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Ovid Metamorphoses (a poetic translation)
A translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses, poetically rendered in the style of John Dryden and Christopher Marlowe.
Robert Frost once said, “Poetry is what gets lost in translation.”  Poetry bridges the gap between reading the spirit of a myth’s original versified rendition in Latin, to the common tongue in which we may more fully appreciate the author’s intended meaning.  In John Dryden’s defence for his less precise and more poetic rendition of Vergil’s Aenied, it was the spirit of Vergil’s original intention that Dryden wished to convey, not literal slavish fidelity.  However, it must be stated that both Marlowe and Dryden, while being the greatest poets in the English language (alongside the likes of Shakespeare, Emerson and Thomas Browne) failed to render the original Latin with precision, but managed to relate something of the beauty of the piece. It has been my intention to do both.  The great scholar Manly Palmer Hall once said, “Mortals speak in prose, the gods, speak in verse.”  Thomas Taylor in his artful rendering of The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus retold how it would be too easy to translate such sumptuous poetry into prose.  Prose requires very little effort to translate, comparatively speaking.  It would be to do Ovid a great disservice to render The Metamorphoses in prosaic stale insipid banality, even if one had retained the pulse of the dactylic hexameter, and not rendered any kind of rhyme.  In my opinion, the greatest living translators of our time are Robert Fagles and D. Wender, whom made the effort to make Latin translation rhyme.  Among the greatest translators of the past were B.P. Moore (ars amatoria), Leonard (de rerum Natura), Arthur D. Innes, and the greatest of all, Thomas Taylor.  It is said by the legendary Classicist Dr. Didier Deman, that in order to be a great artist, one must imitate the old masters of the past, before painting an original masterpiece.  Likewise, I have endeavoured to step into the shadow of greatness that lies before us in a wealth of excellent scholarship, and translate as did the finest translators of the day.  Many of the nuances herein will be lost on the mono-lingual English speaker, as many of the subtler elements come in the form of double entendres or syllepsis, and where I have diverged from more canonical translations, it is more often on account of the fact that I have strived to render Latin phrases found either in the Cassell’s, Collins’ or the Lewis & Short Latin lexicons.  In any case, in the words of Sir Walter Scott, “Now that I have you in my power”, I trust the reader (you) will enjoy my translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and that most of all, this work is owed to the hands of one divine architect: God Himself.
Maxwell Lewis Latham (July, 2015).
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For H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth II.
Lydia tota fremit, Phrygiæque per oppida facti
rumor it et magnum sermonibus occupat orbem.
And the whole of Lydia: it resounds,
Be’ng made rumour, spreads through Phryg’an towns,
With the conversations, it fills the place,
And so important, it circulates.
ante suos Niobe thalamos cognoverat illam,
tum cum Mæoniam virgo Sipylumque colebat;
nec tamen admonita est pœna popularis Arachnes
cedere cælitibus verbisque minoribus uti.
Prior to her marriages, Niobe
Had known Arachne when a young lady,
And dwelt on Mæonian mount’ Sipylum;
Yet she’s not warned by the punishment
Of native Arachne’s mere words she says,
To change to a dweller in the heavens,
Be’ng associated with lesser ones.
multa dabant animos: sed enim nec coniugis artes
nec genus amborum magnique potentia Regni
sic placuere illi, quamvis ea cuncta placerent,
ut sua progenies; et felicissima matrum
dicta foret Niobe; si non sibi visa fuisset.
An opinion had caused a penalty,
But in-fact neither the husband’s qualities,
Nor birth of both noble and a pow’rful Realm,
Thus had decreed she was ever-so pleased,
How satisfied with all her progeny;
Moreover, the most fertile of mothers,
By having said, could have been Niobe,
If not for hers, might have appeared to be.
nam sata Tiresia præscia Manto
per medias fuerat Divino concita motu
For from Tiresias shall come a daughter,
With foreknowing, Manto, though mediators,
He had been Divinely inspirēd,
To prophesy, with a mind affected,
Be’ng celebrated in verse: the method.
et date Latonæ Latonigenisque duobus
cum prece tura pia lauroque innectite crinem.
Ismenis (or rivers of Bœot’a)
Will move constantly and give Latona
And together with her two children: prayer,
Incense and with laurel consecrated,
You all will weave together in your hair.
From my mouth, Latona: she commands it.”
Thebiades iussus sua tempora frondibus ornant
turaque dant sanctis et verba precantia flammis.
’T is by having been proved, she told all Thebes
From her verses, adorned with sacred leaves,
And they give incense, also sayings,
ecce venit comitum Niobe celeberrima turba,
vestibus intexto Phrygiis spectabilis auro,
et, quantum ira sinit, formosa:
Lo! Comes the retinue of Niobe,
A most crowded train with Phrygian clothes,
Ha’ing been embroidered by beautiful gold,
And, how much wrath forsakes, formed finely:
cum capite inmissos umerum per utrumque capillos
constit; utque oculos circumtulit alta superbos,
“quis furor, auditos” inquit, “præponere visis
cælestes? aut cur coliut Latona per aras,
numen adhuc sine ture meum est?
