Sarah Poggendorf
Furman University
Apuleius, Metamorphoses 1.1
Sarah Poggendorf /
- Created on 2018-09-07 18:05:08
- Modified on 2018-09-19 18:13:05
- Translated by A. S. Kline
- Aligned by Sarah Poggendorf
Latin
English
At ego tibi sermone isto Milesio varias fabulas conseram auresque tuas benivolas lepido susurro permulceam , modo si papyrum Aegyptiam argutia Nilotici calami inscriptam non spreveris inspicere , figuras fortunasque hominum in alias imagines conversas et in se rursum mutuo nexu refectas , ut mireris . Exordior . Quis ille ? Paucis accipe . Hymettos Attica et Isthmos Ephyraea et Taenaros Spartiaca , glebae felices aeternum libris felicioribus conditae , mea vetus prosapia est : ibi linguam Attidem primis pueritiae stipendiis merui . Mox in urbe Latia advena studiorum , Quiritium indigenam sermonem aerumnabili labore , nullo magistro praeeunte , aggressus excolui . En ecce praefamur veniam , si quid exotici ac forensis sermonis rudis locutor offendero . Iam haec equidem ipsa vocis immutatio desultoriae scientiae stilo quem accessimus respondet . Fabulam Graecanicam incipimus : lector intende ; laetaberis .
Now
!
I’d
like
to
string
together
various
tales
in
the
Milesian
style
,
and
charm
your
kindly
ear
with
seductive
murmurs
,
so
long
as
you’re
ready
to
be
amazed
at
human
forms
and
fortunes
changed
radically
and
then
restored
in
turn
in
mutual
exchange
,
and
don’t
object
to
reading
Egyptian
papyri
,
inscribed
by
a
sly
reed
from
the
Nile
.
I’ll
begin
.
Who
am
I
?
I’ll
tell
you
briefly
.
Hymettus
near
Athens
;
the
Isthmus
of
Corinth
;
and
Spartan
Mount
Taenarus
,
happy
soil
more
happily
buried
forever
in
other
books
,
that’s
my
lineage
.
There
as
a
lad
I
served
in
my
first
campaigns
with
the
Greek
tongue
.
Later
,
in
Rome
,
freshly
come
to
Latin
studies
I
assumed
and
cultivated
the
native
language
,
without
a
teacher
,
and
with
a
heap
of
pains
.
So
there
!
I
beg
your
indulgence
in
advance
if
as
a
crude
performer
in
the
exotic
speech
of
the
Forum
I
offend
.
And
in
truth
the
very
fact
of
a
change
of
voice
will
answer
like
a
circus
rider’s
skill
when
needed
.
We’re
about
to
embark
on
a
Greek
tale
.
Reader
,
attend
:
and
find
delight
.
Apuleius, Metamorphoses 4.28
Sarah Poggendorf /
- Created on 2018-09-24 17:55:18
- Modified on 2018-09-26 19:32:55
- Aligned by Sarah Poggendorf
Latin
English
Erant in quadam civitate rex et regina : hi tres numero filias forma conspicuas habuere , sed maiores quidem natu , quamvis gratissima specie , idonee tamen celebrari posse laudibus humanis credebantur . at vero puellae iunioris tam praecipua , tam praeclara pulchritudo nec exprimi ac ne sufficienter quidem laudari sermonis humani penuria poterat . Multi denique civium et advenae copiosi , quos eximii spectaculi rumor studiosa celebritate congregabat , inaccessae formositatis admiratione stupidi et admoventes oribus suis dexteram priore digito in erectum pollicem residente ut ipsam prorsus deam Venerem venerabantur religiosis adorationibus . Iamque proximas civitates et attiguas regiones fama pervaserat deam , quam caerulum profundum pelagi peperit et ros spumantium fluctuum educavit , iam numinis sui passim tributa venia in mediis conversari populi coetibus , vel certe rursum novo caelestium stillarum germine non maria , sed terras Venerem aliam , virginali flore praeditam , pullulasse .
In
a
certain
city
there
lived
a
king
and
queen
,
who
had
three
daughters
of
surpassing
beauty
.
Though
the
elder
two
were
extremely
pleasing
,
still
it
was
thought
they
were
only
worthy
of
mortal
praise
;
but
the
youngest
girl’s
looks
were
so
delightful
,
so
dazzling
,
no
human
speech
in
its
poverty
could
celebrate
them
,
or
even
rise
to
adequate
description
.
Crowds
of
eager
citizens
,
and
visitors
alike
,
drawn
by
tales
of
this
peerless
vision
,
stood
dumbfounded
,
marvelling
at
her
exceptional
loveliness
,
pressing
thumb
and
forefinger
together
and
touching
them
to
their
lips
,
and
bowing
their
heads
towards
her
in
pious
prayer
as
if
she
were
truly
the
goddess
Venus
.
Soon
the
news
spread
through
neighbouring
cities
,
and
the
lands
beyond
its
borders
,
that
the
goddess
herself
,
born
from
the
blue
depths
of
the
sea
,
emerging
in
spray
from
the
foaming
waves
,
was
now
gracing
the
earth
in
various
places
,
appearing
in
many
a
mortal
gathering
or
,
if
not
that
,
then
earth
not
ocean
had
given
rise
to
a
new
creation
,
a
new
celestial
emanation
,
another
Venus
,
and
as
yet
a
virgin
flower
.
