THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
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I! 130<br />
P. OVIDII N ASONIS<br />
Dis juranda palus, oculis incognita nostris.<br />
Vix bene desierat: currus rogat ille paternos<br />
Inque diem alipedum jus et moderamen equorum.<br />
Pcenituit jurasse patrem; qui terque quaterque<br />
Concutiens illustre caput, Temeraria, dixit, 50<br />
Vox mea facta tua est: utinam promissa liceret<br />
Non dare ! confiteor, solikm hoc tibi, nate, negarem,<br />
Dissuadere licet: non est tua tuta voluntas.<br />
Magna petis, Phaethon, et quse nee viribus istis<br />
Munera conveniant, nee tarn puerilibus annis. 55<br />
Sors tua mortalis: non est mortale quod optas.<br />
Plus etiam quam quod superis contingere fas sit,<br />
Nescius affectas : placeat sibi quisque licebit;<br />
Non tamen ignifero quisquam consistere in axe<br />
Me valet excepto: vasti quoque rector Olympi, 60<br />
Qui fera terribili jaculatur fulmina dextra,<br />
Non agat hos currus. Et quid Jove majus habemus <<br />
Ardua prima via est; et qua yix mane recentes<br />
Enitantur equi; medio est altissima ccelo;<br />
Unde mare, et terras ipsi mihi ssepe videre<br />
Fit timer, el pavida trepidat formidine pectus.<br />
Ultima prona via est; et eget moderamine certo.<br />
Tune etiam, qua? me subjectis excipit undis,<br />
N6 ferar in praceps, Tethys solet ipsa vereri.<br />
NOT^E.<br />
46. Palus. The Styx, which was or<br />
dained the oath of the gods. See note on<br />
page 26. To confirm any indefinite pro<br />
mise by an oath is sinful. To break the<br />
oath would be sinful, and the performance<br />
of the promise may be equally so. The<br />
rash promises of Herod and of Jephtha,<br />
recorded in the sacred volume, are illustri<br />
ous examples.<br />
47. Vix bene desierat : scarcely had he<br />
well ended.<br />
47. Eogat: he asks. There is great<br />
beauty in the use of the present tense nere.<br />
It denotes the eagerness of Phaethon, as if<br />
he made the request simultaneously with<br />
the address of Apollo.<br />
48. In diem: for a day.<br />
48. Alipedum equorum : of the wing-<br />
footed horses.<br />
48. Jus et moderamen: the rule and<br />
guidance.<br />
50. Concutiens. Here, sorrow is indi<br />
cated by the shaking of the head; in Fa<br />
ble VII. of the First Book, great indigna<br />
tion is expressed.<br />
51. Promissa: t he things I have pro<br />
mised.<br />
52. Negarem: I would deny; I would<br />
wish to deny.<br />
53. Tuamluntas: thy desire, the wish<br />
cf guiding the solar chariot.<br />
St. VirSais istis: these powers of thine<br />
65<br />
LIBER II.<br />
mnnus, ut feras illud,<br />
me tribuente.<br />
49. TcEnituit palrem<br />
jurasse. qui conculi-<br />
ens caput illuslre ler<br />
quaterque, dixit: men<br />
vox est facta temera-<br />
ria tua voce.<br />
57. TVeliamneecius<br />
affectas plus, quam<br />
quod sit fas contingere<br />
super :s Licebit wl<br />
quisque placeat sibi,<br />
tamen non quisquam<br />
superum me exceplo,<br />
valet consistere in ig<br />
nifero axe.<br />
87. Ultima via est<br />
prona, et eget certo<br />
moderamine.<br />
56. Sors tua: thy condition is mortal.<br />
57. Plus etiam. The madness of his<br />
wish was evident. A mortal, he coveted<br />
more than was lawful for the gods.<br />
58. Affectas: you affect; presumptu<br />
ously desire.<br />
CcEluin ipaum petimus stultitia. HORACE.<br />
59. '<br />
. Ignifero in axe : on the fire-bearing<br />
axle; ; the .. axle _._ being put for the chariot by<br />
synecdoche.<br />
60. Me excepto: myself excepted; the<br />
ablative absolute.<br />
60. Eector Olympi: the ruler of Olym<br />
pus ; Jupiter. Olympus is put poetically<br />
for Heaven. See noie on Olympus, page<br />
56.<br />
62. Jove majus: what have we greater<br />
than Jove ?<br />
Jure capax mundus nil Jove majus habet.<br />
OVID. TRIST<br />
Unde nil majus generator ipso HORATIIS.<br />
63. A rdua prima: the first way is steep.<br />
63. Eecentes equi: the fresh horses,<br />
renewed by rest and by food.<br />
64. Enitantur: can ascend ; can climb<br />
up. 67. IHoderamine certo : sure guidance;<br />
careful driving.<br />
69. In prcrceps: headlong.<br />
69. Tfthys. A goddess of the sea, the<br />
wife of Oreanus, and daughter of Genius<br />
FABULA! MET AMORPHOSEON.<br />
Adde, quod assidua rapitur vertigine ccplum :<br />
Sideraque alta trahit, celerique volumine torquet.<br />
Nitor in adversum : nee me, qui caatera, vincit<br />
Impetus ; et rapido contrarius evehor oibi.<br />
Finge dates currus : quid agas ? poterisne rotatis<br />
Obvius ire polis, ne te citus auferat axis ?<br />