Moving, and a beautifully adorned head
With hairs let loose, fell over each shoulder,
As haughty eyes turn round, lofty, she said:
“Who put you in charge, prophetic frenzy?
By having been listened to, and believed,
Having seen a vision of things in heaven.”
(Through rocks resembling altars ’twixt Libya,
“Is it the will of the goddess ’til now
Without the incense I have?
cui licuit soli superorum tangere mensas,
Pleiadum soror est genetrix mea, maximus Atlas
est avus, ætherium qui fert cervicibus axem;
Iuppiter alter avus socero quoque glorior illo.
My suggesting Tantalus, my father,
Who was valued as the sun of the heavens
To touch that by having been passed over,
Sister of the Pleiades: my mother,
Most mighty Atlas is the grandfather
Whom bears heaven and earth ‘pon his shoulders,
Too, I glory in that father-in-law.
me gentes metuunt Phrygiæ, me regia Cadmi
sub domina est, fidibusque mei commissa mariti
mœnia cum populis a meque viroque reguntur.
The foreigners fear Phrygians, and me,
King Cadmus is beneath me, a lady,
On my word of honour, by having been
United with my husband, whom in Thebes
With his lyre built the walls of the city,
The nation ruled by my husband and me.
in quamcumque domus adverti lumina partem,
inmensæ spectantur opes; accedit eodem digna Dea facis.
For whichever home is to turn towards
Boundless lights, a mighty reg’on appeared,
Likewise she comes near, a goddess worthy,
In outward appearance: nat’ral beauty.
et totidem iuvenes et mox generosque nurusque.
In addition to this, cast your eyes here!
Both seven daughters and just as many
Young men, all to be wedded, presently.
quærite nunc, habeat quam nostra superbia causam,
nescio quoque qudete satam Titanida Cœo
Latonam præferre mihi, cui maxima quondam
exiguam sedem parituræ terra negavit!
To seek now, maybe having that which’s ours,
Pride, the reason, I don’t know, also dare!
Be’ng begotten, father of Latona,
Cœus, the Titan, for me and mine who,
By be’ng the most noblest, once formerly,
That meagre throne, the chair brings to bear,
She had been denied the territory!
nec cælo nec humo nec aquis Dea vestra recepta est:
exsul erat mundi, donec miserata vagentem
“hospita tu terris erras, ego” dixit “in undis”
Neither from heav’n nor for earth nor to waters
Is be’ng promised your goddess - Latona,
Being a wand’rer of the world was she,
So long as she’s roaming: be’ng pitied,
“I: hostess, you roam the lands, on the waves,”
Said Niobe; and caused inconstancy,
The instability of Delos’ place.
facta parens: uteri pars hæc est septima nostri.
sum felix: (quis enim neget hoc?) felixque manebo
(hoc quoque quis dubitet?) tutam me copia fecit.
That of the two deeds, father Amphion
Sired either side, the fruits of my womb,
This is the seventh child of ours,
I am fertile; (for who can deny this?)
And I’ll stay fruitful (this too, who may doubt?)
I’m given the chance of be’ng of danger: out.
maior sum, quam cui possit Fortuna nocere,
multaque ut eripiat, multo mihi plura relinquet.
I am greater than the goddess Fortune,
For whom she can inflict great injury,
And that she may tear out more, for many
More num’rous than me, shall forsaken be.
excessere metum mea iam bona.  fingite demi
huic aliquid populo natorum posse meorum:
By now they were passed the point of fear,
My goodness.  You folks must all imagine
This certain amount of people taken
Away, of mine can, having arisen:
non tamen ad numerum redigar spoliata duorum,
Latonæ turbam: qua quantum distat ab orba?
No trouble, however, for the number
Of Latona’s two, I’ll reduce, plunder,
In which she’s how much of a difference?
From being deprivēd of her children?
ite - sat est - propere sacris laurumque capillis
ponite!” - deponunt et sacra infecta relinquunt,
quodque licet, tacito venerantur murmure numen.
That’s enough of these nearly sacred rites!
Go and let down laurel wreaths from your hair!”
They laid them aside, and the sacred rites:
Unfinished, they just abandoned them there,
Although each and every one of them,
By be’ng unmentioned they respected still,
With a hushed murmur, the goddess’ will;
indignata Dea est summoque in vertice Cynthi
talibus est dictis gemina cum prole locuta:
“en ego vestra parens, vobis animosa creatis,
et nisi Iunoni nulli cessura Dearum
an Dea sim, dubitor perque omnia sæcula cultis
arceor, o nati, nisi vos succurritis, aris.
And by be’ng offended, the goddess is
From on the highest crest of mount Cynthus
By having been talked about in such ways,
Spoke with the twins, to her offspring: says,
“Look at me! Another Ascanius!