Metamorphoses 4.29
Sarah Poggendorf /
- Created on 2018-10-01 04:50:46
- Modified on 2018-10-01 18:20:05
- Aligned by Sarah Poggendorf
Latin
English
Sic immensum procedit in dies opinio , sic insulas iam proxumas et terrae plusculum provinciasque plurimas fama porrecta pervagatur : iam multi mortalium longis itineribus atque altissimis maris meatibus ad saeculi specimen gloriosum confluebant : Paphon nemo , Cnidon nemo ac ne ipsa quidem Cythera ad conspectum deae Veneris navigabant . Sacra differuntur , templa deformantur , pulvinaria proteruntur , caerimoniae negleguntur ; incoronata simulacra et arae viduae frigido cinere foedatae . Puellae supplicatur , et in humanis vultibus deae tantae numina placantur , et in matutino progressu virginis victimis et epulis Veneris absentis nomen propitiatur , iamque per plateas commeantem populi frequentes floribus sertis et solutis apprecantur . Haec honorum caelestium ad puellae mortalis : cultum immodica translatio verae Veneris vehementer incendit animos , et impatiens indignationis capite quassanti fremens altius , sic secum disserit :
So
daily
more
and
more
increased
this
opinion
,
and
now
was
her
flying
fame
dispersed
into
the
next
islands
and
well
nigh
into
every
part
and
province
of
the
whole
world
.
Whereupon
innumerable
strangers
resorted
from
far
countries
,
adventuring
themselves
by
long
journeys
on
land
and
by
great
travels
on
water
,
to
behold
this
wonder
of
the
age
.
By
occasion
whereof
such
a
contempt
grew
towards
the
goddess
Venus
,
that
no
person
travelled
unto
the
town
Paphos
nor
unto
Cnidos
,
no
nor
to
the
isle
Cythera
to
worship
her
.
Her
liturgies
were
left
out
,
her
temples
defaced
,
her
couches
contemned
,
her
ceremonies
neglected
,
and
her
bare
altars
unswept
and
foul
with
the
ashes
of
old
burnt
sacrifice
.
For
why
,
every
person
honoured
and
worshipped
this
maiden
instead
of
Venus
,
calling
upon
the
divinity
of
that
great
goddess
in
a
human
form
,
and
in
the
morning
at
her
first
coming
abroad
,
offered
unto
her
oblations
,
provided
banquets
,
called
her
by
the
name
of
Venus
which
was
not
Venus
indeed
,
and
in
her
honour
,
as
she
walked
in
the
streets
,
presented
flowers
and
garlands
in
most
reverent
fashion
.
This
sudden
change
and
alteration
of
celestial
honour
unto
the
worship
of
a
mortal
maiden
did
greatly
inflame
and
kindle
the
mind
of
very
Venus
,
who
(
unable
to
temper
her
head
in
raging
sort
)
reasoned
with
herself
in
this
manner
:
Apuleius, Metamorphoses 4.30
Sarah Poggendorf /
- Created on 2018-10-10 18:21:24
- Modified on 2018-10-24 18:19:04
- Aligned by Sarah Poggendorf
Latin
English
' En rerum naturae prisca parens , en elementorum origo initialis , en orbis totius alma Venus , quae cum mortali puella partiario maiestatis honore tractor et nomen meum caelo conditum terrenis sordibus profanatur ! Nimirum communi numinis piamento vicariae venerationis incertum sustinebo , et imaginem meam circumferet puella moritura . Frustra me pastor ille , cuius iustitiam fidemque magnus comprobavit Iupiter , ob eximiam speciem tantis praetulit deabus . Sed non adeo gaudens ista , quaecumque est , meos honores usurpaverit : iam faxo eam huius etiam ipsius illicitae formositatis paeniteat ' . Et vocat confestim puerum suum pinnatum illum et satis temerarium , qui malis suis moribus contempta disciplina publica , flammis et sagittis armatus per alienas domos nocte discurrens et omnium matrimonia corrumpens impune committit tanta flagitia , et nihil prorsus boni facit .
'
Behold
I
,
the
original
of
nature
,
the
first
beginning
of
all
the
elements
,
behold
I
,
the
Lady
Venus
of
all
the
world
,
am
now
joined
with
a
mortal
maiden
as
a
partaker
of
my
honour
;
my
name
,
registered
in
the
city
of
heaven
,
is
profaned
and
made
vile
by
terrene
absurdities
.
If
I
shall
suffer
any
mortal
creature
to
present
my
majesty
in
earth
,
and
must
be
content
with
sharing
the
godhead
and
receiving
worship
through
other
,
or
that
any
girl
that
one
day
is
to
die
shall
bear
about
a
false
surmised
shape
of
my
person
,
then
in
vain
did
Paris
that
shepherd
(
in
whose
just
judgement
and
confidence
the
great
Jupiter
had
affiance
)
prefer
me
above
the
other
great
goddesses
for
the
excellency
of
my
beauty
:
but
she
,
whatsoever
she
be
,
shall
not
for
nought
have
usurped
mine
honour
,
but
she
shall
shortly
repent
her
of
her
unlawful
loveliness
'
.
