STILL lamenting in solitude for his lost Eurydice, Orpheus is assailed in a frenzy by the women of Thrace, who tear him in pieces; so that while his body is borne upon the Hebrus, and to the isle of Lesbos, his shade securely joins that of his wife in the Elysian Fields (XI. 1-66); the women who had caused his death being by Bacchus changed to trees (67-84). “ARMINE dum tali silvas animosque ferarum CAR Threïcius vates et saxa sequentia ducit, ecce nurus Ciconum, tectae lymphata ferinis pectora velleribus, tumuli de vertice cernunt Orphea, percussis sociantem carmina nervis. e quibus una, levem jactato crine per auram, • En,' ait en hic est nostri contemptor !' et hastam vatis Apollinei vocalia misit in ora: 5 ΙΟ quae foliis praesuta notam sine vulnere fecit. Alterius telum lapis est, qui missus, in ipso aëre concentu victus vocisque lyraeque est, ac veluti supplex pro tam furialibus ausis ante pedes jacuit. Sed enim temeraria crescunt bella, modusque abiit, insanaque regnat Erinys. Cunctaque tela forent cantu mollita; sed ingens 15 clamor et infracto Berecyntia tibia cornu, tympanaque et plausus et Bacchei ululatus obstrepuere sono citharae. Tum denique saxa non exauditi rubuerunt sanguine vatis. ac primum attonitas etiamnum voce canentis innumeras volucres, anguesque agmenque ferarum, Maenades Orphei titulum rapuere triumphi. Inde cruentatis vertuntur in Orphea dextris, et coëunt ut aves, si quando luce vagantem 20 noctis avem cernunt; structoque utrimque theatro ceu matutina cervus periturus arena 25 praeda canum est, vatemque petunt, et fronde virentes coniciunt thyrsos, non haec in munera factos. hae glebas, illae direptos arbore ramos, Neu desint tela furori, pars torquent silices. forte boves presso subigebant vomere terram; 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. quae postquam rapuere ferae, cornuque minaces divellere boves, ad vatis fata recurrunt, tendentemque manus atque illo tempore primum irrita dicentem, nec quicquam voce moventem, sacrilegae perimunt; perque os, pro Juppiter! illud, auditum saxis intellectumque ferarum sensibus, in ventos anima exhalata recessit. Te maestae volucres, Orpheu, te turba ferarum, te rigidi silices, te carmina saepe secutae fleverunt silvae; positis te frondibus arbos tonsa comam luxit; lacrimis quoque flumina dicunt increvisse suis, obstrusaque carbasa pullo naïdes et dryades passosque habuere capillos. 30 35 40 45 membra jacent diversa locis: caput, Hebre, lyramque excipis; et, mirum! medio dum labitur amne, flebile nescio quid queritur lyra, flebile lingua murmurat exanimis, respondent flebile ripae. jamque mare invectae flumen populare relinquunt, et Methymnaeae potiuntur litore Lesbi. hic ferus expositum peregrinis anguis arenis os petit et sparsos stillanti rore capillos. tandem Phoebus adest, morsusque inferre parantem 55 60 arcet, et in lapidem rictus serpentis apertos congelat, et patulos, ut erant, indurat hiatus. Umbra subit terras, et quae loca viderat ante, cuncta recognoscit; quaerensque per arva piorum invenit Eurydicen, cupidisque amplectitur ulnis. hic modo conjunctis spatiantur passibus ambo, nunc praecedentem sequitur, nunc praevius anteit, 65 Eurydicenque suam jam tuto respicit Orpheus. Non impune tamen scelus hoc sinit esse Lyaeus: amissoque dolens sacrorum vate suorum, protinus in silvis matres Edonidas omnes, quae videre nefas, torta radice ligavit. 70 75 quippe pedum digitos, in quantum quaeque secuta est, traxit, et in solidam detrusit acumine terram; utque suum laqueis, quos callidus abdidit auceps, crus ubi commisit volucris, sensitque teneri, plangitur, ac trepidans astringit vincula motu : sic, ut quaeque solo defixa cohaeserat harum, exsternata fugam frustra temptabat; at illam lenta tenet radix, exsultantemque coërcet. dumque ubi sint digiti, dum pes ubi, quaerit, et ungues, aspicit in teretes lignum succedere suras; et conata femur maerenti plangere dextra, robora percussit. Pectus quoque robora fiunt; robora sunt humeri; porrectaque bracchia veros esse putes ramos, et non fallare putando. 80 XVII. THE STORY OF MIDAS. [Book XI. -85-193.] PROCEEDING from Thrace into Phrygia, Bacchus is deserted by Silenus, whom king Midas restores to him, and so receives from Bacchus whatever boon he should desire. Choosing that whatever he touched might become gold, Midas presently finds his gift a curse; but by help of the god is freed from it on bathing in the river Pactolus, whose sands thenceforth become gold (85-145). Afterwards, frequenting woods and lonely places, he became witness of a contest for the palm of music between Pan and Apollo. By Tmolus, the mountain-god, Apollo is judged victor; and Midas pronouncing for Pan, his ears are by Apollo lengthened into ass's ears (146–179); the secret of which being by his servant whispered to the earth, there sprang up reeds, which in their rustling told the shame of Midas (180–193). NEC EC satis hoc Baccho est: ipsos quoque deserit agros, cumque choro meliore sui vineta Timoli Pactolonque petit — quamvis non aureus illo hunc assueta cohors satyri bacchaeque frequentant, Et jam stellarum sublime coëgerat agmen Lucifer undecimus, Lydos cum laetus in agros rex venit, et juveni Silenum reddit alumno. huic deus optandi gratum, sed inutile, fecit muneris arbitrium, gaudens altore recepto. 90 95 100 ille, male usurus donis, ait Effice, quicquid Vix spes ipsa suas animo capit, aurea fingens Attonitus novitate mali, divesque miserque, effugere optat opes, et quae modo voverat, odit. ad caelumque manus et splendida bracchia tollens, |