Met. 11.221Namque senex Thetidī Prōteus "dea" dīxerat "undae,
concipe: māter eris iuvenis, quī fortibus annīs
ācta patris vincet maiorque vocābitur illō."For old Proteus had said to Thetis: 'Goddess of the wave, conceive: you will be the mother of a young man who in the years of his strength will surpass his father's deeds and will be called greater than he.' Met. 11.224Ergō, nē quicquam mundus Iove maius habēret,
225quamvīs haud tepidōs sub pectore sēnserat ignēs,
Iuppiter aequoreae Thetidis cōnūbia fūgit
in suaque Aeacidēn succēdere vōta nepōtem
iussit et amplexus in virginis īre marīnae.So, lest the world should hold anything greater than Jove, although he had felt no lukewarm fires in his breast, Jupiter shunned marriage with Thetis of the sea, and bade his grandson, the son of Aeacus, take his place in his desires and go into the embraces of the sea-maiden. Met. 11.229Est sinus Haemoniae curvōs falcātus in arcūs:
230bracchia prōcurrunt, ubi, sī foret altior unda,
portus erat (summīs inductum est aequor harēnīs);There is a bay of Haemonia, curved like a sickle into a bending arc: its arms run out, where, if the water were deeper, there would be a harbour (the sea is spread over the surface of the sand); Met. 11.232lītus habet solidum, quod nec vestīgia servet
nec remorētur iter, nec opertum pendeat algā.it has a firm shore, such as keeps no footprints and does not slow the step, nor is it covered and hung with seaweed.
Met. 11.234Myrtea silva subest bicolōribus obsita bācīs
235et specus in mediō (nātūrā factus an arte,
ambiguum, magis arte tamen), quō saepe venīre
frēnātō delphīne sedēns, Theti, nūda solēbās.A myrtle grove lies near, thick with two-coloured berries, and in its midst a cave (whether made by nature or by art is uncertain, but rather by art), where you, Thetis, used often to come naked, riding on a bridled dolphin. Met. 11.238Illīc tē Pēleus, ut somnō vincta iacēbās,
occupat: et quoniam precibus temptāta repugnās,
240vim parat, innectēns ambōbus colla lacertīs.There Peleus seizes you as you lay bound in sleep: and since, when tried with prayers, you resist, he prepares force, twining both arms around your neck. Met. 11.241Quod nisi vēnissēs variātīs saepe figūrīs
ad solitās artēs, ausō foret ille potītus.And if you had not turned to your usual arts, often changing your shape, he would have achieved what he dared. Met. 11.243Sed modo tū volucris (volucrem tamen ille tenēbat),
nunc gravis arbor erās (haerēbat in arbore Pēleus),
245tertia fōrma fuit maculōsae tigridis: illā
territus Aeacidēs ā corpore bracchia solvit.But now you were a bird (yet he held the bird), now a heavy tree (Peleus clung to the tree); the third shape was that of a spotted tigress: terrified by her, the son of Aeacus loosed his arms from her body.
Met. 11.247Isque deōs pelagī vīnō super aequora fūsō
et pecoris fībrīs et fūmō tūris adōrat,
dōnec Carpathius mediō dē gurgite vātēs
250"Aeacidē," dīxit, "thalamīs potiēre petītīs!And he worships the gods of the sea with wine poured over the waters, with the entrails of sheep and the smoke of incense, until the Carpathian seer said from the midst of the flood: 'Son of Aeacus, you shall win the marriage you seek! Met. 11.251Tū modo, cum rigidō sōpīta quiēscit in antrō,
ignāram laqueīs vinclōque innecte tenācī.Only, when she lies asleep and at rest in the rocky cave, bind her unawares with snares and a clinging bond. Met. 11.253Nec tē dēcipiat centum mentīta figūrās,
sed preme, quidquid erit, dum, quod fuit ante, refōrmet!"And let her not deceive you by feigning a hundred shapes, but hold her fast, whatever she becomes, until she takes again the shape she had before!' Met. 11.255Dīxerat haec Prōteus et condidit aequore vultum
admīsitque suōs in verba novissima flūctūs.So Proteus had spoken, and he hid his face in the sea and let his waves close over his last words.
Met. 11.257Prōnus erat Tītān inclīnātōque tenēbat
Hesperium tēmōne fretum, cum pulchra relēctō
Nērēis ingreditur cōnsuēta cubīlia saxō.The Titan was sinking and, with his pole tilted down, was holding the Hesperian sea, when the lovely Nereid, seeking the rock again, enters her accustomed bed. Met. 11.260Vix bene virgineōs Pēleus invāserat artūs,
illa novat fōrmās, dōnec sua membra tenērī
sentit et in partēs dīversās bracchia tendī.Scarcely had Peleus laid hold of the virgin limbs when she changes her shapes, until she feels her limbs held fast and her arms stretched out in different directions. Met. 11.263Tum dēmum ingemuit, "neque" ait "sine nūmine vincis"
exhibita estque Thetis.Then at last she groaned and said, 'Not without a god's help do you conquer,' and she was revealed as Thetis. Met. 11.264Cōnfessam amplectitur hērōs
265et potītur vōtīs ingentīque implet Achille.The hero embraces her, now that she has yielded, wins his wish and fills her with mighty Achilles.