THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO

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