Title | Author | Publisher | Format | Buy | Remix | ||
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Book Six |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK VI Minerva heard the story, and praised the song And praised the righteous anger, but was thinking: “It is very well, this praise, but I myself Deserve some praise; I too should show resentment Toward those who flout my power.” She was thinking About Arachne, a Maeonian girl, Who, she had heard, was boasting of her talent, Calling it better even than Minerva’s, In spinning and weaving wool. The girl was no one In birth, nor where she came from; her father, Idmon, Was a dyer, steeping thirsty wool with crimson. Her mother was dead, a common sort of person, With the same sort of husband, but the daughter Was famous for her skill, and it had traveled Through all the Lydian towns, though she herself Lived in the little village of Hypaepa. The nymphs themselves would often watch in wonder, Leaving their vineyards or the river waters, To see her finished work, or watch her working See All Chapters |
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Book Three |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK III The Story of Cadmus And now the god put off the bull’s disguise, Revealed himself at last. They had reached the shores Of Crete, when the girl’s father, King Agenor, Unknowing what had happened to his daughter, Ordered his son, named Cadmus, to go and find her, Threatening exile as a punishment For failure, in that single action showing Devotion toward his daughter, toward his son Harsh wickedness. And Cadmus roamed the world In vain—for who is good enough detective To catch Jove cheating?—and became an exile Leaving both fatherland and father’s anger. He sought Apollo’s oracle, a suppliant Asking what land to live in, and Apollo Replied: “In lonely lands there will come to meet you A heifer, one who has never worn the yoke Nor drawn the curve of the plough. Follow the creature Till she lies down to rest, and there establish The city walls, and call the land Boeotia.” See All Chapters |
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Book Thirteen |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK XIII The Argument between Ajax and Ulysses for the Armor of Achilles The leaders sat together, and the people Stood in a ring about them. Ajax rose, Lord of the sevenfold shield, seething with anger, Glowering at the fleet and the Sigean waters, And suddenly he made a gesture toward them Crying: “So, this is where I do my pleading, here Before these ships, and my rival is Ulysses! Where was he, though, when Hector’s torches threatened Those very ships? Running away! But I Stood fast, and drove the fire away. It is safer To fight with lies than hands, no doubt of that. I am no good at speaking, any more Than he is good at doing. He can beat me In talking, by as far as I can beat him In the fierce battle-line. As for my deeds, O Greeks, I do not think I need to name them, You have seen them. Let Ulysses tell of his, The feats that no man witnessed, only darkness! See All Chapters |
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Book One |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK I My intention is to tell of bodies changed To different forms; the gods, who made the changes, Will help me—or I hope so—with a poem That runs from the world’s beginning to our own days. The Creation Before the ocean was, or earth, or heaven, Nature was all alike, a shapelessness, Chaos, so-called, all rude and lumpy matter, Nothing but bulk, inert, in whose confusion Discordant atoms warred: there was no sun To light the universe; there was no moon With slender silver crescents filling slowly; No earth hung balanced in surrounding air; No sea reached far along the fringe of shore. Land, to be sure, there was, and air, and ocean, But land on which no man could stand, and water No man could swim in, air no man could breathe, Air without light, substance forever changing, Forever at war: within a single body Heat fought with cold, wet fought with dry, the hard See All Chapters |
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Book Nine |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK IX The Story of Achelous’ Duel for Deianira When Theseus asked him why the groan, the gesture, The mutilated forehead, the old river, With unadorned and reed-crowned hair, made answer: “A sorrowful story; for what loser tells His battles with any pleasure? But I will tell you. It was not so bad to lose as it was glorious To have made the fight, and the greatness of the winner Gives me some satisfaction. You have heard, Perhaps, of Deianira, once most lovely, The hope of many suitors, and I myself Was one of them, and came to her father’s house: Receive me as a son-in-law, I said, And Hercules said that too, and all the others Left it to us to settle. He began By claiming Jove as father, did some bragging About his labors, and some mission or other His stepmother had set him. I was thinking No god should yield to a mortal; Hercules See All Chapters |
