Met. 7.1Iamque fretum Minyae Pagasaeā puppe secābant,
perpetuāque trahēns inopem sub nocte senectam
Phīneus vīsus erat, iuvenēsque Aquilōne creātī
virgineās volucrēs miserī senis ōre fugārant,
5multaque perpessī clārō sub Iāsone tandem
contigerant rapidās līmōsī Phāsidos undās.And now the Minyans were cutting through the strait in the Pagasaean ship; Phineus, dragging out a helpless old age under perpetual night, had been seen, and the young men born of the North Wind had chased the maiden birds from the wretched old man's face; and having endured much under glorious Jason, they had at last reached the swift waters of muddy Phasis. Met. 7.7Dumque adeunt rēgem Phrixēaque vellera poscunt
lēxque datur Minyīs magnōrum horrenda labōrum,
concipit intereā validōs Aeētias ignēs
10et luctāta diū, postquam ratiōne furōrem
vincere nōn poterat, "frūstrā Mēdēa, repugnās:
nesciō Quis deus obstat" ait;And while they approach the king and demand the fleece of Phrixus, and the Minyans are given a terrifying condition of mighty labours, meanwhile the daughter of Aeetes conceives a powerful fire, and after struggling long, when she could not conquer her frenzy by reason, she says: 'In vain, Medea, do you resist: some god or other stands in the way; Met. 7.12"mīrumque, nisi hoc est,
aut aliquid certē simile huic, quod amāre vocātur.'and it would be a wonder if this is not what is called loving, or at least something like it.
Met. 7.14Nam cūr iussa patris nimium mihi dūra videntur?For why do my father's commands seem to me too harsh? Met. 7.15Sunt quoque dūra nimis.And indeed they are too harsh. Met. 7.15Cūr, quem modo dēnique vīdī,
nē pereat, timeō?Why do I fear that one whom I have only just now seen may perish? Met. 7.16quae tantī causa timōris?What is the cause of so great a fear? Met. 7.17Excute virgineō conceptās pectore flammās,
sī potes, īnfēlīx!Shake out the flames conceived in your maiden heart, if you can, unhappy girl! Met. 7.18— Sī possem, sānior essem.— If I could, I would be saner. Met. 7.19Sed trahit invītam nova vīs, aliudque cupīdō,
20mēns aliud suādet.But a new force drags me against my will, and desire urges one thing, reason another. Met. 7.20Videō meliōra probōque,
dēteriōra sequor.I see the better course and approve it; I follow the worse. Met. 7.21Quid in hospite, rēgia virgō,
ūreris et thalamōs aliēnī concipis orbis?Why, royal maiden, do you burn for a stranger and dream of marriage in a foreign world? Met. 7.23Haec quoque terra potest, quod amēs, dare.This land too can give you something to love.
Met. 7.23Vīvat an ille
occidat, in dīs est.Whether he lives or dies is in the hands of the gods. Met. 7.24Vīvat tamen!Yet let him live! Met. 7.24idque precārī
25vel sine amōre licet: quid enim commīsit Iāsōn?and I may pray for that even without love: for what wrong has Jason done? Met. 7.26Quem, nisi crūdēlem, nōn tangat Iāsonis aetās
et genus et virtūs?Whom, unless he were cruel, would Jason's youth and birth and courage not touch? Met. 7.27Quem nōn, ut cētera dēsint,
ōre movēre potest?Whom, though all else were lacking, could he not move with his face? Met. 7.28Certē mea pectora mōvit.He has certainly moved my heart. Met. 7.29At nisi opem tulerō, taurōrum adflābitur ōre
30concurretque suae segetī, tellūre creātīs
hostibus, aut avidō dabitur fera praeda dracōnī.But unless I bring help, he will be breathed upon by the bulls' mouths, and will clash with his own crop, enemies created from the earth, or will be given as wild prey to the greedy dragon. Met. 7.32Hoc ego sī patiar, tum mē dē tigride nātam,
tum ferrum et scopulōs gestāre in corde fatēbor.If I allow this, then I shall confess that I was born of a tigress, then that I carry iron and rocks in my heart.