Then
by
and
by
she
called
her
winged
son
Cupid
,
rash
enough
and
hardy
,
who
by
his
evil
manners
,
contemning
all
public
justice
and
law
,
armed
with
fire
and
arrows
,
running
up
and
down
in
the
nights
from
house
to
house
,
and
corrupting
the
lawful
marriages
of
every
person
,
doth
nothing
(
and
yet
he
is
not
punished
)
but
that
which
is
evil
.
metamorphoses Book 1 Ch. 1-3
Sarah Poggendorf /
- Created on 2018-10-14 22:40:24
- Aligned by Sarah Poggendorf
Latin
English
English
At ego tibi sermone isto Milesio varias fabulas conseram auresque tuas benivolas lepido susurro permulceam , modo si papyrum Aegyptiam argutia Nilotici calami inscriptam non spreveris inspicere , figuras fortunasque hominum in alias imagines conversas et in se rursum mutuo nexu refectas , ut mireris . Exordior . Quis ille ? Paucis accipe . Hymettos Attica et Isthmos Ephyraea et Taenaros Spartiaca , glebae felices aeternum libris felicioribus conditae , mea vetus prosapia est : ibi linguam Attidem primis pueritiae stipendiis merui . Mox in urbe Latia advena studiorum , Quiritium indigenam sermonem aerumnabili labore , nullo magistro praeeunte , aggressus excolui . En ecce praefamur veniam , si quid exotici ac forensis sermonis rudis
locutor offendero . Iam haec equidem ipsa vocis immutatio desultoriae scientiae stilo quem accessimus respondet . Fabulam Graecanicam incipimus : lector intende ; laetaberis .
Thessaliam , nam et illic originis maternae nostrae fundamenta a Plutarcho illo inclito ac mox Sexto philosopho nepote eius prodita gloriam nobis faciunt , eam Thessaliam ex negotio petebam . Postquam ardua montium et lubrica vallium et roscida caespitum et glebosa camporum emensi , me equo indigena peralbo vehens eo quoque admodum fesso , ut ipse etiam fatigationem sedentariam incessus vegetatione discuterem , in pedes desilio , equi sudorem a fronte curiose exfrico , aures remulceo , frenos detraho , in gradum lenem sensim proveho , quoad lassitudinis incommodum alui solitum ac naturale praesidium eliquaret . Ac dum is , ientaculum ambulatorium , prata quae praeterit ore in latus detorto pronus affectat , duobus comitum , qui forte paululum processerant , tertium me facio . Ac dum ausculto quid sermonis agitarent , alter exerto cachinno Parce inquit In verba ista haec tam absurda tamque immania mentiendo . Isto accepto sititor alioquin novitatis Immo vero inquam Impertite sermonis non quidem curiosum , sed qui velim scire vel cuncta
vel certe plurima : simul iugi quod insurgimus aspritudinem fabularum lepida incunditas levigabit .
At ille qui coeperat , Ne inquit Istud mendacium tam verum est , quam si quis velit dicere magico susurramine amnes agiles reverti , mare pigrum colligari , ventos inanimes exspirare ; solem inhiberi , lunam despumari , stellas evelli , diem tolli , noctem teneri . Tunc ego in verba fidentior heus tu inquam Qui sermonem ieceras priorem , ne pigeat te vel taedeat reliqua pertexere , et ad alium Tu vero crassis auribus et obstinato corde respuis quae forsitan vere perhibeantur . Minus Hercule calles pravissimis opinionibus ea putari mendacia , quae vel auditu nova vel visu rudia vel certe supra captum cogitationis ardua videantur ; quae si paulo accuratius exploraris , non modo compertu evidentia , verum etiam factu facilia senties .
locutor offendero . Iam haec equidem ipsa vocis immutatio desultoriae scientiae stilo quem accessimus respondet . Fabulam Graecanicam incipimus : lector intende ; laetaberis .
Thessaliam , nam et illic originis maternae nostrae fundamenta a Plutarcho illo inclito ac mox Sexto philosopho nepote eius prodita gloriam nobis faciunt , eam Thessaliam ex negotio petebam . Postquam ardua montium et lubrica vallium et roscida caespitum et glebosa camporum emensi , me equo indigena peralbo vehens eo quoque admodum fesso , ut ipse etiam fatigationem sedentariam incessus vegetatione discuterem , in pedes desilio , equi sudorem a fronte curiose exfrico , aures remulceo , frenos detraho , in gradum lenem sensim proveho , quoad lassitudinis incommodum alui solitum ac naturale praesidium eliquaret . Ac dum is , ientaculum ambulatorium , prata quae praeterit ore in latus detorto pronus affectat , duobus comitum , qui forte paululum processerant , tertium me facio . Ac dum ausculto quid sermonis agitarent , alter exerto cachinno Parce inquit In verba ista haec tam absurda tamque immania mentiendo . Isto accepto sititor alioquin novitatis Immo vero inquam Impertite sermonis non quidem curiosum , sed qui velim scire vel cuncta
vel certe plurima : simul iugi quod insurgimus aspritudinem fabularum lepida incunditas levigabit .
At ille qui coeperat , Ne inquit Istud mendacium tam verum est , quam si quis velit dicere magico susurramine amnes agiles reverti , mare pigrum colligari , ventos inanimes exspirare ; solem inhiberi , lunam despumari , stellas evelli , diem tolli , noctem teneri . Tunc ego in verba fidentior heus tu inquam Qui sermonem ieceras priorem , ne pigeat te vel taedeat reliqua pertexere , et ad alium Tu vero crassis auribus et obstinato corde respuis quae forsitan vere perhibeantur . Minus Hercule calles pravissimis opinionibus ea putari mendacia , quae vel auditu nova vel visu rudia vel certe supra captum cogitationis ardua videantur ; quae si paulo accuratius exploraris , non modo compertu evidentia , verum etiam factu facilia senties .