A mother appearing full of hot air,
And if she shall not yield to Juno,
Then not to any of the goddess’
Or whether perhaps I’m the goddess,
I’m be’ng doubted, and through all the ages
By having been worshiped, I’m be’ng hindered,
Oh! Seven sons and of seven daughters,
Unless you twins run to aid our altars.
nec dolor hic solus; diro convicia facto
Tantalis adiecit vosque est postponere natis
ausa suis et me, quod in ipsam reccidat, orbam
dixit et exhibuit linguam scelerata paternam.”
Not just this resentment; for horrid deeds
She had hurled insults at you, Niobe,
And ’t is by having dared to consider
Of less account: us, by children of hers,
And indeed me, because into herself,
On these grounds may she fall down, parentless,
From be’ng impious, paternal language
She had spoken, even exhibited.”
adiectura preces erat his Latona relatis:
“desine!” Phœbus ait, “pœnæ mora longa querella est!”
dixit idem Phœbe, celerique per æra lapsu
contigerant tecti Cadmeida nubibus arcem.
She’ll add to what’s already been spoken,
By this she’d return prayers to Latona,
“Stop!” said Apollo “Of the punishment
From a complaint it has long since lingered!”
As Apollo had said, he slid swiftly
Through the air, and they had reached, cautiously
In the clouds Thebe’s citadel: Cadmei.
planus erat lateque patens prope mœnia campus,
adsiduis palsatus equis, ubi turba rotarum
duraque mollierat subiectas ungula glæbas.
Near the wall ’t was a flat broad open field,
He struck the crowd, moved were the char’ot’s wheels
And the hard were made soft, be’ng thrown beneath
The horse’s hooves into clods of earth.
pars ibi de septem genitis Amphione fortes
conscendunt in equos Tyrioque rubentia suco
terga premunt auroque graves moderantur habenas.
Some there of the sev’n born by Amphion,
They saddle-up upon Theban steeds: strong,
On horseback and blushing with energy
They pursued them closely, and be’ng restrained
By pulling on the heavy golden reins.
e quibus Ismenus, qui matri sarcina quondam
prima suæ fuerat dum certum flectit in orbem
quadrupedis cursus spumantiaque ora cœrcet,
“ei mihi!” conclamat medioque in pectore fixa
tela gerit frenisque manu moriente remissis
in latus a dextro paulatim defluit armo.
From which Ismenus, whose mother loaded
Once first his had been, until ’t was settled
By Apollo, curved, encircled around,
Quadruped running, foaming at the mouth,
And kettling him, having shouted loudly:
“That he’s to me!” in the midst of his chest
He thrust home arrows; carrying the reins,
By his hand dying, Ismenus gave way
To the right side, gradually slips away
In his shoulder blade.
proximus audito sonitu per inane pharetræ
frena dabat Sipylus, veluti cum præscius imbris
nube fugit visa pendentiaque undique rector
carbasa deducit, ne qua levis effluat aura:
frena tamen dantem non evitabile telum
consequitur, summaque tremeus cervice sagitta
hæsit, et exstabat nudum de gutture; ferrum
ille, ut erat, pronus, per crura admissa iubasque
volvitur et calido tellurem sanguine fœdat.
Next, being heard through the sound of reins
Sipylus, an empty quiver he gave,
A show’r of arrows fired by Apollo;
Even as knowing beforehand although
A cloud of miss’les in the air hung down
From everywhere and he seemed to take flight,
The rider in his garments was brought down:
Not by the swift may vanish out of sight,
The reins gave up, ’t was unavoidable,
And trembling, be’ng pursued by a missile,
An arrow stuck in the top of his neck
And it stood out from his naked windpipe,
That when Sipylus was stooping forward
Let go of the mane, and Diana’s sword
Went along the legs and rolled to the earth,
Stained with his warm blood: he’d been disfigured.
Phædimus infelix et aviti nominis heres
Tantalus, ut solito finem inposuere labori,
transierant ad opus nitidæ iuvenale palæstræ;
et iam contulerant arto luctantia nexu
pectora pectoribus; cum tento concita nervo,
sicut erant iuncti, traiecit utrumque.
Also the unfortunate Phædimus,
Heir of  his grandfather’s name: Tantalus,
Passed the us’al limit fatigue imposed,
Until the toil of youthful sleek wrestling,
And now, in a narrow space collided,
Strug’ling with Apollo: be’ng restrainēd
Chest to chest; when, be’ng drawn-tight: a bow-string,
Be’ng moved vi’lently, just as they were yoked,
The arrow, both of the two: piercēd.
ingemuere simul, simul incurvata dolore
membra solo posuere simul suprema iacentes
lumina versarunt, animam simul exhalarunt.
They mourned over them at once, together,
In pain they lay with the earth, limbs be’ng bent,
They turned this way and that; the light of life
At the same time, in the heavens: higher,
The lights of lives at once they expired.
adspicit Alphenor laniataque pectora plangens
advolat, ut gelidos complexibus adlevet artus,
inque pio cadit officio; nam Delius illi
intima fatifero rupit præcordia ferro.
Apollo Del’us confronts Alphenor:
And hastens to him with his deadly sword,
Striking his heart ha’ng been torn to pieces,
As he lifts him up in a cold embrace,
In a tight space, “You say pious service?”
