Metamorphoses 10.1–77

Met. 10.1Inde per inmēnsum croceō vēlātus amictū
aethera dīgreditur Ciconumque Hymenaeus ad ōrās
tendit et Orphēā nēquīquam vōce vocātur.

From there Hymenaeus, wrapped in a saffron cloak, leaves the boundless upper air and makes for the shores of the Cicones, and is summoned, in vain, by the voice of Orpheus.

Note. The story picks up from the end of Book 9: Hymenaeus (Hymen), god of weddings, has been at a wedding in Crete and now flies to Thrace for Orpheus' marriage. aethera is a Greek accusative (aethēr, -eris), and inmensum agrees with it across the line, a typical hyperbaton. Orphēā ... vōce: 'by the voice of Orpheus' (the adjective Orphēus, -a, -um); nēquīquam 'in vain' warns at once that the marriage is doomed.

Met. 10.4Adfuit ille quidem, sed nec sollemnia verba
5nec laetōs vultūs nec fēlīx attulit ōmen.

He was present, it is true, but he brought neither the ritual words nor happy faces nor a lucky omen.

Note. Adfuit = adsum (ad + fuit; the prefix is spelled unassimilated). The three nec ... nec ... nec list the three things a wedding god should bring: the ritual words, happy faces, a good omen.

Met. 10.6Fax quoque, quam tenuit, lacrimōsō strīdula fūmō
usque fuit nūllōsque invenit mōtibus ignēs.

Even the torch he held kept sputtering with tear-raising smoke, and found no flames however it was waved.

Note. The wedding torch (fax) led the bride's procession; a torch that sputters and will not catch is a bad sign. motibus 'by the movements' (as it is waved). invenit is present here (short e), as the meter shows.

Met. 10.8Exitus auspiciō gravior: nam nūpta per herbās
dum nova nāiadum turba comitāta vagātur,
10occidit in tālum serpentis dente receptō.

The outcome was worse than the omen: for while the new bride was wandering through the grass with a crowd of naiads for company, she fell dead, a snake's fang sunk into her ankle.

Note. auspicio gravior: ablative of comparison, 'worse than the omen'. dum + present indicative (vagatur) means 'while', even in a past narrative. comitata: the perfect participle of the deponent comitor, used with present sense, 'accompanied'. dente recepto: ablative absolute, 'a tooth having been received'. occidit: occĭdō 'fall, die' (short i), not occīdō 'kill'.

Met. 10.11Quam satis ad superās postquam Rhodopēius aurās
dēflēvit vātēs, nē nōn temptāret et umbrās,
ad Styga Taenariā est ausus dēscendere portā;

When the Thracian bard had mourned her enough to the upper air, so as not to leave the shades untried as well, he dared to go down to the Styx through the gate of Taenarus;

Note. Quam: connecting relative, = eam 'her'. superas ... auras: the upper air, the world of the living. Rhodopeius vates: 'the Thracian bard', Orpheus (Rhodope is a mountain range in Thrace). ne non temptaret: 'so as not to fail to try' (a double negative, 'so as to try even the shades'). Taenaria ... porta: a cave at Cape Taenarus in the southern Peloponnese was thought to lead down to the underworld. est ausus: perfect of the semi-deponent audeo.

Met. 10.14perque levēs populōs simulācraque fūncta sepulcrō
15Persephonēn adiit inamoenaque regna tenentem
umbrārum dominum.

and through the weightless crowds and the ghosts of those who have had their burial, he came to Persephone and the lord of the shadows who holds that unlovely kingdom.

Note. leves populos: the ghosts are weightless (levēs, short e). functa sepulcro: 'who have had their burial' (fungor + ablative); only the buried could cross into the underworld. Persephonen: Greek accusative; she is the queen of the underworld (Latin Proserpina). The lord of the shadows (umbrarum dominum) is Dis (Pluto).

Met. 10.16Pulsīsque ad carmina nervīs
sīc ait: "Ō positī sub terrā nūmina mundī,
in quem reccidimus, quidquid mortāle creāmur,
sī licet et falsī positīs ambāgibus ōris
20vēra loquī sinitis, nōn hūc, ut opāca vidērem
Tartara, dēscendī, nec utī villōsa colubrīs
terna Medūsaeī vincīrem guttura mōnstrī:
causa viae est coniūnx, in quam calcāta venēnum
vīpera diffūdit crēscentēsque abstulit annōs.

