4 Leto’s journey to Delos (44-90)

[Across all those lands and islands of the Aegean]

which are now

your domains 

and would one day

be the site of your temples

but, then…]

In that distant age,

each and every one of those lands

was visited by

Leto,

journeying near-and-far, 

pregnant with him:

Apollo,

of-power-stretching-far, 45

She

begged each in turn

to shelter her son.

They

were afraid

–trembling even at his approach– and

refused,

even though he was and would be

the purifying-light

Phoebus.

[They would not even provide

any hospitality,

though they had riches to spare.]

At last she came to

the final island —

to Delos.

Leto and Delos

Leto, the queen, arrived at Delos, and

one more time, made her entreaty

[carefully shaping it for the hearer]

— winged words which flew straight to the heart–: 50

“Delos:

Please be a dwelling place for my son:

the purifying-light: Apollo.

Be the site of what will one day be his prosperous temple.

I promise, no other guests of such status will ever fall on their knees before you

giving you such deference and offering you such an opportunity for honour.

Separate from him,

I do not see a future where you could ever generate riches

at least, enough to attract inhabitants here to honour you.

[I do not judge it likely that you could ever]

graze sheep — enough to blanket your land

support cattle –enough to be called wealthy

grow blossoms of golden grain  –enough to feed residents or 

flower with enough of any type of plant valuable to humans. 55

Alongside Apollo though

–know that he is and will be of power-stretching-far–

If you were to hold his temple, this is the future I see for you:

endless riches:

–enough to support countless inhabitants and sacrifices–

not generated by you but brought in to you

endless visitors:

bringing in all the means for honor-bearing-sacrifices

–so much that they could even perform the hundred-cow hecatomb slaughter.

Each visitor is but one of an impossibly vast number^[1]

I can see them coming from every place imaginable

— locations near and stretching-far–

coming here, to honour you.

[And, as for you:]

I see you made opulent,

wreathed in eternal clouds of smoke, rising into the sky

–so thick that even the gods above can not see through them–

drifting up from the burning of endless fat

sacrificed in honor-bringing-fires-on-the-altar.

And these honours will not pause or stop, for all the time to come.

[In summary, this would be your future:]

[It will be as if you are made of gold –]

Forever wealthy enough to provide for any and all who dwell on you

But without ever needing to produce riches from your soil:

wealth and honour will sprout from you without effort

delivered as gifts,

bestowed by the very hands of your guest-friends

—long-journeying, just like me–

whenever you graciously offer your shelter.” 60

[The entreaty was well considered and]

What Leto had said was pleasing, all the way to the core of Delos.

She responded with proper deference:

“Most-revered goddess,

Daughter of the mighty Coeus,

Lady Leto,

[I am humbled before you]

To welcome one such as him would be my honour

[How could it not be?]

He

will be a king

with-power-stretching-far and

it is all too true that

 I

am inglorious,

lacking the means to support sacrifices, gain respect, or hold inhabitants;

mortal men have always judged me

 barren,

poor,

and ugly.

I have no doubt though that if, despite that,

if one such as him somehow chose to dwell here… on me…

I would instead gain honour from the whole world

alongside him and through him.

But your offer also makes me afraid, Lady Leto…

and…

[though I fear your reaction…]

I think it best to be open and hide nothing from you.

There is a rumor which has circulated:

He will be very

— this is what ‘they’ say, not I —

that king Apollo will:

he enters the scene as a reckless tyrant,

filled with a careless arrogance,

venting and abusing his terrible majesty,

violently subjugating any and all underneath him

not just those who toil on the fruitful earth: men

but even other divinities: gods.

Hearing this rumour causes me to be afraid —

shaping a singular fear which overshadows more hopeful thoughts,

until it has darkened every part of my heart and soul. 70

[I do not doubt the future you describe will come about, but

my fear proposes an alternative vision of what would happen after]:

when the light of day first dawns, illuminating all, and

he is able to see me clearly for the first time…

how could he — of surpassing power and matching beauty —

not be insulted by what he sees

since I am not suitable to host one as great as him.

… After all, I am…

ugly,

barren,

rocky-faced.

So…I fear that:

 when my appearance is found unworthy and

when I do not properly reflect the grandeur which he is owed–

he will become consumed by righteous anger and

cast me

down

like trash

into the depths of the sea.

–with his power, it would only take

a single stomp of his mighty feet–

my whole world turned upside down,

never again would I see the sun.

There… 

Unable to flee

in the dark abyss…

I would be

Abandoned.

Forever.

High above –where I once stood–

now, only the crashing force of great salt swells.

[No sign that I was ever there.]

He will then depart, seeking another land — how could he not —

somewhere….

prettier…

whose appearance would more suitably honour such a one. 75

There

[some beautiful, rich land, already full of honoring inhabitants,]

[the sort of place where, surely, he would rather first build

his temple and

sacred forested groves.

Here

—punished for my presumption —

I would be forever neglected

abandoned by humans and even the hope of honour.

On what would be left of my surface:

the only “temples”:

the dens of octopuses; and

the caves of black seals:

the only ‘dwellings.’

[But it would also be wrong to deny you shelter and

offer whatever I have:]

so if you would indulge my insecurities, goddess,

please first swear a solemn oath.

I would have you promise only that:

here,

as his first action

he will establish a temple,

–which will be elegant, beautiful, and 80

serve as a place of oracle for all humans–

[despite the fact that I am rugged, ugly, and neglected by humans]

before he departs.

[This would be enough for me.]

After this, he would, of course, be free to leave me

heading to more beautiful places

–all across the rest of the world– and

establish

many other temples and

sacred forested groves

[I am not jealous and will be happy just to share in this honour!]

One as mighty as him will obviously

be of-many-different-epithets and

should [have different cults and roles amongst many different peoples.]”

The island asked this and Leto agreed,

responding with that most solemn oath, binding to the gods:

“I will swear to you our most serious oath,

–fearful even among the highest gods, who fear no consequences–:

I swear

by dark-earth-mother Gaia and

by expansive-sky Ouranos above and

by the deep-flowing waters of the underworld Styx 85

you will hold, both in the present and forever in the future

the billowing-smoke altar and

the temple

of the purifying-light, 

Phoebus Apollo.

[Though I cannot offer you his oracle, as you ask.]

I will freely add the following though:

he will not just give you this honour first in sequence,

but besides, will always honour you as first in his heart.”

She swore this oath and it remains binding,

[Renewed again and again,] even now.

He was now near:

The king

with-power-stretching-far,

Apollo.

Trembling — even at his approach —

Delos is pregnant with joy. 90