He falls to his death; for that inmost place
His heart ruptured, burst open: caused to break.
quod simul eductum est, pars et pulmonis in hamis
eruta cumque anima cruor est effusus in auras.
That he is at the same time as be’ng spent,
And a piece of his lung be’ng torn out,
In with talons blood-shed: ’t is be’ng poured out,
Ever to the heavens Alphenor went.
at non intonsum simplex Damasichthono vulnus
adficit: ictus erat, qua crus esse incipit et qua
mollia nervosus facit internodia poples.
Moreover for the simple clean-shaven
Was weakened with a blow: an injury,
Partly where the leg begins, and partly
The tender space ’twixt two joints, sinewy,
He suffers: the hamstring, hough of his knee;
dumque manu temptat trahere exitable telum,
altera per iugulum pennis tenus acta sagitta est.
And while with a hand he attempts to pull
A deadly miss’le from the air, another
Hits him through the throat up to the feathers,
It was all over with, by an arrow.
expulit hanc sanguis seque eiaculatus in altum
emicat et longe terebrata prosilit aura.
From on high and far this arrow shot out,
And be’ng bored through, blood expelled from his throat,
Springs and leaps forth in the air, ev’rywhere.
ultimus Ilioneus non profectura precendo
bracchia sustulerat “Di” que “o communiter omnes”
dixerat ignarus, non omnes esse rogandos
Not only to heav’n his arms lifted
Prays for help, “Oh all of the gods jointly”
But also asks unknown gods, and spoke he:
“You must all refrain from injuring me!”
motus erat, cum iam revocabile telum
non fuit, arcitenens; minimo tamen occidit ille
vulnere, non alte percusso corde sagitta.
The youngest had not been holding a bow,
But by now ’t was ’ready moving: the dart,
And although he was not wounded deeply,
He died, from an arrow, that pierced his heart.
fama mali populique dolor lacrimæque suorum
tam subitæ matrem certam fecere ruinæ,
mirantem potuisse irascentemque, quod ausi
hoc essent superi, quod tantum iuris haberent;
nam pater Amphion ferro per pectus adacto
finierat moriens pariter cum luce dolorem.
The evil talk of this people of theirs
Had caused sorrow and so many tears,
And brought a mother’s sudden sure ruin,
To’d been so astonishing, and raging,
’Cause they may’ve dared to be hither heav’n,
’Cause they might’ve had such jurisdiction;
For father Amphion: a sword thrust through
His heart* as he had been put to an end to,
In a like manner together with the same,
With the light of life dying in his pain.
heu! quantum hæc Niobe Niobe distabat ab illa,
quæ modo Latois populum submoverat aris
et mediam tulerat gressus resupina per urbem
invidiosa suis, at nunc miseranda vel hosti!
Oh! How much this Niobe was apart
From that Niobe, whose only people
Had been forced from Latona’s altars,
And had stepped back, brought through city-central
For their grudges, moreover, already
Also be a pit’able enemy!
corporibus gelidis incumbit et ordine nullo
oscula dispensat natos suprema per omnes;
a quibus ad cælum livent bracchia tollens
“pascere, crudelis, nostro, Latona, dolore,
pascere” ait “satiaque meo tua pectore luctu!
She overlooks the stiffening bodies,
And laid out in no sort of regularity,
Her sons, through each kind of death’s kisses
Paid out, envious, afterwards who lifts
Her arms towards the heavens, thus says she:
“You, Latona, delight in our woe,
Delight, and must fill my heart with sorrow!”
dixit. “per funera septem
efferor: exsulta victrixque inimica triumpha!
She said, “On account of the seven deaths
I be’ng buriēd: you rejoice victress,
Triumph and make hostile! Yet why conqu’ress?”
“miseræ mihi plura supersunt,
quam tibi felici; post tot quoque funera vinco!”
“Maudlin me, that you remain more fruitful
After so many deaths, I survive too!”
* cf. Hyginus’ Fabulæ, ix.
Amphion autem cum templum Apollinis expugnare vellet, ab Apolline sagittis est interfectus.
“Amphion may’ve torn down the temple of Apollo, from Apollo in an assault, but his arrows cut him down.”
Translation Copyright Maxwell Latham, 2015.
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Dædalus interea Creten longumque perosus
exsilium tactusque loci natalis amore
Meanwhile Dædalus’ Cretan exile: hates,
And waits to reach his belovēd birthplace,
By having been imprisoned by the sea.
“terra licet” inquit, “et undas
obstruo: at cælum certe patet; ibimus illac.
“Dry lands can and waters bar us” says he,
“Now it’s sure: the open sky; fly there shall we.
omnia possideat, non possidet æra Minos.”
We may take possession of ev’rything,
Not be held in a bronze case by King Minos.”
dixit et ignotas animum dimittit in artes
He said and for skills renews his purpose,
And the unknown nat’ral Order of things.
nam ponit in ordine pennas,
a minima cœptas, longam breviore sequenti,
ut clivo crevisse putes.
