Metamorphoses 6.87–145

Met. 6.87Thrēiciam Rhodopēn habet angulus ūnus et Haemum
(nunc gelidī montēs, mortālia corpora quondam!),
nōmina summōrum sibi quī tribuēre deōrum.

One corner holds Thracian Rhodope and Haemus (now cold mountains, once mortal bodies), who gave themselves the names of the highest gods.

Note. Rhodope and Haemus, a married pair who called themselves Juno and Jupiter, were turned into Thracian mountains. tribuēre = tribuērunt.

Met. 6.90Altera Pygmaeae fātum miserābile mātris
pars habet: hanc Iūnō victam certāmine iussit
esse gruem populīsque suīs indīcere bella.

The second shows the pitiful fate of the Pygmy mother: Juno defeated her in a contest, ordered her to become a crane, and to declare war on her own people.

Note. Pygmaeae … mātris: Gerana, the Pygmy queen, turned by Juno into a crane, so that she had to make war on her own people (the Pygmies' war with the cranes was proverbial).

Met. 6.93Pīnxit et Antigonēn ausam contendere quondam
cum magnī cōnsorte Iovis, quam rēgia Iūnō
95in volucrem vertit;

She painted Antigone too, who once dared to compete with the consort of great Jupiter, and whom royal Juno turned into a bird;

Note. Antigone, daughter of Laomedon of Troy, boasted that her hair was finer than Juno's. cum magnī cōnsorte Iovis: 'with the consort of great Jupiter', Juno.

Met. 6.95nec prōfuit Īlion illī
Lāomedōnve pater, sūmptīs quīn candida pennīs
ipsa sibi plaudat crepitante cicōnia rōstrō.

neither Ilium nor her father Laomedon helped her, but, taking white feathers, she is a stork that applauds herself with clattering beak.

Note. Īlion: Greek nominative of Ilium, Troy. Lāomedōnve: 'or Laomedon', with the enclitic -ve. quīn … plaudat: 'but rather she applauds herself', with ipsa sibi; the stork clatters its beak. A neat touch: she is still applauding herself.

Met. 6.98Quī superest sōlus, Cinyrān habet angulus orbum;

The one corner that is left holds Cinyras, bereaved;

Note. orbum: 'bereaved', of his daughters.

Met. 6.99isque gradūs templī, nātārum membra suārum,
100amplectēns saxōque iacēns lacrimāre vidētur.

he embraces the temple steps, the limbs of his own daughters, and lying on the stone he seems to weep.

Note. Cinyras' daughters were turned into the steps of a temple; he embraces them (gradūs … nātārum membra suārum: the steps, which are his daughters' limbs).

Met. 6.101Circuit extrēmās oleīs pācālibus ōrās:
is modus est, operisque suā facit arbore fīnem.

She surrounds the outer edges with olive branches of peace: that is the border, and she ends the work with her own tree.

Note. Circuit = circumit: 'she surrounds'. ōleīs pācālibus: 'with olive trees of peace'. suā … arbore: 'with her own tree', the olive she gave Athens.

Met. 6.103Maeonis ēlūsam dēsignat imāgine taurī
Eurōpam: vērum taurum, freta vēra putārēs.

The Maeonian girl shows Europa, deceived by the shape of a bull: you would think the bull real, the sea real.

Note. Maeonis: 'the Maeonian woman', Arachne. Her side of the contest begins: Europa deceived (ēlūsam) by Jupiter in the form of a bull. putārēs: 'you would have thought'.

Met. 6.105Ipsa vidēbātur terrās spectāre relictās
et comitēs clāmāre suās tāctumque verērī
adsilientis aquae timidāsque redūcere plantās.

Europa herself seemed to be looking back at the land she had left, calling her companions, fearing the touch of the leaping water, and drawing up her timid feet.

Note. Ovid describes the picture as if it were alive: Europa seemed to look back, to call to her friends, to fear the touch of the leaping water (adsilientis aquae), and to draw up her feet.