Now ! I’d like to string together various tales in the Milesian style , and charm your kindly ear with seductive murmurs , so long as you’re ready to be amazed at human forms and fortunes changed radically and then restored in turn in mutual exchange , and don’t object to reading Egyptian papyri , inscribed by a sly reed from the Nile .
I’ll begin . Who am I ? I’ll tell you briefly . Hymettus near Athens ; the Isthmus of Corinth ; and Spartan Mount Taenarus , happy soil more happily buried forever in other books , that’s my lineage . There as a lad I served in my first campaigns with the Greek tongue . Later , in Rome , freshly come to Latin studies I assumed and cultivated the native language , without a teacher , and with a heap of pains . So there ! I beg your indulgence in advance if as a crude performer in the exotic speech of the Forum I offend . And in truth the very fact of a change of voice will answer like a circus rider’s skill when needed . We’re about to embark on a Greek tale . Reader , attend : and find delight .
Thessaly – where the roots of my mother’s family add to my glory , in the famous form of Plutarch , and later his nephew , Sextus the philosopher – Thessaly is where I was off to on business . Emerging from perilous mountain tracks , and slithery valley ones , and damp meadows and muddy fields , riding a pure-white local nag , he being fairly tired and to chase away my own fatigue from endless sitting with the labour of walking , I dismounted . I rubbed the sweat from his forehead , carefully , stroked his ears , loosed his bridle , and led him slowly along at a gentle pace , till the usual and natural remedy of grazing eliminated the inconvenience of his lassitude . While he was at his mobile breakfast , the grass he passed , contorting his head from side to side , I made a third to two travellers who chanced to be a little way ahead . As I tried to hear what they were saying , one of them burst out laughing : " Stop telling such absurd and monstrous lies ! "
Hearing this , and my thirst for anything new being what it is , I said : " Oh do let me share your conversation . I’m not inquisitive but I love to
know everything , or at least most things . Besides , the charm of a pleasant tale will lighten the pain of this hill we’re climbing . "
But the one who’d laughed merely went on : " Now that story was about as true as if you’d said magic spells can make rivers flow backwards , chain the sea , paralyze the wind , halt the sun , squeeze dew from the moon , disperse the stars , banish day , and lengthen night ! "
Here I spoke out more boldly : " Don’t be annoyed , you who began the tale ; don’t weary of spinning out the rest . " And to the other " You with your stubborn mind and cloth ears might be rejecting something true . By Hercules , it’s not too clever if wrong opinion makes you judge as false what seems new to the ear , or strange to the eye , or too hard for the intellect to grasp , but which on closer investigation proves not only true , but even obvious . I last night , competing with friends at dinner , took too large a mouthful of cheese polenta . That soft and glutinous food stuck in my throat , blocked my windpipe , and I almost died . Yet at Athens , not long ago , in front of the Painted Porch , I saw a juggler swallow a sharp-edged cavalry sword with its lethal blade , and later I saw the same fellow , after a little donation , ingest a spear , death-dealing end downwards , right to the depth of his guts : and all of a sudden a beautiful boy swarmed up the wooden bit of the upside-down weapon , where it rose from throat to brow , and danced a dance , all twists and turns , as if he’d no muscle or spine , astounding everyone there . You’d have said he was that noble snake that clings with its slippery knots to Asclepius’ staff , the knotty one he carries with the half sawn-off branches . But do go on now , you who started the tale , tell it again . I’ll believe you , not like him , and invite to you to dinner with me at the first tavern we come to after reaching town : there’s your guaranteed reward . "
" What you promise , " he said , " is fair and just , and I’ll repeat what I left unfinished . But first I swear to you , by the all-seeing god of the Sun , I’m speaking things I know to be true ; and you’ll have no doubt when you arrive at the next Thessalian town and find the story on everyone’s lips of a happening in plain daylight . But first so you know who I am , I’m from Aegium . And here’s how I make my living : I deal in cheese and honey , all that sort of innkeeper’s stuff , travelling here and there through Boeotia , Aetolia , Thessaly . So when I learned that at Hypata , Thessaly’s most important town , some fresh cheese with a fine flavour was being sold at a very good price , I rushed there , in a hurry to buy the lot . But as usual I
went left foot first , and my hopes of a profit were dashed . A wholesale dealer called Lupus had snapped it up the day before . So , exhausted after my useless chase , I started to walk to the baths as Venus began to shine . "
I’ll begin . Who am I ? I’ll tell you briefly . Hymettus near Athens ; the Isthmus of Corinth ; and Spartan Mount Taenarus , happy soil more happily buried forever in other books , that’s my lineage . There as a lad I served in my first campaigns with the Greek tongue . Later , in Rome , freshly come to Latin studies I assumed and cultivated the native language , without a teacher , and with a heap of pains . So there ! I beg your indulgence in advance if as a crude performer in the exotic speech of the Forum I offend . And in truth the very fact of a change of voice will answer like a circus rider’s skill when needed . We’re about to embark on a Greek tale . Reader , attend : and find delight .