Now he builds by layers among the wings
With regard to very small beginnings,
From shorter follows long with that sloping,
You might suppose he’s to be determined.
fistula disparibus paulatim surgit avenis.
Thus in the country sometimes grows a reed,
That he matches like pan-pipes: by degrees.
tum lino medias et ceris adligat imas,
atque ita compositas parvo curvamine flectit,
ut veras imitetur aves.
Then in the middle of which he threads flax,
And lastly binds them together with wax;
And so, by having been put together
With an arc: it curves,
Only in so far as it mimics real birds.
stabat et ignarus sua se tractare pericla,
ore renidenti modo, quas vaga moverat aura,
captabat plumas, flavam modo pollice ceram
mollibat lusuque suo mirabile patris
The boy Icarus (and he) together,
Continued unaware of the dangers
At all, to handle his with mouth smiling,
Which, go’ng far afield, it had changed: the wind
Blew soft feathers he was trying to catch
At the end of his thumb, with yellow wax
Pliant and plays with the work of his fathers’:
So extraordinary, he hinders.
postquam manus ultima cœpto
imposita est, geminas opifex libravit in alas
ipse suum corpus motaque pependit in aura.
When fin’lly ’t is at hand: the beginning,
Embarks, both balanced himself with craftsman’s wings,
His body moves and he hung on in the wind.
instruit et natum, “medio” que, “ut limite curras,
Icare” ait, “moneo, ne, si demissior ibis,
unda gravet pennas, si celsior, ignis adurat.
And he prepares the son: “By the middle”
Even, “Fly that way Icarus,” he says,
“I warn you, not to fly lower, if you will,
The feathers may be weighed-down ’neath the waves,
Should you go higher, you could be burnt: on fire.
inter utrumque vola. ne te spectare Booten
aut Helicen iubeo strictumque Orinis ensem:
me duce carpe viam.”
And you must fly between the two. Not only
That but you are to look at the Big Dipper,
But also the Great Bear: I order you,
Be’ng lightly touched upon, and Orion’s
Sword: I influence you must travel the journey.”
tradit et ignotas umeris accommodat alas.
Equally, taken beforehand: flying
Delivers, and by be’ng pardoned
From the upper-arms he adjusts his wings.
inter opus monitusque genæ maduere seniles,
et patriæ tremuere manus.
By having been warned, Icarus makes for
His home where his old people abounded,
And within reach, his lower lip trembled.
non iterum repetenda suo, pennisque levatus
ante volat comitique timet, velut ales, ab alto
quæ tenerum prolem produxit in æra nido,
hortaturque sequi damnosasque erudit artes
et movet ipse suas et nati respicit alas.
Dædalus gave a small kiss to his son,
They’d n’er ’gain return, both the wings: raised them
Before he flew; just as a bird from heav’n
Fears for that young child he’d raised
From the nest: be’ng injured, to following
The guard’an into the air, encouraged,
And taught the techniques to, himself moving,
Looks back, both at his son, and his own wings.
All intellectual property rights reserved to the translator:
Mr. Maxwell Lewis Latham Cert. H.E. (litteræ humaniores)
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Arachne (6.1) Ovid Metamorphoses
præbuerat dictis Tritonia talibus aures
carminaque Aonidum iustamque probaverat iram.
By having been mentioned such, had proffered,
Hearing songs of the Muses: Minerva
Had esteemed them, and justified anger.
tum secum “laudare parum est; laudemur et ipsæ
numina nec sperni sine pœna nostra sinamus”
So, with themselves, “’T is not enough to praise,
We may’ve praised and the very divinities
Are to not spurn without our penalty,
We let it be.”
Mæoniæque animum Fatis intendit Arachnes,
quam sibi lanificæ non cedere laudibus artis
And Arachne of Mæonia,
Lydia, the slopes of mount’ Tmolus,
Who, for her weaving was from Fated purpose,
Not to yield from fame of her skill they’d heard.
non illa loco neque origine gentis
clara, sed arte fuit.
Not that she’s given away in marriage,
Nor by birth of descent distinguished,
But in the craft, she was skilled.
pater huic Colophonius Idmon
Phocaico bibulas tingebat murice lanas.
The latter’s father: fond of drink, Idmon,
Dyed Phocis’ purple wool in Colophon.
occiderat mater; sed et hæc de plebe suoque
The mother had died; but from her father
Equally, the man’d been a commoner.
Lydas tamen illa per urbes
quæsierat studio nomen memorabile, quamvis
orta domo parva parvis habitabat Hypæpis.
However, that all over Lydia
From the cities: study’s application,
Although sprung from a small-town: Hypæpa,
From home, she’d earned a remarkable name.
huius ut adspicerent opus admirabile, sæpe
deseruere sui nymphæ vineta Timoli,
deseruere suas nymphæ Pactolides undas.
Often, the young women of Tmolus
Abandoned the waters of the Pactolus,
Forsook the vineyards, so that they may look
At this: of her astonishing workmanship.
nec factas solum vestes spectare iuvabat;
tum quoque, cum fierent: tantus decor adfuit arti.