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Book Five |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK V The Fighting of Perseus So Perseus told his story, and the halls Buzzed loud, not with the cheery noise that rings From floor to rafter at a wedding-party. No; this meant trouble. It was like the riot When sudden squalls lash peaceful waves to surges. Phineus was the reckless one to start it, That warfare, brandishing his spear of ash With sharp bronze point. “Look at me! Here I am,” He cried, “Avenger of my stolen bride! No wings will save you from me, and no god Turned into lying gold.” He poised the spear, As Cepheus shouted: “Are you crazy, brother? What are you doing? Is this our gratitude, This our repayment for a maiden saved? If truth is what you want, it was not Perseus Who took her from you, but the Nereids Whose power is terrible, it was hornèd Ammon, It was that horrible monster from the ocean Who had to feed on my own flesh and blood, See All Chapters |
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Book Eight |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK VIII The morning-star brought back the shining day, And the east wind fell, moist clouds arose, the south wind Offered a smooth return to Cephalus With his new armies, and they came to harbor Sooner than they had hoped. And meanwhile Minos Was laying waste the Lelegian shores, Hurling his might against Alcathous’ city, Ruled now by Nisus. The Story of Nisus and Scylla On King Nisus’ head, Among the honored grayness, there was growing One shining purple lock: this he must keep Or lose his kingdom, so the legend had it. Six months the moon had filled her horns with light, And still the fate of war hung in the balance, With Victory, on doubtful pinions, hovering Over both forces. The palace had a tower Built on the singing walls, where once Apollo Laid down his golden lyre, whose power of music Still lingered in the stones. There Nisus’ daughter See All Chapters |
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Book Eleven |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK XI The Death of Orpheus So with his singing Orpheus drew the trees, The beasts, the stones, to follow, when, behold! The mad Ciconian women, fleeces flung Across their maddened breasts, caught sight of him From a near hill-top, as he joined his song To the lyre’s music. One of them, her tresses Streaming in the light air, cried out: “Look there! There is our despiser! “and she flung a spear Straight at the singing mouth, but the leafy wand Made only a mark and did no harm. Another Let fly a stone, which, even as it flew, Was conquered by the sweet harmonious music, Fell at his feet, as if to ask for pardon. But still the warfare raged, there was no limit, Mad fury reigned, and even so, all weapons Would have been softened by the singer’s music, But there was other orchestration: flutes Shrilling, and trumpets braying loud, and drums, Beating of breasts, and howling, so the lyre See All Chapters |
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Book Seven |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK VII The Story of Jason and Medea So over the deep the Minyans went sailing. They had seen Phineus, dragging out his years In everlasting night, and Boreas’ sons Had driven the Harpies from the poor old king. They suffered much, but came at last with Jason, Their brilliant leader, to the muddy waters Where Phasis meets the sea. They went to the king, Claiming the golden fleece, by Phrixus given, And heard the dreadful terms, enormous labors. And the king’s daughter burned with sudden passion, And fought against it long, and when her reason Could not subdue her madness, cried: “Medea, You fight in vain; there is some god or other Against you. I am wondering whether this May be the thing called love, or something like it. Why should my father’s orders seem too cruel? They are too cruel! A fellow I have hardly Much more than seen may die, and I am fearful! See All Chapters |
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Book Two |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK II The Story of Phaethon The royal palace of the Sun rose high On lofty columns, bright with flashing gold, With bronze that glowed like fire, and ivory crowned The gables, and the double folding-doors Were radiant with silver. Manner there Had conquered matter, for the artist Vulcan Carved, in relief, the earth-encircling waters, The wheel of earth, the overarching skies. The sea holds blue-green gods, resounding Triton, Proteus who changes always, and Aegaeon Gripping the backs of whales, the sea-nymph Doris And all her daughters, swimming, some, and others Sitting on sea-wet rocks, their green hair drying, And others riding fishes. All the sea-girls Seem different, but alike, as sisters ought to. And the land has men and cities, beasts and forests, Rivers and nymphs and woodland gods. Above them The image of the shining sky is fashioned, See All Chapters |
