15
There too mortal orbs through softened spendours regarded
Ocean-nymphs who exposed bodies denuded of raiment
Bare to the breast upthrust from hoar froth capping the sea-depths.
There too mortal orbs through softened spendours regarded
Ocean-nymphs who exposed bodies denuded of raiment
Bare to the breast upthrust from hoar froth capping the sea-depths.
Catullus - Carmina
380
Currite ducentes subtegmina, currite, fusi.
Talia praefantes quondam felicia Pelei
Carmina divino cecinerunt pectore Parcae.
Praesentes namque ante domos invisere castas
Heroum et sese mortali ostendere coetu 385
Caelicolae nondum spreta pietate solebant.
Saepe pater divom templo in fulgente residens,
Annua cum festis venissent sacra diebus,
Conspexit terra centum procumbere tauros.
Saepe vagus Liber Parnasi vertice summo 390
Thyiadas effusis euhantes crinibus egit.
* * * *
Cum Delphi tota certatim ex urbe ruentes
Acciperent laeti divom fumantibus aris.
Saepe in letifero belli certamine Mavors
Aut rapidi Tritonis era aut Rhamnusia virgo 395
Armatas hominumst praesens hortata catervas.
Sed postquam tellus scelerest imbuta nefando,
Iustitiamque omnes cupida de mente fugarunt,
Perfudere manus fraterno sanguine fratres,
Destitit extinctos natus lugere parentes, 400
Optavit genitor primaevi funera nati,
Liber ut innuptae poteretur flore novercae,
Ignaro mater substernens se inpia nato
Inpia non veritast divos scelerare penates:
Omnia fanda nefanda malo permixta furore 405
Iustificam nobis mentem avertere deorum.
Quare nec tales dignantur visere coetus,
Nec se contingi patiuntur lumine claro.
LXIIII.
MARRIAGE OF PELEUS AND THETIS.
(Fragment of an Epos. )
Pine-trees gendered whilome upon soaring Peliac summit
Swam (as the tale is told) through liquid surges of Neptune
Far as the Phasis-flood and frontier-land AEetean;
Whenas the youths elect, of Argive vigour the oak-heart,
Longing the Golden Fleece of the Colchis-region to harry, 5
Dared in a poop swift-paced to span salt seas and their shallows,
Sweeping the deep blue seas with sweeps a-carven of fir-wood.
She, that governing Goddess of citadels crowning the cities,
Builded herself their car fast-flitting with lightest of breezes,
Weaving plants of the pine conjoined in curve of the kelson; 10
Foremost of all to imbue rude Amphitrite with ship-lore.
Soon as her beak had burst through wind-rackt spaces of ocean,
While th'oar-tortured wave with spumy whiteness was blanching,
Surged from the deep abyss and hoar-capped billows the faces
Seaborn, Nereids eyeing the prodigy wonder-smitten.
15
There too mortal orbs through softened spendours regarded
Ocean-nymphs who exposed bodies denuded of raiment
Bare to the breast upthrust from hoar froth capping the sea-depths.
Then Thetis Peleus fired (men say) a-sudden with love-lowe,
Then Thetis nowise spurned to mate and marry wi' mortal, 20
Then Thetis' Sire himself her yoke with Peleus sanctioned.
Oh, in those happier days now fondly yearned-for, ye heroes
Born; (all hail! ) of the Gods begotten, and excellent issue
Bred by your mothers, all hail! and placid deal me your favour.
Oft wi' the sound of me, in strains and spells I'll invoke you;
Thee too by wedding-torch so happily, highly augmented, 25
Peleus, Thessaly's ward, whomunto Jupiter's self deigned
Yield of the freest gree his loves though gotten of Godheads.
Thee Thetis, fairest of maids Nereian, vouchsafed to marry?
Thee did Tethys empower to woo and wed with her grandchild;
Nor less Oceanus, with water compassing th' Earth-globe? 30
But when ended the term, and wisht-for light of the day-tide
Uprose, flocks to the house in concourse mighty convened,
Thessaly all, with glad assembly the Palace fulfilling:
Presents afore they bring, and joy in faces declare they.
Scyros desert abides: they quit Phthiotican Tempe, 35
Homesteads of Crannon-town, eke bulwarkt walls of Larissa;
Meeting at Pharsalus, and roof Pharsalian seeking.
None will the fields now till; soft wax all necks of the oxen,
Never the humble vine is purged by curve of the rake-tooth,
Never a pruner's hook thins out the shade of the tree-tufts, 41
Never a bull up-plows broad glebe with bend of the coulter, 40
Over whose point unuse displays the squalor of rust-stain.
But in the homestead's heart, where'er that opulent palace
Hides a retreat, all shines with splendour of gold and of silver.
Ivory blanches the seats, bright gleam the flagons a-table, 45
All of the mansion joys in royal riches and grandeur.
But for the Diva's use bestrewn is the genial bedstead,
Hidden in midmost stead, and its polisht framework of Indian
Tusk underlies its cloth empurpled by juice of the dye-shell.
This be a figured cloth with forms of manhood primeval 50
Showing by marvel-art the gifts and graces of heroes.
Here upon Dia's strand wave-resonant, ever-regarding
Theseus borne from sight outside by fleet of the fleetest,
Stands Ariadne with heart full-filled with furies unbated,
Nor can her sense as yet believe she 'spies the espied, 55
When like one that awakes new roused from slumber deceptive,
Sees she her hapless self lone left on loneliest sandbank:
While as the mindless youth with oars disturbeth the shallows,
Casts to the windy storms what vows he vainly had vowed.