Not only to watch tapestries be’ng made
At the time, also they’d help to create
Them, ’t was a delight to come to her aid,
For a beautiful work of art so great.
sive rudem primos lanam glomerabat in orbes,
seu pingebat acu, scires a Pallade doctam.
Whether it was the first coarse unworked wool,
Hooped, rounded off, wound into a ball,
Or ’t was embroidered,
You’d know that she’d been taught by Minerva.
quod tamen ipsa negat, tantaque offensa magistra
“certet” ait “mecum: nihil est, quod victa recusam.”
However, in that, herself refusēd
This, denied it, and by having been so
Greatly offended, the instructress said,
“Could she compete with me? She is nothing!
Because I’d refuse to be defeated.”
Pallas anum simulat falsosque in tempora canos
addit et infirmos, baculo quos sustinet, artus.
In time, Minerva’s impersonation
Of a feeble grey-haired frail old woman,
And add to that a walking stick: deceit,
She’d narrowly support herself upright.
tum sic orsa loqui: “non omnia grandior ætas
quæ fugiamus, habet: series venit usus ab annis.
consilium ne sperne meum.
Next, as matters are, she began to say,
“Not everything that has an older age,
May pass us swiftly by: vanish away,
Sewing comes from years of experience.
You’re not to reject my piece of advice.
inter mortales faciendæ maxima lanæ:
cede Deæ veniamque tuis, temeraria, dictis
supplice voce roga: veniam dabit illa roganti.”
For you among mortals, of producing
The greatest of all wool-working, spinning,
You’ll humbly ask the goddess’ forgiveness,
And your rash words spoken with thoughtlessness,
It may pass, that she’ll permit you to ask.”
adspicit hanc torvis inceptaque fila relinquit,
vixque manum retinens confessaque vultibus iram
talibus obscuram resecuta est Pallada dictis:
With a fierce stare she looks her in the face,
And the woolen threads she starts to forsake,
With a hand held back, her eyes acknowledged,
A look of anger,
Such a dark answer ’t is; Minerva said:
“mentis inops langaque venis confectat senecta;
“A disposition of poor character,
You’ve come to be worn out with old age;
et nimium vixisse diu nocet.
And the long lasting injury harmēd,
Fame too great to be rememberēd.
siqua tibi nurus est, siqua est tibi filia, voces;
If anyone ’t is yours, a young womans’,
Whoever ’t is, you young lady, she says,
Of counsel quite sufficient for me and mine;
consilii satis est in me mihi. neve monendo
profecisse putes, eadem est sententia nobis.
And not count on advance warning; the same
Also goes for us in a judgement.
cur non ipsa venit?
Why has not she herself: Pallas come?
cur hæc certamina vitat?”
Why is it that she avoids this contest?”
tum Dea “venit” ait, formamque removit anilem
Then the goddess Minerva said, “She’s come”,
Presents herself: removed the elder form.
Mygdonidesque nurus: sola est non territa virgo.
Nymphs, by having honoured divinities,
Daughters of Corœbus: Mygdonidēs,
The girl’s the only one not scared is she;
sed tamen erubuit subitusque invita notavit
ora rubor rursusque evanuit, ut solet ær
purpureus fieri, cum primum aurora movetur,
et breve post tempus candescere solis ab ortu.
But all the same, she was feeling ashamed,
And by having entered ’gainst her will,
Was disgraced, blushed, and in return again,
The redness may’ve passed away, as usual,
By having to compose herself: cool off,
As soon as dawn breaks, be’ng set in motion
And after a short time, to be white-hot,
Since the rising of Apollo: the sun.
perstat in incepto stolidæque cupidine palmæ
in sua Fata ruit neque enim Iove nata recusat,
nec monet ulterius, nec iam certamina differt.
To begin with Arachne persisted,
And by longing for a stolid vict’ry,
The prize: the palm, in her downfall Fated,
Not for Jupiter’s daughter, declinēd,
Neither more farther be she warnēd,
Nor now delay the contest: rivalry.
haud mora, constituunt diversis partibus ambæ
et gracili geminas intendunt stamine telas
(tela iugo iuncta est, stamen secernit harundo);
inseritur medium radiis subtemen acutis,
quod digiti expediunt, atque inter stamina ductum
percusso paviunt insecti pectine dentes.
Both organised by sides, without delay,
By having been faced a different way,
And with slender thread the twin looms turnēd,
(The yarn-beam ’t is attached to the cross-beam,
A comb separated the distaff’s thread);
With pointed shuttles put in ’midst the weft,
That fingers disentangle, and yet
Between the warps, wool, having been spun,
Piercēd, they strike the comb’s teeth notchēd.
utraque festinant cinctæque ad pectora vestes
bracchia docta movent, studio fallente laborem.
They each hurriēd, and the selvedges:
By having gone around the tapestries,
With enthusiasm their arms movēd,
To disappoint hardship being provēd.
illic et Tyrium quæ purpura sensit ænum
texitur et tenues parvi discriminibus umbræ,
qualis ab imbre solet percussis solibus arcus
inficere ingenti longum curvamine cælum:
in quo diversi niteant cum mille colores,
transitus ipse tamen spectantia lumina fallit;
usque adeo quod tangit idem est, tamen ultima distant.