Thessaly – where the roots of my mother’s family add to my glory , in the famous form of Plutarch , and later his nephew , Sextus the philosopher – Thessaly is where I was off to on business . Emerging from perilous mountain tracks , and slithery valley ones , and damp meadows and muddy fields , riding a pure-white local nag , he being fairly tired and to chase away my own fatigue from endless sitting with the labour of walking , I dismounted . I rubbed the sweat from his forehead , carefully , stroked his ears , loosed his bridle , and led him slowly along at a gentle pace , till the usual and natural remedy of grazing eliminated the inconvenience of his lassitude . While he was at his mobile breakfast , the grass he passed , contorting his head from side to side , I made a third to two travellers who chanced to be a little way ahead . As I tried to hear what they were saying , one of them burst out laughing : " Stop telling such absurd and monstrous lies ! "
Hearing this , and my thirst for anything new being what it is , I said : " Oh do let me share your conversation . I’m not inquisitive but I love to
know everything , or at least most things . Besides , the charm of a pleasant tale will lighten the pain of this hill we’re climbing . "
But the one who’d laughed merely went on : " Now that story was about as true as if you’d said magic spells can make rivers flow backwards , chain the sea , paralyze the wind , halt the sun , squeeze dew from the moon , disperse the stars , banish day , and lengthen night ! "
Here I spoke out more boldly : " Don’t be annoyed , you who began the tale ; don’t weary of spinning out the rest . " And to the other " You with your stubborn mind and cloth ears might be rejecting something true . By Hercules , it’s not too clever if wrong opinion makes you judge as false what seems new to the ear , or strange to the eye , or too hard for the intellect to grasp , but which on closer investigation proves not only true , but even obvious . I last night , competing with friends at dinner , took too large a mouthful of cheese polenta . That soft and glutinous food stuck in my throat , blocked my windpipe , and I almost died . Yet at Athens , not long ago , in front of the Painted Porch , I saw a juggler swallow a sharp-edged cavalry sword with its lethal blade , and later I saw the same fellow , after a little donation , ingest a spear , death-dealing end downwards , right to the depth of his guts : and all of a sudden a beautiful boy swarmed up the wooden bit of the upside-down weapon , where it rose from throat to brow , and danced a dance , all twists and turns , as if he’d no muscle or spine , astounding everyone there . You’d have said he was that noble snake that clings with its slippery knots to Asclepius’ staff , the knotty one he carries with the half sawn-off branches . But do go on now , you who started the tale , tell it again . I’ll believe you , not like him , and invite to you to dinner with me at the first tavern we come to after reaching town : there’s your guaranteed reward . "
" What you promise , " he said , " is fair and just , and I’ll repeat what I left unfinished . But first I swear to you , by the all-seeing god of the Sun , I’m speaking things I know to be true ; and you’ll have no doubt when you arrive at the next Thessalian town and find the story on everyone’s lips of a happening in plain daylight . But first so you know who I am , I’m from Aegium . And here’s how I make my living : I deal in cheese and honey , all that sort of innkeeper’s stuff , travelling here and there through Boeotia , Aetolia , Thessaly . So when I learned that at Hypata , Thessaly’s most important town , some fresh cheese with a fine flavour was being sold at a very good price , I rushed there , in a hurry to buy the lot . But as usual I
went left foot first , and my hopes of a profit were dashed . A wholesale dealer called Lupus had snapped it up the day before . So , exhausted after my useless chase , I started to walk to the baths as Venus began to shine . "
I’m thinking I’ll tell these stories to you in that Milesian style—you know , those
romping , boisterous tales in which I can plant so many things . I’ll please your kind ears with a charming whisper . . . but soft ! if only you would not scorn to acknowledge the Egyptian papyrus , inscribed with the silver-tongued wit that springs up by the reeds of the Nile ! I’ll show you the figures and fates of men transformed into other shapes , only to be later turned back into themselves . These chains of events will leave you bound to the page , astounded .
And so I begin .
But who am I ? Allow me to briefly introduce myself . My ancestors are from Athens and Sparta and everywhere in between—Hymettus , Epherea , and Taenaros , as the natives say— living on fruitful lumps of land long since buried in books , which far surpass the land in prosperity . It was there that I marched off to school , soldiering through lesson after lesson , and in my service I became fluent in Greek .
And lo ! Before the lapsing of too many years , I went to the Latin city , a stranger of all things Quirinal , and , without a teacher no less , cultivated my skills in that tongue , as you can see . I mention this and beg your pardon , for I may wind up speaking in my foreign idioms or lapse into the rough language of the street . My ability to leap from language to language like a vaulter flies from horse to horse at the circus calls me to this story . So let us begin our Greekified fable .
Pay attention , dear reader . You’ll enjoy the show .
I was going to Thessaly—my mother is from Thessaly , by the way , and she’s descended
from Plutarch , you know , the famous biographer , and not to mention his grandson , the philosopher Sextus of Chaeronea , and they made our family famous—anyways , I was on my way to Thessaly for a business trip . I surpassed the heights of the mountains , the crumbling paths of the valleys , the dewy parts of the pastures , and the clumpy furrows of the fields , riding on my native , pure-white horse . We were both exhausted , my horse and I , he from the journey and me from sitting ; so , now that we had passed through the thick vegetation , I jumped down to shake off my weariness . I carefully wiped my horse’s sweaty forehead , stroked his ears , took off his bridle , and slowly led him at a gentle pace , until nature could restore his weary troubles and his empty belly , as it usually did . Meanwhile , he found his breakfast while we walked , leaning toward the fields we passed with his mouth turned to the side .