Currite ducentes subtegmina, currite, fusi.
Talia praefantes quondam felicia Pelei
Carmina divino cecinerunt pectore Parcae.
Praesentes namque ante domos invisere castas
Heroum et sese mortali ostendere coetu 385
Caelicolae nondum spreta pietate solebant.
Saepe pater divom templo in fulgente residens,
Annua cum festis venissent sacra diebus,
Conspexit terra centum procumbere tauros.
Saepe vagus Liber Parnasi vertice summo 390
Thyiadas effusis euhantes crinibus egit.
* * * *
Cum Delphi tota certatim ex urbe ruentes
Acciperent laeti divom fumantibus aris.
Saepe in letifero belli certamine Mavors
Aut rapidi Tritonis era aut Rhamnusia virgo 395
Armatas hominumst praesens hortata catervas.
Sed postquam tellus scelerest imbuta nefando,
Iustitiamque omnes cupida de mente fugarunt,
Perfudere manus fraterno sanguine fratres,
Destitit extinctos natus lugere parentes, 400
Optavit genitor primaevi funera nati,
Liber ut innuptae poteretur flore novercae,
Ignaro mater substernens se inpia nato
Inpia non veritast divos scelerare penates:
Omnia fanda nefanda malo permixta furore 405
Iustificam nobis mentem avertere deorum.
Quare nec tales dignantur visere coetus,
Nec se contingi patiuntur lumine claro.
LXIIII.
MARRIAGE OF PELEUS AND THETIS.
(Fragment of an Epos. )
Pine-trees gendered whilome upon soaring Peliac summit
Swam (as the tale is told) through liquid surges of Neptune
Far as the Phasis-flood and frontier-land AEetean;
Whenas the youths elect, of Argive vigour the oak-heart,
Longing the Golden Fleece of the Colchis-region to harry, 5
Dared in a poop swift-paced to span salt seas and their shallows,
Sweeping the deep blue seas with sweeps a-carven of fir-wood.
She, that governing Goddess of citadels crowning the cities,
Builded herself their car fast-flitting with lightest of breezes,
Weaving plants of the pine conjoined in curve of the kelson; 10
Foremost of all to imbue rude Amphitrite with ship-lore.
Soon as her beak had burst through wind-rackt spaces of ocean,
While th'oar-tortured wave with spumy whiteness was blanching,
Surged from the deep abyss and hoar-capped billows the faces
Seaborn, Nereids eyeing the prodigy wonder-smitten.
15
There too mortal orbs through softened spendours regarded
Ocean-nymphs who exposed bodies denuded of raiment
Bare to the breast upthrust from hoar froth capping the sea-depths.
Then Thetis Peleus fired (men say) a-sudden with love-lowe,
Then Thetis nowise spurned to mate and marry wi' mortal, 20
Then Thetis' Sire himself her yoke with Peleus sanctioned.
Oh, in those happier days now fondly yearned-for, ye heroes
Born; (all hail! ) of the Gods begotten, and excellent issue
Bred by your mothers, all hail! and placid deal me your favour.
Oft wi' the sound of me, in strains and spells I'll invoke you;
Thee too by wedding-torch so happily, highly augmented, 25
Peleus, Thessaly's ward, whomunto Jupiter's self deigned
Yield of the freest gree his loves though gotten of Godheads.
Thee Thetis, fairest of maids Nereian, vouchsafed to marry?
Thee did Tethys empower to woo and wed with her grandchild;
Nor less Oceanus, with water compassing th' Earth-globe? 30
But when ended the term, and wisht-for light of the day-tide
Uprose, flocks to the house in concourse mighty convened,
Thessaly all, with glad assembly the Palace fulfilling:
Presents afore they bring, and joy in faces declare they.
Scyros desert abides: they quit Phthiotican Tempe, 35
Homesteads of Crannon-town, eke bulwarkt walls of Larissa;
Meeting at Pharsalus, and roof Pharsalian seeking.
None will the fields now till; soft wax all necks of the oxen,
Never the humble vine is purged by curve of the rake-tooth,
Never a pruner's hook thins out the shade of the tree-tufts, 41
Never a bull up-plows broad glebe with bend of the coulter, 40
Over whose point unuse displays the squalor of rust-stain.
But in the homestead's heart, where'er that opulent palace
Hides a retreat, all shines with splendour of gold and of silver.
Ivory blanches the seats, bright gleam the flagons a-table, 45
All of the mansion joys in royal riches and grandeur.
But for the Diva's use bestrewn is the genial bedstead,
Hidden in midmost stead, and its polisht framework of Indian
Tusk underlies its cloth empurpled by juice of the dye-shell.
This be a figured cloth with forms of manhood primeval 50
Showing by marvel-art the gifts and graces of heroes.
Here upon Dia's strand wave-resonant, ever-regarding
Theseus borne from sight outside by fleet of the fleetest,
Stands Ariadne with heart full-filled with furies unbated,
Nor can her sense as yet believe she 'spies the espied, 55
When like one that awakes new roused from slumber deceptive,
Sees she her hapless self lone left on loneliest sandbank:
While as the mindless youth with oars disturbeth the shallows,
Casts to the windy storms what vows he vainly had vowed.