Yonder, both in purple which’s Tyrian,
’T is perceived copper by being woven,
And fine, slight, of distinction to shadow,
Such as from after show’rs usually do,
From sunlight, by be’ng stuck through: a rainbow
To stain in the great vast vaulting heaven:
’Midst which gleams with thousands of diff’rent hues,
Precisely a transition, ne’ertheless
By beholding it, it deceives the eyes;
Continu’sly so ’cause its touch: ’t is likewise,
However furthest are the distances.
illic et lentum filis inmittitur aurum
et vetus in tela deducitur argumentum.
There both the pliant gold threads be’ng put in,
And on the old loom a subject to spin.
Cecropia Pallas scopulum Mavortis in arce
pingit et antiquam de terræ nomine litem.
Minerva embroidered a peak: Mars’s,
On the summit of the Acropolis,
Concerning the country’s name in account,
And an ancient matter in dispute.
bis sex cælestes medio Iove sedibus altis
augusta gravitate sedent; sua quemque Deorum
inscribit facies: Iovis est regalis imago.
Six goddess’, six gods, so heavenly,
With heavens’ weight sits ’midst Jove’s majesty;
That her, of the gods, marks a character,
’T is a likeness of Regal Jupiter.
stare Deum pelagi longoque ferire tridente
aspera saxa facit, medioque e vulnere saxi
exsiluisse fretum, quo pignore vindicet urbem;
To continue, the god of the ocean:
To strike rugged rocks with a long trident,
Makes a hole ’midst rock and sea,
Where with stake, may lay claim to the city;
at sibi dat clipeum, dat acutæ cuspidis hastam,
dat galeam capiti, defenditur ægide pectus,
percussamque sua simulat de cuspide terram
edere cum bacis fetum canentis olivæ;
mirarique Deos: operis Victoria finis.
But for herself makes a round shield, bronze,
She gives a shaft: sharp tip of the trident,
A helm’ to the head, be’ng protected from
The breast, ægis: Medusa’s face inset,
And by having been struck, represented
Her from out of the earth, the trident’s tips,
Celebrates with berries brought, eats olives;
And to the gods’ amazement: of work she
Ended it, with the goddess: Victory.
ut tamen exemplis intellegat æmula laudis,
quod pretium speret pro tam furialibus ausis,
quattuor in partes certamina quattuor addit,
clara colore suo, brevibus distincta sigillis.
However, consid’ring how with patterns
Her rival might realize, of esteem,
In that, worth she hopes for, in proportion,
By daring: attempted so much fury,
By having been adorned into four parts,
Determined, she adds bright lustre to hers’,
Minerva weaves four small little figures.
Threiciam Rhodopen habet angulus unus et Hæmum
(nunc gelidi montes, mortalia corpora quondam!)
nomina summorum sibi qui tribuere Deorum.
On one corner she has the Thrac’an Rhodrop’
And Hæmus (at present: icy mountains
Who were afore mortals: of bod’ly form)
Fame of the high’st reaches: of the gods,
That for itself to attribute: adorn.
altera Pygmææ Fatum miserabile matris
pars habet: hanc Iuno victam certamine iussit
esse gruem populisque suis indicere bella.
The other side has a Pygmy Princess,
The pitiable Doom of a mother,
This: Juno prevailing in a contest,
Tells of her change into a crane, and her
People to declare war ’pon them they were;
pinxit et Antigonen ausam contendere quondam
cum magni consorte Iovis, quam Regia Iuno
And embroidered Antigonē’s tale told,
With the noble consort of Jupiter,
Who’d once dared contend with much Regal Juno,
And how she had turned her into a bird.
nec profuit Ilion illi
Laomedonve pater, sumptis quin candida pennis
ipsa sibi plaudat crepitante ciconia rostro.
She had not been of use to Ilus, nor
Laodemon, who was the father of her,
Without applause, assumed with white feathers
Into the form of a chattering stork,
Herself: with the bill stitched together.
qui superest solus, Cinyran habet angulus orbum;
isque gradus templi natarum membra suarum,
amplectens saxoque iacens lacrimare videtur.
Cyprus’ Cinyras a corner contains,
Who, made childless, he alone remains,
And that in position of the quarter,
Divided of his belovēd daughters,
Be’ng seen to weep, and cast on a boulder.
circuit extremas oleis pacalibus oras
(is modus est) operisque sua facit arbore finem.
She had surrounded the last selvedges
With olives: peace (sacrēd to Minerva;
that is the end) and of the artistry,
Makes hers with an olive-tree border.
Mæonis elusam designat imagine tauri
Europam: verum taurum, freta vera putares.
The Lydian Arachne depicted
Fair Europa, having been deceivēd
By Jupiter in the shape of a bull,
A lifelike bull, seas you may believe true.
ipsa videbatur terras spectare relictas
et comites clamare suas tactumque vereri
adsilentis aquæ timidasque reducere plantas.