Striking the strings to accompany his song, he spoke thus: "O powers of the world set beneath the earth, into which all of us who are born mortal fall back, if it is allowed, and you let me lay aside the riddles of a lying tongue and speak the truth: I have not come down here to see dark Tartarus, nor to chain the three throats of the Medusa-like monster, shaggy with snakes; the reason for my journey is my wife, into whom a viper she trod on poured its venom and took away her growing years.

Note. Orpheus' song begins as a formal prayer: invocation (O ... numina), the place they rule, the condition (si licet ...), the purpose of the visit. reccidimus: 'we fall back' (present; the cc is a metrical spelling). quidquid mortale creamur: 'whatever we are, born mortal' = all of us mortals. falsi ... ambagibus oris: 'the evasions of a lying mouth'. ut ... viderem ... nec uti ... vincirem: purpose clauses, the second with uti (= ut). The Medusa-like monster is Cerberus, with snakes for hair, whom Hercules dragged up in chains. in quam ... vipera diffudit: 'into whom the viper, trodden on, poured its poison'.

Met. 10.25Posse patī voluī nec mē temptāsse negābō:
vīcit Amor.

I wanted to be able to bear it, and I will not deny that I tried: Love won.

Note. Posse pati volui: 'I wanted to be able to endure it'. temptasse = temptavisse, a syncopated perfect infinitive, common in poetry. vicit Amor: a famous three-word sentence; Love personified.

Met. 10.26Superā deus hic bene nōtus in ōrā est,
an sit et hīc, dubitō.

Up in the world above this god is well known; whether he is here too, I am not sure.

Note. Supera ... in ora: 'in the upper regions' (ōra here 'region', not 'mouth'). an sit et hic, dubito: indirect question, 'I doubt whether he is here too'. hic is the adverb 'here' (long ī), not the pronoun.

Met. 10.27Sed et hīc tamen auguror esse;

But I guess that he is here as well;

Note. auguror: deponent, 'I guess, I suspect'; the accusative and infinitive (eum) esse is understood.

Met. 10.28fāmaque sī veteris nōn est mentīta rapīnae,
vōs quoque iūnxit Amor.

and if the story of that rape long ago is not a lie, Love joined you too.

Note. veteris ... rapinae: the old story of Persephone carried off by Dis while picking flowers in Sicily. Orpheus tactfully reminds the king and queen of the underworld that they too know love.

Met. 10.29Per ego haec loca plēna timōris,
30per chaos hoc ingēns vāstīque silentia regnī,
Eurydicēs, ōrō, properāta retexite fāta.

By these places full of fear, by this vast Chaos and the silence of your empty kingdom, I beg you, unweave the fate of Eurydice, cut short too soon.

Note. Per ... per ...: 'by ...', the formula of oaths and prayers, with the person praying (ego) placed inside the phrase. Chaos here is the formless dark of the underworld. Eurydices: Greek genitive in -ēs. properata ... retexite fata: the Fates spin the thread of life; Orpheus asks them to unweave hers, which was 'hurried' (cut short).

Met. 10.32Omnia dēbēmur vōbīs, paulumque morātī
sērius aut citius sēdem properāmus ad ūnam.

We are all owed to you, and after a little delay, sooner or later, we hurry to the one dwelling.

Note. Omnia debemur vobis: 'we are owed to you entirely' (omnia used adverbially, 'in all things'). paulum ... morati: 'having lingered a little'. serius aut citius: comparative adverbs, 'sooner or later'.

Met. 10.34Tendimus hūc omnēs, haec est domus ultima, vōsque
35hūmānī generis longissima regna tenētis.

Here we are all bound, this is our last home, and you hold the longest rule over the human race.

Note. Tendimus huc: 'we are bound here'. longissima regna: 'the longest reign', since the dead stay for ever. Note the heavy spondees and the repeated huc / haec / hic of the argument.

Met. 10.36Haec quoque, cum iūstōs mātūra perēgerit annōs,
iūris erit vestrī: prō mūnere poscimus ūsum.

She too, when she has lived out her proper years in ripeness, will be yours by right: I ask for the use of her, not a gift.

Note. Haec quoque: 'she too'. cum ... peregerit: future perfect in a future time clause, 'when she has completed'. iuris erit vestri: genitive of possession, 'will be under your power'. pro munere poscimus usum: a legal image: he asks for the use (usus) of her for a time, not outright ownership as a gift.

