60 Quæ tamen ut vidit, quamvis irata memorque, Indoluit, quotiesque puer miserabilis, "Eheu!" 495 Dixerat, hæc resonis iterabat vocibus, "Eheu!" Cumque suos manibus percusserat ille lacertos, Hæc quoque reddebat sonitum plangoris eundem. 65 Ultima vox solitam fuit hæc spectantis in undam: "Heu frustra dilecte puer !" totidemque remisit 500 Verba locus, dictoque vale," "vale" inquit et Echo. Ille caput viridi fessum submisit in herba: Lumina mors claudit, domini mirantia formam. 70 Tum quoque se, postquam est inferna sede receptus, In Stygia spectabat aqua. Planxere sorores Naïdes, et sectos fratri imposuere capillos; 505 Planxerunt Dryades: plangentibus assonat Echo. bant; 75 Nusquam corpus erat: croceum pro corpore florem Inveniunt, foliis medium cingentibus albis. XVIII. PENTHEUS. (III. 511-731.) 510 The enthusiastic worship of Bacchus, introduced from Asiá (comp. Introd. XVII.), found in the beginning much opposition in Greece. This historical fact is represented in manifold fabulous legends. The opponents were, however, at length overpowered, and severely punished by the mighty god. Amongst the opponents of this worship was Pentheus, the grandson of Cadmus, and son of Agave and of Echion, who sprung from the dragon's teeth (thence Echionides,' v. 3, comp. XIV.). His name, IIɛv0Euç, the sorrowful,' points to his fate. This monarch, who had succeeded Cadmus on the throne of Thebes, finding many of the Thebans, especially the women, addicted to the service of the new god, warned his subjects against its adoption. The god himself, who had assumed the form of a mean foreigner, a Tyrrhenian, by name Acotes, was taken prisoner by the servants of Pentheus, and brought in fetters before the king. The prisoner told of the might of Bacchus, which he had displayed against some Tyrrhenian seamen. The god, he said, had, in the form of a drunken boy, met the crew of a Tyrrhenian vessel at the island of Chios; the sailors, struck with his extraordinary beauty, resolved to kidnap him, in order to sell him as a slave: on this the god had turned all the seamen into dolphins; sparing him (Acœtes) alone, because he had not taken part in the guilt of the rest.—Pentheus, however, is obstinate in his opposition, and having himself gone out to put a stop to the festival which was going on on Mount Cithæron, he was slain by his own mother and sisters, who, inflamed with Bacchanalian rage, took him for a boar, and tore him in pieces. Ovid attaches the history of Pentheus to a prophecy of the Theban seer Tiresias (auguris,' v. 2); whose fame had been spread through all the Grecian states, by the notoriety of the fate (cognita res, v. 1) which befell Narcissus (comp. XVIII.) and which Tiresias had predicted; yet for all this Pentheus despised his warning prophecy. 520 Cognita res meritam vati per Achaïdas urbes 511 Attulerat famam, nomenque erat auguris ingens; Spernit Echionides tamen hunc, ex omnibus unus 5 Contemtor Superûm, Pentheus, præsagaque ridet Verba senis, tenebrasque et cladem lucis ademtæ 515 Objicit. Ille movens albentia tempora canis, “Quam felix esses, si tu quoque luminis hujus Orbus," ait, “fieres, nec Bacchia sacra videres! 10 Namque dies aderit, jamque haud procul auguror esse, Qua novus huc veniet, proles Semeleïa, Liber. Quem nisi templorum fueris dignatus honore; Mille lacer spargere locis, et sanguine silvas Fœdabis matremque tuam matrisque sorores. 15 Eveniet: neque enim dignabere numen honore; Meque sub his tenebris nimium vidisse quereris.” 525 Talia dicentem proturbat Echione natus ; Dicta fides sequitur, responsaque vatis aguntur. Liber adest, festisque fremunt ululatibus agri; 20 Turba ruit, mixtæque viris matresque nurusque Vulgusque proceresque ignota ad sacra feruntur. 