THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO

214 P. OVIDII NASONIS LIBER III
Q,ui color infectis adversi Solis ab ictu
Nubibus esse solet, aut purpurese Aurora,
Is fuit in vultu visse sine veste Diana.
Gluse quanquam comitum turba stipata suarum,
In latus obliquum tarnen adstitit; oraque retro
Flexit; et, ut vellet promptas habuisse sagittas ;
Gluas habuit, sic hausit aquas ; vultumque virilem
Perfudit: spargensque comas ultricibus undis,
Addidit hasc cladis prronuntia verba futura;:
Nunc tibi me posito visam velamine narres,
Si poteris narrare, licet. Nee plura minata,
Dat sparse capiti vivacis cornua cervi;
Dat spatium collo: summasque cacuminal aures ;
Cum pedibusque manus, cum longis brachia mutat
Cruribus ; et velat maculoso vellere corpus.
Additus et pavor est. Fugit Autone'ius heros,
Et se tarn celerem cursu miratur in ipso.
Ut verb solitis sua cornua vidit in undis,
Me miserum ! dicturus erat; vox nulla secuta est.
[ngemuit; vox ilia fuit; lacrymseque per ora
53. Solis ab iclu: by the ray of the sun.
56. Turbo, slipala: surrounded by troops
of her attendants.
61. Cladis futures; of his approaching
destruction.
62. Me visam. That I havs been seen
by you. The ancients believed that there
was great danger in seeing any of the dei
ties. They probably obtained this idea
from traditions of the Old Testament, for
Callimachus says the laws of Saturn esta
blish this. We have shown lhat by Sa
turn is to be understood Jehovah.
And he Mud, Thou canst not see my face : for
there shall no man see me and live.
EXODUS xxiii. 20.
Kptfftoi f w$£ XcyofTi rtfpoc,
t TIV' aSavaroiv, OKO pii Scoff aiirds l\irrai,
rovrov
CALLtMACIIUS.
Even the passage which speaks of the
disclosure of a part of the glory of the
Deity, has its parallel in Homer, and a re
semblance in a passage of Pacsanias.
And I will take away mine hand, and thou
shall see my back parts ; but my face shall not
be seen. EXODUS xxiii. S3.
*Ixvta yop itcrfiriafye iroStHv fill Kvritt&ti)v
6ei' lyvuv dTTi&ros. HOMERLS ILIADOS F.
It appears that the words of Homer are true,
that the goils cannot be distinctly seen by men,
with any good- PALSANIAS IN P'UOCIDE.
64. Vwacis ccrvi: of a vivacious stag.
Pliny says stags will sometimes live four
hundred years. This is allogcther fabu
lous.
Ter binos deciesque novem super exit in annos
Justa seneecenlum quos implet vita virorum:
NOTjE.
55
60
62. Nunc si poteri«
narrare, licet narres
me visam tibi, posito
velamine.
65
68. Autouei'us heros
fugit, et miratur in
ipso cursu se esse tarn
celerem.
Hos novies superat vivendp garrula cornix,
Et quater egreditur cornicis ssecula ccrvns.
AUSOMUB.
65. Summas auras: the tips of his ears.
66. Cum pedibus. See Grammar, Rule
xxviii. n. 9.
68. Additus et pavor. Stags are the most
fearful of animals.
68. Auloneius heros. Actaeon, the son
of Aulonoe.
69. Miratur. He wonders at ihe speed
of his flight, not conscious that he lias been
changed into a stag.
As when unconscious of the form imposed.
The shouting youths and eager hounds enclosed
Actrcon, who by fatal stealth surveved
The naked beauties of the bathing maid. STATIUS.
70. Ut cornua videt: when he saw his
horns.
The stag, in limpid currents, with surprise
Sees cr> stal branches on his forehead rise.
1'llILLirS.
72. Ingemuit. The stag utters very pi
teous cries when in pain.
72. Vox ilia. He could not speak now;
groans were the only language he could
employ,
72. LacryrruB. The tears which the stags
shed have been witnessed by different hun
ters. See the close of the note on gemit
ille, line 107.
To the which place, a poor sequestered stag.
That from the hunter's aim had taken hurt,
Did come to languish: and, indeed, my lord,
The wretched animal heaved forlh such groans
That their discharge did stretch his leathern con
Almost to bursting; and the big round tears
Coursed one another down hit innocent none
FABULA III. METAMORPHOSED N.