Met. 10.38Quod sī fāta negant veniam prō coniuge, certum est
nōlle redīre mihi: lētō gaudēte duōrum."

But if the Fates refuse this favour for my wife, I am resolved not to return: rejoice in the death of two."

Note. Quod si: 'but if'. certum est ... mihi: 'it is settled for me', 'I am resolved'. leto ... duorum: 'in the death of two', ablative of cause with gaudete.

Met. 10.40Tālia dīcentem nervōsque ad verba moventem
exsanguēs flēbant animae: nec Tantalus undam
captāvit refugam, stupuitque Ixīonis orbis,
nec carpsēre iecur volucrēs, urnīsque vacārunt
Bēlides, inque tuō sēdistī, Sīsyphe, saxō.

As he said this and moved the strings to his words, the bloodless spirits wept: Tantalus stopped reaching for the retreating water, Ixion's wheel stood still in wonder, the birds did not tear at the liver, the Belides were free of their urns, and you, Sisyphus, sat down on your stone.

Note. This is the famous catalogue of the underworld's sinners, each stopped by the song: Tantalus stops grasping at the water that shrinks away from him; Ixion's wheel (orbis) stops turning; the vultures (volucres) stop tearing at the liver of Tityos (not named); the Belides (the Danaids, granddaughters of Belus), who must fill leaking jars, rest from their urns; and Sisyphus sits on the stone he must forever roll uphill. carpsere = carpserunt; vacarunt = vacaverunt (syncope). The apostrophe to Sisyphus (Sisyphe, vocative) adds drama.

Met. 10.45Tunc prīmum lacrimīs victārum carmine fāma est
Eumenidum maduisse genās.

Then for the first time, the story goes, the cheeks of the Eumenides, overcome by the song, were wet with tears.

Note. fama est: 'the story goes', with accusative and infinitive (genas maduisse). victarum carmine: genitive participle agreeing with Eumenidum, 'the Eumenides, overcome by the song'. The Eumenides ('Kindly Ones') is a placating name for the Furies.

Met. 10.46Nec rēgia coniūnx
sustinet ōrantī nec quī regit īma negāre,
Eurydicēnque vocant.

Neither the royal wife nor he who rules the depths can bear to refuse his prayer, and they call Eurydice.

Note. regia coniunx: Persephone. qui regit ima: Dis, 'he who rules the depths'. sustinet ... negare: 'can bear to refuse'; oranti: dative of the person refused.

Met. 10.48Umbrās erat illa recentēs
inter et incessit passū dē vulnere tardō.

She was among the newly arrived shades, and she came with a step slow from her wound.

Note. Umbras ... inter: the preposition inter follows its noun (anastrophe). passu de vulnere tardo: 'with a step slow from the wound'; de here gives the cause.

Met. 10.50Hanc simul et lēgem Rhodopēius accipit Orpheus,
nē flectat retrō sua lūmina, dōnec Avernās
exierit vallēs: aut inrita dōna futūra.

Thracian Orpheus receives her, and with her this condition: that he must not turn his eyes back until he has come out of the valleys of Avernus, or the gift would be void.

Note. Hanc simul et legem: zeugma, 'he receives her, and at the same time a condition'. ne flectat ... donec exierit: the condition, in indirect command with primary sequence (accipit is a historic present). aut inrita dona futura (esse): 'or else the gift would be void'.

Met. 10.53Carpitur acclīvis per mūta silentia trāmes,
arduus, obscūrus, cālīgine dēnsus opācā.

They take the uphill path through the mute silence, steep, dark, thick with murky fog.

Note. Carpitur ... trames: 'the path is taken', i.e. they take the path (carpo 'pluck', hence 'pursue a way'). The asyndeton arduus, obscurus ... densus piles up the difficulty of the climb.

Met. 10.55Nec procul āfuerunt tellūris margine summae:
hīc, nē dēficeret, metuēns avidusque videndī
flexit amāns oculōs;

They were not far from the edge of the upper earth: here, afraid she might falter and eager to look, the lover turned his eyes;

Note. telluris margine summae: 'the edge of the upper earth'. ne deficeret: fear clause after metuens, 'afraid that she might fail'. avidus videndi: gerund in the genitive with an adjective, 'eager for seeing'. amans: the participle used as a noun, 'the lover'.