Met. 6.108Fēcit et Asteriēn aquilā luctante tenērī,
fēcit olōrīnīs Lēdam recubāre sub ālīs;

She made Asterie too, held by a struggling eagle; she made Leda lying beneath a swan's wings;

Note. Fēcit … tenērī: 'she made Asterie (be) held', i.e. showed her held by an eagle. olōrīnīs … ālīs: 'swan's wings'. Each picture is a god deceiving a mortal woman, the opposite of Minerva's message.

Met. 6.110addidit, ut satyrī cēlātus imāgine pulchram
Iuppiter implērit geminō Nyctēida fētū,
Amphitryōn fuerit, cum tē, Tīrynthia, cēpit,
aureus ut Danaēn, Āsōpida lūserit ignis,
Mnēmosynēn pāstor, varius Dēōida serpēns.

she added how Jupiter, hidden in the likeness of a satyr, filled the lovely daughter of Nycteus with twin offspring; how he was Amphitryon when he took you, woman of Tiryns; how as gold he deceived Danaë, as fire Asopus' daughter, as a shepherd Mnemosyne, as a spotted serpent the daughter of Deo.

Note. A long list in indirect questions (ut … implērit, fuerit, lūserit: perfect subjunctives). implērit = implēverit. Nyctēida: Antiope, daughter of Nycteus. Tīrynthia: Alcmene, addressed directly (apostrophe). aureus … ignis: 'as gold … as fire'; supply lūserit with each: Danaë, Aegina (Āsōpida), Mnemosyne, Proserpina (Dēōida, daughter of Deo = Demeter).

Met. 6.115Tē quoque mūtātum torvō, Neptūne, iuvencō
virgine in Aeoliā posuit.

You too, Neptune, changed into a fierce bullock, she set upon the Aeolian girl.

Note. Now Neptune's deceptions. torvō … iuvencō: 'into a fierce bullock'. Aeoliā virgine: 'the Aeolian girl', Canace. Ovid addresses the god himself (Te … Neptūne).

Met. 6.116Tū vīsus Enīpeus
gignis Alōīdās, ariēs Bisaltida fallis;

Seeming to be Enipeus, you father the Aloidae; as a ram you deceive the daughter of Bisaltes;

Note. vīsus Enīpeus: 'appearing as Enipeus'. Alōidās: the giants Otus and Ephialtes. Bisaltida: Theophane. The present tenses gignis and fallis make the scenes vivid.

Met. 6.118et tē flāva comās frūgum mītissima māter
sēnsit equum, sēnsit volucrem crīnīta colubrīs
120māter equī volucris, sēnsit delphīna Melanthō.

and the gentlest mother of the crops, golden-haired, knew you as a horse; the snake-haired mother of the winged horse knew you as a bird; Melantho knew you as a dolphin.

Note. flāva comās: 'golden-haired', accusative of respect. frūgum mītissima māter: Ceres. crīnīta colubrīs māter equī volucris: Medusa, snake-haired, mother of the winged horse Pegasus. sēnsit: 'felt you as', repeated three times (anaphora).

Met. 6.121Omnibus hīs faciemque suam faciemque locōrum
reddidit.

To all of these she gave their own features and the features of their places.

Note. Omnibus hīs: dative, 'to all these figures'. She gave each its own face and the look of its setting.

Met. 6.122Est illīc agrestis imāgine Phoebus,
utque modo accipitris pennās, modo terga leōnis
gesserit, ut pāstor Macarēida lūserit Issēn;

There is Phoebus in the likeness of a countryman, and how he wore now a hawk's feathers, now a lion's skin, how as a shepherd he deceived Isse, daughter of Macareus;

Note. agrestis imāgine: 'in the likeness of a countryman'. Apollo's disguises: hawk, lion, shepherd. Macarēida … Issēn: Isse, daughter of Macareus.

Met. 6.125Līber ut Ērigonēn falsā dēcēperit ūvā,
ut Sāturnus equō geminum Chīrōna creārit.

how Liber tricked Erigone with a false bunch of grapes, how Saturn as a horse begot the two-formed Chiron.