Non sua fltixerunt: mens tantum pristina mansit.
duid facial ? Repetatne domum et regalia tecta ? '
An lateat sylvis ? Timor hoc, pudor impedit illud. 75
Dum dubitat, videre canes: primusque Melampus,
Ichnobatesrjue sagax latratu signa dedere;
Gnossius Ichnobates, Spartana gente Melampus,
Inde ruunt alii rapida velocius aura,
Parnphagus, et Dorceus, et Oribasus; Arcades omnes: 80
Nebrophonosque valens, et trux cum Lselape Theron,
Et peclibus Pterelas, et naribus utilis Agre,
Ilylseusque fero nuper percussus ab apro,
Deque liipo concepta Nape, pecudesque secuta
Pffimenis, et natis comitata Harpyia duobus, 85
Et substricta gerens Sicyonius ilia Ladon:
Et Dromas, et Canace, Stictcque, et Tigris, et Alee,
Et niveis Leucon, et villis Asbolus atris,
Pitevalidusque Lacon, et cursu fortis Aello,
Et Thous, et Cyprio velox cum fratre Lycisce; 00
Et nigram medio frontem distinctus ab albo
Harpalos, et Mclaneus, hirsutaque corpore Lachne ;
In piteous chase: and thus the hairy fool,
Much marked of the melancholy Jaques,
Stood on the extremes! verge of the swift brook,
Augmenting it vvilli tears. SHAKSFEABE.
73. Ora non sua; a face not his own,
viz. a sing's face.
73. Mens pristina. It was a melancholy
aggravation of his fate that he retained his
reason, and was conscious of the full weight
of his affliction.
74. Quid facial? Actaeon considers with
himself what is the best to be done.
7G. Dumdubilal. Before he has come to a
conclusion, his dogs see him, and give chase.
76. Melampus. Black-foot, from ptXaj,
black, and if, a foot. The poet has taken
up an undue space in giving the names, and
enumerating the qualities of the different
dogs. The reader naturally desires to
haslcn on lo the catastrophe, and while a
human being is aboul to be torn to pieces,
has his humanity shocked by a cold detail
of the stripes and spots of the dogs that are
doing it.
78. Jctnobates. Tracer, from i\.v°s, a
track, a nd fta'uw, to go.
78. Gnosiius. Gnossian. Gnosos was
a celebrated city of Crete.
79. 1'amplta.fus. Glutton, from i>, aH,
and ^((yw, to eat.
80. Dorctus. Quick-sight, from Septa,
to see clearly.
80. Orilasus. Ranger, or Mountain-
climber, from opos, a mountain, and Paivu,
to go.
81. flebroplionos. Kill-buck, from "tfffts,
a fawn, and Qoviw, to kill,
81. Ltclape. Tempest, from XaAai//, a
whirlwind.
NOTjE.
215
7C. Dum dubitat,
canes videre mm;
primusque Melampus,
Ichnobatesque sagax
derlcie signa latratu.
81. El Harpalos di-
stiiictus qitand nipram
frontem ub iilbo medio,
81. Theron. Hunter, from &rpiwj, to
hunt.
82. Pterelas. Wing, from nrcfan. a wing.
82. Acre. Huntress, from !iyfa, hunting.
83. Ilylcsus. Rmgwood, from *Xi;, a
wood.
84. Nape. Forester, from ramj, a ?aui»,
or forest.
85. Pcemenis. Shepherdess, from -niffm,
a iheplierd.
85. Aafif duolus: her two whelps.
85. Harpyia. Ravener, like the harpies
which were ravenous birds.
86. Lanon. Watch, from the serpent
that guarded the apples of the Hesperides.
86. Sicyonius. Of Sicyon, a city of the
Peloponnesus.
87. Dromas. Runner, from tpaiw, a race.
87. .Canace. Yelper, from «u/a\i;, a
noise.
87. Slirte. Spol, from UTIITT-U, to diversify
with spo's.
87. Tigris. Tiger, so called because
of his fierce nature.
87. Alee. Strong, from nX/rij, strength ;
also Elk.
88. Leucon. White, irom \cvf6s, u-htle.
88. A sbolus. Soot, from a