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Book Fifteen |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK XV The Succession of Numa, and the Story of Myscelus Who could sustain that burden, who succeed So great a king? Fame, herald of the truth, Selects the famous Numa for the throne. It was not enough for him to know the customs Of Sabines only, for his generous spirit Sought wider fields, the general laws of Nature. This passion led him far from his own town, Cures, on to Crotona, which once gave Welcome to Hercules, and there King Numa Asked who had been the founder of that city, Greek on Italian soil, and one old man, Who knew the ancient legends, gave the answer: “Hercules, so men say, came from the ocean, Enriched with Spanish oxen, and good luck Brought him to this Lacinian coast, and here His cattle grazed on tender grass, and he Entered great Croton’s friendly house, and rested From his long labors. As he left, he said, ‘Here, in the far-off future, there will rise See All Chapters |
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Book Ten |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK X The Story of Orpheus and Eurydice So Hymen left there, clad in saffron robe, Through the great reach of air, and took his way To the Ciconian country, where the voice Of Orpheus called him, all in vain. He came there, True, but brought with him no auspicious words, No joyful faces, lucky omens. The torch Sputtered and filled the eyes with smoke; when swung, It would not blaze: bad as the omens were, The end was worse, for as the bride went walking Across the lawn, attended by her naiads, A serpent bit her ankle, and she was gone. Orpheus mourned her to the upper world, And then, lest he should leave the shades untried, Dared to descend to Styx, passing the portal Men call Taenarian. Through the phantom dwellers, The buried ghosts, he passed, came to the king Of that sad realm, and to Persephone, His consort, and he swept the strings, and chanted: See All Chapters |
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Book Twelve |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK XII The Invasion of Troy But Priam mourned for Aesacus, not knowing He lived, a wingèd creature. To the tomb That bore his name Hector brought sacrifice, So did the other brothers. all but Paris, Who, not long after, brought upon his country Long warfare over the woman he had stolen. A thousand ships were launched, and all the Greeks, Banded together, followed, and they would have Taken their vengeance sooner, but the storms Made the sea pathless, and Boeotia held them, Impatient, at the little port of Aulis. When here, as always, they had gotten ready Their sacrifice for Jove, just as the altar Glowed with the lighted fires, they saw a serpent, Blue-green in color, creeping up a plane-tree Above them, toward a nest, high up, which held Eight fledglings. These, together with the mother, Flying too close to her doomed brood, the serpent Seized and devoured. Amazement seized the people, See All Chapters |
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Book Four |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK IV Alcithoe, however, Minyas’ daughter Would have no part in Bacchic orgies; further, She was rash enough to say the god was really No son of Jove. Her sisters sided with her. The priest had ordered Bacchic celebration, With serving-women, freed of toil, and ladies As well as servants, dressed alike, in skins Of animals; all should unbind the ribbons, Let the hair stream, wear garlands, carry wands Vine-wreathed. The god, his minister proclaimed, Would otherwise be fearful in his anger. So all obey, young wives and graver matrons, Forget their sewing and weaving, the daily duties, Burn incense, call the god by all his titles, The Loud One, the Deliverer from Sorrow, Son of the Thunder, The Twice-Born, The Indian, The Offspring of Two Mothers, God of the Wine-Press, The Night-hallooed, and all the other names Known in the towns of Greece. He is young, this god, See All Chapters |
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Book Fourteen |
Ovid | Indiana University Press | ePub | ||||
BOOK XIV The Story of Glaucus Continued Glaucus, the haunter of the swollen waves, Had passed by Etna, heaped on the giant’s head, Passed the unplowed, unharrowed fields which owed No debt to any cattle; he went on Past Regium’s walls, past Zancle, through the straits Dangerous to mariners from either land, Ausonia or Sicily, and he swam, Untiring, through the Tuscan sea, and came To the grassy hills and court of that enchantress, Circe, the daughter of the Sun, where beasts, Or phantoms of them, thronged. He saw her there, Gave and received a welcome, and went on: “Goddess, have pity on a god, I pray you! No one but you can help me, if I seem Worthy of help. Better than any man, I know the magic power of herbs and grasses, For I was changed by them. What caused my passion You may already know: on Italy’s coast, Across from Messina’s walls, I have seen Scylla. See All Chapters |
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