Note. Līber: Bacchus. Ērigonēn: Greek accusative. Saturn, disguised as a horse, fathered Chiron, half man and half horse (geminum, 'of double form'). crēārit = creāverit.

Met. 6.127Ultima pars tēlae, tenuī circumdata limbō,
nexilibus flōrēs hederīs habet intertextōs.

The outermost part of the web, edged with a narrow border, has flowers woven in with twining ivy.

Note. limbō: 'with a border'. nexilibus … hederīs: 'with twining ivy', the plant of Bacchus, fitting the theme of divine love affairs.

Met. 6.129Nōn illud Pallas, nōn illud carpere Līvor
130possit opus.

Not Pallas, not Envy himself could find fault with that work.

Note. Līvor: 'Envy', personified. carpere: 'to find fault with'. possit: potential subjunctive. Even Minerva can find no flaw.

Met. 6.130Doluit successū flāva virāgō
et rūpit pictās, caelestia crīmina, vestēs.

The golden-haired warrior goddess was pained by her success, and tore the embroidered cloth, the gods' misdeeds.

Note. flāva virāgō: 'the golden-haired warrior maiden', Minerva. caelestia crīmina: 'the gods' crimes', in apposition to pictās vestēs: what offends her is the subject of the work.

Met. 6.132Utque Cytōriacō radium dē monte tenēbat,
ter quater Idmoniae frontem percussit Arachnēs.

And with the shuttle of Cytorian boxwood that she was holding she struck the forehead of Idmon's daughter Arachne three and four times.

Note. Cytōriacō … monte: Mount Cytorus was famous for boxwood, so 'the shuttle from Mount Cytorus' is a boxwood shuttle. ter quater: 'three or four times'. Īdmoniae … Arachnēs: 'of Idmon's daughter Arachne'.

Met. 6.134Nōn tulit īnfēlīx laqueōque animōsa ligāvit
135guttura.

The unhappy girl could not bear it, and in her pride tied a noose round her throat.

Note. laqueō … ligāvit guttura: 'she bound her throat with a noose', i.e. hanged herself. animōsa: 'proud, spirited'.

Met. 6.135Pendentem Pallas miserāta levāvit
atque ita "vīve quidem, pende tamen, improba" dīxit:
"lēxque eadem poenae, nē sīs sēcūra futūrī,
dicta tuō generī sērīsque nepōtibus estō."

As she hung, Pallas took pity and lifted her, and said: "Live, then, but hang all the same, wicked girl; and so that you are not free from care for the future, let the same law of punishment be laid down for your race and your descendants to come."

Note. Pendentem: 'her as she hung'. miserāta: 'taking pity', from the deponent miseror. vīve quidem, pende tamen: 'live, yes, but hang all the same', a cruel play on words. nē sīs sēcūra futūrī: 'so that you may not be free from care about the future'. estō: future imperative, 'let it be'.

Met. 6.139Post ea discēdēns sūcīs Hecatēidos herbae
140sparsit;

After that, as she left, she sprinkled her with the juices of Hecate's herb;

Note. Hecatēidos herbae: 'of Hecate's herb', a magic plant; Hecatēidos is a Greek genitive. sparsit: supply eam, Arachne.

Met. 6.140et extemplō trīstī medicāmine tāctae
dēflūxēre comae, cum quīs et nāris et aurēs,
fitque caput minimum, tōtō quoque corpore parva est:
in latere exīlēs digitī prō crūribus haerent,
cētera venter habet: dē quō tamen illa remittit
145stāmen et antīquās exercet arānea tēlās.

and at once, touched by the grim drug, her hair fell away, and with it her nose and her ears; her head becomes tiny, and her whole body small: slender fingers cling to her sides in place of legs, the belly holds the rest; yet from it she still sends out a thread, and as a spider works her web as of old.

Note. cum quīs = cum quibus: 'and with them'. nāris: 'the nose'. Ovid describes the change bit by bit: hair, nose, ears, the tiny head, the small body, thin fingers for legs, all the rest a belly. de quō … remittit stāmen: from the belly she still sends out a thread. arānea: 'as a spider' — the Greek word arachnē means spider.