530 66 535 Quis furor, anguigenæ, proles Mavortia, vestras Attonuit mentes?" Pentheus ait. "Erane tantum Ære repulsa valent, et adunco tibia cornu, 25 Et magicæ fraudes, ut, quos non bellicus ensis, Non tuba terruerit, non strictis agmina telis, Femineæ voces, et mota insania vino, Obscœnique greges, et inania tympana vincant? Vosne, senes, mirer, qui longa per æquora vecti 30 Hac Tyron, hac profugos posuistis sede Penates, Nunc sinitis sine Marte capi? Vosne, acrior ætas, 540 O juvenes, propiorque meæ, quos arma tenere, 545 Sumite serpentis! Pro fontibus ille lacuque Interiit; at vos pro fama vincite vestra! Ille dedit leto fortes; vos pellite molles, Et patrium retinete decus! Si fata vetabant 40 Stare diu Thebas; utinam tormenta virique Monia diruerent, ferrumque ignisque sonarent: 550 Essemus miseri sine crimine, sorsque querenda, Non celanda foret, lacrimæque pudore carerent. At nunc a puero Thebæ capientur inermi, 555 45 Quem neque bella juvant nec tela nec usus equorum, cogam Assumtumque patrem commentaque sacra fateri. 50 An satis Acrisio est animi, contemnere vanum Numen, et Argolicas venienti claudere portas ; 560 Penthea terrebit cum totis advena Thebis? 55 Ite citi,"-famulis hoc imperat—“ite ducemque suorum Corripiunt dictis, frustraque inhibere laborant; Et crescit rabies, remoraminaque ipsa nocebant. 60 Lenius et modico strepitu decurrere vidi; 565 At quacumque trabes obstructaque saxa tenebant, 570 Ecce, cruentati redeunt et, Bacchus ubi esset, Quærenti domino Bacchum vidisse negarunt; 65 "Hunc," dixere, "tamen comitem famulumque sa crorum Cepimus," et tradunt manibus post terga ligatis 575 Adspicit hunc oculis Pentheus, quos ira tremendos 70 "O periture tuaque aliis documenta dature Morte," ait, "ede tuum nomen nomenque parentum Et patriam, morisque novi cur sacra frequentes." 581 Ille metu vacuus, 66 Nomen mihi," dixit, "Acœtes, "Patria Mæonia est, humili de plebe parentes. '75 Non mihi, quæ duri colerent, pater, arva juvenci, Lanigerosve greges, non ulla armenta reliquit : 585 Pauper et ipse fuit, linoque solebat et hamis Decipere et calamo salientes ducere pisces; 80 Ars illi sua census erat. Cum traderet artem, 66 quit 591 Præter aquas: unum hoc possum appellare pater num. Mox ego, ne scopulis hærerem semper in îsdem, Nox ubi consumta est,-Aurora rubescere primum 95 Prospicio, comitesque voco repetoque carinam. Adsumus en!" inquit sociorum primus Opheltes, Utque putat, prædam deserto nactus in agro, Ille, mero somnoque gravis, titubare videtur, 606 610 100 Vixque sequi. Specto cultum faciemque gradumque: est. Quisquis es, o faveas nostrisque laboribus adsis; 105 His quoque des veniam !"-" Pro nobis mitte precari! Dictys ait, quo non alius conscendere summas 615 Hoc Libys, hoc flavus, proræ tutela, Melanthus, 110 Voce dabat remis, animorum hortator Epopeus, Is mihi, dum resto, juvenili guttura pugno 625 120 Impia turba probat factum. Tum denique Bacchus Bacchus enim fuerat,— veluti clamore solutus 630 66 'Quid facitis? Quis clamor?" ait, Qua, dicite, nautæ, Huc ope perveni? Quo me deferre paratis ?" 125" Pone metum," portus, Ede, velis," dixit: Proreus, "et, quos contingere 66 635 "terra sistere petita." Naxon," ait Liber, cursus advertite vestros : Illa mihi domus est; vobis erit hospita tellus." Per mare fallaces perque omnia numina jurant, 130 Sic fore, meque jubent pictæ dare vela carinæ. Dextera Naxos erat: dextra mihi lintea danti 640 'Quid facis, o demens? Quis te furor . . . inquit Opheltes. .?" "Pro se quisque tenet: lævam pete!" Maxima nutu Pars mihi significat, pars, quid velit, aure susurrat. 135 Obstupui, "Capiatque aliquis moderamina!" dixi, Meque ministerio scelerisque artisque removi. 645 Increpor a cunctis, totumque immurmurat agmen ; E quibus Æthalion, "Te scilicet omnis in uno Nostra salus posita est: ait, et subit ipse meumque 140 Explet opus. Naxoque petit diversa relicta. G |