By chance , we found ourselves walking a little ways near two companions , and I joined their little group . I listened to the conversation they were having , and one of the men , erupting with a deep guffaw , said , " That’s enough already , what you’re telling me is absurd , nothing but enormous lies . "
Since I’m always thirsting for such a tale—or really , for any peculiarity—I said , " Oh , come now , tell me your story . It’s not that I’m prying , but I’m just the kind of guy who wants to know everything , or at least as much as I can . Not to mention , a delightful anecdote will ease our difficult climb up this big hill we’re coming to . "
But the man who spoke first said , " If you told me that a whispered spell could make the 1 . 3 swiftest rivers flow backwards , turn the sea into something too lazy to swell , force the winds to breathe out their last breath , stop the sun right in its tracks , wipe the shine off of the moon ,
pluck out the stars from the sky , kidnap the day , and stretch out the night—if you told me all
that , I’d believe it exactly as much as I believe those lies of yours . "
More confident than before , I spoke up again . " Hey , you , " I said , pointing to the one who had already begun his story . " Don’t get fed up or bored , finish it for me . " To the doubter , I said , " As for you , your ears are filled with mud . It’s with a stubborn heart that you reject what very well could be true . By Hercules , you’re not that bright to have these depraved opinions , thinking everything is a lie , even if the things sound strange to your ears , look like a heap of codswallop , or seem too lofty to grasp . If you would just look a little more carefully , you would see for yourself that not only are such things easy to find , they are even easy to do . "
romping , boisterous tales in which I can plant so many things . I’ll please your kind ears with a charming whisper . . . but soft ! if only you would not scorn to acknowledge the Egyptian papyrus , inscribed with the silver-tongued wit that springs up by the reeds of the Nile ! I’ll show you the figures and fates of men transformed into other shapes , only to be later turned back into themselves . These chains of events will leave you bound to the page , astounded .
And so I begin .
But who am I ? Allow me to briefly introduce myself . My ancestors are from Athens and Sparta and everywhere in between—Hymettus , Epherea , and Taenaros , as the natives say— living on fruitful lumps of land long since buried in books , which far surpass the land in prosperity . It was there that I marched off to school , soldiering through lesson after lesson , and in my service I became fluent in Greek .
And lo ! Before the lapsing of too many years , I went to the Latin city , a stranger of all things Quirinal , and , without a teacher no less , cultivated my skills in that tongue , as you can see . I mention this and beg your pardon , for I may wind up speaking in my foreign idioms or lapse into the rough language of the street . My ability to leap from language to language like a vaulter flies from horse to horse at the circus calls me to this story . So let us begin our Greekified fable .
Pay attention , dear reader . You’ll enjoy the show .
I was going to Thessaly—my mother is from Thessaly , by the way , and she’s descended
from Plutarch , you know , the famous biographer , and not to mention his grandson , the philosopher Sextus of Chaeronea , and they made our family famous—anyways , I was on my way to Thessaly for a business trip . I surpassed the heights of the mountains , the crumbling paths of the valleys , the dewy parts of the pastures , and the clumpy furrows of the fields , riding on my native , pure-white horse . We were both exhausted , my horse and I , he from the journey and me from sitting ; so , now that we had passed through the thick vegetation , I jumped down to shake off my weariness . I carefully wiped my horse’s sweaty forehead , stroked his ears , took off his bridle , and slowly led him at a gentle pace , until nature could restore his weary troubles and his empty belly , as it usually did . Meanwhile , he found his breakfast while we walked , leaning toward the fields we passed with his mouth turned to the side .
By chance , we found ourselves walking a little ways near two companions , and I joined their little group . I listened to the conversation they were having , and one of the men , erupting with a deep guffaw , said , " That’s enough already , what you’re telling me is absurd , nothing but enormous lies . "
Since I’m always thirsting for such a tale—or really , for any peculiarity—I said , " Oh , come now , tell me your story . It’s not that I’m prying , but I’m just the kind of guy who wants to know everything , or at least as much as I can . Not to mention , a delightful anecdote will ease our difficult climb up this big hill we’re coming to . "
But the man who spoke first said , " If you told me that a whispered spell could make the 1 . 3 swiftest rivers flow backwards , turn the sea into something too lazy to swell , force the winds to breathe out their last breath , stop the sun right in its tracks , wipe the shine off of the moon ,
pluck out the stars from the sky , kidnap the day , and stretch out the night—if you told me all
that , I’d believe it exactly as much as I believe those lies of yours . "
More confident than before , I spoke up again . " Hey , you , " I said , pointing to the one who had already begun his story . " Don’t get fed up or bored , finish it for me . " To the doubter , I said , " As for you , your ears are filled with mud . It’s with a stubborn heart that you reject what very well could be true . By Hercules , you’re not that bright to have these depraved opinions , thinking everything is a lie , even if the things sound strange to your ears , look like a heap of codswallop , or seem too lofty to grasp . If you would just look a little more carefully , you would see for yourself that not only are such things easy to find , they are even easy to do . "
Apuleius, Metamorphoses 4.32
Sarah Poggendorf /
- Created on 2018-10-30 18:13:00
- Modified on 2018-11-12 18:02:11
- Aligned by Sarah Poggendorf
Latin
English
Interea Psyche cum sua sibi perspicua pulchritudine nullum decoris sui fructum percipit . Spectatur ab omnibus , laudatur ab omnibus , nec quisquam , non rex , non regius , nec de plebe saltem cupiens eius nuptiarum petitor accedit : mirantur quidem divinam speciem , sed ut simulacrum fabre politum mirantur omnes . Olim duae maiores sorores , quarum temperatam formositatem nulli diffamarant populi , procis regibus desponsae iam beatas nuptias adeptae sed Psyche virgo vidua domi residens deflet desertam suam solitudinem , aegra corporis , animi saucia , et quamvis gentibus totis complacitam odit in se suam formositatem . Sic infortunatissimae filiae miserrimus pater , suspectatis caelestibus odiis et irae superum metuens , dei Milesii vetustissimum percontatur oraculum et a tanto numine precibus et victimis ingratae virgini petit nuptias et maritum . Sed Apollo , quamquam Graecus et Ionicus , propter Milesiae conditorem sic Latina sorte respondit :
Psyche
,
for
all
her
conspicuous
beauty
,
reaped
no
profit
from
her
charms
.