Met. 10.57et prōtinus illa relāpsa est,
bracchiaque intendēns prēndīque et prēndere certāns
nīl nisi cēdentēs īnfēlīx arripit aurās.

and at once she slipped back, and stretching out her arms and struggling to be held and to hold, the unhappy woman caught nothing but the yielding air.

Note. relapsa est: 'she slipped back'. prendi ... et prendere certans: a vivid chiasmus of passive and active, 'striving to be caught and to catch'. nil nisi cedentes ... auras: 'nothing but the yielding air'.

Met. 10.60Iamque iterum moriēns nōn est dē coniuge quicquam
questa suō: quid enim nisi sē quererētur amātam?

And now, dying a second time, she made no complaint about her husband: for what could she complain of, except that she was loved?

Note. iterum moriens: she dies a second time. quid enim ... quereretur: deliberative subjunctive in a past question, 'what could she have complained of?' se ... amatam (esse): 'that she had been loved'.

Met. 10.62Suprēmumque "valē," quod iam vix auribus ille
acciperet, dīxit revolūtaque rūrsus eōdem est.

She said a last "farewell", which he could scarcely catch with his ears, and fell back again to the same place.

Note. Supremum ... vale: 'a last farewell'; vale is the imperative of valeo used as a noun. quod ... acciperet: relative clause of characteristic, 'which he could hardly catch'. revoluta ... est: 'she was carried back'.

Met. 10.64Nōn aliter stupuit geminā nece coniugis Orpheus,
65quam tria quī timidus, mediō portante catēnās,
colla canis vīdit, quem nōn pavor ante relīquit,
quam nātūra prior, saxō per corpus obortō;

Orpheus was stunned by the double death of his wife, just like the man who in terror saw the dog's three necks, the middle one in chains, and whose fear did not leave him until his former nature did, as stone grew through his body;

Note. Two mythical comparisons for Orpheus' shock. First, an unnamed man who saw Cerberus' three necks as Hercules dragged him up in chains (medio portante catenas, 'the middle one bearing the chains'), and was turned to stone with fear. non ... ante ... quam: 'not ... before' (= priusquam), split around the clause. saxo per corpus oborto: ablative absolute, 'stone having spread through his body'.

Met. 10.68quīque in sē crīmen trāxit voluitque vidērī
Ōlenos esse nocēns, tūque, ō cōnfīsa figūrae,
70īnfēlīx Lēthaea, tuae, iūnctissima quondam
pectora, nunc lapidēs, quōs ūmida sustinet Īdē.

and like Olenus, who took the blame on himself and wished to seem guilty, and you, unhappy Lethaea, too confident in your beauty: hearts once most closely joined, now stones that well-watered Ida holds.

Note. The second comparison: Olenus, who tried to take on himself the guilt of his wife Lethaea, proud of her beauty (confisa figurae, 'trusting in her looks'); both were turned to stone on Mount Ida. The vocatives (tu, o ... Lethaea) and the closing apposition (iunctissima ... pectora, nunc lapides) are Ovid's own touches. Ide is the Greek form of Ida.

Met. 10.72Ōrantem frūstrāque iterum trānsīre volentem
portitor arcuerat.

As he begged and wanted in vain to cross again, the ferryman had kept him back.

Note. Orantem ... volentem: participles agreeing with the understood eum. portitor: the ferryman, Charon. arcuerat: the pluperfect sets the refusal before the next scene.

Met. 10.73Septem tamen ille diēbus
squālidus in rīpā Cereris sine mūnere sēdit:
75cūra dolorque animī lacrimaeque alimenta fuēre.

Yet for seven days he sat on the bank, unkempt and without the gift of Ceres: grief and sorrow of heart and tears were his food.

Note. Cereris sine munere: 'without the gift of Ceres', i.e. without bread or food. alimenta fuere: 'were his food'; fuere = fuerunt.

Met. 10.76Esse deōs Erebī crūdēlēs questus, in altam
sē recipit Rhodopēn pulsumque aquilōnibus Haemum.

Complaining that the gods of Erebus were cruel, he withdrew to high Rhodope and Haemus, lashed by the north winds.

Note. questus: the perfect participle of the deponent queror, 'having complained'. Erebi: Erebus, the darkness of the underworld. Rhodope and Haemus are mountains of his native Thrace; aquilonibus, 'by the north winds'.