Marsyas seated on a rock, and beside Marsyas is Olympus in the likeness of a blooming boy learning to play the flute. The Phrygians of Celaenae maintain that the river which flows through their city was once the famous flute-player, and that the Mother’s Air on the flute was composed by Marsyas. They say, too, that they repulsed the Gallic army by the help of Marsyas, who defended them against the barbarians by the water of the river and by the music of his flutes.
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