Gazed
at
by
all
,
praised
by
all
,
no
one
,
neither
prince
nor
commoner
,
wishing
to
marry
her
,
sought
her
hand
.
They
admired
her
divine
beauty
of
course
,
but
as
we
admire
a
perfectly
finished
statue
.
Her
two
elder
sisters
,
whose
plainer
looks
had
never
been
trumpeted
through
the
world
,
were
soon
engaged
to
royal
suitors
and
so
made
excellent
marriages
,
but
Psyche
was
left
at
home
,
a
virgin
,
single
,
weeping
in
lonely
solitude
,
ill
in
body
and
sore
at
heart
,
hating
that
beauty
of
form
the
world
found
so
pleasing
.
So
the
wretched
girl’s
unhappy
father
,
suspecting
divine
hostility
,
fearing
the
gods’
anger
,
consulted
the
ancient
Miletian
oracle
of
Apollo
at
Didyma
.
With
prayer
and
sacrifice
he
asked
the
mighty
god
for
a
man
to
marry
the
unfortunate
girl
.
Apollo
,
though
Greek
and
Ionian
too
,
favoured
the
author
of
this
Miletian
tale
with
a
reply
in
Latin
:
apuleius, Metamorphoses 5.11
Sarah Poggendorf /
- Created on 2018-11-08 23:36:55
- Modified on 2018-11-28 17:10:22
- Aligned by Sarah Poggendorf
Latin
English
Interea Psychen maritus ille quem nescit rursum suis illis nocturnis sermonibus sic commonet : ‘Videsne quantum tibi periculum ? Velitatur Fortuna eminus ac , nisi longe firmiter praecaves , mox comminus congredietur . Perfidae lupulae magnis conatibus nefarias insidias tibi comparant , quarum summa est , ut te suadeant meos explorare vultus , quos , ut tibi saepe praedixi , non videbis si videris . Ergo igitur si posthac pessimae illae lamiae noxiis animis armatae venerint—venient autem , scio—neque omnino sermonem conteras et , si id tolerare pro genuina simplicitate proque animi tui teneritudine non potueris , certe de marito nil quicquam vel audias vel respondeas : nam et familiam nostram iam propagabimus et hic adhuc infantilis uterus gestat nobis infantem alium , si texeris nostra secreta silentio , ’
Meanwhile
her
unseen
husband
,
on
his
nightly
visit
,
warned
Psyche
once
more
:
"
See
how
much
danger
you’re
in
.
Fortune
is
plotting
at
a
distance
,
but
soon
,
unless
you
take
firm
precautions
,
she’ll
be
attacking
you
face
to
face
.
Those
treacherous
she-wolves
are
working
hard
to
execute
some
evil
act
against
you
,
by
tempting
you
to
examine
my
features
.
But
do
so
and
,
as
I’ve
told
you
,
you’ll
never
see
me
again
.
So
if
those
foul
harpies
armed
with
their
noxious
thoughts
return
,
as
I
know
they
will
,
you
must
hold
no
conversation
with
them
.
And
if
in
your
true
innocence
and
tender-
heartedness
you
can’t
bear
that
,
then
at
least
,
if
they
speak
of
me
,
don’t
listen
,
or
if
you
must
don’t
answer
.
You
see
our
family
will
increase
,
and
your
womb
,
a
child’s
,
must
bear
another
child
,
who
if
you
keep
our
secret
silently
will
be
divine
,
though
if
you
profane
it
,
mortal
.
"
Apuleius, Metamorphoses 4.33
Sarah Poggendorf /
- Created on 2018-11-12 18:19:38
- Modified on 2018-11-14 18:21:14
- Aligned by Sarah Poggendorf
Latin
English
urn:cts:latinLit:phi1212.phi002.perseus-lat1:4.33
Montis in excelsi scopulo , rex , siste puellam
Ornatam mundo funerei thalami : Nec speres generum mortali stirpe creatum ,
Sed saevum atque ferum vipereumque malum , Quod pinnis volitans super aethera cuncta fatigat
Flammaque et ferro singula debilitat ; Quod tremit ipse Iovis , quo numina terrificantur ,
Fluminaque horrescunt et Stygiae tenebrae .
Rex , olim beatus , affatu sanctae vaticinationis accepto pigens tristisque retro domum pergit suaeque coniugi praecepta sortis enodat infaustae . Maeretur , fletur , lamentatur diebus plusculis : sed dirae sortis iam urget taeter effectus , iam feralium nuptiarum miserrimae virgini choragium struitur , iam taedae lumen atrae fuliginis cinere marcescit , et sonus tibiae zygiae mutatur in querulum Lydii modum , cantusque laetus hymenaei lugubri finitur ululatu , et puella nuptura deterget lacrimas ipso suo flammeo . Sic affectae domus triste fatum cuncta etiam civitas congemebat , luctuque publico confestim congruens edicitur iustitium .
