LectitōOpen the reader

Lectitō › Ovid › Metamorphoses, Book 1 › Metamorphoses 1.416–439

Ovid · Metamorphoses I

Metamorphoses 1.416–439

Life born from the mud

English onlyRead it word by word

Met. 1.416Cētera dīversīs tellūs animālia fōrmīs
sponte suā peperit, postquam vetus ūmor ab igne
percaluit sōlis, caenumque ūdaeque palūdēs
intumuēre aestū, fēcundaque sēmina rērum
420vīvācī nūtrīta solō ceu mātris in alvō
crēvērunt faciemque aliquam cēpēre morandō.
The other animals in their various forms the earth bore of her own accord, after the old moisture grew warm from the fire of the sun, and the mud and wet marshes swelled with heat, and the fertile seeds of things, nourished in the life-giving soil as in a mother's womb, grew and with time took on some form.
Met. 1.422Sīc ubi dēseruit madidōs septemfluus agrōs
Nīlus et antīquō sua flūmina reddidit alveō
aetheriōque recēns exārsit sīdere līmus,
425plūrima cultōrēs versīs animālia glaebīs
inveniunt, et in hīs quaedam modo coepta per ipsum
nāscendī spatium, quaedam inperfecta suīsque
trunca vident numerīs;
So when the seven-mouthed Nile has left the soaked fields and returned its streams to their old bed, and the fresh mud has grown hot under the heavenly star, the farmers find very many animals as they turn the clods, and among them they see some just begun, at the very moment of birth, others unfinished and lacking their proper parts;
Met. 1.428et eōdem in corpore saepe
altera pars vīvit, rudis est pars altera tellūs.
and often in the same body one part lives, the other part is raw earth.

Met. 1.430Quippe ubi temperiem sūmpsēre ūmorque calorque,
concipiunt, et ab hīs oriuntur cūncta duōbus;
For when moisture and heat have taken on a temperate blend, they conceive, and from these two all things arise;
Met. 1.432cumque sit ignis aquae pugnāx, vapor ūmidus omnēs
rēs creat, et discors concordia fētibus apta est.
and though fire is at war with water, moist heat creates all things, and discordant concord is suited to births.
Met. 1.434Ergō ubi dīluviō tellūs lutulenta recentī
435sōlibus aetheriīs altōque recanduit aestū,
ēdidit innumerās speciēs, partimque figūrās
rettulit antīquās, partim nova mōnstra creāvit.
So when the earth, muddy from the recent flood, grew warm again under the heavenly sun and deep heat, she brought forth countless species, and partly restored ancient forms, partly created new monsters.
Met. 1.438Illa quidem nōllet, sed tē quoque, maxime Pȳthōn,
tum genuit, populīsque novīs, incognite serpēns,
She did not wish it, indeed, but then she bore you too, mighty Python, and to the new peoples, unknown serpent,

Read the Latin itself: tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and keep your place.

