print previewback NONNUS OF PANOPOLIS
translation from Homeric Greek by Denise Low
I
A (Fortuitous)
Omen
Dionysus searches the heights, sights an eagle.
It clutches an asp. The raptor soars to the river.
The snake frees itself, falls into the Hydaspes.
On the banks all Greeks wait in silence as even
the water trembles. Dionysus holds his breath.
Idmon the seer smiles. He recalls omens—
Urania’s Zodiac and comets, solar eclipses,
thunderclaps, strikes of flaming meteors.
Idmon, master of occult teachings, speaks:
“No cause to fear, Greek soldiers. The Eagle
drowned the serpent. Punjab will fall.”
In vision he sees a blood-choked river.
Contributor’s notes: Nonnus Of Panopolis
Contributor’s notes: Denise Low