THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO

138
P. OVIDII NA.SONIS
Obstantes findunt nebulas, pennisque levati
Prsetereunt ortos isdem de partibus Euros.
Sed leve pondus erat; nee quod cognoscere possent
Solis equi; solitaque jugum gravitate carebat.
Utque labant curve justo sine pondere naves,
Perque mare, instabiles nimia levitate, feruntur:
Sic onere assueto vacuus dat in acre saltus,
Succutiturque alte, similisque est currus inani.
Gluod simul ac sensere, ruunt, tritumque relinquunt
Quadrijugi spatium; nee, quo prius ordine currunt.
Ipse pavet; nee qua commissas flectat habenas,
Nee scit qua sit iter; nee, si sciat, imperet illis.
Turn primum radiis gelidi caluere Triones,
Et vetito frustra tentarunt asquore tingi.
GLujcque polo posita est glaciali proxima serpens,
Frigore pigra prius, nee formidabilis ulli;
Incaluit; sumsitque novas fervoribus iras.
Te quoque turbatum mernorant fugisse, Boote;
Q,uamvis tardus eras, et te tua plaustra tenebant.
7. Pennis levati; upborne by wings;
mounted upon wings.
8. Ifdemdepartibus: from the Same re
gions as the cast wind.
9. JVcc quod cognoscere: nor such as they
could iecl.
10. Solitnque gravitate : its accustomed
gravity, viz. the weight of the god.
14. 'Succutiturque alte: and is tossed on
high.
11. Simili inanu: like an empty cha
riot.
15. Enunt: they rush forward.
15. Tritumque spatium: the beaten
track.
1C. Quadrijugi: t he four horses abreast.
1C. Quo prius: in which they ran be
fore. Supply currelant.
17. Jnse pavet : he (Phacthon) is af
frighted
17. Commissas Jiabenas: the reins that
had been committed to him.
19. Turn primum: then for the first time.
They were situated near the pole, and had
never been heated by the sun before.
19. Triones. The Triones, or ploughing
oxen, are seven stars near the north pole
in the form of a plough. Some call them
Charles's Wain, from a fancied resem
blance to a wagon. They arc pait of the
stars comprising the Bears; hence Cice
ro, speaking 01 me Bears, says
\Vluch are by us Septentriones called.
Si). Vtlilo aquore: in the forbidden sea.
So Virgil:
Arolos metueiiles fcquore tingi. OEOKGIC i.
Ovid is here guilty of an anachronism.
Alter the conflagration which took place
NOTjE.
LIBER n.
6. Cornpuere viam,
pedibusque metis per
agra, findum nebulaa
obstanles, levatique
pennis, prcetereunt
10 Euros ortos de isdem
partibus.
13. Sic currus dat
saltuB in afire, vacuus
assueto onere, succu-
15 titurque cite, estque
similis inaui.
17. Ipse pavet, nee
cit qu& fleclnt habe-
nas commissns «&i,
nee qu§. sit iter, nee si
sciat, imperet illis.
20
24. Memorant te
quoque Boote fugisse
25 turbatum, quamvis
from Phaethon's inability to guide the
chariot of the Sun, and while about to
repair the injury done by the fire, Jupiter
met with Callisto and fell in love with her.
Callisto was changed into a bear by Juno,
and afterwards transferred with her son to
the heavens by Jupiter. Aggrieved by
this insult, Juno went to Occanus and
Tcihys, and obtained that the Bears
should never descend into the sea; that is,
should never set, for the sun and constel
lations, when they set, were said to de
scend into the sea.
22. Frigore jtigra : sluggish with cold.
Serpents in winter are benumbed with
cold, and live in a torpid state.
23. Fenjoribuss with the heat. Serpents
arc rendered more furious by the heat.
Hence Virgil:
rostqunm exhausta palua, terrccque ardore de-
Iiiscunt;
Exilit in siccum, et nammantia lumina tor*
quens
SiEvit agriSj asperque slti, atque exferritus festu.
GEORGIC iii.
24. Boote: Bootes is derived from Bourijf,
and signifies a driver of ozeK. It follows
the Ursa Major, by sonic called the Wa
gon, and hence is named Arctophylax,
keiper of the bear, and Bootes, the ox-
driver.
24. Fugisse: fled. The near approach
of the sun makes the planets move more
swiftly. The same effect was produced
on the constellation Bootes.
25. Tardus. The stars near the pole
move more slowly, because they have less
space to pass over in a rcvoluiion.
25. Plaustra. The principal stars in
FABULA I I. METAMORPHOSEON.
Ut vero summo despexit ab osthere terras
Infelix Phaethon penitus penitusque jacentes ;
Palluit, et subito genua intrrmuere timore ;
Suntque oculis tenebroe per tantuin lumen obortoe:
Et jam mallet equos nunquam tetigisse paternos: 30
Jamque agnosse genus piget, et valuisse rogando:
Jam Meropis dici cupiens. Ita fertur, ut acta
Proecipiti pinus Borea, cui victa remisit
Frffina suus rector, quam Dis, votisque reliquit.
Quid facial ? multum cceli post terga relictum ; 35
Ante oculos plus est; animo metitur utrumque :
Et modo, quos illi fato contingere non est,
Prospicit occasus ; interdum respicit ortus.
Quidque agat ignarus, stupet: et nee fncna remittit,
Nee retinere valet; nee noinina novit equorum. 40
Sparsa quoque in vario passim miracula ccelo,
Vastarumque videt trepidus simulacra ferarum.
Est locus, in geminos ubi brachia concavat arcus
Scorpios, et cauda, flexisque utrinque lacertis
Porrigit in spatium signorum membra duorum. 45
the two Bears are thought by some to re
present a wagon.
Saw there the for'tl'ant gems that nightly flare
In the Hun mist of Berenice's hair ;
And there Bootes roll his lucid wain
On sparkling wheels along the ethereal plain.
FlERPONT.
5. Ttnebant : detained you ; retarded
you. . Deepexit: looked down.
APOLLO. But indeed it is extremely natural
thnt one so young as he, on seeing himself sur
rounded l>y so much fire, and looking down on
the immense ab} ss, should lose h's head; and
thnt the steeds, ns soon ns they perceived thnt
the) had not llieir accustomed driver, should
have despised the lioy, and, running away with
him, have created all this mischief. DIALOGUES
OF THE DEITIES.
27. Penilus penitusque : lying far and
far away. The repetition adds force to
the expression.
28. Falluil: he became pale with fear.
29. Per-tantum lumen: by reason of so
great light. He was blinded by the light.
31. Valuisse rogando: to have prevailed
in his request.
32. Meropis : of Mcrops ; the son of
Merops. He preferred now to blfe consi
dered the son of a man, and be safe, than
to be the son of a god, and be destroyed.
32. Firlur: lie is borne; he is carried.
33. Prtrcipiti Borea : by the impetuous
north-wind.
33. Pinus : a pine, put by synecdoche
for a ship.
34. Frccnn: the reins, by metonymy for
the helm. The vessel is spoken of under
he metaphor of a horse.
NOTjE.
139
eras tardus, et tua pla
ustra tenebant te. Ut
vero infelix Pliagthon
summo aiihere des-
pexit terras penitfls,
penilflsquc jacentes,
30. Et jam mallet
nunquam tetigisse
equos patcrnos, jom-
que piget n