By herself she appeared to look at
The dry land, her companions, and cried out,
And touching the waters with fearful feet,
Afraid to marry again as they’d leap.
fecit et Asterien aquila luctante teneri,
fecit olorinis Ledam recubare sub alis;
And she was making Asteria with
Whom Jove’s eagle to keep hold of was strug’ling,
She made Leda, that lay beneath swan’s wings;
addidit, ut satyri celatus imagine pulchram
Iuppiter implerit gemino Nycteida fetu,
Amphitryon fuerit, cum [te] Tirynthis, cepit,
aureus ut Danæn, Asopida luserit ignis,
Mnemosynen pastor, varius Deoida serpens.
Arachne added to that Jupiter,
By depicting Him as a satyr,
Having been kept ignorant of He
Would impregnate comely Antiope,
Bearing two twin sons (raised by a goatherd
Amphion and Zethus the shepherd)
Amphitr’o will have been with Alcmena,
Appeared as gold: made love to Danaë,
A spotted serpent with Proserpina.
te quoque mutatum torvo, Neptune, iuvenco
virgine in Æolia posuit.
You too Neptune, to a wild bullock changed,
With a girl amidst Æolus she’d made.
gignis Aloidas, aries Bisaltida fallis;
You seemed to see a river in Thessaly,
Enipeus which flows to Peneus,
That begetting the four sons of Æolus,
Neptune as a ram deceives Theophanē;
et te flava comas frugam mitissima mater
sensit equum, sensit volucrem crinita colubris
mater equi volucris, sensit delphina Melantho.
And you saw the most mildest mother
Of the fruits of the earth with golden hair,
Astride a fleeting steed was Demeter;
You perceived with snakes for hair: Medusa,
From whose head sprung the winged horse: Pegasus;
Melantho, to a dolphin changed by Bacchus.
omnibus his faciemque suam faciemque locorum
All kinds of form and shape, and hers were these:
est illic agrestis imagine Phœbus,
utque modo accipitris pennas, modo terga leonis
gesserit, ut pastor Macareida luserit Issen;
That in the likeness of a countryman,
He is Apollo, the sun: Phœbus,
So that way with wings: as a bird of prey,
And he had worn the hide of a lion,
To a shepherd’s form with Issa did play,
(So sporting in the dalliance of love)
The daughter of Lesbos’ King Macreus;
Liber ut Erigonen falsa deceperit uva,
ut Saturnus equo geminum Chirona crearit.
How Erigone being mistaken,
Beguiled by Bacchus whom taught making wine;
How in the shape of an equine: Saturn
With Philya begot the twin-formed Chiron.
ultima pars telæ, tenui circumdata limbo,
nexilibus flores hederis habet intertextos.
Lastly of the cloth on her loom: woven,
Put round the side makes selvedges so fine,
Tied together flowers, ivy: intertwined.
non illud Pallas, non illus carpere Livor
Not having it, Minerva from Envy,
Could not let the other to card the work.
doluit successu flava virago
et rupit pictas cælestia crimina, vestes.
For the turn out, the blond heroine: sore,
That which pictured the god’s crimes: the tapestry,
She in pieces tore.
utque Cytoriaco radium de monte tenebat,
ter quater Idmoniæ frontem percussit Arachnes.
When she grasped the shuttle, from a mountain
In Cytoras (boxwood) and touched her thrice
On the brow, she used restraint in her strikes,
The fourth time: beat Arachne of Idmon.
non tulit infelix laqueoque animosa ligavit
Not showing her unhappiness, proud,
And with a noose about her neck she bound.
pendentem Pallas miserata levavit
atque ita “vive quidem, pende tamen, improba.”
As she hung down, Minerva pitied her,
Accordingly: averted the danger,
“You’ll surely stay alive, nevertheless”
And yet, “But for your presumptuousness”
dixit: “lexque eadem pœnæ, ne sis secura futuri,
dicta tuo generi serisque nepotibus esto.”
Then she says, “The principle and likewise: penalty,
In future so careless, you will not be,
Be’ng settled for you, your descendants
’T is too late for them and your grandchildren.”
post ea discedens sucis Hecateidos herbæ
Next she departs with Hecatē’s potions,
Scatters them ’pon the grass so it moistens.
et extemplo tristi medicamine tactæ
defluxere comæ, cum quis et naris et aures,
fitque caput minimum, toto quoque corpore parva est:
in latere exiles digiti pro cruribus hærent,
cetera venter habet: de quo tamen illa remittit
stamen et antiquas exercet aranea telas.
With the offensive smelling drug derived from
And immed’ately, having been sprinkled
With it, becomes very little is she,
The head and the ears and of the nostrils,
All of her, also a tiny body,
Arachne’s thin fingers: instead of legs,
Stick to her sides, in proportion to the rest,
That and a stomach is all she has left;
And for that she keeps busy: her former threads,
She produces all the same spider webs.
Translated by Mr. Maxwell Lewis Latham Cert. H.E. (litteræ humaniores), all intellectual property rights reserved.
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