Met. 7.34Cūr nōn et spectō pereuntem oculōsque videndō
35cōnscelerō?Why do I not also watch him perish, and defile my eyes by seeing it? Met. 7.35Cūr nōn taurōs exhortor in illum
terrigenāsque ferōs īnsōpītumque dracōnem?Why do I not urge on the bulls against him, and the savage earthborn men, and the sleepless dragon? Met. 7.37Dī meliōra velint.May the gods will better things. Met. 7.37Quamquam nōn ista precanda,
sed facienda mihi.And yet these things are not to be prayed for, but done, by me. Met. 7.38— Prōdamne ego regna parentis,
atque ope nesciō Quis servābitur advena nostrā,
40ut per mē sōspes sine mē det lintea ventīs
virque sit alterīus, poenae Mēdēa relinquar?— Am I to betray my father's kingdom, and shall some stranger or other be saved by my help, so that, kept safe through me, he may give his sails to the winds without me and be another woman's husband, while I, Medea, am left for punishment? Met. 7.42Sī facere hoc aliamve potest praepōnere nōbīs,
occidat ingrātus.If he can do this, or prefer another woman to me, let the ingrate die.
Met. 7.43Sed nōn is vultus in illō,
nōn ea nōbilitās animō est, ea grātia fōrmae,
45ut timeam fraudem meritīque oblīvia nostrī.But that is not the look on his face, there is not such nobility in his soul, such grace in his form, that I should fear deceit and forgetfulness of what I have done for him. Met. 7.46Et dabit ante fidem, cōgamque in foedera testēs
esse deōs.And he will give his pledge beforehand, and I shall compel the gods to be witnesses to our compact. Met. 7.47Quid tūta timēs?Why do you fear what is safe? Met. 7.47accingere et omnem
pelle moram: tibi sē semper dēbēbit Iāsōn,
tē face sollemnī iunget sibi, perque Pelasgās
50servātrīx urbēs mātrum celebrābere turbā.gird yourself and drive off all delay: Jason will owe himself to you for ever, he will join you to himself with the solemn torch, and throughout the Pelasgian cities you will be celebrated by crowds of mothers as their saviour. Met. 7.51Ergō ego germānam frātremque patremque deōsque
et nātāle sōlum, ventīs ablāta, relinquam?Shall I then leave my sister and brother and father and gods and native soil, carried off by the winds?
Met. 7.53Nempe pater saevus, nempe est mea barbara tellūs,
frāter adhūc īnfāns: stant mēcum vōta sorōris,
55maximus intrā mē deus est.Of course my father is savage, of course my land is barbarous, my brother still an infant: my sister's prayers stand with me, the greatest god is within me. Met. 7.55Nōn magna relinquam,
magna sequar: titulum servātae pūbis Achīvae
nōtitiamque locī meliōris et oppida, quōrum
hīc quoque fāma viget, cultūsque artēsque locōrum;I shall not be leaving great things, I shall be pursuing great things: the glory of having saved the Achaean youth, and knowledge of a better place, and towns whose fame flourishes even here, and the culture and arts of those places; Met. 7.59quemque ego cum rēbus, quās tōtus possidet orbis,
60Aesonidēn mūtāsse velim;and the son of Aeson, whom I would choose to have in exchange for all the riches the whole world possesses; Met. 7.60quō coniuge fēlīx
et dīs cāra ferar et vertice sīdera tangam.with him as my husband I shall be called happy and dear to the gods, and shall touch the stars with my head.
Met. 7.62Quid, quod nesciō quī mediīs concurrere in undīs
dīcuntur montēs, ratibusque inimīca Charybdis
nunc sorbēre fretum, nunc reddere, cinctaque saevīs
65Scylla rapāx canibus Siculō lātrāre profundō?What of the fact that some mountains or other are said to clash together in the midst of the waves, and that Charybdis, hostile to ships, now sucks in the sea, now gives it back, and greedy Scylla, girt with savage dogs, barks in the Sicilian deep? Met. 7.66Nempe tenēns, quod amō, gremiōque in Iāsonis haerēns
per freta longa ferar: nihil illum amplexa verēbor
aut, sīquid metuam, metuam dē coniuge sōlō.Of course, holding what I love and clinging in Jason's lap, I shall be borne over long seas: in his embrace I shall fear nothing, or, if I fear anything, I shall fear for my husband alone. Met. 7.68—Coniugiumne vocās speciōsaque nōmina culpae
70impōnis, Mēdēa, tuae?— Do you call it marriage, Medea, and put fine names on your guilt? Met. 7.70Quīn adspice, quantum
adgrediāre nefās, et, dum licet, effuge crīmen."Rather, look how great a wickedness you are approaching, and, while you may, flee the crime.' Met. 7.72Dīxit, et ante oculōs rēctum pietāsque pudorque
cōnstiterant, et victa dabat iam terga Cupīdō.She spoke, and before her eyes stood right and duty and shame, and Love, defeated, was already turning his back.
