Perque leves populos simulacraque functa sepulcris 20 Verba loqui sinitis; non huc, ut opaca viderem Vicit Amor. Supera deus hic bene notus in ora est : Vos quoque junxit Amor. Per ego hæc loca plena 30 Per Chaos hoc ingens vastique silentia regni, 35 Humani generis longissima regna tenetis : 40 Hæc quoque, cum justos matura peregerit annos, Talia dicentem nervosque ad verba moventem Nec carpsere jecur volucres, urnisque vacarunt 45 Tunc primum lacrimis victarum carmine fama est 50 Hanc simul et legem Rhodopeïus accipit heros, Arduus, obscurus, caligine densus opaca. 60 Jamque iterum moriens non est de conjuge quicquam 86 90 70 Se recipit Rhodopen pulsumque Aquilonibus Hæmon. (Orpheus, having remained faithful to the memory of Eurydicê, is at length torn to pieces by the Thracian women.) Collis erat collemque super planissima campi Area, quam viridem faciebant graminis herbæ ; Umbra loco deerat : qua postquam parte resedit Dîs genitus vates et fila sonantia movit; 75 Umbra loco venit. Non Chaonis abfuit arbor, Non nemus Heliadum, non frondibus æsculus altis Nec tiliæ molles, nec fagus et innuba laurus, Et coryli fragiles et fraxinus utilis hastis, Enodisque abies curvataque glandibus ilex, 80 Et platanus genialis acerque coloribus impar, Amnicolæque simul salices et aquatica lotos, Perpetuoque virens buxus tenuesque myricæ, Et bicolor myrtus et baccis cærula tinus. Vos quoque flexipedes hederæ venistis, et una 85 Pampineæ vites et amictæ vitibus ulmi, 90 Ornique et piceæ pomoque onerata rubenti Tale nemus vates attraxerat, inque ferarum 95 100 143 95 Ut satis impulsas tentavit pollice chordas, Carmina nostra move! Jovis est mihi summa Dicenda!" Atque canit plectro graviore Gigantas Sparsaque Phlegræis victricia fulmina campis. 151 Carmine dum tali silvas animosque ferarum (x1) 1 100 Threïcius vates et saxa sequentia ducit, Ecce nurus Ciconum, tecta lymphata ferinis Pectora velleribus, tumuli de vertice cernunt Orphea percussis sociantem carmina nervis. E quibus una, levem jactato crine per auram, 105 "En," ait, en hic est nostri contemtor!" et hastam Vatis Apollinei vocalia misit in ora, Quæ foliis præsuta notam sine vulnere fecit. Alterius telum lapis est, qui missus in ipso Aere concentu victus vocisque lyræque est, 110 Ac veluti supplex pro tam furialibus ausis 10 Ante pedes jacuit. Sed enim temeraria crescunt 115 Tympanaque et plausus et Bacchei ululatus Ac primum attonitas etiamnum voce canentis 120 Mænades Orphei titulum rapuere theatri; 20 Inde cruentatis vertuntur in Orphea dextris, 125 Præda canum est; vatemque petunt, et fronde virentes Conjiciunt thyrsos non hæc in munera factos. Pars torquent silices. Neu desint tela furori, 30 Forte boves presso subigebant vomere terram, 130 Nec procul hinc, multo fructum sudore parantes, Dura lacertosi fodiebant arva coloni: Agmine qui viso fugiunt operisque relinquunt Arma sui, vacuosque jacent dispersa per agros Sarculaque, rastrique graves, longique ligones. 135 Quæ postquam rapuere feræ, cornuque minaces Divellere boves; ad vatis fata recurrunt, 35 40 Tendentemque manus atque illo tempore primum 140 Auditum saxis intellectumque ferarum Sensibus, in ventos anima exhalata recessit. 45 Te mæstæ volucres, Orpheu, te turba ferarum, Te rigidi silices, tua carmina sæpe secutæ Fleverunt silvæ; positis te frondibus arbos 145 Tonsa comam luxit; lacrimis quoque flumina dicunt Increvisse suis, obscuraque carbasa pullo Naïdes et Dryades passosque habuere capillos. Membra jacent diversa locis. Caput, Hebre, lyramque 50 55 Excipis, et-mirum-medio dum labitur amne, 150 Flebile nescio quid queritur lyra, flebile lingua Murmurat exanimis, respondent flebile ripa. Jamque mare invectæ flumen populare relinquunt, Et Methymnææ potiuntur litore Lesbi: Umbra subit terras et, quæ loca viderat ante, 155 Cuncta recognoscit, quærensque per arva piorum Invenit Eurydicen cupidisque amplectitur ulnis. Hic modo conjunctis spatiantur passibus ambo, Nunc præcedentem sequitur, nunc prævius anteit 65 Eurydicenque suam jam tuto respicit Orpheus. XXXIX. HYACINTHUS. (X. 160-219.) Apollo was warmly attached to the Spartan youth, Hyacinthus, with whom he betook himself to the Spartan stream, Eurotas, and engaged with him in the labours of the chase. As, however, they once at mid-day (when the sun stands equally removed from the past and the coming night (v. 1), were amusing themselves with quoit-throwing, the god with strength of hand threw the discus high up to the clouds. Hyacinthus was in haste to catch the discus as it fell, and was crushed by it. Although Apollo, the god of the healing art, tried all means to revive him, his skill was of no avail. On this the god changed him to a flower (the blue sword- or flag -lily), which on its leaves bears the wail of the lover. In Greek AI, AI (or al, ai) is a lament, which answers to the Latin va, va (the English woe). Hence scripto gemitus imitabere nostros, v. 33. This flower blooms in the spring, when the sun enters the sign of the Ram (Pisci Aries succedit), and Apollo prophesies, that in time to come one also of the bravest heroes of Greece, Ajax (Aïac) should be transformed into this flower, and that the first sound of his name should be read on its leaf (v. 35: comp. the end of the Introd. to XLVII). Hyacinthus became a national hero of the Spartans, and in honour of him they yearly celebrate the Hyacinthia, a Lacedæmonian national festival, which lasts three days, and takes place at Midsummer. Jamque fere medius Titan venientis et actæ 175 180 185 190 195 "Laberis, Ebalide, prima fraudate juventa," Phoebus ait, "videoque tuum, mea crimina, vulnus. 25 Tu dolor es facinusque meum; mea dextera leto |