Forma triplex, nec forma triplex tua, Cerbere, movit. 185 Vestrum opus Elis habet, vestrum Stymphalides undae Thermodontiaco caelatus balteus auro, 190 195 who ruled over Libya, and challenged strangers to wrestle with him. Hercules perceived that whenever he was thrown on the ground, he received new strength (alimenta parentis); he therefore raised him aloft, and crushed him to death in the air. Nec me pastoris Iberi Forma triplex. The Iberian herdsman is Geryon, son of Chrysaor and Calliroë. He had three bodies, and lived in the island of Erythea (Cadiz, according to the later interpreters among the ancients). Hercules slew him, along with the giant Eurytion and the two-headed dog Orthrus, who guarded his herds.-185. Nec forma triplex tua, Cerbere, movit. It was part of the task imposed on Hercules by Eurystheus, to bring Cerberus to the upper world.-186. Tauri, the wild bull of Crete. -187. Vestrum opus Elis habet, the cleaning of the stables of Augeas, king of Elis. Vestrum Stymphalides undae. The Stymphalides were voracious birds which infested Lake Stymphalus in Arcadia. Hercules killed them with the assistance of Athena.-188. Partheniumque nemus. The mountain Parthenius, between Arcadia and Argolis, was the abode of the stag, sacred to Diana, with golden horns, brazen feet, and of wonderful swiftness, which Hercules caught and brought alive to Eurystheus.-189. Thermodontiaco caelatus balteus auro. The girdle of Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons. Thermodon, a river in Cappadocia, the country of the Amazons.-190. Pomaque-dracone, the golden apples of the Hesperides.-191. Nec mihi Centauri potuere resistere. Hercules was entertained by the Centaur Pholus. Against the will of his entertainer, he opened a cask of wine which belonged to the Centaurs, and the smell of it allured them to the cave of Pholus. They were conquered and put to flight by Hercules.-192. Arcadiae vastator aper. The boar of Erymanthus, a mountain on the boundaries of Arcadia and Elis. Nec profuit Hydrae vires. The Hydra of Lake Lerna in the neighbourhood of Argos. It had nine heads (according to others, a hundred, or even more), and when one was cut off, two grew in its place (crescere per damnum, &c.; so v. 70: Vulneribus fecunda suis erat illa nec ullum-caput est impune recisum, Quin gemino cervix herede valentior esset). Hercules burnt off its heads with red-hot trunks of trees.-194. Quid, quod, quid dicam de eo quod, rising to something new, unexpected. Thracis equos, the horses of Diomedes, king of Bistonia in Thrace. Pingues, pastos.-197. Moles Nemeaea, the Hac coelum cervice tuli. Defessa jubendo est Haud aliter graditur, quam si venabula taurus 200 205 210 Ecce, Lichan trepidum et latitantem rupe cavata Adspicit; utque dolor rabiem collegerat omnem, 'Tune, Licha,' dixit 'feralia dona dedisti? Tune meae necis auctor eris?' Tremit ille pavetque Pallidus, et timide verba excusantia dicit. 215 Dicentem genibusque manus adhibere parantem Corripit Alcides, et terque quaterque rotatum 220 lion which lived in Nemea, a valley in Argolis.-198. Hac coelum cervice tuli, when he sent Atlas to bring the golden apples of the Hesperides. -200. Pestis, calamitas. Nova, such as never yet has fallen upon a man.-201. Pulmonibus, in pulmonibus.-203. At valet Eurystheus, the enemy of Hercules, who had imposed all these labours on him. Et sunt. The whole force of the antithesis is expressed by this et: all this is the case, and yet. Et sunt-Esse deos. In his despair, he is led for a moment to a denial of providence, but shortly afterwards the poet represents him as raising his hands to heaven.-205. Haud aliter -refugerit auctor. The comparison is between the speed of Hercules and that of a huntsman fleeing from a bull which he had wounded. The first clause (si-gerat) serves only to illustrate the second, and forms no part of the comparison. We should therefore have expected it to be expressed by some subsidiary form, such as the ablative absolute.-210. Montibus, for in montibus; as above, pulmonibus, v. 201. So Metam. vii. 547: Silvisque agrisque viisque Corpora foeda jacent.217. Alcides. Hercules is so called, as grandson of Alcaeus, the father of Amphitryon.-221. Mole, sc. sua, by their own weight.