Met. 7.74Ībat ad antīquās Hecatēs Persēidos ārās,
75quās nemus umbrōsum sēcrētaque silva tegēbat.She was going to the ancient altars of Hecate, daughter of Perses, which a shady grove and a secret wood concealed. Met. 7.76Et iam fortis erat pulsusque resēderat ardor,
cum videt Aesonidēn exstīnctaque flamma relūxit.And now she was resolute and her passion, driven back, had subsided, when she sees the son of Aeson, and the extinguished flame blazed up again. Met. 7.78Ērubuēre genae, tōtōque recanduit ōre,
utque solet ventīs alimenta adsūmere quaeque
80parva sub inductā latuit scintilla favillā
crēscere et in veterēs agitāta resurgere vīrēs,
sīc iam lentus amor, iam quem languēre putārēs,
ut vīdit iuvenem, speciē praesentis inarsit.Her cheeks reddened, and her whole face glowed once more; and as a little spark which has lain hidden beneath a covering of ash is wont to take nourishment from the winds, and to grow, and, stirred up, to rise again to its old strength, so her love, now slack, which you would have thought was languishing, as soon as she saw the young man, blazed up at the sight of him before her.
Met. 7.84Et cāsū solitō fōrmōsior Aesone nātus
85illā lūce fuit: possēs ignōscere amantī.And by chance the son of Aeson was more handsome than usual that day: you could have pardoned her for loving. Met. 7.86Spectat et in vultū velutī tum dēnique vīsō
lūmina fīxa tenet nec sē mortālia dēmēns
ōra vidēre putat, nec sē dēclīnat ab illō.She gazes, and keeps her eyes fixed on his face as if she were only then seeing it, and in her madness does not think it is a mortal face she sees, nor does she turn herself away from him. Met. 7.89Ut vērō coepitque loquī dextramque prehendit
90hospes et auxilium submissā vōce rogāvit
prōmīsitque torum, lacrimīs ait illa profūsīs:
"Quid faciam, videō (nōn ignōrantia vērī
dēcipiet, sed amor): servābere mūnere nostrō;But when the stranger began to speak, and took her right hand, and with lowered voice asked for help and promised marriage, she said, with tears pouring out: 'I see what I am doing (it is not ignorance of the truth that will deceive me, but love): you will be saved by my gift; Met. 7.94servātus prōmissa datō."once saved, give what you have promised.' Met. 7.94Per sacra trifōrmis
95ille deae, lūcōque foret quod nūmen in illō,
perque patrem socerī cernentem cūncta futūrī
ēventūsque suōs et tanta perīcula iūrat.He swears by the rites of the three-formed goddess, and by whatever divinity there was in that grove, and by the all-seeing father of his future father-in-law, and by his own fortunes and such great perils.
Met. 7.98Crēditus accēpit cantātās prōtinus herbās
ēdidicitque ūsum, laetusque in tēcta recessit.Believed, he at once received the enchanted herbs and learned their use, and went back joyful to his lodging. Met. 7.100Postera dēpulerat stellās aurōra micantēs:
conveniunt populī sacrum Māvortis in arvum
cōnsistuntque iugīs.The next dawn had driven away the twinkling stars: the people gather on the sacred field of Mars and take their stand on the ridges. Met. 7.102Mediō rēx ipse resēdit
agmine purpureus scēptrōque īnsignis eburnō.The king himself sat down in the middle of the throng, clad in purple and distinguished by his ivory sceptre. Met. 7.104Ecce adamantēīs Vulcānum nāribus efflant
105aeripedēs taurī, tāctaeque vapōribus herbae
ārdent;Look, the bronze-footed bulls breathe out Vulcan's fire from adamantine nostrils, and the grass, touched by the vapours, burns; Met. 7.106utque solent plēnī resonāre camīnī,
aut ubi terrēnā silicēs fornāce solūtī
concipiunt ignem liquidārum adspergine aquārum,
pectora sīc intus clausās volventia flammās
110gutturaque ūsta sonant.and as full furnaces roar, or as flints, dissolved in an earthen kiln, catch fire at a sprinkling of liquid water, so their chests, rolling flames shut up within, and their scorched throats roar.
Met. 7.110Tamen illīs Aesone nātus
obvius it.Yet the son of Aeson goes to meet them. Met. 7.111Vertēre trucēs venientis ad ōra
terribilēs vultūs praefīxaque cornua ferrō,
pulvereumque sōlum pede pulsāvēre bisulcō
fūmificīsque locum mūgītibus implēvērunt.As he came, they turned their fierce, terrible faces towards him, and their iron-tipped horns, and pawed the dusty ground with cloven hooves, and filled the place with smoky bellowing. Met. 7.115Dēriguēre metū Minyae: subit ille, nec ignēs
sentit anhēlātōs (tantum medicāmina possunt),
pendulaque audācī mulcet paleāria dextrā,
suppositōsque iugō pondus grave cōgit arātrī
dūcere et īnsuētum ferrō prōscindere campum.The Minyans stiffened with fear: he goes up to them, and does not feel the fire they breathe (so great is the power of drugs), and strokes their hanging dewlaps with a bold right hand, and, setting them under the yoke, compels them to draw the heavy weight of the plough and to cleave the field unused to iron. Met. 7.120Mīrantur Colchī, Minyae clamōribus augent
adiciuntque animōs.The Colchians marvel; the Minyans increase his courage with their shouts and add to it.