Forsitan ct lucos illic, urbesque deorum<br />
Concipias animo, delubraque ditia donis<br />
Esse : per insidias iter est, formasque ferarum.<br />
Utque viam teneas, nulloque errore traharis,<br />
Per tamen adversi gradieris cornua Tauri,<br />
HiEmoniosque arcus, violentique ora Leonis,<br />
Ssevaque circuitu curvantem brachia longo<br />
Scorpion, atque aliter curvantem brachia Cancrum.<br />
Nee tibi quadrupedes animosos ignibus illis<br />
Quos in pectore habent, quos ore et naribus efflant,<br />
and Terra. The sun was fabled to descem<br />
into the sea, and pass the night.<br />
70. Ccelum: the heavens; the primum<br />
mobile, which, by its motion, was sup<br />
posed to carry the fixed stars from west to<br />
east, while the sun proceeded from east to<br />
west.<br />
70. A ssidua vertigine: with continual<br />
revolution.<br />
71. Celeri volumine: with its swift<br />
whirl.<br />
72. Kitar in adversum: I struggle against<br />
the revolution; I direct my course against it,<br />
73. Eapido orbi : the rapid sphere ; the<br />
sphere of the heavens.<br />
73. Contrarius: in a direction contrary<br />
to the swift orb. The sun passes through<br />
the signs of the zodiac contrary to the<br />
sphere of the heavens.<br />
74. Finge dates currus: suppose the<br />
chariot given to you.<br />
74. Rotatis polls: the revolving poles,<br />
here put for heaven by synecdoche. This<br />
is often the case with the poets.<br />
In freta dum fluvii current, duin montibus umbnc,<br />
Lustrahunt convexa, potvs dum sidcra pnscet;<br />
Semper honos. nomenque tuum, laudesque manebunt.<br />
VIRGIL.<br />
Both turned, and under open sky adored<br />
The God that mode both sky, air, earth, and<br />
heaven * .<br />
Which they beheld; the moon's resplendent<br />
globe,<br />
And starry polf —MILTON.<br />
77. Concipias: you may imagine.<br />
78. Formas ferarum: the forms of wild<br />
beasts. The signs of the zodiac are all<br />
animals except lour.<br />
79. Viam trneas: that you may keep on<br />
your way. He proceeds to describe the<br />
course of the sun through the signs of the<br />
zodiac the sun's annual course, instead<br />
of his diurnal one.<br />
NOT^E.<br />
13J<br />
70 , "0. Adde quod cm<br />
urn rapitur assiduft<br />
verticine, traliilque<br />
alto sulera,torquelque<br />
celeri volumine.<br />
74. Finge currus daiyK<br />
tos, quid agtis? Poterisne<br />
ire obvius polis<br />
rotatis, ut citus<br />
axis ne auterat te ?<br />
79. Utque teneas vi<br />
am, tralmrisque nullo<br />
yfj errore, tamen gradie<br />
ris per cornua adversi<br />
Tauri, arcusque HEB-<br />
monios, oraque vio<br />
lent! Leouis,<br />
84. Nee est libi in<br />
promplu regere quad<br />
rupedes animosos i]li«<br />
85 ignibus, quos habent<br />
in pectore,<br />
80. Adversi Tauri: of the Bull opposite<br />
to you. After leaving Aries, the sun en-<br />
tera Taurus, which is nere called adversus,<br />
because the head of the Bull is drawn<br />
meeting the Sun. As the Egyptians be<br />
gan to plough when the sun entered Tau<br />
rus, the Bull was chosen as the name of<br />
the sign. Its figure (^) is a rude outline<br />
of the head and horns of a bull.<br />
81. ffemonwsque arcus: the Hffimonian<br />
bow. Sagittarius, with his drawn boto,<br />
would threaten him. He was the Centaur<br />
Chiron of Ha-monta or Thessaly, trans<br />
lated to heaven and made a constellation.<br />
As the sun enters Sagittarius in the hunt<br />
ing season, it is easy to see why the sign<br />
was adopted. The figure is a dart (f).<br />
81. Vialenti Leonis : of the fierce Lion,<br />
so called from the intense heat of the<br />
sun while in that sign. The figure is<br />
rude representation of a lion's tail (g^).<br />
Under his chest the Crab, benenlh his feet<br />
The mighty Lion darts a trembling flame.<br />
ARATUS.<br />
82. Circuitu longo: in a long circuit.<br />
83. Scorpion. 1 rom the Greek Scorpios.<br />
The fevers and poisonous malaria that ex<br />
ist when the sun is in this sign (TTL) caused<br />
the adoption of this poisonous animal.<br />
83. A liter: in a different manner. The<br />
Scorpion spreads its arms widely, gene<br />
rally; the Crab in a slight degree, and<br />
at the extremities; the Scorpion towards<br />
the east; the Crab towards the west;<br />
the Scorpion upwards; the Crab down<br />
wards.<br />
83. Cancrum. This sign of the zodiac<br />
was adopted to show the retrograde mo<br />
tion of the sun after reaching the Tro<br />
pic. Its figure is (25).<br />
84. A nimosos ifnibus: spirited with<br />
those fires which they breathe out of their<br />
nouths.<br />
I<br />
•<br />
tl<br />
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