BLU 100 Posce bonis aliquid: nullam patiere repulsam. 4 105 110 115 Dumque ea magnanimus Phaethon miratur opusquei 120 1 Deprecor hoc unum, quod vero nomine (est) pœna, I interpose against this one thing, which, by its true name, is a punishment. 2 Finierat, i. e. Phœbus-ille, i. e. Phaethon. 3 Cunctatus quà licuit, having delayed as long as he could. 4 Curvatura summæ rotæ, the outermost rim, or felloe of the wheel; ordo radiorum, the row of spokes. 5 Chrysolithus, gold-stone, was a precious stone of a bright yellow colour, supposed to be a topaz. 6 Cogit agmina, brings up the rear-a form of expression borrowed from an army on march. The stars are represented as an army marching off the field at the approach of the morning star, with Lucifer as the commander of the last company. 7 Cornuaque extrema Lunæ velut evanescere, and the horns of the fading moon to vanish as it were. 8 Saturos succo ambrosiæ, full-fed with the juice of ambrosia. Ambrosia, which properly signifies the food of the gods, is represented by the poets as being the food of their horses also; quadrupedes, horses; addunt, put on. Quadrupedes ducunt, adduntque sonantia frena. 125 130 Nec preme, nec summum molire per æthera currum. 135 Altiùs egressus cœlestia tecta cremabis; Inferiùs, terras: medio tutissimus ibis. Neu te dexterior tortum declinet in Anguem, 7 Quæ juvet, et meliùs, quàm tu tibi, consulat, opto. 140 1 Contigit sacro medicamine, rubbed with a celestial ointment; patientia, capable of enduring. 2 Præsaga luctûs, which foreboded his future sorrow; stimulis, the goads. A. R. A. 481. 3 Nec via per quinque directos arcus placeat tibi, and let not the road through the five parallel circles please you, i. e. go not through the equator, the tropics, and the polar circles. See 1, 2, 14, &c. 4 Limes, the path, i. e. the ecliptic, which cuts the equator obliquely; contentus fine trium zonarum, confined within the limits of three zones. The ecliptic lies within the torrid zone, having one of the temperate zones on each side. The torrid and two temperate zones are therefore the three here referred to. 5 Egressus altiùs, by going too high; (egressus) inferiùs, by going too low. 6 Neu-neve, neither-nor; tene (cursum), keep the way; anguem, aram. See Anguis, Ara. 7 Opto, quæ (for ut ea) juvet, I pray that she may assist you. 8 Metas positas in Hesperio litore, the goals placed on the western shore, i.e. the shore of the Atlantic. The Goddess of Night is represented as passing in a chariot across the sky, and reaching the western horizon at the same time that the sun rises in the east. A. R. A. 275. 145 150 Poscimur; effulget tenebris Aurora fugatis. 160 165 170 1 Levem juvenili corpore, light on account of his youthful body; inde, from it, from the chariot. 2 Pulsant repagula, strike the barriers. The repagula were beams of wood placed across the openings in the race-course from which the horses started, to prevent them from setting off before the time. A. R. A. 275. 3 Et copia immensi mundi facta est, and full scope over the boundless universe was given them. 4 Nec (for et) quod equi solis (non) possent cognoscere, and such as the horses of the sun could not feel. 5 Dat saltus in aëra vacuos assueto onere, makes leaps into the air indicating the want of its usual weight. Vacuos strictly refers to currus— inani (currui). Et vetito frustra tentârunt æquore tingi ; Quæque polo posita est glaciali proxima Serpens, Incaluit, sumpsitque novas fervoribus iras.1 Frena suus rector, quam Dîs votisque reliquit. Nec retinere valet, nec nomina novit equorum. Sparsa quòque in vario passim miracula cœlo Vastarumque videt trepidus simulacra ferarum. 175 180 185 190 Est locus, in geminos ubi brachia concavat arcus 195 Scorpios, et caudâ flexisque utrimque lacertis Porrigit in spatium signorum membra duorum. Hunc puer ut nigri madidum sudore veneni 1 Sumpsit novas iras fervoribus, felt unusual rage from the heat. 2 Jacentes penitus penitusque, lying deeper and deeper below him. 3 Tenebræ obortæ sunt oculis per tantum lumen, darkness overspread his eyes from such a glare of light. 4 Fertur ita ut pinus, is borne along like a ship; victa frena, the helm now unmanageable; Dis, to the tutelary gods, whose images were placed on the stern, and to whom the crew addressed prayers and made vows in a storm. A. R. A. 342. 5 Non est illi fato contingere, it is not allowed him by fate to reach. 6 Miracula sparsa passim in vario cœlo, strange objects scattered every where over the spangled heaven. In miracula there is an allusion to the -constellations mentioned in 78, &c. and vario refers to the firmament bestudded with stars. mg-200 TO 205 Vulnera curvatâ minitantem cuspide vidit; 210 220 215 In cinerem vertunt. Silvæ cum montibus ardent ; Ardet Athos Taurusque Cilix et Tmolus et Ete; Et nunc sicca, priùs celeberrima fontibus, Ide, Virgineusque Helicon, et nondum Eagrius Hæmos; Ardet in immensum geminatis ignibus Ætne, Parnassusque biceps et Eryx et Cynthus et Othrys, Et tandem Rhodope nivibus caritura, Mimasque Dindymaque et Mycale natusque ad sacra Citharon. Nec prosunt Scythiæ sua frigora: Caucasus ardet, Ossaque cum Pindo majorque ambobus Olympus, Aëriæque Alpes et nubifer Apenninus. 1 Exspatiantur, start from the road; sine lege, without control. 225 2 Summa (loca), the highest places; decliva (loca), declivities; spatio propiore terræ, a track nearer to the earth. 3 Inferiùs suis (equis), lower than her own horses. The moon moves round the earth in a smaller circle than the sun, and her horses are therefore nearer the centre of attraction. 4 Tellus, ut quæque (tellus) est altissima, the earth, as any part of it is very high, all the highest parts of the earth. 5 Cum manibus, with the buildings. Manibus probably signifies the larger and more durable edifices, chiefly the public buildings; gentes cum suis populis, countries with their inhabitants." |