Met. 7.121Galeā tum sūmit aēnā
vīpereōs dentēs et arātōs spargit in agrōs.Then from a bronze helmet he takes the serpent's teeth and scatters them over the ploughed fields. Met. 7.123Sēmina mollit humus validō praetīncta venēnō,
et crēscunt fīuntque satī nova corpora dentēs.The earth softens the seeds, steeped beforehand in potent poison, and the sown teeth grow and become new bodies. Met. 7.125Utque hominis speciem māternā sūmit in alvō
perque suōs intus numerōs compōnitur īnfāns,
nec nisi mātūrus commūnēs exit in aurās,
sīc ubi visceribus gravidae tellūris imāgō
effecta est hominis, fētō cōnsurgit in arvō,
130quodque magis mīrum est, simul ēdita concutit arma.And as an infant takes on human form in its mother's womb, and is put together within in all its proportions, and does not come out into the common air until it is ripe, so, when the image of a man has been completed in the bowels of the pregnant earth, it rises up in the teeming field, and, what is more wonderful, clashes arms brought forth with it. Met. 7.131Quōs ubi vīdērunt praeacūtae cuspidis hastās
in caput Haemoniī iuvenis torquēre parantēs,
dēmīsēre metū vultumque animumque Pelasgī.When the Pelasgians saw them preparing to hurl spears with sharpened points at the head of the Haemonian youth, they lowered their faces and their spirits in fear.
Met. 7.134Ipsa quoque extimuit, quae tūtum fēcerat illum;She too was afraid, who had made him safe; Met. 7.135utque petī vīdit iuvenem tot ab hostibus ūnum,
palluit et subitō sine sanguine frīgida sēdit;and when she saw the young man, one alone, attacked by so many enemies, she paled and suddenly sat cold and bloodless; Met. 7.137nēve parum valeant ā sē data grāmina, carmen
auxiliāre canit sēcrētāsque advocat artēs.and lest the herbs she had given should have too little strength, she chants a helping spell and calls up her secret arts. Met. 7.139Ille gravem mediōs silicem iaculātus in hostēs
140ā sē dēpulsum Mārtem convertit in ipsōs.He, hurling a heavy stone into the midst of his enemies, turned the war away from himself against themselves. Met. 7.141Terrigenae pereunt per mūtua vulnera frātrēs
cīvīlīque cadunt aciē.The earthborn brothers die by each other's wounds and fall in civil battle. Met. 7.142Grātantur Achīvī
victōremque tenent avidīsque amplexibus haerent.The Achaeans congratulate him, hold the victor fast, and cling to him in eager embraces. Met. 7.144Tū quoque victōrem complectī, barbara, vellēs:
sed tē, nē facerēs, tenuit reverentia fāmae.You too, barbarian girl, would have liked to embrace the victor: but regard for your good name held you back from doing so.
Met. 7.147Quod licet, adfectū tacitō laetāris agisque
carminibus grātēs et dīs auctōribus hōrum.As far as you may, you rejoice with silent feeling, and give thanks to your spells and to the gods who were their authors. Met. 7.149Pervigilem superest herbīs sōpīre dracōnem,
150quī cristā linguīsque tribus praesignis et uncīs
dentibus horrendus custōs erat arboris aureae.It remains to put to sleep with herbs the ever-wakeful dragon, which, marked out by its crest and three tongues and dreadful with its hooked teeth, was the guardian of the golden tree. Met. 7.152Hunc postquam sparsit Lēthaeī grāmine sūcī
verbaque ter dīxit placidōs facientia somnōs,
quae mare turbātum, quae concita flūmina sistunt,
155somnus in ignōtōs oculōs sibi venit, et aurō
hērōs Aesonius potītur spoliōque superbus
mūneris auctōrem sēcum, spolia altera, portāns
victor Iōlciacōs tetigit cum coniuge portūs.After she had sprinkled it with the herb of Lethaean juice and three times spoken words that bring calm sleep, words that halt the troubled sea and swollen rivers, sleep came to eyes that had never known it, and the Aesonian hero gains the gold, and, proud of the spoil, carrying with him the giver of the gift, a second spoil, the victor reached the harbour of Iolcus with his wife.