Ornatam mundo funerei thalami : Nec speres generum mortali stirpe creatum ,
Sed saevum atque ferum vipereumque malum , Quod pinnis volitans super aethera cuncta fatigat
Flammaque et ferro singula debilitat ; Quod tremit ipse Iovis , quo numina terrificantur ,
Fluminaque horrescunt et Stygiae tenebrae .
Rex , olim beatus , affatu sanctae vaticinationis accepto pigens tristisque retro domum pergit suaeque coniugi praecepta sortis enodat infaustae . Maeretur , fletur , lamentatur diebus plusculis : sed dirae sortis iam urget taeter effectus , iam feralium nuptiarum miserrimae virgini choragium struitur , iam taedae lumen atrae fuliginis cinere marcescit , et sonus tibiae zygiae mutatur in querulum Lydii modum , cantusque laetus hymenaei lugubri finitur ululatu , et puella nuptura deterget lacrimas ipso suo flammeo . Sic affectae domus triste fatum cuncta etiam civitas congemebat , luctuque publico confestim congruens edicitur iustitium .
"
High
on
a
mountain
crag
,
decked
in
her
finery
,
Lead your daughter , king , to her fatal marriage .
And hope for no child of hers born of a mortal ,
But a cruel and savage , serpent-like winged evil ,
Flying through the heavens , and threatening all ,
Menacing ever soul on earth with fire and sword ,
Till Jove himself trembles , the gods are terrified ,
And rivers quake and the Stygian shades beside . "
The king , blessed till now , on hearing this utterance of sacred prophecy went slowly home in sadness and told his wife the oracle’s dark saying . They moaned , they wept , they wailed for many a day . But the dire and fatal hour soon approached . The scene was set for the poor girl’s dark wedding . The flames of the wedding torches grew dim with black smoky ash ; the tune of hymen’s flute sounded in plaintive Lydian mode , and the marriage-hymn’s cheerful song fell to a mournful wail . The bride-to-be wiped tears away with her flame-red bridal veil ; the whole city grieved at the cruel fate that had struck the afflicted house and public business was interrupted as a fitting show of mourning .
Lead your daughter , king , to her fatal marriage .
And hope for no child of hers born of a mortal ,
But a cruel and savage , serpent-like winged evil ,
Flying through the heavens , and threatening all ,
Menacing ever soul on earth with fire and sword ,
Till Jove himself trembles , the gods are terrified ,
And rivers quake and the Stygian shades beside . "
The king , blessed till now , on hearing this utterance of sacred prophecy went slowly home in sadness and told his wife the oracle’s dark saying . They moaned , they wept , they wailed for many a day . But the dire and fatal hour soon approached . The scene was set for the poor girl’s dark wedding . The flames of the wedding torches grew dim with black smoky ash ; the tune of hymen’s flute sounded in plaintive Lydian mode , and the marriage-hymn’s cheerful song fell to a mournful wail . The bride-to-be wiped tears away with her flame-red bridal veil ; the whole city grieved at the cruel fate that had struck the afflicted house and public business was interrupted as a fitting show of mourning .
Apuleius, Metamorphoses 4.35
Sarah Poggendorf /
- Created on 2018-11-30 18:19:31
- Modified on 2018-12-05 18:20:01
- Aligned by Sarah Poggendorf
Latin
English
urn:cts:latinLit:phi1212.phi002.perseus-lat1:4.35
qui totius orbis exitio natus est ? Sic profata virgo conticuit ingressuque iam valido pompae populi prosequentis sese miscuit . Itur ad constitutum scopulum montis ardui , cuius in summo cacumine statutam puellam cuncti deserunt , taedasque nuptiales , quibus praeluxerant , ibidem lacrimis suis extinctas relinquentes deiectis capitibus domuitionem parant , et miseri quidem parentes eius tanta clade defessi clausae domus abstrusi tenebris perpetuae nocti sesededidere . Psychen autem paventem ac trepidam et in ipso scopuli vertice deflentem mitis aura molliter spirantis Zephyri , vibratis hinc inde laciniis et reflato sinu , sensim levatam suo tranquillo spiritui vehens paulatim per devexa rupis excelsae , vallis subditae florentis caespitis gremio leniter delapsam reclinat .
With
this
,
the
girl
fell
silent
,
and
went
steadfastly
on
,
accompanied
by
the
throng
of
citizens
around
her
.
They
came
to
the
steep
mountain
crag
decreed
,
and
placed
the
girl
,
as
commanded
,
on
its
very
top
,
then
deserted
her
,
one
and
all
.
They
left
behind
the
bridal
torches
,
lighted
on
the
way
,
and
now
extinguished
by
their
tears
,
and
heads
bent
low
began
their
journey
home
,
where
her
unhappy
parents
,
exhausted
by
this
dreadful
blow
,
shut
themselves
in
the
darkness
of
their
room
,
and
resigned
themselves
to
endless
night
.
Meanwhile
Psyche
,
on
the
topmost
summit
,
frightened
,
trembling
,
and
in
tears
,
was
lifted
by
a
gentle
breeze
,
a
softly
whispering
Zephyr
,
stirring
her
dress
around
her
and
causing
it
to
billow
,
its
tranquil
breath
carrying
her
slowly
down
the
high
cliff
slopes
to
the
valley
below
,
where
it
laid
her
tenderly
on
a
bed
of
flowering
turf
.