-222. Ad Sic illum validis jactum per inane lacertis, Sternis, et imposita clavae cervice recumbis 225 230 235 240 245 In stringi, a common expression for to freeze, to be drawn together into a solid body. See above, i. 120. Corpus, the body which has thus arisen. -226. Nunc quoque. This passage was probably written after Ovid was in exile; he seems here to speak of what he had himself seen. Euboico Gurgite. In the Euripus, where the sea rushes with immense force through the narrow strait.-232. Regna-sagittas. The arrows had been at Troy for the first time with Hercules himself, when, in company with the Argonauts, he conquered the city, of which Laomedon was then king. Afterwards, in the Trojan war, the oracle declared that Troy could not be taken without the arrows of Hercules, and Ulysses was therefore sent to Lemnos to bring Philoctetes.-233. Poeante satum, Philocteten.-234. Agger and Congeries silvae refer to the same thing; there is no reason to seek a distinction between them.235. Summam, in summa ejus parte.. 241. Timuere dei pro vindice terrae. Timere pro, a peculiar expression for timere de or timere alicui. Similarly Metam. ix. 107: Intrepidum pro se; i. 182: pro regno anxius; xiv. 451: furit pro conjuge Turnus; xv. 816: Pro quo, Cytherea, laboras. Dei is always the more correct orthography when it is a dissyllable, Di when it is a monosyllable.-245. Memoris, sc. rerum ab Hercule gestarum. Populi; as king of the gods, he calls them his Nam quanquam ipsius datis hoc immanibus actis, 250 255 260 Herculis effigies, nec quicquam ab imagine ductum 265 270 Quem pater omnipotens, inter cava nubila raptum, people. 247. Hoc, hoc quod datis; that is, timorem or favorem vestrum.-248. Sed enim. See above, vi. 152.-251. Vulcanum, ignem, as v. 263: Mulciber.-257. Nolet, et nolet. The asyndeton indicates the gradual rise of passion.-258. Meruisse dari, meruisse ut dentur. Trist. v. 11, 16: Quae merui vitio perdere cuncta meo.-260. Duro vultu, tetrico, moroso vultu. Ultima Dicta; namely, si quis tamen, &c., the supposition that she would have objections to the deification of Hercules. 261. Notatam, alluded to, pointed at.-262. Populabile, a word coined by Ovid, like delebile.-264. Effigies, not the image, likeness, but the original form.-265. Jovis vestigia, Jovis similitudinem, id quod a Jove (quod Jovis) in eum transierat.-267. Luxuriare. The meaning must here be settled by comparing majorque videri coepit; it is: to swell, to increase in size. Metam. vii. 290, of Aeson whom Medea restored to youth: Pulsa fugit macies, absunt pallorque situsque Adjectoque cavae supplentur corpore rugae, Membraque luxuriant.268. Tyrinthius, from Tiryns, a town in Argolis, where Hercules was brought up. METAMORPH. LIB. X. ORPHEUS ET EURYDICE. INDE per immensum croceo velatus amictu 5 Fax quoque, quam tenuit, lacrimoso stridula fumo 10 Quam satis ad superas postquam Rhodopeïus auras Ad Styga Taenaria est ausus descendere porta, 1. Inde, from the nuptials of Iphis and Ianthe, which had just taken place, Hymenaeus goes to those of Orpheus. Croceo amictu. The yellow or orange colour was considered most suitable for festive occasions. Velatus, vestitus, especially of a loose dress.-2. Ciconum. The Cicones lived in Thrace, near the Hebrus; they were the first nation to which Odysseus came on his return from Troy. Hom. Odyss. ix. at the beginning.-3. Nequicquam, in vain, with reference to a person who is deceived in his expectation; frustra, with reference to a thing the aim of which is not reached.-6. Stridula, hissing, like damp wood that will not burn. Lacrimoso fumo, because it draws tears from the eyes.7. Motibus, concutiendo, rotationibus.-8. Auspicio, initio male auspicato.-9. Comitata, passive, from an active form comito, which repeatedly occurs in Ovid. Metam. xiv. 259: Nostra adulantes comitant vestigia; viii. 692: Nostros comitate gradus.-10. Dente recepto, dentis morsu recepto.-11. Rhodopeius vates, the Thracian bard, from Rhodope, a mountain in Thrace.-13. Taenaria porta. The Taenarian gate is a deep cavern in Mount Taenarum, at the southern extremity of Peloponnesus, near the promontory of Malea. The ancients supposed that it was an entrance to the infernal regions. This belief was occasioned by the volcanic nature of the region, which manifests itself in |