| I will remember Dionysos, son of glorious Semele, | |
| as he appeared on a jutting headland near the shore | |
| of the barren sea. He seemed a young man | |
| in first bloom, with his lovely dark hair flowing, | |
| a purple cloak around his strong shoulders. | |
| Tyrsenian pirates aboard a large ship | |
| approached quickly on the wine-dark sea, | |
| led by an evil destiny. Seeing him, they nodded | |
| to one another and leapt out at once, seized him | |
| and put him aboard their ship, their hearts rejoicing. | 10 |
| They thought he was a son of Zeus-raised kings, | |
| so they wanted to bind him with harsh ropes. | |
| But the ties could not hold him; the willow withies | |
| fell away from his hands and feet. Dionysos sat, | |
| his dark eyes smiling. The helmsman understood | |
| immediately and called to his companions: | |
| “Mates, who is this strong god you’ve nabbed? | |
| Our well-built ship cannot carry him. | |
| He’s either Zeus or Silverbow Apollo | |
| or Poseidon. He does not look like mortal men, | 20 |
| but far more like the Olympian gods. | |
| Come, let’s set him free on dry land right away. | |
| Don’t lay a hand on him or his anger might stir up | |
| savage winds and a full-blown tempest.” | |
| Then the captain rebuked him with rough words: | |
| “Mate, see the fair wind? Now, take up the riggings | |
| and hoist the ship’s sail. The men will see to him. | |
| I expect he’ll reach Egypt or Cyprus | |
| or the Hyperboreans, maybe farther—in the end | |
| he’ll tell us his friends and all their wealth, | 30 |
| and his brothers, too, since a god cast him to us.” | |
| With that, he hoisted the mast and set sail; | |
| wind blew in midsail, pulling the rigging tight. | |
| Marvelous deeds were soon revealed to the pirates. | |
| First, wine, sweet to drink and smell, flowed through | |
| the black ship and a heavenly fragrance arose. | |
| The sight seized them all with amazement. | |
| Then vines stretched all over atop the sail, | |
| hanging down with thick clusters of grapes. | |
| Dark ivy twisted around the mast | 40 |
| blooming with flowers, rich berries sprang out | |
| and the oarlocks wore garlands. Seeing all that, | |
| the crew told the helmsman to head landward. | |
| But in the ship’s bow, the god appeared to them | |
| as a terrible lion and gave a mighty roar. | |
| Performing wonders midship, he made a shaggy bear | |
| rear up, raging, while the lion glared ferociously | |
| from the high deck. The men fled in fear to the stern, | |
| where they clustered panic-stricken around | |
| the sober-minded helmsman. With a sudden leap, | 50 |
| the lion seized the captain. Then all the rest, | |
| fleeing their doom, dove into the glistening sea | |
| and became dolphins. But the merciful god | |
| stopped the helmsman and granted him true fortune: | |
| “Take courage, good man—you who have pleased my heart. | |
| I am thundering Dionysos, whom my mother Semele, | |
| daughter of Kadmos, bore, mingling in love with Zeus.” | |
| Hail, child of fair Semele! There is no way | |
| to forget you and still compose sweet song. | |