Some say that Semele bare thee to Zeus the lord of thunder in Dracanon,
and some in windy Icarus, and some in Naxos, thou seed of Zeus,
Eiraphiotes; and others by the deep-swelling river Alpheius, and others,
O Prince, say that thou wert born in Thebes. Falsely speak they all: for
the Father of Gods and men begat thee far away from men, while
white-armed Hera knew it not. There is a hill called Nyse, a lofty hill,
flowering into woodland, far away from Phoenicia, near the streams of
AEgyptus. . . .

"And to thee will they raise many statues in the temples: as these thy
deeds are three, so men will sacrifice to thee hecatombs every three
years." {254}

So spake Zeus the counsellor, and nodded with his head. Be gracious,
Eiraphiotes, thou wild lover, from thee, beginning and ending with thee,
we minstrels sing: in nowise is it possible for him who forgets thee to
be mindful of sacred song. Hail to thee, Dionysus Eiraphiotes, with thy
mother Semele, whom men call Thyone.




FOOTNOTES


{4} Baumeister, p. 94, and note on Hymn to Hermes, 51, citing Antigonus
Carystius. See, too, Gemoll, _Die Homerischen Hymnen_, p. 105.