Read in Lectitō

Grammar in this passage: gerunds and gerundives ×2, ablative absolute ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (121 words)
cēterī, -ae, -a, plur. adj.the other, the remaining, the rest of
dīversus, -a, -umturned different ways, opposite, contrary, different
tellūs, -ūris f.earth, land (poetic)
animal, -ālis n.living creature, animal
fōrma, -ae, f.form, appearance; beauty
sponte, f. abl. sing., modified by meā, tuā, suāof one's own accord, voluntarily
suus, -a, -umhis, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
pariō, -ere, peperī, partusbring forth; win, gain
postquam, conj.later than, after, when
vetus, veterisold, former
ūmor (hūmor), -ōris m.moisture, liquid, water
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
ignis, -is, m.fire
percalēscō, -ere, -caluībecome thoroughly hot
sōl, sōlis, m.sun
caenum, -ī n.mud, filth
que, enclitic conj.and
ūdus, -a, -umwet, damp, moist
palūs, -ūdis, f.swamp, marsh
intumēscō, -ere, -tumuīswell up; swell with anger or pride
aestus, -ūs m.heat; tide
fēcundus, -a, -umfruitful, rich (in)
sēmen, sēminis n.seed
rēs, reī, f.thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
vīvāx, -ācislong-lived; lively, quick-burning
nūtriō, -īre, -īvī, -ītusnourish, feed; nurse (a baby)
sōlum (adv.); solum, -ī n.only (nōn sōlum … sed etiam: not only … but also); ground, soil
ceu (adv.)as, like, just as
māter, mātris, f.mother
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
alvus, -ī f.belly, womb; hollow
crēscō, -ere, crēvī, crētumgrow, rise (in power)
faciēs, -ēī f.face; appearance
aliquī, -qua, -quod, indef. pron. adj.some, any
capiō, capere, cēpī, captustake, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt
moror, -ārī, -ātusdelay, linger, stay
sīc, adv.so, thus
ubi, adv.where; conj., when
dēserō, -serere, -seruī, -sertusdesert
madidus, -a, -umwet, soaked
septemfluus, -a, -umwith seven streams or mouths (of the Nile)
ager, agri, m.field, land
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
antīquus, -a, -umancient
flūmen, -minis, n.river
reddō, -dere, -didī, -ditusgive back, return, restore; render
alveus, -ī m.hollow vessel; trough, tub; river bed
aetherius, -a, -umof the upper air, heavenly
recēns, -entisrecent, fresh
exārdēscō, -ārdēscere, -ārsī, -ārsusblaze out, be inflamed, rage
sīdus, -eris n.star, constellation
līmus, -ī, m.mud
multus, -a, -ummuch, great; plur., many
cultor, -ōris m.worshipper; tiller, cultivator
vertō, vertere, vertī, versusturn
glaeba, -ae f.clod, soil
inveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventuscome upon, find
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron.a certain, certain
modo, adv.only
coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action)have begun, began
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
nāscor, -ī, nātus sumbe born; rise, begin
spatium, -ī, n.space, interval; space of time, time
imperfectus, -a, -umunfinished, not done
truncus, -ī m.tree trunk
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsussee; pass., seem
numerus, -ī, m.number
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
corpus, corporis, n.body
saepe, adv.often, frequently
alter, -era, -erumone or the other (of two); another, second
pars, partis, f.part, side, direction
vīvō, vīvere, vīxī, vīctuslive
rudis, -eraw, rough; (of cloth) new, unshrunk
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
quippe (adv.)of course, indeed, for
temperiēs, -ēī f.mild climate, moderate temperature; due mixture, balance
sūmō, sūmere, sūmpsī, sūmptustake under or up, take; poenam sūmere, to exact or inflict punishment
calor, -ōris, m.heat
concipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptustake in, conceive; plan, imagine
orior, -īrī, -tusarise, come forth, spring up; ortā lūce, at dawn
cūnctus, -a, -umall, the whole
duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj.two
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
aqua, -ae, f.water
pugnāx, -ācisfond of fighting, warlike, combative; obstinate
vapor, -ōris m.steam, vapour, smoke; heat
ūmidus, -a, -umwet, damp, moist
omnis, -eall, every
creō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuselect, appoint
discors, -cordisdiscordant, not in harmony
concordia, -ae f.agreement, harmony
fētus, -ūs m.offspring, young; fruit, produce (of plants)
aptus, -a, -umfit, suited
ergō (adv.)therefore, then; quid ergō? what then?
dīluvium, -ī n.flood, deluge
lutulentus, -a, -ummuddy, murky; of style: turbid, unrefined
altus, -a, -umhigh, deep; altum, -ī, n., the deep
recandēscō, -ere, -canduīgrow hot again, glow again
ēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditusput forth, give out, utter
innumerus, -a, -umcountless
speciēs, -ēī, f.sight, appearance, shape
partim (adv.)partly (partim … partim: some … others)
figūra, -ae, f.form, shape, figure
referō, referre, rettulī, relātusbring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia
novus, -a, -umnew; novissimus, last
mōnstrum, -ī, n.wonder, monster
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
quidem, adv.in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even
nōlō, nōlle, nōluīnot wish, be unwilling
sed, conj.but
tū, tuī, pers. pron.thou, you
quoque, adv.also
magnus, -a, -umlarge, big, great, mighty; loud
tum, adv.then, at that time
gignō, gignere, genuī, genitusproduce, bring forth
populus, -ī m.people, nation
incognitus, -a, -umunknown
serpēns, -entis, f.serpent
Ovid, Metamorphoses I. Latin text: H. Magnus, Die Metamorphosen des P. Ovidius Naso (Gotha, 1892), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.