In tantis dicenda malis, lugubris et amens 335 340 Nec minus Heliades fletus et, inania morti Munera, dant lacrimas, et cæsæ pectora palmis Non auditurum miseras Phaethonta querelas 375 Nocte dieque vocant, adsternunturque sepulcro. Luna quater junctis implerat cornibus orbem: Illæ more suo-nam morem fecerat ususPlangorem dederant. E quîs Phaethusa, sororum Maxima, cum vellet terræ procumbere, questa est, 380 Diriguisse pedes; ad quam conata venire 345 350 Candida Lampetie, subita radice retenta est; Tertia, cum crinem manibus laniare pararet, Avellit frondes; hæc stipite crura teneri, Illa dolet fieri longos sua brachia ramos. 385 Dumque ea mirantur, complectitur inguina cortex, Perque gradus uterum pectusque humerosque manusque 354 Ambit, et exstabant tantum ora vocantia matrem. Sanguineæ manant tanquam de vulnere guttæ. 360 clamat, "Parce, precor: nostrum laniatur in arbore corpus. 395 Jamque vale." . . Cortex in verba novissima venit. Inde fluunt lacrimæ, stillataque sole rigescunt De ramis electra novis, quæ lucidus amnis Excipit et nuribus mittit gestanda Latinis. Affuit huic monstro proles Stheneleïa Cygnus, 400 Qui tibi materno quamvis a sanguine junctus, Mente tamen, Phaethon, propior fuit. relicto Ille 365 Nam Ligurum populos et magnas rexerat urbes- 371 Eridanum implerat silvamque sororibus auctam ; 405 Cum vox est tenuata viro, canæque capillos Dissimulant plumæ, collumque a pectore longe Porrigitur, digitosque ligat junctura rubentes, 375 Penna latus velat, tenet os sine acumine rostrum. Fit nova Cygnus avis, nec se cœloque Jovique 410 Credit, ut injuste missi memor ignis ab illo: Stagna petit patulosque lacus, ignemque perosus, Quæ colat, elegit contraria flumina flammis. VIII. CALLISTO. (II. 401-532.) 380 + Callisto is changed into a she-bear, and, with her son Arcas, translated to the starry firmament: where, under the name of the two Bears, they perpetually revolve about the north pole without ever dipping into the waters of the Ocean.-After Phaethon's mishap, Jupiter sought in every way to repair the mischief which the irregular course of the sun-car had caused. As he was directing special attention to Arcadia, he beheld in the fields of that country a nymph distinguished for her beauty,-Callisto, the daughter of king Lycaon, who belonged to the train of the virgin-goddess of the chase, and, like her mistress, shunned all converse with the other sex ; but Jupiter, assuming the form of Diana herself, deceived the nymph and accomplished her ruin. This myth appears, like the foregoing one, to have the purpose of explaining by a fable an astronomical phenomenon—the never setting of two northern constellations. (Jupiter sees Callisto. Description of the Nymph.) 401 405 410 Vitta coercuerat neglectos alba capillos : Et modo leve manu jaculum, modo sumserat arcum. 15 Miles erat Phoebes, nec Manalon attigit ulla 415 Gratior hac Triviæ. Sed nulla potentia longa est. (Description of the feelings of Callisto, after she had been dishonoured by Jupiter. Juno's jealousy and its effects.) Ecce, suo comitata choro Dictynna per altum Mænalon ingrediens, et cæde superba ferarum, Adspicit hanc visamque vocat: clamata refugit, 20 Et timuit primo, ne Jupiter esset in illa. 450 Sed postquam pariter Nymphas incedere vidit; 445 Sensit abesse dolos, numerumque accessit ad harum. Heu quam difficile est, crimen non prodere vultu! Vix oculos attollit humo, nec, ut ante solebat, 25 Juncta deæ lateri, nec toto est agmine prima; Sed silet et læsi dat signa rubore pudoris; Et, nisi quod virgo est, poterat sentire Diana Mille notis culpam. Nymphæ sensisse feruntur. Senserat hoc olim magni matrona Tonantis, 30 Distuleratque graves in idonea tempora pœnas. Causa moræ nulla est; et jam puer Arcas-id ipsum Indoluit Juno-fuerat de pellice natus. 466 Quo simul obvertit sævam cum lumine mentem; 470 66 35 Ut fecunda fores, fieretque injuria partu Nota, Jovisque mei testatum dedecus esset. 40 Stravit humi pronam. Tendebat brachia supplex: 45 Neve preces animos et verba precantia flectant, 50 Qualescumque manus ad cœlum et sidera tollit, 476 480 486 Ingratumque Jovem, nequeat cum dicere, sentit. Ante domum quondamque suis erravit in agris! 490 60 Arcas adest, ter quinque ferens natalibus annos; Arcuit Omnipotens, pariterque ipsosque nefasque 75 Intumuit Juno, postquam inter sidera pellex 66 Quæritis, ætheriis quare regina deorum Sedibus huc adsim? Pro me tenet altera cœlum. Mentior, obscurum nisi nox cum fecerit orbem, Nuper honoratas summo, mea vulnera, cœlo Videritis stellas illic, ubi circulus axem 80 Ultimus extremum spatioque brevissimus ambit. Est vero, cur quis Junonem lædere nolit 500 506 510 515 Offensamque tremat: quæ prosum sola nocendo? 520 est! Esse hominem vetui: facta est dea. Sic ego pœnas 85 Sontibus impono; sic est mea magna potestas! Vindicet antiquam faciem vultusque ferinos Detrahat, Argolica quod et ante Phoronide fecit. . Cur non et pulsa ducit Junone, meoque Collocat in thalamo, socerumque Lycaona sumit? 90 At vos si læsæ tangit contemtus alumnæ, 525 Gurgite cæruleo septem prohibete Triones, Dî maris annuerant; habili Saturnia curru 95 Ingreditur liquidum pavonibus aera pictis. 530 IX. CORONIS; OR, THE RAVEN AND THE CROW. (II. 536-632.) + Coronis is transformed into a Crow; and the colour of the Raven is changed from white to black.-This fable, as well as that which is interwoven with it, of the transformation of Coronis into a Crow, belongs to the less significant legends. The raven, thus runs the fable, was the favorite bird of Apollo, the god of divination; but fell under the displeasure of that deity by imprudently revealing to him the unfaithfulness of his mistress, the Thessalian damsel Coronis. As he was on his way to the god, he met the crow, who endeavoured, but in vain, to dissuade him from his purpose, by relating its own history. The crow was originally (according to the legend) the daughter of King Coroneus, and had been rescued from the pursuit of Neptune (deus pelagi,' v. 39) by Minerva, who transformed her into a bird. But when this goddess consigned Erichthonius, as a child, in a closed chest, to the custody of the daughters of Cecrops, the crow saw how Aglauros, against the command of the goddess, opened the chest, and showed her sisters the mysterious child. This she reported to the goddess; who, enraged at the betrayal of the secret, turned off the crow for bringing her the unwelcome intelligence, and took in her place Nyctiměnê, whom she changed into an owl, which was thenceforth regarded as the sacred bird of Minerva. In spite of this warning lesson, the raven persisted in her determination to report to Apollo the unfaithfulness of Coronis. The enraged god took a severe revenge, by slaying the faithless Coronis with his arrows. But forthwith, repenting of the deed, he began to detest the tale-telling bird, which had kindled his anger, and punished it by turning its plumage from white to black: and, whilst the corpse of Coronis was burning, he saved his son Esculapius from the flames, and brought him to the Centaur Chiron, to be brought up by him. Corvus avis fuerat niveis argentea pennis |